I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 49

—–CROW—– 

Ceres calling me “Dad,” well, I could roughly guess the reason, so I understood. 

Since she had grown using my energy, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

But her calling Cheong “Mom”?

What was the reason for that?

And why had Cheong’s expression suddenly softened, the frosty atmosphere from just moments ago melting away as she now displayed a friendly demeanor with Ceres?

“Are you hurting anywhere?”

[I’m fine.]

“Tell me right away if you are.”

[Yes.]

How could this be the same Cheong from earlier?  Carefully stroking Ceres’s body, vigilantly checking for any insects nearby, meticulously confirming if she needed water or more sunlight—she looked just like a real mother.

“I’m going to look around the area.”

[Alone?]

“El told me. There are guys targeting Ceres around here.”

No, there was no need for her to go to such lengths; I could sense their presence immediately.  But Cheong had already left before I could answer.  Watching her go, I approached Ceres and asked,

[What in the world is going on?]

-It’s my own way of resolving things.

Ceres seemed to be asking why I wasn’t using this method, since I could turn someone who disliked me to my side simply by choosing the right words, without the need for a fight.  At her words, I smiled wryly, realizing that she knew Cheong disliked her.

[And the word you chose was “Mom”?]

-Yes. And as you saw, Dad, it worked.

Indeed. Cheong’s attitude towards Ceres had noticeably changed right after she was called “Mom.”

[But Ceres, were you aware of Silphy and Cheong’s changes?]

-Yes. I learned about it when I released my power to govern this area.

So, just as we had sensed Ceres’s presence, she had also sensed those within this area.

*Ding.*

[Huh?]

A system notification arrived.  Checking its contents, I saw that History Buff had sent me a message.

>Guild Master, are you available to chat?

>Do you know anything about the peculiarities of the new players who recently joined?

‘Peculiarities of the new players?’

Well, I hadn’t noticed anything particularly special.  They just seemed to display the usual bewilderment of newcomers.

>Looking at their posts, it seems a new support device and a new system have been introduced.

But would that be a problem?  It was natural for games to update, wasn’t it?

>Judging by your reaction, you haven’t realized it yet.

>Listen carefully. With the update of the new system, a new setting has been added.

>Yes, you know the post I made about the Goddess before?

>The setting related to that has been revealed.

Information about the Goddess… revealed?

>The revealed information about the Goddess is as follows: ‘With the powers of Light and Order, Darkness and Chaos, Creation and Destruction crumbled, the world could not avoid destruction.  Therefore, Time and Space embraced them, sacrificing themselves to stabilize the world.’

>Right. And there’s more after that. ‘The Goddess’s oracle has been delivered. Hero, gather the fragments of existence from the dimensional rifts.’ And along with this, the PvP system has been activated.

?!>

Player versus player combat, which hadn’t existed during my time, had been activated? This was truly surprising. And I couldn’t understand the connection between PvP and the story about the Goddess.

>And while I’m not sure about others, the system made me an offer.

>Perhaps they want my help since I’m a Time Mage. I haven’t given them an answer yet, but I plan to accept soon.

>Not at all. On the contrary, if I take advantage of this opportunity, we might have a chance to meet each other, scattered across different dimensions.

I couldn’t understand what that meant.  History Buff hadn’t sent any more messages after that. But one thing was certain: the PvP update would undoubtedly have a significant impact not only on the game’s support but also on our world.

***

*Whoosh.*

-Hey everyone, long time no see.

A man engulfed in flames waved his hand and walked slowly towards the massive round table.  The temperature around him rose with each step, fueled by the burning flames, but no one present, including the man himself, seemed to mind.

-It’s been a while, Fire Spirit King.

-Water Spirit King! I heard you had a drink with the Dragon King again. There were rumors that you’ve been neglecting your domain lately.

-Ahem. There are no problems, so don’t worry about it.

The Water Spirit King, already seated at the round table, averted his gaze, intentionally ending the conversation, and the Fire Spirit King, without protest, quietly took his seat.

