Chapter 33 Difference in Perspective
After returning to the nest, I conducted a mental education session for Tus and Pus.
You two, don’t go over there carelessly.
If they invade, there’s nothing I can do.
“Kieeng!”
Yes. You understand, right?
Let’s do well.
It’s funny to preach like this.
If they’re not usually stupid, they won’t go there.
The Deinonychus and Baryonyx were like walls I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Should I say it was an opportunity to reflect on myself, who had become arrogant after defeating the Caiman?
I just needed to get stronger from now on.
First, let’s calm my startled heart.
A round should be enough.
I headed towards the area where the piranhas gathered.
Piranhas.
One of my preferred foods. The quantity wasn’t too little, and the taste was quite decent.
When I was a Green Basilisk, they used to gang up on me, seeing me as easy prey.
But now that I’ve grown in size, they scamper away as soon as they see me.
The name ‘Piranha’ would cry.
Even if they knew they would lose, piranhas would still rush in recklessly.
It’s fine though.
It just made hunting more tedious.
Splash!
I plunged into the water.
Since they hid underwater, diving like this was the better choice than using the Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step.
I swam like a crocodile, wiggling my long tail.
Quietly, without making a sound.
I spotted a piranha.
One with a decent amount of flesh.
Now, there was no need to reduce noise.
Swoosh!
Using the sudden acceleration, I quickly approached it.
It tried to react, but it was already too late.
The speed bursting out from the explosive momentary strength unique to giant lizards was almost impossible to counter.
Snap!
After hunting the piranha, I immediately threw it onto the shore.
I hadn’t bitten it too hard, so it wasn’t dead but couldn’t move either.
If I brought it back to the nest, it would still be alive, allowing me to eat it fresh.
If Tus and Pus finished it off, they might level up.
Would they even know how much I cared for them?
Raising kids is really tough.
Splash!
I caught three more piranhas like that.
This should be enough.
After coming out of the water, I shook off the water on my body.
Swish!
As expected, a whirlpool formed in one part of the swamp.
Rumble.
A giant piranha watched me from a distance.
No, a single golden carp.
Whenever I caught a piranha, it would appear from somewhere and protest like that.
I wasn’t sure if it was a warning or not.
I had tried to catch it several times because it was annoying, but it wasn’t easy.
It didn’t seem that strong. But the way it escaped was on a different level from normal piranhas.
If I exaggerated a bit, it flew in the sky despite being a fish.
Was this how other bugs felt when they saw my Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step?
Since it didn’t directly harm me and there was no clear way to catch it, I decided to ignore it.
Rumble.
Yes, go away. Leave.
After returning to the nest and finishing the meal with the spiders, night had fallen before I knew it.
Pus crawled up beside me and subtly showed me the spider silk she had spun today.
Was she asking for praise?
“Geck, geck.”
I raised my hand and gently scratched her back.
The size difference had grown so much that it was tough to control my strength.
“Kieeng!”
Aren’t you scared of me?
…And don’t stick your butt out. Whatever you expect, I won’t do it.
“Kieeng…”
Pus crawled away to one corner of the nest, looking disappointed.
She lay down next to Tus, who had already fallen asleep, and started dozing off.
Another uneventful day ended.
If seeing the upper part of the swamp was an event, then it was, but it was still a peaceful day as usual.
It was time to close my eyes.
I didn’t know how convenient it was to be able to close my eyes now.
After a big yawn, I curled up to sleep.
And at that moment, I heard a noisy sound.
“Gr…”
Who’s making noise while the kids are sleeping?
The eradication of noise pollution.
It was the first thing I did after becoming the master of the swamp.
The noisy turtles and toads were already turned into jerky.
Only the golden-headed ones and their subordinates survived by keeping their mouths shut.
Even the flying carp stayed quiet at night, so who was making such a racket?
They were really getting on my nerves.
Thump.
I walked towards the swamp.
To identify the noisy culprit.
“…How is it?”
Wait, that sound?
It was a human voice.
It wasn’t the first time I encountered humans here, but it was still surprising.
What business brought them all the way here?
Whatever it was, getting involved didn’t seem like a good idea.
They would likely be hostile towards me unless they were oddballs like Baek Yeonyeong.
Let’s quietly slip away.
Sneakily.
Just as I was about to back away.
“…Huh, huh!”
I made eye contact with someone.
Thud.
On top of that, a small person bumped into me.
Those people definitely noticed my presence.
I had no choice.
Let’s go with Plan B.
First, I’ll smile as harmlessly as possible.
Hello, humans.
Looking at their bodies, they seemed a bit injured.
I didn’t have a way to treat them…
Should I at least apply some saliva?
I looked at them with a worried expression.
***
The eight third-rate martial artists had been reduced to five.
They had been hunted by the Deinonychus.
But as martial artists, they barely avoided complete annihilation.
“A spirit creature using a formation technique. What a bizarre…!”
The Blood Lion clicked his tongue.
Even individually, their combat power wasn’t low, but they had mimicked and used a formation technique.
