Chapter 165: Duriputu
I was kidnapped by the Red Dragon.
Though "kidnapped" might not be the most accurate term—perhaps "imprisoned" would be more fitting.
Fortunately, she didn’t fly off with me to some faraway place. Instead, the volcano I climbed had been her nest all along.
If I had been taken somewhere unfamiliar, escaping would have been meaningless since I wouldn’t have been able to return to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
But since I remained here, the problem would be solved as long as I managed to escape unnoticed.
Once I got to Baek Yeonyeong and made some noise, she would handle the rest.
Of course, that was all under the assumption that I could escape.
The fiery heat of the volcano was so intense that it was nearly impossible for an individual to endure.
The higher I climbed, the stronger that heat became. At this altitude—practically the summit—the mere act of staying still made it feel like my body was cooking.
Thankfully, I was wrapped in the pelt of the Fire Rat, so I avoided any major issues. After all, I had also consumed its core.
However, the moment I took off this pelt, countless problems would arise.
To make matters worse, it seemed like the Red Dragon occasionally toyed with the idea of dunking me into the lava.
For her, it might feel like a warm bath, but for me, I’d be instantly turned into Komodo stew.
Would evolving help me escape from here?
That thought had crossed my mind, but it remained just a thought.
If I were to evolve now, the path I’d choose would be Komodo-Salamander.
A mystical Divine Beast capable of manipulating fire.
It wasn’t a bad option, but my opponent was the Red Dragon.
Even if I could wield fire, it would be meaningless against her.
She’d probably toss me into the lava with a smug, “You can handle it now, can’t you?”
So, evolution would have to wait.
Unless I could evolve into Paryong.
For now, I had no choice but to endure this lifestyle.
A life where I rested my head on the Red Dragon’s lap, snuggling against her.
I absolutely hated the idea, but the situation forced me into it.
“Geck-geck.”
“…You don’t seem like a complete child when you act like this.”
And so, I begrudgingly endured the lap pillow.
“Baby.”
The Red Dragon had taken to calling me by a peculiar nickname.
To address a Divine Beast like the Komodo in such a manner was unacceptable.
“Geck.”
I’ll let it slide this once.
“Open your mouth for me, will you?”
Even as she spoke, her hand was already reaching for my snout.
Why were so many people obsessed with examining the inside of my mouth?
Baek Yeonyeong, the Snake Queen… even Jjaekjjaeki had walked in of her own accord.
Tang So-yeong’s dumpling hairstyle had made its way in there a few times, too.
Squelch.
I reluctantly opened my mouth as instructed.
The Red Dragon, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, stuck her head inside.
“Keek…”
“I sense both fiery and icy energy within you. So you consumed Seolsam and Hwary.”
She spoke with a tone of intrigue.
“Whoever it was, they sure knew their elixirs.”
An elixir certified by the Red Dragon herself.
It was a gift from our esteemed Snake Queen.
“I think I detect traces of poison as well. As for your core… hold on. Just how many cores have you eaten?”
“Geck?”
“The Honey of Okbong, the Myriad-Year Golden Spirit Fruit… and Azure Sky Immortal Dew?”
Pulling her face out of my mouth, she stared at me intently.
“There’s no way you gathered all that in such a short time….”
She ran her hand along my scales.
“Did you use your shiny scales to seduce someone?”
“Geck!”
Seducing? How rude.
I merely obtained them through legitimate means.
“Still, that’s incredible. What kind of fool would fall for a lizard that can’t even speak properly? Raising you like livestock, maybe?”
Her expression turned somewhat indignant.
“If I had known this, I would’ve stolen some Jasodan.”
Jasodan?
That’s the elixir from the Hwasan Sect.
“Geck…”
I observed her carefully.
If I played my cards right, I might be able to get something out of her.
“Hmm. Looks like you know what’s good for you.”
“Geck-geck.”
“Not now, but I’ll bring some when I move nests later.”
The Red Dragon patted my head.
To think that a Divine Beast revered by an entire religion was being treated like this.
But I let it slide because of the promise of an elixir.
Even if I planned to escape, I should at least collect whatever I could before leaving.
“Now that I’ve confirmed what’s inside, I just need to decide how to raise you.”
Her idea of “raising” me seemed different from Baek Yeonyeong’s.
Did she genuinely think of me as a baby lizard?
Well, dragons were inherently long-lived mystical creatures.
Since she was already in her humanoid form, she must be far older than me, making the thought not entirely unreasonable.
I was born here less than a year ago.
But look at my size.
How could this possibly be a baby lizard?
“…I suddenly feel like this is going to be a hassle.”
The Red Dragon let out a yawn.
“If I just cuddle you for 50 years, you’ll probably be all grown up by then, right?”
Her sense of time seemed vastly different from mine.
If you cuddle me for 50 years, there won’t even be bones left.
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
Yeah, if you’ve decided to raise me, then take responsibility.
I’ll gratefully accept a few skills and elixirs if you throw them my way.
“At the very least, I should teach you how to speak.”
“Geck-geck.”
Learning to speak was definitely a skill I needed.
How difficult had it been to communicate with just geck-geck sounds all this time?
…Though, it might have worked out well enough.
Even if I couldn’t speak human language, I needed a way to communicate with other mystical beings.
“But there’s something we need to do first.”
“Geck?”
