Chapter 79 Toosulisu
It was big.
Very big.
Of course, the size of a lizard was somewhat exaggerated.
The Green Basilisk was a lizard with a body length of a whopping 80 cm.
One might think it had a fairly large build.
However, the problem was that most of that length was taken up by its tail.
That’s why this majestic Green Basilisk fit snugly in Baek Yeonyeong’s hand.
If you excluded the tail length, its actual body length was only about 20 cm.
The best this tiny lizard could do was bite Baek Yeonyeong’s white fingers.
…Looking back now, it was a wonder it survived.
Sigh.
Anyway, just because a lizard is long doesn’t mean it’s necessarily big.
But now, things were different.
Comparing it to the Snake Queen and Shikshik wouldn’t be precise.
But just standing still, it was clear that I was really big.
Even in the basic form of a lizard, walking on all fours, my head reached about shoulder height of a typical human.
If I stretched my legs out, I would be even taller.
Even at that size, I would be an enormous lizard.
And unlike other lizards, I could skillfully walk on two legs.
If I stood on my two feet?
A monstrous lizard of at least 3 meters would be born.
If I pulled off the trick of balancing on my tail, I might as well drop the “lizard” part and just be called a monster.
“Gegegek!”
I had become too big, way too big.
* * *
“How is it? Have you gotten used to that size?”
It had been some time since I evolved into a Komodo-Lania.
But I still hadn’t gotten used to it.
The size of a Komodo was the most comfortable for moving around.
“Gegegek….”
I let out a cry of discomfort.
This size might be good for combat.
Just rolling my body could be a deadly attack for most enemies.
But in everyday life, such a large build was unnecessary.
Even the Snake Queen, when not in her original form, operated in a human form because it was easier to manage space.
“Hmm…. As expected, that size is a problem. It doesn’t bother me, but it must be very inconvenient for the princess….”
“Hieeek….”
Shikshik clung to me, trying hard to measure my size.
That chubby snake had no way of measuring my length.
“We need to shrink your size.”
Is that possible?
You should have told me that sooner!
“Gek?”
You’re not planning to drain all my energy and make me skinny, are you?
“It would be best if you took on a human form….”
A human form?
Humanization?
Can I do that too?
“But you’re still far from that….”
It was a letdown.
I didn’t think I could take on a human form just yet.
To achieve something like polymorph, I’d at least need to be at the level of the Snake Queen.
Even the Snake Queen had the lower half of a snake.
It was a realm far beyond my current reach.
“But there is a way to just reduce your size.”
I looked at the Snake Queen with sparkling eyes.
I needed to shrink this body.
It was too inconvenient now.
The spiders might get scared and run away when they saw me.
If I played around and put Tang So-yeong’s head in my mouth, I might swallow her whole.
Shikshik seemed to be getting more and more frail as days went by.
Although she was growing at a rapid pace, she seemed to lose motivation because I had grown overwhelmingly larger.
“There is a skill called miniaturization.”
Miniaturization!
That would solve most of my problems.
I could reduce my size for convenience and return to full size for combat, utilizing this bulk to the fullest.
Reducing my size was akin to hiding my strength.
It was like having an extra ace up my sleeve.
“Gekek!”
Teach me right now, Snake Queen.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t use that skill. Since I’ve taken on a human form, I don’t need miniaturization.”
“Gek….”
“But I do know someone who is very skilled in that ability.”
“Gek!”
I knew I could count on you.
Please, give me more opportunities.
“Hunhwi (昏輝). A dual-natured being that contains both light and darkness.”
The name sounded impressive.
This must be another mystical creature.
I couldn’t tell what kind of creature it was just by the name.
“It’s a species similar to yours. It looks like the small dinosaurs roaming this jungle, but its size is very small. It’s about half the size of the princess, a very tiny creature.”
A species similar to mine.
A lizard or perhaps a dinosaur.
Smaller than Shikshik?
How small is it?
A very small dinosaur.
And the name Hunhwi.
Hunhwi….
Compy?
That tiny dinosaur?
Procompsognathus?
“If you go to them, you can learn the intricacies of miniaturization.”
* * *
“Baekwoon Gong. Are you sure you don’t want to visit the swamp?”
“It would be good to find a core, but I’ve realized the core isn’t what’s important, so there’s no need to go.”
Baekwoon fiddled with the sword at his waist.
After meeting the creature called Komodo, Baekwoon had an epiphany.
