Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 43 - 42 - The Codger.

’Is this old man dying?’

This was the first thought that appeared in Raven’s head when he looked at the messages Grandpa had sent.

For the first time, he thought the Old Man was going to give him something, and he got so happy that he forgot who this codger was.

He was an eccentric and crack head grandpa.

Looking at the messages below, he was reminded of who he was talking to.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Grandpa_Hot_Pot:

"You took too long."

"Never mind."

"Forget it."

"This senior is now angry."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"...No. No no no no NO!"

Raven stared in horror, his hand trembling as he tapped furiously at the reply bar.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Raven:

"WAIT, PLEASE!"

"It’s not what it looks like!"

"I was just... overwhelmed by emotion!"

"It’s a family problem, you see... My father died when I was very young!"

"I used to sit in dark corners and cry alone while chewing stale bread!"

"I... I thought about ending it all... until I found you!"

"You’re like a father figure to me, Grandpa Hot Pot!"

"Please don’t abandon me like everyone else!!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Nothing.

No reply.

The status still says ’Online’... but he was ignoring him.

"Oh no," Raven whispered, "he’s doing the worst thing imaginable. He’s giving me the silent treatment."

He had even mentally killed Argon, who was still alive and kicking, just to get sympathy, but the Old Man wasn’t even looking at his chats.

Of course, he knew being overwhelmed with emotions didn’t justify why he hadn’t replied for four hours, but he was sure the Old Man would buy it.

—That was if he looked at his messages.

After a full minute of dead air, Raven sighed in complete defeat and decided to check the second chat.

[Alias: Smoke_Trader]

A minor god who always treated Raven like one of his kind because he thought Raven was a fellow minor god.

He’d been trying to sell him junk for years, and today, he was back with his usual optimism.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Smoke_Trader:

"Yo! Big news!"

"Two major gods fought today. It was EPIC."

"I was near one of their sanctuaries when it happened."

"Managed to collect some premium spoils from the wreckage. Fresh stuff. Divine-grade."

"Wanna buy?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Raven, momentarily distracted from his own emotional soap opera, leaned in.

He had never been interested in anything in the god realm, but today, with the person who took most of his time not saying anything, he decided to delve into the topic.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Raven:

"Wait, really? Why were they fighting?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

No reply yet. Typical.

The guy was probably haggling with someone else already.

So, Raven clicked into the third chat.

Another familiar name.

[Alias: Windy_Wishbone]

She was also a minor god.

This one usually showed up with low-tier offerings and weird artifacts that looked like divine knockoffs.

And today?

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Windy_Wishbone:

"I wasn’t there during the start of the fight."

"Not lucky enough."

"But I got there when the god who got attacked retaliated."

"Dude was so pissed, he didn’t just damage the attacker’s sanctuary—he DESTROYED it."

"Got some crazy loot. You in?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Raven blinked.

She was also talking about the same fight.

Was it really that big?

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Raven:

"Who were the gods?"

"Names?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ding!

A notification arrived, showing a new message from Smoke_Trader.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Smoke_Trader:

"Oh, the fight started over a... disagreement."

"Apparently, one of the gods started badmouthing a certain goddess who goes by the alias: The_Tall_Goddess."

"Turns out she was the ex of BOTH of them."

"One still loves her. The other hates her."

"The one who badmouthed the goddess said that he hated every tall girl in the world because of that one goddess and cursed her while telling others never to date a tall girl."

"The other god got pissed and attacked his sanctuary."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Raven choked.

’Tall goddess? He hates tall women and is telling others never to date tall girls?’

Why was it familiar to what Grandpa had told him on their first chat?

’Could he be one of the gods who fought?’

But the Smoke Trader said that they were major gods. Could Grandpa be a major god?

"...Nah. The god realm would be done for if that were the case."

Ding!

Then Windy_Wishbone’s message arrived.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Windy_Wishbone:

"The two who fought?"

"They are two of the most famous gods in our channel."

"It was Cursed_By_My_Ex vs Grandpa_Hot_Pot."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Raven’s jaw unhinged.

"IT WAS HIM?!"

His hands flew across the screen.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Raven:

"Wait wait wait. Grandpa_Hot_Pot is a MAJOR god?!"

"Is he really that strong?!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A few seconds passed.

To his question, Windy sent a blank message first, as if she had a hard time processing his words before her response came.

Ding!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Windy_Wishbone:

"Bro."

"Do you even live in the god realm?"

"How do you not know him?!"

"He’s the strongest god on this entire channel!"

