"It’s vicious. I never expected him to do sothing like this in this situation."
Seolhwa stared coldly at what remained of the Black Cloud Faction’s leader.
I was just as surprised.
What kind of relationship did he have with Jinryong to throw away his own life?
Or was it possible that the Dragon Pill had manipulated him?
That was a real possibility.
The Gu that the Red Dragon had briefly swallowed—the original purpose of that Gu was to turn its host into a puppet.
If the Dragon Pill contained Jinryong’s power, it could definitely have a similar effect.
Of course, it was also possible that he did it out of pure loyalty, but considering he’d been skimming off the faction’s elixirs behind their backs, it didn’t seem like he was entirely devoted.
Either way, the pill was suspicious.
The Dragon Pill, supplied by Jinryong’s faction.
Seeing how it had strengthened an opponent I could have easily defeated to such a degree, this was no trivial matter.
If soone gathered a group of high-level martial artists just on the verge of transcendence and gave them Dragon Pills, even I would struggle against the monstrous force they’d beco.
Not to ntion the possibility that a Dragonborn-level divine beast could take one.
"The Dragon Pill… Our sect should investigate this. Even though the faction leader is dead, it’s not like we’re completely out of leads."
The Black Cloud Faction leader was gone, but that didn’t an there was no way to gather information.
After all, we hadn’t wiped out every last one of them.
So of them were still alive—frozen solid by Seolhwa’s ice arts, while others were unconscious from my poison.
If we dragged them away for so persuasive questioning (also known as waterboarding), they’d spill everything we needed and then so.
"The ones who took the Dragon Pill all died from necrosis… The ones who didn’t take it are lower-ranking, so I don’t expect much from them, but it’s better than nothing."
Better than nothing.
And chances were, they’d be very cooperative.
So of them were suffering from Gomodo Hair Loss Poison.
Just showing them their own reflection in a mirror would be enough to get them talking.
"It’s kind of funny. I only ca here to gather information, and sohow I ended up eting you, Hui. Things really escalated."
"Gegek."
Yeah, no kidding.
Of all places, running into Seolhwa here…
"Oh, I don’t an that in a bad way. I was going to have to draw my sword eventually, but thanks to you, it ended much faster."
Her gaze dropped to my tail.
"You used quite a bit of internal energy, but it feels like you have even more than before… Wait. Did you feed an elixir while I was trapped in my Inner Demon?"
So she noticed.
Not surprising. A martial artist of her caliber would be able to tell.
And it wasn’t just any elixir. It was one of the high-grade ones Jinryong had been stockpiling for his own vital essence recovery.
"You should’ve saved that for my sister, but instead, you used it on . What a foolish little lizard… Though I guess I can’t complain since I was unconscious at the ti."
"Gehek."
Seolhwa gently touched my thick tail.
"If I had swallowed an elixir too, it would’ve been perfect. But right now, it feels a little lacking."
The reason we had stord this place in the first place was to secure dicine for my master.
In the process, we had gathered so very high-quality elixirs.
But now, I had used one on Seolhwa.
Out of the three we had obtained, one was gone.
That ant we might not get the full effect we were hoping for.
But I didn’t regret it.
When Seolhwa was in danger, there was no way I could just hoard an elixir instead of saving her.
"Hui is already an incredibly powerful divine beast, so it might be possible to refine the dicinal properties stored in your tail. But that ans you can’t cut it off for a while."
So I just need to let it mature?
That actually sounded like a good plan.
It wasn’t like I was just going to sit around doing nothing. I’d keep training and accumulating internal energy just like usual.
ditate, consu other elixirs out of boredom, and thicken my tail.
If I could make up for the elixir I used on Seolhwa through training, that would be ideal.
Of course, there was a downside—I couldn’t use Tail Shedding during this ti.
But honestly, that wasn’t a huge deal.
Tail Shedding was a technique I had been using since my gecko days.
For normal lizards, it was a survival tactic.
When a predator attacked, they’d drop their tail to create a distraction and then escape while the enemy was focused on the wriggling limb.
Of course, I had taken that simple trick and weaponized it.
I could instantly regrow my tail, and when I cut it off, my speed skyrocketed.
Which ant I could drop my tail as many tis as I wanted.
But even I rarely used Tail Shedding anymore.
Even if it grew back quickly, being without a tail was a serious disadvantage.
My overwhelming speed ca from Little Dragon Ascends to Heaven Steps.
That footwork technique reached its peak efficiency when I ran on two legs.
And the reason I could maintain my balance while moving at such extre speeds was thanks to my tail.
It let keep my arms free for combat, while my legs focused purely on pushing off the ground.
In other words, my tail was vital.
That’s why I didn’t use Tail Shedding casually, and over ti, I had simply grown used to keeping my tail intact.
Maybe this would have been a major restriction back when I was constantly running for my life, but for current , it was manageable.
Besides, I could always use Dragon Words to turn my tail into a weapon.
And since I was about to enter a period of training inside my nest, the chances of eting an opponent who forced to cut my tail were pretty low.
Even if I ran into soone as tough as Gongbok, I could use storm and lightning to break through their defenses.
Which ant… I probably wouldn’t need to shed my tail.
"…Sorry, Hui. I know cutting your tail off was your favorite thing."
No need to apologize.
…Wait. My favorite thing?
Was she talking about Gerolong?
"Geck?"
"Hm? Why are you making that face? Ever since we t, you’ve always cut your tail off and given it to as a gift. I figured you must really enjoy it."
"Gegegek!"
So not Gerolong.
She actually thought I liked cutting my own tail off?
What kind of monster did she think I was?
Sure, I used my tail a lot, but I wasn’t that reckless.
"You even left a few of them in my drawers."
