Chapter 275: Tang Soyeong, Finally Touches the Scales
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 275: Tang Soyeong, Finally Touches the Scales
“So… while we deal with one of them, you’re going to hold off the other?”
That’s Baek Rang for you.
She understood the gist of what I said immediately.
This is why I have no choice but to trust her.
In case of an emergency, I’ve even entrusted Nephila and Baek Rang to lead the Gaegaek Cult if I’m not around.
Nephila was a priestess who knew my intentions without me having to speak, and Baek Rang was quicker on the uptake than anyone else in the Gaegaek Cult.
Is it because she looks like a wolf?
She feels like some kind of genius dog.
Of course, she’d get angry if I said that out loud.
“Absolutely not!”
Grrr.
Baek Rang bared her teeth and growled.
“How can you say that so easily? Did you think we’d just accept it and move on?”
The problem was that she understood me too well.
“You’re going to hold off a Profound Realm master by yourself? And you’ll do it until we defeat the other one? That’s… no different from putting your life on the line.”
I tried to brush it off lightly, but I guess that won’t work.
A Profound Realm master would be on a completely different level from anyone I’ve faced before.
I know there’s a vast difference even between the early and middle stages of the Transformation Realm.
The fight between Baek Seol-hwa and the Heugunbang Leader was proof of that.
The higher the realm, the wider the gap between stages.
If such a wall exists within the Transformation Realm, what kind of wall must there be between the Transformation and Profound Realms?
They’ll be strong beyond my wildest imagination.
Aside from my Master, I’ve never even seen a Profound Realm being, so I can’t even begin to guess their level of strength.
If they’re all as strong as Master, then there’s really nothing we can do.
“That’s right, Hero Go. No matter how strong you are, you’re facing a Profound Realm master. To put it simply, it might be like facing your own master.”
Even Soyeong looked at me with worried eyes.
“Kioong…”
“Kieng…”
Tus and Pus also lowered their heads, not knowing what to do.
It would be impossible for me to face Bixi or Qiongqi as I am now.
Setting aside my actual strength, in terms of realm alone, I’m merely at the early Peak Realm. How could I possibly hold off a Profound Realm master?
But it’s something I have to do.
Let’s say we miraculously manage to defeat them both safely.
What comes next?
With two Profound Realm masters defeated, Jin-ryong won’t be able to stand by any longer. It’s highly likely he’ll come himself.
Even if I can’t defeat Qiongqi or Bixi right now, I have to be strong enough to at least buy some time against them.
Only then will I have a chance of doing something against Jin-ryong.
Chodo’s green eyes stared intently at me.
“It’s impossible. Even if all of your followers gather, and even if we could miraculously defeat the enemy, the battle wouldn’t be over in an instant. It could turn into a fierce fight lasting for days.”
It’s impossible.
“What we have is numerical superiority. They are opponents we can only hope to defeat by leveraging that advantage. And yet you want to give that up and face one alone?”
But it’s something that must be done.
“If you die, my reason for cooperating disappears.”
Chodo also opposed this plan.
Then again, when she left her own territory to join me, she probably had no idea I was thinking of a plan like this.
“Why is everyone so worked up? What a fine sight this is.”
At that voice, Chodo’s eyebrow twitched.
I turned my head and saw Taotie.
There was one person who approved of this plan.
“A male, by nature, must prove himself.”
Taotie nodded as if she liked my plan.
“Taotie, you…!”
Rustle!
Rapidly growing plants tried to wrap around Taotie’s legs.
“So it’s only right that I, the one closest to a male, accompany him.”
But at her next words, the plants went limp.
It seemed like she was agreeing with me, but the reality was different.
Taotie also had no intention of letting me go alone.
“…Yes, perhaps it would be better if Taotie went with you.”
It was a plan with no supporters, opposed by everyone.
“So please, reconsider. It’s better for all of us to face the two of them together. Splitting our forces is something we must not do.”
I don’t know about the others, but it feels like Taotie would really follow me.
Then the other followers would be in danger.
“…It was the same last time. Why do you always try to handle everything by yourself?”
Baek Rang said, as if she couldn’t understand, or perhaps complaining.
“I don’t care about anything else, but I absolutely can’t watch you die.”
The wolves whimpered.
They, too, were against this plan.
“My sisters will be sad every day. They’ll cry because they miss you, refuse to eat. They’ll just stand outside in the snow. They’ll fall asleep longing for your touch. They’ll spend their days meaninglessly like that.”
She was trying to stop me by holding Ilang through Chillang-i hostage.
“With time, the memory will eventually fade. But then, if I suddenly think of you, I… I…”
A tear welled up in Baek Rang’s golden eye.
The hostage wasn’t her sisters, but herself.
“That’s right, Hero Go. You don’t have to do it alone.”
Why is everyone so damn nice?
“…Don’t go.”
Nephila also gripped my foreleg tightly.
With everyone opposing me like this, how could I possibly push my opinion?
I threw in the towel.
“…Hmph, if it were me, I was planning to follow you no matter what you did.”
“Hero Go. You’ve made a wise decision. If we utilize the Dragon Gate and the territory, fighting together will be more advantageous than splitting up.”
When I made a gesture of agreement, everyone’s faces brightened.
“Kiong!”
“Kieng!”
Tus and Pus also waved their arms and did a little dance.
