Shek-Shek is cute.

It’s not that my sense of aesthetics has warped just because I’ve become a lizard; objectively speaking, anyone would find her adorable.

Look at that round snout, the puppy-like eyes—she doesn’t resemble a snake at all. Her cries are more like a puppy’s or a chick’s, and her tail, plump and chubby, is endearing, especially when she flips onto her back, pretending to be dead. It just makes her seem cuter.

To me, Shek-Shek was that kind of presence—a comforting companion after a tough day, like a loyal dog.

But what on earth is happening right now?

That cute puppy had turned into a wolf.

“Piiiik!”

Shek-Shek flicked her tongue while chirping happily.

“Gegegek!”

Let go of me, you rascal.

I may have shrunk, but I’m still a divine beast, and you’re my follower.

“Gehgek!”

But Shek-Shek didn’t seem to care at all. She kept licking my head with her tongue.

“Ge-eek!”

Why are you licking my head? It feels weird.

It wasn’t like she was trying to eat me; it felt more like she was trying to tickle me. What does she hope to gain from that?

Whatever her reason, letting this go on would not end well for me.

I had a good grasp of Shek-Shek’s strength. If I applied enough force to avoid getting hurt, I should be able to escape easily.

Crack.

...Wait, what?

I couldn’t escape.

Shek-Shek was squeezing me much harder than I expected.

Her cool, smooth snake body wrapped tightly around me, pressing against me with surprising strength.

The slippery, damp texture sapped my energy.

Wait, was Shek-Shek always this strong?

Thinking it over, the answer became clear.

It was because of the Faith.

My Gae-gaek Faith shared a portion of my strength with my followers.

Since I had reached the pinnacle, it meant Shek-Shek had grown stronger too.

And since I was currently in my shrunken state, my strength was naturally reduced.

In other words, despite my own growth, Shek-Shek’s strength had surpassed mine in this absurd situation.

Seriously? I’m the one who’s supposed to be stronger, how did this happen?

“Gehgek!”

I let out a frustrated cry.

At this rate, I should’ve followed a different faith.

I could’ve worshipped Baek Yeon-Yeong’s Faith and lived luxuriously!

...No. Let’s think positively.

The stronger Shek-Shek becomes, the more she contributes to my growth.

The experience and divinity Shek-Shek accumulates ultimately benefit me, so it’s not the worst trade-off.

And besides, I only feel this way because I’m currently small. If I were just a little bigger, I wouldn’t have been caught in the first place.

I’d be celebrating Shek-Shek’s growth with joy.

Thinking positively is one thing, but now, can you please let me go?

“Gek-gek!”

Shek-Shek rubbed her face against mine.

She probably thought this was a display of affection, but it was overwhelming for me.

If I weren’t in my shrunken state, it wouldn’t be a problem, but at this size... it reminded me of when I was running away from Nephila Jurassica.

Just as I was thinking this, after enduring Shek-Shek’s attacks for a while, the Snake Queen intervened and lifted both me and Shek-Shek into the air.

“Piiiik!”

Shek-Shek, as if telling the Snake Queen not to interfere, bit her hand.

Thanks to that, I was finally able to escape.

It turns out shrinking too much isn’t always a good idea.

Swoosh.

I adjusted the size of my shrinking and returned to Gomodo’s size.

This size was ideal for now.

Even though I was still technically shrunken, the rebound strategy would still work, and my movement was comfortable. My overall size wasn’t too bad either.

Gomodo size was perfect.

“Hieek...”

Seeing me return to my larger form, Shek-Shek, who had been gnawing on the Snake Queen’s finger, let out a small gasp.

It’s too late now, Shek-Shek.

I’m never shrinking smaller than you again.

Leaving the disappointed Shek-Shek behind, I turned to the Snake Queen and let out a triumphant gegegek.

“Gehgek!” “You didn’t dance on your way back, I see.” “Geh-eek!” “Just teasing, just teasing.”

The Snake Queen chuckled as she approached, still wrestling with Shek-Shek in one hand.

