Chapter 157 – White Wolf
“Ugh…”
I wasn’t sure why, but every time I petted the White Wolf, the surrounding Bicorns would go wild.
“Polygamy!”
“Gehgehgek.”
I didn’t know what they meant, but as long as they were happy, I was fine with it.
Things seemed to be going well.
The misunderstanding between the Bicorns and the wolf pack seemed to have been resolved.
Since the youngest and the leader were together, there wouldn’t be any unprovoked attacks on the wolf pack. At least, out of respect for me, they would probably back off.
Besides, the Bicorns weren’t all that violent to begin with.
“Turtleturtleturtle.”
Yeah, try solving things through dialogue from now on.
“Gehgehgek!”
As I continued to pet both the White Wolf and Chillang for a while, the Bicorns naturally began to retreat.
“Bluck-taeyang…”
They left behind a suspicious-looking root.
It looked like a large mushroom-shaped herb.
It didn’t seem poisonous. Were they telling me to eat it?
“Omnivore, omnivore!”
Judging by their expressions, it seemed like that was exactly what they meant.
Chomp.
Crunch.
When I accepted and ate what they gave me, they were overjoyed.
“Polygamy!”
Then the gentlemen withdrew en masse.
“Gehgegek.”
Take care of yourselves, and see you later.
Problem solved.
Now that I had completed the task, all that was left was to get directions to the Dragon Gate, and that would be the end.
“Enough of that…”
Ah, right.
“Gehgehgek.”
Without realizing it, I had been petting both Chillang and White Wolf at the same time.
While Chillang’s fur felt pretty nice, White Wolf’s was a step above.
I couldn’t help but want to keep petting him.
“Enough!”
Arrrr.
Wait, you’re the one who asked me to pet you, so why are you mad?
“Heh heh heh…”
Chillang was definitely better.
*
After the petting frenzy had ended, I returned to the cave.
“Keeing…”
White Wolf scolded the other wolves for not taking care of the youngest.
“…I never imagined the issue would be resolved this quickly.”
“Gehgegek.”
Yeah, it was much easier than I expected.
What kind of trouble could such gentlemanly Bicorns have caused?
…Could it be that they gave me this simple task because they thought it would be embarrassing to just ask for a favor?
This guy. He’s deeper than he looks.
If it were me, I would’ve made sure to get something in return.
“It might not seem like much, but if it weren’t for you, this would have been a huge headache for a while. Thanks.”
“Gehgehgek!”
Thanks, huh.
If you’re really grateful, how about giving me an elixir or something?
…That’s what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t exactly ask White Wolf, who was responsible for feeding his seven sisters, to give me something like that. He probably barely had enough to feed them as it was.
“What you want is the location and information about the Dragon Gate, right?”
“Geh.”
“Hmm… Alright, I’ll start by telling you what I know.”
White Wolf was quick to get down to business.
“There are four Dragon Gates that I know of.”
I had already heard from my master that there were multiple Dragon Gates.
Considering there was a modifier attached to the names, it was likely that there were even more beyond these four.
Of course, for me, one would be enough.
“There’s one made of rock, and another covered in flowers.”
It was the same as what Baek Yeonyeong had told me.
These two mountains were probably typical mountains.
“And then there’s one covered in snow, and another that’s a volcanic mountain with flowing lava.”
Those two were anything but ordinary.
Sure, mountains like those could exist naturally.
But for a snowy mountain and a volcano to coexist? That was strange.
It wasn’t impossible, but having a rocky mountain and a flower-covered mountain alongside them didn’t make sense. They should either burn up in the heat or freeze in the cold.
“You can choose from these four. What do you think? The rock or the flowers?”
“Geh.”
I shook my head.
The rocky mountain and the flower-covered mountain.
At first glance, they might seem easier than the snowy mountain and the volcano.
But that was a trap.
If they were on the same level as the other mountains, it meant they had hidden dangers of their own.
“Good, good. The guardians of those two are pretty dangerous.”
“Gehgehk.”
I wanted to hear more about these guardians.
“I haven’t seen them myself, but I hear the guardian of the rocky mountain is like a snake made of rock. It floats piles of rocks in the air, slowly draining your stamina. And its body is so tough, people die from exhaustion trying to deal with it. It’s a creature that resembles a long rock.”
A snake made of rock!
And floating rocks in the air?
This would not be an easy opponent.
Sure, I could crush rocks, but a creature whose body was made of stone would be a different story.
It would likely have an insane level of defense.
“The guardian of the flower-covered mountain is even more disgusting. It’s a creature resembling a turtle that handles poison. It also manipulates plants to drain nutrients from its enemies, but I haven’t seen this one myself, so I’m not sure how it works. It has strange flowers attached to it.”
A creature that uses poison might be a manageable opponent.
After all, I had the immunity of *Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity*.
However, *Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity* didn’t grant complete immunity to all poisons, and the ability to manipulate plants was also something to be cautious about. If it could drain nutrients, there was a chance it could sap my strength.
“The guardians of the snowy mountain and the volcanic mountain are just as dangerous. The snowy mountain’s guardian is a large hawk that controls the cold.”
A hawk that controls cold?
It won’t be easy.
The cold itself was a dangerous weapon, but I had the ability I gained after consuming Seolsam.
I could withstand the cold to some extent. However, the fact that the creature had wings was a problem.
If it had such a special ability, it would obviously attack from the sky without descending, which would put me at a clear disadvantage.
“The volcano is obvious, right? Yep, it’s a creature that controls fire. To be precise, I should say it’s a white rat that controls fire.”
A white rat that controls fire.
Unlike the other creatures, this one was a known mystical beast.
