Chapter 142: Mount Hua
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 142: Mount Hua
“Hic… Sob…”
Tang Soyeong wailed as she fanned me.
Smack!
“Kyaak! It was just a joke…”
I didn’t want to do this either, but discipline had to be established.
Especially now that my body was this small.
To examine my body, she’d have no choice but to touch me, and who knew what other strange things that Tang girl might try.
I lay in a comfortable position on the bed, enjoying the breeze from Tang Soyeong’s fanning.
“Keeng.”
The spiders, having calmed down from their earlier excitement, were now treating me gently.
Tus and Pus brought me the snacks that were laid out on a plate.
“Keeng!”
Pus, who had been watching me smack Tang Soyeong’s butt, was now urging me on.
Alright, I’m in the mood.
Smack!
“Kioong!”
It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. This is how we should spend our time, peacefully.
“Hic… My arm hurts. How much longer do I have to do this?”
The spiders had calmed down, and Tang Soyeong was being punished.
I decided to postpone my treatment for a bit and check on their condition.
First, Tus and Pus.
「Anthracomartus LV30」
【Status】
「Worship」「Unrequited Love」「Expectation」
「Attercopus LV30」
【Status】
「Worship」「Unrequited Love」「Satisfaction」
I’d think about their statuses later and focus on their levels for now.
A whopping level 30.
Just how well did Baek Yeon-yeong take care of them for them to already be level 30?
“Kioong…”
And here I was, struggling to reach level 20.
Of course, my level 1 and the spiders’ level 1 weren’t the same.
Even so, something was a little strange.
When I was a gecko, my max level was 10.
The level cap increased with each evolution.
But these guys had surpassed 10, then 20.
Now they’d reached 30, but they still hadn’t evolved.
Instead, they had grown enormously.
The spiders, which had been about 5cm, were now the size of small dogs.
My guess was that the stronger the species, the higher the level required for evolution. Could it be that these spiders were actually incredible creatures?
I stared intently at Tus and Pus.
“Kioong?”
I didn’t think so.
Just look at those harmless faces.
I remembered how they’d trembled and clung to each other in fear of a single, dying diving beetle.
Tus and Pus were not particularly strong species.
Compared to me, they were on par with a gecko, or perhaps even weaker.
So how did they reach level 30?
Could they be stockpiling power through some method without evolving?
It was possible my own evolution was the anomaly.
After gulping down a few common elixirs, all I had to do was reach the required level to instantly evolve.
But considering what that Tang girl had said, the metamorphosis of other beasts seemed to involve a rather complex process.
“Kieek.”
If not that, maybe they were intentionally saving up power, skipping minor evolutions.
Nephila Jurassica had a history of reaching her Arachne form in a single evolution.
She had essentially skipped the countless evolutions that should have come in between.
Of course, she had reverted to her pre-evolution form not long after.
It seemed Tus and Pus had a similar goal.
To immediately transform into humans.
What admirable creatures.
And how did they know I liked humans?
“Kioong!”
Tus and Pus waved their legs, as if dancing.
“Kiek!”
And then there was Nephila Jurassica.
【Nephila Jurassica LV30】
【Status】
「Unrequited Love」「Affection」「Adoration」「Longing」「Admiration」「Single-minded Devotion」「Breeding Desire」「Possessiveness」「Appetite」「Obsession」
Her injuries were gone.
That meant most of her body had recovered.
Why was it that even though her injuries had vanished, the contents of her status window had only increased?
…I’ll put that aside for later.
I felt like I’d get hurt if I dug too deep.
“Kieek.”
Now that Nephila had recovered, she would also be aiming for metamorphosis.
I imagined Tus, Pus, and Nephila Jurassica in their human forms.
Thanks to the Gaechalgoatal, I had briefly seen what they looked like.
They had become completely human, without a single trace of a spider.
The form Nephila had shown me last time was more than I could ask for, but how wonderful would it be if they could transform like that?
I closed my eyes and pictured it.
The image of our Tang Clan sisters turning human.
…
…….
“Geeeek…”
My energy suddenly drained away.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
I was suddenly struck by an uncomfortable truth.
How did I only realize this now?
I looked at the worried Tang Soyeong.
