Chapter 178: A Lizard Resembling a Dragon
After entrusting the volcano to Baekrang and Red Dragon, I prepared to set off.
I was worried they might fight in my absence, but since both had joined the Gecko Faith, they probably wouldn’t engage in direct conflict. After all, Baekrang was technically Red Dragon's senior.
Red Dragon wouldn’t act recklessly as she did before, so I figured there was little reason to worry. While they might squabble occasionally, it likely wouldn’t escalate to a full-blown fight.
Besides, the Igaksus were there too.
Though weaker than Red Dragon, they had a knack for exceeding my expectations.
Additionally, Red Dragon mentioned she’d be leaving the volcano briefly to search for rare elixirs, so the time they’d spend together wouldn’t be long.
Given all this, worrying seemed excessive.
After giving Baekrang’s belly a good rub, while he eyed me hesitantly, I set out on my journey.
...It hurts like hell.
Why does he wag his tail when I pet him but start biting the moment I stop?
And on top of that, using cold energy?
From my perspective, Baekrang seems more like a feline than a canine.
Considering how he reacted to catnip last time, I’m almost certain.
...Now that I think about it, I haven’t encountered many feline creatures here.
I’ve met saber tigers a few times, but there’s something missing.
In a world like this, you’d expect there to be some enormous mountain king cat.
...Not that I want to see a mystical creature with cat ears or anything; it’s just a passing thought.
"Geck geck."
As I swayed my tail slightly, I felt its weight.
A bundle was tied to my tail.
What was inside, you ask? Treasure that Red Dragon had brought along.
They weren’t particularly useful for us.
While they might serve as decent nest decorations, they were mostly just ornamental.
However, to humans, these treasures held value far beyond mere decoration.
While my master didn’t seem to lack money, I figured he’d appreciate them nonetheless.
I also planned to give some to Seolhwa, who’d stolen my dumplings before.
If I did, she might bring more dumplings for me to steal later.
Should I give a few to Tang something-or-other as well?
No, if So-yeong receives these, she might quickly escape back to her clan.
…It might seem like I’m looking down on Tang So-yeong, but I hold a certain affection for her.
She’s an irreplaceable and valuable asset.
A human physician capable of communicating with mystical creatures and beasts.
Even I, as a lizard, knew how rare that was.
But if I were too kind to her, she’d undoubtedly get carried away, so I had to maintain a balance.
...Not that her arrogance would cause me any harm, but it’s just hard to watch.
Giving some to the Snake Queen wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
She’d probably regard them as decorations, but judging by the statues in her temple, she seemed to value even ornaments.
Hopefully, Shikshik doesn’t try to swallow them whole.
Thinking of such things, I headed toward the Snake Queen’s temple.
The scent of blood wafted through the air.
The smell of blood wasn’t unusual in this area.
This was the wilderness, where eating and being eaten was the norm.
But this scent felt different.
It wasn’t the blood of beasts or mystical creatures but rather that of humans.
I extended my tongue and flicked it to amplify the scent.
It was confirmed.
This was the scent of human blood.
What were humans doing here?
I considered ignoring it and moving on but changed my mind.
There was no smell of predators, only human blood.
This meant the humans were losing, and their opponent wasn’t particularly strong.
Weakness doesn’t equate to being harmless, but at least I wouldn’t be in danger.
Might as well take a look.
Who knows? They might even be worth recruiting into the Gecko Faith.
I followed the source of the scent.
“Ahhh!”
I saw two men and one woman.
Clang!
A long-haired man swung his sword, but it was easily blocked.
“Kiieeek!”
Their opponent was a single enormous bird.
A terror bird.
Wait, why are they still around?
It looked a bit different from what I remembered.
Thicker, darker.
It felt like a terror bird clad in steel.
Somehow, its presence seemed vaguely familiar.
I hid my presence and observed the fight.
Revealing myself recklessly didn’t seem wise.
They might mistake me for an enemy and attack.
I thought the humans would have the advantage since they outnumbered the bird, but they were gradually losing ground.
