With my heart pounding, I moved through the jungle.

The weather was hot and humid.

But for a reptile, this could be considered fairly pleasant weather.

Moving on all fours felt a bit awkward.

I had stubbornly stuck to walking on two legs due to my martial arts techniques, like the Soaring Dragon’s Sky Step.

However, there were undeniable advantages to walking on all fours.

Now that I had evolved into a Komodo-type creature, it wasn’t a bad idea to take full advantage of the four-legged form.

It wasn’t as if walking on all fours meant I couldn’t use martial arts.

Right now, I was simply a lizard.

Not that I wasn’t one before, but now I was planning to maximize the abilities specific to lizards.

Komodo dragons are known for their incredible sense of smell.

They can track the scent of blood from prey, even if the prey flees to the other side of the island.

I’ve transcended that—now I’m a Gomodo.

Gomodo Technique, Third Form.

Tongue Flick.

Shrrik.

Sssssk.

A multitude of smells hit me all at once from various directions.

So having a strong sense of smell doesn’t necessarily mean I can distinguish between everything.

The smells were a jumbled mess.

Still, it wasn’t entirely fruitless.

Even though I wasn’t used to sensing such a wide range, there was one distinct scent I couldn’t mistake.

A metallic scent.

The smell of blood.

Just because there’s blood doesn’t necessarily mean the Cockatrice is nearby, but the chances are higher here than in places without it.

Ssasasak.

Quietly, and swiftly, I moved toward the source of the blood scent.

Of course, there wasn’t just one place where the scent of blood lingered.

There were dinosaurs bleeding from territory battles, carcasses of unfortunate dinosaurs that had become someone’s meal, and even a lone Utahraptor that had just hunted its prey.

For some reason, the Utahraptor ran off when it saw me, leaving behind the meat it had hunted. I had no choice but to eat what it left behind.

Leaving food uneaten would be a crime.

What else could I do?

As I tracked the scent of blood further, I came across something strange.

Feathers scattered all around.

And the neatly sliced body of a Terror Bird.

It looked as though it had been cut by a sharp blade.

Was it struck down by a sword-wielding human?

I wasn’t sure.

After all, there were blade-wielding dinosaurs roaming around here too.

It could have been taken down by the tail of a Stegosaurus.

Still, something about this seemed out of place.

Looking at the arrangement of sticks, it almost seemed like someone had been trying to light a fire.

Hmph.

Very suspicious.

My lizard instincts were telling me that something was definitely up.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

I heard the distant crowing of a rooster.

There’s no way a normal chicken would draw attention to itself in a dinosaur-infested jungle like this unless it had gone mad.

That was no ordinary chicken.

There was no doubt in my mind—it was the Cockatrice.

Should I head back to the Snake Queen now?

No, this wasn’t enough.

It could just be a really crazy chicken, or the Cockatrice could be on the move to another location.

At the very least, I needed to find its nest.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

Luckily, the creature kept crowing.

Alright.

Just a bit closer.

Ssasasak.

As I crept toward the source of the sound, I heard something else.

“Huh… Huuh…”

The sound of someone sobbing.

“Primordial Heaven, Primordial Heaven...”

It was a human voice.

A man’s voice, to be precise.

Not something I needed to concern myself with.

It didn’t sound like some noble’s kid or anything.

Maybe I’ll help him if I have time to spare.

“G-Gomodo... Huff...”

The man muttered my name.

What a coincidence.

He hadn’t noticed me yet.

It didn’t seem like he was talking to me directly, but how did he know about Gomodo?

And why was he calling for me in a situation like this?

Judging by how he was muttering about “Primordial Heaven” earlier, he was probably just praying to any spiritual beings he knew.

And Gomodo, being a mythical and revered creature, was one of the entities he was calling upon.

I hadn’t planned on paying much attention to him, but I figured I’d take a look at his condition.

Even though I could hear the Cockatrice’s crowing, it still seemed a bit far away, so I had some time.

“Gehgek.”

As I made a low growling sound and slowly approached, the man’s eyes met mine.

“H-Heuh!”

He seemed scared.

But judging by how he clapped his hands over his mouth to stifle his scream, he still had enough sense to assess the situation.

“Huff... No way...”

Don’t be afraid.

…Wait a minute.

This guy seems oddly familiar.

A plain face.

An average build.

Where have I seen him before?

“Grrr...”

Ah, right. The swamp.

I saw him back when I was still the Crocodile King Lizard.

He’s the guy who dropped his sword and ran off, leaving it behind.

That sword had come in handy.

I’d used it as a grill and even to take down the Dilophosaurus.

…Don’t ask me where it is now.

“G-Gomodo?”

He recognized me as Gomodo just from looking at me.

