Chapter 175: Leash
“Gyaaaack!”
“Stay still!”
It felt like something terrible would happen if I stayed still.
“I’ll finish this quickly…!”
What do you mean by ‘quickly finish this’?
Your eyes look a bit wild right now.
You tied me up with ice, and now your eyes are spinning.
You’re fumbling with your front paws, scouring every inch of my body….
“Gyaaaack!”
You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?
“That’s not it!”
Seeing the drool dripping from your mouth, it seems like it is.
“Wait, …is it?”
See, I was right.
“Gyack.”
I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re a wolf right now, aren’t you?
I’m a lizard, and you’re a wolf.
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You have to know your boundaries!
“Hmm… If it’s because of our species, maybe as a human… No, that wouldn’t work either because the sizes wouldn’t match….”
Baekrang muttered something incomprehensible.
I tried resisting with all my might, but strangely, I couldn’t muster any strength.
It felt different from just being tied up by ice.
It was like there was an issue in my dantian itself.
Did I eat something wrong?
All I ate was the horn of the Igaksu….
Could it be…!
I had forgotten something so obvious.
As a pure lizard, I’m the natural nemesis of the Igaksu.
Even if my body healed, accepting the opposing force must have caused a backlash.
The recoil finally hit me.
“Gyaack!”
…But why does Baekrang seem so full of energy?
Could it be that the Igaksu’s power suits him well?
No, that doesn’t seem right.
It feels more like the will of the Igaksu resides in him.
“Some… hehehe… many… hehehe….”
“Gyaack!”
Now I’m even hearing hallucinations.
To think their will was this strong.
It seemed like the Igaksu was supporting this situation.
Even though we both consumed the same horn, my strength was drained while Baekrang’s strength grew—proof of their will.
“Gyaaaah!”
“I just want… just a taste….”
Baekrang, sticking out his tongue as if he couldn’t hold back any longer.
Nephila Jurassica.
Tus and Pus.
Shikshik.
Snake Queen.
And Tang Something and my master.
Not to mention Jjaekjjaeki.
From Illang to Chillang.
Even the small lizards whose names I don’t know.
……Why are there so many?
I said goodbye to every connection I’d ever made in my life as if watching a farewell montage.
Thanks for everything.
“Once I remove this…!”
At the moment Baekrang’s front paw tried to peel away my scales.
Paaang!
A black wave pushed Baekrang away.
Paak!
It wasn’t particularly strong.
But it was enough to knock Baekrang off of me.
“Gyack…?”
But what kind of power was this?
Did I awaken an ability I didn’t even know about?
“…This energy feels familiar.”
Baekrang muttered while looking at me.
“It doesn’t matter if you push me away!”
As if determined, he lunged at me again.
Paaang!
“Kyah!”
He was blocked by a semi-transparent black barrier.
“Gyack….”
A black protective shield.
It seemed like a new ability of Paryong.
I should thank him for helping me discover this power, but how?
I had become the Komodo-Paryong.
“Grrrr….”
Baekrang glared at me with terrifying eyes.
Hey, why are you acting like that?
Sure, I pushed you away, but without it, I would’ve been in big trouble.
“A giant snake…. Ah, so the Queen coated you with her saliva.”
“Gyack?”
Baekrang wasn’t glaring at me.
He was glaring at the necklace around my neck.
“This is ridiculous. No, using such a valuable divine artifact, not even during a battle, but just to block something like this?”
He grumbled.
It seemed that this black barrier wasn’t something I controlled.
It was the power of the necklace given to me by Shikshik, the Snake Queen’s emblem.
…But I’ve been wearing that for quite a while.
There were moments when my life was in danger.
Why didn’t it activate back then, but it activates now?
What’s the condition for this?
“Grrrrr….”
Baekrang kept staring at something invisible.
There’s a saying that dogs and cats can see ghosts.
Like when they suddenly bark into empty space at night—it means there’s a ghost, or so they say.
“…Are you saying we should share it after it’s fully grown?”
Whatever it was, it didn’t seem like an ordinary ghost.
To say such a chilling thing.
“Gyack….”
The baby lizard trembled violently.