The reason was simple.
The terror bird’s attacks worked on humans, but their attacks couldn’t penetrate its feathers.
But these humans...
They looked familiar.
...They were from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
I remembered them clearly.
They’d tried to capture me when I was miniaturized and even offered me food.
I especially remembered the woman in the center.
She had pretended not to care but secretly touched me when no one was looking.
I remembered being quite satisfied with her energy pouch.
If they had been anyone else, I might’ve hesitated, but since they were from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the story was different.
Watch closely.
And make sure to report this only to my master!
A new wind blew within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
A portion of the path to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains had opened.
This was thanks to a treaty established with the mystical being known as the Snake Queen.
The terms were simple.
The Snake Queen would receive manpower to eliminate the remnants of the Gaetsalgoadal.
In exchange, the cult’s followers were granted access to the jungle to gather rare elixirs and herbs.
Previously, access to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains had been prohibited due to a prophecy.
Moreover, the jungle had always been off-limits even before the prophecy.
Now that the jungle was accessible, saying that a new wind had swept through the cult wasn’t an exaggeration.
Followers ventured into the jungle, each with their own goals.
For elixirs and herbs.
For real combat experience.
Or for something else entirely.
“…Shouldn’t we also be hunting down the remnants of the Gaetsalgoadal?”
Most cult members couldn’t venture beyond certain areas.
This was to avoid unnecessary friction with the Snake Queen’s side. Collecting herbs within the permitted zones was the extent of their activities.
Even so, this was an extraordinary privilege.
What they called "herbs" were treasures that couldn’t be bought with silver or gold.
“Dream on. Just be satisfied picking herbs.”
“…Honestly, aren’t we beyond just herb-gathering?”
Three young martial artists, not yet in their twenties, dug for herbs with disgruntled expressions.
They had come to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains with excitement.
Since not everyone could come, they had been thrilled just to set foot here.
But human greed was insatiable.
Now that they were here, they wanted to reach higher.
It wasn’t unreasonable since they considered themselves skilled enough to claim the title of first-class martial artists.
To break through the wall of transcendence, they needed either real combat or rare elixirs.
“What if we run into our side’s mystical creatures by mistake?”
“Eh, as if that’s the case? It’s simple. It has wings and crazed eyes. That makes it an enemy, right?”
“It’s easy to say. But even if it’s just remnants, we can’t be sure. If Elder Sam himself came here, it’s possible we’re dealing with an opponent we can’t handle.”
“Pfft... Still, there are three first-class martial artists here. Haven’t you heard the saying: three against one?”
The cold-eyed girl who had been silent, Seowol-ah, finally spoke.
“…That sounds good.”
“Huh?”
“How long are we going to just dig for herbs? No matter how strong the enemy might be, it’s still just a beast. If the three of us attack simultaneously, it won’t stand a chance.”
Hearing Seowol-ah’s words, the short-haired man nodded.
“Well, at the very least, we can manage to escape.”
“Escape? What are you talking about? Oh, by the way, if we find a core, how will we split it?”
Their hands had already stopped moving.
They dropped their herb-gathering tools and gripped the swords hanging from their waists.
Being close friends, their teamwork was undeniable, and it would be tough even for a master-level martial artist to deal with them.
Their confidence, based on solid reasoning, led them elsewhere.
It didn’t take long for Seowol-ah to understand why Elder Sam was here.
“…Everyone, stay quiet.”
The three martial artists held their breaths.
A massive, monstrous bird in front of them was scanning the area, searching for them.
It was because of that creature.
No, to be precise, it was because of the eerie red eyes glimmering on its feathers.
Even just looking at it brought a wave of terror.
An indescribable fear overwhelmed them, far beyond what humans could contend with.
It was a crushing emotion that was too much for young martial artists, not yet in their prime, to endure.
But they couldn’t allow themselves to lose focus.
“Do you think we can escape?”
“…At least two of us will die.”
The conclusion was clear.
“I’ll strike first. As usual, move to the flanks.”
