EP.46
On the third day of establishing the Gecko Faith,
Master Komodo said, “Is there any prey?”
I briefly left the Swamp to hunt for food.
Not too far, just enough distance to reach the water if necessary.
Although my body has changed, it is still more comfortable living near the waters.
The reason I came out of the Swamp like this is simple.
I’m targeting stronger prey.
Just like those creatures gathering in front of me.
“Gikik!”
【Deinonychus LV4】
【Deinonychus LV6】
【Deinonychus LV5】
【Deinonychus LV9】
The Deinonychus pack spotted me and quickly spread out.
Tadadad!
“Gik!”
The one that seems to be the leader cocks its head and glares at me.
【Deinonychus LV9】
【Status】
「Alert」「Hunger」
It’s probably assessing my strength.
Whether it can hunt me,
And if it can catch me, whether it will pose a threat to the pack.
The creatures that dare attack Baryonyx would certainly dare to come at me as well.
“Gikikik!”
With the leader’s call, one of the Deinonychus launched an attack from the side.
I knew that was a feint.
I was aware of their strategy.
Their goal was to exhaust my stamina with a war of attrition.
I couldn’t let that happen.
[I will use “Poison Generation LV1.”]
I generated a large amount of poison in the air.
The Deinonychus, which had pretended to strike, suddenly got splashed with the appearing poison and let out a painful scream.
“Gieeek!”
What it took from being covered in poison wasn’t lethal,
But the poison served to soak its body.
And it obscured its vision.
Thus, it succeeded in stopping its movement.
Waiting for the right moment to strike down the unsuspecting foe was my merciless dragon-tail.
Bang!
I slammed it down.
It was a situation where I killed it in one swift blow.
Now, it would run away.
Did I catch it too overwhelmingly? Perhaps I should have held back a bit.
“Gikikik!”
Huh?
Look at these guys.
They ran away after just one of them died fighting the Baryonyx, but now they think they can take me on?
“Gikik!”
Another Deinonychus charged at me from a different direction.
[I will use “Poison Generation LV1.”]
Swoosh!
The Deinonychus avoided the generated poison.
Had it figured out the countermeasure after seeing it just once?
Pretty smart for a dinosaur.
But it doesn’t know I’m Komodo.
[I will use “Poison Gathering LV1.”]
Whosh!
The poison from the dead dinosaur’s body and the scattered poison on the ground suddenly rose up.
The target was the Deinonychus’s belly.
Swoosh!
It soared as if it were a spear made of poison, aiming to pierce through its skin.
How sharp and solid can the accumulated poison get?
It’s obvious that it couldn’t pierce through its belly skin.
However, this attack was still poison, and the Deinonychus covered in the poison reacted just as before.
“Gieeeek!”
Boom!
[Your level has increased.]
I quickly took down two Deinonychus.
The leader stared at me.
Well, it should have devised a better strategy.
If all four of them charged at the same time, it might have been a bit tougher.
“Gik! Gik!”
The leader retreated along with the remaining companion.
Dragging more than three of them would be bothersome, so I chose not to pursue them.
Leaving a couple behind would increase my available prey.
Of course, now that they know I’m here, they probably won’t linger around.
I dragged the Deinonychus back to my lair.
Waiting for me at the den were my four followers.
…But is it usual for the followers to chat while the spirit creature hunts for food?
Isn’t it the other way around?
“Master Komodo, you’ve worked hard.”
“Gieeeek!”
Tang So-young was fiddling with Nephila Jurassica’s legs.
Crack!
A distinctly satisfying sound echoed.
I’m not sure if doing a little physical therapy on a spider is effective, but she’ll manage.
I looked at Nephila Jurassica.
I wondered if she was feeling better now.
My worry was immense.
【Nephila Jurassica LV30】
【Status】
「Injury」「Unrequited Love」「Appetite」「Fatigue」「Single-mindedness」
The term “injury” still appeared in Nephila Jurassica’s information.
First and foremost, I should feed her.
I can’t give her poisonous meat, so I need to remove the poison first.
[I will use “Poison Gathering LV1.”]
