Chapter 141 Reunion
Suddenly, I realized once again just how strong my master truly was.
The martial arts that unfolded based on that overwhelming internal energy pouch…
No, even without using martial arts, it was evident that she was strong.
Just watching her casually use light-footwork like this made it clear she was on a different level from others.
She wasn’t incredibly fast, but she flew through the air effortlessly, as if there were no obstacles in her way.
The fact that she slowed down was purely out of consideration for me.
If Baek Yeonyeong ran at full speed, I would have become a lizard without an owner.
Falling would be the least of my worries; I might even trigger the skill Head Cutting.
Thinking about that made me a little scared.
I should hold onto something, anything.
“…Hiya. Do you know what that means?”
“Gegek.”
The Komodo dragon knows nothing.
I was just grabbing onto her clothes.
“It’s fine. Just keep doing that.”
“Gegegek.”
Thanks to the generous Baek Yeonyeong, I could relax a little more.
Now that I had some room to breathe, I started thinking in the warm embrace.
I had to make use of the time while I could.
“Gek.”
Gektaechang.
_________________________
【Komodo-Lania LV20】
HP: 1110/5110
MP: 230/1630
_________________________
Unfortunately, I didn’t level up from this battle.
That’s because it was Baek Yeonyeong, not me, who finished off Gaetsalgoadal.
If I had even a bit of strength left, I could have bitten the critically wounded Gaetsalgoadal to finish it off.
It was a bit disappointing.
If I had devoured even its corpse, I could have leveled up tremendously. But that wasn’t possible either.
The reason was simple: eating meat tainted by Taese’s power would certainly not end well for me.
So, that corpse ended up in no one’s belly and was cleanly incinerated by Baek Yeonyeong’s Three Flame Purification.
She collected the core.
Did I gain nothing from this war?
You could think that, but I did gain a lot.
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【Skills】
「Snake and Hawk Life-and-Death Struggle」「Dragon Claws」「Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step」「Minor Heavenly Circuit」「Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity」「Gecko Heart Technique」「Gecko Wall-Climbing Technique」「Ancient Dragon Kick」
「Dragon Scales LV10」「Dragon’s Reverse Scale LV5」「Poison Creation LV10」「Poison Gathering LV8」「Dragon Blood LV1」…
_________________________
Looking at the skill window,
How was I able to land an effective hit on Gaetsalgoadal during that battle?
Heaven and Earth, I alone am supreme.
That phrase—the one the woman with red eyes tried to teach the Snake Queen—I had finally understood its meaning.
It wasn’t a skill or martial art.
It was just an enlightenment.
Once I grasped that one thing, I also understood how to use my internal energy.
Enlightenment tends to bring more enlightenment.
I had gained a vague understanding of the martial arts left behind by the first Heavenly Demon on the wall.
「Snake and Hawk Life-and-Death Struggle」
A martial art created by watching the life-and-death struggle between a snake and a hawk.
The right hand is shaped sharply like the head of a snake, while the left hand takes the form of a hawk’s talons, unleashing a technique of capturing.
It consists of 72 forms, known for their versatile offense and defense.
Snake and Hawk Life-and-Death Struggle.
Dragon Claws is a martial art for tearing enemies apart with a large sweep, while this one is a technique that uses both hands for simultaneous offense and defense.
When I have the opportunity for a sure strike, I’ll use Dragon Claws.
When I’m defending and waiting for a chance to counterattack, I’ll use Snake and Hawk Life-and-Death Struggle.
I should use them according to the situation.
Now that I have one more hand-based attack, I can take on a wider range of strategies.
The martial arts left by the Heavenly Demon didn’t end there.
I’ve seen more, but this was the only martial art I managed to learn this time.
As I continue to train, I’ll surely grasp the remaining phrases.
So, is that the end of what I’ve gained this time?
No, it’s not.
I acquired something I never even dared to think I would.
Great Heaven and Earth Shift.
Grasping heaven and earth and moving them greatly.
Even I, who doesn’t know much about martial arts, could tell how powerful this technique was.
Of course, it wasn’t officially registered in my skill window; it was just a brief moment of power that I could use because I had grasped the subtlety of Heaven and Earth, I alone am supreme.
It was a technique I could use just once, a fleeting convergence of coincidences.
But that’s all in the past now.
Because I had witnessed Baek Yeonyeong’s completed version of Great Heaven and Earth Shift.
Even seeing her perform the technique, it was impossible to replicate it with Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
I would need a certain level of understanding of the technique’s principles.
But I had once used an incomplete version of Great Heaven and Earth Shift.
In other words, if I used Dragon’s Reverse Scale, I could reproduce that technique again.
Though I wouldn’t be able to control the direction of power like Baek Yeonyeong, just amplifying my potential in a moment would be enough.
If I could reproduce Great Heaven and Earth Shift, I could also use Gecko Divine Claws.
Dragon’s Reverse Scale – Great Heaven and Earth Shift – Gecko Divine Claws.
It would take that sequence to use it, but the power was guaranteed.
Even Gaetsalgoadal, who had been consumed by Taese’s power, coughed up blood.
Of course, the problem was that once I used it, I would collapse right after.
Still, adding one more trump card was never a bad thing.
If I continue to train, I might even be able to use it regularly.
“I have much to teach you. Once your body has recovered, I will personally pass on many things to you.”
“Gek!”
Baek Yeonyeong’s teachings.
I knew that she was terrible at teaching others, but in my current state, I might be able to understand.
“Not only martial arts but also those bad habits…”
“Gek?”
What’s that supposed to mean?
Well, she must be talking about the habit of using too much strength.
That makes sense.
Now that I’m just sticking my head out, it’s getting a bit cold.
