Chapter 238: A Crazy Family
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238: A Crazy Family
What the Plumpness Pill created was nothing more than a momentary illusion.
While an ordinary person might accept it without sensing anything amiss, to me, with my Dragon Eye, it was little more than a phantom that held no sway.
Even before I had the Dragon Eye, I’d always felt that something was off.
How should I put it? It felt like a hollow rice puff—all looks, no substance.
Of course, it wasn't that there was no difference at all, but for someone expecting something grand, it was bound to be disappointing.
The same was true for Nephila.
I knew for a fact that what I was seeing was an illusion.
Yet, I didn't get that same strange feeling I had when I saw Chodo. Is it because Nephila's face is my type?
…If her hair were any longer, I might be completely wrapped around her finger.
Of course, since I was aware it was the Plumpness Pill, I wouldn't just start gerorong-ing uncontrollably.
“Gerorong.”
Huh?
I observed Nephila under the effect of the Plumpness Pill for a good while.
I didn't think much of it when I saw Chodo, but seeing Nephila like this felt… new.
Was it because the face and body I knew had changed?
My gaze kept getting drawn to her, strangely enough.
This wasn't just because of my personal preferences.
Even Baek Rang seemed surprised to see this marvelous artifact.
Fighting is one thing, but seeing Nephila's sudden explosive growth, you can't help but be impressed.
“Hmm… I think I can see why people are so obsessed with these lumps of fat… I kind of want to give them a good squeeze.”
“Gek!”
No!
It looked like Baek Rang was about to awaken to something new.
But she was still at the beginner stage, so it seemed she hadn't grasped its true nature.
You're not supposed to carelessly touch something created by the Plumpness Pill.
…Of course, you shouldn't carelessly touch them even if they weren't made by the pill.
“Wait, what would happen if I used it?”
My capable Baek Rang just said something outrageous.
I felt like I'd be gerorong-ing all day long.
If the already magnificent Baek Rang were to use the Plumpness Pill…
And what if it didn't stop there? What if powerhouses beyond the norm, like Baek Seol-hwa or the Heavenly Fox, used it?
Even knowing it was an illusion, my tail would be wagging.
Besides, their foundations were so magnificent to begin with, there wouldn't be any dissonance.
This lizard would die from a burst stomach…
Just as I was indulging in such happy fantasies.
“Yaaah! How could you betray me!”
It seemed Tang-something had endured the wolves' attack and escaped.
She came running over, then suddenly froze.
Her breath hitched as she saw Nephila's magnificent spinneret pouches.
“Th-this is the Plumpness Pill?”
At the same time, her eyes sparkled as she wriggled her hands in a strange way.
“A-amazing! Truly… the Plumpness Pill can be called the ultimate treasure! To think that the once-meager Spider Lady could become like this!”
At those words, Nephila tilted her head.
As if she understood her words, a vein bulged on her forehead again, before she stared intently at my face.
It must have meant she'd let it slide this one time, for my sake.
“If the Spider Lady can get these results, then I…?”
No, you're even more meager than Nephila.
Tang Soyeong was indulging in a futile delusion.
The corners of Nephila's mouth lifted slightly.
Her sudden smile was a little scary.
That was the face of someone who just had a good idea.
Fwaaat.
A streak of light suddenly appeared, and Nephila's magnificent spinneret pouches shrank back to their original size.
“Geeeeng…”
Even knowing it was an illusion, it was a sight I couldn't help but feel disappointed by.
In fact, the one who used the Plumpness Pill would know better than anyone.
That this was nothing more than a simple trick of the eye.
And that the Divine Beast of Gaegaek preferred their natural appearance over such things.
…Of course, I couldn't help my eyes from wandering, though.
“Here.”
Nephila held out the Plumpness Pill with one hand.
Not to me, but to Tang Soyeong.
“Huh? A-are you letting me have it?”
Soyeong wore a surprised expression.
“Kiooong…”
“Kieeeng…”
I didn't know why, but Tus and Pus were waiting behind Tang Soyeong.
Seeing how they were trying to get in front of each other, were they trying to form a line?
…What happens if they use that when they're not in human form?
