Chapter 188: Baek Yeonyeong's Reward
Wait a minute.
Even if it's a dragon, is it really possible to have such offspring?
Unless it reproduces asexually, it would need a mate to produce offspring.
The text mentioned that Gongbok resembles a dragon-like snake and is made of stone.
…Does that mean its mating partner is a rock?
"Geeeng…."
I feel like I’ve learned a truth I didn’t want to know.
So, Chodo is a child born from a relationship with a flower?
Does being a true dragon actually mean being a creature of boundless possibilities?
How do flowers and rocks even do such things?
No, that’s not it.
They're not the only ones, after all.
Yongsaengguja means there are nine children.
The fantasy of a true dragon has been slightly shattered.
I can’t understand it at all.
I must not have the qualifications to be a true dragon.
Because I’m a lizard with perfectly normal common sense.
"Groooong…."
A spider, a snake, a bird, a wolf, a dragon, and a maid Spino.
That seems normal enough.
…Hmm?
"Geggegek!"
It was during a fierce battle with an invisible inner demon.
"Hiya, by the way, what are those objects attached to your tail?"
My master gently touched my tail.
Oh, right, I’d forgotten about that.
I quickly dismissed the inner demon from my memory and stretched out my tail.
"Gek."
It’s nothing special, just something I picked up along the way.
"…Oh, quite valuable items, I see."
"Geggegek!"
And that's not all.
I’ve buried treasures worth several times that of the side gate.
"Hoho, are you saying you’ll donate everything you’ve brought to our sect?"
"Gekgek."
Well, they're not items we can use effectively anyway.
The Red Dragon keeps bringing more things from somewhere, too.
…Could it be taking them from the Hwasan Sect?
If that’s the case, I’d feel a little guilty, but the Red Dragon doesn’t seem to care.
"Our sect's financial situation wasn’t exactly great, but thanks to you, we’ll be much better off."
"Geggegek."
Even though the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is a religious group, it must require funds.
"This winter, we’ll be able to live comfortably."
In fact, they probably need even more money than other groups.
While I don’t know the details, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult has warriors, but they are vastly outnumbered by non-combatants.
Unlike martial sects where students are taught and trained, this is a group devoted to worshipping the Heavenly Demon, which likely explains the structure.
Physical strength isn’t as crucial; faith in the Heavenly Demon is what allows someone to join the cult.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is located in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
It’s obvious, even without saying, that the land isn’t particularly favorable.
Of course, there are habitable spots here and there, but that’s only from the perspective of a spiritual being like me.
It must be a challenging place for humans to live.
It’s not easy to access, and joining the cult means becoming an enemy of the Murim Alliance.
Thus, the people willing to join the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult must be limited.
A small number of martial artists drawn by the strength of the Heavenly Demon.
And those who had no other means of survival and came to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
My master must have joined the cult in a similar way.
The cult gathers the poor.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is a place where the hungry and thirsty gather.
Although my master holds a relatively high position within the cult, her room was entirely modest.
Even if she had furniture engraved with luxurious patterns, they were all old items.
With the strength my master possesses, she could live more lavishly if she wanted, but she chooses to lead by example.
How could I not follow her?
"Doing such a lovely thing."
My master gently scratched my chin.
"Gerorong…."
"We could even provide dessert to the believers every day."
"Gek?"
…It seems like they’re not as poor as I thought.
Well, with all the beasts roaming around here, they wouldn’t starve.
Although they may have had memories of hunger, once they joined the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they wouldn’t starve anymore.
Still, it might be difficult to feed all the believers solely with the beasts.
Since they claim to coexist with spiritual creatures, they probably can’t just hunt indiscriminately.
They must be supplementing their food by purchasing it from outside.
It seems they’re also farming here, but the land doesn’t look particularly suitable for agriculture.
…The areas inhabited by spiritual creatures seem nutrient-rich, but regular believers probably can’t farm there.
"I’ve slightly reduced Seolhwa’s snack budget, but we could afford to allocate more generously now."
"Gekgek."
