Chapter 47 Do Lizards Dream of Human-Faced Spiders?
Three days after the establishment of the Gecko God religion.
Even Auntie said, “There is prey.”
I briefly left the swamp alone to find food.
I didn’t go too far, maintaining a distance close enough to reach the water in case of an emergency.
Although my body had changed, I still felt comfortable living near the water.
The reason I ventured out of the swamp was simple.
I was hunting for stronger prey.
Just like those guys gathered in front of me.
“Kikikikik!”
【Deinonychus LV4】
【Deinonychus LV6】
【Deinonychus LV5】
【Deinonychus LV9】
The pack of Deinonychus noticed me and quickly scattered.
Tadadad!
“Kikik!”
A Deinonychus, seemingly the leader, tilted its head and glared at me.
【Deinonychus LV9】
【Status】
「Alert」「Hungry」
It was probably assessing my strength.
Determining if it could hunt me.
And if it could, whether it could do so without harm to the pack.
The fact that these creatures dared to attack a Baryonyx meant they’d likely come after me too.
“Kikikikik!”
With the leader’s cry, a Deinonychus charged at me from the side.
I knew it was a feint.
I was aware of their tactics.
Their goal was to tire me out with a war of attrition.
I couldn’t let that happen.
[Using 「Poison Generation LV1」.]
I generated a large amount of poison in the air.
The Deinonychus, which had pretended to attack, suddenly got drenched in the poison and let out a painful scream.
“Kieeeek!”
The poison on its skin wasn’t lethal enough to kill it.
However, the purpose of the poison was to wet its body.
And to obscure its vision.
Thus, it was significant to stop its movement.
Waiting for the moment the opponent misjudged their timing was the merciless Dragon Claw Strike.
Splat!
I crushed it.
A one-hit kill.
Now, they would flee.
Did I overpower them too much? I should have held back a bit.
“Kikikikikik!”
Oh?
Look at these guys.
They ran away after losing one against the Baryonyx, but now they think they can handle me?
“Kikikik!”
Another Deinonychus charged at me from a different direction.
[Using 「Poison Generation LV1」.]
Splash!
The Deinonychus dodged the generated poison.
Did it find a way to counter it after seeing it once?
Quite smart for a dinosaur.
But what can it do against a Komodo?
[Using 「Poison Gathering LV1」.]
Shaaah!
The poison from the dead dinosaur and the poison scattered on the ground suddenly shot upwards.
The target was the Deinonychus’s belly.
Shrrrrk!
Like a spear made of poison, it surged up with the intent to pierce its skin.
Even if the gathered poison became sharp and hard, it couldn’t pierce through its belly skin.
However, this attack was also poison, and the Deinonychus, covered in poison, reacted the same as before.
“Kieeeek!”
Boom!
[Level up.]
I dealt with two Deinonychus in an instant.
The leader glared at me.
See, you should have strategized better.
If the four of you had attacked simultaneously, it would have been a bit challenging.
“Kikik! Kik!”
The leader and the remaining companion retreated.
It was annoying to carry more than three, so I didn’t bother chasing them.
Leaving two behind would increase the prey population.
Though, knowing I was here, they wouldn’t likely come near this area.
I dragged the Deinonychus back to my nest.
At my nest, my four disciples awaited me.
…But usually, isn’t it the disciples who chatter and the deity who gathers food?
Isn’t it the other way around?
“Go Dae-hyeop, you’ve worked hard.”
“Kieeeek!”
Tang So-yeong was massaging the legs of Nephila Jurassica.
Crack!
A refreshing sound.
I wasn’t sure if massage therapy was effective on spiders, but they seemed to handle it well.
I looked at Nephila Jurassica.
I hoped she was better now.
My worries were endless.
【Nephila Jurassica LV30】
【Status】
「Injured」「Unrequited Love」「Appetite」「Lethargy」「Single-mindedness」
Nephila Jurassica’s information still showed “Injured.”
