“Some… hehehe... concubines... hehehe...”

I moved closer to the nest, leaving behind the strange cries of the *Igaksu*.

Having them as allies was reassuring, but sometimes those giant creatures with two horns on their heads made me feel uneasy.

They weren’t enemies, but it felt like they were looking at me with some strange kind of gaze.

They weren’t dangerous, but paradoxically, they made me feel endlessly threatened.

“Gekgek.”

Their reward for bringing back an *Igaksu* was agreed upon, so I should be fine for now.

“Really impressive. The architecture here doesn’t seem inferior to the ones we saw at the Heavenly Demon Cult. How did they make this?” 

That’s true.

It seems like they have architectural skills beyond humans.

Honestly, I thought they’d be good at construction.

Each *Igaksu* could probably exert more strength than heavy machinery.

I was confident they’d be able to handle the foundation work, and I planned to finish it together once I returned.

But it was a pleasant surprise.

Not only did they take care of the foundation, but they completed everything from start to finish.

Of course, because of the *Igaksu*’s physical characteristics, delicate work would’ve been difficult for them.

But it didn’t matter. We didn’t need delicate work where large spiritual creatures like the *Red Dragon* or I would live.

Just a little attention was needed for those like the *Red Dragon* or *Baek Rang* who could transform into human form.

The materials, I assumed, were from the plants I grew with my powers and the gold or other precious metals the *Red Dragon* brought.

The vines were tough, and the wood was solid.

Moreover, the plants I created with my abilities had strong fire resistance, capable of enduring the *Red Dragon’s* flames.

Of course, if the *Red Dragon* really went all out and tried to burn it, everything would eventually burn, but the *Red Dragon* wasn’t likely to burn its own nest.

Although it might accidentally breathe fire in its sleep, it wouldn’t be anything we couldn’t defend against.

“Kioong!”

“Kieek!”

*Tus* and *Pus*.

Nephila also looked up from the nest, inspecting it as if she were contemplating where to spin her webs.

She seemed to be itching to do it.

Well, it wasn’t like she could freely spin webs in the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Her body must have been itching for it.

...Should I pull out some webs for her?

“Chioong…”

As if reading my thoughts, *Pus* crawled over to me.

She subtly touched me with her spinning appendage.

Fine, I’m in the mood.

*Slap!*

“Keeng!”

*Pus* shuddered as her short arms trembled.

“Keeek…”

*Tus* clicked her teeth together, looking enviously at *Pus*.

Crunch.

Nephila suddenly grabbed my arm tightly.

...Is she asking for the same?

“I-I can’t believe you’re doing this in broad daylight...!”

Tang So-Yeong screamed with her eyes closed.

What’s going on here?

I’m just tapping her bottom to pull out some webs.

“Y-You beast! Ah, I mean, you *are* a beast…”

*Slash!*

“KYAAA!”

Nephila lightly smacked her.

Just as she was about to lightly tap her bottom…

“Aww?”

I noticed a familiar gray furry ball running toward us.

A cute little puppy, tail wagging and crouching low.

It was *Chillang*.

“Awung!”

Scales are nice, but fur’s not bad either.

That fluffy body, I could—

“Kioong!”

“Kieek!”

Yeah.

You guys are fluffy, too.

I petted *Chillang* as it came closer to me.

“Fuh-huh.”

Nephila seemed to like *Chillang* too, lightly brushing her fingers against it.

“Heh heh heh…”

*Chillang* stuck out its tongue and panted, clearly enjoying Nephila’s touch.

Spiders and snakes usually don’t get along well, but wolves are different.

Although *Chillang* was just a naive little wolf pup, it still responded warmly. It’s a good sign.

If we had started off on bad terms, we’d have to force a drinking party.

Then I’d fall asleep, and somehow the next day, I wouldn’t be able to put any strength into my body.

Their skin would get plump, and I’d get thin.

Just thinking about it makes me shiver.

“Hah, what’s this? How cute is this little creature?”

