Twenty-four legs ruthlessly ravaged my body.

“Gegeck… Gegeck!”

I was entangled in spider silk.

Only then did I realize the meaning of that statue.

That was a rehearsal.

A grand strategy to welcome the returning Gomodo.

“Gegegeck!”

I am the divine beast, and you are the divine beings.

I let out the majestic cry of a divine beast, but they didn’t even pretend to listen.

I pushed with all my strength, but they took what they wanted.

Tus took my tail.

Pus took my hand and put it on her butt.

And Nephila… 

“Gegegeck!”

It tickles!

Nephila Jurashica continued to push through my defenses without tiring.

“Keyeek!”

The majesty of the divine beast had long disappeared.

The divine maiden was leading the shameless actions.

Who would think of me as a divine beast?

I was just a little lizard.

Just a small lizard being ravaged by spiders.

“Gegegeck!”

I cried out in an attempt to lower the spiders’ attack power by one rank, but the effect was minimal.

Is there no one to save me?

In this state, I’m at the mercy of the spiders…

“Stop it.”

“Geck!”

It felt like my faith in Baek Yeon-young was surging.

With just one word from Baek Yeon-young, the spiders began to retreat politely.

Tus bit through the web, and Pus helped me up.

“Keyeeng.”

Nephila bowed politely to Baek Yeon-young.

…Was it just my imagination that it reminded me of a daughter-in-law looking at her mother-in-law?

You’re not this well-behaved.

And why did Baek Yeon-young only speak now?

If it hadn’t been for her, I would have been eaten in many ways.

“That fellow should have come to his senses by now.”

What does that mean?

What did I do wrong?

“Geek…”

I made a displeased sound.

“It seems you still haven’t come to your senses. Then…”

“Gegegeck! Gegeck!”

Cancel, cancel!

I’m awake now.

Baek Yeon-young lightly nodded, and the spiders maintained their polite demeanor as they withdrew.

“Gegegeck…”

It’s frustrating.

If only my body was intact, I wouldn’t have to suffer such humiliation.

I need to return to my original body as soon as possible.

To do that, I need the help of the skilled healer, Dang So-young.

“Get up.”

And Dang So-young is over there on that bed…

“Ugh…”

I tightly closed my eyes.

Because I saw what Dang So-young had done.

If I dared to predict, it seemed Dang So-young wouldn’t be able to return to Dangata even after Nephila’s treatment was over.

She would either work here for the rest of her life or be buried quietly in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

…So, she should have been a little more careful.

*

“Ugh… Oh, Great Master…. The poison pouch…”

Dang So-young was tossing and turning on the bed, mumbling in her sleep.

She had only just fallen asleep due to the noise of the spiders chattering at night.

In fact, it was partly because she had joined in their gossip.

Though they didn’t speak the same language, their intentions were understood.

Moreover, these increasingly intelligent spiders communicated by drawing pictures with their webs.

As she slept, Dang So-young began to smell a familiar scent.

It was a scent that reminded her of something.

The smell of the marshlands.

Heavy and thick.

She decided to get up to find the source of that smell but chose to go back to sleep.

It was hard to shake off the tiredness.

Furthermore, being able to eat delicious food and snuggle up warmly made it even harder for Dang So-young to resist.

“…Get up.”

“Ugh…”

Someone was waking her up.

Thinking that the spiders were waking her up to torment her, Dang So-young flailed her hands about.

“What are you doing?”

“Just a little longer…”

I’m getting up, but I want to sleep a bit more.

With that thought in mind, Dang So-young continued to wave her hands, and something soft caught her grasp.

Squishy.

Soft.

It felt nice.

It was something that didn’t seem to belong to her.

“I was wondering who she resembled.”

Hee.

It was a nostalgic name.

The name of the black lizard that Dang So-young called Great Master.

At the same time, a question arose.

No matter how much it was her, she couldn’t hear the spiders’ voices.

So what on earth was that sound she just heard?

Besides, the texture she was touching could never have come from a spider.

Dang So-young gently opened her eyes.

What she saw was the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

“Kyah!”

Dang So-young jumped in surprise.

“That, that’s not it…”

Baek Yeon-young remained silent, but Dang So-young started to stammer excuses.

“I-I am guilty of death…!”

“It’s fine. If you’re tired, you can sleep.”

Dang So-young was touched by the generous heart that was as vast as a mana pocket.

Having spent enough time here, she realized that the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult wasn’t as scary as she thought.

But still, she couldn’t shake off the fear engraved in her body. 

Moreover, even if Baek Yeon-young wasn’t affiliated with the Heavenly Demon Cult, touching someone’s chest, especially that of a master, was a huge breach of etiquette. It was a situation where it would be understandable to receive any punishment.

Dang So-young trembled as she answered.