-But why is the atmosphere so heavy? Did someone die?

-It’s not a gathering for a particularly happy occasion, so the mood naturally became somber.  I’m more surprised that you’re acting like your usual self, even in this situation.

The Fire Spirit King shrugged, as if wondering what the big deal was, and then, noticing someone sitting quietly, his eyes widened in surprise.

-What, Wind Spirit King, you’re here too?

-It’s a gathering of all the Spirit Kings. I couldn’t miss it.

-But I heard you were badly injured.

-It wasn’t an injury that would prevent me from attending this meeting. Thank you for your concern.

The Wind Spirit King, injured by an unknown being.  At his presence, the Fire Spirit King scratched his head and checked on his condition.  He hadn’t fully recovered yet; a faint wind power was leaking from his body.  It was probably leaking from his wounds.

-Water Spirit King.  Why didn’t you heal him?

-I tried. But he repelled my power.

-He repelled your power?

A spirit’s power was equivalent to the power of nature.  Did that mean he was at a level where he could repel the power of nature?

-That’s enough about me. It seems everyone is here, so let’s start the meeting.

-What? Was I the last one?

-So try to be a little faster next time, Fireball.

At the Earth Spirit King’s words, the Fire Spirit King shook his head.  Reacting to that would only lead to a bickering match.

-First of all, you all know why we’re gathered here, right?

The Water Spirit King was the first to speak.  And at his words, all the Spirit Kings present nodded.  The reason they were gathered here. It was because of what had happened a few hours ago.

-I never imagined that an owner would appear while we were busy watching each other.

-Wow!  Talk about being blindsided.

-I think it’s fortunate. It allows for balance, rather than us or another faction taking control.

-But that balance won’t last long. It will be broken, either by us or by someone else.

And the decisive reason for this gathering was to decide what to do with the owner of that land.  Ceres’s fate would be determined by the outcome of this meeting.

-We’ll take care of it. And then we’ll divide the area equally among ourselves.

-Well, do you think the others will just stand by and watch?

-That’s right. If that happens, the damage will be uncontrollable.  There’s a reason why we’ve left that area alone.

-How about we just leave it as it is?

-Hmm, but what if the owner is an evil being? Wouldn’t it be better if they weren’t there at all?

Some said they should kill Ceres.  Others said they should leave her alone.  They exchanged opinions, but even as time passed, a conclusion wasn’t easily reached.

-Others will also make their move because of this. If we’re not careful, this could escalate into a huge fight. We have a duty to prevent that.

-But how?

-I will go to that area and meet with the owner.

At the Wind Spirit King’s words, everyone tilted their heads.  Going himself was understandable, but why would the Wind Spirit King, who hadn’t even fully recovered from his injuries, insist on going?

-Where are you trying to go in your current state? You haven’t even fully recovered.

-It’s fine. I can protect myself even in this condition.

Indeed, there was no lie in his words.  The Wind Spirit King was one of the most powerful among the Spirit Kings. Even in his injured state, he could probably defeat several of them.

-But there’s a being called Black Despair there.

-Black Despair?

-Yes.  It’s an Imugi, but a variant that wields the power of a Dragon.

-Gah! What’s that? That’s totally cheating.  That’s practically the same as facing a Dragon!

-Of course, it’s different from a real Dragon. An Imugi hasn’t fully absorbed the power of the Yeouiju, so its power will be less.

The rumors had reached even the Spirit Kings’ ears.  And the Wind Spirit King, who knew the truth, suppressed a smile and said,

-All the more reason I should go.

-Hmm. If you insist…

-But why do you want to go so badly? You’re acting different than usual.

At the Fire Spirit King’s question, the Wind Spirit King revealed the smile he had been trying to hide and said,

-Because there’s a child I want to see after a long time.

And the friends who were with that child.

Thus, it was decided that the Wind Spirit King would go to the area known as Paradise.

—–CROW—–