“Hmmm. You’ve certainly changed. It’s not just the shrinking; your control over your internal energy has evolved significantly. I expected you to learn that old man’s techniques, but instead, you’ve created your own.”

The Snake Queen immediately noticed my transformation.

From the way she referred to Compy as "that old man," it was clear she didn’t think of him as her father.

Maybe she was intentionally distancing herself.

Whatever the reason, there must be a story behind their estrangement.

I grabbed the stone tablet Compy had given me with my mouth.

“Oh? What’s that?”

It’s a letter.

“Gek-gek.”

“Hmph. That old man never changes, does he? He actually expects me to read this?”

Even though she grumbled, the Snake Queen didn’t seem to mind too much.

Taking the stone tablet from me, she began reading it slowly.

“Tsk. Who’s worrying about whom now?”

She tried to act dismissive, but her expression didn’t seem upset.

As the Snake Queen read on, her face suddenly hardened.

“Kaechalgoatal. You’ve crossed the line again.”

It seemed Compy had written down everything that had happened to me.

Wah.

Snake Queen!

Megatherium attacked me!

I wanted to whine, but I had already taken care of the Megatherium myself, so the issue was resolved.

However, the Snake Queen seemed to think differently.

“We must root him out.”

Root him out?

Was she planning to take down the Bird King?

“Gehgek...?”

There’s no need to go that far because of me.

I already dealt with the Megatherium.

“To think he would ignore my warnings and covet what is mine.”

The Snake Queen’s black hair rose into the air.

Rumble...

The entire temple shook.

“Hieek...!”

Shek-Shek, who had been biting her finger, quickly fled.

It was like witnessing a child caught in their mother’s wrath.

Shek-Shek ran and coiled herself around my front leg.

“Hieek...”

Now that she was curled around my leg, she finally seemed to calm down.

So you trust me, huh?

Well, I’d like to run away too.

Because there’s no way I can stop your mother’s anger.

“I’ll make him pay dearly for daring to touch what’s mine.”

So cool.

I think I’m falling for you, Snake Queen.

“Hieek...”

Shek-Shek nibbled at my scales.

Get a grip!

That’s what you’re trying to say, right?

“Gek-gek!”

I waved my hands in front of the Snake Queen.

I appreciated her concern and her anger on my behalf, but I wasn’t sure this was something we should decide on so impulsively.

“...Are you worried about me?”

The Snake Queen stared at me intently.

She was strong. Very strong.

But if she hadn’t managed to resolve things with the Bird King after all this time, there had to be a reason.

Facing the Bird King was dangerous, even for her.

“He’s dared to touch what’s mine. How can I stand by and do nothing?” “Gek...”

She had a point.

On paper, I was the Snake Queen’s consort.

The Bird King knew that and still tried to kill me.

If she didn’t respond, it would be a problem for her too.

“I’d love to twist his neck right now... but that’s not realistically possible, is it?”

The Snake Queen wasn’t the type to act on mere emotion.

She was a cold-blooded reptile.

Just like this tail wrapped around me...

Wait, what?

When did you wrap me up again?

“He and I keep each other in check. We can’t move recklessly. I can’t just attack him directly.”

Now I understood.

There was a reason this jungle had remained divided for so long.

“That’s why reducing his forces is the best strategy for now.”

Reduce his forces, then, when she had a clear upper hand, she could destroy the Bird King herself.

It was a sound strategy.

“Are you ready?”

Of course.

...Wait, what?

Was she asking if I was ready?

The Snake Queen and the Bird King kept each other in check, meaning she couldn’t act directly.

In that case, someone else would have to move to reduce the Bird King’s forces.

...Is it me again?

Thankfully, the Snake Queen wasn’t the type of wife who would work her only consort to the bone.

She reassured me that she wouldn’t ask me to do anything too extreme.

She intended to recruit a third faction to help, and we would use them to wage war against the Bird King.

Of course, it would be nice if I could assist, but as long as the rewards were appropriate, I wouldn’t mind doing my part.

Still, as the Snake Queen’s consort, I had to be careful. If I got caught, it could ruin everything.

