Chapter 143 Volcanic Mountain
“Heuk… heuk…”
Tang So-yeong was sobbing as she fanned me.
Slap!
“Kyaa! I was just joking….”
I didn’t want to do this either, but I had to establish some discipline.
Especially when my body had shrunk like this.
After all, if she wanted to examine my body, she’d have no choice but to touch me, and Tang-something might pull another strange stunt.
I lay on the bed in a comfortable position, receiving Tang So-yeong’s fanning.
“Kyeeng.”
Even the spiders had calmed down from their earlier excitement and were treating me gently.
Tus and Pus brought me snacks that had been placed on a plate.
“Kyeeng!”
Pus, who had been quietly watching me slap Tang So-yeong’s butt, began urging me.
Alright, feeling good.
Slap!
“Kioong!”
We hadn’t met in a while, so it was nice to have some peaceful time together.
“Heuk… My arm hurts, how long do I have to keep doing this?”
The spiders had calmed down, and Tang So-yeong was being punished.
I decided to delay the treatment for a while and check on their condition.
First, Tus and Pus.
「Anthracomartus lv30」
【Status】
「Worship」「Crush」「Anticipation」
「Arthrocofus lv30」
【Status】
「Worship」「Crush」「Satisfaction」
Let’s focus on their levels for now instead of their statuses.
They were already at level 30.
Baek Yeon-yeong must’ve taken really good care of them for them to reach level 30 so quickly.
“Kioong…”
I, on the other hand, had struggled hard just to reach level 20.
Of course, my level 1 and the spiders’ level 1 were different, but still.
Something felt a bit strange.
When I was a gecko lizard, my max level had been 10.
The level cap had increased with each evolution.
Yet these spiders had surpassed level 10, then level 20, and now had reached level 30, but still hadn’t evolved.
Instead, they had grown tremendously in size.
The spiders, once around 5 cm, had grown to the size of small dogs.
I assumed that the stronger a species was, the higher the level requirement for evolution, but perhaps these spiders were actually extraordinary creatures.
I stared intently at Tus and Pus.
“Kioong?”
Maybe not.
Look at their harmless faces.
I remembered the time they clung to each other, trembling in fear, when a near-dead water beetle had appeared.
Tus and Pus weren’t exactly a powerful species.
If I compared them to myself, they’d be about the same level as a gecko lizard, maybe even weaker.
So how did they reach level 30?
Were they stockpiling strength in some way without evolving?
Perhaps my evolution was unique.
Typically, one could gulp down a few common elixirs, fill up their level, and then immediately evolve with a click.
But if I thought about what Tang-something had said, the transformation of other beasts seemed to be a much more complicated process.
“Kieek.”
If that wasn’t the case, they might be forcefully gathering strength without using it on minor evolutions.
Nephila Jurassica, too, had evolved into an Arachne in one go.
She had skipped over numerous evolutions that should’ve taken place in between.
Of course, she reverted to her pre-evolution state not long after.
Tus and Pus seemed to have a similar goal.
They were aiming to transform into humans.
Admirable little ones.
How did they even know I liked humans?
“Kioong!”
Tus and Pus waved their arms in delight.
“Kieek!”
And then there was Nephila Jurassica.
【Nephila Jurassica lv30】
【Status】
「Crush」「Affection」「Adoration」「Love」「Admiration」「Devotion」「Breeding Desire」「Possessiveness」「Appetite」「Obsession」
Her injuries had healed.
Most of her body had recovered.
Although the injuries were gone, the number of status effects had increased. Why was that?
… I’d better leave that for later.
If I dug too deep, I might get hurt.
“Kieek.”
Now that Nephila had recovered, she’d likely aim for her own transformation too.
I imagined Tus, Pus, and Nephila Jurassica transforming into humans.
Thanks to the Gaetsalgoadal, I had seen them in that form briefly.
They had become perfectly human with no trace of spiders left.
I had been overjoyed just seeing the form Nephila showed me last time, so how great would it be if they transformed fully?
I closed my eyes and imagined it.
The sight of our Tang family sisters turning into humans.
…
……
“Geeek…”
Suddenly, my energy drained away.
“Huh, huh? What’s wrong?”