"We can even share it with the believers."
It seems my master intends to convert all the treasures I brought into food supplies.
It’s true I brought them for her to use freely, but still, there should be something left over.
I pulled out a ring adorned with a blue gem and held it with both hands.
"Gek."
I took my master’s left hand, which was stroking me, and slipped the ring onto her ring finger.
"Are you giving this to me?"
She can do whatever she wants with the other treasures, but I want to keep at least one.
I’ve bitten enough fingers to know this would fit perfectly.
"Geggegek."
My master stared at her ring finger.
Her expressionless face seemed to briefly show an emotion, but it was fleeting.
The room was dim, making it nearly impossible to discern what that emotion was.
However, the black lizard with the gift of detection saw the corners of her lips lift ever so slightly.
"Goodness, where did you learn to do something like this…."
"Gekgek."
"Since I’ve received such a precious gift, I must repay you."
Oh, come on. I wasn’t expecting anything in return.
"Well, it was originally yours anyway."
Rattle.
My master pulled out a round core from the drawer.
【Core of the Imoogi Bird】
"Gegek!"
The Imoogi Bird’s core! Finally!
"I successfully purified Taese’s energy. Seolhwa worked hard on this."
As expected of Baek Seolhwa.
I should leave her at least one dumpling later.
"Although the purification process slightly diminished its effectiveness, it’s better than not being able to consume it at all."
"Gegek!"
I carefully packed Taese’s core.
I’ll store it for now and use it later.
Although I could consume it myself, it might be better to invest it in another believer.
…If I give it to Shikshik, she might evolve into a basilisk instantly.
If I split it between Tus and Pus, they’d both likely evolve for sure.
Hmm, I’m torn.
"Good, now that we’ve divided things up, it’s time to get to business, don’t you think?"
I swallowed nervously.
Whenever I met Baek Yeonyeong, there was one thing we always did.
A sparring session to check on my progress.
Of course, it was less of a sparring match and more of a test of my durability.
My master’s elegant lips moved slowly.
It was obvious what she was going to say.
"Get into position."
That’s what she would say, I thought.
"Lie down comfortably."
However, what came out of Baek Yeonyeong’s mouth was different from my expectation.
"Why are you looking at me with those eyes?"
"Gek?"
"Didn’t you say with your own mouth that you wanted to enter your master’s bedroom?"
"Geeeeek…."
I was glad we weren’t sparring, but something felt off.
"Are you saying you dislike sharing a bed with me?"
"Gekgek!"
That’s absolutely not the case.
"Then quietly get under the covers."
"Gek…"
Like a lizard entering a jar, I obediently slipped under the blanket.
Just as I was inhaling Baek Yeonyeong’s scent while flicking my tongue, my master also entered the blanket.
"Geeeeek…."
Then, as if I were a body pillow, she tightly embraced me.
This behavior wasn’t unfamiliar to me.
We’d been doing this repeatedly before.
It was something I had to endure to help cure my master’s insomnia.
Though it felt slightly hard to breathe, I didn’t mind.
This pressure.
I could die happy.
"So dark."
"Gek…"
In truth, these thoughts were also part of my journey to become a true dragon.
I tried to justify myself.
"It’s fine. I’m the one embracing you, so why try to justify it?"
"Geggegek."
My master held me tightly for a long while.
Just as I was getting used to her immense pressure, it happened.
"Hiya."
Suddenly, my master called my name.
"I have a favor to ask. Will you listen to me?"
A favor?
"Gek!"
Of course, I’d do anything for my master.
But a favor from my master?
What could it be?
Was she going to ask to touch my belly?
"First, let me explain the situation in our sect. Ever since Taese appeared, strange winds have begun to blow in the Central Plains."
Taese was that figure I briefly saw during the fight with the Imoogi Bird.
"Using the descent of an evil god as a justification, they now have the means to invade our sect at any time."
"Geeeek…."
I didn’t fully understand, but Taese was an evil god.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, already labeled as a demonic sect, didn’t have a good reputation.
And now, an evil god appeared in the demonic sect’s territory?
