“Geh… gegek…”

A limp lizard lay sprawled on the ground.

After an intense training session with Baek Yeon-young, I was stretched out, utterly exhausted. Sure, it was a privilege to train with someone as skilled as her, but there’s a difference between training and… whatever that was. She’s undoubtedly a master, with no one yet able to rival her. But being a master doesn’t automatically mean being good at teaching.

I knew this better than anyone.

Back when I was weaker, she would moderate her strength, letting me train by just tossing me around. But now? I’d grown significantly, with dragon-like scales as proof of my resilience. In her eyes, I’d gone from “precious little pet” to “personal punching bag.”

Of course, she wasn’t just tormenting me for fun—there was wisdom in her brutal training.

“Your inner power may be at the pinnacle,” she observed, “but there’s still something missing.”

As expected, I’d finally reached the peak level, something I’d suspected since opening my middle dantian. It gave me a substantial boost in strength, and as I panted for breath, I listened carefully.

“Levels are not as cleanly divided as people think,” she explained. “Especially the way people refer to third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate martial artists. Those terms weren’t initially about levels. Yet nowadays, people even use bizarre terms like ‘seasoned third-rate’ or ‘beginner second-rate.’”

…Seasoned third-rate? I tried not to laugh.

Baek Yeon-young continued, “But the peak level does have distinct markers, such as the opening of the middle dantian and the ability to wield *ki blades*.”

…Ki blades!

It finally hit me what she was trying to teach me.

“If you concentrate your inner energy, you can infuse it into a weapon or even your fists,” she explained, picking up a branch from the ground.

A dark energy flowed over the branch, its surface now gleaming with a black aura.

“If it’s a blade, it’s a *sword ki*; if it’s a fist, it’s a *fist ki*,” she said calmly. Given her power, she could probably turn a whole tree into a giant sword aura if she wanted to, but this demonstration was about control.

“Just opening the middle dantian doesn’t suddenly make you much stronger,” she said, “unless, of course, you’re the type to consume rare elixirs and cores.”

“Gegek…”

I looked around guiltily. After all, my explosive growth had been thanks to the elixirs and cores from Cheonma Divine Cult and the Serpent Queen’s gifts. But most martial artists don’t experience such dramatic increases from just opening the middle dantian.

“But ki blades are different,” she said. “With them, you can cut through what’s otherwise uncuttable. That’s why the term ‘pinnacle’ is fitting.”

She demonstrated with a flick of her wrist.

*Crack!*

The branch, infused with ki, sliced a deep groove into the wall.

“This is sword ki.”

She’d just cleaved solid stone with a branch. While it was impressive, I knew Baek Yeon-young could do that even without ki. The only difference was that without the ki, the branch would have snapped.

“If you surround your entire body with ki, it becomes a shield,” she explained, her black aura spreading to cover her from head to toe, like an ethereal armor.

It was amazing—almost like armor itself.

Surrounding your whole body with ki was challenging, so most martial artists focused their ki on a weapon, making it easier and more efficient. It also explained why many top martial artists carry weapons.

But Baek Yeon-young didn’t wield any weapons, meaning she had transcended the limitations of most. Whether she chose to use a weapon or not, she was unparalleled.

“So, to use ki blades, a weapon is usually the first step,” she said.

That might explain why the Serpent Queen wielded a sword. Covering her massive body with ki would be far less efficient than focusing it on a blade.

Should I, too, use a sword? Perhaps bite onto a sword, like I did in my battle with Dilophosaurus?

“Hui, what are you worried about?”  
“Gegek?”  
“You already have ten swords.”

She gestured at my claws. Each hand bore five razor-sharp talons. If I could concentrate my ki into them, I could unleash techniques like *Dragon Claw Hand*, *Life-Death Seizing Claw*, *Nine Yin Bone Claw*, and *Gek Spirit Claw* with far more potency.

“Understood?”  
“Gegek!”

For once, Baek Yeon-young’s explanations were straightforward. I’d absorbed it all.

“Good. Are you ready?”

Of course, Master Baek.

…Wait, ready for what?

“Take your stance, Hui.”

---

“Ge-e-e-ek… gek gek…”

A lizard with a sorrowful look lay sprawled again.

After being thoroughly pummeled, I now served as Baek Yeon-young’s “sword.” My whole body was wrapped in ki, as I had become her makeshift weapon.

Fortunately, Baek Yeon-young seemed to hold an important role in the Cheonma Divine Cult and couldn’t spend every day training me, so the first session eventually ended.

Baek Yeon-young left the training room, but I remained, gnawing pathetically on a tasteless wall-stone, trying to hold back tears. It was in that moment that I heard the door creak open, followed by a familiar voice.

