Chapter 218: So This is What a Gomodo Tastes Like
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: So This is What a Gomodo Tastes Like
“Awooo…”
Thanks to Gekgek's physician, Tang Soyeong, who had regained consciousness, the injured were treated quickly.
I’d wondered how much she could really do, but as expected of someone from the Tang Clan, she displayed a dazzling mastery of acupuncture.
Moreover, by skillfully using the medicinal herbs native to my territory, she demonstrated a near-miraculous ability to mend even broken bones in no time.
“Pant, pant, pant!”
Thanks to her, the wolves were in a state that could be considered a full recovery.
From Ilang to Chillang-i, they all wagged their tails and gathered around me.
The sight of eight furballs running toward me was something I could never get tired of.
They licked every inch of my body, each vying for my affection.
“Awooo!”
Seven black wolves and one white wolf rolled onto their backs, squirming on the ground.
A white wolf?
I looked at Baek Rang, who was wagging her tail as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“…Keng?”
She let out a flustered yelp, then, as if nothing was wrong, began tapping my scales with her front paw.
First Tang Soyeong was acting strange, and now it seemed Baek Rang had gotten a little weird too.
This was not something her usual self would do.
The Baek Rang I knew would pretend not to care while wagging her tail furiously, but right now, she was acting just like Chillang-i.
“…What, am I not allowed to?”
Baek Rang's golden eyes glared at me.
It's not that you're not allowed.
“Gek!”
You, get over here!
Just as I was about to start petting the giant ball of white fur…
Shwaak!
A smooth, scaled tail wrapped around my arm and pulled.
“Gek?”
It was the Snake Queen.
“My companion happens to prefer scales over fur.”
Even while being treated by Tang Soyeong, she used her tail to pull me closer.
“What are you talking about? He loves my fur.”
Not to be outdone, Baek Rang grabbed my other arm with her paw.
“Geeeeek…”
The Snake Queen and Baek Rang had known each other for a while.
After all, it was the Snake Queen who had introduced Baek Rang to me.
“Hoh, it seems you've gotten bold.”
I shrank back instinctively.
For some reason, my left arm felt like it was slowly freezing over.
And my right arm felt like it was gradually turning to stone.
“Gegegek!”
Stop it!
“My son-in-law prefers feathers to such things. Hmmm…”
Argentavis glanced at his own wings.
He seemed to be contemplating something. Surely he wasn't thinking of joining in?
Bringing Chirpy would be fine, but I'll have to pass if it's you, old man.
“Uh… Your Majesty the Snake Queen? You shouldn't move around so much!”
Tang Soyeong was applying the juices of various herbs to the Snake Queen's wounds.
Most of the first aid was done; only the injuries of Argentavis and the Snake Queen remained.
Since they had faced Gongbok directly, it was inevitable that they would be the most injured.
“To think a human girl possesses such medical skill. Perhaps I should start interacting with humans…”
Argentavis seemed to have taken a liking to Tang Soyeong.
To be precise, to her medical skills.
Considering he was injured when we first met and I had to heal him with a unicorn's horn, the king of birds might be more fragile than I thought.
That's why he's coveting a skilled physician like Tang Soyeong.
“Hehe… scales… feathers…”
Of course, I immediately averted my gaze at that sinister muttering.
It wasn't one of the bicorns; it was Tang Soyeong.
She seemed thrilled at the prospect of treating the bodies of high-level spirit beasts.
So, what were the actual bicorns up to?
“Hehe… polygamy…”
“P-Poly…”
They had cornered a poor, innocent unicorn and were groping it all over.
The unicorn kept pleading for my help.
It just goes to show how tough the bicorns are; ignoring their minor injuries, they were staying true to their primal desires.
Then again, their horns are used as medicine, so I guess injuries like that heal on their own.
“P-Polyyy…”
Hang in there, unicorn.
Whether you awaken as a true unicorn or turn into a bicorn is all up to you.
I shifted my gaze to Iron Head Dragon.
With his Adamantine Body, Iron Head Dragon looked perfectly fine.
“Hah… I am ashamed. To have struggled so much.”
Iron Head Dragon wore an awkward expression.
In truth, Iron Head Dragon had done nothing wrong.
He had, after all, accomplished the great feat of defeating a Ceratosaurus.
But he must have felt guilty about something.
He'd been dragged around by Void Grasping for the entire fight, only managing to defeat the Ceratosaurus by exploiting an opening when it was flustered by Gongbok's indiscriminate attacks.
It was a matter of compatibility, so it couldn't be helped.