Could Gomodo actually be a famous mythical creature?

He didn’t look like a member of the Tang Clan, though.

“P-Please spare me...”

Why are you begging?

I may look scary, but I’m actually a pretty nice lizard who doesn’t harm humans.

The guy didn’t seem injured, so if he rested, he’d be able to walk again just fine.

That is, if it weren’t for the sound coming from the distance.

“Cock-a-doodle-dooo!”

The situation was bad because of that.

“Grrrrr...”

I gestured with my eyes.

Run.

If he stayed here and got caught by the Cockatrice, things would get complicated for both of us.

It would mess up my plan to sneak around unnoticed.

The man scrambled to his feet.

“Th-There!”

He called out to me.

I turned my head, wondering what he wanted.

“I know this is a shameless request... but someone else has been turned to stone over there... Please, save them...”

Turned to stone.

So it really is a Cockatrice causing all this.

I appreciated the information, but save them?

Was he seriously asking me to fight a Cockatrice?

Honestly, I didn’t have fond memories of the humans I encountered in the swamp.

‘Why did he push me? I have no idea.’

He’d pushed Tang So-yeong to the ground and ran off.

Of course, this guy wasn’t the one who pushed her.

But seeing those brutes kick a frail woman and then flee? There’s no way I could look at that in a positive light.

“Grrrr...”

If it hadn’t been me, a kind-hearted lizard, Tang So-yeong could’ve died right there.

‘Well, who can understand the thinking of those from the Temple of Great Rest?’

Sure, Tang So-yeong had laughed it off, saying it didn’t bother her.

If she wasn’t planning to settle the score later in the Tang Clan’s way, that is.

From my perspective, not just the person who pushed her, but everyone standing around her had been clearly in the wrong.

At least one of them should’ve helped her up.

Or offered themselves up in her place.

…Not that I’m a lizard that goes around demanding sacrifices or anything.

Anyway, I didn’t like the guy standing in front of me.

The only reason I’d shown him any kindness was because I’d made good use of his sword and didn’t particularly enjoy watching people die.

“Please... Please... Not again because of me...”

The man dropped to his knees and started crying.

“Gomodo... I’ll repent for the rest of my life... Please...”

He really thinks I’m some kind of mythical creature, doesn’t he?

Like a wish-granting being.

What was it my master used to say?

Anyone with their wits about them wouldn’t bother talking to a lizard.

Delusions caused by fear.

That’s what this was.

If I wasted any more time, the Cockatrice would find us here.

Biting the back of his neck and tossing him far away was the best I could do.

“I’ve lived my whole life as a coward.”

The man started confessing.

“I joined in on this venture, thinking I could make some easy money.”

It was the same story as always.

Regret over one’s life.

“I regret not saving Lady Tang... I regret getting in Baek Daehyeop’s way...”

Regret at the last moment.

But it was meaningless.

His apology wouldn’t reach Tang So-yeong or this Baek Daehyeop he was talking about.

“Please... Please... Save Baek Daehyeop... Gomodo...”

I could understand why he’d ask this, thinking I was some kind of sacred creature that had appeared in his time of need.

But there were limits to what I could do.

He wanted me to save someone I’d never even met?

To risk my life for them?

What kind of idiot would do that?

There was no guarantee that defeating the Cockatrice would even undo the petrification.

There was no benefit to me, and I had no reason to do it.

I haven’t read a lot of martial arts novels.

While I like the unique tone they have, I often didn’t understand certain parts.

Like how a protagonist with martial prowess tries to act in the name of chivalry.

Why would they do that?

Why not just ignore the situation and take advantage?

I never understood why a hero would invade a bandit camp over something as small as a bowl of bland porridge.

It was such an inefficient action.

But...

What would Baek Yeon-Yeong have done?

The person from the Heavenly Demon Cult.

The cult that people slandered, calling it a wicked religion.

Would she have ignored this man just because she didn’t like him?

No.

The master I knew wouldn’t do that.

Just like she extended a hand to me, she’d take action, even if it was inefficient and uncalled for.

“Grrrrrrrr...”

Chrrrk.

The appearance of my Dragon Scales changed.

They transformed into a form optimized for battle, a more draconic appearance.

I didn’t feel any great sense of duty.

It wasn’t like I suddenly liked this guy.

This was an inefficient choice.

I might regret this later.

Why did I bother?

I should’ve just ignored him and returned to the Snake Queen.

Those thoughts might cross my mind.

But I didn’t stop.

Because the chivalry I knew was an extremely inefficient act.

“Graaaaaaah!”

I roared at the Cockatrice.

Ssssasak.

Pabababam!

I charged head-on, and the creature did the same.

Chwaaaak!

I tore through the undergrowth, rushing straight at it.