Regardless of the truth, it was the perfect justification.
"Still, those cowards wouldn’t dare to wage an all-out war."
I didn’t know how strong the Murim Alliance was, but they couldn’t possibly be stronger than my master.
Attacking the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would require them to bear considerable losses as well.
"However, greed makes humans unpredictable."
Even without an all-out war, there were many ways to harm the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Just like Baekwoon and Jang Bong targeting the spiritual creatures of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
"I’ve received intelligence that Shaolin’s Arhats are coming to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains."
"Gek…"
The Arhats.
To put it simply, they were Shaolin’s special forces.
"I’d love to personally deal with them, but that would only give them greater justification."
I had a rough idea of what my master was asking.
"It would be ideal if a spiritual creature with no official ties to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult took care of them."
I had to defeat Shaolin’s Arhats.
"The identity of the Arhat is Cheoldu-ryong, a spiritual creature Shaolin has been hiding for a long time."
Cheoldu-ryong…
A headbutting dinosaur, I guess.
"…Will you grant my request?"
Defeat the Arhats invading the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
At the center of the Arhats is the headbutting dinosaur, Cheoldu-ryong.
The fact that Cheoldu-ryong is heading for the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and not the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult suggests their target is the spiritual creatures and rare elixirs of the mountains.
Even without my master’s request, a clash seemed inevitable.
"Geggek!"
Of course, I’ll do it.
"Thank you. If you deal with it, you’ll grow even stronger."
"Gek."
"Dragon Claws is originally Shaolin’s martial art, so you might gain further insights while facing the Arhats."
Dragon Claws.
The first martial art I learned and the one that connected me to Baek Yeonyeong.
Although I’ve continued using it, it had felt overshadowed by techniques like Evasive Death Strike, Nine Yin White Bone Claws, and Gecko Divine Claws.
"And Shaolin isn’t just about Dragon Claws. You might even surpass the peak of transcendence."
The peak of transcendence…!
I’ve never met a transcendent human, so I don’t know their level, but my combat power surpasses transcendence.
Although my state is at its peak, my fighting power is far above.
What if I raised my state to transcendence?
Maybe I could even reach my master’s level.
"Although I don’t like the fact that the enlightenment comes from Shaolin, you follow your own path, unconstrained by such things."
My master gently stroked my horn.
"What reward should I give for granting my request…?"
"Geggek."
A reward?
My master’s smile is reward enough.
"Wh-what!"
Suddenly, my master lightly struck my scales.
Of course, lightly by Baek Yeonyeong’s standards.
KABOOM!
"Geeeeek!"
Master, I’m going to die!
No, I’m seriously going to die…!
"How dare you speak to your master like that…."
What do you mean?
What did I even say?
"Gekgek?"
"…I’ve never taught you to speak like a beast, so why do you sound like one?"
This is unfair.
What did I even say to deserve this?
Once again, my master raised her hand.
"Gekgek!"
No, seriously, I’m going to die!
Tap.
But contrary to my expectation, my master lightly placed her hand on my head.
"…Alright. If my disciple desires such a reward, it is my duty as a master to provide it."
She gently scratched the slightly damaged scales.
"Do you desire that so much, you beast committing blasphemies against your master?"
I never said anything like that!
….
But judging from the slightly relaxed atmosphere, maybe I can push my luck a little.
Whatever it is, it seems she’s willing to grant that strange request.
"Gekgek."
Fine.
I said it.
"…See? I knew it."
Whoosh!
"Geeeeek!"
I was joking, just joking!
"Even if I let the maid outfit slide, trying to suggest that I wear a school swimsuit…."
Wait, what’s that?
I never said that….
…Though, I wouldn’t mind.
"Gekgekgek."
"The more time passes, the more shameless you become. Tsk."
My master’s smile is the greatest motivation.
But a master in a maid outfit surpasses even that.
And a master in a school swimsuit…
That’s a reward worth staking my life on.
"Gehehek… Gerororong…"
Smack!
"Geeeeek!"