Chapter 127: The Clue to Enlightenment
Training with the Snake Queen.
After sticking our bodies together, we exchanged glances in a strange, awkward atmosphere.
If that’s all it was, I could do it all day.
In fact, she placed her energy pouch on my soft belly and looked at me with a peculiar expression.
“How do you feel?”
How do I feel? A little embarrassed.
The Snake Queen had the minor flaw of having a snake’s lower body, but if I could overlook that, she could be considered an unparalleled beauty.
Besides, her energy pouch was full.
Somehow, it seemed she didn’t bother hiding it when she was with me.
“Since we shared the core of the Beihj Bird, our powers should resonate to some extent.”
The Beihj Bird was a creature where two are one and one is two.
Therefore, its core likely carried the same nature.
Of course, to be precise, one of the two cores had been swallowed by Shikshik, and the remaining one was shared between the two of us.
It would be more accurate to say that it resonated with Shikshik’s core, but the core the Snake Queen and I consumed seemed to resonate with each other as well.
“So the more we act together, the more we can draw out that power. Training together would be the most efficient way.”
I’ve said it before, but being close to the Snake Queen was always welcome.
In fact, even without that reason, I could cling to her all day.
And now, I had a perfect excuse.
I could stick to her like a gecko all day long.
When we touched skin like this, it really did feel like the Beihj Bird’s energy became stronger.
“However, I don’t have enough time to devote all my time to you.”
The Snake Queen was right.
She had a lot to do.
I couldn’t keep her tied up for too long just because of training.
“So, let’s keep it short and intense.”
The smooth body of the Snake Queen gently caressed me.
…Smooth?
Well, the Snake Queen’s body was always smooth.
That wasn’t really a problem.
The real issue was that the tail stroking me was getting larger.
And the Snake Queen’s once graceful face was turning terrifying.
Every time I met her eyes, I felt like my body was turning to stone.
“Hisssss!”
A Basilisk was staring down at me.
“G-gegege!”
I was startled.
Why did she suddenly change into that form?
If she didn’t turn back into human form soon, I would confiscate the Honey of Okbong.
“Get into position.”
The Basilisk’s eyes gleamed.
Was I missing something?
Let’s think about this carefully.
Training, short and intense, and her true form.
Putting all of this together led to one conclusion.
“I need to see your skills.”
She wanted to spar under the guise of training.
But I wasn’t crazy enough to spar with the Snake Queen.
I made an innocent lizard face, pretending to know nothing.
The Komodo doesn’t know anything.
“If it feels like you’re going to die, just say so.”
Why did she have to say it like that?
I felt hurt.
BOOM!
“Ke-ke-kek!”
I feel like I’m going to die!
*
The world is vast, and there are many powerful beings.
One proud lizard, who thought he had reached the level of the Komodo-Lania, knelt.
The Snake Queen, now back in her human form, patted me gently.
Stroking, stroking.
But it hurt.
The part she just stroked felt like it was turning to stone—was that just my imagination?
“Geh!”
“Hehehe. Did it hurt a lot?”
My body didn’t hurt that much.
It wasn’t like the Snake Queen was trying to kill me.
What hurt wasn’t my body, but my pride.
Status window!
I still… couldn’t even see the Snake Queen’s level!
“Geeeeh…”
“I’m reminded of when I first met you. Compared to then, your skills have improved remarkably. To become this strong in such a short time is unprecedented.”
…Was I being too unreasonable?
I’ve only been living as a lizard for, at most, four months.
Compared to the Snake Queen, who has lived for at least several decades, if not centuries, even comparing myself to her felt like an insult.
“I mean it. If this were a real fight, even if I won, I wouldn’t have escaped unscathed.”
Maybe I would’ve knocked off a scale or two.
She was overestimating me a bit.
This sparring session (or one-sided beating) showed me exactly where I stood. I had been determined to catch the Bird King, but realistically, that seemed impossible now.
At the very least, the Bird King must be as powerful as the Snake Queen.
My role would be to assist her or take on opponents like the Fiery Phoenix or the Imoogi Bird.
“The more impressive thing is, you can still get much stronger from here. And that, before the war with Gaetsalgoadal.”
