Chapter 228: Dragon Eye
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228: Dragon Eye
The lizard, finally at the Supreme Peak Realm.
I had achieved enlightenment, but the fact that it came from a lizard's contemplation of breasts was a bit... concerning. So much so that I'd hesitate to answer if my Master were to ask.
But enlightenment is often like that.
Sometimes it's noble, sometimes it's conventional, but occasionally, it can be completely random.
Wasn't there some evil martial artist who achieved enlightenment just before dying from being hit by a pig's trotter bone?
When you think about it, contemplating 'internal energy pouches' is quite dignified in comparison. Positively noble, even.
Besides, my contemplation of breasts wasn't entirely frivolous. Hadn't both the True Dragon and the previous Gomodo shared a similar taste?
Both were spirit beasts of unparalleled power.
If I was pursuing something we had in common, that was actually a good thing.
Of course, the chances of the True Dragon and the Gomodo reaching their realms through the exact same enlightenment were slim, but you never know.
The previous Gomodo, in particular, must have had similar thoughts time and time again.
Viewed that way, wasn't this a rather fine enlightenment?
I wouldn't go around spreading rumors about it, but if someone asked, I could pretend to hesitate for a moment before dropping a hint.
The lizard who was ashamed of this enlightenment was the lizard of a moment ago, a mere Peak Realm nobody.
The Peak Realm lizard who had not yet grasped the truth had just died.
Now, there was only Go-Hui, the lizard who had reached the Supreme Peak Realm.
So, what was the greatest feature of the Supreme Peak Realm?
It was the ability to finally wield Sword Mist.
Sword Mist.
It could be considered an intermediate stage between Sword Aura and Sword Flux, where thread-like strands of Sword Aura gather and take form like a mist.
Of course, I had used it at the Peak Realm, and even manifested Sword Flux, but that was only temporary.
And I could only do it while holding a sword.
But now, I could use it freely without one.
That is, by using my claws instead of a sword.
So, what should I call it?
Since it's claws... Claw Mist?
That sounds a little strange, too.
I'll think about that later.
Sword Mist might seem like an ambiguous power at first glance, but for me, who can wield the Power of Wood, it's a different story.
Before, the best I could do was form attacks shaped like hardened wood.
But now?
I had grasped the profound principles of Zhen and Xun.
In other words, thunder and wind!
Just one of those is a symbol of being ridiculously cool, and now I could wield both.
Moreover, there was a martial art I frequently used called the Eagle-Snake Life-Death Struggle.
It was an art where one hand mimicked the movements of a snake and the other, an eagle—a perfect fusion of offense and defense that I used often.
It was a technique that launched different attacks with the left and right hands. What would happen if I combined the principles of Zhen and Xun with it?
I could unleash the movements of a snake striking like a thunderbolt and the flapping of an eagle's wings summoning a storm.
Weren't those the very movements of the Snake Queen and the King of Birds?
And would my mouth just sit idle?
Hell no. I'd be firing a Gaegaek Death Beam.
My tail would swing like a sword, and my feet would perform the Dragon's Roar Stomp.
A combined attack of at least three spirit beasts.
In fact, I might even be able to execute a combined attack of six.
I hadn't actually fought yet, but I could instinctively feel it was possible.
Such was the Supreme Peak Realm.
And that wasn't the only thing I gained from achieving this realm.
My 'Eye of the Wild,' which was practically my companion, had finally evolved.
Even my Tail Cut skill had gotten the cool new name 'Fate Severing,' so it must have been dying to evolve as well.
The evolution of the Eye of the Wild was...
「Dragon Eye」
The eye of a dragon that pierces through all of creation.
It eliminates falsehood and allows you to see the truth.
Inherits the effects of Eye of the Wild.
Dragon Eye!
I'd gotten another skill with 'dragon' in its name.
With this, I should be able to see the level of opponents I couldn't before, like Chodo...
【Chodo LV???】
Still can't see it?
What the hell.
Her level is probably three digits at most, so why is it still hidden?
Still, when I focused my eyes, something blurred, as if telling me I'd be able to see it soon if I continued to train.
...But that aside.
Nothing has dramatically changed?
If it's going to have 'dragon' in its name, shouldn't it at least show me something new?
“Hero? Um... how much longer are you going to...”
Chodo mumbled, her face slightly flushed.
Right. I just remembered my hands were touching something incredibly soft.
No, wait.
I had only been reaching out in my mindscape; who would have thought my body would actually move?
And with the Power of Wood gathered in both hands, no less.
Of course, since she was one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon and also wielded the Power of Wood, it didn't seem to be harming her.
But how should I put this? It made my intentions feel a bit more... impure.
Touching her internal energy pouches with my full concentration.
That's how it could be perceived.
“Youuuu... you baaastard!”
Vroooom.
Gongbok was enraged.
It seemed that even with the fox marble, controlling a furious Gongbok was a bit difficult.
Or perhaps, he wasn't being controlled at all.
Smack!
But a vine appeared from somewhere and swatted the charging Gongbok.
