Chapter 205: Complacency
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 205: Complacency
Standing at the highest point of the volcano, I surveyed my territory.
A vast domain, incomparable in scale to the swamp, had become entirely mine.
Standing here like this, it felt strange.
I remembered the time I was born as a gecko, hunted by an Oviraptor.
Back then, could I ever have imagined I would become this?
…No, just surviving one day was a struggle.
Every single day was a desperate fight for survival, a battle for tomorrow.
In the acacia tree, in the swamp, in the Silver Dragon Cave.
It wasn't that I never had moments to rest, but they always ended in a desperate battle for my life.
After a lifetime of fighting with my life on the line, I had finally found a place to settle down.
A mid-tier dragon, the Crushing Dragon.
After all I’d been through, it would be fine to let myself get a little complacent.
My own martial prowess was on par with, or even greater than, the Red Dragon's, and I had gathered powerful followers who believed in me.
A volcano and a snow mountain.
Since I was essentially managing both at once, I would grow stronger just by staying put.
The reason I had lived so frantically was because I wanted this kind of comfortable life.
I remembered the first opponent who made me feel a wall I couldn't overcome: the Caiman.
I had also seen an Imugi, a creature incomparably stronger than that Caiman, and I had seen my Master put that same Imugi to sleep in a single blow.
I realized that just being moderately strong wasn't enough to survive here.
That’s why I had pushed myself so hard until now.
…Of course, it’s not like I never hesitated, but even considering that, I can proudly say I’ve been through a lot.
If nothing else, the fact that I’m younger than all my followers should be proof of that.
Of course, it wasn't as if I had no work left to do.
There were many things, but the most important was the matter concerning the Nine Sons of the Dragon.
The task of dealing with them remained.
They were probably biding their time, too.
Since they were the ones who managed the Dragon Gate, they would be aware that the master of the volcano had changed, and they would also know that I had absorbed the snow mountain.
But seeing as they didn't attack me right after I took the volcano, the probability of them striking first was extremely low.
Besides, if Chodo or Gongbok were to attack, we’d be the ones thanking them.
Faced with a barrage of Gomodo-Secret Techniques, not even the Nine Sons of the Dragon would stand a chance.
The story would change if we were the ones marching out to subjugate them, but that problem would be solved the moment the Red Dragon returned.
I could just take either Baek Rang or the Red Dragon with me.
For now, let’s get some rest.
I needed to train my followers, and I also needed to learn more about this fox marble.
There was no need to rush like before.
“Ugh…”
Tang Soyeong, who was pinned beneath me, let out a sound.
“Gasp!”
It seemed she had finally come to her senses.
“Wh-what just happened?”
I wasn’t thrilled about it, but I was currently embracing her with my body.
Just like a hen brooding an egg.
With the Red Dragon, who could handle fire energy, absent, this was the only way to safely thaw her.
Fortunately, only the surface of her skin was slightly frozen, so it probably wouldn't have been a big deal even if I had left her alone, but one could never be too sure.
Soyeong has relatively little body fat, and if our only physician got hurt, there would be no one to treat her.
“Hero Dal was waving his finger… He kept telling me to cross over to his side…”
Tang Soyeong spouted nonsense like someone waking up from anesthesia.
“Umm… Huh? But why is Hero Go… on top of me?”
I had considered leaving her to the wolves, but I figured that since she was my follower, it was right for me to do it myself.
As if it were a rare opportunity, Tang Soyeong fumbled with her hands, stroking my scales.
“Hehehe…”
…Could you wipe your drool, please?
“But Hero Go. In a way… you’re a reptile, right?”
She continued speaking as she gently stroked my scales and fur.
“So why is your body so warm?”
My body is warm?
I doubt that’s the case.
My fur might make it feel that way, but I’m fundamentally a lizard, a cold-blooded animal.
That doesn’t mean my body is just plain cold, but there’s definitely a cool feel to it.
The reason she thought my body was warm was probably because she had been frozen just moments ago.
“Still, this isn’t bad. …To be honest, I thought you didn’t like me very much, Hero Go.”
Why would I not like you?
I did take away her title of “Divine Physician,” but it wasn’t because I hated her.
It was a preemptive measure to stop her from bragging about being a Divine Physician in front of the Red Dragon and getting herself turned into charcoal.
…The Tang Soyeong I knew was more than capable of doing something that stupid.
“Because the Tang Clan did some… well, a lot of bad things to the Spider Lady.”
