Reincarnated as a Dragon – The path of the Dragon God

Henry plopped right down on the fancy couch as he threw his head back and let out a delighted gasp after a nice hot shower. He was in the same clothes as before but due to it being mere Murux essence, his clothes became clean in an instant. He was thankful he didn’t need to wear clothes in his Dragon form. The hassle would be neverending.

If there was anything he missed about his former world, it would be a bath and shower. He liked the feeling of water splashing against his body and he could only get that feeling when it was raining in that primitive world.

But that was the only thing he liked about the modern world. He did slightly miss the fiction he had been consuming but now that he was practically living a life equivalent to fiction, he was content.

Hmm… Maybe I won’t dislike my old life so much if I was as rich as Chloe.

He muttered in his heart as he looked around and all he saw was the indication of a wealthy person. He was currently in a very large and luxurious apartment room that was akin to a penthouse. Or rather, it was a penthouse. This was Chloe’s place of residence.

“Not mine,” she had answered when he asked the moment he set foot into the apartment. According to her, it belonged to her friend who she was sharing the place with. She was living here rent-free without any sort of conditions as compensation for the absence of rent. However, Chloe did take it upon herself to keep the place clean and did the cooking and laundry in return.

“Enjoying yourself?” Chloe asked, stepping out of her room in very revealing fresh clothes that were a camisole and a pair of very short pants.

“As much as I can. Thanks for the shower.”

“Don’t mention it.” Her hair had yet to dry and was still glistening. She took a seat on the u-shaped couch adjacent to Henry. She also slumped back against the couch and let out a delighted gasp. “So, how did you get your powers?”

Henry hung his head in silence as he contemplated on how to word his answer.

“Just tell her,” Nadea said. “But leave out the details and my name.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Tell her about the Demons too. Maybe she would be liable to help us if she heard the name, Demons.”

“Alright, if you say so.” Henry cleared his throat and turned his gaze to Chloe while still slouching. “I got my powers from a god.”

Chloe widened her eyes. “You’re serious?”

Henry nodded.

“Okay… I don’t exactly believe your words but… what the hell.  So, what’s the god’s name and why would… they give you superpowers?”

“I can’t tell you the god’s name but I can tell you that I was given powers because I was chosen to be the god’s… champion, their hands and voice of sorts.”

“Let me guess, they need a champion because gods can’t directly meddle in human affairs or reasons like that?”

“As lame as that sounds, yes.”

“That’s very cliche and are you truly being serious?”

“A hundred percent. And my duty as their champion is to cull those monsters that you and I encountered just then.”

“And what exactly are those monsters?”

“Demons.”

“Demons? Like the bible?”

“I don’t think so. You saw what they are like, what do you think?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “What do I know? This is all too much for me. I… I think I need a moment.”

“Take your time.”

Not a minute went by and Chloe was already leaning forward. “So… you’re something like a Demon Hunter?”

“Huh… Never thought about it that way but I suppose I am.”

“How long have you had your powers?”

“A few weeks?”

“A few weeks? I have had my powers for two years now and you seem to be getting a better hang of your powers than I am.”

“Well, I don’t exactly have anything to do but to hone my powers. I certainly don’t have things like college I need to worry about.”

“Lucky you,” she muttered. “Say, how old are you?” She eyed Henry up and down.

“Just say you’re twenty or something close,” Nadea said.

“Twenty,” Henry answered.

“Wow, really? I’m twenty-two and you’re looking way older than I am.”

“Thanks?”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Well, I already said my thanks.”

She chuckled. “You’re unbelievably and horribly straightforward.”

“Why? You prefer that I sugarcoat my words and be roundabout?”

“Please, don’t. I have my fill of people coating their lies with honey and doing circles with the truth. I find your honesty very refreshing, although it does get kinda vexing at times.”

“Um… thanks, I guess.”

She giggled. “You’re welcome.”

“Well, thank you for the shower, your ex-boyfriend’s clothes, and your hospitality,” Henry said and stood up.

“Wait, you’re leaving?”

“Should I not be?”

“Do you live near here?”