“Goodness, it’s so far down here.”

My disciple.

The pride of the Tang clan.

The kind-hearted Tang So-young.

“Gekgek!”

I scampered over to her in joy.

“Ack! Why are you so huge now?”

Oh, right—Tang So-young hadn’t seen my full-grown *Komodo-Rania* form.

“Kiii!”  
“Kiek!”

The spiders on her shoulder shrieked with excitement, their reactions as enthusiastic as mine.

“Calm down, everyone! You’ll all catch up to him in size eventually… or we could always work on one specific part…”  
*Thump!*

I gave her a playful smack on the head with my tail.

“Ouch! I was joking, I swear! Anyway, I brought this for you.” She gestured to a large box she was dragging.

“Master told me to bring you something delicious. I figured you must be sick of wall-stones by now.”

Master sent me food?

“Gek!”

“If I’d known you’d grown this big, I’d have brought more.”

Sweet, thoughtful So-young.

I patted her head with my tail as gently as I could.

“Hehe… Ack! Hey, no need to get so mad!” she cried as Tus and Pus began lightly smacking her back and forth with their front legs.

Leaving the four of them to work things out, I opened the box she’d brought. Inside was a beautifully prepared dish, resembling a hearty stew. Saliva pooled in my mouth.

I’d almost convinced myself that the bland taste of wall-stones was acceptable, but my carnivorous instincts had clearly missed real meat.

The only problem?

“Gek…”

My recent training with Baek Yeon-young had left me barely able to move. My front limbs and jaw felt heavy and unresponsive—no surprise, given how hard I’d strained them to use ki blades.

“…Huh? Hero Go, are you hurt?”  
“Kiiing!”  
“Kieeek!”

The Tang clan’s spider trio all looked at me with concern, while Tus and Pus raised their front legs, seemingly angry on my behalf.

“Gek…”

I let out a mournful cry, explaining that Baek Yeon-young had left me in this state.

Immediately, Tus and Pus, who had been upset, sat back down with no further complaints.

…Traitors.

“Kieee!”

Nephila Jurassic approached and nudged my paw gently, as if chiding me, though it was likely just my imagination.

“So that’s why she sent me down here… Well, no choice then. I’ll have to feed you myself!”

Tang So-young, you truly are a treasure.

Not because you brought me food, but… okay, maybe a little because of that.

Tang So-young and the spiders sat beside me, tearing pieces of meat and feeding me one bite at a time.

*Gulp.*

Ah, this was food.

The taste was exquisite. Even my inner gourmand was fully satisfied.

As I savored the meat in this reprieve from harsh training, I noticed something odd about Pus.

“Gek?”

She looked slimmer. Her usually plump abdomen seemed smaller.

“Gekgek?”

I gestured with my tail, signaling to Tang So-young and asking what had happened.

“Oh, that… We needed some spider silk.”  
“Kiiing!”

Pus nodded in agreement.

Spider silk? Come to think of it, Nephila’s abdomen also seemed slightly smaller. They must have willingly provided it, given their calm demeanor, but why did they need silk?

“They’re using it to make clothes.”  
Clothes?

Their silk was certainly high-quality, being strong as steel and smooth as silk.

But why make clothes all of a sudden?

“Oh, don’t play dumb. You know—the black and white ones that blend so perfectly.”

Wait… what was she talking about?

“Méièrhòu?” (*魅二头*, a two-headed mythical beast in legend)

Something was going horribly wrong.

“They’ve been calling it that because it

’s a beautiful outfit in black and white, with a veil over the head.”

When did I ever mention that outfit to anyone? I’d shown it once to the Serpent Queen in my mental vision, but…

“I figured you could have just asked me directly! But fine, I put in a good word for you.”

One who knew everything about me… right here.

“Oh, the red dragon and the one with the long claws were amazing… Huh? Hero Go, why is your face looking so sharp?”

In one swift movement, I wrapped Tang So-young in my tail and lifted her off the ground.

“Ack! I get it! I’ll keep my mouth shut!”

Too late!

What on earth had she been telling people?

And why were they even making that absurd outfit?

Was this weird trend about to sweep through the martial arts world?

“Um… my master asked for something tailored to your size, so…”  

I gently set her down.

Grinning.

You should’ve started with that.

“Gekgek.”  
“Why do you look so smug?”

If a human was going to wear it, I’d happily let it slide.

“Anyway, don’t worry. I told them everything I remembered!”  

I had some reservations, but if it was for Master, I could live with it.

As long as it was a human wearing it.

“Although I still don’t understand why we’re making clothes for a… rather chunky lizard?”

…It’s for a human, right?