First and foremost, I had to feed her.
Since I couldn’t feed her poisoned meat, I had to remove the poison first.
[Using 「Poison Gathering LV1」.]
The poison in the Deinonychus’s body compressed into a small circle.
The poison destroyed the meat’s muscle fibers, tenderizing it perfectly, and eliminating any potential adverse effects of the poison. This skill was incredibly useful in both combat and daily life.
Komodo is amazing.
“Go, Go Dae-hyeop!”
Tang So-yeong hurriedly pulled out a jar from her robe upon seeing the gathered poison.
Where did that come from?
It looked quite expensive.
“If you’re going to discard it, please…!”
Since I had no reason or intention to refuse, I poured the poison into the jar she handed me.
“Hoohoo… Now I’m rich….”
Huh?
Wasn’t she collecting it for research purposes?
Aren’t you from a prestigious family?
You’re not planning to sell it, right?
Though Tang So-yeong’s intentions were suspicious, it had nothing to do with me.
If she made a lot of money and bought some elixirs, that would be nice.
Now that the poison was removed, it was time to prepare the meat.
Our wild spiders would eat it however it was given, but since Tang So-yeong was here, I needed to prepare it properly.
Although they didn’t eat much, making it easier, that also made it harder.
The best way was to slice it big with my claws.
“Go Dae-hyeop, let me do it!”
“Gek.”
I shook my head.
It was quicker for me to do it, and I also wanted to check for any cores.
Of course, Tang So-yeong’s human hands would be more precise.
But still, you never know.
She might be so enchanted by the cores that she runs away at night with the cores and all the spiders.
And perhaps even the tail of the sleeping Komodo as a bonus.
Though, considering she hadn’t coveted the Dilophosaurus’s core and worshipped me, the possibility was quite low.
But sometimes faith could be twisted.
Like what happened with the slightly weird Tus and Pus.
It’s always good to be prepared for any possibility.
In fact, I could easily give away the cores that Deinonychus might have.
Even if they had cores, they would only be low-level, at most mid-level.
Not satisfactory to me.
However, at the moment, I couldn’t afford to give away even those cores.
Because of Nephila Jurassica.
Not for some romantic reason like wanting to help her recover after she sacrificed herself for me.
But due to my very personal desires.
Nephila Jurassica’s level was 30.
From my experience, level 30 was a point where many species could evolve. In fact, for a spider, Nephila Jurassica’s max level could be considered high.
Nephila Jurassica at her maximum level.
If I fed her a good core, could she evolve again?
I recalled Nephila Jurassica’s appearance.
Though the situation had been tense, how could I forget that appearance?
Golden hair like leopard spots on her torso and bright red eyes.
It was such a pity no matter how I thought about it.
Falling in love at first sight with her human form and living happily ever after together wasn’t the idea.
Nephila Jurassica still had a terrifying face that startled me every time I saw it.
Moreover, the dreadful states captured by her wild eyes made me feel as if I had reverted to being a Gecko lizard.
If her upper body became human, such things would probably decrease.
It would be more pleasing to the eyes.
With higher intelligence, she could control her appetite better too.
It’s not that I liked the human form.
Really.
“Geck geck.”
Shaaaa.
I searched through the Deinonychus’s insides, but once again, I came up empty-handed.
A bit disappointing.
Maybe the leader had a core.
Resigned, I settled for just enjoying a meat feast.
Although there was a lot of meat, it wasn’t a problem at all.
I could eat an almost infinite amount of food due to my Predation skill, and consuming a certain amount would even level me up.
With the Komodo’s large body, I could easily fit one Deinonychus inside me even without the skill.
Cores.
I had to find cores.
Where should I find them?
Was it time to catch the flying carp in the sky?
Should I hunt stronger ones in the upper parts of the swamp?
I was seriously contemplating Nephila Jurassica’s humanization.
“Go, Go Dae-hyeop!”
Tang So-yeong’s sharp voice rang out.
