EP.42
*Crack.*
The spiderweb snapped weakly.
Nephila Jurassica no longer moved.
The spider was dead.
Yes.
It was just a single spider that had died.
I felt nothing.
Nothing at all….
*Grinding teeth.*
Nephila Jurassica died because of me.
If I had been just a bit stronger.
If I hadn’t released her while executing the death roll.
Nephila could have survived.
The Dilophosaurus ceased its attacks.
It was panting heavily.
After barely taking a moment to rest, it had continued to unleash its assault, so it must be quite exhausted.
“Grrr…”
*Tail severing.*
I placed the severed tail next to Nephila Jurassica.
What I gained from severing my tail was overwhelming speed.
After evolving, I hadn’t used tail severing often.
Gaining speed was a tremendous advantage. However, the tail didn’t grow back immediately after being cut.
It meant that while the tail was regrowing, maintaining balance became difficult. Plus, an efficient means of attack was lost. That’s why I hadn’t used it unless in special circumstances.
The disadvantages outweighed the advantages.
When my size was smaller, this might not have mattered, but as I had become the Crocodile King Lizard, I needed my tail to stand properly.
Without my tail, I was like a snail trying to run with a broken shell.
*Bahbahbahbat!*
My legs felt like they would tear apart.
I nearly fell repeatedly as I struggled to maintain balance.
But what did it matter?
Nephila, who had wrapped around me, must have been in much more pain.
I approached the monster at high speed.
Crossing my arms, I aimed for its neck.
*Clang!*
The dragon’s claws clashed against each other.
Like a swordsman wielding a sword, each strike aimed to sever the opponent’s neck.
*Clink!*
It was clear the creature was running low on strength.
The reason it hadn’t used its grand technique, like “Ten Thousand Flowers Rain,” when facing me initially was certainly due to the significant cost involved.
All the bristles around its crest had fallen out.
While its bristles could serve as weapons, they also acted as armor protecting its neck.
Its legs were in a nearly ruined state.
After leaping into the air and unleashing the “Ten Thousand Flowers Rain,” it had to land multiple times to adjust the angle of its aim.
Having leapt to that extent with injured legs, there was no way its limbs were in perfect condition.
One of its arms had also been compromised.
While I also bore significant injuries, I was still in a more favorable position compared to it.
I could win.
Its greatest weakness was indeed its right leg.
Given the severity of the wounds, it could truly be deemed a miracle that it was still standing.
I relentlessly targeted its leg with my sharp claws.
*Clang!*
*Crack!*
Although it was injured, surprisingly, it managed to block my attack.
*Clang!*
A fierce clash erupted, sparks flying in the process.
It was desperate to protect its vulnerable leg.
That meant other areas were exposed.
*Thwack!*
I struck its head hard.
Though not a direct hit to its leg, it was undoubtedly effective.
It was an attack with all the weight I could muster.
“Greeeek!”
Thick, dark blood sprayed from its mouth.
This was my opportunity.
I needed to finish this now.
*Swish!*
An immense amount of poison was unleashed.
It was a poison far stronger than the toxic mist I had seen before.
A feat that was impossible given the remaining stamina I had.
I had never witnessed poison like that in my life.
*Even “Ten Thousand Flowers Rain” didn’t possess this level of power.*
*Poison.*
*No, it felt powerful enough to be termed a “Poison Dragon.”*
*Where on earth did this power suddenly come from?*
*Had it been hiding its strength?*
*No, the likelihood of that is quite low.*
*There was no way it could conceal its strength in such an extreme situation.*
*Just like the “Ten Thousand Flowers Rain” it had initially refrained from using, this technique surely comes at a cost.*
*This overwhelming power.*
*The aura emanating from it far surpassed what I had felt from the exhausted Dilophosaurus.*
*The only conclusion I could draw was.*
*Innate Vitality.*
*It was burning through its life force.*
*It had judged that if it didn’t sacrifice its future, it might die instantly.*
*Hiiiiiih.*
*The poison that dripped from its body began to corrode the ground.*
*If my claws were to touch that, they would simply melt away.*
*So.*
*Does that pose a problem?*
*Crack!*
*I bit down hard.*
*Even if I die, I intend to die alongside it.*
*Thump.*
*My heart raced rapidly.*
*[A mysterious energy envelops my body.]*
*I felt a fiery aura.*
*[The mysterious energy becomes abundant.]*
*All the powers I had amassed until now converged into one place.*
*[Inspiration is consumed.]*
*The insights gained from my experiences were.*
*[Divinity is consumed.]*
*My weak divinity too.*
*The residual potency of elixirs and my inner strength was explosively accumulating in my Dantian.*
*[The mysterious energy transcends the limits of the body.]*
*The power surging from my body had exceeded limitations.*