“T-Thank you…”

Just when she thought it would pass, the lizard that had climbed onto Baek Yeon-young's shoulder glared at Dang So-young with its triangular face.

Slap!

Though Baek Yeon-young forgave her, the lizard seemed to hold a grudge, flicking Dang So-young's wrist with its tail.

“Ugh? W-What is this little…?”

Baek Yeon-young smiled slightly at the lizard.

“Take a look at its condition.”

Only then did Dang So-young realize why Baek Yeon-young had come to find her.

That lizard wasn’t an ordinary lizard.

It must be in some trouble.

Even though she was a food guest, Baek Yeon-young was telling her, who could act as a healer, to take care of it.

“Yes, yes!”

Dang So-young moved busily.

Baek Yeon-young watched her with a blank expression, then set the lizard down on the floor.

“I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Yes! Please take care!”

With a voice firmly disciplined, Dang So-young answered and bowed her head until it touched her knees.

Baek Yeon-young couldn’t fully understand the meaning of that action, but she thought it was just a formality.

Thus, Baek Yeon-young left the building.

Dang So-young’s busy movements came to a halt.

“Ugh… Was it a dream…?”

As soon as she disappeared, Dang So-young jumped back onto the bed.

Considering she was still alive after acting like that toward the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, it must have surely been a dream.

Therefore, she stretched out on the bed to catch up on her insufficient sleep.

But there was one being confirming all this was reality.

“Geck geck.”

It was the black lizard that was croaking.

“…That’s right.”

Only then did Dang So-young remember her duty.

Surprisingly, what she had done was indeed reality, and Baek Yeon-young had generously overlooked it.

So what should she do?

Her only course of action was to do her best in the task she was entrusted with.

Dang So-young reached out to the black lizard.

It was a lizard she had never seen before, but it felt familiar.

“Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”

As she felt a spirit-like aura, she chose to slowly get closer to the lizard.

“Gegeck.”

Understanding her intention, the lizard climbed up her hand obediently.

“Hehe. You look so cute.”

It was always a pleasure to observe spirits.

Moreover, seeing such a cute spirit was something that could never get old.

Dang So-young examined the black lizard.

Its scales were firm, but its belly was soft and incredibly addictive.

Moreover, the way its tiny feet wiggled was delightful.

It was clear that its character was quite gentle, as it didn’t bite no matter how much she touched it.

“If only the lizard I knew was this well-behaved…”

For some reason, Gomodo didn’t seem to like being held.

One of Dang So-young’s wishes was to touch that Gomodo freely.

“Geck geck.”

The lizard's face began to elongate.

“…Huh?”

Dang So-young observed the black lizard once again.

It felt somehow familiar.

With sorrowful blue eyes.

A handsome face that suited a lizard.

Dragon-like scales.

It was a face she recognized.

“…G-Great Master?”

“Gegeck!”

“Kyah!”

Dang So-young dropped the lizard she was holding.

Gomodo landed naturally on the ground.

“Is that really you, Great Master?”

“Gegegeck!”

It’s certain.

The lizard that makes that sound can only be Gomodo,

 as far as Dang So-young knew.

“Why have you gotten so small?”

The Gomodo she remembered was so huge that it could carry her around.

But now, what’s the deal?

Isn’t it about the same size as the shedding on the spiders’ altar?

“Oh my, that shed was really the Great Master’s shed…”

“Geck geck.”

The black lizard seemed to urge her to get on with her tasks.

The small size was probably a temporary phenomenon.

That’s why it had asked her to take a look.

In other words, she wouldn’t have the chance to see such a tiny Gomodo again if she didn’t act now.

Dang So-young’s sharp mind began to race.

“…Geck?”

Gomodo stretched out its arms and went on guard.

Dang So-young’s expression was unusual.

It was the kind of expression a cat makes before playing a prank.

Moreover, she waved her hands mischievously.

Gomodo realized Dang So-young's intention.

She intended to touch him all over in his shrunken form.

“Come here!”

Nothing strayed from her expectations.

Dang So-young thought she could handle Gomodo as he was now.

She would satisfy her desires while also collecting scales that she could fall into.

Ambition colored her face.

But there was one misconception Dang So-young had.

Paat!

“Huh? Where are you going…?”

The black lizard was the heir of the little dragon.

Patbat!

“Kyah, kyah!”

Even with its small body, it had the strength to take down a considerable beast.

“G-Great Master!”

Gomodo-Rania.

“Just kidding!”

Little Dragon Rising Kick.

“Kyah! Why… even though you’ve gotten smaller…!”

Swaak!

“It feels like… there’s emotion in that tail…”

The frustration from being attacked by the spiders gathered in Gomodo’s long tail.

Gomodo’s tail aimed at Dang So-young, filled with ambition.

Bang!

Thus, Dang So-young's small rebellion filled with ambition came to an end.