Chapter 186: The Strongest Snake (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: The Strongest Snake (4)
Hssssssss.
The poison gas, sprayed like a mist, swallowed the snakes. Watching this scene, Hon almost dropped her Hanwoo.
‘…W-what on earth is this?’
To lose focus with meat right in front of her—as a dragon, there could be no greater sacrilege. But wouldn't anyone have a similar reaction if they saw this?
Hon slowly raised her head. The giant serpent beast, which had died instantly, was now standing tall and erect, flaunting its majestic presence.
Playing dead? No. There wasn't a shred of magic power radiating from it. It was definitely a corpse.
And another thing.
Why was the serpent, which had been their enemy, now slaughtering its own kind? Hon couldn't understand a single thing about this situation.
She lowered her gaze again. Where her eyes landed, Kang Geomma stood beside the serpent. He was chewing on his meat, calmly observing the scene. His expression didn't change in the slightest, even amidst the screams echoing from all directions.
Choi Seol-ah tapped Hon, whose soul seemed to have left her body.
"Eat up quickly while the Lord handles them. He'll probably want to leave the moment they're all dead."
"...Both you and Lord Kang Geomma. How can you be so calm in this situation? Am I the weird dragon for being shocked?"
"Look at this pointy-ears. Now that you've found your tongue, the words are just pouring out, aren't they? Whatever. If you're not going to eat that meat, hand it over."
Choi Seol-ah reached out a greedy hand. Hon quickly backed away from those demonic clutches and stuffed the meat into her mouth. Ah! Even in this chaos, the taste was absolutely divine.
Was it because it was top-grade Hanwoo, or was it the chef's skill? For a moment, she felt lightheaded from the sheer deliciousness.
Just as Hon's eyes were about to glaze over, she snapped out of it and vigorously shook her head.
"Using a question as a trick to steal my meat! Have you been feeding me sausages every day while keeping this delicious meat to yourselves?!"
Choi Seol-ah clicked her tongue. Left with no choice, she went back to tearing into her own Hanwoo.
"Tsk. I feed you, I house you, and all you do is complain about what you're fed... No wonder the old folks say raising kids is a waste of time."
Hon felt a slight pang of guilt. Just a few weeks ago, she would have been deeply grateful for a mere crust of bread. How spoiled she had become. And despite all the nagging, it was true that Boradori had looked after her.
Hon bit her lower lip, then spoke with some difficulty.
"I do appreciate that, but... my question came first, so please answer me. What is that power, and why are you so calm?"
"I don't know the exact details either, but it seems the Lord can revive an enemy he has killed once."
"W-what! That makes no sense! Even our Dragon Lord couldn't do something like that!"
"Hey, pointy-ears. Do you still think our Lord is on the same level as the Dragon Lord?"
"......"
Hon was left speechless by the retort, which treated the absurd as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Choi Seol-ah shrugged and continued.
"I understand your reaction. I was like that at first, too. So I asked him, but he didn't seem to have any intention of answering. What can you do? If the Lord says don't ask, you stay quiet. So, both you and I just need to do our jobs and not get in his way."
Choi Seol-ah sucked on her fingers. Even her fingernails were infused with that heavenly flavor.
Hon stared blankly at her childish behavior, sucking her fingers so casually while magical beasts were being slaughtered all around them.
Choi Seol-ah smirked at her.
"And the reason I can be so calm? That's obviously..."
Choi Seol-ah gestured forward with her chin instead of finishing her sentence. Hon's gaze followed.
The magical beasts had already dissolved down to their bones. Standing right in the middle of them with a serene expression was Kang Geomma.
"Beside the Lord is the safest place in the world."
Choi Seol-ah stared at Kang Geomma's back for a long moment. Her eyes were filled with absolute trust.
"That's why I'm calm. Well, of course, my life is frequently threatened by the Lord himself, but at least I won't die at the hands of an enemy. Pointy-ears, if you ever feel like your life is in danger, stick close to the Lord's back. Got it?"
* * *
The magical beasts' ambush was over. Looking around, there didn't seem to be any more enemies popping out, so we packed up and moved on.
