Shedding and Scheming
'Once it digests everything it got this time... will that fellow be able to become a Yo-beast?' Jekyeong flicked his tongue unconsciously, recalling the sheer enthusiasm and anticipation Cheongo had shown before taking its share and departing.
Jekyeong had discovered a remarkable ability he had never known he possessed. That ability was none other than sleeping. The moment he cleared his mind and resolved to sleep, he drifted off for days on end. When he finally opened his eyes at Cheongo's call, Jekyeong was utterly astonished to realize he had been asleep for a full three days.
'And here I thought I knew everything there was to know about my own body.' It wasn't as if he were hibernating; could he really sleep like the dead just by willing it? How much longer would he have slept if Cheongo hadn't arrived? Lifting his head, feeling thoroughly refreshed, Jekyeong suddenly noticed that the heavy, bloated sensation in his stomach had eased significantly. It felt as though more than half of the Yo-beast meat packed inside him had already been digested.
'What is the meaning of this?' After a brief moment of bewilderment, Jekyeong quickly deduced the cause. Perhaps, during his three-day slumber, his bodily functions had entirely focused on digestion?
'If that's truly the case... does this mean I don't have to worry about overeating anymore?' It was a bit of a premature, happy worry, but it put Jekyeong in an excellent mood.
'And I don't even have to worry about being attacked while I sleep.' Though he had fallen into a deep slumber for three days, a single thread of his consciousness had remained awake the entire time. That was why he could wake up instantly at Cheongo's call, and why he realized three days had passed the moment he opened his eyes. Had anyone stepped into the cave while he slept, Jekyeong would have sensed the intruder immediately and awakened.
"Cheongo."
"Jekyeong! Look at this! Look at this! Isn't it magnificent?" As Jekyeong slithered to the cave entrance, Cheongo—whose body had grown noticeably larger—flapped its wings boastfully. With every flutter of its wings, which glowed with a subtle blue light, the radiance seemed to dance. It looked almost like a well-crafted special effect.
"It is magnificent."
"Right? Right?" Cheongo held its head high, preening proudly. Jekyeong gave a casual nod of agreement while examining the bird's condition. It had certainly changed a lot compared to a few days ago. Both its appearance and its aura had reached a level where it could no longer be considered a mere beast. Yet, despite such a significant transformation, it still couldn't be called a Yo-beast. It was still a little, just a tiny bit, lacking. Perhaps if he had given it one more hand of the monkey Yo-beast—no, even just a few more fingers—Cheongo might have successfully transitioned into a Yo-beast.
'Maybe I should have given it a bit more.' Jekyeong smacked his lips as he watched Cheongo continue to boast. Seeing how thrilled the bird was, he wondered if he should have been a bit more generous. After all, a single hand wasn't a loss he would have particularly missed.
'No, absolutely not.' Jekyeong steeled his softening heart. In his estimation, Cheongo's current state was perfect. A well-fed dog does not hunt; to keep utilizing Cheongo effectively, he had to keep the bird feeling slightly unsatisfied. Of course, Cheongo was intelligent and possessed a decent amount of ambition, so it wouldn't immediately harbor treacherous thoughts upon becoming a Yo-beast, but one could never be too sure. Thus, while Jekyeong had no intention of actively hindering Cheongo's growth, he had no plans to actively assist it either.
"You really don't have much further to go now."
"Yes! Not much left at all! I think just one more hunt will do it!" Cheongo showed more enthusiasm than ever before. The target of the hunt it spoke of was, of course, not an ordinary beast, but a Yo-beast. Cheongo was already aware of Jekyeong's new plan. When Jekyeong had shared his concept of collaborating with Mok-yo, the bird had admired the idea, calling it brilliant.
"How is the tree fellow doing?"
"Six fruits have grown! But they're still small, so we have to wait a bit longer!"
"How long?"
"About five days? I asked, and it said it can't make them ripen any faster!"
"Five days, then." Cheongo seemed dissatisfied with the wait, but Jekyeong thought it was perfect. 'Five days is plenty of time.' It was more than enough time to finish digesting what remained in his stomach. The only variable was the change that would occur after digestion was complete. Jekyeong anticipated that this change would be another molting, but there was no guarantee. Even if it were a shedding of skin, it could be vastly different from the ones he had experienced before becoming a Yo-beast.
"Once the tree fellow is ready and I have finished my preparations, we will begin immediately. The tree fellow and I will handle the actual hunt, but you have a role to play as well."
"Yes! Just say the word!" Cheongo was practically bursting with readiness to do whatever was asked of it.
"First, scout the surrounding area thoroughly for the next few days. And..." After giving Cheongo its instructions, Jekyeong retreated back into the depths of the cave and coiled his body. Having already slept like the dead for three days, he felt no fatigue whatsoever and his mind was crystal clear, yet he found that he could still fall asleep whenever he wished.
Hiss— The moment he closed his eyes and resolved to sleep, Jekyeong's consciousness sank. His heartbeat grew faint, and his breathing faded to a near-silent whisper. And three days later.
"Grrr." The massive serpent, which had been as still as an exquisitely carved statue, suddenly snapped its eyes open. Its closed jaws parted, releasing a single breath. At that, the entire cave, which had been steeped in absolute silence, trembled faintly.
'The digestion is complete.' Despite having just awakened from a deep slumber, Jekyeong immediately examined his condition with a perfectly clear mind. Thanks to his Spiritual Perception, which had developed significantly compared to when he first acquired it, he could perceive the entirety of his internal body instantly and with absolute precision. At this point, it was safe to consider it a basic level of internal introspection.
