Chapter 157: Twenty-Four Movement Plum Blossom Sword Art
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157: Twenty-Four Movement Plum Blossom Sword Art
To think a lizard of my stature could be bewitched by sorcery.
Baek Rang. She was a fearsome spirit beast.
I thought she was just friends with the Snake Queen, but her middle dantian is clearly something special.
To be honest, I had a few worries on my way to the Dragon Gate.
After all, I was heading to a place that wasn't the Snake Queen's temple, Baek Yeon-yeong's Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, or the spiders' swamp.
It meant that for a while, I wouldn't be able to see the kind of massive… something that brought me peace of mind and body.
I considered kidnapping Tang Soyeong, but she didn't seem like she'd be very helpful.
…
…What am I even thinking?
“Gek!”
As Gomodo-Lania, the Divine Beast of the Gaegaek, I felt I had just thought something I shouldn't have.
I need to control myself.
How old am I? I’m not a child, so why am I thinking such things?
…
Then again, at six months old, isn't it natural to like that sort of thing?
In fact, it would be stranger not to.
So, what I'm doing is perfectly normal.
Of course, a typical lizard wouldn't just dislike that; it wouldn't feel even a shred of interest.
It's an organ they have no use for.
So, the fact that I show a strange obsession with it means what?
It means I possess the mind of a human, not a lizard.
“Gek gek.”
Thinking of it that way put my mind at ease.
There are times when I zone out, completely losing control of myself, but that must just be my remaining humanity manifesting.
As long as that exists, I can maintain my human mind.
Just in case, someday in the distant future… if, and only if…
If I ever face an identity crisis, I can just take a look at that.
If I still like it, it means I still have a human heart. If I feel nothing, then things have gotten truly serious.
I’ll be able to take action before it’s too late.
“…You’re not a lizard, are you? There’s no way a lizard could make such a lecherous face.”
“Gek gek.”
It’s because I’m a lizard with a human heart.
Being with these fluffy mammals was definitely a good thing.
The temperature here was a bit low, but their body heat made me feel all warm and toasty.
And on top of that, Baek Rang's tail was provided as a service.
That was a delicacy in itself.
“Grrr…”
…She seems to get angry if I touch it too much, but since she’s already permitted her thighs, what can’t I do?
*
I lived with the wolf pack for a while.
I gathered ingredients on my own, and if there were any byproducts, I’d bring them to the wolves.
Including Baek Rang, there were eight of them, so they gratefully accepted the meat I tossed their way.
Not only Baek Rang, but the entire wolf pack was strong. However, the other creatures in this area were just as formidable.
It was difficult for them to catch enough prey to feed all eight mouths.
On the other hand, it was an easy task for me, someone specialized in one-on-one combat.
I’d approach with my Ascending Dragon Steps, snap their neck, and the hunt would be over.
There’s a reason they say your weight class makes you a bully.
“…You’re a really good hunter.”
Baek Rang remarked, impressed by the massive deer I had dragged back.
The wolves around her wagged their tails.
“Awooo…”
They began to devour the meat greedily.
Baek Rang watched her pack eat their fill before she started to take small bites of the meat herself.
“…Lizard, aren't you going to eat?” she asked, as if the thought had just occurred to her.
“Gek gek.”
Just watching you all eat is enough to make me full.
I cried out with that meaning.
In truth, I had already eaten a lot while coming and going, so I was full.
With all those wolves rushing to eat, it would get very chaotic if I joined in.
Some of them might not even get to eat because of my size.
So I chose to eat separately.
“Hmph…”
Baek Rang snorted, then swished her tail once.
She must be in a good mood, having acquired what was essentially a free food dispenser.
I had gathered almost all the ingredients Baek Rang had mentioned.
That is, all the ones I could find on my own.
All that remained were the ingredients I had to get after climbing the volcano.
After leaving enough food in the cave for the wolves to eat for a while, I set off with Baek Rang.
Unfortunately, she was in her wolf form, not her human one.
“You seem strangely disappointed.”
“Gegegek.”
“…I keep telling you, I’m not interested in scales, you know? So don’t even think about trying to seduce me.”
Baek Rang held a strange prejudice.
I did touch the wolves often, and sometimes I coveted Baek Rang’s fur, but it wasn't with those kinds of intentions.
I just touch it because there’s fur in front of me.
“Gek.”
Besides, she touches me a lot too.
She’d swish her tail, take on her human form, and keep me with her.
“You’ve probably seen it as you’ve traveled around, but the beasts here are different from the ones elsewhere.”
Baek Rang explained as we walked toward the Dragon Gate.
She was right.
The beasts in the 100,000 Great Mountains were generally more intelligent than ordinary animals.
The spiders were one example, as were the other creatures I’d seen here and there.
But the ones near the Dragon Gate were different.
They had the intelligence of beasts I was familiar with—no, they were several levels below that.
“They’re creatures that have lost their reason, drunk on the power of the Dragon Gate. They’re not very smart. But in exchange for their intelligence, their power has grown stronger. They’re also bigger than the ones outside.”
Their intelligence was low, but their combat power was much higher.
Creatures easily twice the size listed in their status windows would occasionally appear.
“Still, it would be manageable if they just swung that power around blindly. Most of the ones you’ve met were probably like that. But it’s a different story if you meet one that has refined that power to use internal energy and martial arts.”
