Chapter 118 Nephila Jurassica’s Emblem
【Komodo-Lania LV20】
HP: 5110/5110
MP: 1630/1630
As I continued to evolve, and my level increased, it was common knowledge that more experience points were needed for each level up.
Despite that, I achieved a remarkable feat by reaching level 20 in one go.
Of course, half of the level-ups came from breaking into the savings that the believers had painstakingly accumulated for me.
Still, the other half or more was a gift from the Beihj Bird.
It seemed there was still some way to go before my next evolution, but this much was already a significant increase.
The Beihj Bird, which granted far more experience points than beasts of the same level.
It was indeed an opponent that could be called a spiritual creature.
When I thought about it, the amount of experience points tied to the Gecko Faith was ridiculous.
Although Tus, Pus, and Shikshik had leveled up quite a bit, they were still in their growth phase.
Just like when I was a Gecko Lizard, they were at a stage where their levels soared with little effort.
So, the actual amount of experience they accumulated might not be that much.
Even if they combined all their efforts, it might barely amount to one level of Komodo-Lania.
…Could Nephila have invested the experience points she’d gathered and multiplied them?
I’ll think about that later.
For now, I need to claim the reward in front of me.
I wasn’t entirely sure, but since I had defeated the Beihj Bird, I should be able to escape this space soon.
If I got sent out against my will, I’d have to leave behind this precious gift from the Beihj Bird.
At the very least, I had to consume these two birds myself.
I eagerly devoured the two Beihj Birds like I was feasting on fried chicken.
Though leveling up had restored my stats, it didn’t fill my stomach.
Consuming calories was always essential.
I quickly gulped down the Beihj Bird’s meat.
Crunch.
Munch.
Gulp.
The taste was neutral without anything too off-putting.
It was just like the chicken taste I knew.
Thanks to the fiery energy of the Fire Carp, the meat had a slightly roasted flavor.
Not bad, though, considering how horrid it looked.
After dealing with the Dimetrodon’s meat, I finally obtained the item I’d been waiting for.
【Beihj Bird’s Core】
【Beihj Bird’s Core】
It was none other than the core of this creature.
However, something was different about it.
The name format was different from the cores I’d seen before.
Superior, intermediate, lower.
The previous cores I encountered always had these kinds of modifiers.
Sometimes a word would be added to describe the core’s color.
Even when I captured the Cockatrice, a spiritual creature, it was the same.
The gigantic Imoogi that Baek Yeonyeong defeated was no different.
But this creature was unique.
It had cores named after itself.
And not just one, but two of them.
“Gegek!”
The battle was tough, but the rewards were definitely worth it.
Even at a glance, I could tell these were rare cores, and I’d been given two of them.
“Gekgek.”
I quickly tucked the cores into my possession.
I didn’t consume them right away, instead pushing them into a visible gap between my scales.
The format of these cores was unlike anything I’d seen before.
If I ate them and ended up passing out while gekkek-ing, that would be troublesome.
…Though, as a medicinal monster, the chances of that happening were low, it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
While I was chewing on the Beihj Bird’s bones and gekkek-ing, something happened.
Tap.
I met eyes with Nephila, who had been watching me intently.
“Gegegek!”
It’s been a while, Spider.
I didn’t forget about you because I was too focused on eating, I swear.
Nephila simply stared at me, not giving away what she was thinking.
It felt a bit embarrassing under her gaze.
I pushed the Beihj Bird’s remains to the side.
Maybe she had something to say to me.
Nephila Jurassica suddenly reached out towards me.
The way she moved her hands made it seem like she was trying to pat my head.
I tilted my head slightly to respond to her gesture.
Of course, since she was only a mental projection, she couldn’t physically touch me.
“Gegek?”
Still, I somehow felt warmth.
She continued to pat my holographic form for a while.
Though I didn’t understand the exact mechanism, it was clear that with the help of Nephila Jurassica and the followers of the Gecko Faith, I had been able to defeat the Beihj Bird.
Nephila had even directly assisted in the battle.
I owed her my life multiple times over.
As a sign of gratitude, I bowed my head.
“Gek….”
Nephila smiled softly.
Although her upper body resembled that of a human, she didn’t speak.
Maybe she couldn’t speak because she was just a mental projection.
But that didn’t seem to be the case. After all, the Snake Queen spoke fluently.
…Maybe she just hadn’t learned how to speak yet.
It made sense in a way.
Nephila had lived as a spider all this time and was just beginning to grasp the concept of humanization.
She probably hadn’t had much exposure to humans.
Even if she understood the language of spiders, becoming fluent in human speech was a different challenge.
Besides, she still saw me as a lizard, so she might learn to gekkek before she learned to speak.
But what did it matter if she couldn’t speak?
Other beings might not understand, but we spiders can read each other’s thoughts just by looking at each other’s faces.
“Gekgek.”
Still, I kind of wanted to hear Nephila’s chirping voice again.
I reminisced about the first time I met Nephila.
Back when I climbed up the tree to escape the Oviraptor, Nephila Jurassica had warmly welcomed me.
Out of neighborly affection, she had even shared her food with me.
