Chapter 164: Overpainting
I stared, mesmerized by the red hair cascading down to her waist, and eventually, my gaze reached the two horns atop her head.
The surprise of seeing the horns lasted only a moment.
Next came the golden eyes.
The Snake Queen.
And Baekrang.
They were the eyes of predators like those two.
If I had to guess where my gaze went next, it would undoubtedly be her clothing.
I couldn't discern its material, but it looked incredibly beautiful.
Moreover, perhaps due to the heat emanating from her body, certain parts of her outfit had gaping holes, making it difficult to tear my eyes away.
After lingering on her thighs and calves, my gaze finally settled on one last feature.
Her hips.
And the tail above them.
Those features, coupled with the name "Red Dragon."
"You're staring so intently that it's making me a bit shy."
This woman was a dragon.
【Red Dragon】
A red dragon adept at wielding flames.
It has a habit of building nests in volcanoes and hoarding precious treasures.
Its personality is generally mild, but once angered, it rampages until an entire volcano is obliterated, making it a dangerous entity.
It is a mid-tier dragon species with the potential to become a true ???.
A Red Dragon, no less.
"Gehk…"
Now it made sense.
The loud boom and the deadly aura I felt earlier.
And why the Magnosaurus and Fire Rat had retreated downhill.
"Hot springs are undoubtedly the best here."
This dragon had claimed the volcano's summit for herself.
Splash.
The Red Dragon stirred the lava hot spring with a slight movement of her foot.
"The stuff in volcanoes is so dull. I scraped together everything I could to make this, but that old man threw a fit."
Gulp.
I swallowed nervously.
I think I made a mistake.
When she was in her fully human form, she didn’t seem that dangerous.
My instincts, which were rarely wrong, along with my skills like Crisis Detection, had assured me it was safe to enter this place.
Of course, seeing her at the peak of a volcano had made me suspect she wasn’t ordinary.
Even if she was hiding her strength, I considered myself strong enough now to at least escape.
But I was wrong.
In front of this woman, I couldn’t even dream of fleeing.
"So, you're that lizard?"
The Red Dragon spoke as if she knew me.
Thankfully, the fact that she was speaking to me suggested she didn’t intend to harm me—for now.
"You have dragon scales and dragon blood. Yeah, it seems like you’re the one. Well, not that I’d need to see your face to know."
"Gehk?"
"Gehk? What’s with the gehk? Anyway, you’re that lizard, right?"
What’s this "that lizard"?
Judging by how she spoke as though she knew me, there had to be some connection.
It couldn’t have been the Snake Queen who mentioned me.
Baek Yeonyeong was also with me.
How does she know about me?
"What? Don’t tell me you can’t talk?"
"Gehk-gehk."
Sorry, but I’m not at that level yet.
If you want me to squawk like this, though, I’ll gladly oblige.
"A spiritual beast of this level, and yet you can’t talk?"
"Gehk?"
Huh?
The way she said it made it sound like I should have been able to talk by now.
"Not only can you not speak human language, but you can’t speak beast language either?"
What?
There was such a thing?
Well, I suppose it wasn’t all that surprising.
Baekrang communicated with his pack, and the Snake Queen had frequent conversations with Shikshik, so it made sense their languages existed.
But what about me?
"That’s strange. Even if you’re young, you should’ve at least learned how to speak."
The Red Dragon's eyes narrowed.
"Gehk…"
The reptilian vertical pupils locked onto me, making me instinctively shrink back.
"Something about you is different, huh."
Tap-tap.
The Red Dragon tapped her thigh.
Was she beckoning me over?
I wanted to moonwalk away, but if I did, I was certain I’d end up as roasted lizard.
I cautiously approached her.
Tap-tap.
…You’re the one telling me to come, right?
Following her gesture, I rested my head on her thigh.
I worried she might just slice my neck clean off, but if she intended to do that, she would have attacked already.
The temperature is pleasantly hot, and strangely addictive.
It feels different from Baekrang.
"Gehk!"
I caught myself thinking strange thoughts.
Was it a side effect of the recent battle?
I need to pull myself together.
This is not the time for such thoughts.
"...I did call you over, but isn’t this a bit too careless?"
The Red Dragon placed her hand on my head.
She stroked it with just the right amount of pressure.
It felt like my eyes were closing on their own.
...
.......
"Gehk-gehk!"
She was trying to use a charm on me again.
There’s no way a lizard like me, with my level of power, could be subdued so easily.
She must have used some sort of hypnosis.
"Hmm... That’s odd. Judging by your scales, you do seem young. But the way you keep burrowing between my thighs makes you seem like a dark-hearted little thing."
"...Gehk?"
"Your body may be young, but your mind doesn’t seem so."
The Red Dragon’s vertical pupils stared at me.
"You weren’t born here, were you?"
My heart sank.
How did she know?
Even Baek Yeonyeong didn’t know that fact.
It was information no one could figure out unless I revealed it myself.
Yet somehow, this being called the Red Dragon had figured it out instantly.
That I came here from another world.
"Don’t worry too much. I’m from somewhere else too."
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly again.
Could she be a member of the community I destroyed?
If so, the moment my identity is revealed, I’ll be torn in half.
Because I unleashed a true abyss upon them, far worse than anything like the Maid Spinosaurus.