…A 3-ton tremble.
“I was going to attack first, but you prepared your defenses so unnecessarily well.”
Baekrang sighed.
“One, two, three, four…. Wait, how many are there?”
Baekrang shouted in shock.
He seemed to be counting the marks engraved on my necklace.
“…Are all of these lined up in a queue? Is that it?”
What are you even saying?
A queue?
They just left their marks as a sign of alliance.
“…Fine, I won’t eat you anymore, so come here.”
So you were trying to eat me just now?!
“Gyack….”
"What do you mean, 'Gyaack'? That was just because of the catnip earlier. I’m fine now, so come here."
Can I trust him?
Crack.
The ice binding me disappeared.
"Gyack gyack."
I cautiously stepped beside Baekrang.
"Geez. Why do you go around flirting with everyone? Even with different species."
Flirting?
They’re just precious connections.
"I tried to get the upper hand, but it ended up being a complete miss."
Crunch crunch.
A small ice sculpture formed.
It depicted eight wolves and a single lizard being hunted by them.
Why would he make something like that?
It made me uneasy.
"Gyack…?"
"If queuing up is the proper thing to do… then I have no choice but to follow."
Baekrang's golden eyes gleamed brightly.
As if seeking a specific answer.
"But I’d like to speed things up."
What queue? What does he mean by speeding up?
At least he’s not planning anything for now, right?
"If you’re a devout believer, wouldn’t you get opportunities before others?"
"Gyack?"
"Oh, unlike someone else, I don’t have a faith yet."
…….
I didn’t understand why his conclusion ended up there, but it was good news for me.
That wolf was staring at me with eyes subtly hoping to join Gecko Faith.
[【Baekrang lv75】 Would you like to invite him to Gecko Faith?]
Of course.
"Since there’s already a lizard here with faith, maybe I’ll stick around."
Baekrang was a well-rounded individual.
His strength wasn’t bad, his personality was fine, his fur was fluffy, and he was intelligent.
I thought he could do everything, but there was one thing he couldn’t do.
"…Hey. Don’t look at me with that face. It’s embarrassing."
He was terrible at acting.
"Don’t get the wrong idea and listen."
It was a miracle he didn’t stutter while being so bad at acting.
"I’m not doing this because I like you or anything. It’s just that I don’t have a faith to serve."
This guy.
He’s quite the master.
"…And it doesn’t seem like my siblings have any reliable faith, so I decided to try it first."
Despite being embarrassed, he said such things.
It made me want to immediately grab that fluff ball and shove it in my mouth.
Of course, doing that might flip the switch he just turned off.
I’d end up trapped in ice and subjected to something terrible.
…Though I’m not sure what that would be.
"Take this!"
Baekrang placed his paw on my chest.
To be precise, on the necklace hanging around my neck.
Swish swish swish….
A blue energy seeped in and formed a small, bluish paw print.
"…Everyone else was leaving marks, so I just tried it."
I stared silently at Baekrang.
"I-It really doesn’t mean anything!"
Baekrang joined Gecko Faith.
The process wasn’t what I imagined, but the result was what mattered.
"For some reason, I feel like I can understand your ‘gyack gyack’ sounds better now."
Baekrang had already been good at interpreting them.
"Gyack gyack."
"…You still make sense, though."
After spending more time with Baekrang, I headed for the volcano’s peak.
There’s a saying about striking while the iron is hot.
Since Baekrang joined Gecko Faith, the next step was dealing with Red Dragon.
"So, you said there’s someone you want me to meet?"
They’re not exactly a person, but there’s something similar.
"…As long as it’s not another female addition, it’s fine."
"Gyack!"
"Ugh, you lizard."
Smack.
Baekrang lightly slapped my scales.
Baekrang was now riding on my back.
I didn’t know why.
He just said he wanted to ride, then transformed into a human and jumped on.
Even though he’d just become a follower, is it okay for him to ride a divine beast?
I wanted to question it but kept silent.
I was bringing Baekrang to meet Red Dragon.
Allowing him on my back seemed reasonable.
"Gyack gyack."
We reached the volcano’s peak.