Besides, he had used the power of the Snow Mountain to defend his followers.
If anything, the Ceratosaurus probably had it worse.
No matter how much it attacked, it couldn't leave a single scratch on him.
Considering that, should I say the matchup was actually in his favor?
“Divine Beast. Everything is ready.”
Red Dragon spoke to me.
Since Red Dragon was in the best condition, I had asked her to handle the cleanup.
Truthfully, it was also because I had a gut feeling that I needed to let her burn off some energy if I wanted to survive.
I climbed onto a small hill.
From there, I could see everything my followers and Red Dragon had prepared in a single glance.
As I stood there, everyone's attention focused on me.
The Snake Queen and the king of birds, too.
Even the bicorns who were in the middle of kidnapping the unicorn.
Baek Rang and the wolves.
Red Dragon and the spiders.
I looked at them all and let out a great roar.
“Gekgek!”
By now, there was no one who didn't know the meaning of this cry.
“Polygamyyyyyy!”
“Awooooooo!”
“Kiooong!”
As one, my followers raised their heads and answered my roar.
“Gegegek!”
We have achieved a complete victory.
No one will ever dare to covet my territory again.
I shifted my gaze elsewhere.
To what Red Dragon had prepared.
It was the corpses of the foolish ones who had dared to set foot in my territory.
I don't want to be enemies with humans, but it's a different story if they touch my precious ones.
It would be quite troublesome if their vengeful spirits latched onto me, but that is a burden I must bear.
To protect those I hold dear, I will do any dirty deed necessary.
This is my conviction and my oath.
Wooooong.
The Fox Marble, which had been sitting quietly, flew into the air.
Paaaaat!
It emitted a flash of purple light, as if to appease their vengeful spirits.
“…So it's a Yeouiboju.”
The Snake Queen stared blankly at the sight.
“Indeed. That's the kind of power my son-in-law should have.”
Argentavis nodded as well.
The Divine Beast of Gekgek, who wields the Fox Marble at will.
This is what the others would think of me.
“Black Suuuun!”
“Keeeeng!”
“Who else but our Divine Beast could handle such an artifact?”
Red Dragon, too, watched me and the Fox Marble with a pleased expression.
“Truly… Hero Gomodo. To handle vengeful spirits in such a way…!”
Iron Head Dragon was also filled with admiration.
“Ge… Gekgek!”
Paaaaaaat!
The Fox Marble shot out another flash of purple light.
And made all the corpses piled there disappear.
“Black Suuuun?”
“What in the world is that thing?”
Baek Rang muttered in a shocked voice.
It was only natural to be surprised.
It had made dozens, hundreds of corpses vanish without a trace.
And the vengeful spirits along with them.
“Geeeeeeek?”
“…Why does he look surprised too?”
Because… I'm surprised too.
“Gegegegek!”
What was that? That's scary.
I never told it to do that!
I just gathered them to bury them in one place.
*
Something was wrong with the Fox Marble.
It wasn't enough that it absorbed Gongbok; now it had absorbed the Mount Hua Sect as well.
I wanted to believe it had appeased their spirits, but the problem was that the bodies had vanished.
Didn't it just… eat them?
I stared at the purple orb, which might as well have had 'I am a very suspicious artifact' written on it.
I had many questions, but unlike before, it wasn't moving at all.
I couldn't hear Gongbok's voice either.
Was this a side effect of swallowing too many vengeful spirits?
There was probably nothing I could find out right now.
Still, let's think positively.
I took care of the Mount Hua Sect and successfully destroyed the evidence!
…Was that too optimistic?
There were still matters to resolve.
Eliminating the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect wouldn't solve everything.
I also had to think about Namgung Yeon.
And I'd have to meet this Chodo person Gongbok mentioned.
There were more than a few loose ends, but now didn't seem like the time to worry about them.
We won the war and punished our enemies.
So, what comes next?
We must celebrate the contributions made during the war.
Even with treatment, the number of those who had fully recovered was still small.
“Pant, pant, pant…”
For some reason, everyone was waiting quietly.
With such a diverse group, there was usually some noise, but now they were all holding their breath and looking at me.
To be precise, they were looking at the large pot bubbling away next to me.
A savory aroma filled the air, and my followers gulped.
The Fox Marble had filled its belly, so it was time for us to fill ours.
“…Hey, is this really okay?”
Baek Rang asked, her tail wagging up and down.
“I-Is it really alright to do this?”
Tang Soyeong said, drooling.
“It's been a while since I've had something so invigorating…”
The Snake Queen swished her tail gently.
“Keeeeng!”
