Chapter 186: The Nine Sons of the Dragon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: The Nine Sons of the Dragon
An innocent lizard was snatched away by his master.
“…Hmph, stop digging in.”
“Ge-eeng.”
Punishment is punishment, but I still have to do what I have to do.
Rustle.
Unfortunately, my master’s lightness skill was so miraculously fast that we arrived at her room in an instant.
“Sit.”
Baek Yeon-yeong set me down on the blankets, still holding me by the scruff of my neck.
Fwip, fwip, fwip.
I burrowed into the neatly folded bedding.
It was so satisfying to be enveloped in the familiar scent of her blankets.
If I could, I would have rolled around and savored every moment.
“…Gek.”
But I couldn’t just play around like a child.
My master must have brought me here for another reason.
Her earlier threat was probably just an affectionate warning for her foolish disciple.
I straightened my posture.
“Your body keeps growing… but why is your mind….”
“Gek?”
“You seemed most mature when I first saw you. I’m a little worried.”
Baek Yeon-yeong sat down facing me.
I instinctively started scratching the area around my neck.
“Gek gek gek.”
“You foolish disciple. Do you have any idea what position you’ve put your master in?”
“Ge-eeng…”
I’m innocent.
All I did was save a few people and toss them some medicinal herbs.
They were the ones who interpreted it strangely.
…Although, I admit I did think about sneaking into this bedroom.
“Well, no matter. It must be my fault for not teaching my disciple the basics. On this occasion…”
On this occasion?
What is she planning to do?
I feel like a Fire-light Beast having its fur plucked out.
“By the way, Huiya. I heard that you spoke with the voice of a majestic spirit beast.”
“Gek gek?”
The voice of a majestic spirit beast?
I mean, I am a majestic spirit beast, but my voice would probably ruin the image.
“It doesn’t sound that way to my ears. Well, I can understand what you’re saying, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
“Gek gek.”
What does a voice matter?
As long as the meaning gets across, that’s all that counts.
…Wait, she can understand my meaning?
“Gek?”
I felt like grabbing a few humans and conducting a survey.
Baek Yeon-yeong had always been good at guessing what I was trying to say, but it was just that—a guess.
But now, she was acting as if she understood my exact words.
It wasn’t like I’d never spoken in a human voice before.
When the Red Dragon hurt Baek Rang, human words I couldn’t force out before had suddenly emerged.
Thinking back, I definitely learned to speak then.
But strangely, not a single word had come out since.
Considering what Baek Yeon-yeong just said, and how the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult followers framed me…
…Could it be that I’m speaking right now?
Without even realizing it?
My ‘gek-gek’ cries have their own meaning.
I think of what I want to say in my head and then make a ‘gek-gek’ sound, so the sound changes depending on the meaning.
Like ‘Ge-eeeng’ or ‘Gek-gek-gek.’
They might sound similar, but they have completely different meanings.
What if it only sounds like ‘gek-gek’ to me, but to others, the meaning is perfectly clear?
That would explain why they said I had a majestic voice.
Let’s test it.
Master’s embrace is the best.
“Gek gek gek gek.”
I conveyed that meaning, but my master’s expression didn’t change.
Then again, her expression rarely changes, so it’s hard to tell.
Still, wasn’t Seol-hwa’s embrace a little better?
“Ge-eeng gek gek?”
It was softer and squishier.
“Gek gek gek gek…”
Master just catches weird bugs for me. When Seol-hwa holds me, she gives me honey dango.
“Gari-gek gek.”
…
Is it not working?
Squeeze.
“Stop your nonsense.”
“Ge-eeek…”
“You foolish disciple. Do you think this master would so much as bat an eye at such antics?”
“Kke-kke-kkek.”
“You say that, but I know you love my embrace more than anyone’s.”
Huh?
“Gek gek!”
You can understand me?
“You ask the obvious.”
Judging by her reaction, it seemed she really could understand me.
