I carefully accepted the token that was handed to me by my mother-in-law—no, my wife.

It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, made of seashells and gemstones.

Could this have been gifted along with the alcohol she gave me?

Judging by its shape, it seemed meant to be worn around the neck.

Though my arms weren’t exactly short, structurally, it was hard for me to put something around my neck.

Coincidentally, wasn’t the Serpent Queen’s upper body shaped like a human’s? I stared at her, hoping for help.

Surprisingly, the Serpent Queen just stood there, staring blankly at me after handing over the jewelry.

“Ge-geg…”

Help me out with this.

I flailed my arms a little, but the Serpent Queen didn’t respond.

Instead, she simply lifted her wriggling daughter.

“Hieek…”

Shicksick quietly opened her mouth and grabbed the necklace with her teeth.

With her large eyes focused intently on my neck, she squirmed, trying to secure the necklace around it.

Even though she didn’t have hands, making the task difficult, she didn’t give up and continued her efforts.

“Just a little more effort,” the Serpent Queen said, holding her daughter in place instead of doing it herself.

Finally, the necklace was successfully placed around my neck.

“Peep!”

Shicksick dangled in the air, wagging her tail.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

“Now that the ceremony is complete, all that’s left is for you to return safely,” the Serpent Queen said.

Yeah.

…Wait, what?

A ceremony?

I hadn’t heard anything about that.

[The Ball Python LV18 wishes for your safe return.]

Oh. That kind of ceremony.

A simple wish for my safe return, it seemed.

[The Ball Python LV18 wishes for your wishes to come true.]

Shicksick chirped and wagged her tail, clearly pleased.

After giving her a quick belly rub, I turned to leave.

“Ge-geg.”

Alright, I’ll be back soon.

“Return safely,” the Serpent Queen called after me, with Shicksick still waving her tail in the background.

I had planned to just take the elixir and leave the jungle, but now it seemed like I might have to stay a bit longer.

…Well, there wasn’t much of a reason to leave immediately anyway, so staying here for a while longer wouldn’t be too bad.

“Gek.”

I raised one arm in a gesture of farewell.

“Peeek!”

Shicksick let out a forlorn cry as she watched me go.

[The Ball Python LV18 eagerly awaits the completion of the remaining ceremony on the full moon night.]

Right, I’ll handle the remaining ceremony when…

“Hieeek…”

I swiftly dashed out of the temple using the Soaring Dragon Step technique.

That was close.

If I had hesitated even a second longer, I had a feeling I would’ve been wrapped in her smooth, shiny scales for months.

…First things first, I should look for Hunhui or Kompin, those old guys.

•  

The weather keeps getting hotter.

Is it because I’ve gotten bigger?

I think I might finally understand why the Serpent Queen and her daughter are holed up in the temple.

Staying inside the cool temple, away from the heat and the bugs, was definitely better than venturing outside to fight them.

I’d love to just roll around with them inside too, but I have things I need to take care of.

I need to learn what I can, eat what I can, and solidify my relationship with the Serpent Queen and Shicksick.

I don’t know when Nephela Jurassic’s treatment will be over, but when it’s done, I may have to move my home base again.

Sure, I could settle down here, living with snakes and spiders, but there’s no rush for that.

It’s something I’ll allow myself only after I’ve gotten even stronger, after exploring the hidden opportunities in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

I don’t mean cozying up and living affectionately with them, but rather, living lazily while sprawling about.

Even though I look like a lizard, I still retain my human memories.

…Although, I do feel strange whenever I see Nephela Jurassic or the Serpent Queen in their humanoid forms, but I haven’t crossed that line yet.

I want to live with those I’ve bonded with, chatting and laughing together.

There are bound to be complications, but that’s my selfish desire.

To make that happen, I need to get much stronger.

Even the King of Birds was beyond my current reach.

But I hadn’t set my sights on him.

My goal is, of course, Baek Yeon-Yeong.

I don’t think I’ll ever surpass her.

My first goal is to grow to the point where I can surprise her.

Like leaving a mark when I bite her finger.

Yes.

The goal is to crush Baek Yeon-Yeong’s finger.

That means more training is necessary.

Shrinking down is part of that.

If I get too big, Baek Yeon-Yeong might not give me her finger anymore.

After shrinking, I’ll lull her into letting her guard down, and then I’ll bite her fingers like crazy.

“Ge-heh-heh…”

I let out a wicked laugh.

“Ki-gi-gik…”

Responding to my laughter were three terrifying birds.

While searching for Hunhui’s residence, I ran into the Terror Birds.

【Devinkenzia LV26】 【Devinkenzia LV28】 【Devinkenzia LV22】

【Devinkenzia】

A gigantic bird species known as Terror Birds. They stand over 2 meters tall and can weigh up to 350 kg. These fearsome and bulky hunters use their powerful curved beaks to crush the skulls of their prey with vertical strikes.

Devinkenzia.

They looked similar to the Titanis I’d seen before.

Except these were a bit bigger, and there were three of them.

【Devinkenzia LV22】 【Traits】 「Petrification Resistance」「Poison Resistance」「Bird King Faith」 【Status】 「Alert」

And those traits hanging from them.

Resistance to petrification and poison, as well as loyalty to the Bird King.

I had a suspicion.

The Cockatrice that betrayed the Serpent Queen and sided with the Bird King.

Its abilities were petrification and poison.

They were probably using creatures like it, which had powers similar to the Serpent Queen, to create minions capable of resisting her.

“Ki-gi-gik!”

The Terror Birds communicated with screeches.

They seemed to be discussing how to deal with me.

As if they wouldn’t attack.

I’m the Serpent Queen’s mate, after all.