“Kiong!”
Tus and Pus wiggled their butts, their eyes full of anticipation.
“Ngh…”
Nephila licked her lips, her gaze alternating between me and the pot.
There was a reason for their behavior.
What was boiling in the pot was none other than my own tail.
What kind of barbaric food is this!
One might think that, but for restoring one's energy, there could be no better meal.
I admit, I have some reservations about cutting off my own tail to feed my followers.
And they probably wouldn't want to eat my tail after cutting it off either.
…Although Nephila did sometimes gently tug on my tail while I slept, she had never actually cut it.
But what if the tail was already severed?
It was a tail that would rot away soon anyway, so there was no reason not to share it.
Besides, what kind of tail was it?
It was the very tail I had forged into a sword using the Dragon's Word.
My severed horn, tail, and scales had merged to become a tremendous weapon with enough destructive power to pierce Gongbok's scales.
If it had maintained its sword form, I would have kept it as a weapon, but its hardness had weakened considerably right after defeating Gongbok.
That meant it could no longer be used as a weapon.
So, what was I to do with it?
I could use it as food.
It's a bit strange to say this myself, but the efficacy of my tail has been proven.
And now that it's infused with my horn, its effects are bound to be better than ever.
I call it: Gomodo Oxtail Soup.
“Gekgek!”
As I personally served it in wooden bowls, everyone began to taste the tail as if they'd been waiting for this moment.
“My goodness…!”
Baek Rang exclaimed in awe.
“So this is what Hero Go tastes like…”
Tang Soyeong said in shock… Huh?
That sounds a little weird.
“Kiooong!”
“Kieeeng!”
Tus and Pus ate the oxtail soup with tears streaming down their faces.
Even Iron Head Dragon and the one- and bicorns, who I presumed were herbivores, ate the food without any issue.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
The wolves buried their faces in their bowls and devoured it.
I felt proud, but also a little chilled.
For some reason, I felt like I had taught them something I shouldn't have.
Still, as long as they enjoyed it, I was satisfied.
“Perhaps I should have brought my daughter. To think I'm eating this precious thing all by myself.”
Argentavis muttered.
It's a shame I couldn't give some to Chirpy and Swish-Swish.
“If only there weren't so many eyes watching, I would have…”
The Snake Queen gazed at my tail with a sultry look.
Not the tail in the bowl, but the other one.
“Gek!”
Stop staring!
Even so, I checked on my followers one by one.
My tail, back when I was just a Gomodo, had effects comparable to a Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Spirit Fruit.
That meant my current tail should possess even greater power.
“Ying-ying-kieng.”
“Ya-ing-kiong.”
There were no noticeable changes.
Except that Tus and Pus's cries had gotten a little strange.
They were creatures that made weird noises from time to time, so I didn't think much of it.
Until their bodies began to glow.
“Kiooong?”
“Kieeeng?”
A white light enveloped Tus and Pus.
Paaat!
Tang Soyeong, who had been hastily eating the tail, let out a shrill cry.
“This is… could it be Metamorphosis? How could… Kehek!”
She was so startled she seemed to have choked on her food.
Metamorphosis!
They're finally evolving.
Of course, it would be difficult for them to immediately take human form like Nephila.
Still, evolving into a higher species was always a welcome event.
Considering their levels, it wouldn't have been strange for them to evolve at any time, so perhaps this was even a little late.
But to think they're evolving after eating my tail, of all things.
Could my tail be a condition for evolution?
I had such a ridiculous thought.
No matter how I thought about it, evolving from my tail…
…Wait a minute.
When our Nephila evolved, she reached the Arachne stage in a single leap, didn't she?
The stage before that would have been equivalent to my Green Basilisk form.
There's something that's been bothering me.
Back when I lived in the acacia tree, I used to steal Nephila's food and give her one of my tails in return.
In other words, Nephila has eaten an enormous number of my tails.
Don't tell me my tail really acts as an Inner Core?
Is that how Nephila was able to evolve into an Arachne?
“Geeeeng…”
My eyes met Nephila's.
She was drooling while looking at me.
Come to think of it, that appetite of hers that manifests whenever she sees me.
Though hidden among other emotions, Nephila always showed her appetite.
I just thought Nephila was peculiar, but it seems that's not it.
That trait remained because she evolved by eating my tail.
…Although I think she wanted to eat me from the beginning.
That's not the important part.
The important part is that Tus and Pus also evolved after eating my tail.
Which means…
The number of spiders after my tail has just increased to three.
“Geeeeeeeeeeeng!”
Cancel the evolution