Chapter 96 Preparing for Counterattack
Shikshik is cute.
It’s not because my sense of aesthetics became strange after turning into a lizard; objectively speaking, anyone would think she’s cute.
Just look at that round, chubby snout and those eyes that remind you of a puppy.
Even her cry was closer to that of a puppy or a chick than that of a snake.
Her tail was plump, and sometimes, when she flipped over to play dead, it only made her seem even cuter.
To me, Shikshik was that kind of being.
She was like a puppy I’d see at the end of a hard day.
But what on earth is this situation?
The cute puppy has turned into a wolf.
“Peep!”
Shikshik peeped as she flicked her tongue.
“Gagagak!”
Let go of me, you rascal.
No matter how much smaller I’ve gotten, that’s going too far.
I’m a divine beast, and you’re my follower.
“Gagak!”
But Shikshik didn’t pretend to hear me. She just kept licking the top of my head, flicking her tongue.
“Gaaak!”
Why are you licking my head?
It felt strange.
It didn’t seem like she intended to eat me or anything; it was more like she was trying to tickle me.
What could she possibly gain by tickling me?
Whatever it was, letting it continue wouldn’t do me any good.
I’d long since figured out Shikshik’s strength.
If I applied just enough strength not to get hurt, I should be able to escape.
Thud.
…Huh?
I couldn’t escape.
Shikshik, this little rascal.
Her grip was tighter than I thought.
Her body, cold and sleek like a snake’s, constricted me.
As she rubbed her smooth, moist body against me, I felt my strength drain away.
Wait, was Shikshik always this strong?
After thinking it over, I found the answer.
It was because of faith.
The followers of the Gecko Faith share a portion of my power.
In other words, as I reached the pinnacle of my strength, Shikshik became stronger as well.
And now, I was in a state of miniaturization, so naturally, my strength had diminished.
This absurd situation arose where, despite me growing stronger, Shikshik had become even stronger.
Wait, I’m the one who got stronger, so how is this happening?
“Gagak!”
I cried out in frustration.
If this was going to happen, I should have followed a different faith.
I could have believed in the Baek Yeonyeong Faith and lived large.
…No.
Let’s think positively.
As Shikshik grew stronger, the benefits to me increased as well.
If I considered that I would gain the experience and divinity that Shikshik accumulated, it might not be such a bad deal after all.
Besides, I only felt relatively deprived because of my current miniaturized state. If I had increased my size a bit more, I wouldn’t have been captured by Shikshik in the first place.
I would have joyfully celebrated Shikshik’s growth.
Thinking positively is one thing, but…
Now, let go of me!
“Gagak!”
Shikshik kept rubbing her face against mine.
She probably thought it was a friendly gesture, but it was a bit overwhelming for me.
If I wasn’t in a miniaturized state, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but at this size, it felt uncomfortable.
It reminded me a bit of when I fled from Nephila Jurassica.
As I was struggling against Shikshik’s relentless attack, crying out in frustration, the Snake Queen appeared and lifted Shikshik off me.
“Peep!”
Shikshik bit the Snake Queen’s hand furiously, as if telling her not to interfere.
Thanks to that, I barely managed to escape.
I realized then that shrinking myself too much wasn’t always a good thing.
Ssshhh.
I adjusted the level of miniaturization and returned to the size of a Komodo.
This was the best size for me.
Even though this size still involved miniaturization, the recoil-based strategies were still effective. Plus, I could move comfortably and maintain a decent physique.
Komodo is the best.
“Hieeek…”
Shikshik, who had been biting the Snake Queen’s finger for a while, gasped when she saw my size change.
It’s too late, Shikshik.
I’ll never let myself become smaller than you again.
Leaving Shikshik, who licked her lips regretfully, behind, I let out a cry toward the Snake Queen.
“Gagak!”
“You don’t dance when it’s time to go back.”
“Gaak!”
“I’m just joking.”
The Snake Queen approached me while fending off Shikshik with one hand.
“Hmm. You’ve certainly changed a lot. It’s not just miniaturization. The way you handle internal energy has evolved drastically. I thought you’d learn that fellow’s martial art, but you’ve created your own.”
