Chapter 191: Iron Head Dragon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 191: Iron Head Dragon
“Hyoong….”
“Kyoong….”
As if seeing alcohol for the first time, Tus and Pus stared at the cups, waving their short arms.
Should spiders even be allowed to be this cute?
Now that they’d grown a bit, they looked just like puppies.
Nephila has evolved, so it’s probably about time for Tus and Pus to evolve soon, too….
If I moved them to my territory, I could probably speed up their evolution.
I wonder what species they’ll evolve into.
I’m half-excited, half-worried.
I’m not asking for them to turn into humans right away, so I just hope they grow up healthy.
“Pyak.”
Swish-Swish, having tried it a few times before, flicked her tongue out and licked the liquid in the cup.
“Hyoong!”
“Kyoong!”
The spiders responded by clapping their short arms together.
They’re still young, so it looks like they’ll become friends quickly.
It’s basilisks and spiders that don’t get along, not snakes and spiders.
Of course, when Swish-Swish grows up, she’ll become a splendid basilisk like her mother.
…Wait, but will Swish-Swish really grow into a basilisk?
She’s the Snake Queen’s daughter, but not one she gave birth to.
They seem to be different species entirely… so what will she evolve into?
She seems to have gained a bit of the power of petrification, but her essence seems to be the power of healing.
…Does a snake like that even exist?
I’m not sure.
It’s a story for the distant future, so I suppose I don’t need to think about it now.
It feels strange to be concerned not only with my own evolution but with my followers’ as well.
It makes me happy to see my followers grow stronger, and I’m excited to see what species they’ll evolve into.
And since I’m not the one choosing for them, the anticipation is even greater.
“Wow, I’m sure you just cooked this over a fire, but how does it taste this good?”
A follower, but a small human one who couldn’t evolve, nibbled on the meat.
I’d sprinkled some spices and salt my Master gave me, but the cooking itself was just grilling.
However, the Snake Queen’s cooking produced a flavor that went beyond that.
The answer was simple.
The Snake Queen could freely control the power of petrification.
During the grilling process, she used that power appropriately, creating an effect similar to clay-baking it.
Of course it was delicious.
“It’s so good!”
Tang Soyeong wore a goofy grin as she eagerly stuffed meat into her mouth.
Chomp.
Of course, I wasn’t losing either.
The only difference was, I wasn’t moving my own hands.
“Heehee.”
Nephila smiled brightly as she placed a piece of torn meat into my mouth.
“Gekgek.”
I could eat by myself, but there was no need to refuse her kind gesture.
It was strangely comfortable, too.
This brings back old memories.
Back when I was still a gecko, and Nephila was still a spider.
I used to steal food caught in her web, even sacrificing my tail to do it.
Somehow, we’d become close enough to feed each other.
Life.
No, this lizard life… you think you know it, but you don’t.
One might think it was an insignificant connection, but it had developed into such an intimate relationship.
What would have happened if I had fled to a different tree when the Oviraptor was chasing me, instead of the one where Nephila was?
The thought alone is terrifying.
Nephila is the first bond I formed in this world, and she is a precious being with whom I will continue that bond.
“Gek.”
I tore off a small piece of meat and offered it to Nephila.
Nephila, who had been grinning foolishly, blushed slightly before popping the meat I offered into her mouth in one go.
“…Slurp.”
The only flaw was that she put my fingers in her mouth, too.
“Gek!”
When I made that sound, Nephila simply took my fingers out of her mouth and smiled playfully.
….
…That face is dangerous.
How could she look so perfectly like my type?
I shouldn’t have joked about it back then.
I’d told her I’d consider it if she came to me as a blonde, red-eyed beauty, but I never thought she’d actually do it.
…Of course, not everything about her is perfect, which is a bit of a relief.
“Hero Go, did you know that masters of the Tang Clan don’t get drunk?”
Excited from eating the meat, Tang Soyeong spoke with a bright smile.
“That’s a shame. Since you handle poison, you can’t even get drunk.”
Then again, I can hold my liquor pretty well myself.
It’s probably because I have Hundred Poisons Immunity, no, Myriad Poisons Immunity.
It seems alcohol is also treated as a type of poison.
Of course, it doesn’t filter it out perfectly, so if I drink too much, I can still black out.
“Hic… Hero Go… there are two of you….”
Despite her confident voice, Tang was the first to pass out.
Wait, didn’t you just have one cup?
Thump.
She tried to fall into my arms.
“Hmph.”
Of course, Nephila, who was stuck right beside me, caught her instead.
Tang Soyeong was laid down on a temporary bed made of spiderwebs.
“Hic! I-I’m sorry! P-Please don’t eat me!”
Is she dreaming?
She’s just tied up in spiderwebs, but she’s reacting like that.
…Then again, I guess that’s how most people would react if they were tied up in spiderwebs.
“Hmm… She was a human I could talk to quite well. A shame she’s already down.”
The Snake Queen wore a disappointed expression.
Surprisingly, the Snake Queen and Tang Soyeong got along very well.
It was because she had realized Tang Soyeong was involved in the creation of that garment, the Mae-i-du-bok, from last time.
I witnessed them having a deep conversation.
Tang Soyeong explained the advanced principles of an outfit called a “school swimsuit,” and the Snake Queen listened with great interest.
I suppose since Tang Soyeong had seen my Heart Demon directly, her knowledge on the subject was bound to be more profound than anyone else’s.
“So be it. One less mouth to feed is for the better.”
“Gekgek.”
I agree.
I had shrunk my body a little to enjoy the alcohol as much as possible, but with so many people, it was disappearing quickly.
“Here, have a cup.”
“Gek!”
