EP.41
The sky is filled with flower rain.
It truly was a spectacle befitting the phrase “Ten Thousand Flowers Rain.”
Poison and feathers. And the poison darts hidden among the fur continued to pour down.
I must evade them.
By any means necessary.
Pababababat!
I gathered strength in my legs.
However.
Kuwung.
I lost my balance entirely.
The injury inflicted by it was more severe than I had anticipated.
Blood flowed from my side.
The damage I took while executing the Death Roll.
My legs wouldn’t bear my weight.
I still have to evade.
Somehow…
[Warning! HP is low.]
How could I possibly avoid that?
Even if my body were fine, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge all those attacks. In my current worst condition, how was I to evade such an onslaught?
I looked up at the sky.
Countless poisons and darts.
There was no way to block that attack even with Hundred Poisons Immunity.
That attack felt cruel yet paradoxically beautiful, with no angles to evade from.
Ten Thousand Flowers Rain.
Who would have thought I’d witness Ten Thousand Flowers Rain in my lifetime?
And not from just anyone, but from the Dilophosaurus itself.
It seems I will get to see a beautiful sight before I die!
Endless darts drew closer.
This is it.
Time seemed to flow slowly.
This must be what a tachypsychia feels like.
Strangely, I didn’t feel regretful.
If I claimed I had no lingering attachments to life, it would be a lie.
Yet, I don’t believe my life has been meaningless.
I was born a Gecko Lizard, became a Basilisk, and ultimately grew into a King Lizard.
I think I raised Tus and Pus rather well too.
They were just little boogers when I first met them, but they’ve grown quite large.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I hear they can handle their internal energy well, so I would feel relieved to leave them anywhere.
Fortunately, Tang So-young said she would take them, so she’ll take care of them.
Tang So-young.
There are a few odd things about her, but she’s quite a sharp woman.
I hope she takes good care of Tus and Pus.
…I’m a bit concerned about not being able to give them my poison, but I believe they’ll do well.
I’ve encountered dinosaurs in reality and even tried eating some.
I’ve experienced martial arts in the body of a lizard.
Yes, martial arts.
Baek Yeon-young.
My master whom I met in Silver Dragon Cave.
If I had followed her back then, I wouldn’t be meeting my end like this.
I would have lived as a small lizard, comfortably passing my life until the end.
While I do wish I had spoken to her more and learned more, given the choice between becoming a complacent pig or a hungry King Lizard, I chose the latter. I don’t regret not following her.
Looking back, I think it hasn’t been a bad life.
This second life that began absurdly.
I kept my promise to never run away again, so I have no regrets.
However, if there’s one thing I do lament…
Nephila Jurassica.
You remain.
The first bond I formed upon coming to this world.
We fought against each other, and we backed each other up.
Thanks to you, I almost died, and thanks to you, I survived.
Had I not met her, I might still be lingering as a Gecko Lizard.
If I had to name the first turning point of my second life, it would undoubtedly be Nephila Jurassica.
Spider.
I had intended to apologize if we met again.
I wanted to at least see your face after this ordeal ended.
But things turned out a little differently.
I’m sorry.
Swaaaak!
A poison dart flew toward my throat.
This must be the end of farewells.
….
…..
“Keyeeeeek!”
Tududuk.
The darts flying toward the sky suddenly froze.
What stopped the darts was an immense web.
And standing in front of me was…
Red eyes.
Black legs.
A figure reminiscent of a tiger spider.
“Keyeeeeek!”
It was Nephila Jurassica.
…How is this even possible?
Swaaaak!
The webs shot out by Nephila Jurassica intercepted the incoming darts.
Tudududuk!
Her ample web was more than sufficient to block Ten Thousand Flowers Rain.
Kakang!
The missed poison darts were swiftly repelled by her steel legs.
“Ggegek!”
She let out a triumphant cry filled with joy.
Nephila!
Seeing you now, it feels so welcoming.
“Keyeek!”
Yes.
A glimmer of hope has emerged.
The hope that somehow, I can survive.
If it’s Nephila Jurassica, perhaps even in this situation…
Puhwak!
“Keyeek…”
Am I seeing things wrong?
Why is there a clear view of parts your body should be covering?
There was an enormous hole that shouldn’t exist.
Kakak!
Her legs were not intact either.
Puhwak!
As the hail of darts rains down, two of her legs were shattered.
A single spider couldn’t possibly hold back Ten Thousand Flowers Rain.
Though she had grown larger since I last saw her, she was still smaller than I.
If I can’t block it, how can a tiny spider do it?
“Ggegegek!”
Get out of the way!
Why is this foolish spider trying to get herself killed?
Right now, I could save Nephila.
With my last ounce of strength, I swung my tail to send her away.
Swaaaak!
The web shot out.
Her web accurately tied around my ankle.
This means, at least for now, I couldn’t move.
To shoot her web at me, she inevitably had to look back.
Puhwak!
In that brief moment, another one of her legs fell off.
“Geeeeeek!”
Why.
Why on earth.
Questions arose.
Why would she go this far?
It’s only been a day since we met.
