I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 21

—–CROW—– 

-Imugi?

Silphy tilted her head at my question, her expression curious as to why I wanted to know about that.

I honestly thought she would have known I was aiming to become a dragon.

Well, if she didn’t know, I’d tell her.

“Shaa.”

‘I want to become a dragon.’

So I told her the truth.  My desire to become a dragon.

Of course, I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

I’d had a vague idea, but after reading that post, I realized it was even more difficult than I’d imagined.

‘But I’m not giving up.’

So I’d asked Silphy for help, and she readily shared her knowledge with me.

-Do you know what kind of sacred beast an Imugi is?

“Shaaa.”

‘A sacred beast that’s a step towards becoming a dragon?’

-Well, that’s not wrong. But to be precise, it’s a sacred beast that lays the foundation for becoming a dragon.

Diligently building a foundation to advance to the next stage.

That was the significance of an Imugi’s existence, and the immediate goal I had to reach.

-So, what foundation does an Imugi build to become a dragon?

Silphy posed a question.

She seemed curious about the extent of my knowledge.

“Shaaa. Shaa.”

‘Magical powers? Or weather manipulation abilities since it’s a dragon?’

But my answer didn’t seem to satisfy her.  Silphy’s head slowly shook from side to side.

Then, a piece of information flashed through my mind.

*An Imugi creates a Yeouiju, and a dragon wields it.*

“Shaa?”

‘Don’t tell me… a Yeouiju?’

-Correct!

*Whoosh*

A cool breeze swept through the cave along with her exclamation.

Silphy’s words made me realize that the information about the Imugi creating a Yeouiju was literal.

-All Imugi possess their own Yeouiju. They fill the Yeouiju with power, and once they fully absorb it, they finally become a complete dragon.

“Shaa. Shaa.”

‘So, once I become an Imugi, I have to create a Yeouiju.’

-No. You don’t create it *after* becoming an Imugi.

*Flick*

-You create the Yeouiju *before* becoming an Imugi.  You got the order wrong.

The order was wrong.

Her words prompted me to ask if the Dragon King granting power had anything to do with the Yeouiju.

-You’re well-informed, aren’t you? You’re right. The Dragon King creates the Yeouiju with his own power.

So, becoming an Imugi wasn’t particularly difficult as long as one caught the Dragon King’s eye.

-Of course, that has nothing to do with you, El.

Unfortunately, I had no connection to the Dragon King, nor did I live in the sea.

That’s why it was so difficult for snakes like me to become Imugi.

Unlike those in the sea, snakes had to create the Yeouiju on their own.

“Shaaaa.”

‘So, do you know how to make a Yeouiju?’

-Of course!

She was practically a walking encyclopedia.

Was there anything she *didn’t* know?

I blinked, momentarily imagining a halo behind Silphy.

Perhaps she wasn’t a wind spirit, but a light spirit.

-The Yeouiju is closely related to the five elements.

Fire. Water. Wood. Metal. Earth.

These five properties, in perfect balance, combined with the properties of wind and lightning, generate magical power.

That’s how a Yeouiju is created.

I tilted my head, a question forming in my mind.

“Shaa. Shaaaa.”

‘If wind and lightning are involved, why is it called the five elements?’

Shouldn’t it be called the seven elements?

-Well… no.  That’s a good question, actually.  It’s impressive you even understood that much.

But why was she looking at me like that?

-Ahem, anyway. To create a Yeouiju, you first need to imbue your body with the energy of the five elements. Once the power of the five elements accumulates within you, you then use wind and lightning to release that energy externally, shaping it into a sphere. And ta-da! A Yeouiju is born!

“…”

-What’s with that look after I went through all that trouble to explain it to you!

It was just… she made it sound so easy.

Imbue my body with the energy of the five elements?  Easy to say, but I had no idea how to do it.

Was it similar to absorbing mana?  But the problem was that I couldn’t even absorb mana, which was why I was in this situation.

-Oh, don’t worry. You already have two of the elements within you.

“…Shaa?!”

‘…What?!’

This was completely news to me.

As I stared at Silphy with an expectant look, she seemed to understand and clapped her hands, immediately launching back into explanation mode.

-You have wood and metal. The power of wood and the power of metal.  The amrita and Cheong are probably the reason why.

The amrita and Cheong had contributed to me possessing the powers of wood and metal?