As I thought about those times, I looked at Nephila, and I noticed her smile had disappeared.
What’s going on? Why are you like this?
…Could it be that she realized I was fabricating my memories?
No. Nephila wasn’t the kind of spider to get angry over something like that.
There had to be a reason for her sudden shift in mood.
Nephila was carefully watching something.
I swallowed my saliva and followed her gaze.
Her eyes moved from the ground and eventually settled on my body.
She was staring at my neck.
Was there something on my body?
I lowered my head to check, but there was nothing unusual.
The item the Snake Queen had given me was still intact.
….
Then it hit me.
Nephila Jurassica had seen it.
The Snake Queen’s emblem.
In other words, she realized I was now a married lizard.
“Gekgek.”
It’s a misunderstanding.
Let me explain.
Thud!
Nephila’s third leg slammed hard against the ground.
…Aren’t you just a mental projection?
Why is the ground cracking?
“Gegegek….”
I wish she’d say something—her silence was even more terrifying.
“At least give me a screech.”
Nephila kept getting closer to me.
She lowered her head, mimicking what I had just done.
In other words, she was looking at her own chest.
Then she lifted her head again to glance at the emblem on my chest.
Once more, she lowered her head and looked at her own chest.
Nephila Jurassica’s face was gradually turning red.
I didn’t quite understand why, but I had a feeling that provoking her right now would be a bad idea.
“…Youuu.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
A sound came from Nephila’s mouth, which had been silent all this time.
Her speech was a bit awkward, but it was clear she was trying to convey something.
It was obvious she was angry at me.
But why was she looking at her chest while doing so?
Was she asking for a similar item to be placed on her?
“Gegegegek.”
Surely, she wasn’t comparing the Snake Queen’s internal energy pouch to her own, right?
Besides, Nephila had never seen the Snake Queen.
…Wait, has she really never seen her?
Even when they were far away, didn’t they occasionally know what I was up to?
For some reason, Nephila, being the Shrine Maiden, probably noticed things more clearly than ordinary believers.
And then it hit me.
The reason for Nephila’s pouty face.
It was to scold me for being too distracted by the Snake Queen’s energy pouch.
“You…”
No, this is a misunderstanding.
I’ll admit I occasionally glance at the Snake Queen’s energy pouch without much thought.
But there’s no hidden intent behind it.
Isn’t it natural for your gaze to be drawn to something so massive?
It’s just one of those things.
An unavoidable occurrence.
“Gekek…”
But I couldn’t explain that out loud.
I swallowed my words, but it seemed that Nephila, the Shrine Maiden of the Gecko, had already sensed even my thoughts.
Her face reddened further, and her eyebrows rose.
Thump.
Nephila grabbed me with one hand.
…I knew she couldn’t actually hold me, but I felt like I’d been caught.
34
Shrrk.
The black, unknown fabric of the clothes she was wearing began to vanish.
“Gek!”
Startled, I let out a squawk.
In a panic, I raised my front paws to cover my eyes.
But unfortunately, because of my claws, there was still a gap.
So, I had no choice but to peer through that gap and closely observe Nephila.
However, all I could see was her face.
Of course.
It was a face that seemed to say, “This is what you get.”
Through the gap between my claws, Nephila Jurassica’s pouty expression was clearly visible.
Shooook!
And at that moment, spider silk shot out.
…Was she shooting webs at me?
Now that I think about it, didn’t she have an appetite status effect?
“Geeeek!”
I panicked, and in the chaos, the web hit its target.
That target was none other than the emblem of the Snake Queen hanging around my neck.
Nephila’s web, like the finest silk, began to decorate the Snake Queen’s emblem with new ornaments.
The top part of the vanished clothing turned into black dye, while her web became white dye.
In the end, the Snake Queen’s emblem had a new design.
It now featured a small black lizard.
However, the lizard was tightly wrapped in webs.
Nephila nodded, satisfied with her handiwork.
It seemed to be her way of marking her territory.
She allowed me to wear the emblem since she knew it was useful to me, but she also wanted to assert that she had a share in it.
So that others wouldn’t just see me as the Snake Queen’s companion, but also as the divine beast of the Gecko.
She wasn’t the Shrine Maiden for nothing.
…But why did she have to draw a lizard wrapped up in webs?
There’s no majesty for a divine beast like that.
Nephila stared at me.
Nephila Jurassica’s face looked deep in thought, as if something was troubling her.
Could she have something else on her mind?
Drooling slightly, she looked at me.
Was she hungry?
“…Gek?”
I noticed there was spider silk under my leg.
It was leftover from the drawing.
But it just so happened to be tied around my leg.
…Nephila, don’t tell me…
“Gegegek!”
The moment Nephila tried to pounce on me—
Whoosh!
My body slowly started being pulled up to the ceiling.
I instinctively knew.
I was escaping from this place.
Nephila stomped her legs on the ground in frustration.
As she pouted, Nephila Jurassica chuckled to herself.
She must have known I was about to escape and decided to play a little prank on me.
It was also a small revenge for how I had gotten distracted by the energy pouch.
…..
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
“Gekek!”