"He never talks to anyone."

"Most of us don’t even believe he exists."

"Dude’s a myth wrapped in an enigma wrapped in grandpa sweat."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Raven slowly turned to stare at the screen of the first chat again.

[Grandpa_Hot_Pot – Online]

’So... for the last two years... I’ve been talking to the strongest god I could talk to ... and licking his metaphorical divine ass like a desperate fanboy...’

And now...

Now he had ghosted him.

’Oh god,’ Raven thought, clutching his head. ’I’ve made a god angry—one with the power to nuke sanctuaries because the other guy did a little damage to his sanctuary!’

Not only did he miss a chance to get something divine, but he didn’t even know when a curse would come flying at him.

He collapsed face-first onto his pillow, muffling a scream.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?!"

.................

Meanwhile, in the academy Principal’s office, another type of tension was in the air.

The lights were dim, casting long, sharp shadows across the floor. The scent of old parchment mixed with something metallic—blood, maybe—lingered in the air like a warning.

Principal Gerax wiped his forehead with a trembling hand, his eyes darting nervously to the man standing by the tall window.

The man’s back was straight, his posture commanding.

Black hair fell to the base of his neck in neat, trimmed waves. He wasn’t doing anything—just staring into the night beyond the window, where nothing but clouds and moonlight moved.

But even so, his presence weighed on the room like a mountain.

"...Are the preparations done?" The man asked, his voice deep and polished.

He wasn’t loud, but that exacting sharpness in his voice showed what kind of person he was—someone who only ever needed to speak once to be obeyed.

Principal Gerax straightened quickly. "Yes, yes. Everything’s in place. We’ve ensured the integration went smoothly this time. The subject didn’t... resist."

The man’s head tilted slightly, though he didn’t turn.

"Good."

The word dropped like an anchor.

Gerax fumbled with his collar, and the room was suddenly too warm despite the chill seeping from a corner.

He gave a tense smile and gestured toward the back of the room, where the shadows pooled unnaturally deep, forming an impenetrable void in the corner.

"I-It’s there, locked in a cage. It’s the latest model. The best product we’ve ever produced. Perfect compatibility. No deviation," Gerax babbled. "Everything is as you requested. I made sure of everything myself."

Still, the man said nothing.

Gerax’s voice faltered. "Of course, if it succeeds, it will redefine the power structure of the continent. He—"

A soft hum cut him off.

The man had finally turned.

His features weren’t visible, shadow covering his face, but his sharp violet eyes gleamed in the darkness as his presence shifted.

Gerax’s spine inadvertently stiffened with primal fear.

"I expect results," the man said. "Not excuses. Not theories."

"Y-Yes! Results!" Gerax nodded so fast his glasses nearly flew off. "You’ll have them! I’ll be the one to deliver the news when the trial is complete."

Silence.

Then—

Click.

A sound like frost cracking echoed from the darkened corner.

Gerax froze.

From the shadows, a cold wind swept across the floor.

Papers fluttered.

Candles flickered.

The walls of the room suddenly felt too narrow, as though something ancient and dangerous had stirred awake in that very space.

Then, they saw them—

The eyes.

Icy blue.

Unblinking and piercing like twin glaciers made only to kill.

They hovered in the darkness, emotionless and unnatural.

Gerax’s words caught in his throat.

Not because he was scared of those eyes, but because he let this happen in front of the man.

’Fuck. It was supposed to be sleeping. Why did it wake up now?! Did those fuckers not tranquilize it perfectly?!’

Gerax clenched his fists.

The black-haired man, on the other hand, turned his head slightly toward the eyes.

He wasn’t startled, nor surprised.

"...It’s awake," he murmured.

Gerax stepped back involuntarily. His sweat had returned, cold now, soaking his collar.

"I-I don’t know how it woke up! It was supposed to be sleeping—!" He tried to say, but the words sounded like a plea for his life.

The black-haired man didn’t respond.

He simply took one step toward the shadows.

The blue eyes, however, didn’t blink or flinch; only the temperature dropped several degrees.

Finally, the man spoke again, almost as if to himself.

"If this one breaks the limits... it changes everything."

The eyes flared slightly—just a shimmer, but enough to send the remaining warmth scurrying from the room.

Principal Gerax, shaking now, could only bow low.

’At least I was spared,’ he sighed in relief.

He knew he would live the moment the man spoke.

After all, the man kills in silence. If he speaks, it means the one before him was fated to live.

With that thought, Gerax decided to give it his all tomorrow since he didn’t want to face the man’s silence.