This started as a joke but I actually am kind of invested in these characters I've made now. I am American as hell so the honorifics need more research, but it's what it says on the tin.

or, I fell down a light novel hole and this is what came out.



Chapter 1: Waking Up

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I used to be a human being just like you. I lived a hum-drum life in the city, working my stifling office job. I lived for when the work day ended and I could go home and go online; I used to spend hours on my computer, scrolling through pictures of cute monster girls. Unlike other people on the forums, I didn’t want to marry a monster girl; I wanted to BE a monster girl. I knew it could never happen, of course, but I could still pretend.

When the car came barreling down towards me, I knew I was going to die. What else could happen? My life wasn’t a story, and a blow to the head wouldn’t transport me into a strange new world. I blacked out as the car collided with my body, and in my last moments of consciousness, I regretted I had never been able to live my life to the fullest.
-
“Lillith-sama! Lillith-sama!”

I blinked my eyes against the suddenly harsh light. When my vision finally cleared, I saw the worried, scaly face of a boy with bright green eyes and fluffy dark green hair.

"Lillith-sama, you're awake!"

"How... how do you know my name?" That was my name, wasn't it? I'd played a character called Lillith, sometimes. How did this strange boy know it?

I should have been more freaked out about finding myself in a strange place, but my thoughts were still a bit fuzzy, so all I did was sit up and take a look around. I was in the middle of a field, and the sun appeared to have just risen. There were two other dragon guys (how did I know they were dragons?) clustered around me. Both also had green hair, eyes, and scales, but one wore his hair in a high ponytail and the other wore his hair in wild curls. All three of them, I realized, had bare, clawed reptilian feet, hands, and wings.

As I looked at them, blocks of information floated next to their heads.
--
~Ryu~
Species: Dragon (A-Rank)
Type: Twink (Yandere)
Pronouns: he/him
Age: 20
Level: 36
HP: 5,056
MP: 1,033
Special Abilities: Flame of Rage, Dagger Eyes, Enhancing Aura (passive), Flight (passive)

~Dorogon~
Species: Dragon (B-Rank)
Type: Twink (Loyal)
Pronouns: he/him
Age: 23
Level: 34
HP: 4,982
MP: 1,871
Special Abilities: Scale Shield, Healing Touch, Flight (passive)

~Tatsu~
Species: Dragon (B-Rank)
Type: Twink (Himbo)
Pronouns: they/them
Age: 22
Level: 10
HP: 3,507
MP: 1, 432
Special Abilities: Absorb Energy, Poison Claw, Flight (Passive)

General Note: All Dragons of F-Rank or higher have innate claw attacks and all dragons have extra DP from scales. Only dragons of the girl-restricted type "buff" can be S-Rank, while dragon boys and dragon nulls of any type can reach A-Rank or reach S-Rank if they become "buff."
--
"That's what it says on your pop-up!" Dorogon continued. He seemed very happy to see me, and I realized that I felt comfortable around him even though we had never met before.

"My pop-up?" I asked. Was that the thing I had seen? It had been full of what looked like menu links; I decided I would check those out later, if I had a moment of rest.

"The thing that lets me see your name and stats!" he said. He sounded amused, like he was stating something obvious. "You have really good timing, you know," he said.

"I do?" I asked. I suddenly noticed that Ryu was glaring at me. "What's his problem?"

Ryu's frown only deepened as Tatsu stretched, abs visible under their open, sleeveless vest. "Ignore him, he's just mad he didn't get to be our groups next S-Rank," they said. "A twink only gets to become a buff when the current S-Ranked dragon in a foursome leaves and no replacement is easily found. If we hadn't stumbled upon your unconscious body in this field, he would've become our buff and we would’ve found another twink, but since you're here, you're our buff now."

I blinked at them. "Wait, I'm a what?"

They shrugged. "You're an S-Rank dragon girl, type Buff, subtype Knight. Don't you know this?" They didn't wait for me to answer, but went back to sunning their scales.

I finally looked down at myself in shock. I had strong, muscular arms and legs, a scaly stomach, clawed fingers, large wings I instinctively knew how to use, and a pair of breasts covered in scales that were a much darker green than that of any of the twinks. I looked back up at the three of them, an expression of pleased shock on my face.

“I’m a girl!” I said, delight bubbling into my words. “I can’t believe it!”

Three pairs of green eyes blinked at me. “Your pop-up says you were always a girl,” Dorogon finally said.

I ducked my head, feeling suddenly shy. “I guess that’s true,” I said, and let myself twirl. I was wearing a skirt and very light armor--I didn’t need anything heavier because my scales would protect me from most harsh blows--and the fabric felt very nice against my legs. “I’m the S-Tier?” I asked. That was even harder to believe than my body; I had been in a nobody because the car hit me, and the idea that here I was powerful was just amazing.

I looked around, realizing that of course I had no idea where I was.

Dorogon must have noticed something in my expression, because he said, “We’re in a field in Lower Theriaka. We had to drop our last buff off at the Council of Six, and so we ended up here. We’re staying at an inn in the nearby town of Necea; come with us?”

I was surprised he phrased it as a question. Based on what I had just been told, I didn’t have much of a choice in becoming the buff for this trio of twinks. But even though I had only been in Theriaka for a little bit, I already felt closer to Dorogon and Tatsu than I had ever been to my friends in my last life, and I even though I might even grow to like Ryu.

“Of course,” I said.

“Excellent! Do you know how to fly?”

I moved my wings experimentally, and I realized that yes, I did know how to fly, in the same way that I knew how to walk.

“Yes!” I said.

Dorogon gave me a pleased smile that made something in my chest flip. He was just so cute!

“Nice,” he said. “Follow us!”
With that, the four of us took off, and I began my first day as my true self, Lilith the dragon girl.