The elf's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Ryuu. "A dragon?" she repeated, her voice laced with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

  Jin-woo nodded, gesturing towards the slumbering dragon behind him. "Yes," he said. "His name is Ryuu. He's… uh… my friend."

  The elf's gaze followed his gesture, landing on the massive form of the dragon. She stared at Ryuu for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Jin-woo held his breath, waiting for her reaction. He wasn't sure what he expected, but he hoped it wouldn't involve more arrows being pointed in his direction.

  Finally, the elf turned back to Jin-woo, her eyes narrowed slightly. "A human… and a dragon…" she murmured, more to herself than to him. "This is… unusual."

  "Yeah, well, this whole day has been unusual," Jin-woo said, feeling a surge of frustration. "I wake up in a magical forest, I meet a talking dragon, I get chased by… whatever that thing was earlier… and now I'm surrounded by elves who are pointing arrows at me. It's not exactly how I planned to spend my Tuesday."

  The elf ignored his outburst. "Why are you seeking this… dragon?" she asked.

  Jin-woo hesitated. He couldn't exactly tell her the truth, that he had stumbled upon a journal written by a fellow isekai traveler who mentioned a dragon named Ryuu and a village called Eldoria. He needed a more convincing story.

  "I… uh… I need his help," he said, trying to sound confident. "It's… a matter of great importance."

  The elf raised an eyebrow. "Great importance?" she repeated. "What kind of importance?"

  Jin-woo's mind raced. He needed a plausible explanation, and he needed it fast. "It's… about… a prophecy," he blurted out. "An ancient prophecy that speaks of a human and a dragon who will… uh… save the world."

  He winced internally. That was… a bit much. Even he could hear the desperation in his voice. He braced himself for the elf's laughter, or worse, another volley of arrows.

  But the elf didn't laugh. She didn't even scoff. She simply stared at him, her eyes searching his face. Jin-woo felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. He was a terrible liar. He was a programmer, for crying out loud! His expertise lay in logic and code, not in weaving elaborate tales of prophecies and world-saving.

  After what felt like an eternity, the elf finally spoke. "A prophecy…" she repeated, her voice low and thoughtful. "This is… interesting."

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Jin-woo's hopes rose slightly. Maybe… maybe she believed him.

  "Tell me more about this prophecy," the elf said.

  Jin-woo's mind raced. He needed to elaborate on his lie, to add details, to make it sound convincing. He thought back to all the fantasy novels and webtoons he had consumed over the years, trying to recall any relevant tropes or plot devices.

  "The prophecy… it speaks of a… a great darkness that will… uh… engulf the land," he said, trying to sound dramatic. "Only a human and a dragon, working together, can… uh… defeat this darkness."

  He winced again. This was getting ridiculous. He was making it up as he went along, and it was painfully obvious. He was surprised the elf hadn't called him out on his bluff yet.

  The elf, however, remained silent, her eyes fixed on him. Jin-woo felt a growing sense of unease. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

  "And… uh… this prophecy… it mentions… Ryuu by name?" the elf asked, her voice sharp.

  Jin-woo's heart sank. He had been hoping to avoid mentioning Ryuu's name, but it seemed he had no choice. "Yes," he said, trying to sound confident. "The prophecy… it specifically mentions… a dragon named Ryuu."

  The elf's eyes narrowed. "And how do you know this dragon is the one mentioned in the prophecy?" she asked.

  Jin-woo hesitated. He needed a convincing answer, and he needed it now. He glanced back at Ryuu, who was still snoring peacefully. He noticed the intricate patterns on Ryuu's scales, the way they shimmered in the firelight. He had a sudden inspiration.

  "He has… a mark," he said, pointing to Ryuu's scales. "A birthmark. It's… uh… a symbol of the prophecy."

  The elf's gaze followed his gesture, landing on Ryuu's scales. She stared at them for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Jin-woo held his breath, waiting for her verdict.

  Finally, the elf spoke. "Show me this… mark," she said.

  Jin-woo's heart sank. He had just made up the whole thing about the birthmark. There was no mark. He was caught.

  He looked at Ryuu, who was still blissfully unaware of the impending disaster. He sighed. He was a terrible liar. He was a programmer, for crying out loud! He should be debugging code, not trying to convince a group of elves that he was part of some ancient prophecy.

  He took a deep breath and approached Ryuu, his mind racing. He needed to come up with something, anything, that would save him from this mess. He looked at Ryuu's scales, trying to find something, anything, that resembled a mark. He noticed a small, faint scar on Ryuu's flank, a remnant of some long-forgotten battle. It wasn't exactly a birthmark, but it was the best he could do.

  He pointed to the scar. "There," he said, trying to sound confident. "That's the mark."

  The elf stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the scar. She examined it closely, her expression unreadable. Jin-woo held his breath, waiting for her judgment.

  After what felt like an eternity, the elf finally spoke. "This… is not a birthmark," she said, her voice flat.

  Jin-woo's heart sank. He was caught. He had no idea what to do next.

  The elf turned to her companions, her eyes flashing with anger. "Seize them!" she commanded.

  The elves raised their bows, their arrows aimed directly at Jin-woo and Ryuu. Jin-woo's eyes widened in alarm. He had just made a huge mistake.