Scary.
“This precious item… Alright. If you insist, I'll give it a try!”
Tang Soyeong puffed out her small chest.
“…But how do I use this?”
Nephila gave a brief explanation, and Tang Soyeong snapped her fingers as if she'd gotten the hang of it.
“Ohoho… Now all the preparations are complete.”
With those words, Tang Soyeong used the Plumpness Pill.
“Th-this is…!”
A pure white light enveloped Soyeong's chest, and a warm energy spread in all directions.
It was a completely different sight from what I'd seen before.
“It seems even the Plumpness Pill has recognized its rightful owner!”
Finally, the Plumpness Pill's effect was applied!
But nothing happened.
Huh?
What's going on?
There should at least be a visual trick.
“Kieeng…?”
“Kiooong…?”
Tus and Pus also tilted their heads.
Why hadn't anything changed?
“Ohoho. Can you see it? My tremendous growth?”
As if unaware of the reality, Soyeong proudly stuck out her meager chest.
Actually, it would be more accurate to say she was sticking out her stomach.
“Gekgek.”
No matter how I looked, nothing had changed.
“Hey, look closely. They got a little bigger, didn't they?”
Bigger?
Squinting my eyes, I guess they might have, slightly.
No, in Chodo's and Nephila's cases, they showed a literally astonishing change.
Why is she like this?
“Wh-why are you all looking at me like that?”
The spiders, the wolves, the Bicorns.
They all stared at her with pitying eyes.
“Hmm…”
“A lost cause…”
“…Niche taste. A niche taste.”
Even the Bicorns shook their heads.
“My Looord! Polygamyyyy! There's clearly a demaaand!”
One Bicorn was shouting something at the others, but it didn't seem to be the majority opinion.
“Aha, I get it now. You're all so jealous you're speechless, right? Same for you, Hero Go. If you quietly let me touch your tail, I might even permit you to hug me, you know?”
What are you talking about?
Why would I hug you?
I barely have enough time to sleep while hugging everyone from Chillang-i to Ilang-i.
“…Just keep it.”
Even Nephila ended up lending the gift she received from me to Tang Soyeong.
Just how pitiful must she have looked?
“Why is everyone looking at me like that…? Can't you see how magnificent these are?”
Something definitely appeared, but since I'd seen Chodo's and Nephila's first, the change wasn't very noticeable.
It was so subtle that it would be hard to notice if you weren't family.
“Eeeek!”
After Tang Soyeong's "empty bread" commotion ended, Gomodo went out to hunt.
Since he had eaten nothing but grass while in Chodo's territory, he planned to have a grand feast for dinner tonight.
And now that Chirpy had joined them, he also had to take her around and show her the territory.
With time on her hands, Tang Soyeong decided to go get some vegetables to go with the meat.
Gomodo's abilities and the Bicorns had grown plenty of plants, but many of them were questionable for human consumption.
So it was easier for her to go find her own vegetables.
However, as the undisputed bottom-ranker in the Gaegaek Cult's combat hierarchy and a pathetic Second-Rate martial artist, Tang Soyeong couldn't go alone, so she was given an escort.
“Kiong.”
“Kieng.”
It was the Gaegaek Cult's Left and Right Guardians, Tus and Pus.
It wasn't that they were particularly worried about her; it was just obvious she would get lost if she went alone.
It was a love-hate relationship, and they figured if they didn't look after her, who would?
Besides, sticking by her side usually resulted in some good food.
The food made with human cooking methods suited Tus's and Pus's palates very well.
“I guess everyone's just jealous. I think they've grown two or three times bigger…”
“Kiongoong.”
Tus and Pus were good listeners to Tang Soyeong's complaints as they walked.
“By the way, you Spider Ladies have really grown a lot, haven't you?”
She said, staring intently at Pus's back.
“Kiong?”
Pus tilted her head and wagged her tail slightly.
It was a sign for her to spit it out if she had something to say.
“Would it be okay if I tried riding you?”
“Kiek!”
Pus lightly smacked her butt with her tail, as if to say, "Don't be ridiculous."
“Hiyak! Wh-where did you learn to do that…? No, wait, were you always like this?”
