Chapter 183 – The Strongest Serpent (1)
rq9NzOMacGuffin. It’s a term thatdlU refers toft3zp9 an objects7ws0Y or elementTOm5 that drivesCvL the plot1k0 forward butWQCfbq has littlezWfRO to noJdf explanation orMEg9 context ofm4s4gK its own.k6ZQICgdGr
wpsvfIn Miracle BlessingikW M, thereDPEbR are MacGuffinsLEms like thatgtm too.n3itJP
mToOr rather, moreNsiS4W than halfWa84 of thepaeMnj game coulduyy be consideredS3M7QH one giantuZQD6R pile ofPXta5n MacGuffins. TheEuZtM8 fact thatm3oiOG they wereuZVkj scattered aroundgHp9kW just forP40ynh developer convenience…enHIfG was tonM0KT be expected.aMxJbGm
dWZ8The corrupted serpent,AR3gC3 Basilisk. A monster thatiBn only existsHKVbO2 as a mission boss,Hillx but whoseYPN backstory remains9Ne shrouded inhQmb55 mystery.YLuRCP
sxBFPC…Well, that’s prettyYpC5 common forjLPkpO S-rank beasts.Y8YRTdY0mr
1LTThis was alsocEMs where I learned theX1JPu backstory ofrkVv Lich KingoDprSW Draugr. EvenN9h the fiercekGCF beast Manticore2N1b didn’t havenM6 much lore.GGgUf8lks
iaPBut among themXWDNC all, theiczSib one with0nLpT the most7wCz unresolved clues…IBM was probablyLJW Basilisk.aUIaf
ToVzUAll because it0WJsPv belonged toFGd7 the “serpent”p1vdch race.EWT6ec
qAWtIn Miracle Blessingxrb M, serpents8MMQW are automaticallyKo31 classified asvtFJ demons.jPfY2
BTezAOEven Jörmungandr wasOgT a demon.RQcS5d Dragons, generallyEOMOF speaking, are8x7u considered a superior subclassD4T of serpents.st2KcmE
0DiAtIn that sense,5c2ZX Basilisk wasds4zN a walking62A contradiction. Nicknamedf1N the “impureicF serpent,” yethXj not classifiedkz5 as a demon butPLcZb as a magical beast.ZSEtRbQ
ltaCbPlayers debated ita5LHHT endlessly, but3XSLWV there wasm089 never a solid answer.5DYwSq In theKcj end, everyoneyv2IJ just agreed—itlIq was another4CB MacGuffin.17OyYc
11us1wUltimately, it fit57H the lore—a8wFS magical beast3pr as strongcbcm7 as a demon.CQjj
G2zWProbably a developmentJ720w oversight leftl8ui it astuH3K2 an “unresolvedI3ypU detail.” I used tonWQxnr think thatSWoK too.kEux
Hr0dqT“Dragons aren’t born82UW as dragons.HgtzJ When they2SSI hatch, they’reyEjhPV called Imugi.9hft If theyldl live inuttf chastity andFwgz train fori23E6 hundreds of1b6 years, a pearl of0Suuy1 pure energypTc6j forms inv4vz8 their body.TOPtjm Only then3zZ can they92I become dragons.”s4kGmDr9fmB
tnBZFI listened toDVhQ Horn’s explanationJfFY while sighingouZ internally.B1fw
X7vI had heardQK8 legends ofqXtzN5 serpents who6G1Al failed toHC2p become dragons3pt and turnedjmMgjS into man-eatingdgf monsters.mdq
l8NG‘So that’s where9vVWiK dragons come6piW from…’Bv8X
v06SIn short: evencxH if something5Q1 is an9ZYm Imugi, ifPufV it hasn’t4Psvyk evolved, it3T29 doesn’t evenSCN count asDe7U a “real”Urs demon.i8DQip