Their roles were reversed, and they were brutally hunted.
Still, five survived. Including Tang So-yeong, it was six.
“At least we preserved our lives. Isn’t that right, Blood Lion?”
“Hmph, enough.”
They didn’t survive by defeating the spirit creatures.
They barely escaped by abandoning three of their comrades.
And Tang So-yeong’s contribution to their survival was significant.
Even without combat power, she was from the Tang family.
She detonated the smoke bombs she had in her bosom, allowing them to escape.
Even so, it couldn’t be helped that three martial artists died.
“We’re doomed… We lost Dal Dae-hyeop… Huuuh…”
Tang So-yeong cried again.
Honestly, it was annoying to hear, but she was someone they owed their lives to.
Her personality was a bit strange, but treating her well would be beneficial in many ways.
“Young lady. Don’t worry too much. Blood Lion and I are martial artists aiming for the second rate. We’re also called well-rounded third-rates.”
Tang So-yeong turned her head to look at Jang Bong.
Then she turned away again.
“Huuuh… There are so many weird people… Aren’t they ashamed…”
Jang Bong, feeling awkward, cleared his throat a couple of times.
The Blood Lion interrupted.
“Enough. Whatever it is, we need to survive here, don’t we? We should find a safe place and gather food.”
“You’re right. But I don’t know what we can find in this swamp.”
The swamp.
It was a strange and hostile place for third-rate martial artists.
“Something will turn up. Fish or crawling creatures, maybe.”
They decided to find a place to hide and gather food.
It would be better if they could also find herbs to treat the wounds from the spirit creatures.
Thus, they began exploring the swamp.
“…It’s quiet.”
“It’s night, so of course it’s quiet.”
The swamp was eerily silent.
As if someone was controlling the creatures.
Then, Jang Bong spotted a peculiar creature.
“…Wait a minute. That, that is?”
A giant turtle with a strange golden hue on its shell.
“Huh! That’s, that’s a Golden Tortoise?”
The Blood Lion didn’t believe Jang Bong’s words.
“A Golden Tortoise, my foot. It’s dark, you’re seeing things.”
Just as he was about to tell him not to make a fuss, a golden something entered his sight.
A giant toad.
“Huh! That’s, that’s a Golden Frog!”
They both screamed almost simultaneously.
The other third-rate martial artists ran towards the Blood Lion and Jang Bong.
What they saw was a giant spirit creature emitting a golden glow.
“That, that, that is!”
Guooooo.
A giant golden carp creating a small whirlpool was watching them.
“A, a, a Myriad-Year Fire Carp!”
The swamp turned into chaos.
“Catch them!”
Their eyes filled with greed.
“Let go! I found them first!”
“You, you lowly third-rate martial artists, even if you eat them, it won’t, it won’t have any effect! Le, let me research them…”
Even Tang So-yeong, who had been crying, got excited seeing the Golden Frog and joined in.
Although not as much as the Myriad-Year Fire Carp, the Golden Frog was still highly valued by the Tang family as a spirit creature.
The martial artists rushed to capture the spirit creatures.
But third-rate martial artists couldn’t capture spirit creatures.
“Kyaak! How is that turtle so fast!”
“My, my hand! My hand feels strange!”
“Even if it’s a spirit creature, how can a carp fly in the sky!”
The high-hanging moon.
They were literally performing gymnastics under the moonlight.
“Huff… Huff…”
The spirit creatures didn’t
get caught in their hands.
The exhausted martial artists panted and took a break.
“Haah… They are insanely fast.”
“Still, with so many spirit creatures here, if we take our time, we might catch them.”
“How about setting up camp here? If we drive them one by one, no matter how much of a spirit creature they are, we’ll eventually catch them.”
They hadn’t found food, but the existence of spirit creatures gave them strong motivation.
The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains were like a land of opportunity for them.
“If we catch just one Golden Frog… We might be forgiven for losing Dal Dae-hyeop…”
Hehe.
Tang So-yeong let out a strange laugh.
Even while everyone was resting, she was crouching and searching for the Golden Frog.
“Young lady. Stop and come here. It’s getting…”
Just as Jang Bong approached her, he stopped.
Clang.
“Huh!”
He dropped the sword he was holding.
Tang So-yeong ignored Jang Bong’s reaction and kept moving forward.
Thud.
And at that moment, she bumped into something.
Tang So-yeong looked up.
A solitary full moon in the sky.
A teal-green beast blocking the moon.
Dripping venomous saliva from its mouth.
“Gr…”
A low growl, indicating its displeasure.
Tang So-yeong froze on the spot.
“Hiiik!”
The Blood Lion and Jang Bong felt the need to save Tang So-yeong, but their bodies wouldn’t move.
That solid armor and sharp claws.
Blue eyes.
Long tail.
Ferocious growl.
“Kyaaaak!”
An immense internal energy that even third-rate martial artists could sense.
“A, a dragon! A dragon has appeared!”
It was a beast worthy of being called a dragon.
