Chapter 180: Gekgek Dies
Was it because I did something good? My steps felt lighter.
I harvested herbs, treated injuries, and even licked wounds.
How fulfilling.
Honestly, my saliva didn’t have any healing properties, but at least it wasn’t poisonous, so it should help somehow.
...Or maybe not?
Was it poisonous?
I think it might have been.
Still, a small amount of poison could be beneficial.
After all, poison, when used wisely, can become medicine.
Thanks to that, I survived.
Separated from my energy pouch, I was drained, but inadvertently, I recovered a bit.
"...Gek!"
What’s wrong with my body?
No, maybe it’s my head that’s messed up.
There’s definitely something wrong.
It couldn’t have been like this from the start.
Is it the influence of my inner demon?
...Come to think of it, I haven’t seen that demon in a while.
‘Grrrr...’
What’s that?
Get back inside.
My inner demon manifests as a fearsome red dinosaur.
But the truly terrifying part is that it might not stop with just one.
A green dinosaur with ten blades.
A Therizinosaur dressed not in a maid outfit, but a school swimsuit.
That would be a strong contender.
If those two attacked me simultaneously, even I might not be able to overcome my inner demon.
As I continued walking, lost in such useless thoughts that didn’t suit the divine Komodo-Paryong of the Gecko Faith, a familiar structure came into view.
It was the Snake Queen’s temple.
However, it had additional sculptures.
Several statues resembling my pre-evolved self could be seen.
Wow, they’re really well-made.
...Could they be real?
I cautiously tapped one, but thankfully, it didn’t move.
It seemed they petrified my shed skins to create multiple sculptures.
A few scales from Shikshik could also be spotted.
The entrance looked like a Komodo museum.
Judging by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult disciples around the area, it seemed to have been created for exchange purposes.
It’s a decent idea, effective for promotion.
As expected of the Snake Queen.
The temple’s entrance was still too narrow for me to enter, but there was a new entrance.
A path the Snake Queen herself carved out, wide enough for me to pass through without any issue.
Even though I had evolved, my size hadn’t changed much from before.
By contrast, the Snake Queen was still larger than me.
I could catch up to her size if I used gigantification, but there was no reason to surpass her size.
As I carefully entered the temple, a familiar long figure caught my eye.
“Dororong...”
Wait, can snakes even make such a sound?
The cutest ball python in the world was sleeping, emitting adorable noises.
I distinctly remembered that it couldn’t close its eyes, yet it was now naturally keeping them shut.
Since it consumed the Beihj Bird’s core, it must have gotten closer to the next stage.
At this rate, it might transform into a human form in the next stage.
...Wait a second, what about me?
I’m a mid-level dragon species, after all.
A step above the Snake Queen.
Pasil has a snake’s lower body but can transform into a human.
Baeklang has a tail and ears, but the rest of her can turn human.
The Red Dragon can even hide her horns and tail entirely.
And me?
The best I could do was run on two legs.
“Geeeek...”
How lamentable.
Of course, I wasn’t in urgent need of a human body right now.
In the Red Dragon’s case, she grew weaker when she transformed into a human.
It only brought disadvantages.
Still, there’s a big difference between not doing something and being unable to.
After evolving this much, shouldn’t I be granted at least one human form?
...Of course, I had rejected Gaetsalgoadal’s proposal, but it still felt regretful.
If I were another spirit beast, I’d probably have transformed into a human by now.
Even someone like Baeklang can transform.
I must have used all the energy for human transformation to fuel my evolution.
“Geeeng...”
That explanation makes sense.
I’ve grown at an extraordinary rate for my age.
Other beasts barely manage a single metamorphosis, but I’ve evolved more than five times.
Let’s save thoughts about human transformation for later.
Had I pursued humanization back then, I’d have been much weaker than I am now.
I wouldn’t have been able to defeat enemies, and I might’ve even died.
I’ll consider it again after growing stronger.
