“Hiss!”

As I followed the python, I thought deeply.

How did the four sisters of the Tang family know about my intentions... I mean, my actions?

If Baek Yeon-Yeong knew, that would make sense.

She’s a freak who could catch a Hydra with her bare hands, so nothing would surprise me anymore.

But how could Tang Soyeong and the other three sisters know what I was up to? That part didn’t make any sense.

If I had to guess, it must be because of Lizard Faith.

The followers could sense some of my thoughts.

Tang Soyeong could vaguely sense them, and the spiders were quite precise.

Recently, the divine power I accumulated was also increasing absurdly fast.

For some reason, whenever I did anything with Baek Yeon-Yeong, Tang Soyeong would look at me with eyes full of admiration. The spiders would follow her lead, too.

Especially when I’d nibble on Baek Yeon-Yeong’s fingers or play with her hair, I’d see a steep rise in my divine energy.

Sure, Baek Yeon-Yeong is a powerful master, but was that really enough to explain the sudden surge?

Thanks to Lizard Faith, the followers could read my thoughts.

And because of my recent increase in divine power, they could now see my actions and thoughts more clearly.

This was my theory, but there was one major flaw.

That flaw was Nephila Jurassic.

She wasn’t one of my followers.

Yet she was somehow sneaking into these status messages, and her presence was the strongest.

On top of that, she had a strange title with question marks hiding parts of it.

Had she slipped into my faith without me knowing?

If I were the god Hwanung, would that make Nephila Jurassic the bear woman?

...No way, right?

Even though it was my own thought, it was far too much of a stretch.

Sure, I have the title Beloved by Spiders, but still...

Could it be?

Was that what was happening?

Am I... married?

“Geggeggek!”

No, no.

At least not since I became an Arachne...

Wait, what am I even thinking?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

I needed to eat. These strange ideas were messing with me.

“Hiss!”

The python bobbed its head.

That must mean the food was nearby.

I pushed aside my distractions and suppressed my presence.

I crept forward quietly.

“Creak-creak-creak.”

The cry was familiar by now.

From my past experience, it was likely the sound of a feathered dinosaur.

One of those creatures that it feels awkward to even call dinosaurs.

The kind that undermines the human-faced bird’s argument for dinosaurs being disqualified.

...Except for Utahraptor. That one’s a proper dinosaur.

“Creak-creak.”

The cry wasn’t very loud.

It was definitely smaller than a Utahraptor, and maybe even smaller than a Deinonychus.

In other words, this thing wouldn’t be much of a threat to me.

Let’s see what it is.

【Oviraptor lv12】

【Oviraptor】

This dinosaur, from the late Cretaceous period, is about 1.6 meters in length and weighs 20 to 40 kilograms. While it eats small animals, it is most well-known for stealing and eating the eggs of other animals, earning the nickname “egg thief.”

An Oviraptor!

Its familiar face made me feel oddly nostalgic.

The Oviraptor was busy gulping down someone else’s eggs.

Poor things.

Eating babies that haven’t even hatched yet.

The parents of those eggs would be heartbroken.

...Wait, now that I think about it, I also hatched from an egg.

Whether I cared about the egg or not, that means I must have had parents.

There were probably other eggs, too, likely my siblings.

Who or what were my parents?

When I hatched, I was nearly the size of an adult right from the start.

Naturally, the egg I emerged from was much larger than a regular gecko’s egg.

So, the creature that laid me wasn’t just an ordinary gecko...

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any other geckos in this world.

And since evolution exists here, my parents didn’t necessarily have to be geckos.

...Could I have unknowingly eaten them?

I recalled all the reptilian creatures I’d devoured.

Thankfully, there were no lizards.

Phew.

At least I wasn’t a patricide.

If I ever meet the Oviraptor I saw back then, maybe I’ll ask about my parents.

But first, let’s catch the one in front of me.

“Hieek...”

The python let out a small whimper.

Its frightened behavior puzzled me.

Was it afraid of the Oviraptor?

That didn’t seem right, considering how confidently it had led me here.

...Wait, was its target the eggs, not the Oviraptor?

Was the Oviraptor a surprise encounter, a much stronger foe than expected?

Oh, python...

You’re way longer than the Oviraptor, so why are you so scared?

Besides, if we reveal ourselves, the Oviraptor will probably be more startled.

I set the python down and charged toward the Oviraptor at full speed.

Tadadadad!

“Creeeek!”

The Oviraptor flapped its useless wings in shock and tried to leap into the air.

Pabab!

I leapt up, predicting its movement.

“Creak-creak!”

Crack!

The Oviraptor tried to resist, but it was already too late. Its neck was firmly in my jaws.

Snap.

