Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Became the Gallery's Only Reptile
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“Kuheuk!”
“Yeah~ That makes it 0 wins, 25 losses.”
A boy flung far away as if struck by something, and a squinting man letting out a bizarre laugh.
The man fiddled with something using his hand, then slowly approached the boy.
“Damn it!”
The boy, without a single scratch, clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground.
A strike distorted by mana-fueled rage caused streams of virtual data—zeros and ones—to spill from the point of impact.
“Again!”
“How about taking a break?”
“Again!”
The boy shouted that he wouldn't back down here and demanded another fight, but the man suggested rest for the boy.
“Even if this is the Mirror World, you should take it easy.”
The Mirror World: a virtual combat system that summoned simulated data to battle not with the physical body, but with the mind.
Known as a secret of the magic tower, this was where the tower master's disciple—the genius destined to one day inherit the tower lord position—was grinding his teeth in determination.
Genius? The tower's golden child?
What genius loses 25 times in a row to the same opponent!
And to a mere beast, not even a human!
“Even so, how am I supposed to beat an ancient-era creature.”
“Again. I can win this time.”
“Sigh. Do whatever you want.”
Who could break the boy's stubbornness?
The man eventually shook his head and reloaded the virtual data as the boy demanded.
Tsutsutsutsu.
Before the boy, an opponent slowly took shape.
Four legs instead of two.
And this beast with a menacing horn near its nose was a rhinoceros.
However, the summoned rhino wasn't just any rhino—it was one said to have existed in ancient times.
Its sheer size and overwhelming pressure defied imagination.
“Ancient-era rhinoceros. Data collection incomplete; estimated to be even stronger than this. In modern terms, a super-dangerous mana beast above clear rank 1, below disaster class.”
The man recited the familiar explanation while cheering on the boy's fight.
Suuu... Huuu...
He assumed a stance and focused on his breathing.
Even after evolving into an Imoogi, his body retained the same serpentine form as before, so his posture hadn't changed much.
[Excellent.]
But the benefits from meditation were on a whole different level now.
When he was just an ordinary snake, it brought mental and physical stability, mental focus, and adaptation to mana.
Now as an Imoogi, it added accumulation of power in the Yeouiju and even control over mana beyond mere adaptation.
Sss.
[The Yeouiju isn't accumulating energy as quickly as I'd hoped.]
-Of course not. The fact that you can build up power in the Yeouiju just by meditating and eating without any real training is already a cheat!
Now that the Yeouiju had formed, focusing on just one type of energy posed no problem at all.
Normally, it would throw everything out of balance, but was it called a Yeouiju for nothing?
The energies somehow maintained equilibrium with each other, rising evenly across the board.
In other words, he could now devour Amrita without worry!
Crunch.
[Hmm. Amrita after meditation has a unique flavor.]
And he'd realized something since becoming an Imoogi.
Though his body had shrunk, the calories it required had doubled.
Now he polished off between five and seven Amrita a day.
“Nya! Myaang!”
[Silpi. It's calling for you.]
-It's calling for you.
Oh, and lately, he and Silpi had been avoiding playtime with Cheong.
Why? Ever since that full-body-scarred man left, she'd been burning with inexplicable zeal.
[I played with her yesterday, so it's your turn today.]
-Eeeeng. Cheongaa... Can't we just play normally today?
“Nya! Myaaang! Myaonya!”
-Ah, fine.
So Cheong spent her days where "play" really meant "sparring."
Of course, she couldn't spar alone, so either he or Silpi had to step up.
They had no choice but to sweat bullets keeping up with the ever-strengthening tiger cub.
[Then I'll head out for a bit.]
Bang! Thud!
Leaving the ominous sounds in place of a reply, he temporarily left the cave and headed somewhere.
Normally, he wouldn't dream of leaving the cave.
But things were different now.
As a spirit beast, even if he couldn't gauge his full strength precisely, he had a rough idea.
Ordinary beasts were no match for him.
And with that objective self-assessment came a vastly expanded range of movement.
