Chapter 192: Cheoldu-ryong
“Hiioong….”
“Kioong….”
Tus and Pus, seeing alcohol for the first time, flailed their short arms, staring at the glass intently.
Can spiders even be this cute?
Now that they’ve grown a bit, they almost look like puppies.
Since Nephila has already evolved, it feels like Tus and Pus will also evolve soon.
If I bring them into my domain, I think I can accelerate their evolution.
I wonder what species these two will evolve into.
I’m half-excited and half-worried.
I’m not hoping they’ll transform into humans immediately—just grow up healthy.
“Bbyak.”
Shikshik, having tasted alcohol a few times before, flicked her tongue and licked the liquid in the glass.
“Hiioong!”
“Kioong!”
The spiders clapped their short arms, as if cheering.
Perhaps because they’re still young, they seem easy to get along with.
It’s not that basilisks and spiders inherently don’t get along—it’s just basilisks and certain spiders.
Of course, Shikshik will eventually grow into a fine basilisk, just like her mother.
…Wait, but will Shikshik truly grow into a basilisk?
She’s the Snake Queen’s daughter, but not her biological offspring.
Her species seems different… so what species will she evolve into?
Although she seems to have a touch of petrifying power, her essence feels more like healing.
…Is there even such a snake?
I have no idea.
It’s a matter for the distant future, so there’s no need to worry about it now.
Focusing not only on my evolution but also on my followers’ growth feels strange.
It makes me happy that they’re getting stronger, and I’m thrilled to see what they’ll evolve into.
It’s even more exciting since I’m not the one deciding for them.
“Wow, it looks like it’s just been cooked over fire, but how does it taste so good?”
The follower, who couldn’t evolve, nibbled on the meat with delight.
Although I sprinkled a little seasoning and salt provided by my master, the cooking was essentially just grilling.
But the Snake Queen’s cooking tasted beyond that.
The answer was simple.
The Snake Queen could freely manipulate the power of petrification.
During the grilling process, she used that power skillfully, achieving an effect similar to a clay bake.
It’s no wonder it tastes so good.
“This is amazing!”
Tang So-yeong exclaimed with a cheerful expression as she stuffed more meat into her mouth.
Thud.
Of course, I wasn’t to be outdone.
The difference was that I wasn’t moving my hands at all.
“Hehe.”
Nephila smiled warmly as she fed me a piece of meat she had torn apart.
“Gekgek.”
I could eat on my own, but there was no need to refuse her kindness.
It feels oddly comfortable.
This reminds me of the old days.
Back when I was still a gecko lizard, and Nephila was still a spider.
I used to cut off my tail to steal food caught in her web.
Somehow, we’ve gone from that to feeding each other.
Life.
Or rather, a lizard’s life is hard to predict.
What started as a trivial connection has become such an integral relationship.
If, while being chased by the Oviraptor, I had fled to a tree other than the one where Nephila was, what would have happened?
Just thinking about it is terrifying.
Nephila was the first bond I formed in this world and is a precious companion with whom I’ll continue that bond.
“Gek.”
I tore a small piece of meat and handed it to Nephila.
Nephila, who had been smiling broadly, blushed slightly before quickly taking the meat I offered.
“…Churp.”
She even took my fingers into her mouth, which was a bit of a downside.
“Gek!”
When I made a noise, Nephila pulled my fingers out of her mouth and smiled playfully.
….
…That face is dangerous.
How can she look so much like my type?
I wish I hadn’t joked about it before.
I once said I’d consider it if she came back as a blonde beauty with red eyes, but I didn’t think it would actually happen.
…Thankfully, not everything about her is perfect, so I’m relieved in some ways.
“Did you know, Go Dae-hyeop, that Tang Clan experts don’t get drunk?”
Tang So-yeong said with a bright smile, seemingly in high spirits from eating the meat.
“It’s a pity. Since we handle poison, we don’t get drunk either.”
Come to think of it, I’m also relatively resistant to alcohol.
It’s probably thanks to having the Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity—or rather, the Thousand Poisons Immunity.
Alcohol seems to be treated as a type of poison.
Although it doesn’t block it completely, drinking too much can still cause me to black out.
“Uwee… Go Dae-hyeop… there are two of you….”
Despite her confident tone, Tang was the first to collapse.
Wait, didn’t you just have one drink?
Plop.
She tried to lean into my arms as if to collapse slightly.
“Hmph.”
Of course, Nephila, who was stuck close to my side, caught her instead.
Tang So-yeong collapsed onto the makeshift bed made of spider silk.
“Hiyak! I-I’m sorry! Please don’t eat me!”
Is she dreaming or something?
She reacts like that just from being bound in spider silk.
…Well, most people would react that way if tied up in spider silk.
“Hmm… She was quite an agreeable human to talk to, but she’s already out cold.”
The Snake Queen expressed a look of regret.
Surprisingly, the Snake Queen and Tang So-yeong had a lot to talk about.
It was because the Snake Queen realized Tang So-yeong had been involved in making the Mae-do outfit.
I witnessed them having a deep conversation.
Tang So-yeong explained advanced details of a uniform called "school miz," and the Snake Queen found it fascinating.
Since Tang So-yeong has personally seen my inner demon, it’s only natural that she’d be more knowledgeable than anyone about such things.
“That’s enough. Having fewer mouths to feed is better.”
“Gekgek.”
I agreed.
Even though I shrank my body slightly to enjoy the alcohol more, it quickly disappeared because of the sheer number of people here.
“Here, have a drink.”
“Gek!”
