Chapter 126: A Glimmer of Enlightenment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126: A Glimmer of Enlightenment
Training with the Snake Queen.
It involved pressing our bodies flush against each other, then exchanging glances in a strange, suggestive atmosphere.
If that was all it was, I could do it all day.
In fact, she rested her internal energy pouch on my soft belly and gazed at me with that kind of expression.
“How does it feel?”
How does it feel? A little embarrassing, that’s how.
The Snake Queen had the minor drawback of a snake’s lower body, but if you could overlook that, she was a woman of peerless beauty.
Plus, her internal energy pouch was quite full.
And for some reason, she didn’t seem to bother covering it when she was with me.
“We consumed the Jian Bird’s inner core together, so our powers should resonate to some degree.”
The Jian Bird was a creature that was two-in-one and one-in-two.
Therefore, its inner core had likely inherited that same property.
Of course, to be precise, Swish-Swish had swallowed one of the two cores, while the Snake Queen and I had shared the other.
It would be more accurate to say my power resonated with Swish-Swish’s, but the core the Snake Queen and I shared also seemed to resonate with each other.
“Thus, the more we act together, the more of that power we can draw out. It would be most efficient to train together as well.”
As I’ve said time and again, I was always happy to be close to the Snake Queen.
Honestly, I would have stuck to her like glue even without such a reason.
But now I had a perfect excuse.
Looks like I’ll have to stick to her like a gecko.
Now that our skin was touching, it really did feel like the Jian Bird’s energy was growing stronger.
“However, I am not at leisure to devote all my time to you right now.”
The Snake Queen was right.
She had a lot to do.
I couldn’t hold her up for long just for the sake of training.
“So, I’ll make this quick and intense.”
The Snake Queen’s smooth body gently caressed me.
…Smooth?
No, her body had always been smooth.
That wasn’t the problem.
The problem was that the tail caressing me was getting bigger and bigger.
And that the Snake Queen’s beautiful face was twisting into a terrifying visage.
And that every time our eyes met, I felt like my body was turning to stone.
“Ssshaaaaaa!”
A Basilisk was looking down at me.
“Gek-ge-ge-gek!”
You scared me!
Why did you suddenly change into that form?
If you don’t change back into a human right now, I’m confiscating your Okbong honey.
“Get into your stance.”
The Basilisk’s eyes gleamed.
Was I missing something?
Let’s think this through.
Training, quick and intense, and true form.
Putting it all together led to one conclusion.
“I need to see your skills for myself.”
She meant to spar with me under the guise of training.
But I wasn’t about to take that lying down.
Why would I be crazy enough to spar with the Snake Queen?
“Gek?”
I put on the innocent face of a lizard who knew nothing.
Gomodo knows nothing~
“Tell me if you think you’re going to die.”
Why would you say it like that?
You’re hurting my feelings.
KWAAAAANG!
“KKEKKEKKEK!”
I think I’m gonna die!
*
The world is vast, and there are many strong spirit beasts.
A certain high-nosed lizard, who had grown arrogant after reaching the realm of Gomodo-Lania, was brought to his knees.
The Snake Queen, having returned to her human form, stroked me.
Pat, pat.
But it hurt.
The spot she just stroked felt like it was turning to stone. Was it just my imagination?
“Ge-ek!”
“Ohoho. Does it hurt much?”
My body didn’t hurt that much.
It wasn’t like the Snake Queen had hit me with the intent to kill.
What hurt wasn’t my body, but my pride.
Status Window!
I!
Still!
Cannot even see the Snake Queen’s level!
“Geeeeek…”
“It reminds me of when I first saw you. Compared to then, your skills have improved remarkably. To become this strong in such a short time is unprecedented.”
…Was I being too shameless?
My life as a lizard had been four months at most.
I didn’t know for sure, but comparing myself to the Snake Queen, who had lived for at least several decades—perhaps even centuries—was probably rude to begin with.
“I mean it. If that had been a real battle, I wouldn’t have escaped unscathed, even if I had won.”
Maybe I would have taken off a single scale.
She was overestimating me.
This spar (one-sided beating) had shown me exactly where I stood. I had harbored ambitions of taking down the King of Birds, but realistically, that seemed impossible.
