NoveLight ™
A new area is always welcome.
Just like Baek Yeon-Yeong suggested, I headed east.
There was nothing wrong with challenging the upper swamp area, but there didn’t seem to be much benefit to conquering it. At best, I’d just gain another title.
And, conquering the upper swamp wouldn’t be easy.
Even a Baryonyx would be a tough opponent for me right now.
It’s heavier than the Anodont and larger than the Utahraptor.
Plus, there’s a good chance that there’s an even stronger creature out there.
To exaggerate a bit, the Baryonyx might be like the piranhas of the lower swamp.
Of course, it probably wouldn’t be that extreme, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility of encountering something stronger than the Baryonyx.
Then again, the jungle I’m heading toward could be just as uncertain.
There could be something stronger than the Baryonyx lurking there too.
And it’s unfamiliar terrain for me.
But the difference is, there’s definitely something to be gained here.
Baek Yeon-Yeong acknowledged the existence of a hidden opportunity.
There has to be something at least as valuable as Gongcheongseokyu or perhaps even more powerful.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a good meal.
If Nephila Jurassica really gets healed in a month and Tus and Pus evolve into Arachne, that’d be great for me.
But… I can’t shake this slight feeling of unease.
What if the spiders end up stronger than me?
Of course, they wouldn’t treat me badly—after all, I raised them, and they worship me.
But there’s still this strange sense of anxiety.
I can’t help but imagine myself wrapped in spider silk, spending the whole day spanking a spider’s rear.
Or being forced to offer my tail every day.
And I get the sense that Nephila Jurassica’s conditions would be solved all at once.
“Gek!”
This is practically a matter of life and death.
To preserve the dignity of the lizard, I need to get stronger.
If the spiders surpass me in strength, my pride will be buried in the ground from that day forward.
In many ways.
Let’s check my current status.
[Komodo LV6]
HP: 920/920
MP: 390/390
[Titles]
I still hold the title of the Swamp’s owner.
Has no one come to take my place?
Or once a title is gained, does it stay forever?
Either way, it doesn’t matter much.
Even if a creature like Caiman appears again, a few good hits should make it cough up its core.
My level is still 6.
I haven’t taken down any notable enemies since becoming a Komodo, but even so, my leveling speed has been disappointingly slow.
I’ve even eaten Deinonychus, which would’ve been unthinkable when I was a Crocodile King Lizard.
With great power comes the need for great experience points, I suppose.
Maybe it’s only natural for someone like me, a Komodo.
If I had managed to defeat the Anodont, I would probably have reached level 10, which is a bit frustrating.
At this rate, it will take a long time before I can evolve again.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The more time I have, the better I can control the outcome.
I may not know what my next evolution will be, but I can at least steer it in a direction I want.
For example, I could continue walking on two legs like now and follow the path of the Theropods, moving away from being just a lizard.
Or I could continue practicing skills and martial arts with “dragon” in their names and walk the path of the legendary dragon.
The chance of becoming a dragon is slim, but…
Even the Titanoboa evolved into something like a Hydra.
So, the possibility isn’t zero.
[Skills]
I took a close look at the skills and martial arts with “dragon” in their names.
At the end of the list, there’s Goryong Kick.
I finally mastered it.
While I can’t unleash the same power as Baek Yeon-Yeong, it’s still valuable to have another technique in my arsenal when Dragon Claw Hand doesn’t work.
I took a moment to pay my respects to the Utahraptor who sacrificed itself for me.
Still, I got the cave back, so it should be satisfied.
It does seem a bit thinner, but it’ll fatten up again soon.
Baek Yeon-Yeong did give it some food, after all.
Although she did pluck out all its feathers, claiming she needed them for something.
Anyway, back to my status.
Even though I’m only level 6, I’m not weak by any means.
I’m probably the strongest lizard in this world.
The Komodo species is essentially a larger version of the Komodo Dragon.
It might not sound impressive for a legendary creature, but a Komodo Dragon is already a top predator.
And the Komodo is like an upgraded version of that—too powerful to be weak.
If the Crocodile King Lizard or Water King Lizard are like cheetahs, then the Komodo Dragon is like a leopard or jaguar. And the Komodo is on the level of a tiger.
I don’t look all that different from a Komodo Dragon, either.
But I do have Dragon Scales, which sets me apart.
