EP.48
The spider and Tang So-young collected the shed skin of the Gecko Lizard and part of the Green Basilisk.
It felt like a highly unethical situation, but if I pointed that out, I had a feeling I would somehow become a Komodo myself.
As for the shedding, isn’t the tail already spoiled?
Eating something like that could lead to trouble.
[The Faith of the Followers is rising.]
Huh?
Why is that?
Could it be that for them, that shed skin is some kind of sacred relic?
That’s a bit burdensome.
In a way, it’s just like the excrement of a lizard.
Keratin, keratin.
Don’t treat such things as precious!
“Kek kek!”
Sigh.
Though it felt like I was just wasting time, it must be the duty of a divine beast to heed the followers’ requests.
Nephila, is this really the end?
I mean, you have something like my inner pill.
I glanced at Nephila Jurassica.
The spiders seemed to be discussing how to share the tail.
It appeared they had no intention of listening to me.
…That’s just a shed skin, but I’m the real Komodo here.
I feel a bit disappointed.
“Kieeek!”
“So this is….”
Why are you conversing so naturally with the spiders?
I lightly wrapped my tail around Tang So-young’s thigh.
“Kyaaah!”
Tang So-young came trotting over to where I was.
Don’t act like a spider; go find the hidden treasure here.
“Kek kek.”
I slapped Tang So-young’s hand.
When I asked why I hit her, it was because she was absentmindedly rubbing my tail with a dazed look.
“Ah! I couldn’t help it….”
If you’re curious about the structure of Komodo teeth, keep it up.
Perhaps it was the influence of the spiders, but Tang So-young was getting stranger by the day.
At first, I thought she was just a timid Tang family member, but she was far from timid.
It seems she has opened her eyes to the peculiar.
Why is there no sane person beside me?
I decided to give the spiders some free time and explore the cave with Tang So-young.
Just in case Nephila Jurassica had forgotten some treasure.
“Master Komodo. Look, there’s a Night Pearl here! This perfectly round one doesn’t seem to be naturally made….”
It seemed Tang So-young had found something.
Where she pointed, there was a circular stone emitting a green glow.
So that’s the Night Pearl.
No wonder it moved around so well in the dark; the light was coming from inside it.
Wait, Night Pearl?
That shape looks like something I saw in Silver Dragon Cave.
Is this place also artificially created?
Maybe Silver Dragon Cave 2?
“Master Komodo! Look here! An enormous wall painting….”
Alright.
This too should be here.
I quickly walked to where Tang So-young had shouted.
“Wow! There’s so much interesting stuff!”
It was the large rock I had seen in Silver Dragon Cave.
The rock, marked with scratches, had pictures drawn all over it.
Upon a quick glance, I could tell that the content differed from the rock I saw back then.
“I’m quite far from the path of martial arts, but I can still recognize the value of this wall painting.”
This wall painting? Quite impressive.
It’s what allowed me to use the Dragon Claw Technique despite knowing nothing at the time.
It seems to possess about the value of a low-grade inner pill.
“This is of the level of a martial sect’s manual rendered as a wall painting. Of course, it lacks descriptions and only records the movements of the techniques, making it different from a manual, but just this alone is an incredibly valuable item. If any information about this stone circulates in the martial world, a Blood Storm might ensue.”
Is it that significant?
Is this really what it is?
I thought it was like an educational pamphlet stuck to the fridge, but it’s more like something from a legendary manual?
I began to fidget with my fingernails.
The martial arts technique depicted in the wall painting, Dragon Claw Technique.
Baek Yeon-Young taught me this technique.
Though she mentioned she doesn’t use it often, she had mastered it perfectly.
Since it was learned by someone as strong as Baek Yeon-Young, I knew that the Dragon Claw Technique was not an ordinary martial art.
After all, she said it was initially from Shaolin.
Does that mean all the wall paintings here represent techniques at the level of Dragon Claw Technique?
“…The volcanic plum swordsmanship and Namgung family sword techniques are also inscribed here. Though I can’t comprehend it, masters will light up with excitement searching for these wall paintings.”
Hwasan Sect and Namgung Family.
Even I, who don’t read much martial arts literature, recognize those names.
There must have been many similar techniques in the wall paintings I saw before.
It’s a pity, but sword techniques are quite far removed from me.
I did use a sword when fighting the Dilophosaurus, but it couldn’t be my main technique.
If I aimed for surprise, I could probably make it work, but at this point, my Dragon Claw Technique is vastly superior to any ordinary swordplay.
“Though the letters are erased… this is the Dragon’s Claw? Oh my! I can’t believe there’s a martial art said to have been put into practice depicted here!”
Dragon’s Claw?
It’s a name I’ve never heard before, but it sounds enticing.
After all, it’s a claw technique.
Currently, my fighting style relies entirely on my hands.
Though I often use poison techniques, if I encounter an opponent like the Dilophosaurus that’s immune to poison, I must face them solely with footwork and the Dragon Claw Technique.
If I added claw techniques to my fighting style, I could introduce truly diverse variations.
Moreover, the name includes “dragon.”
