Chapter 201: Fox Marble
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 201: Fox Marble
What the hell are the Gaegaek Bedroom Arts?
「Gaegaek Bedroom Arts」
The pinnacle of bedroom arts, mastered by Gomodo, the Divine Beast of Gaegaek.
Allows for the free handling of two great spears.
Even when your energy is depleted, your breath will not cease.
Hmm…
I stared intently at the status window.
When you hear "bedroom arts," you'd think it's that kind of technique…
But reading the description, it didn't seem to be limited to just that.
The ambiguous wording was a little suspicious, but it wasn't a bad skill to have.
The part about handling spears probably had nothing to do with me.
The important part was the line below it.
Even when your energy is depleted, your breath will not cease. This could be interpreted in many ways.
For example, even if my MP hit zero, I could still move my body. Even if I collapsed from exhaustion, I could somehow survive.
I didn't think a situation like that would ever arise, but there was value in having a preemptive countermeasure.
Just as having Myriad Poisons Immunity meant I didn't have to worry about poison and could even deceive enemies who used it, this could also be used as a tool for deception.
…Using bedroom arts for deception sounded a bit off, but to survive, what wouldn't I do?
It would have been awesome if I’d gotten something like the Buddha's Palm.
Even the Hundred Steps Divine Fist could be adapted to launch sword aura if used well.
It was a shame, but I had to take what I was given.
Give me something better next time.
…Huh.
This time, I didn't hear the usual krororong sound.
Not that I missed the guy or anything.
“Hero… are you alright?”
Bakgigae asked, showing his respect with a polite bow.
Just a moment ago, his tone had been somewhat dignified, but now he was as meek as a lamb.
“To think you would be so enraged…”
Huh?
Was I?
“Gekgegek.”
Someday, you’ll understand how I feel.
It was that feeling you get when you think you’re getting sweet and spicy chicken, but it turns out to be pollock.
I thought I was getting the Buddha's Palm, but some weird martial art popped out instead…
“Is that so? Yes, I understand.”
You understand?
You understand the pollock thing?
“By the way, you were speaking so fluently just a moment ago, but why now…? Of course, we can still communicate, but may I ask the reason?”
“Gekgegek.”
Well, that’s obviously…
…Huh?
Come to think of it, I was speaking naturally just a while ago.
But now, I was just gekking again.
Was there a specific condition for me to be able to speak?
Let me think about the common factors from the times I could talk.
When I fought the Red Dragon.
And when I fought the Iron Head Dragon.
The Red Dragon had hurt Baek Rang, and the Iron Head Dragon had insulted my Master's Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
…Could it be that I can only speak when I'm angry?
No, that didn't seem quite right.
If that were the case, I would have started talking every time I saw Tang Soyeong's chest.
“Gekgegegek.”
“Still, I can hear you clearly. Ah, could it perhaps be related to that form I briefly witnessed…?”
What’s with you all of a sudden?
I can’t get used to this way of speaking.
…Or maybe not?
Wasn't this actually the normal way to act?
Were those followers who treated me like a mount or looked down on me the abnormal ones?
Anyway, a form he briefly witnessed.
“It was momentary… but I definitely saw a human form within your body, Hero.”
I felt his internal energy focus on his eyes.
I’d felt like I was being spied on, so that’s what he was doing.
It might be a similar principle to my Wild Eyes.
“White hair and blue eyes. I thought that if you were to transform into a human, Hero, you might take on such an appearance.”
I thought he had seen through to my past life, but that didn't seem to be the case.
White hair and blue eyes… weren't those the characteristics of the Crushing Dragon?
Perhaps, like the Mirror of Possibilities, he had seen the potential of my human form.
“This strange feeling, as if two voices are overlapping… It’s a shame I can’t confirm it now that I’ve lost the Fox Marble.”
I’ll have to set aside some time to experiment with this later.
“…I’m sure I spat it out somewhere around here?”
The Iron Head Dragon scanned the ground.
Seeing him frantically searching, it seemed he was looking for the purple marble he had coughed up earlier.
“Gek…”
I whistled.
It definitely wasn't because I was hiding it between my right front claws.
“…You have taken it, Hero.”
Hey, I thought you said you couldn't use that weird ability anymore.
How did you know?
“It is only right that you take it, Hero. I am content that you did not slice open my belly to take my inner core. Moreover, you even bestowed the Ice Bird’s inner core upon this unworthy Bak….”
Why did he have to phrase things so gruesomely?
Slice open my belly? Why would I do that?
Still, maybe because he lived his whole life in Shaolin?
He’s got good social skills.
“Allow me to explain… This object is called a Fox Marble.”
Fox Marble.
The name itself sounded good.
“It is a powerful artifact, corresponding to a dragon’s Yeouiju [Dragon Pearl].”
A Dragon Pearl?
“Gekgek!”
Wait a minute.
I may not look like much, but I’m a Mid-tier Dragon.
A Dragon Pearl in the hands of a Mid-tier Dragon?
“Gekgegegegek…”
Was it true that good deeds are rewarded?
Now, I would become a true dragon.
“…Of course, it’s not exactly the same as a Dragon Pearl. Even a fox with just 100 years of training can create a Fox Marble.”
“Gek.”
My hopes were dashed as quickly as they’d risen.
But still, isn't 100 years an incredible amount of time?
