Chapter 98: A Horse with a Horn?
Unicorn.
A horse with a horn.
Unicorn!
Who wouldn’t get excited upon hearing that word?
Even in a world where gigantic lifeforms resembling deer with leopard-like patterns and necks exceeding two meters roamed freely, the harsh reality was that there was no such thing as a horse with a horn.
Mammals that laid eggs, nursed their young, used poison, and had glowing skin existed, but unicorns did not.
However, this world was a romantic place where mystical creatures and ancient species coexisted.
Naturally, this meant that horned horses also existed here.
“The horn of the unicorn is a rare medicinal ingredient. It’s also something that the former king of birds needs.”
Given that the horn was a valuable medicinal ingredient, there was no doubt that a unicorn was what it referred to.
After all, it was explicitly called a horse with a horn.
Unicorn horns were said to have mystical effects.
Although the Snake Queen claimed it wasn’t a miraculous elixir, if it was the unicorn horn I knew, it was definitely an item as valuable as one.
“Finding a unicorn isn’t too difficult, but for some reason, other mystical creatures can’t even catch a glimpse of it.”
Other mystical creatures.
Despite how she appeared, it seemed the Snake Queen did interact with other mystical beings.
Up until now, I had only seen the Snake Queen lounging around this temple with Shikshik, but it appeared that she had some queenly duties to attend to.
I suppose, even if I wasn’t aware, the Snake Queen must have been living quite a busy life.
She had to keep the King of Birds in check, establish friendly relations with other mystical creatures, and raise her daughter well.
At first, I couldn’t quite understand why she had lost the beloved Shikshik she cherished so much, but looking at it this way, it made sense.
The numerous elixirs and divine artifacts collected here must have been gathered one by one by the Snake Queen herself.
They were likely gifts received from allies or items gathered to give as presents.
…And she gave all of it to me.
Once again, I was struck by how generous the Snake Queen and her daughter were to me.
“While it’s relatively easy to find here, others find it difficult. Wouldn’t it make the perfect gift?”
In other words, she was suggesting that I go and catch a unicorn.
“Gegek.”
I raised one of my front legs.
A universal sign in body language.
I have something to say.
“What is it?”
Sssss.
The lower half of the coiled Snake Queen slowly moved.
Right now, I looked like a mouse caught by a snake.
But in reality, I was the Snake Queen’s companion, Komodo.
Feeling the Snake Queen’s cool body temperature, I boldly tapped my chest a few times.
“Gek gek gek.”
Leave it to me.
That’s what I meant.
There were quite a lot of elixirs and cores in this temple.
Originally, these were likely meant for Shikshik or to be given as gifts to other mystical creatures to establish friendly relations.
But I had consumed them all.
In other words, the task of acquiring the unicorn horn might have arisen because of me.
Of course, the fact that I consumed those elixirs has possibly tilted the frontlines slightly in favor of the Snake Queen. But it’s undeniable that I haven’t fully repaid the value of the elixirs I consumed.
I wasn’t usually like this, but still, I had to do some work to repay what I ate.
If I helped the Snake Queen with this, who knows, maybe she’d give me something else in return.
“Hoo. It seems you’ve developed an interest in the unicorn.”
And personally, I really wanted to see a unicorn.
How could anyone resist a horned horse?
“Gek gek!”
I had already seen dinosaurs, which were once my object of admiration, and mystical creatures from legends, so now I had to see the horned horse.
“It would definitely make things easier on my end. However, I wonder if I’m giving you too much of a burden.”
Oh, come on.
Burden? What burden?
“Gek gek.”
The Snake Queen was a good boss.
If you think about it, the only task she ever asked of me was to deal with the Cockatrice.
No, she didn’t even ask me to deal with it. She just asked me to gather information on it.
Her request was simply reconnaissance, and I fought the creature of my own accord.
In other words, the Snake Queen’s request was trivial.
But what did I receive in return?
Various cores, the Myriad-Year Fire Carp, the Myriad-Year Snow Ginseng Wine.
Moreover, because the Snake Queen made me her companion, I got to share her divinity and experience points.
Thanks to her introduction to Soaring Dragon, I even learned the Miniaturization technique.
I had received so much.
If I were the Snake Queen, I would have listed everything I gave and forced myself to work. Even if she had asked one favor for each elixir, it would have been a generous exchange.
But she didn’t do that.
With her showing such an attitude, how could I just sit back and do nothing?
Srrrk.
The Snake Queen and Shikshik’s bodies coiled around me.
Anyone else would probably mistake this for a very dangerous situation.
But I knew what this mother and daughter were thinking.
This was their way of showing affection.
“Screee!”
See?
Shikshik made a cute sound while rubbing her head against me.
At the same time, the Snake Queen, with her cool body wrapped around me, placed a heavy internal energy pouch on my head.
“It seems I’ve found myself quite the companion.”
Please take care of me, Boss.
“Well, if I think of it as part of your dowry, there’s no reason not to accept your offer.”
Sure.
Think of it as a dowry.
…Wait?
Dowry?
“Hiiik….”
Shikshik curled her tail into a heart shape.
She shook her head back and forth as if embarrassed.
That wasn’t exactly what I meant, but…
Well, as long as you’re happy, I suppose.
“The unicorn is gentle by nature, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous a mission.”
Gentle by nature?
That didn’t quite align with the unicorn I knew.
“Gek gek.”
I looked up.
All I could see was the heavy internal energy pouch.
Yes, anyone would naturally become gentle after seeing something like this.