“The spider lady…!”
Nephila Jurassica had collapsed.
*
Fortunately, the spider quickly recovered.
Of course, recovery didn’t mean the “injury” status had disappeared.
Tang So-yeong spoke with a serious expression.
“…This isn’t good. She recovered quickly this time, but she might collapse frequently in the future.”
That was really bad news.
I had no choice but to find more cores.
“Just to be clear, this isn’t something that can be solved by consuming cores. She’s already taken half of the Dilophosaurus’s core, and eating more would actually be harmful.”
Then what should I do?
“Geck….”
“There’s one way….”
“Geck!”
“We can take the spider lady to the Tang family.”
“Geck?”
The Tang family was a clan village in Sichuan. Naturally, it was a place where people with the surname Tang gathered.
“With the materials and facilities there, she can be treated. …I need to return to the Tang family since my leg has healed. If the spider lady goes with me, we can solve the problem. But I don’t know if the spider lady would want that.”
According to Tang So-yeong, Nephila Jurassica was also one of the spiders that had lived in Sichuan.
Which meant she almost became an ingredient for the venom.
“…Spider lady. Will that be okay?”
She would obviously hate it.
“Keek.”
Contrary to my thoughts, Nephila Jurassica nodded.
It meant she was okay with going to Sichuan with Tang So-yeong.
“Geck!”
I gestured earnestly with my finger to Tang So-yeong.
I pointed at Nephila, Tus, and Pus, and then pointed to where the Dilophosaurus had died, and then at Tang So-yeong.
I stuck out my long tongue and pretended to play dead once.
What I meant was that if we went to Sichuan now, we might be punished for losing the Dilophosaurus, and Nephila might turn into venom too.
As well as Tus and Pus.
“Our Tang family reveres the Komodo more than you think, Dae-hyeop. They are literally legendary sacred creatures. If you bring your poison and scales, they will welcome you with open arms.”
Really?
Should I rely on the Tang family?
Living around Sichuan.
“Of course, there is a faction that opposes the Komodo, so there is a slight risk of assassination….”
Forget it, forget it.
The Tang family’s assassination attempts are off-limits.
Anyway, it means I just have to escort Nephila and Tang So-yeong to Sichuan.
I didn’t really have a reason to stay in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
I could live in the mountains around Sichuan.
Since I had grown a bit, I could go out and get some fresh air.
I swung my tail and slapped my back lightly.
“Geck geck geck.”
I’ll give you a ride.
“Oh. Only the spider lady and I need to go….”
Despite her words, Tang So-yeong naturally climbed onto my back.
Considering how she usually behaved, she would probably cry her eyes out if she left the swamp, let alone go to Sichuan.
And wasn’t the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains far from the Central Plains?
It might take years at her pace.
Although a bit troublesome, I couldn’t send them alone.
Nephila was injured because of me, so I had to take responsibility.
Tus and Pus also climbed onto my back.
“Keek!”
Nephila Jurassica waved her hand.
“That gesture….”
Can you interpret that now?
“It seems like she’s saying there’s somewhere we need to stop by before we leave.”
Somewhere to stop by?
“Indeed, we can’t leave right away. We need to prepare medicine for the spider lady and other supplies for the journey.”
Then get off.
While traveling far, it’s fine, but it would spoil you if I let you ride all the time.
I gently pushed off the two and Tang So-yeong with my tail.
“Kyah!”
Nephila quickly regained her strength and pulled my finger.
“Keek!”
She said we must go somewhere before leaving, now?
Alright.
Let’s stop by, like a family outing.
…Come to think of it, this spider.
Didn’t she give me a lot of cores?
Did she steal those from the Tang family?
Stopping by somewhere before leaving=grabbing something.
I got it.
There’s a treasure trove!
I wasn’t greedy, but I was curious to take a look.
“Geck geck geck geck!”
“…Go Dae-hyeop. Excuse me, but you’re drooling.”