“No, not even remotely close. I was planning to stay in a motel. Speaking of which, do you know any motels nearby?”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you just stay here for the night? There are like three empty bedrooms in this place, furnished even. And… my bed is kinda big for a single person.”

“What about your friend? Don’t you need her permission?”

Chloe laughed. “She won’t mind. She brings home random boys and men too. Besides, if she’s not back by midnight she’s most likely not coming back at all. She’s probably hanging out at the place of one of her boyfriends.”

“That’s very… wanton of her.”

Chloe sighed with a regretful look. “I know what you’re thinking. Just say it. She’s a loose bitch, a whore, a slut, a thieving fox. She had slept with a lot of other people’s boyfriends and husbands and she’s quite open about that. You don’t need to be indirect with your disparaging comments.”

“I wasn’t disparaging her and why would I do that? I’m holing up at her palace of an apartment without rent or her explicit permission. Not to mention I used her fancy shower and drank her branded water and sat on her authentic leather couch. I don’t have the right to disparage her.”

Chloe broke into a wide smile and giggled like a kid who just succeeded in her prank. “I’m just kidding.”

Henry tilted his head. “About which part?”

She shrugged. “The part where she sleeps with other people’s partners. She said to me she doesn’t do that but sometimes I doubt it, not that is any of my business. It’s her life and I’m just her friend.”

Just a friend? She’s letting you live in her penthouse rent-free. I think you’re not just a friend to her.

“And you’re damn right about you having no right to disparage her. Gosh, you’re really honest and direct. I like that about you. You know, I was going to kick you out if you had insulted her.”

“Thank god that I didn’t.”

Silence loomed over them but not for long as Chloe was itching to throw questions at him.

“Why don’t you have a phone?” she finally found the guts to ask.

“I don’t exactly need one,” Henry answered dryly.

“Dude, even a toddler or a grandma uses one nowadays despite not needing one. You’re telling me a guy of your age doesn't have a phone because you don’t need it?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.”

“That’s bullshit. That’s even harder to swallow than a god giving you powers.”

“But it’s the truth.”

“Is it now?” She eyed Henry closely. “Everything that you have said is nothing but the truth?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Fine, fine, fine. I believe you. Well, I guess it’s my turn now.”

Henry raised an eyebrow. “Your turn?”

Chuckling, Chloe gathered her legs and placed her chin on her knees. “Don’t you want to know about my story?”

“No, not particularly.”

“Wow. You’re really not interested in me, are you?”

Henry looked at her with a slight frown. “Am I correct to assume that you are a very popular girl on campus?”

“You are correct. My presence turns all the gazes in a room to me and I get asked for my number at least once every day.”

“I don’t have a phone, so there’s no point in me asking for your phone number.”

Chloe scoffed and pulled out a pen and a notepad from the drawer of the living room table. She then scrawled a series of numbers on a single page before tearing it off the pad and pushing the paper into Henry’s hands. “Here, my number,” she said, grinning.

Henry looked at the paper with her number scrawled in his hands. “Is this an invitation?”

She hooked the hem of her camisole and raised it a little while flashing him a grin.

“Thank you for the offer but I would have to decline.”

She gave him a blank stare. “Why? Am I not your type?”

“I don’t have a type and I’m declining because I’m just not interested.”

She burst out chortling as she threw her head back. “Wow. You are slow but at least you finally got the hint.” Her chortling continued. “Well, congratulations. You have passed the test.”

“The test?”

“I want to see if you were just acting like an aloof and cool character. Many men have done that just to get into my pants. They seemed to think the mystery air around them makes them attractive but in truth, they’re just a pain in the arse and fucking cringe.”

Henry flinched a little. “Did I just get insulted in a very roundabout way?”

“I’m not insulting you, Henry.” Chloe was still laughing but not as hard as before. “If anything, I’m praising you. You have passed all of my tests. But goddamn… I really didn’t think there would be a man that is uninterested in me. I’m kinda hurt.”

“Were the men’s advances so bad that you need to give out these kinds of tests?”

“Oh, you have no idea, Henry. I believe it’s thanks to my powers.”

“Your powers?”

