Chapter 44: "Unrequited Love," "Affection," "Adoration," "Longing," "Single-minded Devotion," "Reproductive Urge," "Possessiveness," "Appetite"
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: "Unrequited Love," "Affection," "Adoration," "Longing," "Single-minded Devotion," "Reproductive Urge," "Possessiveness," "Appetite"
Alright.
There were more than a few things to go over.
First, the current situation where the Allosaurus was surprised.
First the raptor was surprised, then the Iguanodon, and now the Allosaurus.
Unlike before, the system didn't specify which action had earned me the achievement, but I could guess.
It was because I had defeated the Dilophosaurus.
But the Allosaurus was surprised just because I took down a Dilopho?
That seemed a bit ambiguous.
If that was the case, it must have been looking at the process, not the result.
It was reasonable to assume I’d achieved it because I used the Nine Yin White Bone Claw and the Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World technique.
The details didn't matter much, so I decided to skip that and focus on the reward.
The reward was a hidden option.
Namely, the Gomodo.
I thought it only existed in Tang Soyeong's delusions, but it seemed to be real after all.
As she said, it was highly likely to be an incredibly rare creature.
The conditions for evolution were using Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World, the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, and consuming a high-grade inner core.
The conditions were ridiculously strict.
What kind of lizard in the world would go around using martial arts like that?
Besides, even I hadn't mastered those techniques; I was only able to temporarily replicate them.
With such insane conditions, the Gomodo's performance couldn't possibly be bad.
Let's take a look.
【Gomodo (古氂屠)】
Old Death with a Tail.
A spirit beast that appears in legends.
It's short!
Way too short!
I mean, the gecko's description was longer than this.
Shouldn't it at least tell me the length and weight?
Calm down.
Let's try to interpret the Hanja characters.
古 (Go) for 'old', then that's probably 氂 (Mo) for 'tail'. The last one... is probably 屠 (Do) for 'death'.
What a grandiose name.
Is it specialized in its tail?
My tail is one of my main weapons.
Its power is lower than the Dragon's Claws, so I use it less often now, but it's still a decent weapon. For one, it has a longer reach than the Dragon's Claws.
It shouldn't be bad.
And according to what Tang Soyeong always said, this Gomodo species must have an incredibly potent poison. She said it was so strong it couldn't even be compared to a Jinjo's.
I didn't know how big it would be, but it wouldn't be smaller than I am now.
The safe Komodo dragon?
Or the Gomodo, which carried risks but had higher potential?
It was a dilemma for the ages.
No, but still, it's a hidden option.
It can't be worse than a Komodo, can it?
Gomodo.
Alright.
I'll take a leap of faith.
I was also curious to see what this Gomodo that Tang Soyeong sang such praises of looked like.
[Are you sure you want to evolve into a Gomodo?]
Why are you asking and making me nervous?
When have you ever asked something like this before?
Yes.
Crack. Crunch.
This was already the third time, but it was a sensation I couldn't get used to.
This strange feeling of my body being reconstructed.
I could feel my bones growing.
Yes.
My body would definitely be bigger than before.
Riiip. Tear.
Muscles were forming.
Almost excessively so.
I could feel the sleek body of the Crocodile Monitor changing.
My weight would also increase significantly.
Shhhk!
Finally, scales covered my body.
Dark teal scales, much harder than before.
CRACK!
I broke the egg that enveloped me.
[Congratulations! 【Crocodile Monitor】 has evolved into 【Gomodo】.]
【Gomodo LV1】
HP: 854/854
MP: 350/350
【Titles】
「Beloved by the Spider」
「Master of the Silver Dragon Cave」
「Master of the Swamp (Lower)」
The change was immense.
It was an even bigger change than when I evolved into a Crocodile Monitor.
Putting aside the huge increase in HP and MP, the widening of my field of vision was significant.
It meant I had definitely gotten bigger.
And with my increased size came hunger.
I quickly shoved the broken eggshells into my mouth and tore into the Dilopho meat next to me.
Crunch.
Chomp.
Perhaps because I was bigger, it didn't take long to eat the Dilopho meat.
It wasn't satisfying, but at least I filled my stomach.
Right now, there was something more important to me than this level of hunger.
Checking the messages that were continuously ringing in my head.
[You have acquired 「Poison Generation LV1」.]
[You have acquired 「Poison Gathering LV1」.]
[You have acquired 「Reverse Scale LV1」.]
These were some unusual skills, clamoring for my attention.
Alright. I'll take a look at you now.
【Skills】
「Dragon's Claws」「Little Dragon's Sky-Ascending Steps」「Small Heavenly Cycle」「All-Poison Immunity」「Baekran Mental Cultivation Method」「Gecko Wall-Walking Art」
「Dragon Scales LV5」「Reverse Scale LV1」「Poison Generation LV1」「Poison Gathering LV1」…….
I've listed only the martial arts I already had and the skills I just obtained.
「Poison Generation LV1」
Generates poison in the air.
The more MP consumed, the greater the quantity and quality of the poison.
MP Cost: 10
「Poison Gathering LV1」
Gathers poison in one place.
The gathered poison can be injected into objects.
The more MP consumed, the greater the amount of poison that can be gathered.
MP Cost: 10
If Venomous Fangs was a beginner skill, these would be for an adept.