“Since we’ll be staying here for a while, we need to decorate the nest.”
It didn’t seem all that important to me, but my opponent was the Red Dragon.
In other words, a Red Dragon.
What is a Red Dragon if not the embodiment of greed?
A dragon that hoards treasures in its nest and breathes fire at intruders.
“Baby, I’m going to gather some treasures, so take good care of the nest.”
She’s going to gather treasures?
…Is it time?
There were a few things I wanted to learn from the Red Dragon, but those thoughts were based on the assumption that I’d be stuck here.
Honestly, the best option was to escape from this place.
To put it bluntly, if I had to describe the Red Dragon as a character, I’d compare her to a gyaru.
She might enthusiastically teach me something, but then yawn and suddenly declare, “I’m bored now.”
She could say that and swallow me whole in one gulp.
It felt somewhat irresponsible.
The Red Dragon’s golden eyes stared at me piercingly.
It wasn’t just a metaphor—it really felt like holes were being burned into my body.
“Hmm.”
She let out a nasal sound.
“You’re not thinking of running away, are you?”
“Geck!”
How did she know?
“I doubt it, but if you do try to run and get caught, you know what’ll happen, right?”
Crack.
Her body began to transform.
Her horns and tail grew larger, and wings unfurled from her back.
That wasn’t all.
She was slowly reverting from her human form to her true form.
“Grrrr….”
Her massive body towered over me.
With each breath she took, flames rippled across her body.
“Baby, I hope you won’t make such a foolish choice.”
Her voice remained the same as in her human form, but there was no mistaking the overwhelming presence.
Look at her.
A dragon.
A real dragon.
Her intimidating form was terrifying, but at the same time, it made my heart race.
Her scales looked like they were crafted from crimson rubies, and her wings were vast enough to blot out the sky.
Flames danced between her scales, and her claws and talons were sharp enough to shred anything.
How could I take my eyes off a being like that?
As I stood there staring blankly, the Red Dragon let out her characteristic nasal sound.
“Hmm. So babies can recognize beauty too, huh?”
She seemed pleased and fluttered her wings.
Fwoooosh!
The resulting gust caused the surrounding flames and lava to erupt violently.
“Baby, take good care of the house.”
It was then that I realized just how ridiculous my plan to escape while she was gone really was.
If I tried to run and got caught, I’d end up as roasted lizard.
“Geck….”
I needed to find another way.
A method that would convince her to let me leave this place.
“Monooo… gamyyy!”
“Monooo… gamyyy….”
Igaksu.
These mystical beings, said to rival the Unicorn in mystery.
Unicorns are known to protect the love of pure maidens.
In contrast, do Igaksu resent pure maidens?
No, not necessarily.
Even a pure maiden, if she joins a group or pack, will be acknowledged by them.
Her heart has already been captivated.
Instead, they tend to despise those who frivolously use their bodies.
As social creatures, Igaksu sometimes differ in opinion about what constitutes a pure maiden or someone who carelessly squanders their purity.
Compared to the Unicorn, the Igaksu spoke a much more fluent language.
This stemmed from their constant debates within their group.
Most of their arguments ended in conversation.
However, there were rare instances when they didn’t.
“Polygamyyyy!”
“Poly… gamyyyy!”
Bang!
Two Igaksu were clashing, ramming their heads against each other.
No matter how much they debated, they couldn’t narrow their differences.
Today’s topic of contention was their idol, Black Sun.
The Black Sun had been captured.
Of course, that too could be considered part of polygamy.
But the issue was that the one captured was the Black Sun.
The Black Sun was a legendary being capable of uniting all races in harmony.
Yet now, it was in the possession of an individual.
That individual was trying to swallow the sun.
“Naedorarae?”
“Naedorarae! Naedorarae!”
“Polygamyyyy!”
The debate continued, with some questioning if even this situation fell under Naedorarae’s principles.
Others settled the matter by bashing their heads together to determine whose opinion was correct.
If they reached any conclusion, it was that if this state persisted, the Black Sun’s fire would ultimately be consumed.
The Red Dragon, by nature, was a greedy being.
She wouldn’t share what belonged to her with anyone else.
“Polygamyyy!”
Polygamy would disappear.
“Poly… poly…? Gaaaah!”
“Pure love… Duriputu!”
Duriputu (投離䬌偸).
It shakes what stays, causing it to leave, and ultimately steals it.
This meant polygamy would become monogamy.
Even for the Igaksu, this was unacceptable.
The Black Sun turning into Duriputu was something they couldn’t allow.
But there was nothing they could do.
They had no way to intervene with the Black Sun.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
At some point, the white wolf standing nearby was the only one left.
The Igaksu stopped fighting.
They had a rough idea of where that wolf was heading.
“…I’m not.”
The White Wolf, Baekrang, denied it.
“I’m just going to check on something.”
But that statement was pivotal.
“Polygamyyy!”
Physically, she remained pure.
But her heart was elsewhere.
This made her someone the Igaksu couldn’t help but revere.
Moreover, she refused to admit that her heart had been captivated.
“Poly, heh heh… gamy… heh heh….”
The Igaksu were on the verge of losing themselves with joy.
“What?”
And simultaneously, they realized she was the only one capable of saving the Black Sun in its moment of crisis.
“That lizard is the one who’s been captured?”