The poison from the Deinonychus’s body was compressed into a small orb.
The poison had delicately broken down the muscle of the meat, making it tender, and I wouldn’t have to worry about any residual poisonous side effects. This skill was extremely helpful not only in combat but also in everyday life.
Master Komodo is truly impressive.
“Master, Master Komodo!”
Tang So-young hastily pulled out a container from her bosom upon seeing the gathered poison.
Where did that come from?
It looks quite expensive.
“If you’re going to throw it away…!”
I had no particular reason or intention to refuse, so I filled her container with the poison.
“Phew…. Now I am rich…”
Huh?
Weren’t you collecting it for research purposes?
You may look like this, but you’re from the Tang Family, aren’t you?
You’re not planning to sell it, are you?
Tang So-young’s intentions felt somewhat suspicious, but that was none of my business.
It would be nice if she made a lot of money and bought me some elixirs or something.
Now that the poison is gone, it’s time to clean the meat.
In truth, our wild spiders can eat just about anything thrown their way, but since Tang So-young is here, I should have her prepare it.
Of course, I don’t need to do much since they don’t eat a lot, but that makes it even harder.
The best method would be to chop it up with my claws in large pieces.
“Master Komodo. Let me do it!”
“Cough.”
I shook my head.
For one, I can do it faster, and also, I wanted to check for any low Qi.
Of course, Tang So-young’s human hands would be more precise.
Still, one never knows.
She might get greedy upon seeing the low Qi and run off with both the low Qi and the spiders at night.
Along with my peacefully sleeping tail.
Of course, since she wasn’t after the low Qi of the Dilophosaurus and reveres me, the chances of that happening are quite low.
But it’s not unheard of for faith to go awry.
Much like the slightly strange Tus and Pus.
It’s always wise to prepare for any possible contingencies.
In fact, if the low Qi held by a Deinonychus were what I needed, I could easily part with it.
Even with a low Qi, it would only amount to a low-grade or, if I was lucky, a mid-grade at best.
That level wouldn’t satisfy me.
However, right now, I was in a situation where I couldn’t even spare that level of low Qi.
The reason was Nephila Jurassica.
To restore her, who had sacrificed herself for me.
…It’s not as romantic as it sounds; it was purely out of personal desire.
Nephila Jurassica’s level is 30.
From my experiences, a level of 30 is typically enough for most species to evolve. In fact, I could say that reaching the maximum level is quite high for a spider.
Having achieved her maximum level, perhaps she could evolve again if I fed her a good low Qi?
I recalled Nephila Jurassica’s appearance.
Even in dire situations, I couldn’t forget how she looked.
Golden hair patterned like leopard spots with bright red eyes.
No matter how I think about it, it’s truly a shame.
I fell in love at first sight when I saw her human form, imagining living happily together.
That wasn’t the case, though.
Nephila Jurassica still has a frightening face that surprises me each time I see her.
Moreover, seeing the terrifying conditions encountered in the wild makes me feel like she’s transformed back into a Gecko Lizard.
I believe that if her upper body became human, there would be less of that.
It would be more visually appealing.
Her intelligence would increase, allowing her to control her appetites better.
It’s not that I particularly like her human form.
Really.
“Cough.”
Swoosh.
I searched inside the Deinonychus, but once again, found nothing.
A bit disappointing.
I wonder if the leader creature had a low Qi.
With no other choice, I settled for enjoying a meat party.
There was plenty of meat, but that wasn’t an issue at all.
Given my predatory nature, I can eat almost endlessly, and if I consume a certain amount, my level goes up too.
Since Master Komodo’s size is large, it’s not hard to fit a Deinonychus into my belly even without that skill.
The low Qi.
I need to find some low Qi.
Where should I look?
Is it time to catch a flying koi?
Should I venture to the upper Swamp to hunt for stronger specimens?
Thus, I was earnestly contemplating Nephila Jurassica’s human transformation.
“Ma-Master Komodo!”
Tang So-young’s voice rang sharply.
“The spider junior…!”
Nephila Jurassica had collapsed.