*My heart pounded as if it could explode.*
*My body began to change.*
*A strong physique capable of withstanding its poison?*
*No.*
*Regenerative abilities to heal all the injuries I had sustained?*
*No.*
*Overwhelming force to strike it down?*
*Yes.*
*Pakapakapak!*
*A new armor began to envelop my entire body.*
*It was a dark turquoise, close to black.*
*This wasn’t armor for defense.*
*It was a sharp blade crafted to kill the enemy.*
*It felt entirely different from my previous evolutions.*
*I wasn’t simply recovering my stamina.*
*All the powers I had built up were transforming my body.*
*Into the most optimal form to kill the enemy before me.*
“*Kraaaar!*”
“*Grrr….*”
*It swiftly backed away.*
*Despite using its innate vitality, its retreat was likely instinctive.*
*Crack crack crack.*
*My scales continued to evolve.*
*Becoming heavier and sharper.*
*[You have acquired “Dragon Scale LV5.”]*
*Now, I could be called a dragon scale.*
*I had reached the point where movement felt burdensome.*
*I was allowed one single attack.*
*My current power is temporary.*
*Just as it utilized its innate vitality, I was drawing upon the powers of the elixirs within me.*
*One strike.*
*With a single blow, I had to end that poison dragon.*
*And it would be the same for the Dilophosaurus too.*
*Knowing full well that prolonging it would lead to disastrous outcomes as it burned through its innate vitality.*
*It was time to settle this.*
“*Kraaar!*”
*The poison dragon charged forward at breakneck speed.*
*With each movement, the ground melted beneath it.*
*I could visibly see its innate vitality depleting.*
*The potency of its poison grew ever stronger.*
*It became a level of strength that even the dragon scales couldn’t withstand.*
*The Dilophosaurus was forging monstrous poison by burning its innate vitality.*
*Just once.*
*This is my only remaining chance.*
*Recall.*
*The strongest being I have ever encountered.*
*“Lizard.”*
*I hadn’t learned anything of worth.*
*There was no way I could have learned any martial arts.*
*The only martial arts I knew were a few novels I read out of boredom.*
*What did “fast,” “slow,” and “medium” truly mean?*
*What did straight lines and curves signify?*
*I knew nothing.*
*What could a lizard born like me read or study?*
*“Little lizard.”*
*Even the strongest person I knew was the same.*
*She couldn’t read anything and hadn’t studied at all.*
*“The bones are scattered everywhere.”*
*The white bones were always around me.*
*“The child next door was killed for touching a famous family’s heirlooms.”*
*Nephila Jurassica died trying to protect me.*
*“I’m hungry. I’m thirsty.”*
*I was always hungry and thirsty.*
*“It felt like a diary filled with someone’s lamentations.”*
*She was like me.*
*Baek Yeon-young reached a realm of mastery despite never having learned anything.*
*How did my master do it?*
*Ah, yes.*
*Like this.*
*”[You have temporarily acquired ‘Eternal Might (力拔山氣蓋世).’ ]”*
*Eternal Might.*
*Boom!*
*The strength pulls mountains, and the aura covers the world.*
*Crash!*
*The overwhelming energy suppressed the enemy.*
*The Poison Dragon’s speed gradually diminished.*
*I exerted pressure with each of my fingers.*
*Crunch!*
*All my power concentrated into one place.*
*Dragon Claw.*
*A form that completely matched the expression “Dragon’s Claw” was completed.*
*Yet, it was insufficient.*
*Of course, it made sense; I had never read the Nine Yin White Bone Claw.*
*If my master had never read it, how could I?*
*What I had seen were the cave paintings.*
*And the scrolls my master opened.*
*Though I called her my master, I knew little about Baek Yeon-young.*
*After all, I had only learned a few martial arts for a very brief time.*
*I had no idea what she was thinking or the intentions behind her teachings.*
*But one fact was clear.*
*The Nine Yin White Bone Claw she mentioned was her world.*
*Corpses that died of hunger, corpses that died of thirst, corpses that died for touching a prominent family.*
*There must have been no end to lamentations in the streets.*
*That was her lament and her motivation.*
*Crunch.*
*My Nine Yin White Bone Claw is right at this moment.*
*The arm wielding it is to protect what is precious.*
*This is my Nine Yin White Bone Claw.*
*Kaboom!*
*Nine Yin White Bone Claw!*
*Crash!*
*Five fingers mercilessly smashed the Poison Dragon’s head.*
* *
*It’s over.*
*Everything is over.*
*Spider.*
*I’m sorry.*
*But your enemy…*
*“Gokji.”*
*A voice echoed from where Nephila Jurassica had been.*
*It felt somehow familiar.*
*I quickly turned my head to identify the voice’s owner.*
*“Soo Sam-ri, Cheon Jeong.”*
*It was Tang So-young.*
*Tang So-young stood with Tus and Pus on her shoulder, stabbing at Nephila Jurassica.*
*“Jung Wan, Cheon Choo, Shin Gweol.”*
*“Ke ke ke ke ke!”*
*Tang So-young didn’t look at me.*
*“Screeech!”*
*She fixed her gaze and hands on Nephila Jurassica, shouting loudly.*
*“Inner Dan! Bring me the Inner Dan!”*
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