Internal energy and martial arts.
All the strong beasts could use internal energy, and a few of them even used movements that seemed influenced by human martial arts.
Even the Deinonychus in the swamp used formations, so it was a given that the beasts of the Dragon Gate, incomparably stronger than them, would use such things as well.
“The closer you get to the Dragon Gate, the stronger the creatures that appear, and among them are some that naturally use martial arts. The guardian-level ones use them as a matter of course, and even the beasts influenced by them use martial arts.”
But I wasn't too worried.
How well could they possibly use martial arts?
I was Baek Yeon-yeong’s head disciple.
There was no way they were better than me.
“The one we have to hunt also uses martial arts.”
“Gegegek.”
As we continued walking, the surrounding scenery changed.
The temperature steadily rose, and the grass and trees became increasingly sparse.
“This is the Dragon Gate you’re going to climb. The volcano.”
A rather majestic-looking mountain came into view.
Lava flowed in various places, and volcanic ash fell from the sky.
Near the entrance, beasts that had lost their minds were fighting each other.
Crack.
The ground where Baek Rang’s paw landed froze slightly.
“Looks like we’ll have to go up a bit. That thing is this far down…”
Baek Rang’s voice trailed off.
“Duck!”
She suddenly tried to push my head down.
She seemed urgent, so I followed her command without a word.
“I don’t think we’ll need to go up after all.”
Once we hid behind a rock, I understood what she meant.
“I thought it stayed on the mountainside. Why did it come all the way down here?”
Furry beasts fought each other to the death.
Thud!
Thud!
And appearing among them was a giant dinosaur with red skin.
“Kraaaaaah!”
【Magnosaurus LV65】
This was today’s target.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a dinosaur.
Then again, the Dragon Gate would naturally attract creatures that want to become dragons, rather than other beasts.
Dinosaurs were practically my kin.
【Magnosaurus】
A medium-sized theropod, about 5 meters in length and weighing around 600-700 kg.
Its scientific name means "great lizard," the same meaning as Megalosaurus.
The "Magno" in Magnosaurus might sound like "magma" at first glance, but it's a bit different.
It just means "great."
Its name is similar to Megalosaurus, but it's definitely smaller than that one.
That was the common knowledge I had, but the creature before me was a little different.
For starters, it was huge, at least twice the size indicated in its status window.
I’d say it was about my size, or maybe a little bigger.
Its skin was also a vibrant red, and flames erupted from various parts of its body.
Did it live on a volcano because it had such an ability, or did it gain that ability because it lived on a volcano?
Neither mattered.
What mattered was that I had to hunt it.
“Hunting it won’t be easy. It has the basic ability to handle fire energy.”
It would be a mistake to let my guard down just because its level wasn't high.
Level 65 wasn't a low number, and seeing it spewing fire from its body made it obvious this was no ordinary dinosaur.
Influenced by the Dragon Gate, its power must have doubled.
“The Twenty-Four Movement Plum Blossom Sword Art. It’s a terrifying attack. It’s not something you can dodge just by knowing it’s coming.”
“Gek.”
That was certainly true.
The Plum Blossom Sword Art of the volcano was…
“Gek?”
What did you just say?
I looked at Baek Rang’s face.
Seeing her serious expression, it didn't seem like she was joking.
What in the world was the Twenty-Four Movement Plum Blossom Sword Art?
There were more than a few things to unpack here.
First of all, that thing is a dinosaur.
A dinosaur using a sword art…
Well, I guess it could.
It has something sharp on its tail.
But not the Plum Blossom Sword Art.
That’s a Mount Hua Sect technique.
…This place is a volcano (火山), but it’s not that Mount Hua (華山).
Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that the Mount Hua Sect was located in a place with flowing lava.
This is the 100,000 Great Mountains.
What kind of madman would establish their sect next to the Demonic Cult’s headquarters?
The Mount Hua Sect would be on Mount Hua (華山), not a volcano (火山).
Then why did Baek Rang know the name Plum Blossom Sword Art as if it were obvious?
…The only guess I could make was that a real member of the Mount Hua Sect had taught martial arts to the spirit beasts.
I don't know what kind of eccentric person would do that, but it was the most logical explanation in this situation.
“It’s not over even if you dodge the Plum Blossom Sword Art. A Sky-Filling Fire Rain (滿天火雨) will pour down immediately after.”
KRAAAH!
I could somehow, just barely, accept a dinosaur on a volcano in the Demonic Cult’s 100,000 Great Mountains using the Plum Blossom Sword Art.
It wasn't entirely impossible.
I was taught martial arts by Baek Yeon-yeong, so there might be a spirit beast out there who received teachings from Mount Hua.
But Sky-Filling Flower Rain?
“Grrrr…”
This, I could not forgive.
I could vaguely understand how Tang Soyeong must feel.
This is not the Mount Hua Sect!
Sky-Filling Flower Rain is a technique of the Beggars' Sect, one that the Tang Clan copied!
I now had one more reason to hunt that thing.
“Tsk, but that thing isn't supposed to come down this far. Let’s just watch the situation for a bit… Hey, where are you going!”
I have to deal with it before it pollutes my mind.
“Gegegek!”