Hwagwangsu. In legends, when it’s inside fire, its fur turns red, but outside, it shows white fur.
Clothes made from its fur are famously known as *Hwaanpogo*.
“The guardian of the volcano is probably the easiest. While the other guardians haven’t changed, the volcano’s guardian was replaced relatively recently.”
I understood what she meant.
Baek Yeonyeong and the Snake Queen had mentioned that someone evolved after ascending the Dragon Gate.
That individual must have chosen the volcano’s Dragon Gate and defeated the previous guardian in the process.
Naturally, the volcano’s guardian had changed.
“Gehgek…”
It was the perfect opponent for me.
Why? Because I had resistance to fire.
If fire was all it could control, I could swiftly take it down.
I could use my Dragon Blood abilities to control the fire, and attack it with cold to inflict damage.
I pointed towards the volcano using my claws and tail.
“Yeah, the volcano doesn’t seem like a bad choice. You just need to prepare for the fire.”
I was already prepared for fire.
But based on her words, it seemed like there was another method.
Come to think of it, this wolf…
Didn’t she say she could control cold?
“…What’s with that look? Ugh, fine. I can’t help you fight directly, but I can help you resist the fire.”
“Gehgek!”
I knew it.
“My ability alone won’t be enough, though. I’ll need to gather a few materials. Can you do that?”
The guardian of the Dragon Gate would undoubtedly be strong.
It was uncertain whether my Dragon Blood could fully withstand the fire it wielded.
It was best to prepare as much as possible.
“Gehgekgek.”
I nodded.
“Feels like our contract just got extended. Well, I’ll be counting on you for a while. …And stop petting the Six Wolves so casually!”
And so, I was to stay with the wolf pack for a little while longer.
At least until I prepared for the volcano’s guardian.
*
The leader of the wolf pack, White Wolf, was deep in thought.
It was because of the black lizard they had to stay with for a while.
It was strong and quite useful.
The peace treaty with the Bicorns would have been impossible without the lizard.
The prey it caught was also large.
But it had a fatal flaw that overshadowed all those advantages.
“Awwooo…”
One by one, the other wolves were wagging their tails at the lizard.
White Wolf couldn’t understand this phenomenon at all.
Of course, after talking to her sisters, she knew it wasn’t romantic attraction.
Obviously, since they were different species.
But strangely enough, they couldn’t resist being petted by the lizard.
“L-Love!”
The fourth wolf was purring in the lizard’s arms, and the youngest was wagging her tail while clinging to his leg.
White Wolf, having experienced the lizard’s touch herself, knew exactly what that felt like.
Her mind was rejecting it, but her body couldn’t.
It was an evil spell, no doubt.
Of course, as a mystical beast of her caliber, she could escape the lizard’s temptation.
But it was too much for her sisters, who hadn’t yet reached her level.
White Wolf took this situation seriously.
Liking being petted was one thing.
But this lizard was only temporarily with the pack.
What if it left? The wolves might even follow it out of longing for its touch.
This was a critical issue, threatening the very survival of the pack.
“Love, Chillang! Come here, I’ll pet you!”
She needed to get them away from the lizard.
She could do the same thing, after all.
But for some reason, her technique wasn’t as good, and the wolves weren’t satisfied with her touch.
They came to her when she called, but their eyes stayed glued to the lizard’s large hands.
This wasn’t going to work.
White Wolf thought about it.
She needed to outdo the lizard at petting, at the very least.
But that wasn’t easy with a wolf’s paws.
In that case, it didn’t need to be wolf paws.
White Wolf was a mystical beast.
One that could take human form.
She didn’t particularly like taking that form, but her sisters loved it.
She had avoided transforming because it made her feel like a domesticated dog.
But now, she had no choice.
If she petted them with human hands, her sisters would surely be satisfied.
After all, human hands were much better than the lizard’s rough claws.
She hadn’t taken human form in a long time.
“Kkiiing?”
Chillang lifted her head and looked at White Wolf.
“Heh heh!”
The wolves loved it when she looked like this.
Her body was very warm, and they loved being petted by her human hands.
“Chillang, come here.”
No matter how much that lizard used its strange magic, it wouldn’t be able to win against this form.
Just as she thought, the youngest wolf came running.
“Good girl. Yes, good girl…”
White Wolf, wearing a triumphant expression, petted the one who had laid her head on her lap.
She had successfully restored the pack’s peace, which had been in jeopardy.
“See, Chillang? You don’t need that lizard anymore…”
White Wolf felt something was off.
Instead of soft fur, she felt hard scales.
When she looked down at her thigh…
“Gehgek.”
She made eye contact with the lizard, who shamelessly looked up at her.
“Kkiing…”
Chillang had been pushed aside by the lizard.
“Get out of here!”
“Gehgegek!”
What in the world was this lizard?
White Wolf pondered this seriously but couldn’t find an answer.
“This is Chillang’s spot, you know?”
Why was the lizard pouting as it left her lap?
Surely, it wasn’t a lizard that liked human forms, right?
Despite that absurd thought, a brilliant idea struck White Wolf.
The pack’s wolves liked being petted by the lizard.
And for some reason, the lizard seemed to prefer her human form.
If she kept the lizard close, she could solve the problem, couldn’t she?
“…Hey, can you come back here for a minute?”
White Wolf tapped her thigh.
“Gehgegegek!”
The shameless lizard eagerly returned.
As she petted the lizard, who laid its head on her lap, White Wolf began formulating a plan.
“Polygamy… Polygoooamy!”
Far away, in some jungle, a mystical beast let out a desperate cry, but it never reached the black lizard.