0918
My Neurotoxin: Nerve Poison wasn't something to brush off just because it had a bit of poison resistance. It might hurt a little less than blood poison, but the searing pain would still radiate through its shoulder joint. There was no way it didn't know I'd bitten it. After all, wasn't I dangling right there from its shoulder joint like a bauble?
Chugota's two heads licked at my crown and the top of my head. Wyvern heads might resemble snakes, but their tongues were structured a bit differently—more like a cat's tongue than a snake's, perhaps. Wyvern Mom used to lick me just like this. So, in a way, Chugota was grooming me like a mother wyvern tending to her hatchling.
Why is this three-headed wyvern treating me like this?!
-Does it think you're one of its babies?
'Why all of a sudden? Is it crazy?'
I could understand Wyvern Mom seeing me as her baby. I'd hatched from her egg, after all. She might've just mistaken me for a weird-looking hatchling. But Chugota had no reason to think I was its baby. Did I look anything like its actual offspring?
-Your white body honestly makes you resemble these Oblivion Wyverns more than the others. You've got that in common with Chugota too, of course—both of you are pale.
Sure, that was one similarity, but mistaking me for its baby based on that alone was insane.
"Guuuu..."
...Of course, Chugota was a mad wyvern. So its licks felt warm and maternal? Hell no.
'I'm about to piss myself.'
It was terrifying enough to make me want to wet myself. And understandably so—Chugota's condition was anything but normal. Every time it licked me, its saliva came away smeared with blood, turning red. Chugota seemed puzzled by this but kept licking anyway.
"Gruu..."
Broken teeth and saliva dripped from Chu's mouth in clumps.
"Grraaaarrrgh!"
Suddenly, Go spewed blood and bile from its mouth. Maybe the effect of my nerve poison kicking in.
Chugota's "Ta" head had no eyes. It probably had a brain, but bizarrely, even with its neck snapped clean through, it was still alive. Ta twisted backward, dangling limply, and brought its head close to me, sniffing.
"Gwee, shii..."
It was smelling me. Goosebumps prickled all over. My body trembled uncontrollably. The fierce resolve I'd mustered moments ago to fight evaporated.
Terror peaked when Chugota started making strange noises.
"Shii..."
"Hee, hee..."
"Tee..."
These were definitely different from its usual guttural "gruuu." With its ghostly appearance, it sounded just like a specter from hell.
"Shiii, heee..."
"Teee..."
It felt like they were speaking simultaneously—or maybe those three syllables formed a single word.
"Shii... hee... tee."
A language? Speech? If reincarnation gave me language comprehension as a perk, I should understand this. But I couldn't make heads or tails of it.
That's when Pellelian shouted.
-It sounds like Oboe!
'Oboe what?'
-Oboe language—that ancient tongue!
Ancient language? Hearing it called that suddenly made it click a little.
"Sheehee... tee."
Putting together the syllables from all three heads:
A literal translation: "Shii... hiite..."
My... baby...
Kiiiyaaaaak! Understanding the meaning made it even scarier.
Did it sense my fear? No, the real mom—not that this was my real mom, anyway—Wyvern Mom had returned.
"Kukukukak!"
She lunged at Chugota, slashing wildly with her talons.
"Kuooo!"
"Kaaak!"
Chugota resisted fiercely. Thanks to Wyvern Mom's surprise jet kick, I managed to escape Chugota's grasp.
Thud.
I landed on the ground and whipped around. Only then did I grasp the situation. Wyvern Mom, who had flown off carrying the three siblings, had come back to rescue me. But she'd used Giantification to buy time and told them to flee with the kids. Now all that was for nothing.
-To it, you probably look like the smallest, weakest baby. What can you do?
True. The world doesn't always run on logic. Rationally, saving the three siblings made sense, but oh well.
"Pippipee—"
"Kwee!"
The Pikachu trio wailed in support of their mom from her back. The problem was, Chugota was still plenty strong despite its wounds. It shook off Wyvern Mom, who clung desperately.
-Self-regeneration ability, huh? No wonder its heads don't die even when snapped.
If anything, it looked healthier now than right after the golem beat it.
And amid the chaos, Chugota's gaze stayed locked on me.
"Shii"
"Hii..."
"Tee...!"
My baby! It charged with thudding steps. Crawling on its wings like front legs, it looked just like an alien.
"Saaang!"
I let out an undignified shriek and bolted. Wyvern Mom fired a ray at it and tried to bite its tail, but it was useless. Nothing could stop Chugota scuttling like a spider.
Fine, better that it focused on me. At least the siblings on Wyvern Mom's back would be safer.
I had no choice but to head back toward Pellelian's dungeon. The golem stood there, still in its triple fusion form. It didn't approach within a certain distance, just stared us down like a steadfast gatekeeper.
Only the golem could block Chugota. With that in mind, I approached—
-Wait.
Pellelian warned me. Suddenly, Isil, who had been meekly clinging to me, spewed hellfire in front of me.
And I—
Thump.
My heart felt like it dropped. This was unmistakably a survival instinct kicking in. All I could do was spring my body away.
And use the quickest skill available.