*Flick*

“Myamyamya~”

That little thing rolling around with the amrita?

-Amrita is a fruit strongly imbued with the power of wood. Since you’ve been eating it constantly, the energy of wood naturally accumulated within you.

Right.  The amrita made sense.

It was the first thing I’d eaten after being born, and I’d been eating it every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

-And Cheong… I was surprised.  She has incredibly strong metal energy! I suspect her parents might be sacred beasts closely associated with this power.

Silphy’s subsequent muttering had a significant impact on my perception of Cheong.

-With such strong metal energy, Cheong’s parents might have even ascended to the rank of Divine Beast.

Divine Beast.

Beings of a different caliber of power, even among sacred beasts.

The dragon I aspired to become also fell under the category of Divine Beast, not just sacred beast.

‘And that little thing is descended from a Divine Beast?’

She wasn’t just a silver spoon; she was a diamond spoon.

‘Ah.  Is that why my poison didn’t work on her?’

I’d been surprised when my poison hadn’t affected her during our first encounter.

If she was innately resistant to poison due to her strong metal energy, it all made sense.

“Shaaa.”

‘So, what does Cheong’s strong metal energy have to do with me possessing it?’

-Well, you two have been inseparable, haven’t you?  And you even fought occasionally.

So, Cheong’s energy naturally rubbed off on me, and I ended up absorbing the power of metal?

-El, you just need to acquire the remaining three powers: fire, water, and earth!

I had inadvertently acquired two of the five elements.

It would be great if I could quickly obtain the remaining three, but unfortunately, I had to postpone that thought due to Silphy’s continued explanation.

-Right now, your wood energy is too strong. It’s fortunate that Cheong’s power is suppressing it, creating a balance, but there’s a limit to that.

“Shaa.”

‘What should I do?’

-We need to restore the balance. Don’t worry, Cheong’s power is growing stronger each day, so the balance is gradually being restored. Just stick with her for a few days, and it should be fine. Probably.

If it weren’t for that “probably” at the end, I would have had complete faith in her.

Of course, I still trusted her.  But a tiny sliver of unease had crept into my mind.

-So, stick with Cheong!

“Shaaa.”

‘Alright.’

Right, stick with Cheong.

I could just act like I normally did, but I should probably stay closer to her.

Hiss.

I slowly approached Cheong, who was playing with the amrita… and then stopped midway.

Her white fur, still glossy despite all the rolling around, and her beautiful sky-blue eyes made her seem like she belonged to a different world.

It felt like there was a wall between us.

The revelation about her upgraded bloodline was probably the main reason.

‘That lucky little thing, making it even harder for me to catch up.’

But it was ironic that I was receiving help thanks to her extraordinary lineage.

“Myang?”

Cheong, noticing my gaze, tilted her head with a questioning look.

Seeing me hesitate, Silphy flew over and shouted,

-Cheong! El wants to play with you!

“Myamang?!”

“Shaa?!”

‘I do?!’

As I stared at her in surprise, Silphy winked and manipulated the wind to send a message only I could hear.

-You need to stick with Cheong!

Well, I’d had a lot of free time lately while Silphy played with Cheong, so playing with her for a while wouldn’t be so bad.

‘Maybe playing together will help break down this wall between us.’

I should ask her what she wanted to play.

“Myang? Myaang!”

-Yes! We promised to do what you want!

“Myamyamyamyang! Myaang!”

-A bet? I don’t mind.

“Myaang! Myamyamya! Myang!!”

-…Huh?

Silphy, who had been conversing with Cheong, suddenly started sweating, and I sensed something was amiss.

What had Cheong said to make Silphy react like that?

“Shaa.”

‘What’s wrong?’

I slithered closer and asked, but Silphy remained frozen, still sweating, as if stunned by Cheong’s words.

*Thump. Thump.*

I nudged Silphy’s leg with my tail, and she finally seemed to regain control of her body, though her head movements were still stiff.

“Shaa.”

‘So, what is it?’

-W-Well, Cheong says if she wins, she wants to eat your tail.

…?

What? Eat my tail?

-She says it has a strangely addictive taste… and if she wins, you have to offer your tail to her for a whole year…

Crack.

“Shaaack!”

‘You little furball! You think my tail is your snack?!’

“Haaack!”

Alright, this time, I’m really going to kill you!

—–CROW—–