Tang So-Yeong found *Chillang* adorable.

Although *Chillang* was positioned as a cute one, it wasn’t that small.

The breed itself was a direwolf, and it was bigger than a normal adult wolf, so I thought she might be scared.

“Wow, it’s so big that it’s even cuter!”

She knows how to speak those words, huh?

*Chillang*’s cuteness wasn’t going anywhere.

Looking at just *Chillang*, I wonder what her reaction would be if she saw seven wolves rolling around like cotton candy.

“C-Come here!”

Tang So-Yeong made suspicious gestures, trying to touch *Chillang*.

“Awung?”

*Chillang* peeked out, probably wondering what was going on.

I understand.

I get how hard it must be to resist petting that fluffy fur.

“Heh heh… Look at you being still. So smooth... Hmm?”

But Tang So-Yeong’s hand never reached *Chillang*’s fur.

Instead, her hand brushed against my tail.

“Ugh, what’s this? Why are you suddenly sticking out your tail? Wait, this *is* a tail, right?”

What else would it be if not a tail?

Tang So-Yeong, her face slightly flushed, shook her head vigorously.

“Th-That’s a tail, I see. I thought…”

What kind of imagination did she have?

You have more of a mischievous side than I thought.

“Ahem, Senior, you have a surprisingly cute side.”

Hmm?

I looked up, meeting Tang So-Yeong’s eyes.

Her green eyes had a playful gleam.

What now?

“I’m guessing you’re jealous that I like this puppy, right? Hehe, I get it. Don’t worry, I’ll pet you too…!”

*Slap!*

“KYAAAA!”

Tang So-Yeong jumped up, clutching her bottom.

She was having a huge misunderstanding.

“*Chillang* is the cute one I can pet!”

“Hehe, I’ll pet it too!”

Chaos ensued.

*Pus* kept subtly touching me with her spinning appendage.

*Tus* climbed onto my tail, watching for a chance to strike.

Nephila stood beside me, stroking *Chillang*.

And Tang So-Yeong, buried in the dirt, only her head peeking out.

“Sorry! I won’t be mischievous anymore!”

Right.

You’ve already repented enough, right?

“When we’re alone, it’s *misunderstood*…”

We still haven’t done that.

“KYAA! I-It's just a joke!”

As we were spending time like this…

“…What are you doing?”

A familiar voice came from behind.

*Baek Rang*, in wolf form, was staring at me.

“Gekgek.”

Nothing much, just keeping order.

“Kieek…!”

“Keeek!”

*Tus* and *Pus* immediately jumped onto my horns.

It seems they don’t see it as bad, but they don’t exactly seem to view it positively either.

They’re probably just being cautious.

*Baek Rang* is a spiritual creature with a lot of strength.

“You really only brought females, huh.”

*Baek Rang* looked at me with a condescending expression.

“Gekgek…”

It’s all complicated.

“Two humans for one spiritual creature? How did you live in the past with just these followers?”

There’s more, you know.

A very strong snake, called *Shikshik*.

“…Alright. Still, I came in first, so I’ll show some respect.”

As expected from *Baek Rang*.

I feel like kissing his belly right now.

“Wait, left or right methods?”

“Kieek!”

“Kioong!”

*Tus* and *Pus* flapped their short arms.

Seems like they figured out their ranks.

“Even so, too high of a rank… No, you must have a plan.”

*Baek Rang* seemed to have some complaints but accepted it.

I knew he’d react this way.

The *Red Dragon* didn’t complain either, even though they were in the same rank as *Baek Rang*.

In fact, it seemed like he was treating me even more kindly now, giving me his own special kind of respect.

He must be trying to understand, having benefited from the **Gaegyeokgyo**.

“The *Goddess*… she’s still a spiritual creature. She’s a bit lacking in strength, but for now, she’s…”

Nephila passed with flying colors.

Humanoid spiritual creatures are rare.

I don’t know the details, but…

“White puppy…!”