I had just realized an uncomfortable truth.
How did I only now realize this?
I looked at Tang So-yeong, who was gazing at me with concern.
“Geeeng…”
“What’s with that face? Why do you look even more drained after looking at me….”
Tang So-yeong glanced down at her chest.
Then, she raised her head again and looked at me.
“Geeeeek…”
She looked down again.
Then up again.
“Hey, you lizard!”
The truth I had realized.
At this rate, I’d starve to death.
“Kieeek!”
“Kioong!”
Tus and Nephila, swinging their legs, reacted similarly to Tang So-yeong.
“Geeeeek…”
I was losing strength.
“Kiong!”
Amid the others’ anger, one spider was wearing a smug expression.
Compared to Baek Yeon-yeong or the Snake Queen, Tus was at least sturdier.
“… Gek.”
Tus, want to touch my tail?
“Kioong!”
“Kieeek!”
“Kiyaaaak!”
Tus jumped around while the other spiders stomped angrily.
Some might think I was going too far, but this was all for their own good.
They’d understand my grand intentions later.
Before evolving, this moment could make them formidable energy pouches.
… As for Tang-something, I guess she could prepare to return to the Tang family.
“I-I feel weird! Like I’m about to be discarded for some trivial reason…!”
Trivial, she says.
How could something so important be trivial?
Volcanic Mountain.
Barren land mixed with beautiful plum blossoms.
And hot lava.
In this surreal place where all these elements coexisted, a messenger pigeon flew in.
“Ah, Lady!”
A petite woman with bright red hair.
Lee Rihwa held the messenger pigeon’s letter and was searching for someone.
“Your shouting is going to make my ears fall off, girl.”
The red-haired woman soaking in the hot springs answered with a tone of annoyance.
Gulp.
Lee Rihwa swallowed nervously.
Unlike her own meager body, the woman before her possessed a voluptuous figure.
On top of that, she had skills even recognized by the sect leader of Hwasan.
While the world believed she had entered Hwasan as a disciple, in reality, she had never received any of Hwasan’s teachings.
She was simply a weirdo who had holed up here because she liked the name “Hwasan.”
However, her prowess was so exceptional that no one dared treat her lightly.
“So, what brings you here?”
“It’s… a letter from Namgoong Yeon!”
“Namgoong Yeon?”
It didn’t take long for the master of Hwasan to recall his name.
“Oh, that suspicious guy?”
A woman who would sometimes even forget the sect leader’s name.
But Namgoong Yeon was someone who brought her useful information.
“Let me have it.”
She took the letter Lee Rihwa handed her and read it.
“Hmm, interesting.”
A faint smile appeared on the red-haired woman’s face, as if something had piqued her interest.
Swoosh.
The red-haired woman stood up from the hot spring.
As she rose, bubbling lava splashed out from the pool.
Ssshhh…
The splashing lava didn’t matter.
What was alarming was that this woman, who disliked moving, had already finished her bath.
“Tell the sect leader.”
“Huh, huh?”
“Tell him I’m going to meet an old friend.”
Going to meet an old friend.
At first glance, there was nothing wrong with her words.
Except the issue was that this woman’s hometown wasn’t in the central plains.
“…Are you talking about the Western Regions?”
“The Western Regions? I was born there, but that’s not my hometown.”
“No way.”
Traveling all the way to the Western Regions would be an issue in itself.
Her real hometown was Hwasan.
But Lee Rihwa could tell she wasn’t about to say something so sentimental.
“You can’t go!”
Her “hometown” referred to the headquarters of the Demon Cult, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
“Why not? I heard the skies over the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains have gone dark.”
“Even so….”
“You were going to send someone there to investigate anyway, right? I’m just offering to go as well.”
“My lady…!”
Gulp.
Lee Rihwa swallowed nervously.
This wasn’t something she could decide on her own.
But waiting for the sect leader’s response wasn’t an option either.
This wasn’t a request for permission; it was a one-sided notification.
“Hwasan isn’t ready to go to war with the Demon Cult…!”
“Who said I was going in the name of Hwasan?”
The red-haired woman smiled.
Crunch.
From her shoulders, crimson wings slowly began to grow.
“Like I said, I’m just visiting my hometown.”