"Geck-geck."
That was just to let you know I’d been there.
Don’t make sound like so lunatic lizard.
"Gegegek!"
I flailed my claws in protest, but Seolhwa suddenly chuckled.
"Your body’s gotten so much bigger, but you still remind of how you used to be."
"Geck?"
"You really are… such a fascinating lizard."
Now you’re just being dramatic.
"I guess my sister didn’t take you as her disciple for nothing. Honestly, my first impression of you wasn’t great. What kind of lizard goes around stealing things?"
Let’s not dwell on the past.
And stealing is a harsh word.
That dumpling I swiped led to the Snake Queen giggling like a lunatic, so technically, it served a greater good.
…Speaking of which, dumplings.
Would she happen to have any left?
I wouldn’t mind taking one as a reward.
My mouth was starting to get a little bored.
I lifted my head slightly and peeked at Seolhwa’s chest.
"You’re seriously just staring at it openly now."
"Gerolong."
"Sigh… You’re not even a person, you’re just a lizard, so why do you even like these things…?"
Her words said one thing, but her expression didn’t seem all that bad.
If anything, she looked like she was smiling just a little.
"Anyway, you’ve been through a lot, Hui. You helped , refused to digest the elixir for your sister’s sake… Our sect owes you far too much now."
Owe ?
That’s nothing compared to what my master did for .
If it’s just a personal favor from Seolhwa, I might take it, but…
"I’d love to take you back to the sect, but that would only make things difficult for you, wouldn’t it?"
I don’t think it’d be that big of a problem, actually.
"You have other affiliations besides our sect, don’t you? And I heard you have soone to et here as well."
Huh?
"Gek!"
Right. I couldn’t head straight to the Heavenly Demon Cult just yet.
Because of that ever-so-helpful centipede!
I wonder if it’s still hiding well?
I can’t forget about it.
And while I’m at it, I should pick up the mantis, the millipede, and all the other venomous critters that might be waiting for .
They aren’t particularly strong, but just having poison makes them useful.
Tang Soyeong’s level was too low—she barely had enough strength to protect herself. But if she had an army of venomous bugs with her, things could change.
Who knows? Maybe I could help each of them evolve into proper spirit beasts one day.
Of course, I couldn’t assign my centipede to a combat role, nor could I allow it to take orders from that Tang-whatever guy.
I’ll make sure it gets a position just above Soyeong instead.
Maybe a mid-tier physician?
I’m not sure if it actually qualifies as one, but since it healed my heart, I’d say it deserves the title.
"Huh? No, I an, aside from those bugs, you apparently have soone else to et, right?"
Soone else?
"You know, that person I told you not to fight by mistake. Black hair, red eyes? And To-un Bui? I don’t know what that ans, but…"
…Right.
That bastard, Docheol.
He said he had a plan, so why hasn’t he shown up yet?
*
"Hu-hu… Hu-hu-hu…!"
Finding Docheol wasn’t hard.
Or, to be exact, I heard the laughter of soone who must be Docheol.
No doubt about it. That’s him.
What the hell is he doing here?
Crouched down, carefully handling sothing, Docheol muttered to himself.
"Yes… With this…"
His voice carried a sinister air.
"Everyone… shall praise …!"
Gray powder, heavy with volatile energy, was scattered all around him. He wore a wicked grin.
"Yes… I am Docheol, the one who shall slay you—Khi-hi-hik…!"
Judging by his words, this stinks of betrayal.
Unbelievable.
Docheol, a traitor?
…Why, though?
I slowly walked toward him.
"Heh-heh-heh… I am the end of all thi—huh?"
Noticing my presence, he flinched in surprise.
"H-how are you here?"
He even stamred.
"Gek."
What the hell are you doing?
"T-there’s no need for you to know! First, explain how you got here!"
At first, I wasn’t sure, but judging by his reaction, this really was betrayal.
Crackle.
I let lightning surge in my left hand, and Docheol shuddered.
How dare you betray ?
"W-wait! Hold on! Betrayal?! Do you really think I, the great Docheol, would suffer a single defeat and then resort to such cowardly tactics?!"
Then what exactly am I looking at?
"T-this… I cannot say…!"
Yup. That’s definitely betrayal.
Crackle!
"W-wait!"
Hmm. This reaction is strange.
If he really was betraying and got caught, the normal thing to do would be to imdiately charge in headfirst.
That’s the Docheol I knew.
But now? He was hesitating.
Why would soone who loved fighting react like this?
"Ugh… A real man doesn’t stoop to such cowardice… This is all a misunderstanding!"
So, he loves fighting, but he hates being a coward?
"Gek-geek."
Okay, maybe this isn’t betrayal.
But that doesn’t an I’m letting this slide.
What exactly were you doing here?
"Uh…"
Docheol’s face turned slightly red.
"A… performance…"
His voice barely ca out.
"If I set this on fire… it’ll explode boom… and it’ll be loud… And then I’d show up…!"
…So that gray powder was gunpowder.
Where the hell did he even get that?
"I’d appear super cool… You’d be impressed… I’d demand a rematch… And then I’d conquer you…"
So basically, all of this was for dramatic effect?
My tail flicked lazily.
"W-wait!"
Go on. Let’s hear it.
"I was wrong this ti! But you have to understand! How could I not make a dramatic explosion entrance?!"
…Fair point.
Still doesn’t excuse throwing into a pitch-black cave while he was out here scheming his cool entrance.
So while I was suffering, he was out here thinking about how to look badass?
Yeah. He deserves a beating.
"W-wait! As an apology, I’ll tell you sothing good!"
Too late.
I don’t care what you say now.
"I—I’ll tell you the secret to human transformation!"
…Alright. I’ll at least hear you out.
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