The Snake Queen quickly noticed my changes.
It seemed she didn’t regard Kompi as her father, given how she referred to him as “that fellow.”
Or maybe she was doing it on purpose.
Whatever the reason, there must have been a reason for their estrangement.
I took out the tablet that Kompi had given me.
“Oh? What’s that?”
You’ve got mail.
“Gagak.”
“…That old man really never changes. He wrote this for me to read?”
Though I couldn’t tell what the characters were, it looked like terrible handwriting.
Even as she said that, the Snake Queen didn’t seem too displeased.
She accepted the tablet I handed over with both hands and slowly checked its contents.
“How pathetic. Who’s worrying about whom?”
She acted like she was disgusted, but she didn’t seem in a bad mood.
But then, her expression hardened as she continued reading the tablet.
“Gatsalgoadal. You’ve crossed the line again.”
It seemed Kompi had recorded everything that happened to me.
Waaah.
Snake Queen.
The Megatherium hit me.
I wanted to whine like that, but I had already taken care of the Megatherium.
The problem was solved.
However, it seemed the Snake Queen thought differently.
“I must uproot them.”
Uproot them.
That meant she intended to capture the Bird King.
“Gagak…?”
No, she didn’t need to make such a decision because of me.
I already dealt with the Megatherium.
“They ignored my warning and coveted what’s mine.”
The Snake Queen’s black hair rose to the sky.
Guuu….
The entire temple shook.
“Hieeek…!”
Shikshik, who had been biting her finger, fled in terror.
It was like witnessing a mother’s extreme fury.
Shikshik fled to my front paw.
“Hieek….”
She wrapped her body around my leg, finally calming down.
It seemed she trusted me.
But I wanted to run away too.
I had no means to stop your mother’s wrath.
“They will pay dearly for touching what’s mine.”
That was impressive.
I might fall for you, Snake Queen.
“Hieek….”
Shikshik sneakily nipped at my scales.
Get a grip!
That’s what she seemed to be trying to tell me.
“Gagak!”
I waved my hand in front of the Snake Queen.
I appreciated her anger on my behalf, but this didn’t seem like an issue to decide on impulse.
“…Are you worried about me?”
The Snake Queen stared at me.
She was strong.
Very strong.
But there must have been a reason she hadn’t been able to settle things with the Bird King for such a long time.
Going against the Bird King was dangerous, even for the Snake Queen.
“He dared to touch what I declared as mine. How could I remain idle?”
“Gak…”
She was right.
Even if it was just on paper, I was the Snake Queen’s mate.
The Bird King knew this and still tried to kill me.
If she didn’t respond, the Snake Queen would also be in trouble.
“I want to twist his neck right this instant. …But that’s not a realistic option.”
The Snake Queen wasn’t someone who acted on impulse.
She was a cold-blooded reptile.
Like the tail wrapped around my body.
…Huh?
When did she wrap it around me!
“We are in a position where we must check each other. Therefore, I cannot move recklessly. I cannot directly attack him.”
I understood.
There was a reason they had been sharing control over this jungle for so long.
“Therefore, the best option right now is to steadily weaken his forces.”
After eroding the enemy’s forces, when she judged that she had gained overwhelming superiority, she would personally deal with the Bird King.
It was a very wise strategy.
“Are you ready?”
Of course.
…Huh?
Did she just ask if I was ready?
The Snake Queen and the Bird King checked each other.
In other words, the Snake Queen couldn’t move directly.
In such a situation, to weaken the forces of the Imoogi Bird, someone other than the Snake Queen would have to move.
…Was it me again?
*
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she was a wicked wife who would exploit her only mate.
She told me she wouldn’t ask me to do anything unreasonable.
She said she would recruit a third force and use them to wage war against the Bird King.
If I helped out along the way, that would be great.
As long as the rewards were reasonable, it wouldn’t be bad for me to take action myself.
However,
I was still the Snake Queen’s mate.
If I were captured, it could change the course of the war.
It would be best to avoid overly dangerous tasks and focus on reducing the number of Terror Birds instead.
“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to learn about his forces.”