“Dorororong...”
For now, let’s observe this adorable ball python.
Its long body swelled like a balloon.
“Pururu...”
Then deflated again.
Just watching Shikshik made me feel at peace.
Was it because I had a lizard’s body? Scales seemed better than fur.
After watching Shikshik for a while, it seemed to notice something, flicking its tongue out.
“Shirik...”
For reptiles, flicking their tongues meant they were sensing smells.
“Shirik... Biyaak?”
As if it caught my scent, Shikshik opened its large eyes.
Raising its chubby, elongated body, it looked at me.
“...Hiek?”
Shikshik had grown significantly.
From what I knew, ball pythons don’t grow past two meters, but Shikshik looked at least four meters long.
Its long body swayed like a cobra dancing.
It seemed to be confirming whether the lizard in front of it was truly me.
No wonder, since I had evolved.
“Gekgek.”
Hello, Shikshik.
“Biyaaaaak!”
Startled, Shikshik stiffened its body.
“Hieeeeek...”
Then, it collapsed onto the floor.
“Heeeek...”
Only its head moved slightly as it looked up at me.
“Gekgekgek.”
Yeah, it’s been a while.
Though, it might not have been that long.
“Biyaaaaaaak!”
Flicking its tongue, it coiled its body around my legs.
“Shikshik!”
After licking my scales thoroughly, Shikshik slid back down.
Then, it scurried off somewhere.
Chwajajak!
With a tremendous noise, it reappeared dressed in a maid outfit.
“Shikshik!”
She wagged her tail and ran toward me again.
How did she manage to wear that outfit by herself?
I decided to put that thought aside and enjoy what was right in front of me.
As expected, these chubby scales are the best.
Hehe, scales... hehe....
“Gekek!”
Without realizing it, I acted like an Igaksu.
After spending quite some time enjoying my reunion with Shikshik, I looked around to see if the Snake Queen was present.
“Gekgekgek.”
Shikshik.
Where is the Snake Queen?
“Shiririk...”
Shikshik stopped licking my scales and looked toward a part of the temple.
It was the room where the Mirror of Possibility was located.
But something seemed to have been added.
A large stone door could now be seen.
“Gekgek?”
Is she in there?
“Shik!”
Shikshik nodded.
“Biiik...”
Then she glanced around cautiously.
It was strange.
I was playing with Shikshik, and the Snake Queen hadn’t come out?
If she was elsewhere, that’d be one thing, but she was in the temple.
Could she be sleeping?
“Geek.”
Placing Shikshik on my back, I headed toward where the Snake Queen was.
“Gekgek!”
Standing in front of the door, I made my presence known.
When there was no response, I was about to open the door myself when I heard a voice from inside.
“...Who dares intrude upon the Queen’s domain?”
It was the Snake Queen’s voice.
But something was off—her voice was much lower than usual, as if she was in a bad mood.
“Geeeng...”
I exchanged glances with Shikshik to gauge the situation.
“Hieek...”
Even Shikshik, who had never seen her mother this angry, tucked her tail.
Normally playful, she knew better than to mess around when her mother was truly furious.
But what could have made her so angry?
“Geeeeng.”
I gently scratched the door with my claws.
Scritch-scratch.
I could probably open it, but if I did, the Snake Queen’s destructive beam would surely come flying at me.
“Why are you still here instead of leaving immediately?”
This was bad.
For some unknown reason, she was seriously upset.
“Gekek!”
Could it be that she didn’t realize it was me?
“...Mate. I know it is you.”
“Gekek!”
Then why are you so angry?
“But even if you are my mate, I cannot easily forgive breaking our agreement.”
Agreement?
What are you talking about?
“I told you to behave yourself, yet you’ve gone and added another.”
“Biyaak?”
Shikshik tilted her head as if she was hearing this for the first time too.
“Sssaaaak!”
Realizing what she meant, Shikshik transformed into a triangle shape.
