I bit down hard on Baek Yeon-Yeong's fingers.

Is this really okay?

I mean, I do have venom in my teeth.

Crunch.

As expected, my teeth couldn’t pierce Baek Yeon-Yeong's skin.

It’s a bit frustrating.

I’ve evolved past the Crocodile King Lizard, reaching the level of the Komodo dragon, but I still can’t even break through a single finger?

Waaaaaang.

Secret technique: Biting two fingers at once.

Chomp.

The result was minimal.

[The faith of Tang Soyeong rises significantly.]

Huh?

What’s this about?

I pulled my mouth away from the fingers and turned to look at Tang Soyeong.

She stood there, trembling.

Carrying the spider friends on her shoulders, she stared quietly at me.

“Who told you to stop?”

Baek Yeon-Yeong was acting strange too.

Does she need my venom or something?

I can produce venom if necessary.

Still, biting her fingers doesn’t feel so bad.

How do I put it? It kind of satisfies some hidden desire of mine.

It’s a bit like the satisfaction of sinking my teeth into a big chunk of meat.

Of course, there’s the minor detail that my teeth aren’t sinking in, but still.

Should I bite Tang Soyeong next?

I feel like my teeth would go through her more easily.

Since she’s from the Tang clan, she should be fine with venom, right?

Just as I was thinking this and was about to bite Baek Yeon-Yeong's fingers again...

“Go—Go Dae-hyeop!”

Tang Soyeong, filled with newfound faith, dashed toward me.

Her short legs didn’t allow her to move quickly.

It was more of a hurried scamper.

She puffed out her chest, trying to appear bigger.

Was she trying to make herself seem more imposing? But with a chest that small, the effect was minimal.

She slipped between me and Baek Yeon-Yeong.

You’re just happy to see another human, aren’t you?

Well, let me introduce you.

“Gek gek gek.”

This is Baek Yeon-Yeong.

She’s my master.

I was about to introduce them like that.

But what came out of Tang Soyeong’s mouth was the complete opposite of what I expected.

“P-Please, run away!”

Her body trembled even more.

In her hand was a small orb.

It was clear at a glance that it had something to do with venom.

But why was she holding it, trembling like that?

“Hoo.”

It seemed like Tang Soyeong had mistaken Baek Yeon-Yeong for an enemy.

Well, considering Baek Yeon-Yeong had just sent that massive figure flying with one hand, it made sense for her to think she was dangerous.

She must’ve thought I was under attack and rushed over.

I was a bit annoyed, but still, I appreciated the concern.

But that’s a big misunderstanding.

Baek Yeon-Yeong is my master.

Though she’s a bit rough around the edges, at her core, she’s a good person.

“Gek gek gek.”

I should introduce her properly.

I have a feeling you two would get along well.

After all, you’re the only two humans I know who talk to a lizard.

“Go Dae-hyeop! Hurry, run! I’ll… I’ll handle this… somehow.”

“Go Dae-hyeop? That’s odd. I haven’t given you a name yet, so why are you being called by such a ridiculous title?”

You always call me “little lizard.”

“Go Dae-hyeop” is way better than that.

Baek Yeon-Yeong didn’t even pay attention to Tang Soyeong and seemed to be lost in thought.

“The power of the sun. The one who commands it.”

Baek Yeon-Yeong started speaking nonsense.

“How about Heeraksoo?”

What is that?

Is that supposed to be my name?

I’ll stick with Komodo, thanks.

“Gek gek.”

I made a rejecting sound.

“Hmm…”

She rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought again.

“Go Dae-hyeop… We need to leave… quickly…”

No.

It’s pointless.

Even if we run, we’ll be caught immediately.

And there’s no reason to run.

“Her claws are like flames that rip through her enemies, her body like an impenetrable shield.”

Has she tried writing poetry?

That was a pretty cool line.

“How about Heerano?”

I don’t like it.

“Gek gek gek!”

I made a protesting sound.

“Hmm. I see you’re conflicted. My apologies.”

Well, at least she knows her naming sense is terrible.

“Both names are so magnificent, it’s only natural to be conflicted.”

Never mind. She has no sense of modesty!

“Gek gek gek!”

“Heerano. Heeraksoo. Both have great meanings, but the pronunciation is difficult.”

You knew that, and you still came up with those names?

Komodo sounds way better.

Tail of the ancient death.

How cool is that?

“Hee.”

Huh?

“You are Hee.”

Hee…

That’s… not bad.

It’s a lot better than being called Heeraksoo or Heerano.

Wait a minute. Did she purposely give me bad names first to lower my expectations?

Did she plan for me to accept Hee all along?

“Don’t use a weird name like Go Dae-hyeop. Call him Hee.”

Tang Soyeong.

Say something.

At this rate, I’m going to lose the name Go Dae-hyeop.

I nudged Tang Soyeong with my snout.

“Ugh… Uhhh…”

Tang Soyeong was trembling uncontrollably.

She came over so confidently earlier, what happened?

Put that thing in your hand down.

Whatever it is, it looks like it’s about to explode.

“Hee.”

Baek Yeon-Yeong called me.

She turned her head slightly and glanced at Tang Soyeong’s face.

Tang Soyeong trembled even more.