At the very least, the King of Birds had to be on par with the Snake Queen in terms of power.
The best I could do was assist her or handle the likes of Bifang or the Rakshasa Bird.
“What’s even more amazing is that you can become much stronger from here. And before the war with Gaechalgoatal, at that.”
“Gek!”
Really?
As the Snake Queen gently stroked my wounds with her tail, she analyzed our recent battle.
My habits.
And areas for improvement.
It was advice that would become my blood and scales.
It felt a little cheap to call it compensation for being beaten until my scales fell off, but I still gained a lot.
Until now, even when I won battles, I just… won. No one had ever given me feedback.
The Snake Queen had beaten me, put me in my place, and on top of that, made me reflect on my shortcomings.
She wasn’t a queen for nothing.
She pointed out things like how I had a big, beautiful tail but didn’t use it properly, or how I stubbornly tried to use my claws in situations where my fangs would have been better.
Her brutally honest advice continued.
I listened intently to her words, gekking in acknowledgment.
The Snake Queen’s slightly painful feedback session came to an end.
The whip was over, so now it was time for the carrot.
“What’s with that expression?”
“Gek gek.”
“…Fine. There are many things to praise as well.”
Open wide, here comes the praise.
“Your techniques themselves weren’t bad. Especially that blue ray, which seemed to imitate my own technique. The output was quite impressive.”
The Gaegaek Death Beam.
Its origin was the Snake Queen’s Destruction Ray.
I had stolen it with my Reverse Scale, then improved upon it by adding faith. That was the Gaegaek Death Beam.
In terms of raw power, it was one of the top skills I possessed.
Nine Yin White Bone Claw for close range, Gaegaek Death Beam for long range.
Of course, in a way, you could say neither of them was truly my own skill.
They weren’t registered in my status window, nor did I know their principles and theories well enough to use them at will.
Both were techniques I couldn’t use without my Reverse Scale.
Beings without a status window would probably cry foul, wondering how a lizard could use such techniques!
But what could I do?
I was a lizard with a status window.
I had to make the most of what I had.
“But most impressive of all was the power you showed. The power to overwhelm your enemy with the force to uproot mountains. It must be the technique called Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World.”
This, too, was a skill that relied on my Reverse Scale.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it my bread and butter.
In gaming terms, it would be an area-of-effect debuff and a personal buff rolled into one.
Versatile.
Aside from its slightly high MP cost, it was a flawless skill.
“To be honest, I find myself coveting it.”
To think the Snake Queen would covet it.
Well, it was a technique used by Baek Yeon-yeong, after all.
It seemed to be a fairly high-level skill.
But I didn’t think it was something the Snake Queen needed to say that about.
Her own power was so immense that she didn’t need Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World.
Besides, she could easily replicate the effect of crushing an enemy just by releasing her internal energy.
As I tilted my head in confusion, the Snake Queen seemed to read my thoughts and elaborated.
“That is not a technique one can imitate simply by having a lot of internal energy. It is a skill that can only be used with genuine enlightenment. An understanding of what you are, what power you wield, and what you strive for.”
Enlightenment…!
The Snake Queen was starting to say something profound.
Status window, click.
Reverse Scale, click.
What did that make me, who had used Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World in such a way?
I felt sorry for the Snake Queen.
…No, wait.
Come to think of it, I think I used Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World before I got my Reverse Scale.
The first time I used it was when I fought the Dilophosaurus that had become a Poison Dragon.
It was right after that battle that I evolved into a Gomodo and gained the Reverse Scale.
That meant I had attained some form of enlightenment without even realizing it.
But the fact that it wasn't registered in my skill list meant I had used it unconsciously.
I felt like I had grasped a clue.
Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World and Nine Yin White Bone Claw.
I had used both techniques when I didn’t have my Reverse Scale.
But now, I couldn’t.
As the Snake Queen said, I needed to delve into this concept of enlightenment.
“The technique my master tried to teach me was the same. Without enlightenment, I couldn’t even begin to imitate it, no matter how hard I tried.”
The technique the Snake Queen’s master had taught her.
I had seen it in her mental image.
A powerful shout, then pabat!
Something about being the leader, the most outstanding…
It was all very cryptic.
“I believe you might be able to find some enlightenment in those words. And if you can attain my master’s enlightenment, you might become strong enough to reach me.”