Normally, you could think of me as a Komodo Dragon wearing armor.
A Komodo with a thicker neck and more muscle.
If I modify my Dragon Scales, I’ll look even less like a Komodo.
Maybe I’ll look more like a black dragon from a fantasy novel.
I’ve seen many lizards, but I’ve never seen one as good-looking as I am in this state.
If I yawn, it looks like I’m about to unleash a breath attack.
“Keeeeeng…”
Of course, no breath attack actually comes out when I yawn.
Can drool count as a breath attack?
It’s mixed with venom, so I guess it’s sort of like a poison breath.
And since it’s greenish-blue, I could be a Green Dragon.
I mused over these thoughts as I continued walking. Soon, the landscape of the jungle Baek Yeon-Yeong had described came into view.
The jungle.
It’s a forest with thick trees.
In other words, a tropical rainforest, a jungle.
Rustle.
I pushed through the grass as tall as I was and entered the jungle.
I stood on two legs for better visibility, but even then, the grass was taller than me.
Surely, in a place like this, where dinosaurs live, the plants themselves are enormous.
If the plants are this big, imagine how huge the dinosaurs that eat them must be.
And the carnivorous dinosaurs that hunt those herbivores must be even bigger.
I better stay on my guard.
The jungle was hot and humid, as expected.
The herbivorous dinosaurs I saw here were all massive.
They seemed tense, watching me warily, but I didn’t care and kept moving forward.
I’ll hunt later, once I’ve mapped out the area.
If I attack recklessly, who knows what could happen?
And there’s no need to fight these giant herbivores head-on anyway.
Swish!
As expected of the jungle, even the insects here were gigantic.
There was a mantis almost the size of a Velociraptor and dragonflies so big they could be mistaken for pterosaurs. If I were desperate, I could probably fill my stomach with them.
But I wasn’t desperate enough to eat bugs.
I’ve long since evolved into a civilized lizard who grills his meat.
…Wait, now that Tang Soyeong’s gone, how am I going to grill meat?
Should I wait for lightning?
The jungle severely limited my visibility.
With tall plants everywhere, that was to be expected.
Tall plants, huge herbivorous dinosaurs, and flying insects.
This was what you’d expect in a jungle, but something felt off.
There was something missing.
And that was the absence of predators.
Even if they weren’t preying on the giant herbivores, there should’ve been something hunting the insects.
But there was nothing.
Was this a place without predators?
No, that couldn’t be it.
There were dinosaur corpses strewn around the area.
Some were still fresh, indicating they hadn’t been dead for long.
There were large footprints all over the place.
But they weren’t dinosaur tracks.
No, these were bird tracks.
From all the clues, I knew only one thing.
There was a predator near me.
A large, intelligent one.
Like a Deinonychus?
No, it was something even more dangerous.
It had been silently following me for who knows how long.
But that didn’t matter anymore.
It had already made a mistake.
If it had ambushed me in the undergrowth, I might’ve been in trouble.
But now I had already moved to a more open area.
To attack me, it would have to reveal itself.
“Grrooo…”
I let out a low growl.
I know you’re hiding.
If you don’t come out, I’ll come to you.
It was a warning.
The jungle wasn’t quiet.
The sounds of countless creatures filled the air.
The cries of birds, or perhaps pterosaurs, echoed above.
In the distance, I could hear the roars of dinosaurs.
The sounds of insects fighting.
And the rapid footsteps of something running toward me.
Thud, thud, thud!
“Kiiieeeek!”
“Kikikikikikik!”
I wasn’t being followed by just one.
There were two.
And they were dangerous.
[Titanis lv14]
[Titanis lv18]
[Titanis]
A type of terror bird, named after the Titans of Greek mythology. It stands between 1.4 and 2 meters tall and weighs around 250 kilograms. Its powerful legs allow it to run at speeds of up to 50 km/h, making them formidable predators. Their sharp, hooked beaks are capable of delivering vertical blows that can shatter an enemy's skull.
“Kieeeeek!”
The terror birds screeched, resembling hawks.
Their useless wings spread, and their feathers puffed up as they tried to intimidate me.
Impressive.
With a roar and their size, they could likely instill fear in most prey.
“Grrrrr…”
But not in me.
I’ll show them what a real roar sounds like.
“Gegegegegek!”
Come at me, you two oversized chickens.