“Geh!”
Really?
The Snake Queen gently stroked my wounds with her tail and gave me feedback on the battle.
My habits.
And points for improvement.
Her advice was blood and scales for me.
It felt awkward to say I paid for it by getting beaten up so badly that my scales fell off, but still, I gained a lot from it.
Until now, even if I won a battle, I just won. No one had ever given me feedback like this.
Getting beaten up, having my nose rubbed in it, and then reflecting on my flaws—this was the Snake Queen.
She wasn’t called the Queen for no reason.
Despite having a large and beautiful tail, I wasn’t using it properly, or I insisted on using my claws when I should’ve been using my fangs.
Her advice struck at the bone.
I listened carefully to every word, hissing quietly.
After the somewhat painful feedback session ended, it was time for a reward.
“What’s with that face?”
“Gehgeh.”
“…Alright. There’s a lot to compliment as well.”
Open wide, here comes the praise.
“Your techniques weren’t bad. Especially that blue beam that seemed to mimic mine. The output was impressive.”
**Gecko Death Beam.**
The original version was the Snake Queen’s Destruction Beam.
I had stolen it with Dragon’s Reverse Scale and refined it with faith to create the Gecko Death Beam.
Its power was among the best of my abilities.
For close-range, I used the Nine Yin White Bone Claws, and for long-range, I relied on the Gecko Death Beam.
Of course, you could say neither of these techniques were truly mine.
They weren’t registered in my status window, and I couldn’t just use them on a whim, knowing the subtleties and principles.
Without the Dragon’s Reverse Scale, I wouldn’t be able to use either of them.
Beings without a status window would wonder, “How does a lizard know such techniques?!”
They’d be frustrated, but what could they do?
I’m a lizard with a status window.
I need to make the most of it.
“Most impressive of all, though, was the sheer power you displayed. The force you used to overwhelm the enemy with enough strength to uproot a mountain. Surely that technique is what they call ‘The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World.’”
This too was a technique dependent on the **Dragon’s Reverse Scale**.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was the skill that kept me alive.
In game terms, it would be like an area-wide debuff combined with a personal buff.
Versatile.
Aside from the slightly high MP consumption, it was a skill with no real drawbacks.
“To be honest, I’m a bit envious of it.”
For the Snake Queen to covet it…
Well, it was a technique used by **Baek Yeonyeong**.
It must have been quite an advanced technique.
But I don’t think it’s to the point where the Snake Queen should be envious.
The Snake Queen’s power was strong enough that she didn’t need to use **The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World**.
Plus, she could easily replicate its suppressive effect by releasing her internal energy.
As I tilted my head in confusion, the Snake Queen seemed to read my thoughts and offered a further explanation.
“That’s not a skill that can be imitated just by having a lot of internal energy. You need a fundamental understanding to use it. Knowing who you are, what kind of power you wield, and what you aim for.”
**Enlightenment…!**
The Snake Queen was saying something serious.
*Status window, click.*
*Dragon’s Reverse Scale, click.*
What kind of person am I to be using **The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World** with the **Dragon’s Reverse Scale**?
I felt guilty toward the Snake Queen.
…No, wait.
Come to think of it, I used **The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World** before I had the Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
The first time I used it was during the battle with the **Dilophosaurus** after it had turned into a poison dragon.
Right after that battle, I evolved into the **Komodo** and obtained the Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
That means I must have unconsciously grasped something without realizing it.
But the fact that it didn’t register in my skill window means I used it subconsciously.
I felt like I had caught a clue.
**The Reverberating Aura That Covers the World** and **Nine Yin White Bone Claws**.
I used both of them before I had the Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
But now, I don’t have those skills anymore.
As the Snake Queen said, I needed to dig deeper into the concept of enlightenment.
“The technique my master tried to teach me was the same. Without enlightenment, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t even begin to imitate it.”
The technique taught by the Snake Queen’s master.
I saw it in her mental imagery.
Shouting intensely, *Pah-bat!*
Something about the leader, something about the greatest.
It was cryptic.
“I believe you are capable of understanding what that passage means. And if you gain the enlightenment my master had, you could become strong enough to reach me.”
“Gegegek.”
