I didn’t fully understand the criteria for dividing levels of mastery.

If I were to crawl back to Baek Yeon-Yeong, wagging my tail and making lizard noises, she’d probably explain it to me. But on my own, there was no way I could figure it out. I just didn’t have a grasp on how strong I was.

Nor did I know what level the peak masters of this world were at.

However, if the opening of the middle dantian was considered a mark of reaching the pinnacle, then I could confidently say that I, too, had reached that peak.

Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to compare myself to a human.

Right before my middle dantian opened, I could be considered a first-class expert.

That Baek Woon I encountered, he must’ve been around the same level.

Even so, five of those first-class experts combined wouldn’t be able to inflict any significant damage on me.

The gap between myself and regular humans was that wide.

So, having just stepped into the threshold of the pinnacle, I was likely much stronger than any human of the same level.

As one climbs the levels of mastery, the gap between beings narrows. But at this stage, external techniques still play a significant role. For martial artists, facing a seven-meter-long lizard armed with dragon scales is nothing short of a disaster.

“Gehgek!”

And my growth wasn’t stopping here.

Even though my middle dantian had opened, the elixirs and inner cores within me still weren’t satisfied.

Sure, the space had gotten a bit bigger.

The fire energy and cold energy could now reside in separate "rooms."

But they were still grumbling about how cramped my dantian was.

Greedy little things.

Then again, I’ve consumed more elixirs than I can count.

For me, their dissatisfaction was a good thing.

If I could better control my martial technique or improve my dantian itself, I could fully harness the remaining power of those elixirs.

The power that pushed me to the pinnacle wasn’t even all of it. If I could claim all that power as mine, I could look beyond just the beginning of the pinnacle.

But for now, I was satisfied with this.

Baek Woon would’ve been rolling on the ground if he saw me.

After I saved him and showed off a bit of Zhongnan’s swordsmanship, Jang Bong had muttered about how he hadn’t reached the pinnacle in ten years.

Of course, right after that, the mysteries of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Swords came to him.

Baek Woon had been taught by Zhongnan, one of the Nine Great Sects.

Judging by what I heard, he must’ve been quite the promising disciple.

Yet even he hadn’t crossed the wall to the pinnacle and had been stuck as a first-class expert for a decade.

Compared to him, I was quite the anomaly.

Reaching the pinnacle in just three months after being born?

I couldn’t help but let out a triumphant "gegek" at the achievement.

That’s enough reflection on reaching the pinnacle. Time to review the martial technique I just acquired.

“Gae-gaek Martial Technique”
Gae-gaek gae-gaek gae-gaek (愾喀塏揢開客).
The martial technique created by a lizard, the partner of the Snake Queen and the Snake Princess, who captivated both spiders and humans.
This technique circulates internal energy throughout the entire body using the mysteries of Gae-gaek and enhances the proficiency of dragon-related techniques.

...What’s up with this description?

Is there any way to edit this?

I glanced cautiously at the old man.

If this old man had some skill like Wild Eyes or an even more advanced version of it, and he could read my skills, then...

He’d discover my colorful romantic history. I mean, my history with females.

“Keeek...?”

Thankfully, it didn’t seem like that was the case.

The old man just stared at my suddenly amplified internal energy with a shocked expression.

After staring for quite a while, old man Compy finally nodded his head.

[The Little Dragon acknowledges you.]

[The Faith of the Little Dragon is influenced by Gae-gaek Faith.]

Oh?

[Gomodo-rania has become the son-in-law of Faith of the Little Dragon.]

Did my father-in-law just acknowledge me?

Good!

...Wait, is this really a good thing?

Does this mean I’m now irreversibly tied to the Snake Queen’s faction?

I thought I was just a husband on paper, but now it seems my father-in-law is proudly boasting about it.

Does this mean I can’t take it back?

...Could the Snake Queen have planned this all along?

No way, that couldn’t be it.

Still, this was starting to feel like a bad turn of events.

Maybe I should explain the situation before it gets worse.

I’d probably get hit a few times, but I could clear up the misunderstanding.

[You share a portion of the experience gained by the followers of Faith of the Little Dragon.]

[You receive a portion of the divine power sent by the followers of Faith of the Little Dragon.]

Well, that’s good!

Grrroooar.

The nest of Gochal Gohatal was like a massive temple.

The Bird King stood with his wings spread wide, gazing down at the earth.

"Uoooooo!"

A roar filled with fury echoed from him.

The situation was not good.

The wounds inflicted by the Snake Queen still stung, and though the injuries from the Little Dragon weren’t life-threatening, they were irritating.

“How dare… how dare….”

Unlike when he faced the Little Dragon, his voice had become sluggish.

But the Bird King’s innate majesty still lingered, making his twisted voice unsettling.

The wounds on his body were bothersome but not a real issue.

The true problem was that his carefully laid plans had been thwarted.

More precisely, he had lost two of his trusted subordinates.

Not just any common terror birds, but exceptional subordinates whose deaths were a significant loss, even for him.

However, that didn’t mean the Bird King had been defeated by the Snake Queen.

Despite losing two subordinates, the balance was still precariously maintained.

Which meant that before their deaths, the Bird King had held the upper hand.

And yet, he hadn’t attacked the Snake Queen.

Could it be because of the bond they once shared, having trained under the same master?

No, that wasn’t it.

The reason he hadn’t attacked her was because the situation was uncertain.

Would the Little Dragon side with the Snake Queen, or would he remain neutral?

Even if the Snake Queen were defeated, the Bird King would have exhausted his strength.

