Chapter 224: Hollow Bread
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 224: Hollow Bread
It feels a bit wrong to say this about someone else's precious little sister, but this is just not it.
How does that look like a cute little sister in any way?
The word "cute" is meant for the likes of Tus or Pus.
And Swish-Swish and Chillang-i, too.
"Hmm...? The energy I feel is indeed Chodo's... but she seems a little different from when I last saw her."
Right.
There's no way he could look at this and call it cute.
"Still, the cuteness itself is the same, so it must be Chodo!"
This is cute?
If you ask me, one hug from that thing would ignore all type advantages and turn you into Gong/Bok [a pun on Gongbok's name, meaning 'empty stomach'].
"Grrrrrr..."
Chodo stared intently at me and the Fox Marble.
Having experienced countless battlefields, I could instinctively tell what it was thinking.
This was the attitude one took toward an intruder.
A rather powerful spirit beast had appeared in its territory, so it was only natural for it to be on guard.
But being on guard was just that.
I had a reliable ally.
"Gek!"
Who am I?
Am I not the lizard acknowledged by Gongbok himself?
What's she going to do when her own brother has given his approval?
I took out a single scale from my pouch.
It was the token Gongbok had given me before he died.
He said that if I showed this to Chodo, she would cooperate.
I might not need it since I ended up inside the Fox Marble by chance, but I should use it while I can.
"Grrrrrr?"
Chodo stared at the token I presented.
It seemed to be quite effective, just as Gongbok had said.
"Huhu. How about that? Didn't I tell you she's a sucker for her older brother?"
I suppose I have to admit he was right to some extent.
Rustle.
Just then, several vines began to grow from Chodo's body.
Whoosh!
A vine, lashing out like a whip, snatched Gongbok's scale from my hand.
Then, it stared at the scale for a long time.
"She is reminiscing about her memories with her brother. What a cute child."
Indeed, it seemed their close relationship wasn't a lie.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to examine it so carefully.
Fling!
Suddenly, Chodo threw Gongbok's token to the ground.
"Grrrrrrrrr..."
She let out a low growl and glared at me.
"...Gek?"
I looked at the Fox Marble and made a sound.
You said this would work.
"Could it be..."
Could it be?
"She thinks her most beloved brother is dead...!"
Isn't this a bit too aggressive for that?
She didn't cherish the token; she threw it on the ground.
"Grrrrrrrrr!"
One thing was certain: that thing named Chodo was dead set on fighting me.
"Gek gek."
Do something. This isn't what you promised.
"I did not anticipate this situation, but do not worry. My consciousness remains, so I should be able to clear up this misunderstanding."
Fwoosh!
The Fox Marble flew into the air.
"Chodo! Your brother is here!"
Wooooong!
Gongbok flew toward Chodo with fierce momentum.
And Chodo's vines swung as if swatting a fly.
Whoosh!
Thwaaang!
I leaped into the air at the last second and blocked the vine-whip.
I wouldn't care if Gongbok got hit, but the Fox Marble would be damaged.
"Wh-what is this?" Gongbok cried out in a panicked voice.
"Guwooooooar!"
Chodo roared with furious intensity.
"Could it be... because my voice has changed? If so... that could be it."
Fortunately for Gongbok, he still had an excuse.
But thinking with the cold, rational brain of a lizard, it seemed Gongbok was gravely mistaken.
Did she cooperate when I showed her the token?
No.
Did she listen when Gongbok himself tried to explain?
No.
She must at least know that Gongbok and I have some sort of relationship.
For her to react like this means...
Chodo doesn't like Gongbok all that much.
"Gegegegek!"
"That cannot be!"
Gongbok desperately denied it.
"The voice! It's because my voice is strange!"
There's a point to that.
About as much of a point as Soyeong's poison pouch.
Which is to say, practically none.
"Grrrrrr..."
Chodo glared at me and Gongbok with a furious expression.
It was clear that words weren't going to work.
There was only one thing I could do.
Knock her down first, then try to talk.
She might be enraged now, but a few good hits might naturally calm her down.
"...Are you truly thinking of fighting her?"
What other choice is there?
"No! You mustn't!"
...Is he still trying to protect his sister?
That thought just makes me even more annoyed.
I don't know what their story is, but Gongbok seems to care for Chodo immensely.
And she just took the Plumpness Pill and now acts like this toward her brother?
"By what means do you think you can defeat Chodo!"
Right, I should show mercy in my... huh?
"Gek?"
What did you just say?
"Even if you were to fight me again, your chances of victory would be slim... How could you possibly defeat Chodo, who is stronger than I am!"
Chodo is stronger than you?
But she's the youngest.
"...Ahem, I was trapped by my Heart Demon for all that time, so of course the version of me you fought was weaker."
Though it sounded like the pathetic excuse of a loser, Gongbok's words held some truth.
If he had fought at full power from the start, he would have defeated me before I could even manifest my Sword Flux.
Besides, he didn't die from my single slash; he deliberately threw himself onto my claws, choosing his own death.
Of course, I did gain a ton of levels from defeating him.
My current level is exactly 30.
Considering how much harder it gets to level up with each evolution, this was a massive achievement.
But even as I am now, I couldn't guarantee victory if I fought a full-powered Gongbok again.
And he's saying Chodo is even stronger than that?
【Chodo LV100】
The level I could see for Chodo was 100.
It was a high number, but not an overwhelming one.
The Red Dragon and the Snake Queen had higher levels, and in Gongbok's case, I couldn't even see his level at all.
In terms of level alone, the Iron Head Dragon before the Fox Marble was removed was higher.
Of course, a high level doesn't automatically mean someone is stronger.
Still, the fact that I could see her level meant she was an opponent I had a decent chance against.
Fwip-fwip-fwip!
