**Five Days Until the Argen Tavis is Healed**

I have five days ahead of me.

Training.

And just training.

It’s the start of Gomodo's training.

**Training Day 1.**

“Geeeek!”

I unleashed a fierce breath and began my meditation.

I almost faced a horrifying sight.

Just thinking about that terrifying scene could drop my mental fortitude.

“Cough….”

As expected, it wasn’t an easy foe.

But the sword was already drawn.

Whether I was consumed by my spirit or gained realization, I had to slash something.

Again!

**Training Day 2.**

Kraaaak!

I saw it.

That large, red dragon, clad in garments of black and white, winking at me with one eye as it approached.

Almighty T-Rex, protect me with your eternal light.  
Almighty T-Rex, protect me with your eternal light.  
Almighty T-Rex, protect me…

Huff…  
Huff…

“Ggeek…”

I barely pulled myself together.

I wanted to run away.

I didn’t want to witness that sight again.

But I couldn’t.

Again.

**Training Day 3.**

I decided to ignore it.

The spirit was merely a manifestation of my mind.

If I didn’t pay it any mind, it had no reason to come out.

Of course, I could tell that this spirit was quite different from a typical one.

If I had only seen my spirit, I might have just accepted it, but I had seen the Snake Queen's spirit.

It seemed to lurk, waiting for the opportunity to invade my mind, but did it think I would lose?

I calmed my mind.

Clear as a mirror.

A clean mirror and still water.

It represented an unwavering heart.

Why am I training?

To gain realization.

Let’s remember what the Snake Queen’s master said.

I am the chief.

At least in my mind's eye.

I focused my spirit.

Ggegegek!

**Training Day 4.**

To be honest, I still didn’t understand.

How could I grasp what the Snake Queen herself didn’t comprehend?

So, I changed my thought process.

I could use martial arts because my master taught me.

Baek Yeon-Yeong. A human with power greater than any being I had encountered.

I recalled her teachings.

The phrases and secret techniques floating around were illusions, she said.

No, they probably did serve their purpose.

Just like Baek Yun spread the thirty-six swords of the world, it didn’t make sense to say they were mere illusions.

After all, Baek Yeon-Yeong was also searching for the phrases left behind by the Heavenly Demon.

Then why did she say such things?

Baek Yeon-Yeong had never read Guumjin-gyeong.

Still, she showed me what Guum Baekgol Jo was.

What she meant was that it’s not what you see, but how you accept it that matters.

Right.

What the Snake Queen’s master said and why she said it didn’t matter.

Even if it did, I couldn’t understand it now.

So, there was only one thing left.

To interpret those words subjectively.

Just as Baek Yeon-Yeong did, I would carve my own path.

**Training Day 5.**

Gaining realization was still tough.

If anyone could achieve realization in less than a week, all beings would hold their heads high claiming to be spirits.

But I wasn’t completely failing.

[「Reverse Energy LV1」 has leveled up.]  
[「Reverse Energy LV2」 has leveled up.]  
[「Reverse Energy LV3」 has leveled up.]  
[「Reverse Energy LV4」 has leveled up.]

**「Reverse Energy LV5」**

I raised the level of Reverse Energy to 5.

I struggled to circulate my energy and gain realization, resulting in this.

I had used Reverse Energy in almost every battle.

This meant my proficiency was overflowing.

Yet, the reason my level hadn’t risen was due to something other than proficiency.

As I worked to gain realization, it felt like the blocked channels in my body were cleared, and my Reverse Energy level surged.

The fact that my main technique, Reverse Energy, had leveled up was a very good sign.

Even when I copied skills using Reverse Energy, I had only brought them to level 1.

Now that my level had increased, the levels of the copied skills had risen too.

The efficiency of Reverse Energy had greatly improved.

For martial arts techniques like Reverse Energy Explosion or Guum Baekgol Jo, which don’t display a level, there might not be significant changes.

But the Gaegege Death Beam was definitely a skill with a level.

And that was my main technique.

With this much, I could deliver a fatal blow to the Bird King.

Of course, I didn’t achieve what I originally aimed for.

I raised the level of Reverse Energy, but I still had no idea what had happened during the battle with the Dilophosaurus.

In this time-pressured situation, it would be greedy to want to understand that too.

This was already a decent achievement.

You can’t expect to be full after the first bite.

And so, my training came to an end.

“Are you ready?”

The Snake Queen woke me.

I opened my eyes and replied.

“Ggek.”

It was time.

Even though I trained, I didn’t spend the entire day meditating.

Whenever the Snake Queen was at the temple, I spent time with her.

Not idly chatting, but engaging in sparring matches akin to real battles.

When she wasn’t around, I sought realization through meditation.

The Gomodo-Rania from five days ago and the Gomodo-Rania now were worlds apart.

It was like comparing the movie version of Mosasaurus to the actual Mosasaurus.

Imagine the shock of realizing that a creature that looked like it could swallow a Spinosaurus whole was only about 15 meters long.

It was on par with the shock of discovering that a Velociraptor was only 50 cm tall.

…In any case, it was a significant change.

