Chapter 222: The True Dragon and Gomodo
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 222: The True Dragon and Gomodo
Just in case, I checked my territory several times.
This was because my trip wouldn't just end with meeting Chodo; I planned to learn what I could and bring back what I could, which would take some time.
I wonder if my followers will cry because I'm gone.
I'm especially worried about Tus and Pus.
“Keeng?”
You're still here?
Tus and Pus waved at me with such an expression.
It seems their personalities changed a bit after evolving.
Puberty, maybe?
Tus and Pus had grown incredibly strong.
From cute little spiders to beings capable of burying a First-Rate martial artist in the ground.
It was only natural, since they were now larger than humans.
They could wield cold energy, with Tus specializing in poison and Pus in spiderwebs.
Moreover, since they could imitate me, they had grown strong enough to roam the lower parts of the swamp without any trouble.
To be precise, they were strong enough to go on a culinary tour, eating the predators that used to bully them.
I'd asked Baek Rang for a favor, so they would grow even stronger.
After all, Baek Rang was an expert in using cold energy.
Come to think of it, in a way, I'd obtained the Dragon Gate of the Snow Mountain, yet I hadn't used cold energy much.
At most, I only ever used the power of the Snow Ginseng latent in my Dragon Blood.
When I get back, I should learn how to use cold energy from Baek Rang and the Iron Head Dragon.
The only way I could use cold energy right now was to cover my body in blood and headbutt things.
The Snake Queen left for the temple, and Argentavis returned to his nest.
The Iron Head Dragon headed back to the Snow Mountain, and the Red Dragon was on her way to the Mount Hua Sect.
A lot of my forces had departed, but I wasn't worried at all.
My followers had grown exponentially stronger through the recent war.
The growth of the high-tier spirit beasts was relatively small, but the wolves and spiders had shown growth on the level of a complete metamorphosis.
Well, in the case of Tus and Pus, it really was a metamorphosis.
Plus, with the Unicorns staying near the nest, I couldn't feel more secure.
“Hehehe… Milking…”
“Heheheh… One husband, ten wiveeees…”
“O-One husbaaand… one wiiife…”
Of course, I had to keep running away from the Unicorns who kept trying to grope me, but when things got serious, no one was more reliable.
Especially when their eyes rolled back and they drew out their blue horns; at those times, I could feel a power so immense it made even my knees weak.
For some reason, I also felt like I'd be purified if I touched those horns.
“Gekgek!”
I checked the nest one last time, gently pressed my face against the Internal Energy Pouches, and set off.
*
I walked toward Chodo's location.
I thought about hunting along the way, but unlike before, no beasts dared to attack me on sight.
It was easy to hunt near the Dragon Gate because many creatures there had lost their minds, but it was different here.
I could see beasts catching my scent and immediately fleeing.
I could probably catch them if I tried… but I'll just leave them be for now.
Once I reach Chodo's place, I'll be able to hunt to my heart's content.
I had no choice but to start chewing on the jerky my followers had hung around my neck. Just as I was about to,
Vrooom!
The Fox Marble, which had been hitching a comfortable ride on my back despite being a mere object, trembled for a moment.
Vroom!
It trembled a few more times.
“Keoheok!”
A familiar voice rang out.
It was the voice of Gongbok, who had been silent all this time.
Well, a voice that sounded somewhat fainter than before.
“Hoo… I thought it was a wish-granting pearl, but to think it's this potent…”
It seems he's finally come to his senses.
I had agonized over how to wake him up.
I even considered putting the Fox Marble in my mouth for a moment, but I resisted because it would be a catastrophe if Gongbok's corpse suddenly popped out.
I thought he'd be stuck in a coma until I met a Heavenly Fox with immense internal energy, but he woke up sooner than expected.
“Gekgek.”
Hello, Gongbok.
“Fath… No, O descendant of the Old Death with a Tail.”
Heh.
How badly I wanted to wake this guy up.
The first thing he says upon seeing me is that.
I can hear the voice of a living library, one itching to give me information.
By 'father', he must mean the True Dragon.
Since he called me father upon seeing me, there's a chance I look similar to him.
And 'descendant of the Old Death with a Tail'.
That means the being known as Gomodo really existed, and even Gongbok knows about it.
“Gegegek.”
“…Your cry is a bit strange, but your form is unmistakably that of Gomodo's descendant.”