Soaring Dragon Steps, Dragon Claw Technique, Dragon Spirit.
And now, Dragon’s Claw.
Let’s go for it.
Of course, I don’t think simply looking at the paintings will allow me to learn the techniques.
At the very least, I would need to practice the movements daily while living here to learn it properly.
But right now, that’s not a feasible situation.
Soon, I will have to take Nephila Jurassica to Sichuan.
Originally, I thought I would settle there for a while, but my plans have changed.
With these two wall paintings here, what if there’s a third one?
No.
There must be more.
I’ll take Nephila Jurassica with me to Sichuan.
After waiting for her treatment to finish, I’ll return to Shiman Mountain with the spiders.
Of course, if she wants to live in Sichuan, I’ll leave it to Tang So-young, but these spiders won’t want to part from my side.
Whether I like it or not, we must go together.
“Kek kek!”
I know the distance between Sichuan and Shiman Mountain is considerable, but it shouldn’t take more than a week at most.
…Or will it?
Still, I find myself wanting to stay in Shiman Mountain a bit longer.
If I only treat Nephila, I’ll come back to Shiman Mountain right away.
For now, I need to completely learn the martial arts inscribed in this wall painting, then seek out other wall paintings.
By continually enhancing my strength in this way, I could achieve another evolution.
Just like Nephila Jurassica.
Even if that’s not the case, there’s no reason to refuse becoming a more powerful being.
Before I become such a being, let me memorize the movements of this Dragon’s Claw.
While taking Nephila to Sichuan, I’ll practice in between.
There really are a lot of movements to this.
But it seems there’s no movement I can’t follow.
Incorporating my tail in the middle could yield even better results.
Tang So-young pressed her temples while examining other martial arts techniques.
It seems she’s trying to memorize them like I am, but from the way her eyes keep darting around, she looks like she’s going to fail.
She should focus on just one and not be too greedy.
“Ugh… If I memorize this and return, my position will solidify…”
Well, it’s just like stealing techniques from other sects or clans.
The Tang family members will welcome her with open arms.
Of course, that’s assuming Tang So-young can perfectly memorize it.
“We’ll stay here for a month. No, just another week… No, what am I saying? There’s a spider squire here…”
I know very well.
The sooner we return, the safer Nephila will be.
I should head out right after looking at this.
“…Oh, what’s that?”
Tang So-young looked up and observed.
Right.
That was there.
It was the same mark I had seen in the previous wall painting.
Should I call it a sword mark?
It looked like claw prints from a beast.
“Isn’t that too high for the beast we saw earlier to carve?”
The mark was etched at a height of about 5 to 6 meters.
That was much higher than twice the height of a Utahraptor, so it’s unlikely that it carved this.
“It’s carved so high up… but it’s small. That’s strange. If a beast could reach that height, it would be enormous, so how could its claws be so small?”
Could it not be a beast’s mark after all?
Upon closer inspection, it seemed like it represented some martial arts form.
Lines and curves were connected in a random manner.
It’s complicated.
If I check other wall paintings, will I be able to understand the nature of those marks?
The reasons to return here just keep increasing.
I can’t resist my curiosity.
Just as I was about to forcibly drag Tang So-young away, who wanted to see a bit more, the examination of the wall paintings was nearly complete.
Bang.
Bang.
I heard something approaching the cave quickly.
The footsteps were familiar.
It was the Utahraptor I had seen earlier.
The sound of my elixir thief returning.
What luck this is.
Bang!
【Utahraptor lv27】
【Status】
『Frightened』 『Dazed』
The Utahraptor rushed toward me at high speed.
Yes.
This time, I’ll accept it.
…However, something feels odd about its status?
Could it be?
Bang!
Bang!
The Utahraptor again rushed past me and fled deep into the cave.
What’s with that thing?
“I’m sorry. It seems it ran away in fear of my Mantekwahw.”
Ignoring the nonsense from Tang So-young, I turned my thoughts.
For now, that Utahraptor is clearly a tremendous coward.
It was definitely scared of me and fled outside.
Yet it returned here again.
Even though I was still here.
Even after seeing my face, it dashed inside without hesitation.
What could be the reason for that?
The answer was simple.
It must have encountered something scarier than me.
Bang!
And that thing must have followed the Utahraptor all the way here.
Kuh-woom!
“Th-That’s!”
Tang So-young screamed.
“Th-That’s a spirit creature!”
The creature revealed itself.
An enormous form reminiscent of a tank.
Huge spikes on its tail.
It was smashing everything in sight with its tail while walking on four legs.
“A-A-Ankylosaurus!”
Of course, the name of that monstrous creature could only be Ankylosaurus.
【Anodontosaurus lv32】
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【Anodontosaurus】
Its body length is about 4 to 5 meters, and it can weigh up to 2 tons, classifying it as a medium-sized herbivorous dinosaur.
It is closely related to the Ankylosaurus, characterized by the bony plates on its back and the massive hammer-shaped bone on its tail.
Despite being a herbivore, it is not particularly gentle in nature, making it a dinosaur that even predators are reluctant to confront.
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