Chapter 142 Thud!
Twenty-four legs ruthlessly trampled all over my body.
“Gegek… gegek!”
I was wrapped tightly in spider webs.
Only then did I understand the meaning of that statue.
That was a rehearsal.
A grand tactic to welcome the Komodo back someday.
“Gegegek!”
I am a divine beast, and you all are my followers.
I let out a dignified cry of a divine beast, but the creatures didn’t even pretend to listen.
I desperately pushed them away with my arms, but they each took what they wanted.
Tus took my tail.
Pus pressed my hand against her bottom.
And Nephila…
“Gegegegek!”
It tickled!
Nephila Jurassica kept pushing through my defenses without tiring.
“Kieeek!”
The dignity of a divine beast had long disappeared.
The shrine maiden was leading the shameless behavior.
Who would ever think I was a divine beast?
I was just a tiny lizard.
A small lizard being thoroughly ravaged by spiders.
“Gegegegek!”
I cried out, hoping to reduce their attack power by one rank, but the effect was minimal.
Was there no one to save me?
In this state, I would end up…
“That’s enough.”
“Gek!”
I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of faith in Yeonyeong Cult.
At Baek Yeonyeong’s words, the spiders began to obediently retreat.
Tus bit through the webbing, freeing me, and Pus helped me stand up.
“Kieeng.”
Nephila bowed respectfully to Baek Yeonyeong.
…Was it just me, or did this look like a daughter-in-law bowing to her mother-in-law?
You’re not usually this obedient.
And why did Baek Yeonyeong wait until now to stop them?
If she had waited any longer, I would’ve been devoured in more ways than one.
“He should have come to his senses by now.”
What does that even mean?
What did I do wrong?
“Geek….”
I made a grumbling noise in dissatisfaction.
“It seems he hasn’t come to his senses yet. In that case….”
“Gegegek! Gegek!”
Cancel, cancel!
I’ve come to my senses!
Baek Yeonyeong lightly nodded, and the spiders respectfully retreated.
“Gegegek….”
How humiliating.
If only my size were back to normal, I wouldn’t have had to endure this disgrace.
I needed to return to my original body as soon as possible.
To do that, I needed the help of a skilled physician, Tang So-yeong.
“Get up.”
And Tang So-yeong was currently lying on that bed….
“Uuuh….”
I shut my eyes tightly.
I knew what Tang So-yeong had done.
If I dared to make a prediction, even after Nephila’s treatment was finished, Tang So-yeong wouldn’t be able to return to the Tang Clan.
She would either end up working here for the rest of her life or be buried quietly in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
…She really should’ve kept her hands to herself.
“Uuuh… Mr. Dae-hyeop…. The poison pouch….”
Tang So-yeong tossed and turned in bed, talking in her sleep.
The spiders had been noisy late into the night, so she had only just fallen asleep.
Though it was partly her own fault for joining in their chatter.
Even though they couldn’t speak, they understood each other.
The spiders were getting smarter by the day, and they sometimes drew pictures with their webs to communicate.
As she slept, Tang So-yeong caught a familiar scent.
It was a scent she missed.
The scent of the swamp.
Heavy and thick.
She almost got up to find the source of the smell but decided to go back to sleep.
After all, it wasn’t easy to shake off the drowsiness.
Besides, being able to eat delicious food and sleep comfortably here made it even harder for Tang So-yeong to wake up.
“…Get up.”
“Uuuh….”
Someone was trying to wake her.
Tang So-yeong, thinking the spiders were trying to bother her, waved her hands in the air.
“What are you doing?”
“Just a little more….”
She was waking up, but she wanted to sleep a bit longer.
With that in mind, she kept waving her hands, and they landed on something soft.
Squishy.
Soft.
It felt so good.
It felt like something she didn’t have.
“So, that’s who Hee takes after.”
Hee.
It was a familiar name.
It was the name of the black lizard she called Mr. Dae-hyeop.
At the same time, she felt a bit confused.
No matter how much it was her, she couldn’t hear the voices of spiders.
So what was that voice she just heard?
Moreover, this soft sensation couldn’t have come from a spider.
Tang So-yeong slowly opened her eyes.
In her sight was the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Kyaaaah!”
Startled, Tang So-yeong jumped up.
“I-It’s not what you think….”
Baek Yeonyeong remained calm, but Tang So-yeong began rambling excuses.
“I-I’ve committed a grave sin…!”
“It’s fine. It’s only natural to sleep if you’re tired.”
Tang So-yeong was moved by Baek Yeonyeong’s generosity, as vast as an inner energy pouch.
Having stayed here for a long time, Tang So-yeong realized that the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult wasn’t as terrifying as she had initially thought.
But still, it wasn’t easy to shake off the fear that had been ingrained in her body.
Even if Baek Yeonyeong wasn’t part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, touching the chest of such a powerful master was a grave offense. Any punishment she received would be understandable.
Tang So-yeong, trembling, replied.
“T-Thank you….”
It seemed like the situation would pass peacefully, but the lizard perched on Baek Yeonyeong’s shoulder glared at her with its triangular face.