What's wrong with my cry?
“It is surprising that he has a descendant… but you don't seem to be a blood relative. You are too young to have received his teachings, and your cry is strange.”
He keeps commenting on my cry.
Thump!
“Keoheok!”
You should be glad I only gave you a light thump since you're inside the Fox Marble.
Anyway, a descendant of the previous Gomodo.
…But I was born a gecko?
Were my lizard parents actually beings who inherited Gomodo's blood?
That's impossible.
If that were the case, the Oviraptor that gobbled up my presumed sibling would have become a Gomodo-slayer.
And the reason I've become a Gomodo now is because I chose which direction to evolve in.
I haven't inherited Gomodo's blood; I'm just becoming like him.
“Gekgek.”
I let out a "gekgek" sound with that meaning.
“Is that so…”
Surprisingly, Gongbok seemed to understand to some extent.
This guy isn't even one of my followers. How did he get it?
“Nevertheless, I will tell you what I know of the being called Gomodo. Regardless of what you are, it is certain that you are advancing toward becoming a True Dragon.”
Good.
New information is always welcome.
And it's information I'm very interested in.
“My father is the True Dragon. The pinnacle of all dragons, the most divine of all beasts… or so he is known.”
I remember what Gongbok said before he died.
'Please kill the True Dragon.'
'If you cannot stop him, a greater ruin will come.'
Judging by his words, there must be something different from what the world knows.
“On the other hand, Gomodo is known as the very symbol of death. A ferocious beast that cruelly slaughters all manner of spirit beasts. That is the public's perception.”
His name literally means 'Old Death with a Tail', so it couldn't be helped.
But for a being like that, he seemed to be treated pretty well.
Jang Bong even begged me to save him, and the Tang Clan was said to practically deify Gomodo.
Come to think of it, the fact that the Tang Clan deifies him is a bit concerning.
Isn't that place known for having a bad image?
Using poisons and hidden weapons.
Aren't they a closed-off place where all sorts of schemes run rampant?
Of course, seeing Soyeong doesn't give me such a negative impression, but the problem is that the Tang Clan is trying to get rid of her.
Seeing how they tried to kill their own blood without a hint of hesitation, they can't be in a very good state.
…Yeah, Gomodo is definitely an evil spirit beast.
“But the truth is different. The reason Gomodo came to be called Death is that he sided with humans, not with the spirit beasts.”
He sided with humans, not spirit beasts?
It's not like he would have suddenly declared, 'From today on, I'm living with the humans!'
That's unlikely.
He must have opposed someone who was trying to kill humans.
“My father, the True Dragon, whom humans deify, tried to annihilate humanity.”
And that someone was the True Dragon.
The True Dragon, the deified and worshipped true dragon.
“Countless wars broke out. All the spirit beasts who sided with the True Dragon feared Gomodo.”
And Gomodo, treated as a ferocious beast, stood against them.
The True Dragon, who wanted to kill humans, and Gomodo, who wanted to save them.
Yet humans treated the True Dragon as a divine beast and Gomodo as a ferocious one.
It was obvious who won that war.
“The dragon of the sky with white scales and the dragon of the earth with black scales clashed. It is said that Gomodo single-handedly killed countless spirit beasts and left an indelible scar on the True Dragon.”
This probably wasn't a story Gongbok experienced himself.
He probably heard it from his mother.
“But even Gomodo could not defeat them all.”
I could roughly guess how it ended.
If Gomodo had won, the existence of the True Dragon would have been forgotten, and he would have been revered as the divine beast.
“In the end, he retreated. After beheading thousands of spirit beasts.”
…Retreated?
Not died?
And he didn't just kill spirit beasts, he fought the True Dragon himself?
Gomodo is amazing!
“My father, having used a vast amount of true energy, gave up his plan to annihilate humanity. Instead, he made humans serve him. He had himself revered as the sacred spirit beast who protected humanity from Gomodo's rampage.”
It's a common story.
The victor creating a narrative that favors them.
Of course, it's hard to call the True Dragon the victor, but things turned out just as he'd planned anyway.
The True Dragon is a divine beast.
Gomodo is a ferocious beast.
If the previous Gomodo were to reappear and try to fight the True Dragon, the situation would be quite different from before.
If a ferocious beast and a divine beast were to fight, it was obvious whose side the Murim warriors would take.