The words spoken by the Snake Queen’s master in the mental imagery.
And her posture.
She was definitely pointing to the sky with one hand.
The bald man on the stone tablet that **Old Kompi** showed me had the same posture.
Was it a coincidence that they were the same?
“You look deep in thought. If I had my way, I’d stay by your side, but I don’t have much time left.”
The Snake Queen gave a small smile.
She stroked me one last time and headed toward the entrance of the temple.
The entrance being the huge hole created from our sparring.
She had things to do.
She had taken time to pass something on to me.
The Snake Queen left the temple, and I was left alone.
There was no time to laze around just because I was alone.
“Gekgek.”
I looked around.
No one here, right?
There shouldn’t be anyone, but that’s just the way lizards feel.
Even though I knew I was alone, I had to double-check just in case.
“Gekek.”
*Status window.*
【Komodo-Lania LV20】
HP: 5110/5110
MP: 1630/1630
【Titles】
「Loved by Spiders」
「Master of the Silver Dragon Cave」
「Master of the Lower Swamp」
「Partner of the Snake Queen」
「Heir of the Soaring Dragon」
This incredible spec…
What is this?
There were two strange things attached.
「Partner of the Snake Queen」
The Snake Queen has acknowledged you as her partner. Beings who worship the Snake Queen will revere you. You possess strong resistance to poison and petrification.
「Heir of the Soaring Dragon」
The Soaring Dragon has acknowledged you as his son-in-law. Beings who worship the Soaring Dragon will revere you. You receive a bonus to **Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step** and its derivative techniques.
What’s this?
Why did this appear without any notice?
I had just been trying to check my stats.
It felt like the Snake Queen and Old Kompi had each stamped their seal on both of my cheeks.
Like a lizard with a 1++ grade.
…Let’s move on for now.
That’s not what I need to look at right now.
_________________________
【Skills】
「Dragon Claw」 「Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step」 「Minor Heavenly Circuit」 「Immune to All Poisons」 「Gecko Heart Technique」 「Gecko Wall-Climbing Technique」 「Ancient Dragon Kick」
「Dragon Scales LV10」 「Dragon’s Reverse Scale LV1」 「Poison Generation LV10」 「Poison Gathering LV8」 「Dragon Blood LV1」
__________________________
What I need to look at are these skills.
All the training I’ve done so far was just to get stronger in general.
Whether it was leveling up or absorbing cores to make their power mine.
Whatever method I used, as long as I got stronger, I thought it was fine.
Of course, that’s not a bad way to go.
Unlike others, leveling up, which only I could see, was a huge advantage.
But now, even leveling up once felt like a hard task.
Even if I killed ten **Terror Birds**, I wouldn’t gain much.
Given the current time constraints, I needed to use a more efficient method.
I crossed my legs and closed my eyes.
I drew internal energy from deep within my **dantian**.
Once again, my mental imagery appeared.
There was no reason to face my **Inner Demon**, so I only saw a calm lake.
The lake’s water wasn’t overflowing.
It didn’t mean that the water had decreased.
It meant that the size of the lake itself had grown.
That must be my capacity.
*Suuuuuup.*
I inhaled.
*Hoooooo.*
And exhaled again.
From my conversation with the Snake Queen, I had caught a clue.
A way to move forward.
Training is the process of gaining enlightenment.
Of course, the chances of me understanding a passage that even the Snake Queen didn’t comprehend were slim.
But that was okay.
My goal was to delve into the skill I had—**Dragon’s Reverse Scale**.
Why had it not leveled up despite using it so many times?
And why had I been able to use **Baek Yeonyeong’s** technique before I had **Dragon’s Reverse Scale**?
I intended to figure at least one thing out.
And if I failed to achieve even that?
Well, I’d just have to duel my **Inner Demon** sleeping deep within the lake.
*Gurrrgle.*
Bubbles formed at the bottom of the lake.
It seemed to be anticipating something, but no, it’s not happening, dude.
Whether it’s leveling up **Dragon’s Reverse Scale** or gaining enlightenment.
One of the two, I’ll definitely accomplish it.
*Gurrgle…*
…I feel like I’ve cornered myself here.
Eh, whatever.
There’s no way I’ll fail.