Actually, I had planned to ride the giant serpent like a bus. It had a certain romance to it, and we wouldn't have to worry about trash mobs. However, the exact moment ten minutes passed, the serpent turned back into a corpse.
What a shame. I had even given the serpent a name in my own way.
Its name was Dodogasu. The way it sprayed poison gas reminded me of 'that guy'.
'Good job, Dodogasu.'
Leaving behind a small lingering regret, I diligently moved my legs. Of course, before leaving, I didn't forget to harvest the materials. I packed its scales and a few pairs of fresh venomous fangs into my backpack.
Step, step.
Thanks to Dodogasu's hard work, our path had been thoroughly cleared. A smooth road with not a single obstacle blocking our way. At this rate, we would arrive at the final boss's chamber in no time.
'I should have us gear up before we enter.'
Since everyone had brought their own gear, that wasn't an issue. The important thing was mental preparation. In particular, Choi Seol-ah's completely relaxed attitude bothered me. If she wasn't careful, she would end up as a decorative stone statue in this dungeon.
So, I called out to Choi Seol-ah, who was walking beside me, to brief her on her role and action guidelines once we encountered the beast.
"You don't want to become a stone ornament here, do you?"
Choi Seol-ah nodded. So vigorously that her purple hair became a disheveled mess.
"Then listen carefully. Once we enter the dungeon, you will..."
* * *
...After walking like that for three hours, we finally reached a massive gate that appeared to be the entrance.
The gate was cracked like a shattered window, with lava boiling within the crevices. At a glance, it looked as if a crimson serpent was coiling around the door.
"Ah."
Only then did reality sink in for Choi Seol-ah. Beyond this gate, the S-rank Magical Beast, the Basilisk, would be waiting for its prey. Shivers ran down her spine.
Looking back, why was she even here? She could understand the pointy-ears' troubled mind. But what was the reason she had to tag along? She had played babysitter for weeks, and now she was putting her very life on the line.
She had confidently declared that staying by the Lord's side was the safest, but variables could always arise in actual combat. Furthermore, the Lord had entrusted her with a heavy responsibility.
The pressure weighed on her shoulders like a ton of bricks. Yet, on the other hand, she felt proud of herself. It felt as though she was finally being recognized by the Lord.
'You can do this, Choi Seol-ah. You can do it!'
Choi Seol-ah slapped both of her cheeks. Then, she looked over at the pointy-ears.
Hon was staring intently at the gate. The orange glow of the lava reflected on her face, but it couldn't entirely hide her paleness.
Despite acting like a brat, the pointy-ears sometimes had those deeply sunken eyes. At least her eyes sparkled when she ate meat.
'A kid looking like she's lived through the end of the world...'
Watching her brought an involuntary sigh. For some reason, she felt an itch deep inside her chest. It was a strange, subtle feeling—highly unfamiliar, yet somehow nostalgic.
Choi Seol-ah tilted her head in confusion for a moment before brushing the thought aside.
Just then, Kang Geomma called her and Hon over.
"The battle starts the moment we enter. Hon, refrain from reverting to your dragon form as much as possible. From what you've said, it seems there's a severe backlash when you shed your human form."
"But still..."
"I'm not saying don't do it under any circumstances. If it's an emergency, what choice do you have? You'll have to fight in your dragon form. But treat it as a last resort and save it as much as possible."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Hon's expression hardened.
"Yes. I understand."
"Since you're family, the Basilisk will focus its attention on you. It'll likely ignore Choi Seol-ah and me, thinking we're just random humans. We'll exploit that opening. Choi Seol-ah, just move exactly as I requested earlier."
"Yes, sir!"
Choi Seol-ah put extra energy into her response for no reason. For once, the Lord gave her a faint smile. A wide grin spread across her face.
Having finished the briefing, Kang Geomma walked toward the gate. The door was tightly shut, as if blocking entry. Kang Geomma smirked and pulled out his master key.
Sli ＼ ce
Kang Geomma's shoulder blurred, and a diagonal line of light flashed. The gate collapsed a beat later.
