A lizard like me, caught in enchantment?

Baekrang. Truly a formidable spirit beast.

It seems his friendship with the Snake Queen is no coincidence — his central energy core is no joke.

Honestly, I had some worries about heading toward the Dragon Gate. It wasn’t like I’d be going to the Snake Queen’s temple, Baek Yeon-Yeong’s Heavenly Demon Cult, or the spiders' swamp.

That meant I’d be without the presence of something massive and calming for a while.

I’d briefly considered abducting Dang So-Young to have some company, but it probably wouldn’t have been much help.

…

What on earth am I thinking?

“Gekk!”

As the divine beast Gomodoroania, such thoughts are unbecoming.

Get a grip.

I’m six months old — not exactly a child anymore.

…Or, maybe I’m young enough for it to make sense?

It would actually be strange not to like it at my age.

So, my behavior is perfectly normal, then.

Of course, a regular lizard wouldn’t be interested in such things at all.

That I am shows I don’t have a lizard’s mind but a human’s.

“Gek-gekk.”

Thinking this way puts me at ease.

Sometimes, I get so lost in thought I’m barely in control, but that’s probably just my remaining humanity surfacing.

As long as that part of me exists, I can hold onto my human heart.

If, one day, I ever find myself losing my identity, I’ll just remind myself of that feeling.

If I still feel it, I have my human heart. If not, things have really gotten serious.

I’ll handle it before it’s too late.

“…You’re definitely not a lizard. No lizard would make such a sinister face.”

“Gek-gekk.”

It’s because I’m a lizard with a human mind.

Being surrounded by fluffy mammals feels surprisingly comfortable.

It’s a bit cold here, but thanks to their body heat, I stay warm.

Plus, Baekrang’s tail is a special treat.

She does get mad if I touch it too much, but since she’s already let me lay on her thigh, what’s stopping me?

---

I spent some time living with the wolf pack.

While I was gathering materials on my own, I’d bring the wolves any leftovers from my hunts.

Including Baekrang, there were eight wolves in total, so they gratefully accepted any meat I tossed their way.

Though Baekrang and the pack were strong, the other creatures in the area were no less powerful.

Catching prey large enough to feed all eight of them was even more challenging.

Meanwhile, I had an advantage in one-on-one encounters.

With a swift approach using the Dragon Ascension Step and a snap of the prey’s neck, the hunt would end just like that.

As they say, size has its own strength.

“You’re quite the hunter.”

Baekrang admired the huge deer I’d brought, as the wolves wagged their tails around me.

“Awooo…”

They started devouring the meat, ravenous.

Baekrang watched the pack eat their fill, then started taking small bites herself.

“…Aren’t you going to eat, lizard?”

She asked, as if it had just occurred to her.

“Gekk.”

Watching you all eat fills me up just fine.

That’s what I conveyed with my sounds.

In truth, I’d snacked quite a bit along the way and was already full.

If I joined in with the wolves all piling on the meat, it would get chaotic.

With my size, some of the wolves wouldn’t get a bite.

So, I chose to eat separately.

“Hmph…”

Baekrang let out a slight snort, her tail wagging once.

She must be pleased to have a free meat dispenser.

I had gathered nearly all the ingredients Baekrang mentioned.

The only materials left were those I’d need to collect upon reaching the volcano.

After leaving enough food in the cave to feed the wolves for a while, I set out with Baekrang.

Sadly, she was in wolf form, not human.

“You seem disappointed.”

“Gek-gekk.”

“…Like I said before, I have no interest in scales, okay? Don’t think you can charm me.”

Baekrang held an odd misconception.

Sure, I pet the wolves often and sometimes admired Baekrang’s fur, but it wasn’t like that.

I was just drawn to the fur in front of me.

“Gek.”

And it’s not like she didn’t touch me.

She often kept me close, waving her tail and occasionally in human form to hold me.

“You’ve seen it while coming and going, but the beasts here are different.”

Baekrang explained as we walked toward the Dragon Gate.

She was right.

The beasts in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains were generally smarter than normal beasts.

The spiders were that way, and many others I’d encountered had shown similar intelligence.

However, the creatures near the Dragon Gate were different.

Their intelligence was several levels below what I was used to.

“They’re beasts who have been intoxicated by the power of the Dragon Gate, losing their minds. Their intelligence is low, but in exchange, their strength has increased. They’re larger than beasts outside, too.”

They lack intelligence, but their combat power has vastly improved.

I sometimes encountered creatures double the size the status window indicated.

“It’s fine if they’re just swinging their strength wildly. Most of the ones you encounter will be like that. But if you come across one that has refined that strength and can use inner energy and martial arts, it’s a different story.”

Inner energy and martial arts.

All strong beasts can use inner energy, and some even mimic human martial arts.

