Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Became the Gallery's Only Reptile
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It was a snake, but not a snake.
It was an imoogi, but not an imoogi.
It was a dragon, but not a dragon.
From the moment it was born, it had been a snake, an imoogi, and also a dragon.
Ssssss...
Devouring the surrounding mana to plot its own hatching.
One might wonder if that's even possible in its already dead state, but as a veteran player who's enjoyed Jijiyong, I can assert it confidently.
If we leave this thing alone like this, in the distant future, it will definitely resurrect... and spin a story full of frustrations like sweet potatoes.
-El? You're reacting like you know who this skeleton's owner is?
Its name in life was unknown.
Even it itself had forgotten its name after spending so much time.
Thus, right after its resurrection, it named itself Greed (貪), and from then on, we called it Greed.
'Considering what it did, it suits it well.'
A truly arrogant and greedy lifeform that devoured everything.
How many names could suit a monster that devoured even its own death and lusted after the world's origin, mana itself, ultimately resurrecting?
Hiss.
"Oof."
-Wait, Cheong?!
While I was lost in thought staring at Greed, Cheong suddenly leaped toward where Greed's bones lay.
Thud.
Without a hint of hesitation, Cheong placed her hand on Greed's skull.
A sudden action before we could stop her.
But it wasn't a big worry, since she quickly pulled her hand away from the bone and came back up.
-Cheong, why'd you do that all of a sudden?
"I felt something weird, so I checked."
"Yeah. When I put my hand on it, it started sucking power from me?"
-Huh? Is that possible?
It is.
Because that's no ordinary thing—it's Greed's bones, diligently devouring surrounding mana for its own resurrection.
It's evil that needs no explanation.
Considering future events, it's right to handle it here and now.
"Yeah. I feel a bit drained and my hand stings, but no problem."
She showed her reddened palm as proof.
Even as mere bones, Greed still had faint poison left, and that brief contact did this to Cheong's hand.
I'd guessed as much since no grass grew above where it was buried, but yeah, the poison lingered.
'Even reduced to bones, it can withstand Greed's poison. Does that mean Cheong's resistance is that strong?'
Well, I can roughly guess why.
Think about what was the strongest power I had as a human with intelligence, before becoming a spirit beast.
Right, poison.
Before becoming a spirit beast, I'd removed my own venomous fangs and poison sacs myself, but until then, I'd brawled with Cheong a lot over it.
And she'd even gnawed on my tail before I expelled the poison...
-What are you so proud of!
It's practically like I raised her by feeding her my own body, so how could I not be proud!
And thanks to that, she built up poison resistance, taking only minimal damage now.
-Well, if it can do that to Cheong's sturdy hand, it's definitely dangerous.
Silpi's idea of danger and mine differ vastly, but we agree it can't be left alone.
"That thing was super hard."
-Cheong, bones are hard by nature. Especially skulls.
"But the others broke with just a little force."
-That's because your evil power is so strong.
I know Cheong's evil power is impressive, but hearing this...
Should I use [Eclipse Nova] then?
But that skill has massive power and range.
Even if controlled, half this beautiful place would vanish.
Worst case, the cave ceiling could collapse.
'In that case.'
Fwoosh.
They call it cremation, right?
To reduce the bones to complete ash, I activated the Fire Dragon... no, Steel Yi mode from devouring the Venus speech, wrapping myself in flames.
-Is it safe to get close?
Probably.
Fwoosh.
But to deal with it perfectly, it's unavoidable.
Even sealing it separately wouldn't work—its mana-devouring nature would break any seal quickly.
Splitting the bones wouldn't help either; the skull is the core.
'So, just burn it completely to ash.'
And if no danger remains, maybe repurpose it into spirit medicine.
That's what Steel Yi mode is for, and these flames.
Fwoooosh.
-Hot!
"Whoa!"
Unlike before, this was blatantly to incinerate the target in front of me.
Of course, the flames' power was on another level.
Still, having gained fire resistance from eating Venus speech like me, Cheong and Silpi shouted "hot" but stayed put, watching my actions closely.
Fwoosh.
I intensified the flames around me and began encircling Greed with my enlarged body.
Not knowing the exact power or time needed, I chose the most mana-efficient method.
Wrapping it directly with my intensified body flames is far more efficient than just blasting fire at it.
Crackle. Crack.
From inside, I heard the bones burning in my flames.
Glancing in, I could confirm it was working.
But it looks like it'll take a while.
Cranking up the heat more would risk damaging the surroundings.
Pop. Pffft.
Whoosh.
'What's this?'
-El! Don't worry, just go for it!
"Here I go!"
Cheong and Silpi, quicker than anyone to notice my dilemma, were helping keep my flames from spreading.
With this, I can ramp up the power without issue.
Fwoooosh!
"So hot!"
-Hang in there just a bit longer!
Sorry to them, but so reliable.
The destructive primal flames, as if to burn all the world's things, moved to erase the greedy monster from existence.
And perhaps sensing its own being burning away?
Greed's consciousness, which should have been dormant, surfaced.
Even with just bones left, for some reason, staring at Greed's skull—its eye sockets—I felt our gazes meet.
The halting speech felt awkward, but it matched the voice I'd heard countless times in Jijiyong, so it wasn't my imagination.
Since it hasn't started calling itself Greed yet, that's the reaction.
It realized in real-time it was being burned and asked me why.
Why do this? What did it do wrong?
It still comes back vividly.
The wound in my heart from this thing.
And the scars of users I still see casually on the gallery.
Crack.
It won't understand my words until the moment it dies.
This is from a distant future, not past or present.
But at least on its final path.
Telling it one reason for its death shouldn't be bad, so thinking of a future that won't happen, I said.
Crack. Crunch.
Something cracked and shattered.
With that, Greed's words cut off before finishing.
Before it could speak fully, the cracked skull split completely.
Now, no gaze felt from it no matter how I looked.
Checking surrounding mana just in case, mana was flowing outward from the bones instead.
Gulp.
For the monstrous Greed, such an anticlimactic end.
But feeling relieved instead, I photographed the fully deceased Greed and opened the gallery.
I wanted to share this refreshing feeling with other users, not just me.
And so, this post becomes a cathartic classic, filled with comments from countless users, and a must-read for future newbies.