Tang So-Yeong’s eyes sparkled.

She seemed excited by the appearance of a new spiritual creature, even though only its head was sticking out.

When will she snap out of it?

“Huh? Is it an emergency food supply?”

“

Kyahh!”

Tang So-Yeong screamed.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please don’t eat it!”

She probably just made a joke.

“I-I don’t have much fat, so I won’t taste good…!”

Well, things have gone far enough.

I thought about seeing just how low she could go, but *So-Yeong* is also one of my followers.

I stood up slightly, placing myself between *Baek Rang* and *Tang So-Yeong*.

“Senior…!”

She must think I’m protecting her.

“She’s really timid.”

“Gekgekgek.”

Yeah, exactly.

Would I really eat one of my followers?

“What will you do with the physician?”

*So-Yeong* seems to know she’s a healer.

“W-What do you mean, if I didn’t know medicine…?”

*Thud.*

Tang So-Yeong, her eyes a little glazed, lowered her head deeply.

…Did she pass out?

“Gek.”

I used my tail to pull her out of the pit she was half-buried in.

She really is fragile.

Of course, she has no choice but to be fragile.

“…You really picked up something weird.”

“Gekgek.”

I think so too.

“Gek.”

But, eating humans, that’s just a joke, right?

“Of course, it’s a joke. Most spiritual creatures avoid humans. Unlike beasts, they often hold grudges. If they kill a human, it’s just us who suffers.”

Like the *Chang Gwi* story, huh?

If a tiger kills a human, the spirit of that human clings to the tiger, becoming a vengeful ghost.

It seems spiritual creatures have something similar happen when they kill humans.

“It won’t cause immediate trouble, but those who get addicted to eating humans end up with a bad fate. Either they’re hunted down by humans or turn into monsters who lose their intelligence.”

That’s a relief.

“…You seem to like humans oddly, but just in case, let me say it—don’t kill humans.”

“Gek.”

“Not that I’m saying you should run from attacking humans. Anyone who crosses the line must be killed.”

Seems like *Baek Rang* isn’t too friendly to humans.

It’s more like avoiding something dirty than being afraid of it.

That’s what it seems like.

“There are ways to deal with vengeful spirits too. Some creatures eat them, and others have bizarre ways to keep them from attaching. …There are some strange ones who think they can just drop the spirit off a cliff and claim it was the cliff that killed it, not them.”

Is mindset important?

I’m not planning to kill any humans, but it’s good to know.

You can’t live optimistically in this world.

If someone harms my followers, even if it’s a human, I’d have no choice but to kill them.

Before I was a human, I’m the guardian of **Gaegyeokgyo**.

“There’s an old woman with nine tails who’s really good at dealing with vengeful spirits. I’ll tell you more about her later.”

An old woman with nine tails?

A *Gumiho*?

“Gekgek!”

Why tell me later?

This is urgent!

*Thud.*

Nephila gripped my neck tightly.

“Gek…”

No, that’s not it.

I was just curious when you mentioned *Gumiho*.

It’s not that I’m curious about how her human form looks, I just want to form connections with strong spiritual creatures….

“Quiet.”

“Gek…”

Huh?

I looked at Nephila again.

Didn’t she just say something?

“Gek!”

Nephila turned her head slightly in embarrassment.

Yeah.

She can speak a little now.

As expected, she’s a **Gaegyeokgyo** priestess.

…But what about me?

“Geeeek.”

“You’re big, but you’re still a kid. A child.”

*Baek Rang* said, looking at me with a disapproving face.

“Gekgek.”

Tell me about the *Gumiho’s* dwelling.

“This conversation is going in circles. Fine, I’ll get to the point. There’s something urgent I need to tell you.”

After he said that, I had no choice but to wait.

But what could it be?

If it was urgent, he would’ve just skipped the pleasantries.

From the way he’s chatting, it doesn’t seem like something serious.

“The guardian of the Snowy Mountain has fallen.”

What?

No, my ice/flight abilities!