Chapter 58: You Have Such a Kind Face
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: You Have Such a Kind Face
“Ssk!”
I pondered deeply as I headed to the location Swish-Swish was guiding me to.
How did the four Tang Clan sisters figure out my… affair? No, my actions.
If Baek Yeon-yeong knew, I could understand. She’s a monster who can catch a hydra with her bare hands, so I can accept that she’s capable of anything.
But I couldn’t for the life of me understand why the four Tang sisters, led by Tang Soyeong, were acting as if they knew what I was up to.
If I had to guess, it would be because of the Gaegaek Faith.
The believers could sense my thoughts to some extent. Tang Soyeong vaguely, and the spiders quite accurately.
On top of that, the amount of divinity I'd accumulated recently had increased by an absurd amount.
I don't know why, but whenever I did something with Baek Yeon-yeong, Tang Soyeong would look at me with eyes full of respect. The spiders would follow her lead.
I remember it rising sharply, especially when I was playing around, biting Baek Yeon-yeong's fingers or chewing on her hair.
Baek Yeon-yeong may be a master, but the increase was so large it made me wonder, Is she that amazing?
The believers can read my thoughts because of the Gaegaek Faith.
And recently, my divinity has increased tremendously.
Therefore, the believers can now perceive my actions and thoughts more clearly.
This was my hypothesis, but it had one fatal flaw.
That flaw was Nephila Jurassica.
This one isn't my believer.
But she was subtly tagging along, and she had the largest share of the messages delivered by the status window.
What's more, she had a suspicious title hidden by question marks in front of her name.
Did she infiltrate my faith without me knowing?
If I were Hwanung, then Nephila Jurassica would be Ungnyeo. [A Korean creation myth reference.]
…No way, right?
It was my own thought, but it was too much of a leap.
Even with the title ‘Beloved by the Spider’...
So…
Is that how it is?
Was that it?
Am I a married man?
“Gek-ge-gek!”
No.
At least after she became an Arachne…
No, what am I thinking again?
I shook my head.
I need to fill my stomach, quickly.
I keep having these weird thoughts.
“Ssk!”
The python bobbed its head.
That must mean it's nearby.
I pushed aside my distracting thoughts and concealed my presence.
I crept forward silently.
“Kkigigigik.”
It was a type of cry that felt familiar now.
Judging from my experience so far, the owner of this cry was likely a feathered dinosaur.
The kind of creatures you'd feel a bit embarrassed to call dinosaurs.
They were disqualified dinosaurs that only lent credence to the Human-faced Bird's claims.
…Except for the Utahraptor. That one's an honorary dinosaur.
“Kkigigik…”
The cry wasn't very loud.
It would naturally be smaller than a Utahraptor, and possibly even smaller than a Deinonychus.
In other words, it was an opponent that posed no threat to me now.
I wonder what it is.
Let's get a look at its face.
【Oviraptor LV12】
【Oviraptor】
A dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period, with a body length of about 1.6m and a weight of 20-40kg.
It preys on small animals, but true to its nickname, the "Egg Thief," its most preferred food is the eggs of other animals.
An Oviraptor!
Seeing a familiar face made me feel strangely happy.
The Oviraptor was gulping down the eggs of another creature.
Poor things.
Eating them before they're even born.
The parents of those eggs will be sad.
…Wait, come to think of it, I was born from an egg too.
Egg or not, I must have had parents.
There were other eggs too, presumably my siblings.
What kind of beings were my parents?
When I hatched, I was born at a size nearly comparable to an adult.
Naturally, the egg that held me was also much larger than a gecko's egg.
Which means the one who laid me wasn't an ordinary gecko either…
Come to think of it, I haven't seen any other geckos in this world.
Considering evolution exists, my parents didn't necessarily have to be geckos.
…Could I have eaten them without realizing it?
I recalled all the reptile-like creatures I've eaten so far.
Fortunately, there were no lizards among them.
Phew.
So I haven't committed patricide, at least.
If I ever meet that Oviraptor I saw back then, maybe I can ask it about my parents.
First, let's catch this Oviraptor and then think.
“Hiee…”
The python whimpered in a small voice.
Its frightened behavior was puzzling.
Is it scared of that Oviraptor?
Seeing how confidently it guided me here, that doesn't seem to be the case.
…Wait, was the target the eggs, not the Oviraptor?
And the Oviraptor eating the eggs is an unexpectedly strong enemy?
Oh, my dear python.
You're much longer than that Oviraptor, why are you so scared?
And if we show ourselves now, it's the one that's going to be more surprised.
I set the python down for a moment and dashed toward the creature at high speed.
Tatadadat!
“Kkieeeeeek!”
The Oviraptor was startled by my sudden appearance.
It was so shocked that it leaped into the air, flapping its flightless wings.
Pabat!
I predicted its trajectory and leaped up powerfully.
“Kkigigigik!”
Flap, flap, flap!
The Oviraptor tried to resist in vain, but its neck was already in my mouth.