It was a clear fact that the Tang Clan had tried to turn Tus, Pus, and Nephila into Gu-poison.
But I couldn't just hate her for that.
For one, although she was from the Tang Clan, she didn't seem to have been involved.
After all the time we’ve spent living side-by-side, why would I start holding that against her now?
Seeing how well the spiders played with Soyeong, it seemed they had forgiven her a long time ago, too.
“You might think this is out of the blue, but I feel like meeting you was a stroke of heavenly luck, Hero Go.”
Heave.
With that sound, she leaned against my body.
She was so light I could barely feel her.
“When I was with the Tang Clan… I could never be this free.”
Like me, she gazed at the scenery as she spoke.
“I was half-joking when I said I’d stay with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but… I think I still like being by your side more, Hero Go.”
This girl.
Why is she suddenly acting so out of character?
She’s the type who would be jumping for joy if I offered to take her to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“To be honest, it was a little tough while you were gone. Living with spirit beasts and animals of similar strength, even their normal, everyday actions often felt dangerous.”
Tang Soyeong is a Second-Rate martial artist.
She might be considered stronger if she uses her poisons, but they wouldn't be very effective against beasts whose physical size far surpasses a human's. It was common for them to have resistances, after all.
To put it bluntly, the current Tang Soyeong was weaker than Tus and Pus.
I wouldn't leave her alone, and the other followers would protect the physician as their top priority, but in an emergency, Tang Soyeong would also be the one in the most danger.
Right now, she was at a level where she would be knocked out cold if a Gakisu just bumped its head against her in greeting.
She was weak enough to be frozen by the cold energy wielded by Tus and Pus.
“Still… opportunities to be with spirit beasts like these are rare. I’ll find a way to endure. …By clinging to your back, Hero Go!”
I sometimes acted a little mean to her, and I’d even smacked her butt for no reason, but now I was starting to feel a little sorry.
Tang Soyeong is the only human among my followers.
Was it because I was subconsciously aware of that fact that I chose to keep a certain distance?
After all, I’m a lizard, not a human.
For someone who had such thoughts, taking a human as a follower was absurd.
Click.
I took out a single orb from a scale near my chest.
“Wh-what is this?”
It was the inner core of the Human-faced Bird that my Master had given me.
I had agonized over who to give it to.
Should I give it to the Red Dragon or Baek Rang to strengthen our forces, or to Tus and Pus to accelerate their evolution?
The Red Dragon and Baek Rang were already very strong without such an inner core.
Tus and Pus were weak now, but they were gradually walking the path of spirit beasts.
A spirit beast’s metamorphosis is many times easier than a human’s, so they might even evolve on their own soon.
Soyeong, on the other hand, was different.
Even if she trained, it would be nearly impossible for her to achieve metamorphosis.
There was no one to help her with her training, either.
Spirit beasts who knew human cultivation methods were extremely rare.
What I knew was specialized for my own body.
Therefore, the one who could use this inner core most efficiently was Tang Soyeong.
“Don’t tell me you’re giving it to me?”
Soyeong’s eyes widened in surprise.
Even so, she reached out her hand.
“Nooo… I’m fine with just a normal inner core…”
Her eyes seemed to be spinning, and her face turned red.
She stared at the inner core I offered for a long moment, then broke into a bashful smile.
“But if you insist on giving it to me… I’ll gratefully accept.”
She lifted her head to look at my face, and with a playful expression still tinged with a blush, she said.
“Thank you so much, Hero Go.”
….
…She really knows how to catch me off guard.
“Actually… there’s a very, very high chance my body won’t be able to handle it, but what does that matter!”
Huh?
Come to think of it, that was true.
Unless you had a unique constitution like mine, carelessly consuming an inner core was extremely dangerous.
Was this inner core too much for a Second-Rate nobody to handle?
“In any case, it’s my principle never to refuse what I’m given.”
She quickly tried to hide the inner core.
I gave it to her, so I wasn't going to take it back, but…
Still, she’ll be smart enough to divide it up and eat it in portions, right?
I hope you don’t do something stupid like eat it all at once and make your body explode.
“…Huh? My inner core?”
Someone snatched the core away.
“Hyaaaak!”
Tang Soyeong leaped up like a startled cat.
It was because Nephila was peeking her head out from my back, watching them.
“Kioong…”
“Kieeng…”
As expected, Tus and Pus were also hidden somewhere in my fur.
