Chapter 26: Cordyceps
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: Cordyceps
The moment I woke up, a swarm of bugs rushed toward me.
My mistake.
I should have made sure they were completely dead before coming in.
No, they're not that big of a threat.
They're just bugs, after all.
Centipedes, house centipedes, and millipedes.
I used to hunt them even when I was a Green Basilisk.
There's no way they can harm me now.
If anything, this is a good chance to get used to my newly evolved body.
Three centipedes swarmed me from the front.
It reminded me of the centipede I sent on its way earlier, but I pushed the stray thought aside.
Their sharp jaws aimed for me.
Thud!
But they couldn't pierce my armor.
CRACK!
I swung my Dragon's Claws with my left hand, smashing the three centipedes to a pulp.
"GRAWR!"
I'd taken three lives in an instant.
Even if they were just bugs, they had to know the difference in our strength.
By displaying my overwhelming performance and a majestic roar, I chipped away at the enemy's will.
I had seized the initiative.
They wouldn't dare rush me so easily now.
"Kieeeeeeek!"
Despite seeing their vanguard get crushed, they charged at me.
Like a mindless horde of zombies.
This wasn't going well.
No, but the fact that they couldn't hurt me remained unchanged.
BOOM!
I slammed a massive foreleg into the ground.
It was to intimidate them, even just a little.
But the effect far exceeded my expectations.
THWUMP!
The bugs on the ground were launched into the air as if they could fly.
Was I really that strong?
No, not that strong.
It was because these things were so light.
Abnormally so.
Not missing the opportunity, I moved quickly.
I took care of the two in front with my Dragon's Claws, then swung my long tail to sweep away the enemies in the rear.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Their bodies crumbled all at once.
Yes, they didn't burst—they crumbled.
Something was strange.
But for now, I had to focus on the enemies in front of me.
Now, a single giant millipede was charging at me.
Similar in size to the one that had attacked me before.
The march of armor was coming.
RUMBLE!
Before I evolved, even a glancing blow would have seriously injured me.
But not anymore.
CRASH!
I didn't dodge its charge, taking it head-on.
Screeeech.
I dug in my hind legs to withstand the headbutt. Then, without moving, I opened my mouth and bit down on its neck.
CRUNCH!
The millipede's armor crumbled as easily as an old wooden plank.
It left a dry, unpleasant taste in my mouth.
…Was that the last of the vanguard?
"Kieek!"
A centipede's jaws flew at me from the side.
CLANG!
The attack glanced off my armor harmlessly, but the creature's severed head kept snapping its jaws.
Something was off.
I was sure I'd smashed it to a pulp.
How was it moving?
It wasn't just the centipede.
All the creatures I had personally finished off with my Dragon's Claws began to move again.
There's something else going on here.
If I wasn't mistaken, there were white mushrooms attached to their bodies.
That must be their true form.
The bugs were already dead.
The mushrooms were controlling them.
...Cordyceps!
Focusing my vision, I could see thin white threads attached between the segments of their bodies.
"Grrrrr..."
I'd found the solution.
CRACK!
I sent a house centipede flying with a whip of my tail.
At the same time, I lunged at the millipede that was starting to move again.
SLAM!
My massive body collided with it, knocking it back down as it tried to get up.
STAB!
I plunged my Dragon's Claws into the area around its heart.
Even if this wasn't its main body, a blow like this should have stopped it.
It should have killed the Cordyceps inside as well.
But it didn't die.
Sssss.
The millipede got up again, perfectly fine.
And the flesh of the centipedes and house centipedes was regenerating.
Then, another swarm of bugs rushed in from the back of the cave.
I'd figured out there was a separate main body, but that didn't solve the problem.
CRASH!CRACK!
I even smashed their bodies until they turned to dust.
But they didn't die.
CHOMP!
I even tried swallowing one whole.
For the moment, it seemed dead.
But then a Cordyceps would pop out from somewhere and enter another host's body.
This fight would only end if I ate every single one of these bugs, or if I died.
...Actually, eating them all would be difficult too.
If the Cordyceps merged into a single final entity, I might end up being controlled by it instead.
This isn't easy.
Not easy at all.
And of all things, the stone door is closed, so I can't even run away.
…….
I thought about running away again.
No, I can't do that.
I lifted my head and faced the situation squarely.
The number of giant millipedes alone had grown to three.
Besides them, bugs continued to rush me relentlessly.
This is dangerous.
But I wasn't scared.
Because I've seen Baek Yeon-yeong.
Compared to her intimidating presence, these things are almost cute.
What would Baek Yeon-yeong have done?
Right, she would have done this.
I planted my foot on the ground.
BOOM!
My full weight was behind that single step.
Rumble...
My internal energy, which I couldn't exactly call profound, pressed down on the bugs.
I didn't know how to handle internal energy well, so this wouldn't have worked on a normal enemy.
But these things were already corpses.
I could certainly suppress the mushrooms controlling them.
The bugs didn't dare to move.
Of course, I couldn't move in this state either.
But that was fine.
Because now, I could see with even greater focus.
As everything came to a standstill, a familiar shape appeared in my vision.
