EP.39
“Listen, coming to me is mutually beneficial, you know?”
“Ki-eek!”
“Let’s set aside past feelings and think rationally. Just consider the size difference between you and Master Komodo.”
“Ki-eek….”
“If you come back to the Tang Family, I promise to take full responsibility and help you transform….”
What on earth are you two talking about?
When did you get so close?
“Ki-eek!”
Tus, who had been quietly listening to their conversation from the side, waved his hand.
“Oh, you’re here… Huh? What’s that you’re holding in your mouth?”
Tang So-young pointed at the Deinonychus in my mouth.
“T-This is… definitely what I saw before….”
Tang So-young exclaimed and began to explain about the Deinonychus.
But her explanation wasn’t the valuable information that I would have seen on my status screen.
She rambled about meeting the Deinonychus yesterday, how smart it was, and how she barely escaped using smoke bombs.
Uh-huh. Unnecessary information.
“Truly, Master Komodo….”
Tang So-young’s ramblings always concluded with how amazing Master Komodo was.
“Master, may I prepare it?”
I glanced at Tang So-young’s body once.
You’re going to prepare this big meat with such a frail body?
No wonder you’re called the Dragon Master.
“Just trust me. I’ll repay the kindness I’ve received with the best cooking. Plus, I’m confident in handling poisoned meat.”
Tang So-young took out a wooden container from her cloak.
Splash.
That sound is somewhat familiar.
Tang So-young opened the lid and showed me the contents.
A colorless and odorless white powder.
Could it be salt?
“Gek-gak!”
Let’s do it!
From today, the cooking is entrusted to Tang So-young.
I squatted down to watch Tang So-young’s culinary skills.
She sliced the large Deinonychus into manageable pieces.
Peeling off the skin was hard work, so I assisted her a bit.
Now what remained in sight were delicious chunks of meat.
In fact, the only cooking method I could think of was grilling.
That meant putting the meat on a campfire to roast it directly.
If I thought a bit harder, skewering could be an option.
But Tang So-young was using her head quite a bit.
Sizzle.
What was over the campfire was a black sword.
The very sword I had picked up.
Thin slices of meat were laid on the heated side of the blade.
Sizzle.
And on top of that, white salt was sprinkled like snow.
The thinly sliced meat was cooking rapidly.
Tang So-young moved the well-cooked meat onto a leaf dish.
She was eagerly waiting for the cooking to finish, licking her lips.
What’s for dinner tonight?
Deinonychus Salt Mix!
“Ge-ge-ge-k!”
I do have a good eye for people.
I’m glad I brought you along.
Tang So-young.
You will be ranked second among the people I’ve met here.
But don’t get too cocky; it might change any time, so keep it up.
Just then, as I was enjoying the taste of the salted meat…
“Master, may I have a word?”
“Gek-gak.”
I nodded vigorously.
Of course, especially since you made this wonderful food.
“I have a request.”
Ah, to extract the poison?
Take it, take it.
If you want, I could give you a shed skin too.
“Would you entrust these spiders to me?”
Huh?
“Ki-eek?”
That wasn’t what I expected.
“…Do you know why these spiders are acting like this? I’ll need to explain that first.”
Let’s listen to what she has to say.
“Have you heard of solitude?”
I nodded.
“In fact, these spiders were meant to be consumed as materials for solitude.”
I looked at Tus and Pus.
Seeing them lightly flailing their hands, it seems they talked about something before I arrived.
“I can’t say it doesn’t relate to that, but I didn’t want to create solitude.”
Based on what I had heard, I could guess there was something going on between the spiders and this woman.
Tus and Pus, who were almost turned into solitude, must have seen Tang So-young by chance.
That’s why they had been angry all along.
It’s only natural. If I were a spider, I would have bitten her right away.
“Honestly, it’s impressive that you’ve held back this long.”
“Solitude… it’s incredibly painful. No matter who it is, it’s a cruel poison.”
“Ki-eek….”
“I opposed it. I argued it would be better to nurture them naturally so they could become human-faced hosts instead.”
That’s a good idea.
But it probably wasn’t accepted.
Tus and Pus were still on guard around her.
“It wasn’t accepted. They said it was outside my authority or something. So, these spiders were set to end up in a jar soon.”
“Ki-eek….”
Pus seemed to tremble a little at that memory.
“But then, an intruder broke into the Tang Family. They stole various potions and treasures stored at the Tang Family, including the containers with these spiders.”
“Ki-eek!”
“From the tiger-like spiders to these little ones here, thanks to that, you can’t find any spiders in the Tang Family anymore.”
So, after they left the Tang Family, these spiders managed to escape.
Very fortunate.
“And yet, to encounter some of the spiders here in Shiman Mountain—it might be fate.”
You came all the way to Shiman Mountain?
That’s quite a distance….
Wait, Shiman Mountain?
So this is Shiman Mountain?
Why didn’t you say that earlier?
“So, I want to take these spiders with me. Since spiders have become rare, I won’t think about using them for solitude. I’ll take responsibility for their upbringing. These kids have talent.”
So, you mean to say you want to recognize and take Tus and Pus’s talents?
“It’s not easy for an ordinary spider to become a human-faced host. Evolution—no, perhaps it’s more appropriate to call it a transformation.”
Transformation, huh? That’s quite a cool term.
“If there’s the possibility of transformation, by continually building internal energy, one’s very species can change.”
Yeah. I’ve experienced that twice.
“…That’s the typical transformation. Ah, I mean, in terms of spirits. Humans require a slightly more special process, like enlightenment.”
Wasn’t it just a matter of clicking your status screen?
I feel a bit sorry now.
“If there is a typical transformation, then there are likely other methods as well. You could say a true transformation exists.”