“And who is this small creature standing between us?”

Her expression was arrogant.

She hadn’t even paid any attention to Tang Soyeong until now, and now she was only mildly curious.

No wonder the poor girl was scared.

Tang Soyeong.

Don’t worry too much.

Baek Yeon-Yeong might talk like this, but she’s kind at heart.

Doesn’t she even have a kind-looking face?

Although her personality is a bit odd…

“Gek gek.”

Looks like I have no choice.

I’ll have to mediate.

“Gek gek gek.”

Since communication is a bit difficult, I’ll help explain what Tang Soyeong is saying.

Come on, explain it quickly.

I’ll nod along for you.

“Go… Go Dae-hyeop… This venom is dangerous, so quickly…”

Tang Soyeong started crying.

…Something was off.

No matter how scared she was, she wouldn’t be this terrified, right?

Could it be that Tang Soyeong knows something about who Baek Yeon-Yeong really is?

“Hee.”

Baek Yeon-Yeong turned her gaze back to me.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

This place… We’re in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

The Ten Thousand Mountains are the base of the Demon Cult.

Unless they are an exceptional case like Tang Soyeong, ordinary people can’t approach here.

Baek Yeon-Yeong was moving around this place like it was her own backyard.

Baek Yeon-Yeong was from the Demon Cult.

And not just any member—she was high-ranking.

“Even at a glance, it’s clear this girl is from the Tang Clan. Isn’t that right?”

I realized I had made a mistake.

Tang Soyeong was from the Tang Clan.

A member of a prestigious family.

Baek Yeon-Yeong was from the Demon Cult.

I recalled the words Baek Yeon-Yeong had once told me.

“The neighbor’s kid was killed for messing with one of the Five Great Families.”

Would Baek Yeon-Yeong see Tang Soyeong, a member of the Tang Clan, in a good light?

No, there was no way.

“How dare someone from the Five Great Families touch me.”

Even if Baek Yeon-Yeong viewed me favorably, she would never extend that to Tang Soyeong.

The air around us grew tense, filled with a killing intent that made my body tingle.

“Go… Go Dae-hyeop…”

Tang Soyeong’s arm fell limp.

The orb in her hand must have been her last resort.

But it was useless in front of Baek Yeon-Yeong.

Her overwhelming aura alone controlled everything around her.

I had to stop this.

If this continued, Tang Soyeong would be killed.

Grrrrr.

I let out the lowest, most threatening sound I could muster.

Baek Yeon-Yeong saw me in a favorable light.

I had to use that to my advantage.

“Hee. Who are you baring your fangs at?”

Baek Yeon-Yeong’s usual emotionless face felt even more chilling.

But it worked.

“Fine.”

The crushing pressure around us lessened slightly.

“Is there a reason I should spare this girl?”

There are many.

So many.

But I had no way to convey them right now.

First, I need to make sure Tang Soyeong comes to her senses. Only then can I explain how we’ve come to be together.

But for that to happen, I need to safely get through this moment.

It was a moment of extreme tension.

I needed something to calm Baek Yeon-Yeong’s anger, even if just for a second.

“Keieek!”

At that moment, the spider clinging to Tang Soyeong’s back wriggled and crawled forward.

It was the Nephila Jurassica.

Tus and Pus, her other spider friends, were also making noises, jumping up and down on her shoulders.

It was dangerous.

If things kept going like this, Tang Soyeong might disappear along with them.

The Nephila Jurassica looked like it had made a decision.

Tadak.

Surprisingly, despite the oppressive aura, the spider walked up to Baek Yeon-Yeong without hesitation.

Or rather, it seemed more accurate to say that Baek Yeon-Yeong wasn’t emitting her overwhelming pressure towards the spiders.

All I could do now was keep growling to hold Baek Yeon-Yeong’s attention.

I had to trust the spiders.

The Nephila Jurassica climbed right up to Baek Yeon-Yeong’s face.

Then it presented something to her.

It was the shed skin of a gecko.

Baek Yeon-Yeong looked down at the shed skin with an expressionless face.

One second, two seconds.

And then three seconds.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

She recognized what the skin was.

And then...

“Hahahahaha!”

She burst into laughter, something I hadn’t expected from her.

She laughed so hard that tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

Her once deadpan expression now showed signs of life.

Baek Yeon-Yeong, who had been laughing for a while, accepted the shed skin from the Nephila Jurassica.

“This is quite amusing.”

The oppressive aura that had been suffocating both Tang Soyeong and me dissipated instantly.

“To think there was something about you that I didn’t know. If it hadn’t been for the spider, I might never have found out.”

Was she really that happy about receiving a gecko’s shed skin?

Baek Yeon-Yeong must be quite strange.

“What’s even more interesting is that the spiders are protecting a member of the Tang Clan.”

So it wasn’t about the shed skin after all.

That’s embarrassing.

“They must know full well that they were almost used as ingredients for venom.”

Tang Soyeong collapsed to the ground.

“Hah… hah…”

It seemed like she was finally able to relax after Baek Yeon-Yeong withdrew her power.

“There’s value in having a conversation.”

Baek Yeon-Yeong sat down casually on the closest lizard in the area.

She was talking about me.

“Daughter of the Tang Clan, tell me what has happened so far.”