[It'd be nice if the others came too.]
Cheong was one thing, but Silpi still didn't like going outside much.
Still, at least she no longer panicked completely like the first time. That was progress.
Though she was still reluctant.
[Ah, we're here.]
Before he knew it, he'd reached his destination.
A colossal tree that dwarfed all others around it, brimming with robust vitality.
[Still as sturdy as ever today.]
He smiled up at its straight-reaching branches.
This tree had grown from the wood energy he'd poured into the ground upon becoming an Imoogi.
Fueled by pure wood energy, its growth rate was staggeringly overwhelming.
While his scales dried out and his body regained firmness, this below-average sapling had become a towering giant.
In terms of pure growth speed, it might even surpass him and Cheong.
[No one came to bully you today, right?]
Wooong.
Lately, he'd been visiting this spot without fail every day.
The reason? The tree seemed to have developed some semblance of will or intelligence.
When he spoke to it, it would subtly vibrate mana and rustle its leaves in response.
‘Good to see you're healthy today too.’
Maybe that's why.
He felt an odd sense of responsibility.
This was a tree born from him, after all.
And it even seemed capable of thought and expression.
With its eye-catching size, it was hard to ignore, so he kept coming back.
[Next time, I'll bring Cheong and Silpi along.]
Cheong and Silpi both knew about it, of course.
But their visits here were about as frequent as pulling an ultra super rare in a gacha game!
Silpi was super interested but wouldn't go out of her way to visit, and Cheong only agreed after some pleading with a reluctant face.
Wooong.
Unlike them, though, the giant tree adored Cheong and Silpi.
How could he not bring them?
Shaaaa.
He used water energy to irrigate the tree while extending his senses.
In this area, he had to constantly check for approaching presences using mana.
The giant tree sat right on the borderline.
Sss.
The boundary between where mana grew thick and where it didn't.
That's why ordinary beasts and insects came sniffing around.
Especially to this tree with its unusually potent vitality—the frequency was laughably higher than anywhere else.
‘Looks like it's not passing quietly today either.’
As he watered and scanned with his senses, he detected a group approaching from afar.
[I'll be right back.]
Wooong.
He headed straight toward the group's direction and soon spotted the rhinoceros herd making for this place.
While living here, he'd confirmed rhinos, of course, along with lions and wolves. No elephants yet, though.
True to its ancient era, the wildlife was incredibly diverse.
‘But that leader one's size is no joke.’
The herd of rhinos.
Among them, the one at the front directing the others exuded such pressure with its massive bulk.
[Stop. Halt right there.]
His will, infused with mana, transmitted directly to the rhino herd.
The apparent leader halted its legs at his words, and the ones behind stopped in confusion but followed suit.
[I don't know why you're here, but you can't go any further.]
In truth, he knew.
All the creatures coming here, including these, shared the same purpose and reason.
‘The giant tree's immense vitality.’
They were drawn by primal instinct, craving to grow stronger by absorbing that life force.
It had brought the herd along to intimidate potential rivals, no doubt.
Of course, it might not be.
They could have other reasons.
For instance, a splintered herd desperately seeking survival.
[You're overflowing with desire to grow stronger.]
But looking at that leader rhino made all those hypotheticals nonsense.
“Grrr...”
[Turn back now.]
Not only was their size superior, but their numbers made it a clear disadvantage for him.
His body was small and he was alone, while they were huge and many.
Yet the leader rhino didn't charge recklessly.
[You don't want to fight me.]
Because he was a spirit beast.
Not just any spirit beast, but an Imoogi.
He might look weak enough to ignore and trample, but the aura he exuded was far from trivial.
A close look at the creature, sensing his presence, showed its pupils trembling nonstop in fear.
Opponents like this were easy to handle.
“Grrr...”
[This is your final warning.]
If they tried to pass after this...
Fwoosh.
[You'd better be prepared to lose your lives.]
With flames rising from his mouth, the leader rhino's eyes filled with terror, and it led the herd in retreat.