Fortunately, she seemed to be waiting while I was talking with Gongbok.
Was this her final act of mercy for her brother?
"Guwoooar!"
Chodo roared as if to ask if I was ready now.
[Using 「Reverse Scale LV5」.]
I answered with the roar of a valiant lizard.
[Temporarily acquiring 「Lion's Roar」.]
Kwwaaaaaaaaaaaaak!
A deafening boom, powerful enough to shatter the earth, slammed into Chodo's massive body.
"Lion's Roar!"
Gongbok exclaimed in admiration as he floated in the air.
For him to react like that even though I attacked his sister, she must be incredibly strong.
Fwoooosh!
Countless plants immediately began to grow.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
A wave of innumerable roots and vines surged toward me.
Each root was a massive tree, about half my size.
Hundreds of these gigantic roots moved in unison, creating a destructive torrent that was far too powerful to be called the power of Wood.
Kwagagagagagak!
This must be the power of Wood that Chodo wields.
Any ordinary enemy would be swept away by this attack without even a chance to scream.
But I'm no ordinary enemy, and I can wield the power of the Dragon Gate to some extent.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
I focused my mind.
I drew upon the power of the Dragon Gate latent somewhere in my dantian.
Creeak!
The wave of roots rushing toward me faltered.
I knew instinctively.
The Dragon Gate power I wielded and the Dragon Gate power Chodo wielded.
The two were fighting against each other.
Chodo's power was Wood itself.
Having possessed the power of the Dragon Gate for hundreds of years, her will could be called the will of Wood.
In contrast, I haven't wielded the Dragon Gate for very long.
But my power isn't just Wood.
The Hwari, Snow Ginseng, and poisonous energy inherent in my Dragon Blood.
The power of all sorts of elixirs and inner cores responded to the Dragon Gate.
Fwoosh!
Crack-crack!
Perhaps my power could be described as a hodgepodge.
But a hodgepodge isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Kwagagagagagak!
At a glance, it looked like an even match.
But since I was overwhelmingly outmatched in terms of total power, it was obvious I would lose over time.
Hiss...
I took a deep breath.
My technique, which I could now use even without Reverse Scale.
Gekgek Death Beam.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing!
A blue beam shot toward Chodo's main body.
The Gekgek Death Beam was a high-temperature blue ray that incinerated enemies.
But this Gekgek Death Beam was different from usual.
It was mixed with all the miscellaneous powers I had drawn upon to counter the power of Wood.
Fwoooooooosh!
A death ray, mixed with so many powers that even I couldn't tell what was in it, set Chodo's massive body ablaze.
Whoosh!
Craaack!
"Amazing... no, cowardly...?"
Gongbok couldn't make up his mind.
Cowardly?
I've only had the Dragon Gate for a few months. Did he really expect me to face that monster head-on?
Thanks to Gongbok's reaction, I learned one thing.
The fact that he said that even after I landed a solid hit meant it wasn't a fatal wound.
I quickly retreated and prepared for a follow-up attack.
At close range, I'd likely get entangled in those plants and be unable to resist.
Hiss...
I was about to fire another Gekgek Death Beam.
Flash.
A bright light filled the sky.
A blue bolt of lightning fell toward me.
Kra-koooooom!
A destructive sound that tore through the air echoed across the land.
...Wait, why is a creature that wields the power of Wood using lightning?
Krackle!
Kra-koooooom!
It didn't end with one strike.
The lightning bolts kept striking wherever I moved.
The smell of burning filled the air, and all the surrounding plants were incinerated.
I did my best to dodge, but I wasn't as fast as lightning.
As a result, I kept taking direct hits.
Kra-koooooom!
...But wait, why am I fine?
Despite being struck by lightning multiple times, I was only slightly scorched.
Do I have some kind of lightning immunity?
Did I unknowingly gain the power of rubber?
I took that attack and I'm fine?
"Hehe... See? There's no way Chodo wouldn't recognize her own brother."
Gongbok muttered incomprehensibly as he floated beside me.
Wondering what he meant, I looked at Chodo.
"That is enough."
Like jade beads rolling on a silver tray.
It was an expression used to describe a beautiful woman's voice.
I never really understood the metaphor, but now I finally did.
Because I was hearing a voice that sounded just like rolling jade beads.
Did a voice like that come from that massive body?
"Guwoong..."
No, that wasn't it.
The giant beast was making animalistic sounds, warily watching someone.
The flower bud on Chodo's back began to bloom.
As the nameless red flower opened, shimmering golden pollen scattered in all directions.
When the pollen touched the burnt plants, they regained their original beauty as if nothing had happened. When it touched my scales, my scorched wounds began to heal.
As the giant beast lowered its head, the woman who had been in the flower bud descended with light steps.
She was a green-haired beauty dressed in white.
A lock of her hair covered one eye, and I found myself thinking it was a shame to hide such a beautiful face.
And her movements.
They were so fluid and natural, like a celestial maiden dancing.
I knew instinctively.
This was the true form of Chodo, one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon.
"How strange. Why do I smell something so nostalgic from you?"
Furthermore, the internal energy I felt from her was extraordinary.
It was an enormous pouch, perhaps not on the level of the Heavenly Fox, but at least comparable to Baek Seol-hwa.
But there was something strange.
Normally, upon seeing such profound internal energy, I should be sticking my tongue out and wagging my tail.
I hate to admit it, but my body is helpless against such things.
But it wasn't happening now.
I could clearly see that her power was immense and profound, but my heart wasn't moved.
How should I put it?
It felt like looking at Tang Soyeong.
A certain food came to mind.
A food that looked like a huge piece of bread, but when you took a bite, you found it was completely empty inside.
I remember how disappointed I was as a child.
Was that food called hollow bread?
...Why am I suddenly thinking of that?