Although the period was short, I had continuously sparred with the Snake Queen.

We stepped out of the temple together.

Like a ceremonial procession, numerous statues lined the way.

These were things that the Snake Queen and I had moved one by one last night.

Even though there was little time to train, I wondered why we had moved them.

I would replace that question by looking ahead.

“Everyone is gathered.”

Ten sharp-tailed dragon-like beasts.  
Dozens of massive snakes, including anacondas.  
There were also small yet venomous snakes present.  

This was the currently operational military force of the Snake Queen.

Of course, this was not the end.

“Hooh, quite an elaborate preparation you have here.”

A massive bird was admiring the statues.

It was the former Bird King, Argen Tavis.

He had recovered all his strength with the horn of the unicorn and was exuding even more power than when I last saw him.

He wasn’t alone either.

Numerous pterosaurs, including Pteranodon, were resting with their wings folded.

The ground forces mobilized by the Snake Queen.  
The aerial forces mobilized by Argen Tavis.  

A basilisk and Argen Tavis, both strong enough to be called divine beasts.  
And then, Gomodo-Rania.

This was a scale that truly fit the word “war.”

What kind of battles had I fought until now?  
One-on-one.  
Or a small number against many.  
That was the pattern.

But now, a battle of many against many was about to unfold.

Unless something extraordinary happened, this would be the final war of my lizard life.

What kind of wealth or glory would I seek to involve myself in such a large-scale conflict?

I would probably be searching for elixirs or inner pills, hanging out with spiders, and watching when I would turn back into a human.

This battle wouldn’t suit my temperament.

Yet, I had become overly entangled in this jungle.

It all began with Baek Yeon-Yeong’s words.  
I had come to find the hidden elixirs in the jungle.  
Then the Bird King ambushed me.  
I met Shweik.  
I obtained inner pills and elixirs and met the Snake Queen again.  
What should have been a relationship with no connection became overly sticky.

I was the companion of the Snake Queen and the son-in-law of the Small Dragon.  
And I could call Shweik a divine beast.

If they had an enemy, that enemy was also mine.

Now it was time to put an end to it.

Fog enveloped the entire form of the Snake Queen.

Returning from her human appearance to her true form,  
a giant basilisk raised its head and howled at the sky.

“Saaah!”

With her roar, the noisy jungle fell silent in an instant.

“Listen.”

Though in the form of a snake, she spoke human words.

Not every beast here could understand human language.  
But they would surely comprehend what her will was.

“You all know what my purpose is.”  
“Kraaw!”

The dragon-like beasts responded to her words.  
Judging by their presence around the temple, they seemed to have a pretty amicable relationship with the Snake Queen. Some actually believed in her faith.

“The Bird King, the Gae-chalko-atak. I aim to kill that beast.”  
“Grrr!”  
“Grrrooo!”  

The forces of the Snake Queen and Argen Tavis were not the

 only ones gathered.  
Numerous beasts had converged in this place, sensing an unusual flow.

“Staying in my territory means you know of that monster’s ugly side. Yes. He is an exceedingly cruel being. Most of us here likely have memories of losing something precious to him.”  
“Grah!”  
“Kyek…”  

The statues we moved overnight.  
The numerous troops.  
The giant lizard, rumored to be the companion of the queen.

The hearts of the beasts, once mere spectators, began to stir.

“My partner killed the Biikjo.”

As previously discussed, I lifted my head and maintained the most impressive expression I could muster.

I could feel everyone’s gaze focused on me.

I wanted to squirm and scream right away, but I had to hold it in.

“The strength of that beast has weakened. The chances of victory have already tipped in our favor.”  
“Grrrk!”  

The beasts began to think for themselves.  
Those who had been harmed by the Gae-chalko-atak started to gather behind the statues.

The beasts trembling in fear also congregated in one place.  
The beasts that had not been harmed or felt fear had no reason to join this battle.  
That would only mean shouldering unnecessary risks.

But what if the Snake Queen overwhelmingly wins this battle?  
Under the justification of having helped her, they could scoop up the leftovers.

“Gggeek!”  

All the beasts that had gathered joined the ranks.

The Snake Queen scanned the crowd.  
“An unprecedented battle. No, a war is about to begin.”  

The initial forces gathered in a significant number.  
“But that time will not be long.”  

The Snake Queen’s tail moved.  
In her tail, she gripped a beautiful great sword.  
“I swear in the name of the Snake Queen. Today, the Bird King will die.”  

The Snake Queen’s speech concluded.  
“Grrwooo!”  

The beasts cheered.  
“Honestly, even I feel elevated.”  

Argen Tavis wore a satisfied smile.  
“Grrrwooo!”  
“Kyek!”  
“Saah!”  

One by one, the beasts that could be called fierce roared loudly.  
Even I, a reptile, felt my heart race. How would the others feel?

“Grrr!”  
“Monogamous!”  

…It seemed like someone was visibly angry, probably in rage against the Bird King.

With countless forces gathered, we advanced toward the lair of the Gae-chalko-atak.  
The curtain was rising for war.