Gachal Goatal’s memories flashed by in an instant.

Usually, the final moments allow a person time to reflect, don’t they?

But the creature before him allowed him not even a fleeting instant for that.

He couldn’t even recall the cherished memories he’d had with the Snake Queen.

The only thing left in his mind was a recent encounter.

He had met a human.

A man from the Namgung family.

---

"Did you say you’re looking for a spirit friendly toward humans?"  
"Yes, that's correct."

A human who had ventured into the Ten Thousand Peaks.

He wasn’t particularly shabby, nor did he look impressive.

He appeared to be an average human—someone you’d find anywhere.

The aura of inner strength he exuded, at best, didn’t surpass the peak level.

His eyes were so small it was hard to tell whether they were open or closed, reinforcing his image as an unremarkable human.

But something felt off.

He couldn’t explain it, yet there was a certain abnormality about him.

The face was unfamiliar, but there was a sense of familiarity about him.

Perhaps it was just his imagination.

Still, it couldn’t hurt to talk.

If the human was hiding something sinister, he could always turn him into a meal.

Surprisingly, their conversation flowed smoothly, and eventually, Gachal Goatal gained information about spirits friendly to humans.

Friendly to humans, he thought, with a twisted smile.

"A friendly spirit is right here, don’t you think? The King of Birds is friendly to humans."

His counterpart was a member of the Namgung family.

Though Gachal Goatal didn’t know much about the Central Plains, his master had mentioned the outside world a few times.

The Namgung family name held value.

Gachal Goatal’s ambition extended beyond merely conquering this jungle.

He intended to take the Snake Queen, seize control of the entire mountain range, and then set his sights on the vast Central Plains.

"A good joke. You’ve got plenty of followers already."

Using this human—that was Gachal Goatal's plan.

Hypnotizing him would be ideal, but it wasn’t easy to hypnotize a human.

And if he tried to hypnotize someone hiding something unknown, there was a risk of backlash.

The man before him wasn’t intimidated in the slightest and seemed intent on negotiating.

Such confidence suggested he had something solid backing him.

"Heh. Bold human. I’ll take a look, though I doubt there are many spirits friendly to humans."  
"That’s alright. We just need to narrow it down gradually."  
"Fine. There’s the unicorn. If one could be considered friendly, it would be that creature… though capturing it would be no easy feat."

The unicorn.

Gachal Goatal himself had tried several times to catch it.

But he couldn’t even observe it, much less capture it.

"The unicorn, you say. It’s interesting, but it’s not the one."  
"Not the one?"  
"The one I seek is a creature that can come closest to being a dragon."

The King of Birds’ brows twitched.

A dragon.

The mythical beast revered by all creatures in this jungle.

Of course, there were many creatures here that could be called draconic in appearance.

But they only resembled dragons; they could not truly be called dragons.

"Closer to a dragon? Are you saying that in front of the King of Birds?"

A low rumble echoed.

The King of Birds didn’t hide his displeasure.

He was the one closest to a dragon.

After him, there was only the Snake Queen.

Who dared surpass him?

"Calm yourself. I’m not insulting you. This is the prophecy."  
"Prophecy?"

An intriguing word.

"Yes. The prophecy states that a powerful, mystic creature will be born in the Ten Thousand Peaks."

A mystic and powerful creature.

The King of Birds laughed heartily at that.

"Haha! That must be referring to me!"

He was closest to a dragon, so naturally, the prophecy referred to him.

"Perhaps so, but there could be more than one creature in the prophecy."  
"Oh, so you’re looking for another one?"

Gachal Goatal’s mind raced.

Another spirit that could become a dragon.

If what this man said was true, it was like acquiring a precious treasure.

"So you’re telling me to capture it. That may be difficult."  
"It doesn’t need to be captured."  
"Can I kill it, then? If so, there’s no need to bother capturing it."  
"That’s fine. If it dies, it simply means it was only that powerful. In that case, you would indeed be the one the prophecy spoke of."

Gachal Goatal flared his wings.

There was no harm in this arrangement.

If he did encounter a creature close to a dragon, he could simply kill it and consume it whole.

Even the Namgung man would acknowledge that Gachal Goatal was the true creature of prophecy.

The man could be spouting nonsense.

After all, prophecies were often interpreted however the listener wanted.

But that was fine.

Even pretending to search would be enough to exploit the man.

And if no creature appeared, that would only prove he was the prophesied being.

A spirit friendly to humans.

A creature closest to a dragon.

A spark of genuine curiosity flared within him.

If there truly was a creature closest to a dragon, he’d know it the moment he saw it.

And if he killed it, he might reach the power of a dragon himself.

He accepted the man’s deal.

In exchange, he gained information—details about the world even his long-lived self hadn’t known.

Using that knowledge, he crafted a plan to subdue the Snake Queen completely while waiting for the creature closest to a dragon to appear.