dKW9iYHorn continued, speakingvv7 in Korean8ZP instead ofc1j the magicalL8n tongue soX9GNm7 Choi Seol-ah8ZG could understando5L54 too.35N
zmt“Actually, Basilisk wasB4iUVD chosen fromiGg birth toqZtL9 become theQcH next DragonsBGxJ Lord. TheFddNH0 amount ofAk2 mana heICzIv was bornXBMnyW with wasC0DRf unmatched.”3sECJP
tlz0Dragons are considered91dc a specialcsuhRN race amonglmZxTV demons because5ChXJe of theirSA3ULk immense mana.FuD They accumulateO63 magic power8Hv just by7y5CYr breathing.DluA
lDVAnd among them,TR0u1 Basilisk stoodxMks out theOWU most. Ifg72 he hadK0Nd matured, hetmK8n probably would’veIJ5j been theGwLe0 strongest DragonUFKEw1 Lord inwrdH4Z history. Hornt3On said itS86p with a mix ofgj6PTr pride andNax sorrow.Pll1HS
aIA7V7“…I’m not justKFqy saying that0g1yJ because he’sCH7 my brother.8wRz He reallymex5D was thatjOxa6l talented.”PRkYHm
6CKvG4“Huh? So why6xF didn’t hecm8RL become a dragon? ThatEWr3qM makes nop8F sense.”mj3IQs
GNNs7At Seol-ah’s sarcasticJbUV comment, HornfqCvly let oute0SJHF a quietMVeqnW sigh. HerCzm6s expression said,somkYU “Were youWBv168 even listening?”M8rO8bRdxB2u
3rsyFor the instructor’sg7j benefit, Hornccjd2 patiently explained7VGuFg again:v8Nwt
02Z“To become a dragon, strengthrnTHDb alone isn’tQFz enough. Whenk7fe an Imugie1ezAA comes offMZN9a age, theyKVfF must enter9Tp4s a speciala94W cave knowngnHW0T as theW0zl ‘serpent’s cave’C2D and liveVGiMXM a life50iSRh of chastityRFLp for a hundred years.Sce They’re onlyEuir7t allowed tonxyiWe eat mugwortwlg and garlic.Xa3 By avoidingort meat andy3XCX purifying theirh6Gl body with8eKDkA those herbs,BAnd their purekSLsw mana crystallizesaJm into a pearl callediXRLo yeouiju.”fwvl
JiECe“…….”hgFFz
b5ehVD“And after becomingua9inh a dragon,lBqdL they must5we96 be careful89Z with theirPVOJ actions. IfqvL they commitTz8U5 impure acts,qz1P the pearlpYzLK cracks. For75zAc example, committingYos indiscriminate massacres…X7k or wipingVftdC out anhv4 entire race.”sodjpcypaE
NZobsAll that effort3cltw8 to becomeOPm a dragonPNmU1 can betpa7 undone byzir a singleIlYg5 wrong deed.gxtq That’s whyLMUr dragons avoidG0t killing.C1AROD
nGsqLQ“…But Basilisk, despite2442 his strength,UXX0W couldn’t handleVjU that lifeZwnEz5 of abstinence,Qss could he?”Mb5Odv8A
FwUPWHorn nodded firmly.kMH2um5qe
2N1G“Yes, exactly. SoPzKn many expectationsa43tBK were placedkvXk on himV4qD that hisdgV pride grewbnPU too much.Qsh For someoneddW like him,Uv3O surviving onlyrqjEWk on garlicuqhjs and mugwortOzrK9 was impossible.cWg Still, heu1i wanted to7EzU become the1gMlxz strongest dragon.JVk4 So heqpFS looked fors2Hs1x another way.”tNmViW0Iuq
HYb“There was anotherrol way?”v2aC
IQcrXYHorn shook herAE4If head withgyPE a grimTz3ds face.j1Xfi
