Where am I now?

Because I had been chased relentlessly by the giant millipede, I had no idea where I had ended up.

I ran for my life, and thankfully, it seemed like the creature had lost interest and turned back.

But I couldn’t go back either.

I had become a lost little lizard.

It was cold, I was hungry, and it was dark.

My body shivered uncontrollably.

I had never tried to regulate my body temperature before. At most, I’d gather some leaves to make a blanket.

Even with that, I hadn’t had any trouble moving around, but this time was different.

Was it because I was injured? I could tell that my movements had noticeably slowed down.

Even after resting, my HP wasn’t recovering. In fact, it was steadily decreasing.

“Geh...”

I wandered aimlessly, making the sound of a sick lizard.

Maybe if I could put something in my stomach, I might recover a bit...

Thud.

My foot bumped into something.

I hoped it was food and looked at it closely, but it wasn’t a living creature.

A small round object, either brown or black in color.

It was about the size of an energy core.

Wait, another energy core?

I lifted my head and then lowered it again.

Energy cores were valuable, but right now, they were useless to me.

Even a small cricket to fill my stomach would be more valuable.

What good is an energy core?

I didn’t have the strength to digest it anyway.

Still, maybe I should put something in my stomach?

With a glimmer of hope, I focused my gaze to determine what it was exactly.

But even with my “Wild Eyes,” no information appeared.

So, it wasn’t an energy core?

If it were, my Wild Eyes would have detected it.

Even fragments of energy cores would be recognized, so there was no way a complete sphere could escape detection.

Then what was it?

Could I eat it?

Was it an egg from another creature?

No, I would’ve recognized that immediately.

Sss.

I flicked my tongue to catch its scent.

It was strange.

It smelled like nothing I’d encountered here before.

A rich, mouth-watering scent that made my mouth water.

Yes, it was the smell of grains.

A scent I had forgotten.

And, faintly, there was a sweet smell like honey mixed in.

Grains and honey.

A sharp-minded lizard would have questioned why something like that was here.

But a hungry lizard didn’t have the luxury of doubt.

Chomp.

Gulp.

The crunchy texture was incredibly satisfying.

It couldn’t even compare to the spider-special bug cocoon I had eaten before.

The taste of grains and honey filled my mouth.

If I had to describe it in one word, it felt like I was eating a dense rice cake made of powdered grains.

I didn’t need to know what it was.

It was delicious. So delicious that I forgot I was a carnivorous lizard.

In no time, I devoured the entire thing, and feeling disappointed that it was gone, I flicked my tongue.

And then, I realized that the same smell was all around me.

There wasn’t just one of these mysterious rice cakes.

I started scrambling around, picking them up and eating them without hesitation.

Chomp.

Gulp.

Chomp.

Crunch.

I was in bliss.

Some were rich with the savory taste of grains, while others were overwhelmingly sweet with honey.

It felt like the calories in these rice cakes were enormous, as I could almost feel myself gaining weight in real-time.

Moreover, my “Gourmet” skill level increased significantly.

If this wasn’t gourmet, then what was?

Chomp.

I should eat as much as I could while it was available.

After gorging myself on the rice cakes for quite some time, I patted my now plump belly.

At last, I felt clear-headed again.

Sugar truly helps the brain function.

Stretching my stiff back, I stood on two feet.

It was time to stop being a four-legged beast and return to my form as a bipedal lizard.

Maybe it was the sugar, but my vision seemed brighter.

Wait, was it just that my surroundings had gotten brighter?

I lifted my head to see what was going on and noticed something sparkling on the wall.

It was a green crystal embedded in the rock.

Remarkably, the crystal was glowing on its own.

It looked very artificial. The way it was arranged, like green jade, seemed highly suspicious.

There were multiple crystals placed at regular intervals. Almost as if someone had deliberately set them up.

What is going on?

I widened my field of vision.

I moved my gaze towards the green light.

There was a large boulder.

It was quite different from the rocks I’d seen in this cave so far.

It had a faint purplish hue, and just by looking at it, I could tell that its hardness and density were unlike any ordinary rock.

And there were marks on it.

Were they claw marks from some large beast?

No, they were too beautiful for that.

Countless straight and curved lines were flowing like water.

Almost like a continuous series of movements.

It didn’t take me long to figure out what those marks were.

Because right next to them, I found some easily recognizable drawings.

There were human figures.

Yes, it was a mural.

Not just any mural, but one depicting humans practicing martial arts.

I had found traces of humans.

“Za Ho-Beop. You’re a bit late.”

No sane person would speak to a Ho-Beop (Protector of the Law) of the Heavenly Demon Cult like that.

Ho-Beop referred to the direct warriors of the Cult Master, known as the Sword of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Even the elders and council members of the cult had no right to issue commands to a Ho-Beop.

Mutual respect was the principle, and depending on the situation, the Ho-Beop could even punish them.

But Za Ho-Beop Woo Jin-Un could only bow his head in front of the woman standing before him.

“I had some unfinished business to take care of. Priestess, what brings you here?”

She was none other than the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Baek Seol-Hwa.

Za Ho-Beop was tense. He knew exactly why she was looking for him.

“I’ll get straight to the point, Za Ho-Beop. Do you know where the Cult Master went?”

Woo Jin-Un hesitated.

No matter how much the person in front of him was the Priestess of the cult, he couldn’t casually divulge the Cult Master’s whereabouts.