I should crawl back in.
So soft and warm.
We arrived at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
I wanted to describe this grand sight, but I couldn’t.
According to my master, while there was no need to hide, it wouldn’t be wise to walk around openly either.
In other words, I should burrow deeper into her embrace, and a good disciple wouldn’t disobey the master’s words.
Which means I couldn’t take in the sight of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Gegegek.”
Though I was always seeing a view that could rival it.
“We’ve arrived.”
Baek Yeonyeong grabbed my tail and pulled me out.
“Gegegek.”
I briefly expressed my regret at parting from the soft embrace.
But only for a moment, as my heart raced at the thought of seeing familiar faces again.
Those guys, they didn’t skip meals just because I was gone, right?
Baek Yeonyeong released my tail, and I landed softly on the ground.
It was quite a spacious room.
The furniture scattered around wasn’t particularly luxurious, but it wasn’t worn either.
A mix of sweet and bitter smells lingered in the air.
It must be the scent of the medicine used to treat Nephila.
It stung my nose.
Tang So-yeong.
You must have gone through a lot too.
“Ugh… no more… I can’t eat anymore…”
I could hear someone talking in their sleep.
Could it be that Tang-whatever’s voice?
Looking at the bed, something was tossing and turning.
“Go, Dae-hyeop… Feng Yuhuan… nooo….”
Sigh.
Must be nice.
Some of us almost died outside.
Slap!
I smacked Tang So-yeong’s butt with my tail.
“…Umm… Go Dae-hyeop’s scales… if I take them… I’ll be rich….”
Sure, sleep well.
Tang So-yeong seemed fine, but where were the others… Ah, there they were.
In the middle of the bed, two spiders were curled up, snoring.
The bed was wide, but they seemed to be sleeping awkwardly. Oh, they were pushed aside by Tus and Pus.
But what’s with that spiderweb over there?
There’s something that looks like a lizard.
On some kind of altar, my shed skin was draped over it.
These guys… must have missed me.
The tail and one of the hands of the lizard statue were half worn down, but I guess that didn’t matter.
“…Kiek?”
Noticing my gaze, Pus woke up, groggily stirring.
“Gekgek.”
When she saw me, her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Kieeek!”
Pus jumped up and down.
She came running at me like a dog reunited with its owner after a long time.
Yeah, I’m happy to see you too.
“Gekgek.”
Come here.
“Keeeeek!”
I stretched out my arms to welcome Pus’s affection.
She’d jump right into my arms.
…But something felt off.
Why was she getting bigger?
“Kieeeek!”
“Keggek!”
Wait, Pus.
Haven’t you gotten a bit too big?
Thud!
“Geekk….”
I was flattened by Pus’s body slam.
Yeah, I’m happy too…
“Keeeeek!”
Pus rubbed her face against mine.
Unlike a typical spider, her face looked like a puppy, so it didn’t drain my mental stamina.
But if she kept up with this physical assault, it wouldn’t be my mental stamina that depleted, but my physical one.
There was only one way to escape this.
The Komodo-Lania secret technique: Butt Smacking.
Tap tap.
“Keeeng!”
Pus shuddered and finally calmed down.
But I had overlooked something.
“Kieeek!”
The fact that Pus waking up meant Tus was also awake.
Tus quickly rushed over to greet me.
“Kioooong!”
Her greeting consisted of showing her sharp teeth, aimed straight for my tail.
“Gekgek!”
No way.
“Kieeeeng!”
But pushing Tus away wasn’t an easy task.
In the end, I lost in the contest of strength and obediently handed over my tail.
“Keeeng….”
At least she wasn’t biting down hard; Tus was just gently chewing on it.
Should I thank her for that?
“Kieeng.”
Pus, meanwhile, started crawling towards me again, offering her butt.
One was after my tail, and the other was presenting her backside—what a situation.
“Gegegek.”
Guys, I’m a Divine Beast, right?
Where did my dignity as a Divine Beast go?
Tang-whatever was still sleeping, scratching her belly.
Her small chest rose and fell, indicating just how deeply she was sleeping.
“Keeee…”
Suddenly, all movement stopped.
A slender figure.
Tiger-like patterns.
And those captivating… no, terrifying red eyes.
“Kiooo…”
It was Nephila Jurassica.
“Gekgek!”
Judging by her appearance, her body seemed mostly recovered.
“Keee.”
Nephila bowed respectfully.
“Keeeng…”
“Keeek…”
Tus and Pus, sensing Nephila’s presence, quickly backed away from me.
To think she could subdue Tus and Pus with just her gaze.
As expected of Nephila Jurassica.
It was a shame I couldn’t see her beautiful face anymore, but what did that matter at this point?
Nephila had done so much for me.
Maybe I should give her a kiss on the cheek…
“Kiek!”
Well, maybe not right now.
“Kioong.”
Nephila crept closer.
The reunion of a Divine Beast and its shrine maiden.
What a touching moment this was.
“Kiek?”
But Nephila’s expression changed.
She wasn’t looking at my face; her gaze was fixed on my neck.
And there, on my neck, was a necklace that had shrunk in size.
Why was she looking at me like that…?
Shwaaak!
Suddenly, Nephila’s web shot towards me.
“Gek?”
Nephila?
“Kieeeek!”
In an instant, Nephila lunged at me.
Tus and Pus followed suit.
“Gegegegek!”
Graaaah!
Shikshik! Jjaekjjaek! Snake Queen!
[The shrine maiden, 「Nephila Jurassica lv30」, declares that she can no longer overlook your betrayal.]
Betrayal? This is all a misunderstanding!
“Geeek!”
I can explain everything!
“Kieeeek!”
Wait, not there!