*
“Keyeeng…”
Fortunately, the spider recovered quickly.
Of course, I still hadn’t seen the word “injury” disappear.
Tang So-young spoke with a serious expression.
“…It’s not good. She recovered quickly this time, but it might happen often in the future.”
That was truly concerning news.
I had no choice but to find more Low Qi.
“I’m just mentioning this in case, but this isn’t a problem that can be solved by consuming Low Qi. She has already consumed half of the Low Qi from the Dilophosaurus; any more would be toxic.”
Then what should I do?
“Cough…”
“There is one way…”
“Cough!”
“We need to take the spider junior to the Tang Family Tao.”
“Cough?”
The Tang Family Tao refers to a village community in Sichuan, naturally, a place where people with the Tang surname gather.
“With the materials and facilities there, we can treat her… I’ll need to return to the Tang Family Tao since my leg is healed. If I go with the spider junior, we should be able to solve the problem. However, I’m not sure if the spider junior would be willing.”
According to Tang So-young, Nephila Jurassica was one of the spiders that lived in Sichuan.
That means she nearly became a material for Solitude.
“…Spider junior, would that be all right?”
Of course, it was clear she would dislike it.
“Keyeck.”
Contrary to my thoughts, Nephila Jurassica nodded.
It meant she was okay with going to Sichuan with Tang So-young.
“Cough!”
I raised my finger and earnestly communicated my intentions to Tang So-young.
I pointed to Nephila and the Tus and Pus, then pointed to where the Dilophosaurus had died, and finally gestured to Tang So-young.
I stuck out my long tongue and pretended to be dead.
What I meant was that if we go to Sichuan now, I’d be punished for losing the Dilophosaurus, and Nephila would end up turning into Solitude unnecessarily.
The same goes for Tus and Pus.
“The Tang Family holds Komodo in far higher reverence than you might think. They literally see it as a legendary spirit creature. If you bring them Master Komodo’s poison and scales, they would welcome you with open arms.”
Is that so?
Then maybe I should entrust myself to the Tang Family.
I could live comfortably near Sichuan.
“Of course, there are factions that oppose Komodo, so there is some risk of assassination…”
Forget that, forget that.
I should decline any assassination from the Tang Family.
Anyway, this means I can take Nephila and Tang So-young to Sichuan with me.
I found no reason to stick around Shiman Mountain.
I can just live in the mountains around Sichuan.
Since my size has increased a bit, I might as well take a deep breath.
I swung my tail, smacking my back.
“Gekek.”
I’ll give you a ride.
“Ah, but it’s just me and the spider junior who need to go…”
Saying that, Tang So-young naturally climbed onto my back.
Considering how she usually acted, it was clear she would end up crying before escaping this Swamp.
Moreover, wasn’t Shiman Mountain incredibly far from the Central Plains?
For someone like her, it could take years.
It was a bit bothersome, but I couldn’t send them off alone.
Nephila’s injury was my fault, so I had to take responsibility.
Tus and Pus also hopped onto my back.
“Keyeck!”
Nephila Jurassica waved her hand.
“What does that gesture mean…?”
Now you can even interpret these gestures?
“It seems she wants to stop somewhere before we leave.”
Stop somewhere?
“Well, we can’t just leave immediately. We need to prepare medicine to feed the spider junior along the way and make some preparations just in case.”
Then let’s get down.
While it’s fine for long-distance travel, I can’t let them ride on me daily or they might get spoiled.
I gently nudged the two on my back with my tail.
“Gyaah!”
Nephila quickly gathered her energy and tugged on my finger.
“Keyeck!”
She seemed to mean there was a place she really wanted to go.
Fine.
Let’s visit as a sort of family outing.
…Now that I think about it, this spider.
Didn’t she give me a bunch of Low Qi?
Could it be that she stole it from the Tang Family?
Having to stop somewhere urgently before leaving = there’s something she needs to gather.
I just figured it out.
There’s a treasure vault hidden!
I’m not greedy, but I might as well take a look.
“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”
“…Master, excuse me, but you’re drooling right now.”
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