She brought out her phone and swiped the screen until she got to a certain picture which she then showed to Henry. It was a photo of a young girl with long and dry unkempt pale blonde hair. Her face was full of pimples and acne. She was quite plump but not in a voluptuous way.

Henry gave a casual glance at first but he realised what he was looking at a moment later. “Was this you?” he asked.

“Yeah, this was me two years ago.” She swiped the screen, bringing up the photo. “And this is me two weeks after I got my superpowers.”

The photo Henry was looking at was of the same girl but her face was now devoid of pimples and acne. Her hair was still unkempt but it now looked lustrous and soft. Her figure had also slimmed down considerably. “This is just two weeks?”

Chloe nodded. “Amazing, isn’t it? I was freaking terrified at first but then I discovered the very convenient benefits. I don’t need to wear make-up any longer or even put moisturisers on and I look better than those who do.”

“Let me guess, the attention from the boys became too much?”

“It became suffocating. I half-suspect subtle seduction is a part of my powers considering the amount of attention I’m getting.”

Henry took a few whiffs of her body. “I don’t smell any seductive pheromones from you. I think you’re just too beautiful in everyone’s eyes.”

“That’s not very convincing coming from the guy that isn’t showing any interest in me.”

“Just because I’m not interested in you doesn’t mean I don’t find you beautiful.”

Chloe’s brows rose at his words. “You think I’m beautiful?”

“I do.”

“But you’re not interested in me. Are you gay?”

“I’m not.”

“Then why aren’t you interested?” Chloe leaned forward, her hand reaching out for Henry’s face. “What makes you so different from the others?”

Henry let his cheek be cupped by Chloe’s hand. He even moved his head, brushing his cheek against her palm. “The mood and circumstances, I suppose. When I’m done with my work, I’ll be leaving.”

“I see… You’re not interested in a fling,” Chloe muttered in understanding and retracted her hand. She rose from the couch. “Well, that’s enough for one night. I better get some sleep now. I have an early start tomorrow. Feel free to sleep in one of the empty rooms. You can also sleep on the couch if you like. There are some blankets in the compartments under the couch. Good night, Henry.”

“Good night, Chloe,” he returned the greeting as he watched her gradually disappear into the next floor, followed by the sound of a door shutting close shortly after.

“What the hell’s wrong with me?” Henry sighed as he slouched even more. Henry had no doubt if he was still a human, he would have said yes to Chloe’s advance. However, the idea of a fling just completely turned him off despite how beautiful and nubile Chloe was. The strangest thing of all, he didn’t even get hard despite finding Chloe beautiful. “Have I become impotent?” he mused absentmindedly.

“No, you haven’t,” Nadea answered. “In fact, you’re more potent than before. Your sexual appetite has actually gotten stronger, a whole lot stronger.”

“Then why am I not even feeling aroused?”

“A Dragon only gets an erection for those it deems as its mate. Most importantly, a Dragon mates for life. A Dragon and its mates would never separate or get separated. Till death do they apart, literally.”

“Sounds like a very suffocating way to live.”

“Maybe it won’t fully be this way for you as you’re still partly human. Maybe you’re just stressed out by your first assignment as a Divine’s champion.”

“I certainly hope so.” Now that the topic had come up, he began recalling all the women and girls he had encountered so far. Though only one of them was a human, the others were all hot and beautiful in their own right. Yet, he didn’t seem to feel any real lust for them. He only felt a headache coming when he thought about associating with them. 

“Hey, Nadea.”

“Yes?”

“How’s the world doing? The forest, I mean.”

“It’s doing fine. The only threats they are facing now are internal strifes and conflicts, which aren’t anything new. And actually, it’s good that you’re not in that world around this time.”

“Why? What’s happening?”

“Your presence unnerves the tribes. They are afraid one of the tribes themselves would succeed in soliciting you to their side. Your absence gave them some room to breathe.”

“I have wings now. I can just fly away if they decide to bother me.”

“Unless you fly out of the forest sea of Ulrum, they won't stop trying to solicit you, probably.”

“Forest sea of Ulrum?”

“That’s the name of the forest you and the four tribes are living in.”

Ulrum… my new home. About time I got to know its name.