Chapter 74 Gecko Faith
“Th-Thank you, great Gomodo….”
There was reverence in the man’s eyes.
In his eyes, I must have seemed like a divine beast.
A massive creature that could turn others into stone just by looking at them.
And I defeated that creature on my own.
But it didn’t end there.
The human-faced bird that descended into the body of the giant creature, and the spirit of the Snake Queen that appeared to oppose it.
It was something beyond the scope of common sense.
Even for that man, who was a martial artist, what he had just witnessed was something that only appeared in legends.
The beginning of faith is a simple matter.
People saw lightning striking fiercely or a volcano swallowing the earth.
They witnessed incomprehensible natural phenomena and believed it to be the power of the gods, thus creating faith.
What I showed wasn’t much different from that.
I demonstrated not only physical power but also abilities that an ordinary living being couldn’t possibly have.
With the Gecko Death Beam, I not only took down the Cockatrice but also felled those huge trees one by one.
A lizard that could shoot beams from its mouth and defeated a giant creature.
How could I not become an object of worship?
Thud.
If I’m going to be worshipped, I might as well be worshipped properly.
To leave a strong impression as a sacred being, I looked down at the man with a solemn expression.
“Great Gomodo….”
Good.
“My name is Jang Bong. I will repay this grace no matter what….”
He seems to have the basics down.
But repay me, you say?
Did he think that a holy and revered divine beast like Gomodo would expect something like that?
The Cockatrice was indeed a strong opponent, and there were several dangerous moments even without the involvement of the human-faced bird. However, it wasn’t unbeatable.
In the end, just fighting the Cockatrice alone was beneficial.
In such a situation, how could this noble divine beast expect compensation?
Of course, if he insists on repaying me, I won’t stop him.
…Do you perhaps have any elixirs?
Ding.
[Your Divinity stirs.]
The status window answered for me.
My Divinity stirs, huh.
A lizard of my level could understand what this message meant.
Open your mouth, rewards are coming in.
That must be what it means.
[A religion serving you is being formed.]
A religion…!
I had thought that it would be created someday.
So, it’s finally happening.
A legendary religion serving me, Gomodo.
[【Gecko Faith】 has been established!]
Yeah.
I expected this.
From the beginning, the faith was Gecko Faith.
“Gecko….”
I let out a sad Gaegaeck sound.
__________________________
【Gecko Faith】
A religion of the King Lizard rank.
This religion is based on the Gaegaeck Faith and worships Gomodo.
Its members are extremely diverse and possess strong faith.
**Members**
First Believer: 【Arthrocofus lv12】
Second Believer: 【Anthracomartus lv11】
Third Believer: 【Tang So-yeong】
Fourth Believer: 【Volpython lv18】
__________________________
So, Tus and Pus leveled up too.
I’m glad to see they’re doing well.
But why does it end with the fourth believer?
Shouldn’t this fellow be added as well?
For something that evolved from faith to a religion, there’s not much to it.
I stared at Jang Bong.
“Is there something that displeases you…?”
Was it because he didn’t know about the Gaegaeck Faith?
The name Gaegaeck Faith was coined by Tang So-yeong after hearing my cry.
There’s no way this man would know the name of a respectable faith.
…But then, wouldn’t Volpython not be included here either?
Volpython also didn’t know about the existence of Gaegaeck Faith but eventually became the fourth believer.
What exactly is the difference?
Is it because this man is human?
But then, Tang So-yeong would be a problem.
…Was Tang So-yeong not human after all?
No, that can’t be.
Let’s think back to when I made Shikshik my believer.
How did that happen again?
Ah, the status window sent a message asking if I would recommend the faith to her.
[Would you like to recommend Jang Bong to join Gecko Faith?]
Oh ho.
So that’s how it works.
Jang Bong currently worships me.
Thanks to the faith he provided, I was able to gain the Gecko Death Beam skill.
It seems Gecko Believer and Gecko Faith can be believed in without my permission or recommendation.
As long as they worship me, that’s enough.
On the other hand, believers like the N-th apostle listed in the status window appear to require a special designation from me.
Which makes sense.
If everyone who believed in me became a believer, it would lead to all sorts of complications.
One problem would be that they’d share some of my thoughts.
Judging from the spiders, it seems a lot is shared, as they seemed to pick up on the things happening with the snakes.
Sometimes, I could even receive messages about the believers’ actions.
It’s fine for now.
But if the number of believers increases, I’ll be bombarded with messages from them all day. I wouldn’t even be able to think freely.
Though I’m grateful for the faith Jang Bong has given me, it’s too soon to make him a believer.
“Gaegaegaegaeck.”
I clicked my jaw.
It would be easier to communicate if I let him join Gecko Faith, but now is not the time.
For now, the communication I want can be done with gestures.
“Ah, yes! The person you’re looking for is….”
Jang Bong hurriedly ran off.
After confirming the direction he was heading, I approached the Cockatrice’s corpse.
The Snake Queen’s petrification was impressive.
I wanted to taste the meat, but now it’s inedible.
Still, I should take what I can.
Boom!
Using the Dragon Claws technique imbued with internal energy, I easily shattered the petrified Cockatrice.
Though the meat was inedible, the core remained intact.
【Top-grade Core (Yellow)】
Top-grade Core!
