The second reason Tang So-Yeong, despite her eccentricity, wasn’t cast out of the Tang Clan:

It wasn’t just her knowledge; her innate talent for handling divine beasts was remarkable.

Since childhood, she had a natural connection with animals, particularly those imbued with poison and mystical properties.

At first, it was just a simple affinity, an ability to communicate with them well.

But the people of the Tang Clan weren’t the type to leave such a talent undeveloped.

Instead of focusing on poison or martial arts training, they had her concentrate on developing her knowledge and abilities.

With the support of the Tang Clan, her talents blossomed into the remarkable abilities she had today.

Her skill in diagnosing the state of divine beasts surpassed even the elders of the clan, making her the natural choice to oversee their care.

Her abilities, however, were limited to understanding the condition of a divine beast.

Reading their inner vision, their essence, wasn’t part of her skillset. She could only determine changes within their cores, the naedan.

For her to see the inner vision of a divine beast, the creature itself would have to allow it, or there would need to be a strong resonance between them.

Even then, she could only catch glimpses of fragmented images.

Flames flickering, raging waves, bolts of lightning crashing down—those were the kinds of visions she typically saw.

It was up to her to interpret them.

However, the vision she witnessed this time was unlike anything she’d ever seen before.

It was too detailed.

No, it would be more accurate to say it was blatant.

There was no attempt to conceal anything. Normally, inner visions were vague, but what she saw was shockingly clear.

Every claw, every texture of the skin.

The harmony between a suspicious divine beast and an even more suspicious human.

She realized she would never forget what she saw today.

And one day, she would also realize that this experience had awakened a new preference in her.

This is unfair.

That’s my mission?

No. That’s got to be some kind of malicious edit.

Right before I died, I had one desperate wish.

To have the power to burn all the magical scrolls on my hard drive.

So, clearly, my mission is to erase those images that Tang So-Yeong saw.

It’s unforgivable to judge me based on only part of the picture.

And how could she know all that just by laying her hands on me?

It’s obviously a scam.

She doesn’t strike me as someone with the purity needed to wield such noble abilities.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Please don’t eat me! I hate slimy things!”

I spat out Tang So-Yeong, whom I had half-swallowed.

It was a warning to never speak of this again.

“Puh! Phew… As expected of the Great Warrior. I’m covered in your saliva, but there’s no trace of poison! Your internal energy must be so profound that you can control even your venom.”

This is a disaster.

She’s not as scared of me as she should be.

Maybe her fear threshold has increased after seeing a Spino in a maid outfit and a Therizino in a school swimsuit.

Tang So-Yeong, with her face a bit flushed, wiped the spit off her face.

“The inner vision of the Great Warrior is truly astounding… So this is what it means to reach such a level. A mere mortal like me should be content with what I have…”

Splat.

“Huek! It’s so slimy!”

With that little incident behind us, Tang So-Yeong began drying her wet body by the campfire.

“I had my suspicions, but now I’m certain you really are a Komodo.”

I’m neither from the Ko family nor a Komodo dragon.

Why does she keep thinking that?

And what made her go from uncertainty to certainty so suddenly?

From the way she speaks, it’s like she saw the Spino-Therizino double mix and made up her mind.

Is there some strange rumor that Komodo dragons collect photos of Spinos and Therizinos?

What a horrifying thought.

If someone were to collect those photos, they’d have to be a demon, not a human.

“The vision I just saw… I wouldn’t have been able to see it unless you were truly a Komodo.”

Tang So-Yeong stared at me intently.

Since I’m not a Komodo but a Crocodile King Lizard, her gaze didn’t bother me.

“The vision was more shocking than any I’ve ever seen before. Dal the Great Warrior’s vision was completely ordinary by comparison…”

I was about to offer her another tour of my mouth but then paused.

Dal the Great Warrior?

I was curious about this odd name.

“Oh, I must’ve been talking to myself.”

If I’m the Komodo Great Warrior, then who’s Dal the Great Warrior?

“There was a divine beast we used to manage at the Tang Clan called Dalopo.”

Dalopo?

…Could she be talking about a Dilophosaurus?

That poison-spitting dinosaur?

“I didn’t come here alone, actually. I came with Dalopo, but we got separated when we ran into the Demonic Cult Master.”

Oh dear, that’s unfortunate.

But the Demonic Cult Master?

Why would someone so dangerous be here?

This isn’t even the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

“As powerful as the Great Warrior is, if you encounter the Demonic Cult Master, you must run.”

Of course I’d run.

“They say he bathes in the blood of martial artists. You can imagine how twisted and brutal he is.”

Yikes.

There’s nothing more unfortunate than getting entangled with someone like that.

“Ah, I should continue talking about Dal the Great Warrior. Dalopo has slipped out of my control. I thought we had a good relationship, but I guess not. You might run into him, Great Warrior.”

I’d rather not.

“If you meet him, he might charge at you recklessly. Even a divine creature with poison would covet the power of a Komodo like you. So be careful.”

“Grrrrrrk.”

“Oh, no! I’m not saying the Great Warrior would lose! But yes, since I just mentioned poison, here’s a secret: Dal the Great Warrior is a master of poison techniques.”

Is that really a secret?

I can already imagine him spreading his crest and spitting poison everywhere.

