I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 19 

—–CROW—– 

Blink. Blink.

The familiar ceiling greeted me.  It was the cave I’d spent nearly my entire life in, and where I currently resided.  It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’d grown up here.

‘This is…’

I slowly sat up.

Memories from before I passed out surfaced.

Right, I had removed the poison and returned to the cave before collapsing.

So, I had just woken up?

Hiss.

Carefully, I moved my body and slithered out of the cave.

As I moved, I felt a slight sense of imbalance. It seemed the removal of the poison sacs had caused a small change in my body’s equilibrium.

‘It feels lighter, but it’s strangely harder to control my direction.’

I would get used to it soon enough.

Splash.

‘Ouch.’

Although, it seemed difficult to move any further right now.

But I’d moved enough.  I had already completely exited the cave and was outside.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been unconscious, but I doubted it had been for days.

If it had been, I would have immediately devoured some amrita upon waking up due to hunger.

‘Not days.  Probably just a few hours.’

That meant I had arrived during the day and woken up in the evening.

It was a relief it hadn’t been more than a day.  If it had, Cheong and Silphy would have been even more worried.

Twinkle.

‘Wow… Beautiful.’

Had I ever looked up at the night sky so leisurely at this time?

I didn’t think so.

I had been awake at this hour before, but I’d been on Gallery then, not outside admiring the night sky.

‘There are so many stars.’

The night sky here was truly beautiful.

Gazing at the brilliantly shining stars, a sight impossible on Earth, I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the breathtaking view.

Click.

Perhaps I was feeling sentimental after just waking up.

I couldn’t keep this scenery to myself!

Right, such a beautiful sight should be shared.

So, I uploaded a picture of the night sky to Gallery with a caption.

[Evening Mood ON]

-Posted by: DragonScaleStack

(Picture of the night sky filled with countless stars)

I passed out during the day and just woke up, isn’t the night sky just beautiful?

-Wow. Where did you take that?

-? What? Why is it different from our night sky?

-Gallery Master, it’s probably just you.

-Maybe it’s because it’s the ancient era?

-Wow, that picture is gorgeous.

-I wanna see it too lol.

Countless comments appeared as soon as I posted.

Most of them praised the beauty of the night sky, and mentioned how different it was from their own.

This was probably another characteristic of the ancient era.

A perk unique to me on Gallery.

‘So, that means this night sky will disappear someday.’

It was sad to think of this beauty vanishing, but it was too early to dwell on that sadness.

And even when that time came, I probably wouldn’t mourn the loss of the night sky.  I’d probably be happy that the modern era, the time period where the protagonist I admired was active, was drawing closer.

Rustle.

“?!”

What was that?  I heard the bushes rustle just now.

I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the direction of the sound.

It could have just been the wind, but there was a slim chance it was a living creature.

And if that creature wasn’t like Cheong, there was a high probability it would lead to a fight.

Throb.

“Shaaa.”

‘Ow, my mouth hurts.’

But a bigger problem than moving was the state of my mouth.

The wounds from removing the poison couldn’t have healed in less than a day.

Just opening my mouth sent stinging pain through both sides, making it difficult to open it properly.

‘I’m screwed if I have to fight now.’

So please, let it just be the wind.

My body wasn’t in good shape, and my most powerful weapon, my poison, was gone.

Fight in this condition?  It would be easier to just die.

‘If it comes to it, I’ll have to yell and wake Silphy and Cheong.’

But I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

For an hour, I remained vigilant, using all my senses, including my hearing, to monitor my surroundings.

Surprisingly, apart from the rustling of the bushes earlier, there were no other changes.

‘Was it really just the wind?’

Finally, I relaxed, letting down my guard.

-Kyaaaa! W-Where did it go?!

“Myamyack!!”

‘They’re both awake.’

But my relief was short-lived.

Familiar screams echoed from inside the cave.

It seemed Silphy and Cheong had woken up.

“Shaa!”

‘I’m here!’

I quickly responded, worried they might misinterpret the situation.

I couldn’t shout loudly because of the pain in my mouth, but something flew from inside the cave, heading straight towards me, as if guided by the wind spirit.

-El! You’re awake!

Silphy appeared before me, carried by the wind.  She immediately began checking me over, as if worried I might have undergone some transformation while she was asleep.  Cheong, unable to move as fast as the wind, was running towards us as fast as she could.

“Myamyang!”

Whoosh.

-Cheong, El is injured, so be careful!