That was something I welcomed.
The more information, the better.
“Gatsalgoadal has three divine beasts with him.”
Three divine beasts?
“After Gogaduris betrayed him, he had four, but now it’s back to three.”
That meant there were three opponents, at least on par with the Cockatrice, or maybe even stronger.
“Filbang, Nachaljo, and the Beihj Bird. Those three. Depending on how you look at it, you could say there are four.”
I nearly let out a cry of surprise.
Each of them was a well-known entity.
“Filbang looks like a giant crane. It only has one leg, but it wields a flame that terrifies all beasts, so if you encounter it, don’t think about fighting; just run away.”
If the Cockatrice’s weapon was petrification, Filbang’s was flame.
…That made it seem like I might be able to manage.
I could wield the cold energy of Seolsam and had resistance to fire due to my dragon scales.
If I encountered it later, rather than retreating immediately, I could assess the situation and consider attacking.
“Nachaljo is also a formidable opponent. Its basic combat power is high, but it’s a master of transformation techniques. It can not only change its appearance but also partially mimic the abilities of its target.”
Nachaljo.
It’s a monstrous bird that’s said to transform into a human and hunt people.
The ability to mimic not just the appearance but also the abilities of a target was an incredible skill.
If it transformed into one of the long-necked dinosaurs wandering in the distance and simply stomped its feet, it could cause devastating damage.
I’d avoid it rather than face it.
If it disguised itself as a weak creature and launched a surprise attack, it would be dangerous, but I had the Wild Eye.
I might be able to turn the tables.
“The last one is the Beihj Bird. It’s hard to evaluate this one. I’ve only seen it a few times myself. It’s a unique being, one that is two and yet one… It might resemble you more than a bird.”
The Beihj Bird.
It’s a bird with a single wing, eye, and leg.
It didn’t seem to have any special abilities.
Aside from the fact that two Beihj Birds stuck together, they were just like any other birds.
I guess it’s the least dangerous of the three.
But considering it’s lumped together with the other two, I knew it wasn’t an opponent I could underestimate.
Given the Snake Queen’s words, there must have been some great potential there.
Surely, she wasn’t saying our faces looked alike.
“Just from this, it would seem that the enemy has the advantage.”
“Gagak.”
That was certainly true.
The enemy had three divine beasts on their side.
On the other hand, we had only the Snake Queen.
There were a few Black Dragons wandering around the temple, but they couldn’t compare to divine beasts.
“There’s a saying, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’”
“Gak?”
“Gatsalgoadal’s conduct is far from good. He’s committed numerous atrocities in this jungle to claim the sky.”
There was something all of the Imoogi Bird’s subordinates had in common.
Except for parrots, none of them could fly.
The Terror Birds and the Cockatrices were also like that.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any flying subordinates.
“The pterosaurians are not on good terms with the Bird King.”
When I first encountered the Imoogi Bird, a Pteranodon attacked it.
The pterosaurs of the jungle resented the Bird King, who had taken over their domain.
That’s why the Imoogi Bird didn’t have any flying subordinates.
The moment they took to the air, they would be attacked by pterosaurs.
“I plan to bring them to my side.”
“Gagak!”
Recruiting them would certainly be a great help.
They were a rare force capable of engaging in aerial combat.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something crucial was still missing.
“Of course, they alone can’t guarantee victory.”
The gap between Pteranodons and the Imoogi Bird was overwhelming.
It would be difficult for ordinary pterosaurs to defeat a divine beast.
“To face a divine beast, we need one on our side too.”
The Snake Queen looked up at the sky for a moment.
There was nothing above the open ceiling.
“Before Gatsalgoadal claimed the sky, there was another being who was called the Bird King.”
The Imoogi Bird hadn’t been born as the Bird King.
It must have either inherited the title or seized it.
Judging by the Snake Queen’s words, it seemed to be the latter.
“Arogan-tabisu.”
Arogan-tabisu!
The name itself was ominous.
….
Wait a minute.
Could it be the Argentavis?
The monstrous bird with a wingspan of over 7 meters?
“The former Bird King. That one should be more than capable of taking on a divine beast.”