"There’s still a faint warmth here. Maybe it’s because I can feel the energy of that red lizard; it’s a bit unsettling."
After dismounting, Baekrang scanned the surroundings.
"Gyack…."
It seemed he thought the red lizard had run away.
But Red Dragon was merely basking in the crater.
Now that we’re here, I should explain everything step by step.
If I had done it earlier, he might have refused to come.
First, that Red Dragon wasn’t our enemy….
"You’re here, my divine beast?"
Just as if finishing her lava bath, Red Dragon appeared, covering her chest with a red cloth.
…Why are you on this side?
I saw you enter from the other direction.
Crunch crunch!
"This red lizard…!"
Baekrang’s icy energy surged wildly.
"…Hmm? You brought a white dog too?"
Swoosh swoosh swoosh.
Not to be outdone, flames flared up.
Boom!
Fire and ice collided.
And in the middle, a black lizard with tears in his eyes had to intervene.
"Gyack!"
It was hot and cold.
Being attacked by both at the same time, my tough scales softened rapidly.
So this is what happens when heat and cold are used together.
"…So you didn’t defeat the red lizard but ended in a draw?"
Thanks to my sacrifice, I bought time for a conversation.
Red Dragon returned to the lava, and Baekrang stood still, listening to my explanation.
"And then she joined your side?"
"Gyack."
"…Why would she do that?"
"Gyack?"
"Spirits don’t usually serve under other spirits. She must have some kind of plan."
Baekrang spoke seriously.
I looked at him with a serious face as well.
"M-My case is different!"
You must have some ulterior motive.
"…Anyway, you’re really something. How did you even think of taming that violent lizard?"
It’s not taming. It’s more like forming an alliance.
"Divine Beast! Are you not done yet?"
…There you go again.
"Or should I start calling you Master now? Hmph."
Red Dragon giggled.
She seemed to be deeply immersed in this role-play.
She was probably playing the part of an adult dragon serving under a young lizard.
"…Master?"
"Gyack gyack."
No, that’s just what she calls me on her own.
Baekrang’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
"…I don’t like her."
"Gyack!"
I completely understand.
After what she did to him, it would be strange if he didn’t feel that way.
Knowing this, I arranged this meeting as a kind of apology.
"She figured it out later than me but still got a gift like that."
A gift?
I stared at Baekrang with a clueless lizard expression.
"That thing around her neck."
Around her neck?
…Don’t tell me you mean the collar?
"Gyack gyack."
That’s not something I gave her.
She made that herself.
"…Aren’t you giving me something like that?"
He looked at me as if feeling left out.
Surely, he didn’t mean he wanted a collar too?
He probably just wanted a gift of some kind.
It was hard to understand, but considering the Snake Queen also liked strange gifts, maybe it was a common trait among spirits.
If he wanted something, I had to figure out what to give him.
But what did I even have?
Unfortunately, my hands were empty.
…Should I cut off my tail?
No.
If Baekrang discovered the taste of tails, my future would be bleak.
"Gyack."
…Would you take a scale instead?
On a whim, I plucked a scale from my chest.
Since it had been hit by both fire and ice, it came off without much trouble.
"…You’re giving me a scale?"
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.
Tang Something had been obsessed with my scales….
Tang So-yeong, if I ever meet her again, I’ll show her what my throat looks like.
"…Unbelievable."
Just as I was about to put the scale back, Baekrang snatched it at lightning speed.
"Gyack?"
Whoosh!
Baekrang’s icy energy began to gather around the scale.
The dragon scale started to twist and move, eventually stretching into a long shape.
It looked just like a black whip.
…A whip?
Clink.
The black whip coiled around Baekrang’s neck.
No, it wasn’t a whip.
It was a collar, similar in shape to the one Red Dragon wore, but in a different color.
"You really think putting something like this on a wolf is going to end well?"
I wasn’t trying to put a collar on him.
Even as he said that, the corners of Baekrang’s mouth lifted into a smirk.
The end of the collar in Baekrang’s hand shifted to mine.
Although she was in human form, her pose reminded me of a puppy.
"…Satisfied now, you pervert?"
Her tail wagged rapidly.
…Who’s calling who a pervert here?