Heavenly Thunder Command Lv1
Isil, sorry if it stings a bit—hang in there. Full Pokémon are weak to electricity, right? Kinda worried.
Craaaack-boom!
The lightning strike blinded me. But luckily, neither Isil nor I took a direct hit. The golem, which had been far away moments ago, had grabbed my tail at some point. The bolt struck it, halting its movement.
-It judged you as a threat!
That had to be it. No matter how fast I was, I couldn't outrun lightning!
Heavenly Thunder Command couldn't destroy the golem, but it paralyzed it successfully.
'It was gonna grab me and swing.'
My tail ached where it was gripped. The golem's face area was partially melted. It had pushed through Isil's hellfire to seize me. Since my tail wouldn't come free, I released Giantification. Shrinking let me slip out smoothly.
With the golem paralyzed for now—could I take down this tough bastard in the meantime?
-This works out perfectly.
Pellelian had a plan.
-Left knee—behind the left knee!
I didn't know what that meant, but I leaped straight for the golem's left knee joint without hesitation. Wak—bite!
-That boxy thing on top—pry the lid off!
There really was a square metal panel there, like a lid.
-Control panel inside. Input the password to reset it.
This mighty golem was Pellelian's own creation, complete with a backdoor for emergencies.
I pulled Yeo-myeong from my subspace and jammed it into the panel lid, using leverage to pop it open.
Ting!
The rectangular metal lid fell limply. Inside was a complex mechanism. No screen, but the numbered pad was clearly for a password. Not Arabic numerals, of course!
-Admin mode!
'What's the password?!'
-It's linked to the dungeon itself, so... uh...
Pellelian racked his brain and remembered.
-0918! Yeah, tools-day-eighteen!
'Ah!'
I started to press the buttons, then realized.
'Is this a date? Whose birthday?'
-Hey, you little shit—press it quick!
I hurriedly punched in the password.
* * *
Pellelian's dungeon. Mausoleum.
The three golems emerging all at once was a stroke of luck for those waiting outside. Facing those golem guards in the cramped interior would've been certain death. They'd been pondering a detour when the wyverns lured the golems out.
Zanil Peze, the Imperial ranger, seized the opportunity. He led the ten surviving Gray Hammer dwarves and one accompanying human straight into the dungeon depths.
The Gray Hammer dwarves had built this dungeon long ago. Zanil learned this surprisingly when he'd approached alone. An inscription on the core stone deep inside claimed the Gray Hammers had built it. He couldn't get closer due to the golems but turned back immediately. Then he tracked down the Gray Hammer clan and blackmailed them—accusing them of aiding the Reverse Heaven Mage.
The dwarves wouldn't bend easily to threats. But Zanil was the real deal, on imperial orders, skilled in both negotiation and intimidation. Promising rewards while sweet-talking them worked. A brawl broke out when tempers flared, but Zanil's personal prowess exceeded their imagination. A few of his men died, but the brave dwarves perished entirely. The survivors were cowards.
Zanil led them swiftly through the dungeon. Knowing the traps made breaching quicker than expected.
"If I'd come alone, I'd be dead ages ago."
Zanil muttered. The exhausted dwarves glared at him.
"We can only get this far easily."
Zanil looked middle-aged but too sturdy for that—more like a tough old man.
"Get that door open at least."
"..."
The dwarves grumbled but tackled the gateway again. It was less a "door" and more a "wall," etched with complex runes and numbers—clearly rigged with magic and mechanisms.
"Romantically built, huh."
Zanil admired the structure like it was someone else's problem. Beside him sat a hooded old man.
"Password... hmm."
It seemed like a lock that opened with a code. The dwarves were working on cracking it.
Clunk.
One dwarf must've triggered something wrong. Beep-beep-beep—
The gateway flashed red with a warning siren. The light faded, but the dwarves cursed.
"Fourth failure already! We don't even know what trap comes next."
"Hmm..."
Zanil sighed awkwardly.
"Any ideas on your end?"
He asked the hooded elder, who paused before replying.
"Maybe."
"If the doctor doesn't know, who does? Expert in symbology and archaeology."
"Knowing symbology and archaeology doesn't crack dungeons. It just helps a bit."
The "doctor" stood. Zanil brightened—rising meant an idea.
"Knew I could count on you, Doctor Lobanton."
"Hmph."
The hooded elder was Lobanton—once kidnapped by wyverns, now back here. He approached the wall, caressing the carvings.
"Hey, careful."
"Shh."
Zanil stopped the dwarves. Robert Banton ignored them and pressed the numbers firmly.
0.
9.
1.
And...
8? No, 9.
Warning blared. Beep-beep-beep-beep—!
"Ah, 8? Or maybe 7."
The dwarves panicked. Fifth wrong try.
* * *
Following Pellelian's advice, I manipulated the control panel behind the golem's knee. Carefully pressed the numbers: 0, 9, 1, 8.
A four-digit code, maybe someone's birthday.
But no cheerful ding—the golem didn't stop. Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep.
Right before the final 8, the panel flashed orange.
Then the magitech spirit's voice from Pellelian's old dungeon rang out.
Password entered incorrectly 5+ times consecutively.
Please unlock manually from the control room.
What?