Rumble!
A heavy vibration shook the ground, and sawdust mixed with sparks swirled chaotically through the air.
Like a Western gunslinger, Kang Geomma spun his Sashimi on his palm. The blade, spinning like a pinwheel, slipped smoothly back into its scabbard. At the same time, the scattered light vanished.
"......"
Hon was no longer surprised. With that raw-fish knife, he had killed a giant serpent instantly with a heart attack, and then revived the beast he had just slain.
Why wouldn't he be able to slice a gate in half? Having experienced one shock after another, Hon had actually become numb to it. Her head felt a little dizzy, though.
But this was probably just her brain trying to process the scene. Or perhaps her mind simply didn't know where to begin being shocked.
Still, thanks to this mild headache, her anxiety was washed away.
"Ugh, shit. Look at all this dust."
Kang Geomma waved his hand to clear the dust. Only then did the interior begin to come into view.
First, he checked the ceiling. Icicle-like rocks were hanging in clusters.
'Thank goodness.'
Kang Geomma felt a brief wave of relief. If things were blocked here, all the plans he had made would have been in vain.
But it was too early to relax. The real battle started now. Kang Geomma widened his eyes and stared straight ahead. The pitch-black space seemed to swallow all the surrounding light.
At that moment, a pair of ominous eyes flashed from the shroud of darkness. The snake-like eyes gleamed like crimson beads.
Aside from the glow of its eyes, its form was melted into the darkness. However, the dark-red aura alone was enough to identify what it was.
The unholy serpent, the Basilisk.
The creature rolled its pomegranate-like eyes, scanning them. It began to slither closer.
Once again, Kang Geomma didn't like that look. It felt as if the beast thought a mouse had walked into the snake's den of its own accord.
'It seems it hasn't realized Hon's true identity yet.'
The range of the 'Evil Eye of Petrification' was 200 meters. And that distance was the key to subjugating the beast.
Thud. Kang Geomma took the first step. Hon and Choi Seol-ah followed him one after another. One step, then another. Without rushing, carefully... like hell.
"Choi Seol-ah!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Kang Geomma's booming shout, Choi Seol-ah swiftly drew her revolver. The muzzle, aimed at the ceiling, spat fire.
Bang, bang!
The light gunshots echoed, striking the ceiling. The lead bullets shaved away at the bases of the icicle-like rocks like sharpening a pencil. The dangling stones soon plummeted toward the ground.
As she pulled the trigger, Choi Seol-ah recalled the instructions the Lord had given her earlier.
'Perhaps your role will be the most important in this subjugation battle.'
'What is it I have to do...?'
The Lord had raised his index finger and pointed to the ceiling.
'See those stalactites up there? Shoot them down. Hon will use her magic to temporarily suspend them in midair.'
The Lord had continued with a steadfast gaze.
'We can't approach the Basilisk with our eyes closed anyway. In that case, we might as well blindfold the bastard as we close in.'
'No way!'
'Exactly. The icicles in this cave will serve as a blindfold, shielding me from the Evil Eye of Petrification.'
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
A rain of rocks poured down, piercing through the pitch-black darkness.
Just before the sharp tips of the icicles could touch the ground, Hon released her magic power as if clenching and unclenching her fist.
Hummmmmmm.
A vast force field froze the downpour of stones in midair. However, it wouldn't last very long.
Hon whipped her head to the side. She shouted, her voice strained with effort.
"Now!"
Kang Geomma kicked off the ground and leaped. His explosive speed surpassed that of a bullet. Darting forward like a bolt of lightning, he stepped on the flat stones suspended between the icicles.
Clink. The sound of a shell casing hitting the floor.
Choi Seol-ah reloaded and swiftly aimed at the stalactites.
Since this would serve as a screen while the Lord closed in on the beast, she blasted away with everything she had.
"Leave the rear to us and just move forward, Lord!"
Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
Feeling the barrage of gunshots echoing once more, Kang Geomma flicked his wrist, unsheathing his blade.
[The Blessing of the Sword God is activated.]