“Chirp chirp chirp!”
Though she didn’t know what was going on, Chirpy was copying them too.
To think a single word, a single action from me could change things this much.
I looked at the brightened faces of my followers.
Now that the commotion was settled, it was time for a more productive discussion.
“Kegegegek!”
Kegegegek?
An old Compy with a furious face came running over, kekek-ing.
Bwoong.
Bwoong?
Clang!
“Geeeek!”
Hey, what’s with this old geezer now?
The discussion is over, why are you so late to the party!
*
Thanks to the time Chodo bought us, and because the enemies hadn’t identified me yet, we still had a little time left.
Everyone put their heads together to form a plan and prepare to face them.
The most important thing was to maintain our bodies in peak condition.
We had to eat our fill and get plenty of sleep.
This operation required each of us to perform beyond our usual capabilities.
Knock, knock.
A knock came from my room’s door.
“May I come in?”
“Gek.”
A groaning sound was heard, and the large wooden door slowly moved.
The door was made to fit my size, so it was bound to be a struggle for a human like Soyeong to open.
“Haa… I’ve never come in by myself, so I didn’t realize it was this heavy.”
Soyeong finally managed to enter, sweating profusely.
She was holding a pillow in one hand.
“Hero Go? Why did you ask for me?”
I did call for her, but not to sleep together. It seems she’s misunderstanding something.
“Huhu, I thought you’d call for Lady Wolf or the Spider Lady, but you called for me. This proves it, doesn’t it? That the one Hero Go truly cherishes most is me…!”
I stared silently at Soyeong as she spouted nonsense.
“…Gasp, is this for real?”
As if.
A lock of hair covering her ear swayed.
That’s not a tail, so how is it moving?
“Wait, could it be that the hypnosis from last time is finally taking effect? Huhuhu, if that’s the case…”
You think?
Soyeong’s nonsense has a strange charm to it; it makes me want to see just how far she’ll go.
“In that case, the reason you called me now is… hah, don’t tell me?”
I don’t know what she’s thinking, but Soyeong’s face turned slightly red.
“Eut… W-wait a moment… what I’m wearing right now is…”
She then lowered her head and slipped her fingers between her clothes to make some space.
“Black… With this, I guess it’s…”
I have no idea what she was checking, but I don’t even want to ask.
“Ahem, ahem! So, Hero Go. Why did you ask for a private meeting with me in the middle of the night?”
We were back to where we started.
The operation begins tomorrow, so wasting time is a luxury we can’t afford.
We have to eat and sleep well to perform at our best.
“Gekek.”
Calling Soyeong was an extension of that.
“Really?”
She was shocked when I told her why I called for her.
She tilted her head as if she’d misheard.
“Y-you want me to… touch your body… all over?”
She even asked again to confirm if she’d heard correctly.
Normally, I would have told her to stop talking nonsense, but unfortunately, that was exactly what I meant, so I had no choice but to nod.
“Hehe… hehehe…”
Soyeong’s expression turned strange.
Her hands started to go limp, a clear sign she was more than ready to start touching.
“Come here!”
She then leaped up and suddenly squeezed her eyes shut.
…Why is she doing that?
I stayed still, wondering what she was up to, and Soyeong squinted her eyes open.
Then she rubbed her wide forehead.
“…What, why aren’t you hitting me?”
Ah, it’s because I didn’t bonk her with my tail like I usually would.
Since I remained still, she crept toward me with a half-doubting expression.
Then her expression quickly changed to one full of mischief.
“Come heeeere!”
Finally, her hands touched my body.
Tang Soyeong began to fiddle with my scales with very impure movements.
“Hehe…”
She stuck her long tongue out and licked her lips…
“Geek.”
Hey, anyone who saw you would think you were a spirit beast too.
“Huhuhu, stay still!”
After touching my body endlessly, Soyeong lifted her head.
Anxiety was visible in her green eyes.
“…Hero Go, what are you thinking right now?”
Soyeong’s gaze wavered.
Geez, I told her to touch me as much as she wants.
She’s quick on the uptake.
Of course, there was a reason I called Soyeong at this hour.
I slowly opened my mouth and explained the reason to her.
“…No.”
Soyeong, who had been listening silently, had hands that began to tremble slightly.
“Out of everyone, why are you telling me this?”
It wasn’t Nephila, nor was it Baek Rang.
“I’ll get envied for this.”
This was a request I could only make to Soyeong.
“Really, I’ve never wanted to disobey your words this much before.”
I know full well that I’m placing a heavy burden on Soyeong.
But I had no other choice.
This was the only way to face Bixi and Qiongqi.
“…If you look at me with those eyes, I have no choice but to listen.”
And the Soyeong I’d come to know was someone who could grant my request better than anyone else.
The Flower of the Tang Clan, Tang Soyeong, placed her hands on my body once more.
Unlike before, when she touched me aimlessly, her touch now carried a clear purpose as it moved between my scales.
After touching my scales for a long while, tears welled up in Soyeong’s eyes.
Geez, it’s not like I’m dying.
She worries too much.
“Hero Go, when this is all over… there’s something I have to tell you…”
“Gegegegek!”
I hurriedly cut Soyeong off.
For some reason, I had a strong feeling that if I let her finish that sentence, I might actually die.
Phew, that was a close call.