'It's coming.' As his heartbeat returned to normal and strength began to course through his body, the signal arrived immediately. It was the very change he had anticipated. Introspecting himself through his Spiritual Perception, Jekyeong felt the transformation unfold to its fullest.
Thump! The starting point was his heart. Blood carrying an explosive aura surged through his veins like a racing car tearing down a track. Soon, his entire body was enveloped by the energy originating from his blood, triggering a mystical transformation.
'It's a shedding.' Jekyeong knew it instinctively. He didn't know if his previous moltings had been like this, but he could finally comprehend the process of shedding. The Qi and Blood, which had previously rested quietly within the vessel of his physical body, grew so overwhelmingly powerful that they threatened the stability of the vessel itself. However, because the physical body and one's Qi and Blood are fundamentally inseparable, the energy would never shatter the vessel, no matter how much it destabilized it. Instead, it stimulated the physical body, forcing it to adapt and return to a stable state.
'The accumulation of Qi and Blood, and the strengthening of the physical body.' He had heard that among the cultivation techniques of the Human Race, there were body-tempering methods. These body-tempering techniques basically strengthened the physical body to increase one's Qi and Blood. To use an analogy, it was like first making a water bowl larger so that rainwater could naturally fill it. However, the molting Jekyeong was currently undergoing was the exact opposite. Instead of expanding the vessel to grow the contents, the swollen contents were forcibly expanding the vessel. The process was perilous and agonizing, but in return, it was explosive.
"Grrr." Jekyeong let out a low growl, enduring the pain. The agony brought on by the rapid transformation was immense, but compared to his previous two moltings, it was relatively tolerable.
Having completed his molting, Jekyeong realized that his body had grown once again. His length, which had previously been just over twenty meters, was now twenty-five meters—perhaps even slightly longer—and his girth had thickened proportionally. The cave, which he had initially thought was a bit small but still manageable to rest in, now felt suffocatingly cramped.
As he dragged his larger, heavier body out of the cave, the passage that had been relatively easy to navigate on his way in now felt incredibly tight. As he squeezed through, his body lightly brushed against the cave walls and ceiling, causing faint cracking sounds as stone crumbled and debris rained down.
"Phew." His enlarged body was brimming with even greater power. This sensation of growing stronger was something he could never tire of. It was especially true because he knew this wasn't just about gaining raw strength or size; he was ascending to a superior level of existence.
If he repeated this process a few more times, or perhaps dozens of times, or even more, he would eventually become a Great Yo-beast. When that time came, he might finally be addressed as a 'Fellow Daoist' by the seniors of Bul-mang-won and be recognized as one of their true kind.
'Not that such recognition actually matters.' Regardless, having a goal and experiencing a sense of achievement was a good thing. On this endless, winding track of longevity, wouldn't life be far too bleak without these small pleasures?
Emerging into the open, Jekyeong debated whether to wait for Cheongo, but ultimately decided to visit Mok-yo first.
Wooooo— The small cave that served as Jekyeong's temporary shelter was not far from Mok-yo's habitat. As he came into view from a distance, Mok-yo awkwardly acknowledged his presence. Since Cheongo wasn't there, Jekyeong naturally couldn't understand what the tree was trying to communicate, but he assumed it was just a tentative greeting.
'They look fully grown to me.' Just as Cheongo had said, six smooth fruits hung from Mok-yo's branches. On the surface, they appeared fully ripe, but looking closer, Jekyeong felt that the instinctual pull they exerted on him was slightly weaker than the fruits he had consumed before. Still, the difference was marginal, and Jekyeong estimated it would only take another day or two for them to ripen completely.
"..." Seeing that Mok-yo showed no further reaction after the greeting, Jekyeong found a spot a reasonable distance away and coiled himself. His immense weight—which "heavy" didn't even begin to describe—caused the soft, muddy ground to ripple violently, sending out miniature waves.
Feeling the mud squish beneath him like a plush waterbed, Jekyeong glanced sideways at Mok-yo. Bubbles occasionally rose from the muddy ground surrounding the tree, making it look as though the earth itself were breathing. In reality, it was simply Mok-yo's submerged roots breathing beneath the mud. Those thick roots served as its respiratory organs, its means of attack, and its method of locomotion.
'A true monster.' Jekyeong considered himself quite the monster in terms of sheer scale, but he couldn't compare to Mok-yo in any aspect. Whether in size or bizarre nature, that tree fellow was, by all accounts, a genuine demon.
Yet, looking at the monstrosity, he felt neither revulsion nor fear. On the contrary, the massive tree simply looked incredibly appetizing. How wonderful would it be if he could put that fellow to work just like Cheongo? He could use a few of its fruits for hunting, and pluck the rest as occasional palate cleansers...
*Flinch!* Perhaps Jekyeong's gaze had been too intense, because Mok-yo, who had been quietly enjoying its photosynthesis, suddenly shuddered. It stealthily lowered its leafy branches, shielding its fruits from view. Tension seeped into the once-peaceful atmosphere.
As this awkward silence stretched on—uncomfortable for at least one of them—the sound of vigorous wingbeats heralded Cheongo's arrival.
"Jekyeong! I'm back!"
"Yes. How did it go?" Cheongo, loudly asserting its presence, flew down and landed between Mok-yo and Jekyeong, though much closer to the latter.
"I checked! I confirmed everything! Those guys from last time are all still there!" Jekyeong had instructed Cheongo to scout out the neighboring Yo-beasts and verify their territories.