**Unicorn.**

A horned horse.

**Unicorn!**

Who wouldn’t feel their heart race at the mere mention of that?

Even though a massive creature resembling a leopard-patterned deer, over 2 meters long, roamed freely, the cold reality was that there were no horned horses.

Mammals lay eggs, nurse their young, use poison, and have luminescent skin, but unicorns do not exist.

Yet, this world is a romantic one where spirits and ancient beings coexist.

It stands to reason that a horned horse does exist.

“The horn of a unicorn is a precious medicinal material. It’s something the former King of Birds needs.”

The fact that the horn is a valuable medicinal material leaves no doubt that the unicorn refers to the **one-horned horse**.

After all, they called it a horned horse.

The horn of a unicorn is said to possess miraculous effects.

The Snake Queen said it wasn’t an elixir, but if it was indeed the horn of a unicorn as I knew it, it would certainly be an item comparable to an elixir.

“Finding a unicorn isn’t that difficult, yet oddly enough, other spirits can’t even catch a glimpse of one.”

Other spirits.

Despite their appearance, it seemed she did interact with other spirits.

Until now, the only side of the Snake Queen I had seen was her rolling around with Shik Shik in this temple.

It seemed she had certain responsibilities as a queen.

Well, I guess the Snake Queen must be living a busy life in places I don’t know about.

She needs to keep an eye on the King of Birds, maintain friendly relations with other spirits, and raise the princess well.

At first, I couldn’t understand why she lost her precious Shik Shik, but thinking about it this way, it makes sense.

All the elixirs and miraculous items gathered here must have been collected meticulously by the Snake Queen.

These could be gifts received from allies or items saved up to give as gifts.

…And she gave them all to me.

It’s impressive how the mother-daughter duo of the Snake Queen generously gives me so much.

“It’s relatively easy to find one here, but others find it difficult. It would make for the best gift.”

In essence, she was asking me to go catch a unicorn.

“Gekgek.”

I raised one of my front legs.

A physical language anyone could understand.

I have something to say.

“What is it?”

Ssssh.

The lower body of the coiled Snake Queen began to move slowly.

Right now, I was like a mouse caught by a snake.

But in essence, I was **Komodo**, the Snake Queen’s companion.

Feeling the cool body temperature of the Snake Queen, I confidently tapped my chest twice.

“Gekgekgek.”

Leave it to me.

That was what I meant.

This temple had quite a lot of elixirs and treasures.

The original purpose was likely to give them to Shik Shik or to present them to other spirits to foster friendly relations.

And I had consumed all of that.

In other words, the task of obtaining the unicorn’s horn might be something I was inadvertently causing.

Of course, it was undeniable that by consuming those elixirs, the battlefield tilted a bit in favor of the Snake Queen. But that didn’t mean I had paid back for all the elixirs I consumed.

I wasn’t usually this kind of person, but still, I felt I should do some work for what I’ve eaten.

If I help the Snake Queen, there might be more scraps to fall.

“Hoh, you seem to have developed an interest in the unicorn.”

And personally, I also wanted to see a unicorn at least once.

How could I resist a horned horse?

“Gekgek!”

Having seen the dinosaurs I once longed for and the mythical spirits, now I had to see a horned horse as well.

“If you do that, it’ll definitely make things easier for me. But I worry it might be too much of a burden for you.”

Oh, come on.

What burden?

“Gekgek.”

The Snake Queen was a good boss.

When you think about it, the only request she made of me was to capture the **Cockatrice**.

No, it wasn’t even about capturing it. Her request was to gather information on the Cockatrice.

The task I was assigned was reconnaissance, but I fought it on my own accord.

So, the Snake Queen’s request could be considered very trivial.

In contrast, what had I received?

Various treasures, **Thousand-Year Flower Li**, **Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng**.

Moreover, since the Snake Queen took me as her companion, I received divinity and shared experience points.

Because she introduced me to the **Little Dragon**, I was able to learn the miniature form.

I had received so much.

If I were the Snake Queen, I would have listed everything she had given me one by one and forced me to work for it. Even one elixir for one request would have been considered very generous.

But she didn’t do that.

With such an attitude from her, how could I just stand by?

Ssssh.

The bodies of the Snake Queen and Shik Shik tightened around me.

To an outsider, it might seem like a dangerous situation.

However, I knew what these two were thinking.

This was a form of affection.

“Piyaak!”

Look at that.

Shik Shik made a cute sound while rubbing her head against me.

As she enveloped me with her cool body, the heavy energy pouch of the Snake Queen was resting atop my head.

“It seems you found a good companion.”

Thank you, boss.

“Well, if you think of it as a wedding gift, there’s no reason to refuse your goodwill.”

Yeah.

If I think of it as a wedding gift…

…Huh?

Wedding gift?

“Hyiek…”

Shik Shik bent her tail into a heart shape.

She shook her head shyly from side to side.

That wasn’t the meaning behind it, but if she was happy, then that was all that mattered.

“The unicorn is gentle, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous of a task.”

Gentle, you say?

That’s a bit different from the unicorn I know.

“Gekgek.”

I looked up.

I could only see the heavy energy pouch.

Yeah. Anyone would have to become gentle upon seeing this.

If one saw the true form of the Snake Queen, they would inevitably become gentle in another way.

