I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 50

—–CROW—– 

After the significant transformations of Ceres, Cheong, and Silphy, peaceful days followed. 

Thanks to Ceres’s help, no beasts or Divine Beasts appeared to harm her.

Also, contrary to my worries about someone coming to find us, nothing particular had happened so far.

“[Sigh]”

Of course, that didn’t mean I neglected my training.  On the contrary, with Cheong and Silphy growing stronger, I was intensifying my training every day, pushing myself harder than usual.

*Crackle, crackle.*

“[Groan]”

-Ugh.

Cheong, in particular, had a significant impact on my training. Training using gravity that pressed down on my entire body.  Gravity training, commonly seen in comics, where one adapts to increased gravity, was one of our recent training regimens.

-I… I can fly anyway, so don’t I not need to do this?

[But this training helps you control your power better.]

-*Groan*. Why is that true?

“Should I make it a little stronger?!”

-N-no, it’s okay. It’s already really hard.

[Cheong, make it a little stronger for me.]

“Got it!”

*Boom.*

The more I adapted to this gravity, the stronger my body became. I suspected that Cheong’s gold energy was stimulating the power within my body.

‘At first, I could barely breathe, but now I even have the leisure to browse the forum.’

[Holy crap, is this for real?]

[How was the Academy lunch today?]

[Question about magic circles]

[So is that really true?]

[Hey newbies, was PvP fun?]

Lately, there had been more and more posts about PvP on the forum.  It seemed that the new players had spread the news about the PvP update and the support device to everyone.

‘But what I’m really curious about isn’t PvP.’

There was something that interested me more than PvP.  Information about the task History Buff was currently working on in real-time, after accepting the system’s request.

‘I hope he contacts me soon.’

But judging by the difficult terms he had used, like “dimensional rift,” it seemed like it would take quite some time.

*Whoosh.*

A cool breeze swept through the cave, refreshing me. Since Silphy was the only one here who could control the wind, I naturally turned my head.

[Hmm? Silphy, you’re blowing the wind… aren’t you?]

But seeing Silphy’s clearly bewildered expression, I realized that this wind wasn’t hers, and Cheong, also withdrawing her energy, focused on the traces of the wind.

-It’s the Spirit King-nim’s power.

[The Wind Spirit King?]

“Then he’s here?”

-Most likely.

So it was. The Wind Spirit King, of all people.  My benefactor, in a way, since he had given me the Yeouiju; Silphy’s superior; and a potential threat to Ceres.

“Ugh. The wind is spread too wide, it’s hard to pinpoint.”

[Silphy, do you know where the wind is coming from?]

Cheong and I couldn’t locate the Spirit King with this faint wind, but Silphy, a wind spirit by birth, and now an intermediate one at that, would surely be able to find him.

-The direction… is towards Ceres!

[Tch! I’ll go first!]

So he went straight to Ceres. I hurriedly wrapped myself in wind and flew quickly towards Ceres.  Unlike before, using the wind for high-speed movement allowed me to reach my destination quickly.

-I see. He’s quite an interesting person.

-Indeed. I’m sure the Lord of the Wind will like him too.

In the distance, I saw Ceres and a man I’d never seen before. The way he seemingly wore the wind and the overwhelming energy he emanated…  There was no mistaking it. The man, clad in wind as if it were clothing, was the Wind Spirit King.

*Whoosh.*

-It seems the protagonist has arrived.

-Dad!

As I got closer, Ceres and the Wind Spirit King noticed me.

‘At least the atmosphere isn’t tense.’

I had been worried that the situation might be volatile, but seeing their reactions, it seemed like I had worried for nothing.

Good, then I’ll slow down and…

*Clang.*

[Huh?]

-…Stop. Don’t come any closer to our King.

As I slowed down and approached Ceres and the Wind Spirit King, a sharp wind, seemingly out of nowhere, grazed my cheek.  It wasn’t an attack meant to kill, so my scales weren’t damaged, but it was a clear act of aggression. My eyes narrowed, and I spotted a giant eagle that had appeared before me, blocking my path.