And even if the Little Dragon remained neutral, the Bird King couldn’t ignore the possibility that his own allies might turn on him.

That’s why he had waited.

Carefully biding his time, widening the gap between him and the Snake Queen until he could overwhelm her with sheer strength.

He had methodically expanded his power, recruiting beasts like the Megatherium and even influencing those within the Snake Queen’s ranks.

The most notable of these was Gogaduri-su.

When the Bird King had swayed him to his side, he thought his victory was near.

But everything had been derailed by the arrival of the lizard with dragon scales.

He should have killed that weakling the moment he first met him, no matter the cost.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that such a fragile creature would cause so much disruption.

The lizard had single-handedly defeated Gogaduri-su and even withstood the Bird King’s mental assault, ultimately turning the situation into a counterattack by the Snake Queen.

That wasn’t something a mere lizard should have been capable of.

On top of that, the lizard had become the Snake Queen’s mate.

And, considering the lizard had entered the Little Dragon’s territory alone, he wasn’t just a puppet of the Snake Queen.

He was truly her equal, her mate.

And what’s more, he was an extraordinary being with his own separate following.

To think that such a creature had been born less than three months ago, with limitless potential.

The Roc possessed countless abilities.

One of them was the power to control birds that believed in him.

In a way, it was an extension of brainwashing, and he had used this ability to take control of Gogaduri-su’s body once.

Of course, the Snake Queen had counterattacked.

But aside from possessing bodies, there were many ways he could use his powers.

Every bird’s eyes became his eyes.

That was why he had spread terror birds throughout the jungle.

Even if he couldn’t directly enter the territories of the Snake Queen or the Little Dragon, there were ways to indirectly influence them.

The Snake Queen’s mate had ruthlessly hunted down the terror birds.

Instead of eating them on the spot, he dragged their bodies into the Little Dragon’s domain.

The Bird King watched this unfold quietly.

What was the Snake Queen’s mate trying to accomplish by entering that territory?

His goal was to learn the Shukgulgong technique.

The technique of shrinking his body, taught by Hunhwi.

The lizard had more than doubled in size since the Bird King had first encountered him. It was clear that his sudden growth had caused him many difficulties.

The Snake Queen must have sent her mate to Hunhwi to resolve that issue.

Whether that was the true purpose or just an excuse, one thing was clear: the lizard was learning techniques from the Little Dragon.

Eventually, through the Roc’s vision—through the eyes of the terror birds—the Bird King saw the Snake Queen’s mate, now much smaller, standing before a startled Little Dragon.

Though the connection was severed as the lizards feasted on the remaining meat, the Bird King had gathered all the information he needed.

He immediately sprang into action.

His plan was simple: intercept the Little Dragon and send his subordinates to abduct the Snake Queen’s mate.

If that didn’t work, killing him would suffice, but capturing and brainwashing him would deal the greatest blow to the Snake Queen.

It was a perfect plan.

In his shrunken state, the lizard wouldn’t be able to defeat the Megatherium.

But once again, the Snake Queen’s mate had taken down the Megatherium.

Unlike the terror birds’ deaths, the Megatherium’s demise affected the Bird King directly.

The unexpected pain caused him to be struck by one of the Little Dragon’s attacks as well.

Swallowing his anger, the Bird King retreated.

It was the third time he had failed to capture the Snake Queen’s mate.

The first time, he hadn’t been that concerned, but the second and third times had shaken the balance of the jungle.

His grand plan was on the verge of being destroyed by a single lizard.

Should he launch an all-out war while his forces were still intact?

No.

That would be a fool’s move.

In an all-out war, he could kill both the lizard and the Snake Queen.

But the collateral damage would be too great, so an all-out war was not an option right now.

If he had intended to go to war, he would have done so long ago.

The Bird King changed his approach.

The lizard alone had caused this much trouble.

If he could take care of that lizard, things would return to the way they were.

Killing him wouldn’t be bad, but brainwashing him and turning him into an ally would completely shatter the Snake Queen’s faction.

The symbolic significance of a mate couldn’t be ignored.

“Ooooo…”

The Bird King gathered his subordinates.

He would explain his plan to capture the Snake Queen’s mate for good.

The Filbang, the Narchal Roc, or the Biikjo.

With their help, capturing that lizard wouldn’t be difficult.

The Bird King had been reluctant to use them, but if he could either bring the Snake Queen’s mate to his side or kill him outright, the cost would be worth it.

The Snake Queen’s mate was strong, but he hadn’t yet mastered how to handle internal energy.

If he were human, he’d barely be considered first-class.

He hadn’t even opened his middle dantian.

Sending just one of them would be enough to handle the job.

In fact, it might be overkill.

They were mighty spiritual beings, after all.

Their mere presence was enough to keep the Snake Queen and Little Dragon in check.

This meant that if either of them noticed the absence of one of these creatures, they might attack the Bird King immediately.

One missing wouldn’t be a problem, but if the Snake Queen and Little Dragon joined forces, there would be trouble.

That’s why sending even one was an overinvestment.

“Oooo…”

But it was worth it.

And once they found the lizard’s location, they’d have the strength to complete the mission in no time.

They could be gone briefly, but it wouldn’t take long.

How much time could it possibly take to deal with a first-class lizard?

Though the unpredictability was a bit concerning, there was no way that lizard would reach the pinnacle in such a short time.

No creature could reach the pinnacle less than three months after being born.

That was the conclusion Gochal Gohatal, the Bird King, came to.