hLlvf“If there was,1C1 no oneDfyxF would wasteyH1n3E a hundred1tTjcg years. But5FSXP4 he believed1P0 he couldWky7H absorb pureUNDL energy fromGvvS9x outside insteadgH9R of purifyingoYlBN himself within.eLVQan He choseNO3 to feedbUd on humansqSR with pureGCi energy…”dfHHl
WNDiHorn paused, squeezingCJks her eyesGOeveM shut. Then,Qoe after a moment, sheNizSrv continued withmvA5V difficulty:owP
kOrA“And so… myPp52eL brother cameBcRg to theCLsT9M human world.PnOUYA To betterdUDb5 consume vitaliauhl energy, hegzgQ settled inaYBNOS a hiddenLZ963k place and3XIQDZ began luringuV4X people. ButrgUn my clan…W5PAF just watched.qpQAd They wereEOp afraid interveningbqQV would taintoCI their ownYgya0 yeouiju. Onlyr7d I… asL68Z his sister,CJEBTe couldn’t justMAlb sit andHDQD1E do nothing.”qrx5eszHaG
MtQuThose last wordsbuNp9T came fromTzQ9cv the heart.B5WR Even ifFrX her ownfNp2zF pearl cracked,a59 she wasn’tea20 going toZAXD abandon him.TZQZ2t
Hu1Maybe it wasSu4tBb the same51vDws thing theqV6Z Swordmaster thoughtmW5C when heAI2 faced Draugr.CahrirnXGLJw
itmvnBut unlike OrionNQOLhx Nibelung, whoFEW didn’t wantDNh9x to becomeq3dw a monster,i4O Basilisk wasqUVRr6 different.wsZ
CAJfA monster drivenkIj7z by the6F2X desire toRk7rrP become a dragon throughZTixw corrupt means.0HblfpN
0XJrAnd he wasnt8Tg also an95k S-rank beast.Q5c The AssociationWh5 had classifiedjXpLML him aseRA humanity’s worstlPN threat.rn0
2uFF“……”ewf
NWcThe conversation paused8dt under a heavy silence.NjWU The oneDvPUn who brokeDVk it wasGEXEMt Choi Seol-ah.ILnM64lxrUE
qjqnhu“Hey, are youz7I planning to1BFtaY take thath7wgFA thing downrEb1c by yourself?BB1hJ Don’t youFMcwE think that’sdbtN impossible?”aT7HND
iKJtLUHorn didn’t answer.tTxut Maybe she5Wro was still7pdlnP annoyed aboutchilWL being calledsvw “big ears,”98Hhcd or maybeguWYf3 she was6g8e deep inEcy thought.80Y
BCapIBut, as always,52hq Choi Seol-ahszl8 didn’t holdwdqb back:1Fi
iv7“And with yourEPj level ofe8Ll4T courage… YoujRCC let yourselfXmUDKY get kidnappedSlP by humans!hn1lo You’re neverHKhy gonna beatI5njNx your brotherCD2 like that.inCDu It’s notCQ2pB like thatAkJBQ name isFFH scary for5Zm no reason.”73JIUCp6JUYU
0Id“…….”6tBs
Z8RCJ“I know ituZtDu sounds weirdQx3bz coming fromEPwq me, butfAd I knowSaFN how strongo44Iz he is.uuAY The AssociationBirl even putEt9j together a special unittfjL just toGoAE3 hunt himlSQ7 down.”ARjLyK
SVK“B-but…”owR
YA2rLCJust as Horn5HoPV tried tovBv respond, ChoiNMH Seol-ah looked7RN straight atgxVa0j me.R6R
1jF93A“Sir, why don’tCn8 we justl4UOgH send hergcgBX back homefKU instead?”jhxEY
F5xI stared atE9r her. WithY5CQIx that innocent-lookingYNS face, sometimesmluo I really05K wanted toxnBEar smack her.aB4p But thisraSpi time, I let it3q5M slide.o0E
pJJ0ePAfter all, sheFVvl9 was justGUh5dk trying to5hK help HornkR64 in herIr2F own way.CHUaTKjq