Why would she be in such a state?
I’m not afraid of dying.
But I don’t want that innocent spider to get involved.
Please.
“Ggegegegegek!”
Tutatatata!
The Dilophosaurus relentlessly continued its ferocious assault.
Puhwak!
Another leg flew off.
She could no longer shoot webs.
She had no hands left to bat away the darts or any other abilities.
With a few legs still remaining, please just run away.
Your presence here doesn’t change a thing.
“Keyeek!”
Nephila Jurassica screamed just like the first time I saw her.
After her cries, the body with hardly any legs limped closer to me.
With only a few legs left, more wounds began to accumulate, and now only two of her jewel-like eyes remained.
Yet, she didn’t give up.
The relentless onslaught of poison darts continued.
At her current state, moving would be a miracle.
Even if she pushed herself, there was no way to block this one.
Pabababak!
Nephila Jurassica struggled with her remaining legs and climbed on top of me.
The body that had seemed so massive back then now felt incredibly small.
“Ggegegegek!”
“Ki-oong…”
Now, she lacked the strength to even cry out, foolishly soaking up all the enemy’s attacks on her back.
I don’t care what happens to me.
So please.
Just live.
If miracles exist, grant me the power to send this spider to safety.
Light began emanating from Nephila Jurassica’s body.
‘When emotions reach their peak.’
In that instant, Tang So-young’s words flashed through my mind.
‘When something is taken to the extreme in any direction.’
A true transformation.
‘Most prominently, when one wishes to protect something.’
Hope started to emerge.
She might become a spider with a hardened exoskeleton or one immune to poison.
Yes.
If it’s this, she might survive.
Swaaaaaak!
A brilliant light enveloped the entire swamp.
Nephila Jurassica was transforming.
*
Nephila Jurassica’s emotions reached their peak.
It was a heart driven by the desire to protect the lizard she loves.
She instinctively realized it.
She could advance to the next stage.
The form of her transformation was entirely up to her choice.
Countless options appeared before her.
A spider with high speed, a spider with poisonous stingers like a scorpion, a spider with an exoskeleton as hard as steel.
All were powerful species.
It was the evolution she had longed for.
Yet, that alone could not protect her beloved.
The small lizard had grown larger, and by comparison, she was small.
No matter how strong she became, she could not protect him in her current state.
To save him, her body needed to grow larger.
She had to possess a form that could completely cover the lizard’s body.
That choice undoubtedly existed.
However, it was one that no living being would choose—inefficient and foolish.
A spider without emotions wouldn’t take inefficient actions.
Inefficient and foolish actions.
Nephila Jurassica learned that was love.
She didn’t really understand love.
She had only observed the cruel truth: those who seek love are devoured by females.
Because of this, she hesitated.
When she parted ways from the branch, would she have caught the lizard if she hadn’t hesitated?
When she circled this place time and again, would she have met him if she hadn’t hesitated?
When she was caught watching over the lizard, if she had acted without hesitation, would this situation have occurred?
Nephila Jurassica gazed at the gigantic lizard.
The lizard had grown so large that it couldn’t be fully enveloped by her current body.
Blood was flowing from its side, and one eye was completely crushed.
If only she had moved a bit faster, this wouldn’t have happened.
Once again, she hesitated.
She made a vow.
This time, she wouldn’t hesitate.
Yes.
For Nephila Jurassica, love meant not hesitating any longer.
*
Was this the price for carelessly invoking the word miracle?
Nephila Jurassica transformed in a way I had not expected.
There was no hardened exoskeleton. The blood she vomited indicated she also had no immunity to poison.
Why, why has she transformed into this form?
All she had were two red eyes and a mop of short golden hair.
The upper half of Nephila Jurassica had transformed into that of a weak, fragile human.
In this situation, her evolution could be better described as a regression.
Her body had become weaker and was more suited to being hit by the incoming darts due to her enlarged form.
Pabababat!
The number of darts piercing into her back increased.
A human’s frail flesh could not withstand the attacks of the Dilophosaurus.
Everywhere was bursting open.
Drip.
Blood flowed from the corners of Nephila Jurassica’s mouth.
This was a wrong choice.
A foolish and stupid decision.
A choice that hastened her death, a very silly choice.
Yet.
Yet still.
Nephila Jurassica was smiling.
Despite not being able to say a single word.
Despite having evolved into such a foolish form.
Despite her body not being in perfect condition.
What could possibly be so good?
She simply smiled.
Brightly.
The web binding me was growing looser.
This meant only one thing.
Nephila Jurassica’s body was tilting.
Thud.
Like a small petal falling, her upper body fell onto my chest.
Wasn’t it said that spiders do not have hearts?
Thump.
No, spiders indeed possess hearts.
Thump.
Very faint, but unmistakably, a heartbeat was pulsing.
Yes.
Nephila Jurassica was still alive.
Her arm lifted.
A cold hand brushed against my eyelids.
Was she really worried about just one injured eye?
Look at what state she was in.
No.
She was still alive.
So,
So…
Thud.
Nephila Jurassica’s arm fell off.
With very little strength.
No sound was heard.
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