Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Became the Gallery's Only Reptile
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It hurts.
Enough to confidently claim a spot in the top two most painful experiences of this life.
But don't ask what number one is.
I figure you all already know.
You know, that thing I did when I said I'd get rid of my three poison sacs.
Crack, crunch.
Ah, speaking of which, it really hurts.
It'd be weird if shattering your entire body and then doing it again didn't hurt.
But even so, not a single scream escaped my lips.
Ridiculously enough, going through this kind of thing multiple times in such a short period had made me a master at holding back screams.
'Sad... so sad~.'
Crack, crunch.
Ah, the tail's already done?
As expected of the part with the smallest surface area, the pain at the tail had already subsided.
Pop. Crunch, crack.
'This is gonna take a while. Might as well check the gallery.'
Yeah, distract myself with something.
That should make the pain feel a bit less intense.
[Lena route cleared?]
Author: FlagTasteStar
We've gotten really close since teaming up with Lena this time. We went on a date over the weekend, exchanged gifts, and we're practically glued together every day. Did I clear her route?
What a heartbreaking post from the start.
Who would've thought someone clueless about Lena would fall for it.
They probably picked some basic achievement early on.
'Hmm. Sounds plausible.'
Anyone who's been through it before would see right through Lena's intentions in those actions.
For Jijiyong, Lena's behavior is just an act, following that bastard's orders. So this FlagTasteStar guy is getting played by her performance.
But those of us who know Lena and have been burned by her in the game can only sigh at the arrival of another pitiful victim.
It was shocking enough in the game—what if it happens in real life? Heartbreaking.
Let's send our condolences to FlagTasteStar in advance.
Crunch, crack. Snap.
'Oh?'
Having fun reading FlagTasteStar's post on the gallery definitely helped.
Somehow, nearly half my body had already transformed.
Starting from the tail, the massive lower half now covered in unfamiliar black scales.
A faint membrane-like film covered them, but it did nothing to dull the striking presence of the black sheen.
'Oh. This is pretty cool.'
I immediately snapped a photo of my changed lower body and posted it to the gallery.
Click.
[Evolution!]
Author: Yonggarisnaek
Praise me, peasants. (Photo of bizarre black body absorbing surrounding light.) This body. Evolving in real time.
Hey, that's not wrong, is it?
The only difference is that it's literally my entire body, including the face.
Crack. Pop. Snap.
'Finally done?'
I'd posted to the gallery, browsed other threads, and messed around with the others.
The physical transformation seemed complete—no more pain from my body.
'But my vision's blurry.'
The gallery stood out sharp and clear due to its unique nature, but everything else was like looking through fogged-up glasses.
Rip.
My senses, sharpened even further as an imoogi, told me:
All changes are finished. Now shed this cramped shell and make the world aware of your existence.
Tear.
Along with that, something tore from my back with a ripping sound, easing the suffocating pressure a bit.
And instinctively, I realized:
Ah, I'm shedding my skin right now!
Yeah, I was wondering why it hadn't happened.
Honestly, I'd been a little puzzled.
Why hadn't I shed? I figured it just wasn't for me since I grew without it.
Didn't expect to experience it like this.
The shedding process went smoothly.
I just wriggled toward the opening on my back.
It might look tough, like undressing without hands or feet while lying down, but considering how I'd moved around until now, it wasn't hard.
Shhh.
How much time passed?
Not sure exactly, but it felt like about ten minutes.
Finally, the shedding was done.
Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.
I had shed my snake body and become an imoogi.
"Shaaaah."
With the skin veil over my eyes gone, my vision cleared.
I gazed up at the clear sky and thought:
Is the sky congratulating me on becoming a spirit creature?
There was only one cloud in the sky.
Would you believe it looked just like a dragon?
The sun as the Yeouiju. Clouds around it forming a dragon.
Gazing at that scene, it felt like the sky was telling me:
This is the path you must reach next...
Looking at that sky, such thoughts arose.
Right now, I look up at it like this, but someday... I want that blue expanse beneath me.
Now that I'm an imoogi, what am I doing?
Practicing mana-based communication.
Farewell to my old "Shaa. Shaa."
It's not voicing words directly, but transmitting intent via mana—communication barriers are gone.
Silpi and I could already talk, but Cheong was different.
Now I can convey my will to him perfectly.
'But my body's super squishy.'
Oh, and while moving around, I realized something.
My current body is ridiculously soft.
Exaggerating a bit, it's like a slime toy.
Probably a post-shedding trait, like others experience.
Given time, the scales and squishiness should harden—even more than before.
So, what's left is... polymorphing into a human.
The method is detailed in my mind.
Thanks to the Yeouiju, maybe.
I can recall mana manipulation and the common powers of spirit creatures.
Mana communication is one such byproduct.
Circulate mana through my body and visualize the form.
What I want: a human body.
Standing on two legs, grabbing and touching with two arms—a human form.
Is it still too much for me?
No matter how I followed the mental instructions, my body wouldn't humanize.
Disappointed briefly by the lack of change, I remembered I'd just become a spirit creature and comforted myself.
Shhh.
Instinctively coiling and rolling up for a bit.
I discovered a new feature of my body.
Unroll again.
This time, stretch straight out.
Then swing tail and head to mark a line, slide aside...
Looking at my marks, I realized:
I'm smaller than before.
Don't you usually get bigger?
Yeah, my view hadn't changed much. Not bigger—actually smaller.
I didn't know the reason then, but it was perfectly natural.
Even absorbing and assimilating the Dragon King's Yeouiju, it was still someone else's power.
Even if heaven approved, some things just aren't allowed.
But perhaps sparing the curse since I was a young hatchling, it reshaped my body into an age-appropriate baby imoogi.
At least no curse—that's something.
Unaware, I pondered how to grow bigger again, until Silpi and Cheong rushed over, worried.
-El!!
"Myaong!"
Silpi flying on the wind, Cheong sprinting at matching speed.
I wondered how to explain, but Silpi's words upon seeing me made it unnecessary.
-El? That form!
She noticed the change right away.
Clap clap clap.
-Congrats! You became an imoogi!
-Whoa! So that's El's voice! Doesn't match your cute look at all!
As Silpi and I bantered.
"...Myaong?"
Cheong's ominous tone turned our heads.
For some reason, he'd turned away from me to stare at my shed snake skin on the ground.
That fascinating, huh?
Well, I'd never shed while living with them, so yeah.
"...Grrrrr."
I froze.
What's with that chilling, murderous growl?