“Then, it’s a bit cheeky, but I’ll ask you to do this. Though unicorns are quite gentle, they sometimes charge at others with darkened horns. Since the purpose is the horn, there’s no need to kill it, but if it attacks first, the story changes.”

Unicorns are the guardians of purity.

Their horns darken when they see someone who cannot maintain their purity.

“When that happens, don’t hesitate to eliminate it. For that state, fleeing won’t mean anything.”

The Snake Queen gave me this advice.

However, I didn’t think I needed to worry about that.

As a lizard only three months old, I could be considered purer than anyone.

“Gekgek.”

With a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Is the unicorn going to follow me around entirely?

That thought crossed my mind.

Now, my mission was set.

It was to find the unicorn and obtain its horn.

From what the Snake Queen said, it seemed there was a way to cut the horn off or pluck it out on its own.

As a pure lizard, simply approaching it would allow me to easily achieve the task.

So, shall we set off soon?

“Gekgek!”

…But to set off, I feel like I need to be let go first.

Ssssh.

The grip of the Snake Queen and Shik Shik tightened.

“No matter what, would you really send away a companion who just returned?”

“Piyaak!”

With Shik Shik licking her tongue and the Snake Queen.

“Gekgek!”

Help!

---

The rewards from the Snake Queen and Shik Shik.

In other words, I was only able to escape after the massage was over.

Of course, just because the massage was over didn’t mean I could leave immediately; a ritual of eating the food prepared by the Snake Queen and Shik Shik awaited me.

This time, the food prepared was deer meat.

I wondered how there could still be deer in this jungle where dinosaurs and spirits were rampaging, but I didn’t dwell on it too much.

Once again, the Snake Queen and her daughter served me a large deer and a small deer.

Worried that one might feel neglected if I ate one first, I forced both pieces of deer meat into my mouth at the same time.

It was indeed a lavish treat, but somehow I felt a bit worn out.

A **Black Dragon** loitering around the temple was startled to see my haggard face as I barely managed to escape.

It was nice that they liked me, but sometimes it felt a bit excessive.

Could it be that I felt this way because I had a human’s values?

For snakes, coiling around a lizard's body and licking with their tongues might just be ordinary behavior.

Thinking that way made me feel a bit more at ease.

It was probably similar behavior to how spiders present their behinds to me.

It might be difficult to understand with my own head, but from the perspective of the spiders, it wouldn’t be strange.

Or would it?

Would it still seem strange from the spiders’ perspective?

I should ask our three spider sisters if they become beautiful **Arachne** later.

…Speaking of which, I wonder if they’re doing well?

It seems to

 be taking longer than expected.

Of course, I have things to do and can’t rush to meet them, but **Baek Yeon-young** is different.

If she sets her mind to it, she could catch my tail in no time.

The fact that she hadn’t shown herself yet means that the healing of **Nephela Gyrasika** hasn’t finished.

I hope nothing unusual happened.

Let’s check in on that.

__________________________

**[Guest Church]**

A religion on the level of the King Lizard.

It is a faith based on Guest worship, serving **Komodo**.

Members come from various backgrounds and possess a strong sense of faith.

**Related beliefs:** [Guest Faith] [Snake Queen Faith] [Little Dragon Faith]

**Members:**
- First Disciple: [Atercopus lv29]
- Second Disciple: [Antlacormartus lv29]
- Third Disciple: [Dang So-young]
- Fourth Disciple: [Volphayton lv22]

__________________________

Though it was a shame I couldn’t check on Nephela, seeing that **Tus** and **Pus** were fine indicated that she was probably doing well.

Look at that, already at level 29…

Huh?

What’s with you guys?

When did your levels rise so much?

Did **Baek Yeon-young** feed you only good food?

Your levels were rising at an alarming rate.

No, it was a pace that couldn’t be explained by just good food.

It felt like there was something filled with poison.

Now that I think about it, the status window hadn’t sent me messages lately.

That might be evidence that **Tus** and **Pus** were highly focused.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s a cause for celebration that they have developed strong motivation.

When we meet again, will they have transformed into Arachne with a solid energy pouch?

Now that I’ve checked on the spiders, it’s time to do my own work.

Finding a unicorn was quite simple.

Unicorns like pure beings.

This means that simply walking around the habitat of the unicorn with a very pure **Komodo-Rania** should summon it.

…But it had no effect.

Is it because I’m a male?

Still, it’s too early to be discouraged.

I still have a trump card left tied to my tail.

Tied to my tail was a small vial, and inside it was the blood of the Snake Queen.

The Snake Queen is Shik Shik’s mother, but she didn’t give birth to her.

In other words, she can be considered a pure snake.

If I sprinkle the blood of a pure maiden, it will undoubtedly appear, captivated.

Swoosh!

I sprinkled the blood of the Snake Queen.

I could worry about what would happen if another beast caught wind of the scent, but who would dare rush over here after catching a whiff of the Snake Queen’s blood?

The only ones who wouldn’t flee from this smell would be unicorns, driven mad by the scent of a pure maiden.

**Thud thud!**

Dust rose from a distance.

As expected, the blood of the Snake Queen.

Its effect was astounding.

Just in case, I should pull back slightly.

The legendary spirit, the unicorn, was rushing toward me, driven mad.

My heart raced.

I was finally going to see it.

The horned horse.

**Swish!**

As the dust cleared, its figure was revealed.

【Elasmo Teryum LV40】

“Nooooo! My unicorn!”