EP.44
Alright.
There were quite a few things that needed to be addressed.
Firstly, the current situation with the Allosaurus being surprised.
At first, the Raptor was shocked, then the Iguanodon, and now it’s the Allosaurus’s turn.
Unlike before, I wasn’t informed of the specific actions taken to achieve this feat, but I could speculate.
It was my defeat of the Dilophosaurus.
But is the Allosaurus surprised just because I defeated the Dilophosaurus?
That seems a bit unclear.
If that’s the case, it must have noticed the process rather than just the result.
It would be reasonable to think that it was due to the use of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw and the Reverse Explosive Power Skill.
Let’s skip the details, as they aren’t too significant, and focus on the rewards received instead.
The reward was a hidden option.
In other words, it was the Komodo.
I had thought it only existed in Tang So-young’s delusions, but it seems to actually be real.
There was a high possibility that, as she said, it was an extremely rare entity.
The evolution conditions required the Reverse Explosive Power Skill, the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, and consumption of an advanced Low Qi fragment.
The conditions were incredibly stringent.
What kind of lizard would utilize such martial arts techniques?
Moreover, I hadn’t actually learned those techniques; I could only temporarily mimic them.
With such harsh conditions, the performance of the Komodo is certainly not going to be bad.
Let’s take a look.
__________________________
【Komodo (古氂屠)】
An ancient death with a tail.
It is a spirit creature appearing in legends.
__________________________
Short!
And very much so!
No, even the Gecko lizard had a longer description than this.
Shouldn’t there at least be something about its length and weight?
Let’s calm down.
Let me try to decipher that kanji.
The first part is probably referring to tailed old. The last part might translate to death.
What a grand name.
Is it specialized in its tail?
The tail is one of my main weapons.
Although its power has decreased compared to the Dragon Hound, it’s still a useful weapon. It also has a longer reach than the Dragon Hound.
It shouldn’t be bad.
And according to what Tang So-young usually says, this Komodo species likely has a very potent venom. She claimed it had venom much stronger than that of a typical Komodo.
I’m not sure how large it might be, but it’s definitely not going to be smaller than me.
Would it be the safe King Crocodile Lizard or the riskier yet more promising Komodo?
It’s an unprecedented dilemma.
But no matter how I look at it, it’s a hidden option.
Could it really be worse than the Komodo?
The Komodo.
Yeah.
I’ll trust it this time.
I’m also curious about what the Komodo that Tang So-young sang praises of looks like.
[Do you really wish to evolve into the Komodo?]
Why are you asking so anxiously?
When have you ever asked something like this?
Alright.
*Wooden creak.*
This is already the third time, yet that sensation still doesn’t feel familiar.
That mysterious feeling of my body being restructured.
I could feel my bones gradually growing.
Sure.
I’ll definitely be bigger than before.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
Muscles are forming.
A bit excessively so.
I could sense that the sleek body of the King Crocodile Lizard was transforming.
My weight will also significantly increase.
*Ssssshhhhh!*
Finally, scales covered me.
Much tougher and darker turquoise scales than last time.
*Crack, crack, crack!*
I shattered the egg that enveloped me.
[Congratulations! The 【King Crocodile Lizard】 has evolved into 【Komodo】.]
【Komodo LV1】
HP: 854/854
MP: 350/350
【Title】
「Loved by Spiders」
「Master of Silver Dragon Cave」
「Master of Swamp (Lower)」
The transformation was tremendous.
An even greater change occurred compared to when I evolved into the King Crocodile Lizard.
HP and MP may have increased significantly, but the most notable change was in my field of vision.
It was clear that I had grown larger.
And with that size came a greater hunger.
I quickly tossed a piece of the shattered egg into my mouth and began tearing into the Dilophosaurus meat beside me.
*Crunch, crunch.*
Perhaps due to my increased size, it didn’t take long to finish the Dilophosaurus meat.
I wasn’t entirely satisfied, but at least my hunger was quelled.
However, what mattered more to me right now was checking the messages that continued to echo in my head.
[I have acquired “Poison Generation lv1.”]
[I have acquired “Poison Gathering lv1.”]
[I have acquired “Reverse Scale lv1.”]
These were skills that seemed quite assertive about their claim.
Alright. I’ll take a look.
__________________________
【Skills】
「Dragon Hound」
「Little Dragon Ascend」（소룡등천보）
「Little Soar」 （소주천）
「White Poison Invasion」 （백독불침）
「White Orchid Heart Technique」（백란심법）
「Wall Tiger Attack」（벽호공）
「Dragon Scale LV5」
「Reverse Scale LV1」
「Poison Generation LV1」
「Poison Gathering LV1」……
__________________________
I gathered my existing martial arts techniques along with the skills I just acquired.
「Poison Generation LV1」
Generates poison in the air.
The more MP consumed, the greater the amount and quality of poison produced.
MP consumption: 10
「Poison Gathering LV1」
Gathers poison in one place.
The gathered poison can be injected into objects.
The more MP consumed, the greater the amount of poison that can be gathered.
MP consumption: 10
If poison teeth are a beginner skill, then these seem to be at least intermediate level.
If I use the two skills wisely, I might be able to execute diverse attacks like the Dilophosaurus. I could create a poison mist and shoot Venomous Clouds. Although, that might be impossible for someone with my current low proficiency.