【Entropezaite LV7】
【Status】
「Suppressed」「Host」
【Entropezaite】
The oldest parasitic mushroom.
It possesses the ability to scatter its spores far and wide to control the bodies of the dead.
So you're the main body.
I immediately kicked off the ground and charged at it.
The moment I moved, the energy suppressing them vanished.
Countless bugs rushed me.
They tried to stop me at all costs to protect their main body.
Some bit my tail, while others blocked the path between me and the main body.
"Grrr..."
Krrrrk.
I channeled internal energy into my claws.
Focusing all my strength, I swung hard.
SLASH!
My sharp claws sliced through the bugs blocking my way in a single motion.
My strike, imbued with internal energy, didn't stop there.
KRRRRRRRRUNCH!
It ground the Entropezaite, along with the rock wall it was on, to dust.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The bugs that had been trying so desperately to stop me all ceased moving at once and fell to the ground.
Phew.
Taking out the main body cleaned everything up in one go.
That was a tricky opponent.
[Your level has increased.]
After all that trouble, I only went up one level?
No, it's common sense that leveling up gets harder the more you evolve.
As a Crocodile Monitor, I should understand that.
"Gekek... Keong-keong!"
My old cry keeps slipping out. This is going to ruin my majestic presence.
First, let's eat.
I took a bite of the large Cordyceps.
Chomp.
Not bad.
It's a little bitter, but the taste is similar to a king oyster mushroom.
If I grilled this and ate it with some meat, I'd have no other wishes.
Drip. Drip.
Tsk, I'm drooling.
But isn't it supposed to give me something?
Shouldn't Cordyceps be treated as a kind of elixir?
Ting.
That's more like it.
[The level of 「Gourmet LV2」 has increased.]
Huh?
What the heck, I thought it was going to give me something.
It's just leveling up because I ate something tasty.
Then again, it's not like elixirs are easy to come by.
I should be satisfied with stealing that little bit of inner core.
But since it tastes good, I'll let it slide.
Munch.
After finishing my meal, I got up to explore in earnest.
Walking on two legs is definitely more comfortable than four.
This place was sealed.
Seeing the talismans and straw dolls, I could tell something shamanistic was involved.
Was it because of that Cordyceps?
Because it revived dead bodies with some unknown power?
Then again, that makes sense for martial artists.
Anyone who wasn't a brilliant lizard like me would have panicked.
...But isn't this a bit of an overreaction?
That mushroom was big, but it would still be small compared to a human.
At best, it seemed like controlling a millipede was its limit.
Could there be something more?
Drip.
Just then, I heard the sound of a drop of water.
A single drop.
But the sound was so out of place that I could immediately pinpoint its source.
It was from what could be considered the center of this small cave.
I opened my eyes wide and looked closely.
There was a stone structure that looked like a small altar.
It was covered in Chinese characters I couldn't read.
And on top of it was a small bowl.
The gourd-shaped bowl contained a few drops of a milky liquid.
A cave. A milky liquid. A small amount. Could it be...
[Gongcheongseokyu (Black)]
It's Gongcheongseokyu!
Oh my god.
The legendary elixir said to be on par with the Ten-Thousand-Year Fo-ti and the Golden Phoenix Branch.
The elixir that could turn even an ordinary person into an absolute master!
And unlike other elixirs, you didn't have to worry about your body exploding—a true gift from the heavens!
Is it because I've lived a good life? To think the day would come when I'd see such an elixir with my own eyes.
But what's with the "Black"?
It's milky, but also slightly blackish.
Sniff.
Tsk, it smells bad, too.
It kind of smells like oil.
Ah, well, the status window says it's Gongcheongseokyu. What could go wrong?
I'd better eat it quickly before someone else steals it.
Scuttle.
I quickly snatched the gourd bottle containing the Gongcheongseokyu.
An ordinary lizard wouldn't be able to drink this liquid from the gourd, like the fox in the fable.
But I, you see, am no ordinary lizard.
Let's give it a try.
Shlick.
After tilting the gourd as much as possible, I licked up the Gongcheongseokyu pooled at the bottom with my tongue.
Slurp.
This taste is...?
"Gueeeghk..."
It's just oil!
No, the status window wouldn't lie.
I felt the urge to spit it out immediately, but I had to endure.
Gulp.
I managed to force the liquid down my throat.
Phew...
Please.
Oh, status window.
I've been through so much.
Kicked out of the swamp, petted relentlessly by Baek Yeon-yeong, even learned martial arts.
...Have I not suffered enough?
Using the secret technique of the Crocodile Monitor—keeping my eyes narrowed to slits—I waited for the status window's message.
Ting.
[You have consumed a supreme elixir.]
【Gongcheongseokyu (Black)】
A liquid formed from the condensed energy of nature over countless years. The corpses of spirit beasts piled up and decomposed to create a single drop. Its effects are weaker than ordinary Gongcheongseokyu, but it is nonetheless worthy of being called a supreme elixir.
Effect: Drastically improves the performance of a random skill.
Random?
Random?!
Please.
Dear Status Window.
Help me out just this once