“Geeeeng…”
“What’s with that expression? Why are you losing even more energy looking at me…?”
Tang Soyeong glanced down at her own chest.
Then she raised her head to look at me again.
“Geeeeeeek…”
She looked down again.
And back up.
“Hey, you lizard!”
The truth I had realized.
At this rate, I’ll starve to death.
“Kieek!”
“Kioong!”
Pus and Nephila also waved their legs, reacting similarly to Tang Soyeong.
“Geeeeeeek…”
I’m so drained.
“Kiong!”
Amidst everyone’s fury, one spider wore a triumphant expression.
Though she couldn’t compare to Baek Yeon-yeong or the Snake Queen, Tus was at least the most well-endowed of the three.
“…Gek.”
Tus, want to touch my tail?
“Kioong!”
“Kieeeek!”
“Kyaaaak!”
Tus jumped for joy while the other spiders stomped their legs in anger.
You might think this is a bit harsh, but it’s all for your own good.
You’ll understand my grand plan later.
Since you haven’t evolved yet, today could be the catalyst for you to develop into excellent Internal Energy Pouches.
…As for Tang What’s-her-name, it’s a shame, but it looks like she can get ready to go back to the Tang Clan.
“I-I have a strange feeling! A feeling that I’m about to be abandoned for some incredibly insignificant reason…!”
Insignificant?
You have no idea how important it is.
*
Mount Hua.
A barren land with beautiful plum blossoms.
And scorching lava.
A single carrier pigeon flew into this heterogeneous place where all these elements were mixed.
“M-My lady!”
A petite woman with vermilion hair.
Irihwa held the letter from the carrier pigeon and searched for someone.
“You’ll deafen me, child.”
A red-haired woman, who was enjoying a half-body bath, answered with annoyance.
Gulp.
Irihwa swallowed hard.
Unlike her own meager frame, the other woman had a voluptuous body.
Moreover, her skills were acknowledged even by the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.
It was known to the world that she had entered Mount Hua, but she had never actually received its teachings.
She was an eccentric who had holed herself up here simply because she liked the name ‘Mount Hua’.
However, her skills were so outstanding that no one dared to treat her carelessly.
“So, what is it?”
“A letter from Namgung Yeon, my lady!”
“Namgung Yeon?”
It didn’t take long for the master of Mount Hua to recall the name.
“Ah, that suspicious fellow?”
The woman sometimes even forgot the Sect Leader’s name.
But Namgung Yeon was someone who brought her useful information.
“Let me see it.”
She read the letter Irihwa handed her.
“Ooh, interesting.”
A slight smile formed on the red-haired woman’s lips, a sign of her piqued interest.
Splash.
The red-haired woman stood up from the hot spring.
As she rose, the bubbling lava splashed outside.
Tssss…
The splashing lava didn’t matter.
What was unusual was that she, who hated moving, had already finished her bath.
“Relay this to the Sect Leader.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Tell him I’m going to see a friend from my hometown.”
Going to see a friend from her hometown.
At first glance, it sounded harmless.
The problem was that this woman’s hometown was not in the Central Plains.
“…Are you referring to the Western Regions?”
“The Western Regions? I was born there, but it’s not my hometown.”
“Don’t tell me.”
Even flying to the Western Regions would be a problem.
My hometown is Mount Hua.
Irihwa knew instantly that she wasn’t about to say something so sentimental.
“You can’t!”
The hometown she spoke of was the Demonic Cult’s stronghold, the 100,000 Great Mountains.
“Why not? Besides, everyone’s making a fuss about the sky over the 100,000 Great Mountains turning black.”
“Still…”
“Aren’t you going to send someone over there to investigate? I’m just saying I’ll go for you, kill two birds with one stone.”
“My lady…!”
Gulp.
Irihwa swallowed hard.
This was not a matter for her to decide.
But she couldn’t wait for the Sect Leader’s response either.
This wasn’t a request for permission; it was a one-sided declaration.
“Mount Hua is not yet ready for war with the Demonic Cult…!”
“Hey, who said I’m going under the name of Mount Hua?”
The red-haired woman smiled.
Krrrrk.
Vermilion wings slowly grew from her shoulder blades.
“Like I said, I’m just stopping by my hometown.”