“Kuaargh!”
Fwwwish!
It didn't stop there; the vines completely trapped Gongbok.
“Wh-why! Mmmph!”
They even gagged his mouth.
“Gek...”
The atmosphere was incredibly strange, so I quickly pulled my hands away.
“...So, how was it? Was it interesting enough to hold your attention for so long?”
Her voice sounded strangely pleased.
Considering she had taken a Plumpness Pill, she must have lacked confidence in her chest.
Her father and the first Gomodo were both obsessed with the 'bigger is better' philosophy, so she likely had an inferiority complex about her own meager assets.
That's why she told me, a Gomodo, to look at her chest, and she must be pleased that I was more engrossed than she'd expected.
I hate to break it to her, but I hadn't thought much of it from the start.
I'd only thought, So that's the effect of the Plumpness Pill.
But I was now an enlightened being.
Small and large, all were precious.
“Gerorororong.”
I shared with Chodo the precious passage of enlightenment I had obtained.
“To say such things... Hero, you... yes. He would have been the same, wouldn't he.”
She seemed to understand my 'gerorong' sounds quite well.
Right, since I've come this far, I should probably learn how to speak.
Since I'm a descendant of the Gomodo, it seems like it would be most effective to learn from one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon.
“It's a little embarrassing. To think I was so obsessed with this physical body.”
Chodo gave an awkward smile.
It seemed she acknowledged my enlightenment.
This was no ordinary enlightenment, after all.
It allowed one to let go of what they had and focus on more diverse possibilities.
To not rely on things like the Plumpness Pill and instead focus on one's natural...
As I shifted my gaze back to Chodo, I let out a 'gek' sound without realizing it.
“...Gek?”
What was this?
Were my eyes deceiving me?
“Is something wrong?”
Why was Chodo showing me her back?
Did she suddenly turn around...?
No?
Her face was clearly looking at me.
So why could I see her back?
...Could it be that it wasn't her back?
Right.
It would be strange for her to suddenly turn around.
“Hero?”
It was a difficult process for a lizard's brain, but I managed to reach one conclusion.
That wasn't her back. It was her front.
And the reason I thought it was her back was...
Because it looked like one!
What I saw reminded me of Tang Soyeong.
No, it was an insult to Soyeong to even make the comparison.
Tang Soyeong at least wears bandages.
And there seems to be a veeery slight bulge.
She has something, at least.
Even if it's extremely minimal.
But Chodo?
There was nothing.
Not minimal, but a complete void.
What in the world was this?
I may have said I don't discriminate between large and small, but if something is completely non-existent, that's a different story.
“...What is that expression for?”
Had the effect of the Plumpness Pill suddenly worn off?
No, when I touched her earlier, I definitely felt the unnatural texture of its effect.
And because my species' trait had locked my gaze on her, she wouldn't have had a chance to make it disappear.
Then why on earth was I seeing pouches smaller than Tang Soyeong's...
No, a back that couldn't even be called a pouch?
...Right. Dragon Eye.
The eye of a dragon that pierces through all of creation and erases falsehoods.
It had removed the lie created by the Plumpness Pill and pierced through to the truth.
By erasing the false effect, I could see Chodo's true form.
The massive assets had vanished without a trace, leaving only a barren wasteland.
The effectiveness of this Plumpness Pill was truly astonishing.
It created something from nothing; it wouldn't be strange to call it a divine artifact from the heavens.
I had wondered why a being like one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon had something like this in her nest, but it was clearly an item of great value.
However, it could not hide the truth from the eyes of a Gomodo that pierces through all of creation.
“N-no way!”
Chodo cried out in shock.
She covered her chest with both hands.
Not that there was anything to cover.
I could understand Chodo's position.
At that level, a Plumpness Pill was practically a necessity.
Compared to her, Nephila would instantly become a Heavenly Fox, and Tang Soyeong would look like Baek Seol-hwa.
“...You're being mean. To think you'd tease me like this after saying you wouldn't discriminate between small and large.”
Her face turned red as a beet.
Yet, she didn't seem to truly dislike it, which meant she must have liked what I'd said.
Her current embarrassment was over having deceived me with the Plumpness Pill—a form of sorcery.
“The Hero is someone who embraces all without being attached to size, yet I tried to deceive you with such an object. This girl cannot hide her shame. Therefore, I shall cast aside this object and...”
“Gek.”
Hold on.
I mean, I did say that, but...
There are always exceptions, you know?
There's a huge difference between 'small' and 'non-existent.'
Soyeong's level is one thing... but this is a bit much...
Of course, I'm not such a shameless lizard that I would voice these thoughts out loud.
“Gek gek.”
I just spoke in a moderately persuasive tone.
I told her it was fine not to get rid of the Plumpness Pill.
...Winter is coming, after all. It's probably better to stay warm.
But there was something I had overlooked.
My 'gek gek' sounds are interpreted differently depending on the listener.
And unfortunately for me, Chodo had understood the hidden meaning behind my words.
Kwarurururung!
Blue thunder struck my body without mercy.