Chapter 219: The Evolution of Tus and Pus
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 219: The Evolution of Tus and Pus
Cancel evolution!
…As if that would work.
I should just accept this with a humble heart.
I can't rain on my followers' parade while they're evolving.
What could be better than this?
If I can make them evolve just by feeding them my tail, I'm willing to cut it off as many times as it takes.
…Of course, if I have to grind up my horn like this time, that's a slightly different story.
Fwaash!
The light flashed once more, and the cocoons enveloping Tus and Pus began to crack.
Craaack!
The atmosphere was tense.
Like a lizard hatching from an egg, a single leg pushed its way out.
Fwaaaaa!
Craaaaaack!
“Kieeeek!”
“Kiooong!”
Finally, Tus and Pus revealed themselves with valiant cries.
“Hoh…”
The Snake Queen watched with intrigued eyes.
Basilisks are the natural enemies of spiders.
For her to be this interested must mean they've gotten quite strong.
“Keng!”
Unfortunately, they hadn't taken on human forms as I'd expected.
However, their bodies had grown enormous, to the point where they were slightly larger than Chillang-i.
For reference, while Chillang-i is the youngest of the wolves, she's still bigger than most humans.
This meant they could now fold Tang Soyeong in half with a single swing of a leg.
“Hyeok?”
As if she'd read my mind, Soyeong suddenly covered her own paltry chest.
I averted my gaze from Soyeong and looked back at Tus and Pus.
It wasn't just their size that had changed.
First, their color had become incredibly bright.
Tus and Pus were originally brown-colored spiders. That's why their shaking rears always reminded me of chestnut burrs, but now they had suddenly turned white.
I guess it's the influence of the cold energy.
White isn't bad, though.
They'll be more conspicuous, but considering they hide in my fur, it might actually serve as camouflage.
Other than that, they seemed to have inherited their previous appearances.
Tus still had well-developed front legs, and Pus had a long tail with sharp spines.
That was enough of their appearance. It was time to use my Wild Eyes.
【Tus-Ananse LV10】
【Pus-Ananse LV10】
Level 10 right off the bat?
Is this the effect of the Gaegaek Cult?
But Ananse... The name itself was unusual.
It was like how I, having evolved from a Gomodo, was named Gomodo-Lania.
I had no choice but to take a closer look.
__________________________
【Tus-Ananse】
The evolved form of Anthracomartus, the Left Guardian of the Gaegaek Cult.
It fused the profound principles of Gaegaek and the cold energy of the Dragon Gate, all while harboring a desire to bite someone's tail to its heart's content.
It is a unique species and can imitate a very small portion of Gomodo's techniques.
【Pus-Ananse】
The evolved form of Attercopus, the Right Guardian of the Gaegaek Cult.
It fused the profound principles of Gaegaek and the cold energy of the Dragon Gate, all while harboring a desire to have someone touch its rear to its heart's content.
It is a unique species and can imitate a very small portion of Gomodo's techniques.
Your descriptions are a little weird, aren't they?
Is it really okay for sentences like that to be embedded in the fair and just status window?
“Kioong…”
Tus and Pus covered their faces as if embarrassed.
If you know it's embarrassing, try to show some restraint.
That second sentence was extremely concerning, but I could still tell they had evolved into a remarkable species.
First of all, their species names included 'Tus' and 'Pus'.
That alone was extraordinary. Wasn't it similar to how my own species has 'Gomodo' in front of it?
If they evolve from here, they'll probably become something like Tus Arachne and Pus Arachne, just like Nephila.
Besides, they can imitate some of my techniques?
I stared intently at Tus and Pus.
“Kieeeng…”
“Kiooong…”
Don't tell me a Gekgek Death Beam is going to come out of those mouths.
Or maybe they'll use Miniaturization?
It's a technique I borrow using my Reverse Scale, but you never know.
If not that, imitating my martial arts wouldn't be bad either.
Whatever it is, being able to imitate my techniques is an incredibly overpowered ability.
It won't be easy to defeat Tus and Pus in a fight between equals.
Tus and Pus crawled frantically toward me.
Pretending to praise them, I gently stroked their soft bodies.
“Kioooo!”
They were soft, yet gave off a strangely firm impression.
Their durability must have increased quite a bit.
And they can handle cold energy on top of that.
They finally possess the martial prowess befitting the Left and Right Guardians.
Of course, they're still on the weaker side compared to other spirit beasts, but the significance lies in their limitless potential for growth.
If I take the time to raise these guys, they'll become absolute powerhouses.
“Good job.”
Nephila, too, patted Tus and Pus on the head with a proud expression.
“Kienngg.”
“Kiongg.”
Tus, Pus.
Just hang in there a little longer.
Someday, you'll be able to become Arachnes like Nephila.
I realized a few things from Tus and Pus's evolution.
One was the power my tail held.
Another was the effect of aliases.
Their aliases were clearly specified in their status windows.
That means their titles influenced their evolution.
Until now, despite having high-level spirit beasts like the Red Dragon and Baek Rang, I hadn't been able to give them fitting titles.
I didn't have that much divinity, and I didn't know exactly what effects the titles had.
But things are different now.
I secured a considerable amount of divinity by defeating Gongbok.
“Gekgek…”
I looked at the Red Dragon and Baek Rang.
What titles should I give them?
I pondered over and over. I considered giving them names like Whitey and Yongyong, but I pictured a future where I was half-frozen and half-burnt, so I decided against it.
The most conventional choice would be…
[The alias of 【Baek Rang LV95】 has been set to Ice Empress.]
[The alias of 【Red Dragon LV145】 has been set to Flame Emperor.]
“…You did something again, didn't you?”