‘Right, he’s the Wind Spirit King; he wouldn’t have come alone.’

The Spirit King’s escort.  A high-ranking wind spirit.  But the fact that he only brought one, instead of his entire escort, meant he hadn’t come to fight, right?

-Sirin, what is the meaning of this?

-I apologize. An unidentified life form suddenly approached, so I…

[An unidentified life form? Is this the first time you’ve seen an Imugi?]

At my confident words, Sirin, the high-ranking spirit, looked at me with a bewildered expression.

-No Imugi in the world is as small as you, nor can they manipulate wind and fly.

-Haha. That’s true.

Even the Wind Spirit King acknowledged it.  It meant that my existence was that unusual in this world.

-An Imugi flying in the sky. You truly are imitating a Dragon.

Then, with a curious look, he approached me and said,

-Thank you for being friends with Silphy.

He thanked me for being friends with Silphy.  …Huh? Was this right? The Wind Spirit King’s sudden change in demeanor…  It wasn’t just me; Sirin also shook his head beside him, muttering in exasperation, “Here we go again.”

‘Here we go again?’

What did he mean?

-Our Silphy… she’s a bit reluctant to go outside, but she’s a very talented child.  As you know from being with her, she has a very kind personality, and she’s also very beautiful compared to her peers.

[Ah, yes, I know that well.]

-Indeed! Silphy has made such a good friend.  At first, I was worried that she was spending time with a young snake and tiger, but now that you’ve become a Divine Beast, my worries were unfounded.

This Spirit King was quite talkative. And his way of speaking sounded like a parent of a naive child.

[No, it’s thanks to you, Wind Spirit King-nim, for sending the Yeouiju that I was able to become a Divine Beast.]

-There are many who can’t become Imugi even with a Yeouiju. Besides, El Grace, you are special, unlike other Imugi. Ah, I’ll prepare something nice for Cheong-yang next time.

He knew everything.  I didn’t know if Silphy had reported to him or if the Wind Spirit King had found out on his own. But seeing his obvious escort, I couldn’t bring myself to be rude.

*Rustle.*

-S-Spirit King-nim!

“That man is the Spirit King?”

While I was still getting the feeling of meeting a friend’s parent, Cheong and Silphy arrived.  Silphy, upon seeing the Spirit King, looked as if she was about to faint, and Cheong, seeing the Wind Spirit King for the first time, tilted her head and looked to Silphy for an answer.

-Is that… Silphy?

-Y-yes!

-My goodness. You’ve become an intermediate spirit. Excellent.  I was worried about when you would come out of that cave, always cooped up inside. Seeing you making good friends and training diligently puts my mind at ease.

Cheong, also bewildered by the Wind Spirit King’s demeanor, glanced at Silphy and asked,

“Uh… Is he Silphy’s dad?”

-And you must be Cheong. Congratulations on becoming a Divine Beast. And I’m so relieved that you’re getting along with our Silphy…

-S-Spirit King-nim! More importantly, what brings you here?!

-Silphy.  He’s our King. It’s rude to interrupt…

-Sirin, that’s enough.

-I apologize.

What was this chaotic scene? Considering the other Spirit Kings I had seen in the support device and Silphy’s personality when she was a Spirit King, this was truly unexpected. But I didn’t dislike this personality.  On the contrary, it felt much more friendly and approachable than the others.

‘But what’s that injury?’

It wasn’t noticeable because his clothes were made of wind, but now that I was closer, I could clearly see it. The unnatural absence of wind around his side.

*Clap.*

-It’s good to see everyone I wanted to meet gathered in one place.

-Spirit King-nim.

-Silphy, you asked why I came here, right? It’s because of Ceres-nim here.

As expected. I had suspected it ever since he went to Ceres first instead of us.  To learn about Ceres, the owner of this area. We were just a bonus in the process.

-The Spirit Kings held a meeting recently. The topic was about the disposition of Ceres-nim, the owner of Paradise.

-D-disposition?!

“Were we her enemies?”

[Both of you, calm down.]

If he had intended to kill Ceres, he wouldn’t be so relaxed right now.

—–CROW—–