A very faint one, but it felt like he glimpsed the realm of mastery he hadn’t been able to reach.
Rising to a higher state through personal enlightenment rather than relying on a core.
If that was possible, he no longer needed a core.
Baekwoon only wanted to leave the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains as soon as possible.
Fortunately, nothing had happened so far.
Although they were still in the jungle, no beasts had attacked them.
If they continued a bit further, they would escape the jungle and eventually leave the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
“We must have received the grace of Komodo Gong.”
“Grace, you say. And why are you addressing it with honorifics?”
“Hey! How can you call it a mere thing! Baekwoon Gong. Komodo Gong is truly a mystical divine beast! Didn’t you see it too?”
“…I saw it.”
Baekwoon also felt gratitude towards Komodo.
However, unlike Jang Bong who saw it as an object of worship, he viewed Komodo as a wall to overcome.
Even if it was a divine beast, its essence was close to that of a beast. But the energy he felt from it was different from that of a beast. At least an elite warrior. No, it felt like it had the level of internal energy of someone who had reached the pinnacle.
A mute lizard had reached such a state, so there was no reason he couldn’t do it.
To Baekwoon, Komodo was both an object of gratitude and a wall to surpass.
“And… I wasn’t just saying it. Ever since I worshipped Komodo Gong, I feel like my strength has increased.”
“It’s probably just your imagination.”
“No, trust me just this once.”
Baekwoon scoffed.
Getting stronger simply by worshipping.
Such a thing was impossible.
It would be sorcery, sorcery.
Even if Jang Bong’s words were true, Baekwoon didn’t want to become stronger in that way.
At the very least, he wanted to break through the wall of the pinnacle with his own strength.
That was his belief.
“Kekekek!”
Suddenly, a strange cry was heard.
Baekwoon immediately drew his sword and took a defensive stance.
“Baekwoon Gong. That is… haha.”
Jang Bong laughed incredulously at the sight before him.
A very small lizard was posing in a strange manner.
Judging by its somewhat long neck, it seemed closer to the beasts Baekwoon had defeated so far.
Baekwoon and Jang Bong called such creatures dinosaurs.
“You rascal, don’t you know better than to interrupt your elders?”
“Duge. It’s not like it’s attacking us, so there’s no need to harm it.”
“…I was thinking the same. Because of Komodo Gong’s teachings.”
Jang Bong smiled sheepishly.
There was no need to bother with that strange dinosaur.
They were about to continue walking when it happened.
“Duck!”
At Baekwoon’s shout, Jang Bong immediately ducked.
Snap.
Crash.
With a tremendous roar, the tree right in front of them fell.
What was that sound?
Jang Bong was stunned.
“He- Heok!”
A gigantic dinosaur, twice the size of the petrifying bird they encountered, appeared.
Baekwoon glared at it with his sword in hand.
It was strong.
Judging by strength alone, it was stronger than that monstrous bird.
It reminded Baekwoon of Komodo’s power.
He swallowed hard.
He had vowed to break through the wall that stood in his way.
His lips curled into a smile.
“A chance has come sooner than I expected….”
“Kraraar!”
The dinosaur charged at Baekwoon with tremendous force.
He tightened his grip on his sword.
What had caught him off guard with the petrifying bird was its unforeseen petrifying power.
It would be different now.
The profoundness of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Swords was about to unfold from his sword.
Crash!
A thunderous roar echoed.
“Grurrr….”
The body of the monster charging at Baekwoon crumbled.
“Grur….”
Foaming at the mouth, it collapsed right there.
Thud!
“Ba- Baekwoon Gong?”
Did Baekwoon’s sword cut it down?
No.
Before his sword even touched it, this outcome had occurred.
Did it suddenly suffer from an illness?
No, that wouldn’t explain the thunderous noise.
Baekwoon and Jang Bong couldn’t understand the situation
.
What had just happened?
“Kekekek!”
A cry similar to Komodo’s was heard.
Looking closely, the small lizard they saw earlier was perched on the fallen monster.
Its somewhat dopey eyes.
Its flailing movements.
Jang Bong shouted in disbelief.
“Th- That’s!”
He remembered reading about it in a book.
That peculiar dance.
And that face that looked somewhat miscreated.
A legendary divine creature said to rival Komodo.
“Toosulisu!”
Commonly known as Toosulisu, those who knew it called it Hunhwi.
Because it had not abandoned its weakest form.