Even the Deinonychus in the swamp used formation techniques, so it’s no surprise that a beast at the Dragon Gate could use something similar.

“As you approach the Dragon Gate, you’ll encounter stronger ones. Some naturally use martial arts. Guardian-level creatures certainly do, and some of the beasts influenced by them can use martial arts as well.”

But I’m not too worried.

Even if they try to use martial arts, how skilled could they really be?

I’m Baek Yeon-Yeong’s disciple.

There’s no way they’re better than me.

“The one we’re hunting also uses martial arts.”

“Gek-gekk.”

As we kept walking, the landscape changed.

The temperature rose steadily, and the plants and trees became sparse.

“This is the Dragon Gate you’ll be ascending — the volcano.”

A towering mountain loomed before us.

Lava flowed in parts, and ash fell from above.

Near the entrance, mindless beasts were fighting each other.

Crunch.

The ground beneath Baekrang’s paw froze slightly.

“We’ll need to go a bit further up. That creature isn’t usually down here…”

Baekrang trailed off.

“Duck!”

Suddenly, Baekrang tried to push my head down.

She looked alarmed, so I obeyed without question.

“It seems we won’t need to go any further up.”

Hidden behind a rock, I understood what she meant.

“He usually stays at the mountain’s midpoint. Why is he down here?”

A massive, red-skinned dinosaur appeared amidst the furred beasts fighting to the death.

Boom!

Boom!

Its heavy steps echoed as it approached.

“Kraaaah!”

【Magnosaurus Lv65】

This was my target for today.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a dinosaur.

Then again, it makes sense for creatures aspiring to become dragons to gather around the Dragon Gate.

You could say dinosaurs are part of our family.

---

【Magnosaurus】

It’s a medium-sized theropod with a body length of around 5 meters and a weight of 6-700 kg. Its name means “giant lizard,” similar in meaning to Megalosaurus.

---

The “Magno” part of Magnosaurus might sound like magma, but it’s unrelated.

It simply means “large.”

While it has a name similar to Megalosaurus, it’s definitely smaller.

At least, that’s what I thought, but this creature was different.

Its size alone was double what the status window indicated.

It was about my size, maybe even a bit larger.

Its skin was a striking red, and flames erupted from parts of its body.

Does it stay in the volcano because of its abilities, or did it gain those abilities by living here?

It didn’t matter.

What mattered was that I had to hunt it.

“Hunting it won’t be easy. It has basic fire-manipulation abilities.”

I can’t let my guard down just because its level isn’t high.

65 isn’t exactly low, and it’s clear this isn’t an ordinary dinosaur with flames erupting from its body.

Its power has likely doubled from the Dragon Gate’s influence.

“The 24-Step Plum Blossom Sword Technique. It’s a fearsome attack. Knowing about it won’t help you avoid it.”

“Gekk.”

True enough.

The volcano’s Plum Blossom Sword Technique…

“Gek?”

Wait, what are you talking about?

I looked over at Baekrang.

She seemed serious, so it didn’t look like she was joking.

The 24-Step Plum Blossom Sword Technique — what?

There were too many questions here.

First of all, that thing is a dinosaur.

A dinosaur with sword techniques…

I suppose it could use them.

Its tail has some sharp edges, after all.

But the Plum Blossom Sword Technique? That’s a Huashan Sect martial art.

Sure, this is a volcano, but not that volcano.

Even if I could imagine the Huashan Sect settled on some volcano with flowing lava, this is the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

Who would establish a sect right next to the Demon Sect’s base?

The Huashan Sect is on Huashan (華山), not a literal volcano

.

So how does Baekrang know the name Plum Blossom Sword Technique so well?

The only plausible explanation is that a member of the real Huashan Sect once taught martial arts to these spirit beasts.

Whoever that eccentric was, it seems to be the most reasonable guess.

“Dodging the Plum Blossom Sword Technique won’t be enough. A Thousand Blossoms Fire Rain will follow.”

Kraaaah!

I guess I can understand a dinosaur on a volcano in the Demon Sect’s Ten Thousand Great Mountains using the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

It’s not impossible.

After all, I learned martial arts from Baek Yeon-Yeong, so it’s conceivable that a spirit beast received training from Huashan.

But the Thousand Blossoms Fire Rain?

“Grrrr…”

I can’t let this go.

I’m starting to understand Dang So-Young’s frustration.

This is not Huashan!

The Thousand Blossoms Fire Rain is a technique of the Beggars’ Sect, borrowed by the Tang Clan.

Now I have one more reason to hunt this creature.

“Hmm, still, he’s not supposed to come down from the mountain. We should wait and see… Hey, where are you going!”

I need to deal with this before it contaminates my mind.

“Gek-gekk!”