“When emotions reach their peak: anger, sadness, joy. When it peaks in any direction, there are instances of changing into another species.”
That was good information.
“Among those, the most significant is when you want to protect something.”
That sounds like something out of a shonen manga.
“These spiders are more intelligent than any spirit I’ve ever seen. Ah, excluding Master Komodo, of course. High intelligence means they can feel emotions well. Thus, the possibility of transformation is very high.”
I understand what you mean.
Currently, in the Tang Family, spiders have become rare.
Moreover, Tus and Pus are highly likely to become human-faced hosts; in other words, they are candidates for spirits.
Tang So-young planned to take Tus and Pus to the Tang Family to make them human-faced hosts.
The intention is good.
She might be trying to atone for losing the Dilophosaurus, but from what I hear, it would also be beneficial for Tus and Pus.
“Grrr….”
However, I can’t let them go.
How could I send off the ones I’ve raised?
And what do I trust to send our precious Tus and Pus to the Tang Family?
For all I know, they could be sealed the moment they get there and tossed into a jar.
That can’t happen.
I will raise Tus and Pus.
“Ke-eeng!”
Tus and Pus gathered around my front legs.
You wouldn’t even feel pain if they were in your eyes… okay, maybe it would hurt a little, but I can’t part with them.
You don’t want to study abroad either, right?
This swamp is such a great place.
“Ki-eeng…!”
Right, right.
“It seems like the spiders also don’t want to go just yet. But please reconsider. We still have to resolve the size difference….”
Huh?
What do you mean by size difference?
“Ki-eeng….”
Why are you all so shy?
There seems to be some misunderstanding.
I don’t know. Either way, even if I clarify, they wouldn’t understand. I should just focus on eating some meat.
Nom, nom, nom.
*
After finishing our meal, the four of us—well, three creatures and one person—were basking in the sun at our hideout.
A campfire is nice and all, but nothing beats the sun.
“Yawn…. Master Komodo’s training methods are truly hard to understand, but they seem to be effective in their own way….”
Tang So-young let out a big yawn.
Tus and Pus, looking drowsy, snuggled up next to her and began to doze off.
When did they get so close?
Wait, is this some scheme by Tang So-young?
She must have won over the spiders when I wasn’t around, planning to take them later.
She gives the spiders a choice, and then Tus and Pus pick Tang So-young, making me a sad crocodile king who lost custody.
That’s infuriating.
Thud.
“Creeak! It’s… damp! …But it feels kind of cozy.”
After delivering a blow to Tang So-young, I rolled my body around.
There’s a pleasant smell coming from somewhere.
It’s somewhat akin to honey.
Slurp.
I licked my tongue to amplify the scent.
“Mmm… it smells so good…”
“Ke-eeng…”
It seems Tang So-young and the spiders have caught the smell too.
It was a pleasant aroma that made my mind feel drowsy.
Having filled my belly and with the warm weather, maybe it’s time for a nap.
Sure, they say lying down right after eating can make you gain weight, but on the flip side, it’s a way to bulk up.
No reason not to do it.
…The smell is indeed delightful.
I want to keep smelling this scent.
….
[The level of “Crisis Detection LV7” rises.] A tingling sensation runs through my scales.
I opened my eyes immediately.
【Dilophosaurus LV35】
__________________________
【Dilophosaurus】
A medium-sized carnivorous dinosaur with a body length of 7 meters and a weight of about 400 kg.
Despite having sharp and long teeth, the gums are relatively small, but the tooth roots are wide, making the dental structure sturdy.
An merciless hunter that slaughters enemies with long arms and sharp teeth.
__________________________
“Grr……”
I let out a loud roar, but Tang So-young and the spiders showed no signs of waking.
Did it use poison?
That sweet smell we smelled earlier was probably poison.
If it wasn’t for the white poison immunity, I could have fallen victim too.
…For now, this doesn’t seem like the kind of poison that endangers my life.
Should I consider it a kind of tranquilizer?
Its purpose must have been to knock me out.
Perhaps it intends to devour me alive.
“Grrr…”
I growled lowly, directed at the creature.
“Grrawr…”
Its red eyes glared at me fiercely.
My heart raced.
I had misunderstood the Dilophosaurus until now.
The ones from movies were at best Deinonychus, so I hadn’t paid much attention.
Seeing it in reality made me realize how unrealistic those portrayals were.
It’s not a Deinonychus; it’s more comparable to a Baryonyx.
“Ki-eek…”
It pointed its tail at Tang So-young.
Then it shook its head a couple of times.
“Grrk, grrk…”
It seems to be trying to communicate with me.
Wild beasts don’t fight amongst themselves.
Even if they win, if they get hurt, they might be the ones to die next time.
It seems it doesn’t view me as an easy target to take down without any injuries.
Since I’ve neutralized its main weapon, venom, it’s likely it will want to avoid a fight.
“Grrawr…”
The Dilophosaurus kept pointing at Tang So-young.
Its message seems to be about the woman, implying we should just go our separate ways.
There’s no reason to get hurt.
After all, she’s just prey.
…I don’t want to fight it either.
It’s definitely strong.
It reminds me of the Baryonyx I saw from afar.
The feelings I had when I first encountered the Cayman come to mind too.
If I can just take care of Tus and Pus, it might not be a bad option to withdraw.
After all, my relationship with Tang So-young isn’t that deep.
It’s only been just over a day since I met her.
When weighing my life against hers, obviously my life comes first.
Sure, leaving her behind would make me feel uneasy, but nothing is more important than my life.
However.
I cannot retreat.
It’s not because I want to save her.
It’s to keep the vow I made to never run away again.
That’s the reason I must uphold that vow.
“Grrr….”
And.
I am the master of this swamp.
The Dilophosaurus.
I shall teach it its place.
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