Chapter 190: Snake and Spider
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 190: Snake and Spider
Tang Soyeong's eyes sparkled.
It was almost the same expression she’d had when she was trying to take one of my scales.
Then again, the Snake Queen was an incredibly rare spirit beast, so I could understand her reaction.
Tang Soyeong seemed to really love spirit beasts, after all.
She was bound to be interested in the Snake Queen, a half-human, half-beast in the form of a lamia.
“She’s bigger than Hero Go!”
…I think her interest might be leaning in a slightly different direction.
Still, I assumed she was talking about her overall build, not the “size” I was thinking of.
The Snake Queen’s build was immense, after all.
Of course, her actual weight might not be that different from mine.
But being a snake, her length was incredible.
A 7-meter-long snake weighs less than 100kg.
As they get longer, their weight increases exponentially; a Titanoboa, for instance, is about 15 meters long and weighs around a ton.
My own weight is roughly 3 tons.
So, what about the Snake Queen’s length?
She wasn't the ruler of the jungle for nothing.
…But she’s in her humanoid form right now.
There’s no way she’s talking about her build, is there?
“Gek.”
Just what are you looking at?
I gently pulled on Tang Soyeong’s dumpling-like hair buns.
“Kyak!”
Those pouches are mine.
“It’s alright. It’s rather amusing, like looking at you.”
What are you talking about?
When have I ever looked at you with such lecherous eyes?
“Humans are quite interesting. To think they’re the same species, yet have such different personalities.”
Same species?
I think she’s talking about my Master and Tang Soyeong, but that’s a grave insult.
That Tang-whatever and my Master are not the same kind of human.
“What’s with that look?”
Look at that pettiness.
There’s no way they’re the same species.
“Eek…”
Nephila hugged my neck tightly.
She seemed to be fuming about something.
When I turned my head slightly, I saw her glaring at the Snake Queen’s chest.
“Kieek…”
“Kiiok…”
Tus and Pus were the same.
A possessor of profound internal energy who had appeared out of nowhere.
It was only natural for them to be wary.
It wasn't their true intention, but they had often seen me lose my mind over… large things like that, so it was understandable.
After all, even putting it nicely, Nephila was definitely not on the large side.
Tus and Pus were still spiders, but looking at their forms… well…
It wasn't that it was bad, but it felt a bit disheartening.
But why was Tang Soyeong so cheerful?
Wasn't she the smallest of them all?
…I get it.
Nephila is jealous of something larger than her own.
But Tang Soyeong can't even begin to think that way.
Because hers endlessly converges to zero.
“…Suddenly, I feel strange.”
Soyeong stared at me blankly.
“Gek gek gek.”
“By the way, there is a face I wanted to see.”
“Gek?”
A face she wanted to see?
Was there someone here the Snake Queen knew?
“You’ve attained the status of a spirit beast in your own right.”
The Snake Queen’s gaze was directed at Nephila.
“If it weren’t for you, my companion might have fallen. I express my gratitude.”
“…Eek!”
Nephila made an angry face.
She probably didn’t like the Snake Queen referring to me as her companion.
With that, she hugged my neck tightly.
It was like a child refusing to let go of something they love.
“Kiieng…”
“Kiioo…”
Tus and Pus were the same.
They popped their heads out from where they were buried in my fur and gripped my scales tightly with their short legs.
“Pyak pyak pyak.”
Swish-Swish let out a cute laugh, seeming to enjoy the spiders’ reaction.
Why has she gotten so arrogant?
Tsk, the spiders’ reaction is a bit more intense than I expected.
Is it really because of her chest?
Even if I try to pretend I don’t know, I can’t help but be aware of what these spiders feel for me.
The Eye of the Wild told me, and I also have the title ‘Beloved by the Spider’.
They must harbor feelings beyond simple affection.
A huge love rival who appeared out of nowhere.
That’s probably what they’re thinking.
“Don’t be so tense. I’m not particularly fond of spiders, but I wouldn’t go so far as to harm my companion’s followers.”
It seemed the Snake Queen wasn’t fond of spiders either.
“Pyak!”