She fixed her gaze on my necklace.
I finally understood why the Snake Queen was angry.
“If I hadn’t given you the Sacred Relic, what would have happened?”
On paper, I was indeed the Snake Queen’s mate.
In such a situation, forming ties with another female was a valid reason for her anger.
The issue was, it wasn’t just one.
Judging from how she was referring to my necklace, it seemed she had sensed Baeklang during that earlier incident and assumed there was only one other.
That was lucky, in a way.
If she knew about the seven wolves and the additional dragon, her first response wouldn’t be a conversation—it would’ve been a destructive beam.
“I should have punished that furry creature long ago.”
“Geeeeng...”
I made a sound like a lizard trying to gauge the mood.
“Well, since you’ve come this far, it would be too much to not see your face at least once.”
“Gek!”
Creak.
The stone door began to slowly open.
As expected of the Snake Queen.
She truly had a generous heart.
“Of course, that does not mean I forgive you.”
The Snake Queen crawled in with a cold expression.
Hearing her icy voice, I suddenly began recalling the wrongs I had done.
It wasn’t much, but her expression and tone made me feel guilty nonetheless.
“First, I will inspect the Sacred Relic, and after that, you...”
Her words trailed off.
Was she staring at the countless marks engraved on my necklace?
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
What kind of punishment awaited me?
I hoped it would be lenient.
I waited for her to continue.
“...Ehehe.”
A sudden, cute laugh broke the tension.
Curious, I looked up.
“...Why are you making that face?”
The Snake Queen maintained a composed expression, as if to insist that the laugh hadn’t come from her.
“Surely, you don’t think that sound just now came from me.”
Right.
It’s not easy to imagine the ruler of the jungle, a lower-tier dragon species, and the Queen of Snakes making such a sound.
But I had already heard her laugh once before.
When she had eaten dumplings made from Okbong’s honey, she had let out a similar unguarded laugh.
That sound had been exactly the same.
I silently stared at her, and she subtly averted her gaze.
“...Just because you saw my face once, doesn’t mean all my accumulated anger has disappeared. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
I didn’t say that.
“...It’s hard to look at your face. Could you turn it away? ...I mean, it’s because I’m so angry. Yes, that’s it.”
Mumbling nonsense, she grabbed my head and gently turned it.
For some reason, I felt like resisting would result in my neck snapping, so I quietly let her guide me.
“Ahem... So, you’ve finally succeeded in your metamorphosis.”
The Snake Queen’s hand stroked my head.
“You’ve even grown two horns... Hmmm...”
Uncharacteristically, she seemed flustered.
“Having fur isn’t so bad after all. It feels nice and warm, too...”
At some point, her hand had moved to stroke my forepaw.
“Your arms... they’re very thick...”
Drip.
Suddenly, a cold liquid dripped onto the scales of my forearm.
Curious, I turned to look and locked eyes with the Snake Queen, who was drooling.
“Ehehe... Your arms are so thick...”
Her eyes seemed a little unsteady.
“Gekek...”
As the Snake Queen stroked my arm for quite a while, her tail began to move.
Sssssrk.
“...Mate.”
Shikshik also started coiling around my body at a rapid pace.
“Biyaak...”
“You’ve been gone for quite some time, haven’t you?”
The Snake Queen continued speaking, not even bothering to wipe her drool.
“I wanted to savor it slowly, but if gnats keep swarming...”
Crunch.
The tails of the snake mother and daughter wrapped tightly around my body.
“Biyayaaak...”
Even Shikshik, who was usually playful, was now laughing wickedly.
“There’s no choice but to claim the joy of cloud and rain first.”
“Biyaak...”
Crrrunch.
Snake Queen.
Shikshik.
Your eyes look strange.
“Gekgek...”
I know I was wrong, so let’s stop with the welcome greetings.
“Biyaaaak...”
“Ufufufu...”
...This is a welcome greeting, right?
“Gekek! Gegegegegek!”