“Th-this is… I mean…”
Tang Soyeong panicked like a mistress caught in the act of an affair.
“Hey, give it back! Hero Go gave that to me!”
Unlike her usual self, she tried to pounce on Nephila.
Of course, just like usual, she was subdued by the Left and Right Guardians.
“Huek…”
True, I haven’t done much for Nephila either.
And I had received so many inner cores.
Of course, it wasn't that I hadn't considered giving this core to Nephila.
“Gekgek.”
But I have a separate reward for Nephila.
The Plumpness Pill, said to be in the nest of the Nine Sons of the Dragon.
I don't know why, but I could already see Soyeong and Nephila fighting over ownership of it once I got it.
The Human-faced Bird's inner core for Soyeong.
Other inner cores and the Plumpness Pill for Nephila.
With this, they probably wouldn't fight.
“W-well, if it’s that, then I guess giving up the inner core wouldn’t be so bad…”
Tang Soyeong wiggled her fingers, calculating.
No, you don't.
The Plumpness Pill must never enter Tang Soyeong’s mouth.
“Hmph. Then give me that inner core at least!”
After setting the mood and giving her the gift, I couldn't just take it back.
I’d just have to tell Nephila I’d give her a different present.
I was about to step in to mediate.
“…It’s not like that.”
Nephila’s red eyes looked at me.
At the same time.
Shove!
She pushed the inner core into my mouth.
“Ge-gek?”
Was she trying to feed me this inner core?
No, why all of a sudden?
I tried to spit it out, but I couldn't.
Nephila’s pink lips were pressed against mine.
…What is this situation?
Her sudden, inexplicable actions continued.
Why now, of all times?
After staying quiet all this time, why did she choose this moment to feed me the inner core?
I couldn't even question it.
The moment the Human-faced Bird's inner core entered my body, a wave of drowsiness washed over me.
The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was a purple aura mixed in with Nephila’s red eyes.
*
A vast lake came into view.
It was an all-too-familiar sight.
Yes, this was my mindscape.
The inner core of the Human-faced Bird was certainly something else.
I could usually swallow any inner core without a problem, but for it to make me fall asleep…
Or did Nephila do something else?
She wasn't the type to do something without a reason.
She was so loyal that if I praised her in my sleep, I’d probably get an extra rice cake.
First, let’s think about why she sent me here, and what I can do.
I took a brief look around my mindscape.
I saw a lake that was incomparably deeper and wider than before.
A lake with no end in sight.
I knew instinctively that all the power I had gathered was resting at the bottom of that lake.
The bottom of the lake…
I hope I wake up before that thing appears.
SPLAAAAASH!
The moment I had that thought, a tremendous spray of water erupted.
The one I had been waiting for revealed itself.
It wasn't in its usual ridiculous attire, but in the form I had seen when we first met.
Red skin and sharp claws that looked like they could tear through anything.
A massive crest that could likely block out the sun.
But it was also the loser of its era, the one that fled from a Tyrannosaurus.
The Spinosaurus.
Yes.
Its recent behavior had been the strange part.
My heart pounded.
A being of terror.
A being that lures me into traps.
Or, my adversary.
That was what my Heart Demon was.
…The fact that it sometimes appeared in strange outfits was a problem, but that must have been part of its strategy.
Seeing its majestic form now, my blood began to boil.
The martial artist’s instinct to conquer that Heart Demon stirred within me.
—Grrrrrrrrr.
The Heart Demon let out a low growl.
It glared at me as if it would devour me at any moment, but it didn't charge.
It simply extended a finger and pointed to the middle of the lake.
As if it had something it wanted to show me.
Plink.
A single drop of water fell onto the vast lake.
A new image formed in the center of the water.
I saw a desolate, rocky mountain with nothing left on it.
Gakisu with broken horns lay fallen.
A dragon that wielded flames had crashed to the ground.
…What is this?
It was a sight so horrific I couldn't believe my eyes.
A wolf that wielded cold was trapped in ice.
Spiders were weeping, trying to wake a girl from the Tang Clan whose eyes were closed.
The Gakisu, the Red Dragon, Baek Rang.
Tus, Pus, Tang Soyeong.
All of them had fallen.
A giant snake made of rock stared down at them with cold eyes.
A swordsman who scattered plum blossoms was trying to stop the bleeding from his severed arm.
—KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!
A lizard with broken horns and a lost tail couldn't raise its massive body.
It could only roar in anguish at the tragedy.
….
This was no time to be complacent.