“I don’t know exactly what a ‘Mammoth Pouch’ is, but I can roughly understand.”
What the hell.
That’s not what I said.
…It seems my words are getting distorted to some extent.
I guess it’s a relief that the general meaning is still similar.
“And what’s a ‘runway’? A ‘Ten Thousand Demons Head Judge’? There are some words I can’t understand at all, but it’s not too inconvenient.”
“Gek gek gek!”
Hey, why would you translate it like that!
I should be thankful my master doesn’t understand those words.
If she knew what they meant, that’s when I’d really get a Chastity Mark.
“Ge-eeeng…”
Let’s quickly change the subject.
“What’s with that expression? That’s the face of a lizard who’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t have.”
“Kke-eeek…”
“Well, fine. If my disciple is this troubled, I suppose I shouldn’t press further.”
That’s my master for you.
“I’ll have to ask you about this later, after feeding you a truth serum.”
“Ge-eeeek!”
“…It’s a joke. A joke.”
It is a joke, right?
It’s hard to tell when your expression doesn’t change.
“Now, let’s stop playing around and get to the main point.”
“Gek gek.”
“I heard the news some time ago. That you made one of the Dragon Gates your territory.”
“Gek!”
…How did she hear about that?
“That’s what I expect from my disciple.”
She raised a finger and gently stroked my head.
“Your appearance is also becoming more befitting of a dragon. You may have reduced your size, but your spirit has not diminished.”
Baek Yeon-yeong slowly touched my horns and fur.
I felt myself getting sleepy.
She seems blunt and gruff on the outside, but her touch is so gentle.
“Huiya. What do you think about dragons?”
My master suddenly posed the question.
As I pondered her query, she continued without waiting for my answer.
“They are called the most sacred of spirit beasts, revered as nature itself. That is a dragon.”
That’s pretty close to what I was thinking.
“However, no one knows if such dragons truly exist.”
In this world, dragons seemed to be even rarer than I thought.
There were dinosaurs that used martial arts and unicorns that preached monogamy, but the existence of dragons themselves was unconfirmed.
“And yet, the idea of a dragon is widely known.”
The dragon Baek Yeon-yeong was talking about was likely the True Dragon that the status window had hidden.
“Have you heard of the Nine Sons of the Dragon?”
The Nine Sons of the Dragon?
“It is a term for the nine children of the True Dragon.”
The nine children of the True Dragon.
I vaguely remembered hearing about them when I was human.
“Not all of a dragon’s children are sacred and divine.”
One of the Nine Sons of the Dragon was Taotie, who belonged to the Four Fiends, so my master was right.
But why was she suddenly talking about the Nine Sons of the Dragon?
“For instance, like the two beasts occupying the Dragon Gates.”
According to Baek Rang, each Dragon Gate had a guardian.
The volcano had the Fire Rat.
The snow mountain had the Ice Bird.
The rocky mountain had a snake made of rock.
And the mountain of flowers had a turtle with plants growing on it.
Half of them are the children of a dragon?
She said the Fire Rat was the weakest of the bunch.
The next weakest was the Ice Bird.
Those two probably weren’t the dragon’s children.
She had specifically warned me that the places where the snake and turtle resided were dangerous, so it must be those two who were members of the Nine Sons of the Dragon.
“Chodo and Gongbok.”
Chodo and Gongbok.
So those are their names.
“Gongbok is the spirit beast in the form of a legless dragon that wields the power of the earth.”
So the master of the rocky mountain is Gongbok.
“And Chodo is the spirit beast that resembles a frog or a turtle, carrying a giant flower on its back.”
The master of the lush, plant-filled mountain is Chodo.
“They are the children of the dragon. To become a True Dragon yourself, it would be easiest to find clues from them.”
She didn’t know if dragons existed, but their children did.
If there are children, there must be a parent.
Their existence was proof of the True Dragon.