"Why are you so tense? I’m from the Western Regions, so I don’t care about stuff like that. You must’ve come from somewhere else."
Thankfully, my fears were unfounded.
When she said "somewhere else," it seemed to refer to a different region, not another world.
Given that she’s a dragon, she must have flown in from somewhere in the West rather than Zhongyuan.
"Gehk-gehk…"
Good, it seems my identity is still safe.
...But that didn’t mean the problem was resolved.
For now, I was still in the Red Dragon’s grasp.
I might be able to escape if I struggled, but let’s keep that as a last resort.
It’s best to avoid fights I have no chance of winning.
For some reason, she didn’t seem inclined to attack me, so I should just play along.
...Could it be that she wants a lizard friend?
Even if I look like this, I’m a lizard capable of evolving into a Paryong.
A Paryong might be able to stand on par with a Red Dragon.
"If we spend time together, you’ll naturally learn how to talk."
"Gehk?"
That sounds like an awfully irresponsible thing to say.
...But what does she mean by "spend time together"?
"I’d love to take you back to my nest."
Grip.
The Red Dragon’s hand grabbed the nape of my neck.
"Gehhhhkk…"
It didn’t hurt, but I felt my strength draining.
Maybe because dragons are a type of lizard, she seemed to know lizard anatomy very well.
When grabbed here, my eyes naturally started to close.
"...You’re still not fully grown. Is it okay to touch you?"
"Gehk?"
My drowsy eyes snapped open.
What did you just say?
"Geh-ge-gehhk!"
I cried out in protest, emphasizing that I was only six months old.
"I’m joking, I’m joking."
Phew.
She’s more humorous than I thought.
"But if I did, that little girl wouldn’t sit still."
"Gehk?"
"Even entering this place wasn’t easy for me, you know?"
Who could make a spiritual beast of this level so wary?
Baekrang?
The Snake Queen?
No, someone even stronger.
"Actually, if you think about it, I’ve been here longer. But she acts so high and mighty just because she’s stronger."
Baek Yeonyeong.
The Red Dragon was acquainted with my mentor.
Why didn’t she say so earlier?
I thought I’d met some kind of weirdo, but it turns out she was a tutor my mentor brought in!
Baek Yeonyeong wouldn’t let anyone treat me carelessly, especially if they knew her power.
Besides, she’s a dragon, so she might even help me with the Dragon Gate Trial.
...But does it really make sense that Baek Yeonyeong brought in another mentor?
I mean, isn’t it common in martial arts to have only one master?
Sure, having multiple mentors is possible, but knowing my mentor’s personality, she wouldn’t allow anyone else.
"Well, no one would complain if I raised you just to eat you, right?"
"Ge-e-e-ek!"
Just as I was about to struggle, an overwhelming fiery aura pouch pressed against my face.
What a terrifying woman.
She knows so much about handling Komodo-Lania in such detail.
The sheer intensity of her fiery aura was suffocating.
"Yay! I got myself a handsome-scaled lizard!"
The Red Dragon made a V sign with her fingers.
Right now, I was just a lizard that crawled into a dragon’s nest.
If I wanted to survive, I had to escape from here.
Soft.
...Should I stay a little longer?
She might teach me something useful, and I should learn what I can.
Baekrang couldn’t hide his growing anxiety.
It had been quite some time since the lizard attempted the Dragon Gate Trial.
And yet, he hadn’t returned.
There’s no way the lizard lost—it must have simply left.
"Kiiing…"
The wolves in the pack whined as the lizard’s absence became apparent.
The lizard was planning to leave anyway.
It had sought him out for the Dragon Gate Trial, and he had accompanied the lizard for the sake of his territory.
They both gave and received what they needed.
Their relationship was over.
"...What was so great about a creature without a single hair?"
Baekrang muttered quietly.
No one knew if those words were directed at the wolf pack or himself.
"It’s good that it’s gone. Yeah, it’s good. The cave felt too cramped when it was around."
He used to curl up beside the lizard to sleep.
Its massive size left him no choice but to stay close.
"Now, there’s so much more space."
There was no longer a need for that.
The spot where the lizard once rested was now wide open.
"...That’s why I told myself not to get attached."
"Krrrng…"
Chillang approached Baekrang.
"It’s already gone."
"Kiiing…"
Chillang looked at Baekrang with sad eyes.
There was no reason to hold onto the lizard.
Still.
Leaving without saying a word—wasn’t that too much?
Baekrang pondered deeply.
If it was the lizard he knew, it would have stopped by at least once before leaving.
So, was it defeated by the Fire Rat?
That didn’t seem right either.
The lizard he knew was strong.
"...Maybe it got injured fighting the Fire Rat."
Baekrang muttered, as if making excuses to himself.
"If I heal it, that’d be a huge debt it owes me, right? …And it’s a good hunter, so keeping it around might not be a bad idea."
"Awwoong…"
Chillang rubbed against him happily.
Baekrang stood up.
This was for the sake of his pack.
It wasn’t because he missed the lizard.
Climbing the volcano, not knowing if the lizard was even there, was an utterly reckless act.
But this was for the pack.
It was something he had to do as their leader.
Baekrang painted over his emotions with that justification.
A thin, fragile layer of paint that could peel away at any moment.