But no one in the cult would question this situation.

After all, the Priestess shared the same bloodline as the Cult Master.

“You seem to know.”

“Well...”

Za Ho-Beop swallowed nervously.

It felt like the Cult Master himself was standing in front of him.

The resemblance was uncanny, to the point where even their faces were almost indistinguishable.

The only differences were that the Priestess had a slightly softer physique, a beauty mark in the opposite spot, and slightly lighter hair.

To avoid confusion, she usually dyed her hair a lighter shade.

“Za Ho-Beop, have I ever wronged you?”

Woo Jin-Un was losing his mind.

He was furious at the absent Da Ho-Beop and Woo Ho-Beop.

If he kept silent and did his duty, this crazy Priestess might do something unpredictable.

But if he told the truth, he’d have to endure a sermon from the strict Da Ho-Beop. And that was if he was lucky enough not to incur the Cult Master’s wrath.

After a long internal struggle, Woo Jin-Un lowered his gaze.

“He went to the Silver Dragon Cave...”

“What? The Silver Dragon Cave?”

The Silver Dragon Cave was one of the cult’s secret facilities, an artificial underground cavern designed solely for training, located deep in the heart of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. It was also a place the Cult Master had ordered to be off-limits for the time being.

“Why on earth would he go there?”

“He said he had a dream...”

“A dream?”

Baek Seol-Hwa was baffled.

She was the Priestess of the cult.

No matter how powerful the Cult Master was, dreams were her domain.

And yet, he had secretly gone to a place he himself had sealed off. Not exactly an inspiring example for the followers of the cult.

“What’s he thinking, leaving the Priestess out of this? Does he think he’s some kind of prophet now? And what were you doing, Za Ho-Beop?”

Woo Jin-Un felt nothing but frustration. Why was he being blamed for the Cult Master's actions?

There was only one thing he could do.

“I heard about it from Woo Ho-Beop...”

Since Woo Ho-Beop wasn’t here, Woo Jin-Un figured a little bit of blame-shifting wouldn’t hurt. It was also a form of revenge for making him handle the most difficult tasks alone.

Baek Seol-Hwa sighed deeply and crossed her legs.

It was an action unbecoming of a Priestess, but there was no one here but Za Ho-Beop and her.

As long as Za Ho-Beop kept his mouth shut, it wouldn’t be a problem.

And Za Ho-Beop wasn’t the type to gossip.

“So, what kind of dream was it?”

After a brief hesitation, Woo Jin-Un answered.

“He said he saw a dragon.”

“A dragon?”

“Yes, a massive green dragon devouring the earth.”

Baek Seol-Hwa shook her head in disbelief.

“So, he packed up a bunch of Wallbreaking Pills and went to the Silver Dragon Cave because of that dream?”

“Yes.”

“Good grief...”

Seol-Hwa pressed her temples.

The Cult Master’s disappearance meant that she would have to act as his proxy for the time being.

She was fine with taking over for him. After all, they looked exactly alike, and it was her duty as the Priestess.

But why hadn’t he told her?

Was he planning to sneak away and finish everything without her knowing?

It was a good thing she had found out. If she hadn’t, and an important visitor arrived, it would have caused utter chaos.

“I told him to let me know whenever he went anywhere...”

Baek Seol-Hwa sighed heavily.

“Za Ho-Beop. You...”

At some point, Za Ho-Beop had disappeared.

He had long since slipped out of the building with his shadow-like steps.

“Ugh...”

Her target of frustration was gone.

In truth, it wasn’t Za Ho-Beop’s fault, but Baek Seol-Hwa, who had ascended to the position of Priestess at a young age, couldn’t help but feel the need to blame someone.

Calm down, calm down.

It’s not Za Ho-Beop’s fault.

The Cult Master has done this more than once.

“Hoo...”

Baek Seol-Hwa sighed deeply.

She would have to prepare to impersonate the Cult Master, just in case.

As she rummaged through her drawers, she spotted a small, intricately decorated box with mother-of-pearl inlays.

She smiled, forgetting her anger for a moment.

The box contained rice cakes made with the rare honey of the Jade Bee.

Just thinking about the taste made her face light up.

Maybe I should eat one.

She hesitated.

It would be delicious.

No, it would be incredibly delicious.

But it was expensive.

And the cult’s finances were starting to dwindle. As the Priestess, she couldn’t afford to indulge in luxury.

But at that moment, it seemed like only the Jade Bee’s honey could soothe her anger.

The source of her anger was the Cult Master, so it would only be fair to charge it to him, right?

Baek Seol-Hwa nodded.

It was a perfectly logical conclusion.

Problem solved.

Now, all that was left was to claim her well-deserved reward.

With reverence, she opened the lid of the box.

Upon seeing the contents, Seol-Hwa screamed.

The rice cakes, which should have been inside, were completely gone.

“This... this...”

There was only one person in the Heavenly Demon Cult who would do such a thing.

“Baek Yeon-Yeong!!!”

Seol-Hwa shouted the name of the Cult Master, who had already entered the Silver Dragon Cave.

Of course, there was no way he could hear her.

“Just wait until you get back!”

The Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Cult swore vengeance on her sister.

Of course, the precious rice cakes had actually been devoured by a small, cute lizard, but there was no way Seol-Hwa could have known that.