It was a core comparable to that of the Hydra.
Yeah. I guess it’s about time I start consuming things like this.
It emitted a dazzling yellow light, almost brownish in hue.
Carefully, I picked it up and placed it between my scales.
I wanted to safely store it in my stomach, but the Snake Queen had told me to bring it as is.
Good.
With the core secured, let’s go to the believer candidate.
“Baekwoon, come to your senses. The enemy is already dead.”
Jang Bong was shaking a man he called Baekwoon.
Perhaps the petrification had just worn off, as Baekwoon seemed unable to grasp the situation.
Behind Baekwoon lay a creature resembling a bear, shattered into pieces.
So this one also fell victim to the Cockatrice.
If he had been a little less lucky, Baekwoon could have ended up the same way.
“…The enemy is dead?”
As I walked closer, I observed the man called Baekwoon.
He’s quite formidable.
He was on a different level than someone like Jang Bong.
If Jang Bong was a third-rate martial artist, Baekwoon was first-rate.
In terms of raw power alone, he wouldn’t be outmatched by the Cockatrice.
If he hadn’t been petrified, it could have been a good fight.
“Yes…. The moment its eyes flashed, I turned to stone….”
Clang!
Baekwoon plunged the sword he was holding into the ground.
Ah, I lost.
That must be what it meant.
The way he expressed it like that.
As expected of a martial artist.
He’s got style.
“The enemy that turned me to stone is dead? Jang Bong, were you hiding your power?”
“What power would I be hiding? Do you still not know me? It was the legendary divine beast, Gomodo, that saved us!”
“Gomodo?”
Baekwoon muttered the name, Gomodo.
He seemed unfamiliar with it.
Spending all his time training in martial arts must have left him ignorant of basic knowledge.
Gomodo is such a famous divine beast.
…Or maybe it’s strange that anyone knows about Gomodo?
“Ah, there he comes.”
At Jang Bong’s words, Baekwoon immediately turned his head.
An imposing look was fine, but now was the time to flash a friendly smile.
It was important to instill a sense of safety in someone who had just regained consciousness.
Smile.
“Wah! No, nothing. Baekwoon! Lower your guard! Although he looks a bit scary, he’s the divine beast that saved our lives.”
Hey, what’s with that reaction again?
“That divine beast defeated the giant creature?”
“Is that all? Not only did he perform a feat beyond human comprehension, but he also summoned a celestial maiden to subdue the ghost.”
So the Snake Queen looked like a celestial maiden, huh?
Looking at her face, that makes sense.
A celestial maiden and a divine beast. That’s a nice image.
Jang Bong.
Spread this story far and wide.
“…Indeed. One would need to be that extraordinary to defeat that creature.”
“Exactly. Though his appearance is as fierce as a vicious beast, he is an incredibly intelligent divine being.”
You’re permanently banned from becoming a believer.
*
Things wrapped up fairly logically.
For now, Jang Bong wasn’t a believer, but he believed in the Gecko Faith.
Baekwoon wasn
’t quite a believer, but he felt some gratitude towards me.
To be honest, I was worried he might attack me, thinking I was just a big lizard, but it seemed he regarded me as a divine being.
Saving his life played a big role.
I even had a bit of a conversation with Baekwoon.
Though the conversation consisted of “Gaegaek” sounds, I’m not sure if we really understood each other.
Jang Bong and Baekwoon decided to leave the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
Baekwoon had a troubled expression, but no matter how divine I was, I couldn’t solve all his problems.
The best I could do was to point them in the right direction to leave this jungle.
I considered calling for Baek Yeonyeong, but Baekwoon was affiliated with Jongnam, one of the Nine Great Clans. If Baek Yeonyeong found out, there was a high chance of a clash between Baek and Woon.
Unlike with Tang So-yeong, I wasn’t worried about them leaving the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
Baekwoon was strong.
Even if we fought, I’d definitely win thanks to my Dragon Scales, but he was no pushover.
As long as his goal wasn’t something absurd like hunting divine beasts, escaping the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains shouldn’t be too difficult.
“Gaegaegaegaeck…”
I yawned deeply.
With Baekwoon and Jang Bong sent off, it was time to take stock of what I gained from this journey.
Jang Bong and Baekwoon had learned of my existence.
Not a bad haul.
By deliberately showing a majestic appearance, there might be people who start believing in Gomodo far and wide. That way, I could gain divinity without any responsibility.
If the religion grows, I might gain new skills.
Even that alone was a decent harvest.
And it didn’t stop there.
The level gained from defeating the Cockatrice.
I had finally reached level 30.
Which meant, I could evolve immediately.
This was a huge deal.
After becoming Gomodo, my level hadn’t increased much, but now I had quickly reached the level for evolution.
Perhaps doing good deeds does bring rewards.
The scary part was, it didn’t end there.
There was no need to mention the Top-grade Core.
The reward the Snake Queen had promised me.
It was waiting for me.
I didn’t know what it was, but Shikshik also mentioned preparing something, so the reward was doubled!
What on earth could the reward be?
An elixir would be nice.
“Gaegaegaegaeck!”
I let out a happy cry and headed towards the Snake Queen’s temple.
I was already excited at the thought of consuming elixirs and evolving.
…
…But why did I suddenly feel a chill?
Eh, what’s the worst that could happen?