Crunch.
After biting down hard enough to crush its neck bones, I slammed it straight into the ground.
KWA-A-A-ANG!
“Kkireureuk…”
The Oviraptor's breathing stopped.
As expected, my level didn't go up.
It was easier than a Green Basilisk hunting a piranha.
The Ball Python slithered over to me.
It looked back and forth between the dead Oviraptor and me, then screamed in disbelief.
“Hieeeek!”
That look was all too familiar.
It was the same look Tus and Pus had when they first tasted diving beetles and piranhas.
I looked at the Oviraptor's corpse.
It wasn't a satisfying amount, but it was enough to take the edge off my hunger.
“Ssk!”
The python flicked its tongue.
Right. You must have been hungry too.
It's not much, but let's eat together.
*
【Gomodo LV9】
HP: 250/990
MP: 173/410
【Titles】
「Beloved by the Spider」
「Master of the Silver Dragon Cave」
「Master of the Swamp (Lower)」
My health had recovered to some extent.
It wasn't a satisfying amount yet, but it was enough to say the immediate crisis was over.
My MP was also high enough to use Reverse Scale once.
“Ssssk…”
Swish-Swish was rolling its now even chubbier belly back and forth.
Hey, you're a snake.
Why are you rolling around?
“Gek-gek.”
Hearing my cry, Swish-Swish corrected its posture.
It scurried over and stared at me with its big, bright eyes.
“Hiek!”
Right. You enjoyed your meal, didn't you?
Let me recommend something good to you.
It's called the Gaegaek Faith.
“Hiek?”
The snake just tilted its head.
To be honest, what I think of as a conversation is pretty much just my imagination.
Our entire communication consisted of reading each other's intentions through body language.
Suddenly trying to proselytize was impossible.
The only way was to make it worship me voluntarily, like Tus and Pus.
Hmm… How can I turn this chubby snake into a believer?
If I defeat a strong enemy, will it look at me with respect?
Its gaze is already respectful… but what's missing?
Ah, right.
A brilliant idea came to mind.
“Gek-gek.”
Swish-Swish. Watch closely.
“Hiek?”
The snake's round eyes were watching me intently.
Now, while it's focused!
Shhh-ch-ch-chang!
The appearance of my dragon scales changed.
I went from being a slightly large Komodo to a very small dragon.
Kids always go crazy for cool things.
…Of course, biologically, I'm probably younger than that snake.
“Hieeeeeeeek!”
Swish-Swish was so startled it almost played dead.
That reaction is pretty satisfying.
So, what do you think?
Doesn't it make you feel a faith you never knew you had?
[Would you like to recommend the Gaegaek Faith to 【Ball Python LV14】?]
Looks like its faith has been born.
But, hey, Status Window.
Since when do you ask things like this?
This didn't happen when Tus and Pus started believing.
Just do what you always do.
It's not like Swish-Swish is a special case.
[Are you sure you want to recommend the Gaegaek Faith?]
Why are you asking twice?
You should just handle this kind of thing automatically.
[【Ball Python LV14】 now worships you.]
That was fast!
Congratulations, Swish-Swish.
Believe it or not, you're now number four in the hierarchy.
[The 【Gaegaek Faith】 evolves from Gecko-level Faith to Monitor Lizard-level Faith.]
Huh?
Didn't that jump up too much at once?
I mean, it's good for me… but is there a reason for it to go up that much?
【Gaegaek Faith】
Monitor Lizard-level Faith.
A faith for those who serve the legendary spirit beast, Gomodo.
It is a faith that can develop into a religion if the number of believers increases. The members are very diverse, and their faith is strong.
Members
First Believer: 【Attercopus LV9】
Second Believer: 【Anthracomartus LV8】
Third Believer: 【Tang Soyeong】
Fourth Believer: 【Ball Python LV14】
[【Ball Python LV14】 reveres you.]
Good.
This faith had a hidden function.
The status window would occasionally bring me information like this.
It made communication a little easier.
[【Ball Python LV14】 is worried about you.]
Huh?
Worried about what?
I feel more secure now that you've joined.
You're a more amazing snake than I thought, huh?
Enough to raise the faith from Gecko-level to Monitor Lizard-level.
…Though I still don't know what the difference is.
[【Ball Python LV14】 thinks you are amazing.]
The amount of divinity definitely seems to have increased.
The frequency of messages from the status window has gone up a lot.
Look at that.
They're still coming in.
[You have accepted a believer of the Snake Queen.]
Huh?
[The Snake Queen is furious with you.]
What?
The Snake Queen?
Wait a minute.
Don't tell me this was the reason the message asking for confirmation appeared earlier?
Because this snake already believed in something else?
And that's why the Ball Python was worried about me?
[The Snake Queen wants to see you.]
So, you're saying I just stole a believer who served the Snake Queen?
And that's why the Snake Queen is angry?
And that's why the faith's rank shot up like that?
“Gek-ge-ge-ge-gek!”
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