“But the Great Warrior could resist the poison. If you meet him, you might even be able to capture him alive! …Though in reality, that would be hard. He’s got a nasty temper, and sometimes I think he even wants to eat me…”

Tang So-Yeong glanced at my teeth.

“Losing Dalopo would put me in a very precarious position, but if I could get the Great Warrior’s venom instead…”

She seemed to have some wild fantasies about my venom, but it’s not that impressive.

It’s just a common venomous bite, though it does cost me 5 MP to use.

Tus’s Full-Power Bite is probably stronger.

“B-But capturing him alive is the best option! Right?”

No, the best option is not running into him at all.

I have no interest in fighting a poison-spitting dinosaur.

Poison-users always taste terrible.

You two can settle your issues on your own.

I turned my head away.

That meant I wasn’t interested.

“G-Great Warrior!”

Tang So-Yeong clung to me.

“Aren’t you curious about Dalopo’s poison? I can explain it to you!”

No, I’m not curious.

He spreads his crest and spits poison, right?

I’ve seen it plenty of times.

“He folds the crest around his neck until suddenly—whoosh! How about that? Oh, and there’s another poison. It’s similar to bewitching poison, putting the target into a hypnotic or hallucinatory state… Great Warrior? Are you sleeping? W-Wake up! This is important information!”

Jang Bong lay in the tall grass and spoke.

“Whew… Is everyone still alive?”

The five martial artists were all still breathing.

“Primordial Lord… Primordial Lord…”

It was sheer luck.

When the green-blue dragon had been chasing them, Jang Bong was sure at least one person would die.

When he had unleashed his Flat Palm Waterfowl and Blue Lotus Flow, he thought three would perish.

When he saw that someone had bitten their sword in their mouth, he believed it would be a miracle if even one survived.

Yet, they had all survived.

Not a single one had fallen behind.

“…You all know you only survived thanks to me.”

Well, there was one person missing.

Tang So-Yeong, the woman abandoned by the Blood Lion.

The Blood Lion, with a fierce glare, spoke in a threatening tone.

“We’re accomplices now. If any of you escape and tell the Tang Clan about their daughter, you know what’ll happen.”

The warriors nodded in agreement.

The Blood Lion had shoved the Tang Clan’s daughter into the jaws of a beast.

If this information got out, the Blood Lion would undoubtedly die.

And it would be a slow, painful death.

But would the others survive?

No.

They would die too, punished for not saving Tang So-Yeong and for standing by.

Could they be saved by being the first to report this?

No, not that either.

At first, they might receive a hefty reward for providing information.

But the moment they tried to use that money, they would be dead.

Whether it was while drinking water, eating a meal, or sleeping, they would be found.

Because that’s how the Tang Clan operated.

“Are we crazy enough to do that? We’ll just pay our respects at a memorial later.”

Tang So-Yeong’s death was inevitable.

The martial artists justified their actions to themselves.

“Whew. Still, it seems safe enough now. We should rest.”

The others agreed with Jang Bong’s words.

They had no strength left to move.

If they hid themselves in the tall grass, it was unlikely another beast would spot them.

The martial artists settled in to rest.

“Blood Lion, aren’t you hungry?”

“Why would you say that right now?”

“I think I saw some fruit on the way here. Want to go check it out with me?”

“Hah, why do we both need to go?”

“My hands are like this…”

Tch.

The Blood Lion clicked his tongue.

Does that man have no pride?

Even so, he stood up.

He had committed a crime, after all.

Even if he wasn’t planning to betray them to the Tang Clan, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

The Blood Lion followed Jang Bong through the bushes.

“Hmph. The fruit was right over there, barely any distance at all. Why did you ask me to come along?”

It was a fruit he had never seen before.

It looked edible, though they didn’t know the name.

“Is this enough?”

“No, a little more.”

Following Jang Bong’s words, the Blood Lion walked farther ahead.

He saw a massive tree.

It had feathery leaves sprouting from various spots.

“Jang Bong. There’s no fruit here. What are you talking about?”

“Just a bit further and you’ll understand.”

What nonsense is this?

The Blood Lion spat on the ground.

But as soon as he raised his head again, he couldn’t believe what he saw.

A massive divine beast was staring at him.

It was even bigger than the green-blue dragon they had encountered earlier.

For a moment, he was shocked, but he soon realized the creature’s identity.

“Oh! You’re the one sent by the Tang Clan!”

What was its name again?

Right—Dal the Great Warrior.

A sense of familiarity washed over him.

He had even seen Tang So-Yeong feed this creature before.

Though she was dead now, the divine beast wouldn’t know that.

The Blood Lion quickly began thinking.

If that little girl could control this creature, why couldn’t he?

It was even larger than the divine beast he’d seen before, but for some reason, it didn’t feel dangerous.

Its scales shimmered, and the soft feathers near its neck looked almost fluffy.

The desire to touch it surged within him.

Yes.

Just one touch.

He reached out his hand.

“Wake up!!!”

A distant voice shouted.

It was Jang Bong’s voice, coming from far away.

But wasn’t Jang Bong supposed to be right next to him?

Hadn’t they been gathering fruit together?

…Had Jang Bong hurt his arm earlier?

“Why are you there?! Run! Run now!”

He was entranced.

Completely under its spell.

By the time he realized it, it was already too late.

“Save yourself! R-Run!”