“Kiooong….”
“Gegek!”
“Bbyak!”
“Gegegek!”
Everyone kept offering me drinks, so I ended up drinking far more than anyone else.
If I accepted a drink from the Snake Queen, Tus and Pus would crawl over to offer me another.
After that, Shikshik would bring me a drink.
Then Nephila would offer one.
Next, the Snake Queen again.
As if they had conspired, they kept passing me drinks in turns.
“Gegegek!”
I never refuse a drink when it’s offered.
…But, ugh, maybe I’ve had too much.
I’m starting to feel dizzy.
“Here, one more drink.”
“Geeeeng….”
“Bbyakbbyakbbyak….”
“Gerororong….”
I think I should stop drinking now.
Shikshik looks like a human to me now.
“Now, did you tie the legs securely?”
Nephila and Pus seem to be tying my legs with spider silk.
“What’s the order…?”
What are you all talking about?
I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t muster any strength in my body.
“Gerororong….”
It feels like I drank too much, but I’m not too worried.
Everyone here is someone I trust.
What kind of mischief could they get up to?
“Uhuhoot….”
“Keeeng….”
“Bbyak…!”
…But why is the floor so wet?
No matter how I look at it, it’s alcohol.
Were they pretending to drink while pouring it on the ground?
Why waste such precious alcohol?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
When I wake up, if there’s any left, I’ll lick it up.
“Gerong….”
With that, I trusted everyone and closed my eyes.
“Listen, everyone. This time, just have a taste. Don’t go overboard and keep it within bounds….”
I heard some strange noises, but I blamed it on the alcohol.
“Piiik… Bbyak!”
Shikshik, don’t pull my tail.
…Huh?
“Guhk… H-how!”
Cheoldu-ryong stared at a martial artist who was still barely breathing.
“So there are survivors. And some managed to escape as well.”
Being what they were, the martial artists called "Nahan" were remarkably skilled at survival.
Most had been frozen solid by Cheoldu-ryong’s icy aura, but there were still some who managed to flee or stay alive.
Of course, they didn’t seem likely to last long.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
A martial artist on the icy ground cried out in despair.
Cheoldu-ryong sneered at him.
“Suddenly, why? Ridiculous. Did you think I wouldn’t remember what Shaolin did to me?”
“…Don’t tell me you regained your memories?”
Cheoldu-ryong’s memories had been erased.
Without that, he couldn’t have been used as a pawn.
“There’s no way. The abbot himself must have erased them….”
Hye-myeong Dae-sa, the abbot of Shaolin and one of the Ten Masters of the World.
He had directly tampered with Cheoldu-ryong’s memories.
Only someone stronger than Hye-myeong Dae-sa could awaken those memories.
“Restoring memories is difficult, but creating new ones is relatively easy.”
Although he once despised conversing with humans, his thoughts had changed.
Telling them personally what had happened would be beneficial in many ways.
It would deepen their despair and let them die slowly.
“What… cough, are you talking about?”
“A man with the surname Namgoong contacted me.”
“Namgoong? Ghhk…!”
The monk’s face went pale.
He instantly realized who the person with the Namgoong surname was.
“You fool… that person is using you….”
Cheoldu-ryong’s thick leg crushed the monk’s fingers.
“Aaaargh!”
“Using me, you say.”
Cheoldu-ryong laughed quietly.
“Did that really come from your mouth, Senior Brother?”
Being used.
In a way, that might be accurate.
A strange man with the surname Namgoong.
It was impossible for someone like him to approach without a hidden agenda.
He had a purpose in revealing the truth to Cheoldu-ryong.
He must have set the stage for Cheoldu-ryong for his own reasons.
“It doesn’t matter how things turn out. If it meant escaping this accursed Shaolin, I would’ve let him use me hundreds of times.”
Swish.
A frosty wind blew past.
“…That’s what I used to think.”
After learning the truth, Cheoldu-ryong spent his days filled with rage and despair.
All he could think about was killing every human in Shaolin and escaping from that place.
“Senior Brother, do you know where we are right now?”
“Ghrrk… Y-Yongmun….”
The information had been provided by the man with the surname Namgoong.
“By taking the power of Yongmun, I realized how wrong I had been.”
Cheoldu-ryong gazed at the sky.
By defeating the Ice Bird and absorbing its core, he had made Yongmun’s power his own.
The freezing aura of the snowy mountains had calmed his rage.
Cheoldu-ryong attained enlightenment.
He realized that everything he had thought was wrong.
Killing the humans of Shaolin and escaping that hellish place was a foolish idea.
He couldn’t be satisfied with something so trivial.
Rumble.
A fierce blizzard raged.
“I will enlighten the foolish mystical beasts who, despite possessing overwhelming power, are used by humans.”
Yongmun had given him power.
The power to save mystical beasts who were in the same plight as him.
“I will kill all humans in the martial world.”
It granted him overwhelming power to ensure such tragedies never occurred again.
The extermination of all martial artists.
That was Cheoldu-ryong’s goal.
“You… you fool…! That’s not it…. You don’t understand….”
The monk despaired, coughing up blood.
“That is the only way to honor my parents.”
The monk’s body began to freeze slowly.
“And to commemorate the mystical beasts who, like me, lost everything.”
“If you trust Namgoong Yeon….”
Crack!
The monk’s words were cut off midway.
The icy aura of the snowy mountains had completely frozen him.
“Spend eternity in despair there, Senior Brother.”
Cheoldu-ryong stared emotionlessly at the frozen monk.
“Watch what the Nahan you created will bring about.”