Chapter 19: From Dirt Spoon to Golden Spoon Monster with an Area Boss Mom
I thought I was a total dirt spoon, but it turns out I'm a golden spoon monster with the area boss as my mother.
No twist like this one.
'Well, looking back at my growth speed so far, it kinda makes sense.'
In just over 100 days since hatching, I'd gone from the lowest G-rank monster to a proud D-rank one.
Even I thought it was a bit excessive, but now that I knew my birth secret(?), it all clicked into place.
If a mere snake monster could grow this fast, humanity would've been doomed to lose to monsters ages ago.
'So, all my rapid growth is thanks to my biological mother...'
This mother figure was both my mortal enemy—who killed me—and my benefactor.
That felt a little uncomfortable.
'...But since I took over her offspring's body, maybe it's a wash in the end?'
Thinking of it that way eased the discomfort a bit.
No, wait—wasn't there something even more unsettling?
'If she finds out I possessed her baby's body, will she really leave me be...?'
She probably wouldn't suspect a human soul in her offspring's body, but "what if" always lingered.
What if she somehow figured out my true nature through some method I didn't know about?
'...Then I'd be dead for sure.'
Her glaring yellow eyes flashed in my mind, sending shivers down my body.
At least she seemed disinterested in me... but my later conversation with the lizardmen revealed that wasn't entirely true.
With the conversation wrapping up, several lingering mysteries finally unraveled.
'So that's why the Gray Killer Wolf let me go before?'
I also understood why no other monsters had approached my nest all this time.
My mother had apparently laid down the law herself.
'She's warned the entire floor.'
A hollow feeling settled in.
From the lizardman's words, all the strong monsters—except low-ranks—knew about me.
Did that mean I didn't need to tiptoe around the powerful ones anymore?
'...No, the wolves' reactions suggest otherwise.'
The alpha Gray Killer Wolf might know, but the regular wolves clearly didn't.
That's how they could brazenly steal my prey.
'Even the Gray Killer Wolf, who knew my identity, didn't react much.'
Observing the situation, the lizardman before me seemed especially wary.
Unlike the wolves, he'd witnessed his own king die right in front of him.
'Whatever, as long as it benefits me.'
I might achieve my original goal easier than expected. I glanced at the still-prostrated lizardman.
"Shii—."
[I have a request.]
"Zua—."
[Speak.]
"Shii—shii—."
[I'd like you to deal with the wolves. Your power should be enough, right?]
"...Zuu—."
[...Impossible.]
I narrowed my eyes at his response.
"Shi—?"
[Why?]
"Zu—zuaa—."
[Yes. Wolves. Weaker. Than us.]
The lizardman glanced at me cautiously, choosing his words.
"Zu—zuuu—."
[But. Can't. We.]
"Shii—."
[So what's the reason?]
"Zuaa—."
[Dangerous. More than wolves. Humans. Threatening. Stronger.]
That finally made sense.
Why these stronger lizardmen left the wolves alone.
'Hunters are definitely more threatening than wolves.'
From their perspective, wolves were disposable, but hunters kept coming no matter how many you killed.
'This complicates things...'
Just when I thought it was going smoothly, the key part of my plan hit a snag.
No lizardmen meant no check on the wolves.
'At least get the Surprise Birds... No, those sly bastards won't fight wolves head-on.'
Wolves avoided them, and vice versa.
'Damn... Full plan overhaul?'
As I frowned in irritation, the lizardman sensed my mood and spoke up hastily.
"Zu—zuaa—."
[Way. Exists. We. Can't step out. But.]
Shiii—
I eyed him.
He continued.
"Zuaa—zuu—."
[Humans. Threat. Full war. Impossible. But. Small scale. Possible.]
"Shii—."
[Some forces can be spared? Can that small group take down the wolves?]
"Zuaa—zu—."
[Wolves. Clever. Weak. But. Impossible. Small group. Hunts.]
"Shaa—!!"
[That won't help...!]
"Zu—!! Zuaa—!!"
[Can make! Instead! Chance!]
I tilted my head at his urgent cry.
"Zuaa— zu—!"
[Make. We. Chance. Offspring. Hunts. Wolves' king! In gap.]
"Shii…."
[I see...]
I nodded slowly at his proposal.
'I planned to snipe their leaders during the clash anyway.'
Stats and safety in one go.
'Original plan was to pit one lizardman against the Gray Killer Wolf.'
This forced a full revision.
Even with distractions, I couldn't solo the Gray Killer Wolf alone.
"Shiii—."
[No one among you up to facing the wolves' king?]
"Zuaa—."
[Possible. Me. Great Warrior. But. Can't. We. Check. Humans.]
'No easy way, huh? Means I fight it head-on.'
Visualizing, my win rate was 3:7.
Me at 3, it at 7.
The gap was clear.
"Shii—."
[Can't even for a moment? Just you stepping in briefly would suffice...]
"Zu…."
[Impossible. Sorry.]
Tsk—I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
Securing lizardmen cooperation easier than expected was a win.
But without full-scale war, I couldn't just celebrate.
'At least I solved my burning questions. Small mercies.'
Time to settle for the gains.
Anyway….
"Shii—."
[You, got a name?]
"Zu—zuaa—."
[Call. Wise Scale. Me.]
"Shii… shiii—."
['Wise Scale'... Do you know about mana?]
"Zu—zuu—."
[Know. Same. Mana. Air. Natural. Breathe like.]
"Shi— shiii— shii—."
[Then teach me about mana.]
"Zua—!"
[Honor! Infinite!]
And so, I learned about mana from the lizardman Wise Scale.
Maybe the biggest gain of the day?
Learning mana was harder than expected.
Wise Scale explained mana overflowed in the air, usable for magic and shamanism…
Honestly, I grasped maybe half, and his broken grammar mangled the rest.
Of his lengthy lecture, I got about a quarter.
Still, that gave me the basics—he was a decent teacher, for a monster.
'Or am I just the golden spoon?'
My elite bloodline might make even crap explanations click.
Either way, it was tough and time-intensive.
Four days after arriving in the western swamp village.
Focusing solely on mana, I finally built the foundation.
You have understood mana.
Skill Mana Manipulation G created.
Seeing the notifications stirred deep emotions.
Mana, stagnant except during evolutions, finally grew on its own.
Just F2, but with other stats' progress, steady gains awaited.
'Focus on Mana Manipulation and mana stats for now.'
The skill barely nudged ambient mana, but Wise Scale said it'd evolve into magic skills.
'Huge help against the wolf boss.'
Now, max mana stats and skill rank ASAP.
"Zu— zuaa—!!"
[Congratulations!]
"Zu—zuaa—!!!"
Dozens of lizardmen bowed alongside my four-day teacher, Wise Scale.
Their deference was uniform.
Terror of the queen—my mother—ran so deep, any twitch startled them into near-panic.
Even Wise Scale and the "Great Warriors" at D-rank like me weren't much different.
The Great Warriors seemed extra jumpy.
Mother, what the hell did you do here?
Later tales revealed she'd massacred two-thirds of the village, including their floor boss king.
That's why so few lizardmen remained.
Wise Scale and the two Great Warriors were mere grunts then, evolved for surviving her.
Mother, what are you...?
Their overreactions suited me fine.
Quite satisfying, actually.
My long-dreamed food shuttles overflowed here.
Hunt-free feasting was bliss beyond imagination.
But survival wasn't my goal anymore—growth was.
Staying meant comfort, but stagnation.
I needed to grow stronger.
Stronger.
Swallowing tears, I bid farewell to paradise.
Just heading back to my nest, really.