“Grrr…”

I let out a low growl and shook my head.

Clang.

The Serpent Queen’s token glittered in the sunlight.

The lead Terror Bird must have spotted the token, as it immediately rushed toward me.

It was faster than I expected.

Along with its huge size and sharp beak.

It would hurt quite a bit if I just took the hit.

Dragon Scale Transformation.

Cha-ja-ja-jak.

The appearance of my dragon scales changed.

If previous transformations were like spears, this was like a shield.

I used my thickened dragon scales to take the brunt of its charge head-on.

Kwaaang!

Normally, I’d be sent flying by such force.

Speed and mass.

The sheer power it carried was immense.

But this time, I didn’t budge an inch.

Makes sense, considering the Megalania is estimated to weigh over a ton.

As a Komodo-lania, I inherited much of the Megalania’s characteristics.

Not just the size, but my weight now rivaled that of medium-sized carnivorous dinosaurs.

Sure, the Terror Bird was heavy for a bird.

But compared to me, it was nothing.

Krrrk.

The Terror Bird seemed startled when I didn’t budge.

“Kee…keeek!”

It hastily screeched to call for its companions.

Too bad it didn’t do that earlier; I could have experimented a little more.

Thud.

I grabbed its wing with my right hand.

If I’d used the full might of Dragon Claw Mastery, I could’ve delivered a lethal blow.

But I didn’t.

Winning that way wouldn’t have taught me anything new.

It was more important to figure out a combat style that suited my current form.

Crunch!

I opened my jaws wide and bit down hard on its neck.

“Kieeeek!”

That alone should have been fatal.

Crack.

But I didn’t stop there.

I spun my body at high speed.

Crunch!

With a sickening sound, the Terror Bird’s neck twisted completely.

Even knowing the counter to Death Roll, it couldn’t do anything.

“Grrr…”

With just one strike, I’d ended its life.

I turned my gaze toward the remaining Terror Birds.

If they were going to attack, they should’ve done it earlier, but now they were clearly shocked by what they’d witnessed.

Well, their hesitation only benefited me.

Thud.

Crunch.

Gulp.

I swallowed the massive Terror Bird whole.

It didn’t have an inner core, but it wasn’t bad tasting.

Ptui.

It would’ve been better without the feathers, though.

I spat out the feathers clogging my mouth and glared at the remaining birds.

“Grrr…”

The two remaining Terror Birds were clearly terrified.

While I’d prefer to finish them both off, I wouldn’t bother chasing if they fled.

There wasn’t much point in going after them just to kill them.

If they attacked me, I’d use the opportunity to train, but if they ran, it’d just be an annoying chase.

“Ki-gi-gik!”

The two Terror Birds acted as if they were about to flee, only to charge at me with renewed determination.

I had to commend them for their bravery.

Though, of course, that was from my perspective.

For them, this was probably the worst possible choice.

They should have attacked all at once from the start.

Hiding one’s trump card isn’t always the right move in battle.

Sometimes, it just weakens you enough to lose.

I wanted to try using Dragon Blood, but I doubted I’d draw any blood from these guys.

Let’s focus on quadrupedal movement.

Chrrrk.

I stepped back.

The essence of Soaring Dragon Step wasn’t limited to bipedal movement.

Walking on water might favor two legs, sure.

But in this flat terrain, there was no need to insist on two legs.

While two legs might be faster than four, against these opponents, speed wasn’t the deciding factor.

Tat-tat-tat!

I feigned a swipe with my front paw.

Even though the Terror Birds knew they were out of range, they flinched instinctively, well aware of the power behind my attacks.

I used that momentary hesitation to make my move.

The beak of the nearest bird shot toward where I had just been.

But the attack never connected with me.

Shraaak!

I combined Soaring Dragon Step with the mystery of Swimming Dragon Phantom.

Tat-tat-tat!

To them, it probably looked as though I’d suddenly split into two.

Like they’d attacked a ghost.

From their perspective, it must have been infuriating.

A massive creature like me, moving with such speed and using strange techniques on top of it.

But what could they do?

They were up against a Komodo-lania.

Chaa-ja-ja-ja-jang!

The form of my dragon scales shifted once more.

This time, they resembled a massive sword, reminiscent of a dragon’s tail.

Shaaak!

Swish!

I swung my tail, slicing through the Terror Bird on my left.

“Kee-gi-gik!”

Realizing that this was its only chance, the remaining Terror Bird charged at me with its beak aimed at my body.

That was actually a very smart move.

In this position, I couldn’t use my tail or limbs.

[You use Reverse Scale LV1.]

Well, now I feel a little bad.

[You have temporarily acquired Gaegek Death Beam LV1.]

Because your opponent is me.

The Terror Bird’s expression turned blank.

Who could have imagined a lizard firing a beam from its mouth?

And not just any lizard, but one specialized in close combat.

Kwaaah!

A brilliant blue beam shot from my mouth, obliterating the Terror Bird’s head and shattering the surrounding trees.

If they had been paying attention, they could have predicted that their master’s pet would be capable of this.

[Your level has increased.]

Oh, level up.

Killing three Terror Birds only got me one level.

The struggles ahead were already clear.

Who knows how long it will take me to reach the next evolution?

Still, they say even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

If I eat all of these Terror Birds, I might gain a bit more experience.

Let’s hurry up, eat, and find what I was looking for.

I’ve already eaten one.

The one charred by the beam is over there.

And the one I took out with my tail…

Oh, there it is, beneath that lizard.

Wait, a lizard?

“Ge-gegek?” “Ke-ke-kek!”

Its dull face.

Its small size.

But still, I could sense an immense inner power within it.

It seemed I had found the being known as Tusulus.