“At least to the Sect Leader…!”
“He’ll probably be grateful I’m just telling him, you know?”
Crrrack.
The Dragon Person of Mount Hua changed her clothes.
Into an outfit made just for her.
Her large wings and tail made it impossible to wear ordinary clothes.
Irihwa was dumbfounded.
What on earth was written in that letter to have caught this woman’s interest?
What could possibly have drawn the attention of a Dragon Person who found even the lava of Mount Hua to be boring?
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen that wench’s face.”
Irihwa flinched.
She knew who the Dragon Person was referring to as ‘wench’.
“Not the Demonic Cult Leader!”
“Do you think I’m crazy enough to go pick a fight with her?”
As belligerent as the Dragon Person was, she wouldn’t be so reckless as to invade the Demonic Cult’s main base.
Besides, this woman had experienced the Demonic Cult Leader’s power firsthand.
“Then why on earth are you going to the 100,000 Great Mountains?”
“I told you. I’m going to investigate a few things.”
The Dragon Person grinned at Irihwa.
“And there’s a certain fellow who’s personally caught my interest.”
“I-Interest?”
“Irihwa.”
“Yes, my lady.”
To receive the Dragon Person’s interest.
Irihwa had served this Dragon Person for a long time, but she had rarely encountered a situation like this.
The scions of numerous prestigious families had courted her, but the Dragon Person had never given them a second glance. Irihwa had thought she would live her entire life alone.
But for someone to have caught her interest…
It must be a powerful opponent, someone who could ignite her competitive spirit.
That’s what she thought, but the Dragon Person’s next words were completely different from what Irihwa had imagined.
“Have you ever heard of a handsome lizard?”
“I-I’m sorry?”
Irihwa was utterly baffled.
The Dragon Person laughed as if she had expected that reaction.
“Isn’t it absurd? There’s a line when you’re trying to deceive someone. He’s trying to trick me with talk of a handsome lizard.”
A handsome lizard was a nonsensical expression.
“If it were just that, I would have ignored it. But he also said it has the potential to become a true dragon.”
A dragon.
Even she, a spirit beast worthy of the name Red Dragon, had not yet reached the level of a true dragon that appeared only in myths.
To be precise, it would be correct to describe her as a spirit beast walking the path of a dragon.
Among the spirit beasts she knew, none were ahead of her.
Therefore, she could be called infinitely close to a true dragon.
But even she was only a half-measure.
She had no Dragon Pearl, no divine power.
Moreover, a true dragon was a being that, unlike her, could fly without wings.
In such a situation, another spirit beast walking a different path from her own.
A lizard with the potential to become a dragon.
And as if to provoke her, he had even added a line about its face being handsome.
“I’ll have to check it out for myself.”
A little confirmation should be fine.
“If it’s nothing special, I’ll swallow it in one bite.”
If the words were meant to mock her, she would swallow that lizard and then burn Namgung Yeon to death.
“If it’s just a pretty face, I’ll lock it up in my nest.”
It was impossible for a handsome lizard to exist, but if it did, it wouldn’t be so bad to keep it.
“And if it truly has the potential to become a dragon, just as Namgung Yeon said…”
Should she kill it?
Or should she give it a little push so it could be reborn as a true dragon?
“…I don’t know. I’ll have to see its face first before I decide.”
The Red Dragon postponed her decision.
Whatever the outcome, it would be fine.
As long as it was a being that could make her heart, which was growing colder by the day, beat again.
Whether it was the anger of being deceived.
Or the jealousy of discovering someone ahead of her.
Or, though it was unlikely, the emotion of love she had never experienced in her life.
The name of the Red Dragon, ‘Liza’ (利慈), meant ‘Sharp Love’.
If she were to love, just as her name suggested, could she be reborn as a true dragon?
“…Am I getting old? How sentimental of me.”
But that was impossible.
Unlike her hot body, her heart was growing colder.
An emotion that could not be kindled by anything other than a competitive spirit.
There was no one who could set her heart ablaze.
Even if the lizard’s beauty was as outstanding as Namgung Yeon claimed, she was not the type to fall for a pretty face alone.
It would be just the right level for a temporary plaything.
Nothing more, nothing less.
That’s what the Red Dragon thought.