EP.17
Where could this be?
I had lost track of where I was due to being chased by the massive centipede.
Thanks to my frantic escape, it seemed the creature lost interest and returned to whatever it was doing.
However, I could not return.
I had become a lost little lizard.
It was cold, I was hungry, and it was dark.
My body was starting to shiver.
I had never focused on regulating my temperature before. Perhaps I’d only made a makeshift blanket out of leaves at most.
That was sufficient for my activities until now, but things were different this time.
Was it because I was injured? I could feel my movements noticeably slowing down.
Even resting didn’t seem to recover my HP; it kept dwindling instead.
“Ge-eck….”
I wandered around, making the pitiful sounds of a sick lizard.
If I could just put something in my belly, maybe I could recover a bit….
Tap.
I felt something brush against my foot.
Wondering if it might be food, I took a closer look, but it wasn’t a living creature.
It was a small sphere, presumed to be brown or black in color.
It was about the size of a ball of my own.
Wait, is it another ball?
I lifted my head only to lower it again.
A ball is a precious item. However, right now, it was completely worthless to me.
It was worth less than a small cricket that could fill my belly.
What good is a ball?
I don’t even have the strength to digest it.
Should I still fill my stomach with something though?
Out of hope, I focused my eyes.
I aimed to decipher exactly what lay before me.
But the Wild Eye revealed no information whatsoever.
Isn’t that a ball?
If it were a ball, my Wild Eye would have sensed it.
It could have recognized even a piece of a ball, so there’s no way it wouldn’t notice a complete sphere.
Then what on earth is this?
Is it edible?
Could it be some other animal’s egg?
No, if that were the case, I would have realized it by now.
Sigh.
I flicked my tongue and sniffed.
It was intriguing.
It bore a scent I hadn’t encountered since coming here.
It was aromatic, making my mouth water.
Yes, this was the scent of grain.
It was a fragrance I had forgotten.
Moreover, this faintly sweet aroma among the grains resembled that of honey, doesn’t it?
Grains and honey.
A cold-blooded lizard would doubt the reason for their presence here.
But a hungry lizard had no such luxury.
Thud.
Gulp.
The crunchy texture was immensely satisfying.
It was a texture far beyond that of the spider-specialized bug cocoons.
The flavor of grain and honey spread throughout my mouth.
To put it simply, it felt like I was eating a rice cake made by compressing powdered millet.
I didn’t need to know what this was.
It was delicious. In fact, it was too delicious.
So much so that I almost forgot I was a carnivorous lizard.
I quickly finished off the rice cake and, feeling a bit regretful, flicked my tongue.
Then, I realized a similar scent was wafting from all around me.
This mysterious rice cake wasn’t the only one.
I frantically scoured the ground, picking up and consuming the rice cakes.
Thud.
Gulp.
Thud.
Crunch.
I was happy.
Some had an exquisite grainy flavor, while others were overwhelmingly sweet with honey.
It felt as if I were gaining weight in real-time, given the immense calories packed into these rice cakes.
Moreover, my level of culinary appreciation rose significantly.
If this wasn’t gastronomy, then what was?
Thud.
Let’s eat while we can.
After a while of gorging myself on the rice cakes, I patted my round belly.
I finally felt a bit clearer in my mind.
Indeed, having sugar in me helps my brain function.
I stretched my stiff back and stood up on my two legs.
EP.18
It was time to revert back to being a bipedal lizard, rather than a four-legged beast.
Perhaps due to eating something sweet, my vision seemed clearer.
Wait, is it just that the surroundings have become brighter?
Curious about what was happening, I raised my head and noticed green crystals embedded in the walls.
Astonishingly, those crystals emitted their own light.
It felt quite artificial. The arrangement of those emerald-like crystals was very suspicious.
They were placed at regular intervals, as if intentionally installed by someone.
What was going on here?
I expanded my field of vision.
I shifted my gaze towards the areas bathed in the green light.
There was a massive rock.
It bore a striking difference from the rocks I had seen in other caves.
A hint of purple swirled around it. Just by looking, I could tell that its hardness and strength were unlike those of ordinary rocks.
And there were traces left behind by someone there.
Was it a bear-like beast that had clawed at it indiscriminately?
No, it looked far too beautiful for that.
Numerous straight lines and curves flowed together like a stream.
It resembled the continuity of some kind of movement.
It didn’t take long for me to realize what those markings were.
Next to those traces, I discovered several recognizable drawings.
They depicted people.
Indeed. This was a mural.
Not just any mural, but one illustrating people practicing martial arts.
I had found evidence of human presence.
*
“Left Dharma Protector. You’re a bit late.”
Anyone with common sense wouldn’t dare utter such words to a Dharma Protector of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Dharma Protectors referred to the martial artists directly under the Sect Leader and were known as the sword of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Even the elders or seniors of the Cult could not give orders to the Dharma Protectors.
Mutual respect was the principle, and depending on the circumstances, a Dharma Protector could even punish them.
Yet, Left Dharma Protector Woo Jinwoon found himself bowing his head to the woman before him.
“I was delayed because I had matters to resolve. Divine Maiden, what brings you here?”
She was Baek Seolhwa, the Divine Maiden of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Left Dharma Protector was in a state of heightened tension, for he knew well why she sought him.
“I’ll be straightforward, Left Dharma Protector. Do you know where the Sect Leader has gone?”
Woo Jinwoon felt at a loss.
No matter how much the person before him was the Divine Maiden of the Cult, he couldn’t just casually speak about the Sect Leader’s whereabouts.
However, no one among the followers of the Heavenly Demon Cult would doubt this situation.