Slap!
Although Baek Yeonyeong had forgiven her, the lizard hadn’t, and it slapped Tang So-yeong’s wrist with its tail as if to express that.
“Ow! What’s with this little….”
Baek Yeonyeong smiled faintly as she looked at the lizard.
“Take a look at his condition.”
Only then did Tang So-yeong realize why Baek Yeonyeong had come to find her.
That lizard was no ordinary lizard.
It seemed like there was something wrong with his body.
Despite being a guest, Baek Yeonyeong had entrusted her to care for him since she could act as a physician.
“Yes, sir!”
Tang So-yeong moved busily.
Baek Yeonyeong quietly watched her for a moment, then placed the lizard from her shoulder onto the ground.
“I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first.”
“Yes! Take care!”
Tang So-yeong responded in a voice full of discipline, bowing her head until it touched her knees.
Baek Yeonyeong didn’t fully understand the meaning of that gesture but assumed it was a sign of respect.
With that, Baek Yeonyeong left the building.
Tang So-yeong’s busy movements stopped.
“Uuuh… Was it a dream…?”
As soon as Baek Yeonyeong disappeared, Tang So-yeong immediately jumped back into bed.
She thought it must have been a dream since she was still alive after doing something like that to the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
So, she collapsed onto the bed to catch up on the sleep she had missed.
But there was one creature to remind her that all of this was reality.
“Gek gek.”
The black lizard cried out pitifully.
“…Right.”
Only then did Tang So-yeong remember her duty.
It turned out that what she had done was indeed real, and Baek Yeonyeong had graciously let it slide.
So, what should she do now?
The only thing Tang So-yeong could do was to fulfill the task she had been given to the best of her ability.
She reached out to the black lizard.
It was her first time seeing this lizard, but it felt strangely familiar.
“Hello, nice to meet you.”
Sensing an aura that suggested it was a mystical creature, she decided to get acquainted with it slowly.
“Gegek.”
The lizard seemed to understand her intentions and calmly climbed onto her hand.
“Hehe, you’re really cute.”
Examining mystical creatures was always an enjoyable task.
And seeing such a cute one made it even more fun.
Tang So-yeong examined the black lizard thoroughly.
Its scales were hard, but its belly was soft, which made it strangely addictive to touch.
The way it wiggled its tiny feet was also amusing.
No matter how much she touched it, it didn’t bite, indicating that it had a very gentle temperament.
“If only the lizard I know was this well-behaved….”
The Komodo always seemed to be displeased with her presence.
One of her dreams was to be able to freely touch the Komodo’s body.
“Gek gek.”
The lizard’s face seemed to grow longer.
“…Hmm?”
Tang So-yeong observed the black lizard more closely.
It felt familiar.
Melancholic blue eyes.
A face that could be described as handsome for a lizard.
Dragon-like scales.
It was a face she recognized.
“…Mr. Dae-hyeop?”
“Gegek!”
“Kyah!”
Tang So-yeong dropped the lizard she had been holding in her hand.
The Komodo naturally landed on the ground.
“Are you really Mr. Dae-hyeop?”
“Gegegek!”
It was certain.
The only lizard that made such a cry was the Komodo she knew.
“Why did you shrink?”
The Komodo she remembered was so big it could carry her around.
But now?
It was about the same size as the shed skin on the spiders’ altar.
“Oh my, so that shed skin really was yours, Mr. Dae-hyeop….”
“Gek gek.”
The black lizard urged her to hurry up and do what she was supposed to do.
The reduced body size was probably a temporary condition.
That’s why Baek Yeonyeong had entrusted her to examine him.
In other words, she wouldn’t have the chance to see the Komodo in this small form again.
Tang So-yeong’s quick-witted brain worked fast.
“…Gek?”
The Komodo stretched out its arms, wary.
Tang So-yeong’s expression wasn’t normal.
It was the kind of face a cat makes before playing a prank.
On top of that, her hands were moving in a suspiciously greedy manner.
The Komodo understood Tang So-yeong’s intention.
She was planning to touch his shrunken body all over.
“Come here!”
Her prediction was spot on.
Tang So-yeong thought that with the current size of the Komodo, she could handle him however she wanted.
She would fulfill her desire and, in the process, collect any loose scales.
Ambition filled her face.
But there was one thing Tang So-yeong had misunderstood.
Flash!
“Huh? Where did he….”
The black lizard was the successor to the Soaring Dragon.
Whoosh!
“Kyah, kyah!”
Even in his small form, he had the power to knock down most beasts.
“M-Mr. Dae-hyeop!”
Komodo-Lania type.
“That was just a joke!”
Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Strike.
“Kyah! Even though you’ve shrunk, why are you…!”
Swoosh!
“I feel like there’s emotion in that tail….”
The frustration from being tormented by the spiders gathered in the Komodo’s long tail.
And that tail was aimed at the top of Tang So-yeong’s head, which was filled with ambition.
Thud!
Tang So-yeong’s small rebellion, fueled by ambition, ended just like that.