“Being put on the same level as a dog is a bit much, but I'll take it.”
The Red Dragon and Baek Rang noticed immediately.
“Keeng!”
“Kioong!”
Tus and Pus clapped their legs together to congratulate them.
I'm not sure how, but it seems my followers instinctively know what I've done.
“…Did you do something?”
Seeing that Soyeong didn't know, it seems to be a system only spirit beasts can perceive.
I'd gained so much divinity from dealing with Gongbok that I still had some left over even after granting the magnificent titles of Flame Emperor and Ice Empress.
Since I was already giving out titles, I decided to give out a few more.
Tang Soyeong's hair fluttered. She had an expectant look on her face.
Right.
It's about time I rewarded you, too.
[The alias of 【Unicorn LV80】 has been set to Ilbung.]
“Ilbuuung?”
Even while being groped by the Bicorns, the Unicorn lifted its head to look at me.
Thankfully, the Unicorn ended up joining the Gaegaek Cult.
I don't know what it was thinking, but perhaps it fell in love at the sight of the beautiful Bicorns.
I don't think it'll listen to me very well, but the Bicorns have it wrapped around their little fingers, so it should be fine.
It even distinguished itself in the recent battle by leading the Bicorns against the Plum Blossom Swordsman, so the title of Ilbung is not wasted on it.
The 'bung' in Ilbung uses the character 鵬 (Peng). It was with the hope that, like the legendary Peng bird, it would one day spread its wings and fly far.
…In other words, it means I want it to become a true unicorn and succeed in breeding with the Bicorns.
“Hehe… one husband… hehe… many wives…”
The Bicorns stared at the Unicorn with lecherous eyes.
“I… Ilbuuung…”
I hope you overcome this.
Surprisingly, I still had divinity left even after giving the Unicorn a title.
Hmmm…
How should I use this?
“Hero Go?”
Tang Soyeong swayed her body back and forth in front of me.
“Ahem…”
She tried to get my attention with a fake cough.
She doesn't know what I'm doing, but it seems she's hoping something will fall into her lap, too.
…Alright, what the hell.
[The alias of 【Tang Soyeong】 has been set to Intermediate Physician.]
“Wow!”
Tang Soyeong jumped up in a strange pose.
“…Wow?”
She was about to celebrate but then tilted her head in confusion.
“I suddenly feel strange. Hmmm. Why could that be?”
Tang Soyeong's green eyes stared intently at me.
She suspects me, but she has no proof.
…'Intermediate Physician' should be decent enough.
I wanted to give her more, but I need to save the rest of my divinity. Unlike the other spirit beasts, it's a relief that Soyeong only has a vague idea of what I did.
“That's weird…”
Sorry, Soyeong.
I'll upgrade it for you next time I gather more divinity.
【Gaegaek Cult】
Mid-tier Dragon-level Religion.
A religion whose followers worship Gomodo, with the Gaegaek Faith as its doctrine.
It is closely related to the Little Dragon Faith and the Snake Queen Faith.
Its members are few, but their faith and combat power are extremely high.
[Territory]
Swampland (Lower), Snake Queen's Temple, Dragon Gate (Volcano, Snow Mountain, Stone Mountain)
[Members]
Priestess: 【Nephila Arachne LV35】
Right Guardian: 【Pus-Ananse LV10】
Left Guardian: 【Tus-Ananse LV10】
Snake Princess: 【Ball Python LV37】
Intermediate Physician: 【Tang Soyeong】
Ice Empress: 【Baek Rang LV95】
Flame Emperor: 【Red Dragon LV145】
Lord of the Snow Mountain: 【Iron Head Dragon LV100】
Ilbung: 【Unicorn LV80】
I examined the status window.
It was incomparable to the small Gaegaek Faith of the past.
Moreover, the ordinary followers not visible on the list were Direwolves and Bicorns, stronger than most beasts.
It felt surreal.
I'd already claimed three Dragon Gates as my territory.
I thought I still had a long way to go until my next evolution, but if things keep going like this, I might be able to evolve sooner than I expected.
It's all thanks to my followers.
Every single one of them is precious.
There are spirit beasts who aren't my followers, but that doesn't change the fact that they're precious to me. They're the ones who came running the moment I asked for help.
I've given my followers their rewards, so now I should reward my allies.
…What would they need?
Should I cut off my tail for them on the way?
The Snake Queen seems to want something else, though.
Just as I was thinking that, a message appeared in the status window.
[A large amount of divinity has been used!]
And at the same time, my eyes began to close.
An irresistible sleepiness washed over me.
I'd fought a fierce battle and used up my divinity, so perhaps it was only natural.
But it's fine.
I have trustworthy beings around me, so I can afford to close my eyes for a moment.
*
When I opened my eyes, I was, as expected, in my mindscape.
A lake filled with water.
And, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, two red eyes were glaring at me.
A being with its head poking out of the lake, letting out a low growl.
— Grrrrr….
It was the Heart Demon.
— You filthy creature….
Was it angry because I didn't accept its offer?
I could understand. It must have thought it was the perfect chance to steal my body, only to fail.
— How dare you… how dare you….
It was an expression I'd never seen and a voice I'd never heard before. A mix of anger and bewilderment.
— You turned me into this?
This? Did something happen because I didn't accept its offer?
Let's take a closer look. See why it's so furious.
Immediately after, I regretted it.
I saw it.
Something blue, so very blue.
In the center was a white rectangle.
Black letters were written on it.
A combination of numbers and symbols.
The moment I understood what it was, it was obvious what would happen to me.
I clenched my teeth, trying not to lose my mind.
— You dare….
The Maid Spino wasn't the end of it.
The Heart Demon that appeared before me was…
a School Swimsuit Spino.