“Since Gomodo has not appeared for a very long time, my father will likely try to achieve his ambition once more. Frankly, I do not care much if humans die, but I cannot bear to see my father's plan succeed.”
If Gomodo doesn't reappear, the True Dragon's plan will begin.
Even if he does appear, the martial artists will side with the True Dragon.
Even the Red Dragon, the Snake Queen, and my Master don't seem to know the truth about the True Dragon and Gomodo.
All they said was that if I grew strong enough, I might be able to reach the True Dragon.
It seems there's more than just one or two problems.
“Geeeek…”
Where am I supposed to find this Gomodo who went into hiding?
“…Are you perhaps making a jest?”
Vrooom.
The Fox Marble trembled violently.
I couldn't see him, but I felt like Gongbok's gray eyes were staring right at me.
“Is Gomodo's descendant not right here?”
“Geeeek!”
Who am I?
Old Death with a Tail, Gomodo.
With a side of Crushing Dragon.
I'd like to be that nonchalant, but this problem is different.
It's true that I'm Gomodo.
But if that's the case, I'll have no choice but to face the True Dragon.
You really want me to fight that guy?
He doesn't look like he's in a good mood…
And that would be my last will and testament.
“In any case, my father has likely heard that someone presumed to be Gomodo is here. That bastard Namgung Yeon must have pulled some strings.”
Namgung Yeon.
The moment I find him, I'm shooting a Gaegaek Death Beam right into his mouth.
“That alone is enough. Now that the existence of a Gomodo has been observed, he will not be able to act rashly. Of course, the difference between you now and my father is like that of a grain of sand and Mount Tai, so if he learns of Gomodo's true nature, he will try to kill you first.”
Should I be happy about this or not?
Because I'm Gomodo, I've put a restriction on the True Dragon's activities.
But if my true nature is discovered, he'll come to kill me first.
“You need not think so negatively. You clearly possess the power of Gomodo, so you may one day grow to be my father's equal.”
Thanks, Gongbok.
“Of course, I do not know how many years that will take.”
That part, I'm not thankful for.
Another worry has been added to the list.
The formation of the Murim Alliance and the start of a subjugation campaign in response to the annihilation of the Mount Hua Sect.
Namgung Yeon. No, the incredibly suspicious plan of the man named Al-Yu.
And now, the newly added story of the True Dragon and Gomodo.
“Geeeeeeeeek…”
The matter with the True Dragon will be the most dangerous.
I can more or less guess how the others will play out.
Since Ak Bulhwi is at the bottom of the Ten Great Masters of the World, we should be able to handle the 8th and 9th ranked ones with the combined power of the Gaegaek Cult.
As for those above them… sorry, but I can just ask my Master for help.
And if I attain enlightenment and reach the Supreme Peak or Transformation Realm, I might be able to handle them without my Master's help.
As for Namgung Yeon, I've figured out his identity, and his martial prowess isn't that concerning. His brain is the problem, but I have a track record of thwarting all his plans.
But the True Dragon is different.
Just how much power does he possess?
He was called the most deified spirit beast, so he must possess a level of power I can't even imagine.
Perhaps even more than that Evil God, Tai Sui.
Or even more than the Heavenly Fox I saw last time.
“That is why I told you to seek out Chodo. As my father's child who wields the same power of Wood as you, she will be able to help with your training.”
Right.
For now, let's just do what I can.
I'm going to find Chodo because I need to cultivate my power further anyway.
Who is Chodo? Isn't she known as the youngest of the Nine Sons of the Dragon?
I feel bad for Gongbok, but unlike him, she might be a child who received plenty of her father's love.
She might know the extent of her father's power, or what his weaknesses are.
Wait, but will Chodo willingly teach me things?
“Gegegek.”
“Do not worry. She would grant your request just by seeing my token, and though I am within an object, is my consciousness not still here?”
Right?
I was worried for nothing.
“It is a bit much for me to say, but she is a cute little thing who is crazy about her older brother.”
So Chodo is a female.
Still, what does gender matter?
The important thing is that I can receive her teachings.
“What is with that expression? Surely you are not thinking of my younger sister…?”
I have standards, you know.
“Gerorororong.”
A turtle with a weird plant on its back isn't my type.
“Y-You bastard! Such a vulgar cry!”
Huh?