“At least let the sect leader know…!”
“He’ll thank you just for passing the message.”
Crack.
The dragon-woman of Hwasan began to change into her clothes.
Custom-made just for her.
Because of her large wings and tail, ordinary clothes wouldn’t fit her.
Lee Rihwa was left speechless.
What on earth could have been written in that letter to catch this woman’s attention?
What could have intrigued the dragon-woman of Hwasan, who even found the volcanic lava dull?
“I’ll get to see that girl’s face again after a long time.”
Lee Rihwa was startled.
She knew exactly who the dragon-woman was referring to when she said “that girl.”
“You mustn’t meet the Demon Cult Leader!”
“You think I’m crazy enough to go fight her?”
As much of a battle maniac as the dragon-woman was, she wasn’t foolish enough to invade the Demon Cult’s headquarters.
Besides, this woman had experienced the Demon Cult Leader’s strength firsthand.
“Then why are you going to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains?”
“I told you. I’m going to investigate some things.”
The dragon-woman gave Lee Rihwa a sly grin.
“And there’s also someone I’ve become personally interested in.”
“P-Personally interested?”
“Rihwa.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Receiving the dragon-woman’s personal interest.
Lee Rihwa had served this woman for a long time, but she had almost never seen her in a situation like this.
Many sons of noble families had courted her, but the dragon-woman hadn’t even spared them a glance. Lee Rihwa had thought she would live her entire life alone.
Yet now there was someone who had caught her interest.
Surely, it had to be a powerful opponent who had sparked her competitive spirit.
That’s what Lee Rihwa thought, but the dragon-woman’s next words completely defied her expectations.
“Have you ever heard of a handsome lizard?”
“H-Huh?”
Lee Rihwa was dumbfounded.
The dragon-woman, expecting this reaction, laughed again.
“Doesn’t it sound ridiculous? If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. A handsome lizard?”
It didn’t make sense for a lizard to be described as handsome.
“I was going to ignore it, but it’s said that this lizard has the potential to become a true dragon.”
A dragon.
Even for this divine creature, often referred to as the Red Dragon, she had not yet reached the level of a true dragon, one only heard of in myths.
Strictly speaking, she was on the path to becoming a dragon, but hadn’t arrived yet.
Of all the divine creatures she knew, none were ahead of her.
She was as close as anyone could get to becoming a true dragon.
But even she was incomplete.
She had no dragon pearl, no divine power.
And a true dragon was a creature that could fly even without wings, unlike her.
And now, there was another divine creature walking a different path.
A lizard with the potential to become a dragon.
On top of that, there was even a remark that the lizard was handsome, almost as if it was meant to provoke her.
“I suppose I should check it out.”
Checking it out wouldn’t hurt.
“If it’s nothing special, I’ll swallow it in one bite.”
If it was just a trick meant to mock her, she’d swallow the lizard and burn Namgoong Yeon to ashes.
“If it turns out to have a decent face, I’ll keep it locked in my nest.”
It was unlikely that a handsome lizard existed, but if it did, it wouldn’t be a bad pet to have.
“If it really does have the potential to become a dragon, as Namgoong Yeon said….”
Whether to kill it.
Or, perhaps, give it a nudge to help it become a true dragon.
“…I’m not sure. I guess I’ll have to see its face first.”
The Red Dragon postponed her decision.
Whatever the outcome, it didn’t matter.
As long as it was someone who could make her heart, which had been growing colder, race again.
Whether that would be due to anger at being deceived.
Or jealousy at finding someone surpassing her.
Or, though unlikely, love—an emotion she had never experienced in her life.
The name of the Red Dragon included the characters “利慈” (Rija), meaning “sharp love.”
Perhaps if she could love, she might become a true dragon.
“…Am I getting old? This is ridiculous.”
But that wasn’t going to happen.
Unlike her burning body, her heart was steadily growing colder.
The only emotion that still heated her heart was her fighting spirit.
There was no one who could set her heart ablaze.
Even if that lizard turned out to be as handsome as Namgoong Yeon claimed, she wasn’t the type to fall for mere appearances.
He would just be a toy to play with for a while.
Nothing more, nothing less.
That’s what the Red Dragon thought.