But he had gained little.

The most he’d found was a lizard with dragon scales, which were as common as weeds here.

Nothing remotely threatening.

The King of Birds settled into his nest to conserve energy.

Having gained what he wanted from the man, there was no need to continue the search actively.

Unless the creature appeared before him, he wouldn’t waste any more thought on it.

That was Gachal Goatal's reasoning.

---

Tasei had gone out of control, and he hadn’t even managed to kill a single lizard.

As his final flame of life flickered, he saw it.

The lizard he had tried to kill, crawling into the embrace of a human.

What a ridiculous sight.

Lizards don’t drink milk.

Yet even in an unconscious state, it sought out such closeness.

Only then did he understand.

What it meant for a spirit to be close to humans, and what it meant for a creature to be closest to a dragon.

In that fleeting moment, Gachal Goatal recognized the source of the power.

The truth he had tried so hard to deny.

He was not a dragon.

The dragon was that dark-scaled lizard.

The pitiful lizard nestled against a human’s chest was the one closest to a dragon.

It was absurd, yet he couldn’t do anything about it.

If he had killed the lizard when they first met, would things have turned out differently?

If he hadn’t left it to his subordinates but had taken action himself, would the result have changed?

Though it had come before him many times, Gachal Goatal had missed every opportunity.

The King of Birds, who regretted to the very end, closed his eyes forever.

---

I couldn’t open my eyes.

All I could do was search for the most comfortable spot I could find.

“…Do you like it that much?”

Soft.

Cushiony.

I found the perfect position.

One hand held something soft, while the other clutched something plush.

Squishy.

It felt great.

It was like slipping under a warm blanket preheated by an electric mat on a winter’s night.

My body and mind relaxed.

No matter how much I moved, everything just jiggled without resistance.

"Gehk."

Whenever I nibbled, something squished between my teeth.

This was nice. Very nice.

But there was one drawback.

It was a bit too warm.

Not that I disliked it, but maybe I should go out for a breath of fresh air.

I wobbled and exited the cozy space.

Before I could go back, I found another equally alluring spot.

“Heheh, I knew you’d like it.”

Slip.

This place was wonderful too.

Soft.

Smooth.

The only difference was that it was cool to the touch.

Perfect for cooling my heated body.

I licked and rolled around, drooling on it, before moving out again.

Something else was calling me.

It wasn’t too big.

If what I’d been on before was a bed, this was like a pillow.

"Chirp…."

It was like a luxurious down pillow.

Soft, warm, and with a gentle breeze flapping from the wings, keeping the temperature just right.

And it tasted good too.

Not bad at all.

Shrrp.

I left the pillow behind.

There were plenty of beds and pillows waiting for me.

I should try them all, one by one.

Slip.

"Shush-shush…."

A sleek, silky sensation wrapped around my entire body.

This wasn’t a bed or a pillow.

Right.

This was a blanket.

It felt similar to the second bed, but cooler.

Though I didn’t sense anything large, the texture didn’t lose out in the least.

It even felt as if a damp, slick sensation was stroking me.

Somehow, it felt like my body was recovering.

But there was one critical flaw—it was a bit hard to breathe.

For now, I’d leave it and try the next one.

Thunk.

Oh.

I liked this one.

I could call this one my bamboo wife.

It was roughly my size and pleasantly cool.

The smooth

 texture was quite appealing too.

It even had a massage feature, gently kneading my head….

"Gehhh…"

A familiar sound reached my ears.

When I opened my eyes slightly, a triangular face was glaring at me.

"Gek-gekkkk!"

…It was Old Man Kompy.

"Gehhh!"

Oh, geez. That startled me.

What was he doing here?

The elder glared at me as if he wouldn’t forgive me.

…

Did I just hug him?

Then, what about the beds, the pillows, the blankets?

"Shush-shush…."

There was Hissy, flicking her tongue.

"Chirp!"

And Chirpy, flapping his wings.

Both looked damp, covered in what seemed like someone’s drool.

…

Was it me?

Had I been cuddling them all along?

Then the bed?

"My dear, have you come to your senses?"

The Snake Queen, with a slight smile.

Her attire was as striking as ever, though I was now somewhat accustomed to it.

The problem lay with the blue-eyed woman sitting beside her.

My master, Baek Yeon-Yeong.

Her appearance was different from usual—somehow more… intense.

Her disheveled appearance.

Drool-covered all over, and her clothes were loosened.

…

"You’ve left your clothes all untied. I don’t understand your intentions… And why are you covered in drool?"

…Was that me?

"Whenever I tried to fix you, you’d bite my fingers like mad."

I don’t remember any of this.

"It seems I’ll need to teach you the basics all over again."

This is so unfair.

“Huiya, are you prepared?”

They say medicines await a lizard’s spirit in the afterlife.

I sincerely hope that story is true….

"Ge-ge-gekk!"