Swish-Swish was also wary of the spiders from the start.
…Wait, now that I think about it, there was a theory that basilisks and spiders don’t get along.
In some movie, I remember giant spiders scurrying away when they saw a basilisk’s corpse.
Racial instincts.
And their relationship with me.
It seemed these two factors were working in tandem.
“Gek!”
If they were just passing acquaintances, I wouldn’t care, but they are all followers of the Gaegaek Cult. The Snake Queen isn’t a follower yet, but I plan on secretly snatching her up by the time she retires.
Compared to Baek Rang or the Red Dragon, the spiders are infinitely weaker.
Of course, I’ll look out for them, but having a high position won’t solve everything.
But what if they had a connection to the Snake Queen? Any problems that arise could be solved quickly.
It seems they don’t get along on a species level, but I can’t just stand by and watch.
Figuring out the problem was the same as being able to find a solution.
I untied the bundle attached to my tail.
“Hoh.”
The Snake Queen examined the contents of the bundle with interest.
The Snake Queen smiled slightly upon seeing the dango I worked so hard to steal.
If the spiders weren’t here, she would have shown a cute laugh.
“There’s quite a lot here. Wait, what’s this?”
Yes.
She found that too.
“It’s alcohol.”
Even an awkward relationship can change with a bit of alcohol. There’s nothing like booze to get people to warm up to each other quickly.
“Gek gek.”
“Huh? Where did you get this? Wow, this stuff is expensive!”
Tang Soyeong, who also knew the value of this alcohol, was overjoyed.
Is it expensive?
I just grabbed it while I was stealing the dango.
“Geumjoncheong…! This is a liquor we could only ever look at in the Tang Clan!”
Geumjoncheong!
The name itself sounds expensive.
Anyway, I brought a whole jar of this precious liquor.
“Excellent. Since you brought the drinks, I suppose preparing the food is my part.”
That’s the Snake Queen for you.
“Gek gek gek.”
Everyone, you can look forward to it. The Queen’s cooking skills are no joke.
“One, two, three, four, five, six. …This will be quite an invigorating meal.”
Right.
Let’s the six of us eat until we burst.
….Wait.
Tus, Pus, Nephila, Tang, Swish-Swish, the Snake Queen.
And me.
That’s seven of us, isn’t it?
It seems she miscounted.
“Gek gek.”
“Pyak pyak pyak…”
“Kieek…”
Swish-Swish and the spiders made subtle noises.
Hey, why do you guys seem to have gotten friendly already?
What does it matter? I brought it out so they would get along anyway. This is good for me.
“…Hng.”
Nephila also smiled brightly at me.
Right.
You seem to be looking forward to this too.
“A cold wind is coming in. I’ll close the door now.”
Drrrk.
The heavy stone door closed.
Alright.
Now, let’s get ready to eat.
“Gegek!”
Wow, look at everyone drooling.
They must be starving.
…You guys are drooling because you’re hungry, right?
*
Winter was still a long way off, but snowflakes fluttered from the sky.
A scene so beautiful it could only be called breathtaking unfolded.
Dozens of weapons shaped like snow crystals poured from the sky, followed immediately by a blast of an ice storm.
“Hold your positions! It’s almost over!”
Masters with not a single hair on their heads were facing off against the Ice Bird.
“Kkigigigak!”
The Ice Bird flew about erratically, continuously releasing cold energy.
But.
Paaang!
A single creature shot out like a bolt of lightning.
The moment the Ice Bird heard the sound, it was already too late.
KWAAAAANG!
Iron Head Dragon’s hard head pierced straight through the Ice Bird.
“Kkwaaaeeek!”
The guardian of the Dragon Gate, the master of the Snow Mountain.
The Ice Bird fell just like that.
“Huuuu…”
One of the monks wiped the sweat from his smooth head.
They had defeated a powerful spirit beast.
If it had been just them, it would have surely been a difficult fight.
But thanks to their secret weapon, they were able to win without great sacrifice.
“To have already caught a spirit beast of this level. This is a good haul.”
It was a good start. At this rate, they might each be able to claim an inner core.