Everyone nodded.
As long as they didn’t look directly at those bizarre eyes, the terror wouldn’t resurface.
They could somehow manage.
Seowol-ah steadied herself and swiftly drew her sword.
Swish!
At the same time, her companions moved to the sides.
They could do this.
With their practiced coordination, they could land a fatal blow on an unsuspecting enemy.
Clang!
But contrary to her expectations, the monstrous bird remained unharmed.
“Be careful! Its feathers are like steel!”
“…We noticed that already!”
Her trembling right hand was a testament to the encounter.
The blade of her sword had shattered completely upon impact with those steel-like feathers.
Her companions’ swords fared no better.
“Argh!”
But giving up wasn’t an option.
She shouted as she continued to swing her sword relentlessly.
If they stopped their attack, it would be over for her and her companions.
Clang!
Thud!
“Kikikikik!”
The monstrous bird let out an eerie laugh, as if amused by the situation.
Whoosh!
The terror bird swung its wings once.
Slash!
The short-haired man suffered a deep wound.
“Gah!”
“Jeoksa-an!”
Another man rushed in hastily, but his attack failed again.
Splat!
Blood spurted out once more.
The meaningless deaths approached.
They had challenged an enemy they should never have faced.
No.
Seowol-ah refused to give up.
Thanks to the sacrifice of her companion, she found a chance to aim for the nape of the enemy’s neck.
A single strike.
She had to make the most of this opportunity created by everyone.
Drawing her internal energy from the depths of her dantian, Seowol-ah swung her sword vertically.
Swish!
Clang!
But her sword couldn’t even pierce a single feather and shattered pitifully.
“…No way.”
Seowol-ah stared at the monstrous bird with a hollow expression.
“Kikikikik!”
The bird truly lived up to the name of terror.
Where had it gone wrong?
Should they have been content with gathering herbs?
Should they have run away instead of fighting?
…Looking back now, that seemed to be the right choice.
Her broken sword in hand, there was nothing she could do anymore.
She couldn’t leave her injured companions behind and flee.
No, there was one thing she could still do.
Call upon the name of the god she believed in.
“…Heavenly Demon.”
The monstrous bird froze in its tracks.
The terror bird, which had been mocking them moments ago, suddenly grew furious.
“Kikikikiki!”
At the same time, the red eyes on its feathers opened wide.
A dark aura began to converge.
Its intent to tear Seowol-ah apart was clear.
She knew her death was imminent.
The terror bird seemed to despise the word she had uttered, raging far beyond reason.
“Keek!”
With a terrifying scream, it lunged at her.
And then, at that moment.
Whoosh!
From far away, something moved at an incredible speed.
Before the terror bird could react, a massive black lizard lunged at it.
Thud!
With movements as smooth as flight, the lizard attacked the bird.
“Keek!”
The monstrous bird tried to resist the sudden attacker but failed.
Crunch.
Before it could respond, its neck was broken.
Seowol-ah couldn’t believe her eyes.
The terror bird, which hadn’t even been scratched despite the combined attacks of three martial artists, was killed in a single strike.
But she couldn’t feel relieved.
Just because it killed the bird didn’t mean it would spare her.
Its massive forelegs looked like they could crush her with the slightest touch.
Its scales appeared far sturdier than the bird’s feathers.
Its two black horns evoked the image of a dragon.
And its back was covered in beautiful, white fur.
It was an awe-inspiring and majestic sight, but at the same time, terrifying.
Before such a being, she was nothing more than an insignificant creature.
Thud.
The black lizard dropped the dead bird onto the ground.
Its blue eyes stared directly at Seowol-ah.
Gulp.
She swallowed nervously.
The dragon-like lizard slowly opened its mouth.
It was about to decide her fate.
“Gegegeek!”
Seowol-ah let out a sigh of relief.
“…What a strange dream.”
It didn’t make sense for a creature with such a terrifying face to make such a cute sound.
Because of that, she dismissed the situation as a dream.
With those words, Seowol-ah lost consciousness.