“A dragon’s Yeouiju is far beyond that. …Nevertheless, the reason I said they were comparable is because of foxes that have trained for a thousand years.”
A thousand years!
I see, that would certainly be on par with a dragon.
“For a Fox Marble to be wandering around like this means its owner is dead. Obtaining the Fox Marble of a thousand-year-old fox is as difficult as plucking a star from the sky.”
Vmmm.
The purple marble trembled for a moment.
It seemed this Fox Marble was just a moderately powerful artifact.
A Fox Marble that had lost its owner and tumbled into Bakgigae’s possession.
“…A man with the surname Namgung gave it to me. Thinking back, it’s quite strange. Even the weakest Fox Marble would have come from a fox with at least 100 years of training… How did that man….”
Namgung Yeon’s name came up again.
Just who was this person to be mentioned so often?
Let's sort out the situation.
The Fox Marble in front of me was the one Bakgigae had swallowed.
It was likely the marble of a fox that had trained for a little over 100 years.
And a man named Namgung Yeon had acquired it and given it to Bakgigae.
I could roughly guess the extent of this marble's power.
The Iron Head Dragon's level was 132.
After being defeated by me, he spat out the Fox Marble and his level dropped to 95.
A difference of about 40 levels.
And he wasn't just any beast; he was an Iron Head Dragon, a spirit beast.
If I could make the power of this marble my own, I could become exponentially stronger.
“…It is right for you to take it, Great Hero Gomodo.”
He said that as I continued to stare at it.
Right.
I was going to take it.
Still… I had a nagging feeling.
Was it because it had been inside the Iron Head Dragon's stomach?
Or was it because it was an artifact that had lost its owner?
Vmmm.
Was it because I could see it trembling slightly?
…Huh?
“What is this!”
The Fox Marble shivered violently and then shot up into the air.
“The Fox Marble… is moving?”
Judging by the Iron Head Dragon's reaction, this didn't seem to be a normal phenomenon.
“Hero Go… your head!”
Was he saying this was a dangerous situation?
I tried to move quickly, but it seemed I was too late.
The Fox Marble flew towards me like an arrow and touched my neck.
Then it started rubbing against me vigorously.
“Gek?”
What is this?
The Iron Head Dragon, who had burrowed into the ground at some point, poked only his head out.
“…Hah, this is truly a curious sight. It’s acting like a child who has found its parent.”
Acting like a child who has found its parent.
That was the perfect description.
It was similar to how Swish-Swish and the spiders acted when they saw me after a long time.
…But why was it doing this to me?
“Unless it’s thinking of piercing your dragon scales with the heat generated by rubbing against your neck, this is truly…”
That’s what I’m saying.
Huh?
I glanced at the Fox Marble.
Hearing the Iron Head Dragon's words, its movements really did start to look like it was trying to harm me with friction.
“Gekgek!”
I jumped back, startled.
Of course, a single marble couldn't do anything to me, but after hearing that, I couldn't just stay still.
Vwoooom.
The marble floated into the air and began to spin rapidly.
“Gekgegek.”
What now?
I wasn't sure, but it seemed to be acting out of anger.
Vwoooooom.
“This… the vengeful spirits…!”
Vengeful spirits?
Right, the vengeful spirits of the monks killed by the Iron Head Dragon must be here.
The Daoist and Do-jeong had taken temporary measures, but they were just that—temporary.
As if responding to the Fox Marble's actions, the vengeful spirits began to move frantically.
It was a spiritual movement, invisible to the eye, but having reached the level of a Mid-tier Dragon, I could read the flow of power.
This was dangerous.
The vengeful spirits screamed in unison.
Not just the spirits of the recently deceased humans, but the souls of other spirit beasts as well.
If I didn't do something about that Fox Marble right now, something terrible would happen.
It was just as I was about to act.
Snap.
The howling of the swirling vengeful spirits ceased.
The falling snow stopped in mid-air.
The Fox Marble also stopped moving, and the Iron Head Dragon, who had been about to act with me, froze as well.
It was as if time itself had stopped.
Even I couldn't move my body.
“Hoh.”
A voice echoed.
“I felt the energy of a Fox Marble and decided to drop by for a moment.”
It was a voice steeped in exhaustion.
“You certainly look like a dragon, but I see another being within you.”
Still, my movements weren't completely frozen.
The fact that I could hear this voice was proof.
Creeeeak.
I struggled, trying to move my body somehow.
“How interesting.”
My whole body trembled, but I was slowly able to move again.
“Are you saying you can move when I have not given my leave?”
The mysterious being spoke as if amused.
Though I could sense weariness in the voice, I also felt a hint of interest.
Creeeeak….
I barely managed to turn my head.
A woman with golden hair was smoking a long traditional pipe.
Fox ears perched atop her head.
And behind her, numerous tails.
I instinctively knew who this was.
The being Baek Rang had mentioned in passing.
The ancient being with nine tails.
【Heavenly Fox LV???】
“Old Death with a Tail. You have piqued my interest.”
I couldn't believe my eyes.
The Iron Head Dragon, the Red Dragon, the Snake Queen.
No matter how strong the spirit beast, my eyes could now measure their level.
But this woman was different.
This overwhelming strength.
And this immense internal energy that I couldn't tear my eyes away from.
“Gerorororong…”
Wow, that Mammoth Pouch is huge.