“Kyo-o-o-ong….”
“Gekgek!”
“Pyak!”
“Gegegek!”
Everyone kept offering me drinks, so I ended up drinking an overwhelming amount.
After I took a cup from the Snake Queen, Tus and Pus would scamper over and offer me another.
After I took that, Swish-Swish would offer one.
After that, Nephila.
And then, the Snake Queen again.
As if they had all planned it, they kept offering me alcohol in a cycle.
“Gegegek!”
I don’t refuse what’s offered.
…Ugh, but maybe I drank too much.
I’m starting to feel dizzy.
“Here, have another.”
“Geeeeh….”
“Pyakpyakpyak….”
“Gerororoooong….”
I think I should stop drinking now.
I think I’m starting to see Swish-Swish as a human.
“Alright, are his legs tied up securely?”
I think Nephila and Pus are tying my legs with spiderwebs.
“The order is….”
What in the world are you all talking about?
I wanted to demand an answer, but my body had no strength.
“Gerorororoooong….”
I think I drank a bit too much, but I don’t think I need to worry.
Everyone here is someone I trust.
What’s the worst that could happen?
“Ohohohot….”
“Keeeeng….”
“Peep…!”
…But wait, why is the ground so wet?
No matter how I look at it, this is alcohol.
Were they pretending to drink and pouring it on the ground?
Why would they waste this precious alcohol?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
I’ll have to lick it up when I wake up, if there’s any left.
“Gerong….”
Trusting them all, I closed my eyes.
“Listen, everyone. This time, it’s just a taste. Don’t cross the line, and each of you….”
I hear a strange voice, but it must be because I’m drunk.
“Peep… Pyak!”
Swish-Swish, stop pulling my tail.
…Huh?
*
“Kugh… H-How!”
Iron Head Dragon gazed at the martial artist who was not yet dead.
“So there’s a survivor. And one who escaped, too.”
Arhats were Arhats, after all; their survival skills were exceptional.
Most had been frozen by Iron Head Dragon’s cold energy, but one had managed to escape and another to survive.
Though it didn’t seem like that would last for long.
“You… why are you suddenly doing this!”
A lone martial artist screamed, sprawled on the ice-covered ground.
Iron Head Dragon sneered at him.
“Suddenly, why? How amusing. Did you think I wouldn’t know what Shaolin did to me?”
“…Don’t tell me, your memories?”
Iron Head Dragon’s memories had been erased.
Otherwise, he couldn’t have been used as a pawn.
“That’s impossible. The Abbot himself erased them….”
The Abbot of Shaolin, Grand Master Hyemyeong, was considered one of the Ten Great Masters of the World.
He had personally tampered with Iron Head Dragon’s memories.
It meant that unless someone was stronger than Grand Master Hyemyeong, it was impossible to awaken his memories.
“Reviving memories is difficult, but building new ones is relatively easy.”
He was once a being who hated even mixing words with humans, but his thoughts had changed.
It would be better in many ways to personally inform them of what had happened.
That way, they could despair even more as they died a slow death.
“What… cough, what are you talking about?”
“A man with the surname Namgung contacted me.”
“Namgung? Kugh…!”
The old monk’s face turned pale with shock.
He knew in an instant who the man with the surname Namgung was.
“You fool…. That man is using you….”
Iron Head Dragon’s thick leg crushed the old monk’s fingers.
“Gyaaaaargh!”
“Using me, you say.”
Iron Head Dragon let out a low laugh.
“Are those really words coming from your mouth, Senior Brother?”
Being used.
In a way, it might be true.
That monster with the surname Namgung.
It was impossible that he had approached with good intentions.
He must have had a purpose for telling him the truth.
He must have set the stage for him.
“I don’t care what happens. If it meant I could escape this godforsaken Shaolin Temple, I would have let that man use me hundreds of times.”
Swoosh.
A frosty wind blew.
“……That’s what I used to think.”
After learning the truth, Iron Head Dragon had spent his time filled with rage and resentment.
His only thought was to kill every human in Shaolin and escape this place.
“Senior Brother. Do you know where we are?”
“Kugh…. The D-Dragon Gate….”
That was information the man with the surname Namgung had given him.
“Once I took the power of the Dragon Gate, I realized how wrong I had been.”
Iron Head Dragon looked up at the sky.
By defeating the Ice Bird and taking its inner core, he had made the power of the Dragon Gate his own.
The cold energy of the Snow Mountain cooled his rage.
Iron Head Dragon had attained enlightenment.
He realized that everything he had thought was wrong.
That killing the humans of Shaolin and escaping that hell was a foolish idea.
That he could not be satisfied with something so trivial.
Ruuuumble.
A fierce blizzard raged.
“To enlighten the foolish spirit beasts who are used by humans despite possessing overwhelming power.”
The Dragon Gate had given him power.
The power to save spirit beasts who were in the same predicament as himself.
“I will kill every human who has set foot in Murim.”
Overwhelming power that would ensure such a tragedy never happened again.
The annihilation of all martial artists.
That was Iron Head Dragon’s goal.
“Y-You young fool…! That’s not it…. You don’t understand….”
The old monk despaired, coughing up blood.
“That is the only way to mourn my parents.”
The old monk’s body slowly began to freeze.
“And the only way to honor the spirit beasts who have lost everything, just as I have.”
“If you trust Namgung Yeon….”
Craaack!
The old monk’s words were cut off mid-sentence.
The cold of the Snow Mountain had frozen him completely.
“Watch from there in despair for all eternity, Senior Brother.”
Iron Head Dragon stared at the frozen old monk with an emotionless face.
“See for yourself what kind of result the Arhat you created brings about.”