The monk thought to himself. That was, until he met the eyes of the Iron Head Dragon, who was standing on the Ice Bird’s corpse.
“…Iron Head Dragon, what are you thinking right now?”
Iron Head Dragon’s eyes turned blue.
An unusual aura emanated from him.
Kuguuuuu…
An overwhelming internal energy pressed down on them.
“Keuk! W-what is this!”
Before they could react, Iron Head Dragon raised his hands.
One hand pointed to the sky.
The other pointed to the ground.
There was no one who had trained in Shaolin that did not know this posture.
I Alone Am The Honored One.
The words Shakyamuni Buddha proclaimed after his birth.
But Iron Head Dragon was an exception.
He had never learned such principles. He had been intentionally excluded.
Iron Head Dragon was a pawn they used, and they didn’t know what might happen if he gained more knowledge than necessary.
And yet, he was now taking that very pose.
What could it mean?
Had he attained enlightenment now, of all times?
If he had attained such enlightenment without any prior knowledge, it might be right to see Iron Head Dragon as a Buddha.
But the chances of that were remarkably low. No, it was safe to say they were nonexistent.
So, what did the current situation mean?
“…All other Arhats, listen.”
The answer was simple.
“Subdue Iron Head Dragon!”
That Iron Head Dragon had intentionally hidden his power.
That while living as their pawn, he had been planning to betray them at a critical moment.
Udeudeuk.
Without hesitation, Iron Head Dragon took the Ice Bird’s inner core.
Iron Head Dragon had been an ordinary Aryong.
Before the Abbot of Shaolin killed his parents.
It wasn’t enough to kill his parents; the abbot took him and tried to use him as a pawn.
They taught him martial arts and made him do the things Shaolin could not officially do.
The body of an ordinary Aryong was constantly stained with blood.
Even when he tried to sleep, he felt like he could hear his parents’ screams.
Every single day was hell.
But he could not defy them.
He was far too weak compared to the Abbot of Shaolin.
That was why he had hidden his strength and waited for the right time.
“Attack his flank!”
Over ten martial artists rushed him at once.
Even for someone like Iron Head Dragon, a combined attack of this scale was bound to be dangerous.
Kudeudeuk.
Iron Head Dragon’s blue eyes stared at the one in the lead.
CHWAAAAAK!
The blizzard that had stopped began to rage once more.
KWAAAAAAAANG!
Dozens, no, hundreds of ice chunks fell from the sky.
“Y-you bastard, you’re now… against our Shaolin…!”
In the merciless frost storm, no one could continue their attack.
They were too busy dodging the falling chunks of ice.
“Have you truly… betrayed us!” one martial artist screamed as if in his death throes.
Iron Head Dragon stared at the martial artist, then suddenly laughed.
“How amusing.”
Iron Head Dragon spoke.
“You… since when could you speak…?”
The Shaolin martial artist was dumbfounded.
He had even hidden the fact that he could speak; they couldn’t begin to fathom the power he had concealed.
“I Alone Am The Honored One. Right, so you’re telling me you guys kept this awesome thing all to yourselves?”
Iron Head Dragon didn’t answer the martial artist. He just muttered to himself, as if there was no need to listen to the words of an insect.
“I-it’s not too late, even now…!”
PWAK!
A massive chunk of ice crushed the martial artist’s head.
“S-Senior Brother!”
“You bastard!”
Seeing their senior brother’s head crushed, the other monks charged forward in a rage.
“…To get so enraged over something so trivial.”
Iron Head Dragon chuckled lowly.
Kuguuuuu.
His internal energy gathered at a single point. Fierce cold energy coated his head.
Leaping as if to fly, Iron Head Dragon slammed his head straight into the ground.
KWAAAAAAAANG!
“Kuaaaaaaak!”
The immense physical force was enough to literally vaporize the surrounding martial artists, but that wasn’t the end of it.
Kuguuuuung.
“A-avalanche!”
As if responding to his emotions, the snow mountain crashed down upon the Shaolin martial artists.
It was the cold energy of the snow mountain, its chill.
And it was Iron Head Dragon’s resentment.