These are really great skills.
Now, let’s take a look at the remaining skills.
「Dragon Scale lv5」
Dragon scales cover your body.
You can transform your shape.
Just looking at the name, it sounds impressive.
And it says I can transform my shape?
Something cool + something cool = even cooler.
Let’s try it right away.
Since I can’t see any MP consumption, it can be regarded as a passive skill. So, this scale covering me is the Dragon Scale.
I had obtained this skill before evolving, but was I wearing dragon scales back then instead of the scales of the King Crocodile Lizard?
First, let’s check my appearance.
I moved to a spot with some clear water.
Reflected in the water was a rather imposing giant lizard.
I had definitely grown in size.
I couldn’t tell the exact length, but it was comparable to a tiger seen at the zoo, especially one that had quite a bit of muscle.
Outwardly, I didn’t seem too different from a regular Komodo.
If there is a difference, it would be the muscle mass and sturdy scales.
Quite a satisfactory change.
But it wasn’t over yet.
I could transform my shape.
That was the description of the Dragon Scale skill.
How do I do that?
Let’s focus.
To have a sharper appearance.
*Rustle, rustle!*
The form of my scales began to change.
Soon, I couldn’t help but be astonished at my reflection in the water.
Where I had previously looked like just a bigger Komodo, now I resembled a dragon one might see in Western lore.
My body was black with red eyes, invoking visions of a level 7 dragon.
If there was a difference, it was that I had no wings and my eyes were blue.
A black dragon with blue eyes.
To sum up my appearance:
It looked incredibly cool.
In this state, even a headbutt would be a sufficiently threatening attack.
However, I instinctively felt that the durability of my scales had decreased slightly.
The structure seemed to be optimized more for attack than defense.
That’s all for the Dragon Scale.
Now, onto the much-anticipated highlight.
Reverse Scale.
The upside-down scales located on a dragon’s neck.
As the saying goes, the Reverse Scale is known to be the dragon’s weakness.
So, does evolving grant me weakness?
That seemed unlikely.
The Reverse Scale would also be a valuable skill.
Perhaps it was a technique that inflicts a strong attack at the cost of creating confusion.
Let’s check it out.
「Reverse Scale lv1」
Reproduces skills or martial arts that have not been acquired.
The MP consumed is proportional to the difficulty of the skill or martial art being reproduced.
This was an unexpectedly useful skill.
So, with this, I could potentially use Reverse Explosive Power Skill or Nine Yin White Bone Claw again.
It was an incredibly practical skill.
Of course, the MP consumption would be significant, but I could likely use it at least once.
The benefits were considerable.
The difference between my current self and the one from 10 minutes ago was as vast as the sky and the earth.
Even if ten King Crocodile Lizards attacked, they wouldn’t be able to defeat me now.
Is it really okay to become this strong?
Komodo is amazing!
If I truly understand this creature, I may never be able to go back to being a Komodo.
I have become incredibly strong and incredibly cool.
It was time for a man’s instinct to kick in.
This is the moment to boast.
When else would I have the chance to show off?
Gracefully, I lifted my four limbs and walked.
As if a long-legged dog in a dog show was walking in a poised manner.
“Gekkeok!”
Hey, everyone.
Take a look at this.
Toos and Pus, along with Nephila Jurassica and Tang So-young, all gazed at me simultaneously.
Could it be they’re entranced by my stunning appearance?
Everyone stood there, speechless, staring blankly.
“G-Great Master Komodo…”
Tang So-young stuttered with wide, astonished eyes.
“Ki… Kieek…”
You don’t need to stutter too.
Tang So-young rose from her seat.
Right. She must be quite surprised.
“Gekkeok gekkeok.”
Even I find it astonishing.
Continue to marvel at it.
Just then, while I was flaunting my brilliant scales,
“…I greet the divine one.”
Suddenly, Tang So-young bowed to me.
It was shocking.
After bowing, she stood up with her eyes closed, slightly lowering her head in a respectful manner.
Well.
I suppose it’s understandable, considering the Tang family regards the Komodo highly.
[Tang So-young worships you.]
Huh?
[The faith of 【Tang So-young】 has increased.]
[The faith of 【Antracomartus】 has increased.]
[The faith of 【Artercopus】 has increased.]
Huh?
[The number of followers worshiping you has increased to three.]
[Your divine power increases slightly.]
[You have discovered the possibility of a new religion!]
What is this?
I just wanted to show off my extremely cool scales.
【Tang So-young】
【Status】
「Worship」「Joy」
I can see information about Tang So-young.
Previously, I couldn’t see anything regarding humans.
Even with opponents weaker than me, the only thing that would show was a phrase indicating that they were someone I could not sense emotions from.
Has being worshiped allowed me to see this?
Not bad.
Let’s check the others as well.
There might be some changes.
【Artercopus lv9】
【Status】
「Worship」「Infatuation」「Restraint」
【Antracomartus lv8】
【Status】
「Worship」「Infatuation」「Jealousy」
What are you guys?
You’re starting to scare me.
【Nephila Jurassica lv30】
【Status】
「Injury」「Infatuation」「Affection」「Love」「Devotion」「Single-mindedness」「Reproductive Desire」「Possessiveness」「Hunger」
…Something seems to be going wrong.
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