For the Divine Maiden shared the bloodline of the Sect Leader.
“You seem to know.”
“Is that so…?”
Left Dharma Protector gulped.
It felt as if the Sect Leader was right before him.
He could hardly distinguish her face from that of the Sect Leader’s.
The only difference was that the Divine Maiden appeared a bit clumsier.
And that their tear mole positions were reversed, with the Divine Maiden’s hair being slightly lighter.
“Left Dharma Protector, when have I ever upset you?”
Woo Jinwoon was on the verge of madness.
He felt inexplicably resentful towards the absent Grand and Right Dharma Protectors.
If he remained silent in fulfillment of his duty, who knew what this maddened Divine Maiden might do?
But if he spoke the truth, he would face a lecture from the strict Grand Dharma Protector and earn the Sect Leader’s wrath as well.
After weighing his options internally for a long time, Woo Jinwoon lowered his gaze.
“He has gone to Silver Dragon Cave….”
“Excuse me? You said Silver Dragon Cave?”
Silver Dragon Cave.
One of the shrouded facilities of the Heavenly Demon Cult, it was an artificial underground cave created solely for training. It was located in the heart of Shiman Mountain, where the Sect Leader had decreed no entry for the time being.
“How ridiculous. Why would he go there?”
“He mentioned he had a dream….”
“A dream?”
Baek Seolhwa looked utterly shocked.
The Divine Maiden of the Cult was none other than herself.
Regardless of how important the Sect Leader was, dreams fell within her domain.
Moreover, to sneak into a place that she had decreed to be sealed was not a story that reflected well on the followers of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
“What is this nonsense, leaving the Divine Maiden behind? Is he claiming to have prophetic dreams? What was Left Dharma Protector doing to allow this?”
Woo Jinwoon felt completely unjust. Why was the Sect Leader’s anger being directed at him?
There was only one thing the Left Dharma Protector could do.
“I heard this from Right Dharma Protector as well…”
Since the Right Dharma Protector was not present, Woo Jinwoon thought it would be fine to level such accusations.
It was also a form of revenge against the Right Dharma Protector, who had left the most difficult task to him and fled.
Sigh.
Baek Seolhwa crossed her legs with a long sigh.
It was an act unbecoming of a Divine Maiden, but there were only the Left Dharma Protector and herself in the room.
As long as the Left Dharma Protector kept quiet, there would be no problem.
Moreover, it wasn’t the kind of situation where the Left Dharma Protector would leak this information outside.
“So, what kind of dream did he have?”
After a brief hesitation, Woo Jinwoon replied.
“He said he saw a dragon.”
“A dragon?”
“Yes. A very large green dragon devouring the land.”
Baek Seolhwa shook her head vigorously.
“So, are you telling me that because of that dream, he packed up and went to Silver Dragon Cave?”
“Yes.”
“Oh dear…”
She gently pressed her temples.
The Sect Leader’s disappearance meant that she would have to act as the Sect Leader for an extended period.
It was one thing to temporarily fill in for the Sect Leader.
She considered it her duty as the Divine Maiden, given her striking resemblance to the Sect Leader.
But why hadn’t he informed her?
Was he planning to secretly finish his task without her noticing?
Thank goodness she had caught on to it; if an outsider came in without her knowledge, chaos would ensue.
“I told him to always let me know whenever he leaves…”
Baek Seolhwa exhaled a long sigh.
“Left Dharma Protector. You…”
At some point, the Left Dharma Protector had vanished.
He had slipped away from the building with silent, shadow-like steps.
“Damn…”
The target of her anger had disappeared.
Although it was hard to say that the Left Dharma Protector did something wrong, there was a part of Baek Seolhwa, who had risen to the position of Divine Maiden at such a young age, that wanted to blame someone.
Be patient, be patient.
How could the Left Dharma Protector be at fault?
The Sect Leader’s actions had been like this more than once.
“Phew.”
Baek Seolhwa let out a long sigh.
In preparation for emergencies, she had to get ready to impersonate the Sect Leader.
While rummaging through a drawer, her eyes caught sight of an intricately patterned small container adorned with mother-of-pearl.
For a moment, the Divine Maiden forgot her anger and smiled gently.
Inside the container were rice cakes made with the precious honey from the jade bee.
Just recalling the taste made her smile spread even wider.
Should she eat just one?
Baek Seolhwa began to hesitate.
It would undoubtedly be delicious.
No, it would be incredibly delicious.
But it was also expensive.
At a time when funds were gradually running low, it would not do for someone of her status as the Divine Maiden to indulge in luxury.
However, she felt that only jade bee honey could soothe her current frustration.
The source of her anger was the Sect Leader.
So, wouldn’t it be reasonable to consider it an expense incurred for the Sect Leader?
Baek Seolhwa nodded to herself.
It wasn’t logically flawed.
It was a way to solve the problem.
Now all that remained was a justified compensation to alleviate her anger.
With a devout heart, she opened the lid of the container.
Upon checking the contents, Baek Seolhwa screamed.
The rice cakes that should have been full inside had completely vanished.
“This… this…”
There was only one person in the Heavenly Demon Cult who could commit such an act.
“Baek Yeonyeong!!!”
Baek Seolhwa called out the name of the Sect Leader, who had already entered Silver Dragon Cave, almost as if in desperation.
Of course, there was no way she could hear her.
“You, just wait until you come back.”
She vowed revenge against her sister, who had stolen her precious snacks, as the Divine Maiden of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Of course, that precious snack had all been gobbled up by a small, cute lizard rather than the Sect Leader, but Baek Seolhwa had no way of knowing that.
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