So I figured the best I could do was reduce the number of Terror Birds without taking on anything too risky.

“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about his forces.”

I was all for that.

The more information, the better.

“Kaechalgoatal has three mystical beasts under his command.”

Three mystical beasts?

“He once had four, but after Kogadurisoo betrayed him, he’s back down to three.”

So there were three opponents, each at least as strong as a Cockatrice—perhaps even stronger.

“Pilbang, Nachaljo, and Biikjo. That’s the trio. You could even say there are four.”

I almost let out a surprised gegegek.

Every single one of them was a well-known figure.

“Pilbang looks like a large crane. He’s only got one leg, but he wields fire that terrifies every beast in the jungle. If you meet him, don’t even think about fighting. Just run.”

If a Cockatrice’s weapon was petrification, Pilbang’s weapon was fire.

...But that might not be too bad.

I could wield Seolsam’s freezing energy and had natural resistance to fire thanks to my Dragon Scales.

If we ever crossed paths, I could assess the situation and potentially strike instead of retreating outright.

“Nachaljo is just as dangerous. Not only is he a strong fighter, but he’s also a master of shapeshifting. He can imitate not just appearances but also some of his target’s abilities.”

Nachaljo.

A legendary bird said to hunt humans in disguise.

The ability to mimic not only appearances but also skills was a frightening power.

Imagine him taking on the form of a long-necked dinosaur and stomping around—it would be devastating.

Let’s avoid this one at all costs.

While he might disguise himself as a weaker creature for an ambush, I had my Wild Eye.

I could use it to turn the tables if necessary.

“The last one is Biikjo. He’s hard to evaluate because I’ve only seen him a few times. He’s an unusual being—two as one, one as two. …He might be more like you than like a bird.”

Biikjo.

A bird with one wing, one eye, and one leg.

It didn’t seem to have any special abilities.

It was just two birds stuck together, like some sort of odd fusion.

I should consider this one less dangerous compared to the others.

Still, if it was grouped with the other two, I couldn’t let my guard down.

If it was anything like me, it must have hidden potential.

There’s no way she meant it looked like me, right?

“Based on this, it might seem like they have the advantage.” “Gehgek.”

That was certainly true.

They had three mystical beasts on their side.

Meanwhile, all we had was the Snake Queen.

There were a few Black Dragons patrolling the temple, but they were no match for mystical beasts.

“They say the enemy of my enemy is my ally.” “Gek?”

“Kaechalgoatal’s behavior has been less than honorable. He’s committed all sorts of atrocities in his quest to dominate the skies.”

There was a common trait among the Bird King’s followers.

Aside from parrots, none of them could fly.

Not the Terror Birds, not the Cockatrices.

There were probably no flying subordinates under his command.

“The Winged Dragons. They’ve never gotten along with the Bird King.”

The first time I encountered the Bird King, I saw Pteranodons attacking him.

The flying reptiles of the jungle despised the Bird King for seizing power.

That’s why none of his underlings flew.

The moment they took to the skies, they’d be attacked by the flying reptiles.

“I intend to bring them to my side.” “Gehgek!”

That would definitely be a big help.

An airborne force would be invaluable in a battle.

But I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something crucial was missing.

“Of course, their help alone won’t guarantee victory.”

After all, the gap between a Pteranodon and an Inmyeonjo was vast.

Ordinary flying reptiles wouldn’t stand a chance against mystical beasts.

“To face the mystical beasts, we’ll need to match them in strength.”

The Snake Queen looked up toward the sky.

There was nothing above, just the open ceiling.

“Before Kaechalgoatal seized control of the skies, there was another who was called the Bird King.”

The Bird King wasn’t born into his title.

He either inherited it or usurped it.

From the way the Snake Queen spoke, it seemed more like the latter.

“Arugantabisu (鴉镂看打飛率).”

Arugantabisu!

That name already sounded ominous.

...

Wait a minute.

Does she mean Argentavis?

That monster bird with a wingspan over seven meters?

“The former Bird King. He could easily take on mystical beasts.”