And if they saw the true form of the Snake Queen, they would certainly become gentle in another way.
“Well, it would be shameless of me, but I’ll ask you to do this favor. While the unicorn is generally gentle, there are times when its horn turns black, and it charges at its opponent. Since the horn is the objective, there’s no need to kill it, but if it attacks first, that’s a different story.”
The unicorn is the guardian of purity.
The horn turns black when it encounters someone who has lost their purity.
“When that happens, don’t hesitate to take it down. Once it’s in that state, running away will be futile.”
The Snake Queen offered her advice.
But I didn’t think that was something I needed to worry about.
As a three-month-old lizard, I could be considered the purest of them all.
“Gek gek.”
A balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Won’t the unicorn follow me around?
That was the thought that crossed my mind.
The mission was now set.
Find the unicorn and obtain its horn.
Judging from what the Snake Queen said, there seemed to be a way to either cut the horn off or have it come off on its own.
As a pure lizard, it was a mission I could easily accomplish just by approaching it.
Now, shall I get going?
“Gek gek!”
…But before I can start, it would be nice if you could let go of me.
Srrrrk.
The Snake Queen and Shikshik tightened their grip.
“As much as I’d like to, how could I send off my companion who just returned?”
“Screee!”
Shikshik flicked her tongue while the Snake Queen watched.
“Gegegek!”
Help!
*
After the Snake Queen and Shikshik’s reward—meaning, massage—ended, I was finally able to break free.
Of course, that didn’t mean I could leave right away. There was a ritual of eating the food prepared by the Snake Queen and Shikshik that awaited me.
This time, the prepared food was none other than deer meat.
I was curious as to how deer could still survive in this jungle, where dinosaurs and mystical creatures ran rampant, but I didn’t dwell on it.
The snake mother and daughter treated me to both a large deer and a small one.
Fearing that one might feel slighted if I ate the other first, I forced myself to stuff both deer meats into my mouth simultaneously.
Even though I was receiving the utmost hospitality, I couldn’t help but feel a bit exhausted.
The Black Dragon that roamed around the temple was shocked to see my pale face as I barely managed to escape.
It was nice that they liked me, but sometimes it felt a bit too much.
Maybe it was because I still had a human perspective that I felt this way.
To snakes, wrapping their bodies around a lizard and flicking their tongues might just be normal behavior.
Thinking of it that way, my mind eased a bit.
It was probably similar to how spiders would press their abdomens against me.
I couldn’t fully understand it with my mind, but from the spider’s perspective, it was likely nothing strange.
Or was it?
Would it still seem strange from the spider’s perspective?
I’ll have to ask our spider sisters when they grow into beautiful Arach
ne.
…Speaking of which, I wonder how they’re doing?
It’s taking longer than expected.
Of course, I had things to do, so I couldn’t go see them right away, but Baek Yeonyeong was different.
If she wanted, she could grab my tail and dangle me anytime.
The fact that she hadn’t shown up yet meant that Nephila Jurassica’s treatment wasn’t over.
I hope nothing has happened.
Let’s check it out.
—
**【Gecko Religion】**
A religion on the level of the King Lizard.
Its doctrine is based on Gecko Faith, and it worships Komodo.
The types of members are extremely diverse, and their piety is fervent.
Related Faith: 【Gecko Faith】 【Snake Queen Faith】【Soaring Dragon Faith】
**Members**
First Follower: 【Arthropleura lv29】
Second Follower: 【Anthracomartus lv29】
Third Follower: 【Tang So-yeong】
Fourth Follower: 【Ball Python lv22】
—
It was disappointing that I couldn’t get information on Nephila, but seeing that Tus and Pus were doing well, she was probably fine too.
Look at that, already at level 29….
Huh?
What about you two?
When did your levels go up like this?
Had Baek Yeonyeong been feeding them well?
Their levels had been rising at a frightening pace.
No, the speed couldn’t be explained by just good food.
It felt like they were filled with some kind of determination.
Come to think of it, the status window hadn’t been sending me messages lately.
It seemed like Tus and Pus were highly focused.
I wasn’t sure what had driven them, but it was something worth celebrating.
When I see them again, will they have turned into truly formidable Arachne with solid internal energy pouches?
Now that I’ve checked on the spiders, it’s time to get to work.
Finding the unicorn was quite simple.
Unicorns liked pure beings.
In other words, just by walking around near the unicorn’s habitat as the pure Komodo-Lania, I should be able to attract the unicorn.
…But it didn’t work.
Was it because I was male?
Still, it was too soon to give up.
I had one last trick up my sleeve—tied to my tail.
It was a gourd filled with the Snake Queen’s blood.
The Snake Queen was Shikshik’s mother, but she hadn’t given birth to her.
In other words, she was a pure snake.
Sprinkling the blood of a pure maiden would surely make the unicorn go wild and appear.
Splash!
I poured the Snake Queen’s blood.
I briefly worried about other beasts catching the scent, but who would dare run towards the scent of the Snake Queen’s blood?
The only one who wouldn’t flee after smelling this was a unicorn crazy about pure maidens.
Thud, thud, thud!
Dust rose in the distance.
As expected of the Snake Queen’s blood.
The effect was incredible.
Just in case, I took a step back.
The legendary mystical creature, the unicorn, was running towards me in a frenzy.
My heart pounded.
I was finally going to see it.
The horse with a horn.
Whoooosh!
As the dust settled, the figure emerged.
—
**【Elasmotherium LV40】**
—
“Grrrrraaaaaaa!”
No! That’s not my unicorn!