Pus enjoyed having her butt patted by the lizard, but she didn't mind doing the same to Soyeong in return.
Tang Soyeong was quite meager in the chest department, but her lower body was rather fleshy with wide hips.
That lizard also used to smack Soyeong's butt whenever he got the chance.
Of course, he ended up reducing the frequency because Pus would come running over afterward and stare at him with expectant eyes.
“Hehe. Still, you Spider Ladies are the best.”
“Kiong.”
Before she knew it, Tang Soyeong was riding on Pus's back.
They were now the size of Chillang-i, so they could easily carry someone as light as Tang Soyeong.
“Hmm, but it feels weird to keep calling you Spider Lady, right? Big Spider Lady, Small Spider Lady, Smaller Spider Lady. It feels so impersonal, you know?”
“Kieng?”
“Kiong?”
Both Tus and Pus looked at Tang Soyeong's face.
“Would it be okay if I gave you names? We've been together for a while now, and we sort of had a connection back at the Tang Clan, right?”
The spider sisters already had names.
Their species names were Attercopus and Anthracomartus, and the lizard had named them Tus and Pus by taking the last syllable of each.
Since he called them that, it was right that their names were Tus and Pus.
Their names were even attached to the new species they became after evolving.
Of course, Tang Soyeong, who could understand Gomodo's words but didn't know what he called them, had no way of knowing this.
“Since my surname is Tang… how about you Spider Ladies take the Tang surname too? You know… like sworn sisters.”
“Kiooooong?”
“Kieeeeeeng?”
At the words "sworn sisters," Tus and Pus paused for a moment.
Tus and Pus were sworn sisters, not related by blood.
And Nephila, whom they served as an older sister, could also be called a sworn sister.
They weren't particularly fond of the idea, but what about Tang Soyeong, who had been with them from the beginning?
Tus and Pus were contemplating how far to extend the scope of their sisterhood.
Tang Soyeong took their reaction as a positive one and continued.
“The smaller Spider Lady has a tail, so Tang Mi-yeong. The even smaller one has thick legs, so Tang Gak-yeong. How about it?”
“Kieeeek!”
“Kieeeeng!”
It was a truly disastrous naming sense, much like a certain lizard out hunting.
“Kyaaak! If you don't like it, use your words! Use your words!”
After that whole commotion, they gathered the vegetables for the meat, and just as she was about to return, this time riding on Tus's back instead of Pus's…
“Kiek…”
Pus, who was leading the way, suddenly lowered her stance and went on alert.
“Huh? What's wrong all of a sudden?”
“Kiooong…”
Tus also prepared to manifest her cold energy.
There was only one reason for them to be on guard.
An intruder had appeared.
Belatedly realizing the situation, Tang Soyeong also emitted killing intent.
One might wonder what kind of killing intent a Second-Rate martial artist could have, but she was a martial artist from the poison-wielding Tang Clan.
Even if she couldn't take a life, she could at least prepare to spray a poison that only made hair fall out.
In that tense situation, a man's voice rang out.
“W-wait!”
It was a somewhat familiar voice.
“…Spider Ladies. Hold on, that voice sounds familiar.”
The face that emerged from the bushes was a familiar one.
And for good reason—it was the eldest son of the Tang Clan.
The young lord of the Tang Clan, Tang Muyeong, had appeared.
Though he was covered in dirt, as if he'd been rolling around somewhere.
“Brother?”
“Soyeong…!”
After tumbling and rolling through the 100,000 Great Mountains, Tang Muyeong had finally found Tang Soyeong.
Just as he was about to approach her with tears of emotion in his eyes, something strange caught his attention.
It was the fact that Tang Soyeong's chest had gotten slightly heavier.
“…Something's a little strange.”
It was a minuscule difference, but one that a family member who had seen her for years would notice.
The reason that lizard hadn't noticed the difference was that he spent so much time with such… large beings that he mentally rounded anything below a certain size down to zero.
In other words, Tang Muyeong could clearly tell the difference.
“My little sister couldn't possibly have something like that.”
Shwing!
Tang Muyeong drew a hidden weapon from his robes.
“Who are you.”