So this is what warmth feels like.

It had been a long time since I felt such heat, and I quietly savored it.

“Hah… Hah…”

Tang So-Yeong panted as she moved her hands quickly.

The cold air.

Her hot breath.

It was natural for steam to form in such conditions.

Tang So-Yeong was drenched in sweat, and the fact that she had done all of this for me carried a special meaning.

“Haa…”

It was finally finished.

Tang So-Yeong, who had worked until the end, wiped her face clean.

“Whew… My arms…”

She massaged her arms, which had been moving constantly.

Of course, they’d hurt, given how much she had moved.

“This is the first time I’ve ever made a fire.”

The campfire flickered pleasantly.

The soot smeared on So-Yeong’s face was proof of how hard she had worked to start the fire.

Using spider silk and branches, she had managed to get the fire going.

Having a human around is certainly convenient.

I had tried making a fire a few times myself. Beyond just warming me up, fire had an immense impact in the wild. With fire, even stronger enemies would hesitate to approach.

But with my lizard hands, it was impossible to make one.

If I pressed too hard, the branches would snap, and if my claws touched the spider silk, it would break.

As I lay down and watched the campfire, I started feeling good.

I guess you could say I felt relaxed.

“Kioooong…”

The spiders climbed onto my back and assumed the same posture as me.

Grrrrrrr.

A small rumble echoed.

Startled, I jumped up.

An enemy attack?

“Uh, um…”

What? I definitely heard a loud noise.

Why can’t I see anything?

Only Tang So-Yeong’s face was turning red.

Grrrrrrk.

I finally realized.

The thunderous sound wasn’t an enemy attack; it was coming from Tang So-Yeong’s stomach.

She’s at an age where that kind of thing happens, so I’ll let it slide.

If I point it out, she might start crying again.

“I-I’m making strange noises…”

Grrrrk!

Tang So-Yeong looked like she was about to cry.

I covered the spiders’ eyes and closed mine too.

We’re showing you consideration.

I’m sure you understand.

“Maybe just cover your ears instead…”

Ah, would that have been better?

Tang So-Yeong’s face was as red as a carrot.

But it’s really not a big deal.

“Gekek.”

I don’t mind at all.

“It’s just because I haven’t eaten anything today…”

I understand.

When you're hungry, your stomach can make noises like that.

“Gekek!”

“Are you… laughing? Ugh! It’s only because I worked hard to start the fire!”

I meant it as a comforting “gekek,” but it seems she still doesn’t have the ability to understand lizard speech.

“Ugh… Excuse me, I’m going to eat now. I brought some Byeokgokdan with me… Wait, what?”

That “what” clearly meant she couldn’t find the Byeokgokdan she had packed. She must have dropped it somewhere, and now she’s hungry and embarrassed, wondering what to do.

“B-Byeokgokdan! Where is it? I know I packed it!”

You should’ve kept a better eye on it.

If this keeps up, neither of us will be able to sleep because I’ll have to keep hearing that thunderous sound.

Luckily, we have a fire going. This is a good opportunity to try something I’ve been meaning to do: cook up a little snack for the kids.

I used my long tail to bring over some dried meat that was hanging on a branch.

It was turtle and toad meat.

Eating it raw wouldn’t be bad, but since we have fire, why not roast it?

Besides, Tang So-Yeong would probably have a hard time with raw food.

“Grrrr…”

I’ll give you the meat, so cook it yourself.

Just skewer it on a stick and put it over the fire.

Tang So-Yeong stared blankly at the meat I handed her.

Her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open.

“G-Great Warrior…?”

She repeated the name that wasn’t really mine several times, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“G-Golden Frog? And Golden Turtle?”

Huh?

Golden Frog and Golden Turtle?

She must be mistaken.

There’s no way such rare creatures would be around here.

She probably thought they looked special and mistook them for those legendary creatures, but they weren’t. They didn’t even produce a core.

Plus, if I had eaten some sort of elixir, the Status Window would’ve let me know, like when I ate that Gongcheongseokyu.

“No, it’s not glowing gold, so it’s not them yet… But still, they look so… Ah, whatever!”

Tang So-Yeong attempted the strange act of eating the meat raw.

Of course, she was stopped by Tus and Pus with a swift jet kick.

Bonk!

“Ouch… I see now why these little spiders know how to handle internal energy…”

Tang So-Yeong still couldn’t shake her suspicions.

Well, this meat may not be elixir-grade, but it’s definitely good.

Tus and Pus grew rapidly after eating this meat, so it’s clearly nutritious.

Still, no matter how you look at it, it’s not Golden Frog or Golden Turtle.

I’m not an idiot. I’d recognize something that valuable.

Creatures as rare as that only appear once every 10,000 years; they wouldn’t be here.

“…Can I really eat this?”

Didn’t you just try to eat it raw a moment ago?

“Gekek.”

I nodded slightly.

It’s good that we can at least communicate this much.

“As expected from a great warrior…”

You gave me dried persimmons; why wouldn’t I give you meat?

I can easily catch more of these creatures anytime.

The larger ones are harder to catch, but the smaller ones are easy.

…Wait, so does that mean bigger ones are actually elixir-grade creatures like Golden Frogs or Turtles?

Nah, that can’t be right.

Still, I’ll have to check that out one day.

I’ve never caught one of the larger ones, but someday I will.

Tang So-Yeong carefully prepared the meat, skewering it on a stick and placing it over the fire.