If I used these two skills well, I might be able to perform a variety of attacks like the Dilophosaurus—creating a poison mist, shooting a Sky-Filling Flower Rain... Of course, that would be impossible for me now with my low proficiency.
These are excellent skills.
Now, let's look at the remaining skill.
「Dragon Scales LV5」
The body is covered in dragon scales.
Their form can be transformed.
The name alone sounds cool.
And it can transform its shape?
Cool thing + cool thing = even cooler thing.
Let's try it right now.
Since there's no MP cost listed, I can assume it's a passive skill. That means these scales covering me are the Dragon Scales.
I did get this skill before evolving, but does that mean I had dragon scales back then too, not Crocodile Monitor scales?
First, I needed to check my appearance.
I moved to a spot with relatively clear water.
Reflected on the water's surface was a rather formidable, giant lizard.
I'd gotten much bigger.
I didn't know my exact length, but my build was comparable to a tiger I'd seen at the zoo.
A very muscular one, at that.
My appearance didn't seem much different from a regular Komodo.
The only differences were the muscles packed all over my body and the hard scales.
It's a pretty satisfying change.
But it wasn't over yet.
"Their form can be transformed."
That was the skill description for Dragon Scales.
How do I do it?
Let's focus.
Into a sharper form.
Shhhk!
The shape of my scales began to change.
Soon, I couldn't help but be astonished by my reflection in the water.
Before, I was just a slightly large Komodo, but now my appearance resembled a Western-style dragon.
It reminded me of a dragon with a black body, red eyes, and for some reason, a level of 7.
The only differences were that I had no wings and my eyes were blue.
I was a Blue-Eyed Black Dragon.
So, to sum up my appearance in one phrase:
Fucking awesome.
In this state, even a simple body slam would be a threatening attack.
However, I could instinctively feel that the durability of the scales had decreased slightly.
The structure itself seemed specialized for offense rather than defense.
That's it for Dragon Scales.
Now for the long-awaited highlight.
Reverse Scale.
The scale on a dragon's neck that grows backward.
As the saying "to touch the reverse scale" implies, it's known as a dragon's weak spot.
Giving me a weak spot just because I evolved?
No way.
Reverse Scale must also be an excellent skill.
Maybe it's a technique that lets me unleash a powerful attack in exchange for falling into a state of confusion.
Let's check.
「Reverse Scale LV1」
Replicates skills or martial arts that have not been mastered.
MP cost is proportional to the difficulty of the skill or martial art being replicated.
It was a completely unexpected skill.
Doesn't this mean I can use Uprooting Heavens and Overpowering the World or the Nine Yin White Bone Claw again?
It was an incredibly useful skill.
Of course, the MP cost would probably be enormous, but I should be able to use it at least once.
The gains are pretty sweet.
The difference between me now and me ten minutes ago is like heaven and earth.
Even ten Crocodile Monitors ganging up on me couldn't defeat me now.
Is it okay for me to get this strong?
Gomodo is amazing!
Once you get a taste of a lizard like this, you might never be able to go back to being a Komodo.
I've gotten incredibly strong and incredibly cool.
It's time for a man's instincts to kick in.
This is the time to show off.
When else will I get the chance?
I trotted elegantly on my four feet.
Like a long-legged dog walking primly in a dog show.
“Gek gek!”
Hey, guys.
Look at this.
Tus and Pus, along with Nephila Jurassica and Tang Soyeong, all looked at me at the same time.
Are they mesmerized by my beautiful form?
Everyone stared blankly, speechless.
“S-Sir Gomodo….”
Tang Soyeong stammered, her eyes wide like a startled rabbit's.
“Ki… kieeek….”
You guys don't have to stutter too.
Tang Soyeong stood up.
Yeah. She must be very surprised.
“Gek gek gek.”
Even I think it's amazing.
Keep looking all you want.
Just as I was showing off my magnificent scales...
“...I greet the Divine Beast.”
Tang Soyeong suddenly bowed to me.
This is baffling.
After finishing her bow, she stood up, closed her eyes, and lowered her head respectfully.
Right.
Well, she did say the Tang Clan reveres the Gomodo, so I guess this could happen.
[Tang Soyeong worships you.]
Huh?
[【Tang Soyeong】's faith has increased.]
[【Anthracomartus】's faith has increased.]
[【Attercopus】's faith has increased.]
Huh?
[The number of followers who worship you has become three.]
[Your divinity has increased slightly.]
[The possibility of a new religion has been discovered!]
What is this?
I just wanted to show off my fucking awesome scales.
【Tang Soyeong】
【Status】
「Worship」「Joy」
I could see Tang Soyeong's information.
Normally, I couldn't see anything for humans.
Even if they were weaker than me, the message would just say 'Target cannot be appraised'.
Can I see it because she worships me?
Not bad.
Let's check the others too.
Something might have changed.
【Attercopus LV9】
【Status】
「Worship」「Unrequited Love」「Wary」
【Anthracomartus LV8】
【Status】
「Worship」「Unrequited Love」「Jealousy」
What the hell is wrong with you two?
You're starting to scare me.
【Nephila Jurassica LV30】
【Status】
「Injured」「Unrequited Love」「Affection」「Adoration」「Longing」「Single-minded Devotion」「Reproductive Urge」「Possessiveness」「Appetite」
…I think something is going very wrong.