“Of course, even they are intoxicated by the power of the Dragon Gates, so they are likely in no state to be reasoned with. Even without the power of the Dragon Gates, they possess strength comparable to the red dragon that has come under your command.”
“Ge-ek!”
As strong as the Red Dragon?
The Red Dragon may have submitted to me, but there was no guarantee I could beat her.
She only conceded defeat because I landed one effective blow. If we had fought to the death, the outcome would have been uncertain.
…So she knows the Red Dragon became my follower, too.
I didn’t think anyone was watching me.
How on earth did she find out?
“Now that you’ve taken a Dragon Gate, conflict with them is inevitable.”
“Ge-ee-eek…”
“Furthermore, by driving out the fire energy from the volcano, you’ve lost the means to keep them in check.”
I had wondered how the Fire Rat, which wasn’t that strong, managed to hold its ground on the volcano. It was thanks to the fire energy.
The Ice Bird was likely holding on because of the cold energy of the snow mountain.
And the volcano, now devoid of fire energy because of my power?
It had become easy prey.
Of course, with two mid-tier dragons standing guard, any reckless invader would be eaten instead.
“They won’t be able to leave easily due to the nature of the Dragon Gates, but since the mountain’s master has changed, there’s a high chance they will attempt an invasion at least once.”
“Gek gek gek…”
An invasion.
Now that I had a territory, my responsibilities had grown.
To think I have to fight creatures on par with, or perhaps even stronger than, mid-tier dragons.
“But what does that matter?”
Baek Yeon-yeong said it as if it were nothing.
“You are my disciple.”
“Gek gek!”
Right.
Let’s not get scared already.
If they come at me, I should be grateful.
I was planning on clearing out the nearby Dragon Gates anyway, so them coming to me first saves me the trouble.
With the secret technique of the Gaegaek Cult—ganging up on them—I can defeat any opponent, no matter how strong.
No one’s a match for a mob, after all.
“To find traces of the True Dragon, you will have to face the Nine Sons of the Dragon. If they were beings with reason, you could negotiate, but that’s impossible with Chodo and Gongbok. You will have no choice but to defeat them.”
A new goal had been set.
To find traces of the True Dragon while clearing out the surrounding Dragon Gates.
The best way would be to defeat the Nine Sons of the Dragon.
“Your eyes look good. Your resolve is firm and unwavering. Yes, a disciple of mine should have at least this much determination.”
The corners of my master’s lips tilted up ever so slightly.
“…I suppose I can call this a little bit cool.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
My master was so stoic that compliments from her were rare.
Of course, she would say “good job” when I did well, but this was the first time she’d praised me like this.
Not “good job.”
Not “cute.”
Cool?
It was just one word, but it made me happier than any other I had ever heard.
“Good. If you defeat the Nine Sons of the Dragon, you will not only find traces of the True Dragon but also other valuable things. As they are the children of a dragon, their nests are sure to hold treasures befitting them.”
Treasure wasn’t important.
A single compliment from my master was more valuable than a hundred gold bars.
The cool lizard, chosen by Baek Yeon-yeong.
Just imagining it made me smile.
“Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, Ten-Thousand-Year Hwari. Or perhaps Ten-Thousand-Year Fo-ti or Gongcheongseokyu. You might be able to obtain such elixirs.”
Elixirs were a bit tempting, I had to admit.
I wonder if Master would be happy if I brought them to her.
The best motivation wasn’t precious treasure or elixirs.
A single smile from my master was enough.
“Well, this might be useless, but I’ve heard of something called a Plumpness Pill.”
…
A Plumpness Pill…?
I can get a Plumpness Pill if I catch one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon?
“Gek gek gek gek!”
I can fight all day long.
“Huiya. What in the world is that expression? …Yes, dark. The word ‘dark’ fits perfectly. That’s a face leaking with dark intentions.”
Hehehe… Plumpness Pill… hehehe…