The sound of sizzling meat was truly satisfying.

Drip.

Oops, I let some drool escape.

“I-I’ll cook it quickly!”

Nobody’s going to steal it.

Take your time.

It’s not like cooking faster will make it cook any quicker.

Thanks to Tang So-Yeong’s efforts, the meat was soon roasted to a golden-brown perfection.

Now it was time to divide it up.

First, Tus and Pus.

They’re still small, and eating too much at night wouldn’t be good for them, so they each got a small piece.

“Keng!”

Since Tang So-Yeong seemed interested in the toad meat, I gave her the whole toad.

“I never thought I’d eat a Golden Turtle, let alone study one…”

I told you it’s not a Golden Turtle.

It’s a Beelzebufon.

A demon toad.

I ate the rest.

The roast turtle was plump and juicy.

I took a sniff before biting into it.

Crunch.

Yes, this is the flavor.

To be honest, my tastes have started shifting more toward raw meat, thanks to my lizard nature, but the warmth and texture of roasted meat was still immensely satisfying.

I could feel the heat warming me from the inside.

The meat tore apart easily after being slow-cooked for so long.

It’s a shame it wasn’t freshly hunted, but even so, this was a meal worthy of being called a delicacy.

Tang So-Yeong seemed to enjoy her toad meat as well.

She had roasted it thoroughly, getting rid of all the poison, and was crunching through the crispy skin.

“Hehe… Golden Turtle… Golden Turtle…”

Muttering to herself about how she couldn’t leave even a single bite, she seemed a little scary, but finishing everything was a good habit.

“I can’t let this fortune slip away…”

I’m telling you, it’s not a blessing.

Look, there’s another one hopping around over there.

Well, I guess people believe what they want to believe.

And so, our delightful late-night snack time came to an end.

Tus and Pus lay down, patting their now full bellies.

It’s probably not good to lie down right after eating, but I can’t exactly hold spiders to the same standards.

“Great Warrior Komodo…”

Tang So-Yeong approached me, glancing nervously at Tus and Pus.

“I can’t express how grateful I am for this precious meal.”

For once, she wasn’t stuttering.

She really did seem like she came from a well-off family in moments like this.

“In fact, I’m actually someone who manages divine beasts like the Great Warrior. Uh, n-not someone like you, but much lesser creatures…”

I was a fool for expecting more.

“Grrrr…”

So, what are you trying to say?

“If it’s not too much trouble, could I… touch your body?”

“Gek?”

I tilted my head.

Why?

“I know it’s a bold request, but the energy in your body feels very unfamiliar to me… It’s like, there’s a strange clash inside. I’ve dealt with similar situations before, so I thought maybe I could help…”

Ah.

So, you’re basically an animal tamer.

“Grrrrk.”

“Hiek! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you!”

No, I’m not offended.

Honestly, I’m a little curious myself.

Baek Yeon-Yeong had said something to me, and I’m also wondering how well I’ve absorbed the cores I’ve eaten.

I wrapped my tail around her waist.

“Kyaa!”

I gently pulled her toward me, and she came along without any resistance.

“Hah… Does this mean you’re giving me permission?”

“Gek.”

I nodded.

“Then… please stay still…”

Tang So-Yeong straightened her posture and placed her hands on my back.

“Don’t move.”

Wuuuung.

A warm energy spread from her hands.

“…There’s a lot going on here. You have more than one divine beast core inside you, and none of them are ordinary. There’s a particularly fierce one… And then this warm energy… Wait, what’s this? I’ve never seen this type before.”

Is she doing it right?

The fierce energy is probably from the Caiman, and the warm one… is that from the Nephila?

“And deeper inside… I thought so, there’s Gongcheongseokyu here too. …Huh. Cordyceps? Has Cordyceps always been this big?”

So Cordyceps is considered an elixir too, huh.

I thought it was just a mushroom.

Didn’t feel any improvement from eating it though.

“This is strange. You have so much energy inside, but none of it is being absorbed. It’s not going into your core but circulating around it. If this keeps up, your body might explode… In fact, it’s a wonder you haven’t already.”

What?

Why are you only telling me this now?!

“If the unabsorbed energy reaches a certain point, your body would start rejecting it. But how did you manage to consume all these elixirs… Oh!”

Tang So-Yeong shouted as if she had discovered something.

“The honey of Okbong! Of course. You’re suppressing the elixir energies with Okbong’s honey. That’s something only a truly great warrior could do. No ordinary person could pull that off.”

She spoke in admiration.

What the hell is Okbong’s honey?

I’ve never eaten anything like that.

But does that mean I’m okay for now?

I’m not going to explode, right?

“There’s still more. Something else is showing up. It doesn’t seem to be related to your core, but since it’s appearing, I’ll take a look. It’s hard and sturdy. I’d say it’s the mission of the Great Warrior. The reason you continue to live in this world. How intriguing…”

Isn’t this crossing a privacy line?

“Hah… What is this?!”

Tang So-Yeong gasped.

What could she have seen?

“A lizard with long claws, wearing strange, clingy clothes, sitting by the water… A person?! Why is there a person… Kyaaa! What is this bizarre…”

You weren’t supposed to see that.

“A giant lizard with a crest on its back holding a broom… Wearing a flowing robe in perfect harmony of black and white… M-Master?! Flirting with a human… Kyaaaa!”

It’s a misunderstanding.

This is all a misunderstanding.