I bit down hard enough to crush its spine and slammed it into the ground.

Boom!

“Creak...”

The Oviraptor was dead.

As expected, my level didn’t increase.

It was easier than when the Green Basilisk hunted piranhas.

The ball python slithered up to me, looking between the dead Oviraptor and me in disbelief.

“Hieeek!”

That look was all too familiar.

It was the same as the first time Tus and Pus tasted water beetles and piranhas.

I gazed at the Oviraptor’s corpse.

It wasn’t enough to completely satisfy me, but it would be enough to put out the immediate fire.

“Hiss!”

The python flicked its tongue.

Yeah, you must be hungry too.

There isn’t much, but let’s eat together.

【Komodo LV9】
HP: 250/990
MP: 173/410
【Titles】
「Beloved by Spiders」
「Master of the Silver Dragon’s Lair」
「Master of the Lower Swamp」

My health had recovered somewhat.

It wasn’t great, but it was enough to keep me going for now.

My MP was high enough to use Reverse Scale at least once.

“Hiss...”

The python, now much fatter, was rolling its belly around.

Hey, you’re a snake, aren’t you?

Why are you rolling like that?

“Geggek.”

Hearing my cry, the python straightened its posture.

It slithered over to me, looking up with its round, innocent eyes.

“Hieek!”

You ate well, didn’t you?

I’ve got something good to recommend.

It’s called Lizard Faith.

“Hieek?”

The snake tilted its head in confusion.

Honestly, what I considered a conversation was really just my imagination.

Our communication mostly involved understanding each other’s body language.

Suddenly suggesting a religion was not something I could do.

I had no choice but to make the python worship me on its own, like Tus and Pus did.

Sigh... How could I make this chubby snake a follower?

Maybe if I defeated a strong enemy, it would look at me with reverence?

It was already gazing at me with respect, but something was missing...

Ah, right.

I just had a brilliant idea.

“Geggek.”

Python, watch closely.

“Hieek?”

Its round eyes focused intently on me.

Now that I had its full attention!

Ssss!

The appearance of my dragon scales changed.

I shifted from a slightly larger Komodo to a much smaller dragon form.

Young creatures are always drawn to cool things.

...Though biologically speaking, I was probably younger than the snake.

“Hieeeeeek!”

The python practically fainted in surprise.

Its reaction was so satisfying.

So, how about now?

Do you feel any faith stirring within you?

[Would you like to offer Lizard Faith to 【Ball Python lv14】?]

Looks like some faith did awaken.

But wait, status window.

Since when did you start asking about this stuff?

Tus and Pus didn’t have this prompt.

Just do it like before, no need to ask twice.

The python isn’t some special case.

[Are you sure you want to offer Lizard Faith?]

Why ask again?

Just proceed.

[The 【Ball Python lv14】 has begun to worship you.]

That was fast!

Congrats, python.

Despite how you look, you’re now ranked fourth.

[Lizard Faith has evolved from a gecko-level faith to a Komodo-level faith.]

Huh?

Did it really just level up that fast?

I mean, I’m happy, but... is there a reason for that?

【Lizard Faith】

A Komodo-level faith.

A faith followed by those who worship the legendary beast Komodo. As the number of followers increases, it can grow into a full-fledged religion. The variety of followers is quite diverse, and their faith is unwavering.

Followers:
First Follower: 【Atercopus lv9】
Second Follower: 【Atelakomartus lv8】
Third Follower: 【Tang Soyeong】
Fourth Follower: 【Ball Python lv14】

[The 【Ball Python lv14】 is worshiping you.]

Good.

There’s a hidden function in this faith.

It occasionally allows the status window to give me information like this, making communication a bit easier.

[The 【Ball Python lv14】 is concerned about you.]

Huh?

Concerned?

No need for that.

Now that you’ve joined, I feel more secure.

Turns out you’re a more impressive snake than I thought.

For the faith to evolve from gecko level to Komodo level, that’s no small feat.

...Though I still don’t quite know the difference.

[The 【Ball Python lv14】 thinks you are remarkable.]

My divine power definitely feels stronger now.

The frequency of messages from the status window has increased significantly.

Look at that, it’s still sending me updates.

[You have accepted a follower of the Snake Queen.]

Huh?

[The Snake Queen is furious with you.]

Wait, what?

The Snake Queen?

Hold on.

Is that why the prompt appeared earlier, asking if I wanted to offer faith?

Was it because this snake already worshiped something else?

Was the Ball Python worried about me because of that?

[The Snake Queen wants to see you.]

So I accidentally stole a follower from the Snake Queen?

And now she’s mad at me?

Is that why the faith leveled up so quickly?

“Geggeggek!”

Cancel!

Cancel the offer!

Status window, stop it!