“Myang?!”

She hadn’t slowed down and almost collided with me.

Fortunately, Silphy quickly manipulated the wind to prevent an accident.

-El, how are you feeling?

“Shaa.”

‘Really hurts.’

It wasn’t a lie.

It hurt so much that I could burst into tears if someone told me not to hold back.

The pain had subsided somewhat over time, but still.

Thinking back, I was a crazy fool.

How could I have actually done that?

‘Tenacious, aren’t I?’

But there were no more worries now.

The poison was completely gone!

“Shaa.”

‘Silphy.’

-Yes?

“Shaaaa.”

‘Can you help me store mana in my body?’

Silphy tilted her head at first, then her lips trembled slightly before she nodded.

Just a simple nod of agreement, no other words.

It seemed she had checked my condition while I was unconscious.

And she must have been surprised.

Because the poison had vanished in that short time.

“Shaaa. Shaaa.”

‘Why do you look so grim? It’s a good thing I took care of it beforehand.’

-…Sigh. Don’t do that again. You could have died from shock.

I wouldn’t do it again even if you asked me to.

Who would do such a thing again?

I vigorously nodded… or tried to, before the pain in my mouth stopped me.  I simply replied verbally.

“Shaa.”

‘Alright.’

Tap. Tap.

“Shaa?”

‘What is it?’

I turned my head at Cheong’s sudden tapping on my body.

She held out a piece of amrita.

It seemed she had brought it out of concern for my condition.

“Shaa.”

‘Thank you.’

“Myaang!”

However, eating the amrita in my current state was difficult.

To eat it without opening my mouth too wide, I had no choice but to ask for Silphy’s help.

-Ugh! A wind spirit doing this kind of thing!

*Scrape, scrape*

As Silphy waved her hand, sharply honed wind blades instantly sliced the amrita into pieces.

But it didn’t stop there.

Grumbling, but still complying because I was a patient, Silphy manipulated the wind more fiercely.

*Scrape, scrape*

The fragmented amrita was completely pulverized, turning into a liquid, its original form no longer recognizable.

-Here, open wide!

She carefully poured the liquid near my mouth.

Gulp.

Mmm. Delicious.

The blender function was certainly effective.

Mentally, I gave the 100% pure amrita juice a 5-star rating and started to move my now-energized body.

-I can’t believe I’m doing this… Hey, where are you going?!

Where was I going?

To the bushes that had rustled earlier.

With the amrita giving me more freedom of movement, I headed towards the spot.

I couldn’t shake off a lingering feeling of unease.

Hiss.

“…Shaa.”

‘…Nothing’s there.’

But when I got there, there was nothing.

Hmm.  A bust.

—–CROW—–

After the brief incident during the night, we all slept.  Morning arrived, and sunlight filled the sky.

-Ugh! Bitter!

Silphy’s sudden outburst woke Cheong and me.

We turned our heads to watch Silphy thrashing around in the air.

‘…What’s wrong with her this early in the morning?’

With her tongue sticking out, she rolled around, looking like a child who had eaten something unpleasant.

-Ugh! Bitter! This is so bitter!

Silphy threw a strange container she had somehow obtained.

Cheong and I approached to examine it.

Sniff. Sniff.

Cheong, with her keen sense of smell, sniffed the container first, and after a few seconds…

“Hack!”

…she let out a shriek and tried to swat at it with her paw.

‘What is that thing?’

Silphy, and now Cheong, reacting like that…

Unable to contain my curiosity, I approached the container.

I stuck my head in to examine the contents.

“Shaa?”

‘What is this green stuff?’

The unidentified green substance emitted a scent similar to herbal medicine.

It was understandable that someone encountering it for the first time would be taken aback.

Especially Cheong, with her sensitive nose.

‘Did Silphy eat this?’

That’s why she was making such a fuss about the bitterness and munching on amrita.

“Shaa.”

‘Silphy, don’t eat strange things.’

Seriously.

How could she eat something that looked so suspicious?

At my words, Silphy puffed out her cheeks indignantly, stuffing them with amrita as she replied.

-It didn’t look dangerous.

Ah, so she just shoved the strange, unknown substance into her mouth?

‘That’s…’

-And I tried it first because I thought it might help you.

Should I scold Silphy for randomly eating things, or thank her for trying to help me?

-Ugh, it’s so nasty! Even the amrita can’t get rid of the taste.

She was a truly unpredictable spirit.

—–CROW—–