“Gek-ge-gek.”
The words of the Snake Queen’s master from the mental image.
And her posture.
She had been pointing to the sky with one hand.
The bald man on the stone tablet Old Man Compy had shown me was in the same pose.
Was it a coincidence that they were the same?
“You look lost in thought. I wish I could stay by your side, but I’m out of time.”
The Snake Queen gave a small smile.
She continued to stroke me for a moment before heading toward the temple entrance.
By entrance, I mean the massive hole created during our spar.
She was off to do what she needed to do.
She had taken the time to impart something to me.
The Snake Queen left the temple, and I was alone.
But this was no time to be lazing around just because I was by myself.
“Gek gek.”
I looked around.
No one’s here, right?
It was unlikely anyone would be, but that’s just how a lizard’s mind works.
Even when you know you’re alone, you feel the need to check.
“Gekek.”
Status Window.
【Gomodo-Lania LV20】
HP: 5110/5110
MP: 1630/1630
【Titles】
「Beloved by the Spider」
「Master of the Silver Dragon Cave」
「Master of the Swamp (Lower)」
「Snake Queen's Companion」
「Little Dragon's Successor」
These incredible specs…
Wait, what’s that?
There are two strange new things.
「Snake Queen's Companion」
The Snake Queen has acknowledged you as her companion. Beings who follow the Snake Queen faith will revere you.
You gain strong resistance to poison and petrification.
「Little Dragon's Successor」
The Little Dragon has acknowledged you as his son-in-law. Beings who follow the Little Dragon faith will revere you.
You receive a bonus to 「Little Dragon's Sky-Ascending Steps」 and its derivative techniques.
What is this?
Why did these show up without any warning?
I was just trying to check my stats.
I felt like the Snake Queen and Old Man Compy had each stamped one of my cheeks.
Like I was some kind of A++ grade lizard.
…Let’s move on for now.
That’s not what I need to be looking at.
【Skills】
「Dragon's Claws」「Little Dragon's Sky-Ascending Steps」「Small Heavenly Cycle」「All-Poison Immunity」「Gaegaek Mental Cultivation Method」「Gecko Wall-Walking Art」「Ancient Dragon Leg Art」
「Dragon Scales LV10」「Reverse Scale LV1」「Poison Generation LV10」「Poison Collection LV8」 「Dragon Blood LV1」…….
These skills were what I needed to see.
Until now, my training had been for the vague purpose of simply getting stronger.
Whether by raising my level or consuming inner cores to make their power my own.
I thought that as long as I got stronger, any method was fine.
Of course, that approach wasn’t bad.
Being able to raise my level, something only I could see, was a huge advantage.
But now, raising even a single level was an ordeal.
Killing ten Terror Birds probably wouldn’t even make a dent.
In a time-sensitive situation like this, I needed a more efficient method.
I sat in the lotus position and closed my eyes.
I drew up internal energy from the depths of my dantian.
Once again, my mental image appeared.
Since there was no reason to face my Heart Demon, all I saw was a calm lake.
The water in the lake was not overflowing.
That didn’t mean the water had decreased.
The lake itself had grown larger.
That must be my vessel.
Ssssss.
I breathed in.
Huuuuu.
And breathed out.
My conversation with the Snake Queen had given me a clue.
A way for me to move forward.
Training was the process of attaining enlightenment.
Of course, the chances of me instantly understanding the words that even the Snake Queen couldn’t were extremely low.
But that was fine.
I planned to delve into the skill I possessed, Reverse Scale.
To find out why its level hadn’t risen despite me using it countless times.
To find out why I could use Baek Yeon-yeong’s technique when I didn’t have the Reverse Scale skill.
I was determined to achieve at least one of those things.
And if I couldn’t achieve a single one?
Well, I guess I’ll just have a nice chat with my Heart Demon, sleeping deep within the lake.
Gurgle.
A bubble rose from the bottom of the lake.
It seems to be looking forward to something, but that’s not going to happen, buddy.
Whether I raise the level of my Reverse Scale or attain enlightenment.
I will definitely achieve one of the two.
Gurgle….
…I feel like I’ve backed myself into a corner.
Ah, whatever.
There’s no way I’ll fail.