LaF7Choi Seol-ah showing5I75 empathy? A former villain5Ry27 acting selflessly.bI3E6a A realtH3tY miracle. Maybetw5xh she’d even7l5b9 become humanpkUBZ one day.XBu04yh
fQHTBut her nextO7z comment erasedqRN1zF all myC8Rr5 admiration.E7RwGj
UrI“Because if sheQstC stays herecextT8 a coupleD9JT more weeks,pFCS my bank77Wu74 account’s goingorC to collapse!”YfIJvYRTk
EXZ“…Expecting anything from0BySGJ you wasSLs a mistake.”MK4bowy3
LkNMI rubbed myl1CR sore eyesrf4g and organizedGcI38 my thoughts.iJXBLAx94
X5XanA rare chanceVNh7O to getC5Nlfr the fourthqX8R fragment andPzuZ a dragonJ5QVx spirit stone.uE2TK0 There wasg1IxXC no roommTh for hesitation.mxrxV6k
gVvI slowly openedcr7Q7H my eyes,I0zW looked straightD0Ynl at Horn,Vqu and said:zFOm827n
6fa0ba“We’re going together.”DMeVeZr4
YvDTo hunt theTv9 serpent.UHkx
PPc9uN***c9vY
rCaWe took threewXC days topMKi9 prepare—Horn, Choivf7LH Seol-ah, andSijp I.oFqfU
ss75wOriginally, I hadfnRU9m thought abouthOSAy bringing thec0Tv club members.SX6RRS But after37RpD thinking it8pRYFw over forDle a fewxOQhZ minutes, I shook my3VBi head.JO6Z
YYudThe objective wasCsh clear: eliminateX7w8 Basilisk. AsM2Ox7e Seol-ah hadYv8qF7 mentioned, evenU5dEXu the AssociationXSu had formed3hYpFR special squadsd8g to huntEoLY it. Itv0pXKw was anEuR S-rank magicaldUnv1 beast. BringingEhAUi teenagers onDBDpUH a mission3Kmby like thisddhe would’ve beenqem0 completely irresponsible.olalgj3U
yjKIt wasn’t that0Tx I wanted5VwcK to hideJzE anything fromuPB them—I justOfZFL wanted to9T7pI prevent anyFei6 tragedy. WithGA8 Choi Seol-ahOjD as deadweight,5Hf there wasYXZ already enoughSoawDe risk.5ca
8z3q7As the datetbQk4 approached, Seol-ahVMwIN began throwingvmNIR tantrums, sayingoHe she didn’t2J1za want tolZ9 go.fhX
DAJShe had a strong survival1WfT instinct, sozKl once sheuZhxtx realized what4W4Nu we werevZt getting into,7H0M4g she must’vevs6 gotten scared.YFUOxcmn1
Z2VlSo I gaveAmZeUh her twoDpSkl choices: dieoE7 before going,gPWF7r or dieibg once weqtK5 got there.Kdai She pickedkVVEW3 the second.0giM8bi1
jbE2ciAfter a preparationFqVG period fullzIng of upsEgku and downs,yOe the fifthB1HXK day finallyc55k8K arrived.tCsy
t9wAWe met atYhUDB the academy’sdNGCj portal atyCx the scheduled4Fsw time. ThisxqCOV time, we’dYv9c be using1zSV the teleportationxlS6iQ system. WeP14F had authorizationIvD49A thanks toQOW Choi Seol-ah’sCWmbA status asBkHBO an instructor.TcrAQc0kSC
rndeBefore boarding thetPw warp, I checked thePRFF group’s condition.YJhpZGY2oh
k8vuAChoi Seol-ah haduaW dark circleszVgk under herhmNRB eyes—she clearly5Fuev hadn’t slept.zrOV As expected,cQUIUQ I turnedEMiqR to Horn.CE9bkWnFh
PcLE9In her eyesAxD9 burned anH2yPxt unshakable determination.Xiykec She wasp30p4r the oneQkHUU who initiatedNFfi this mission.Wn9HKJmZ0hc
PkQ0“Let’s go.”pYYaoO
JPpwyI stepped throughJmLje the portalz0gE first, followed0x9l by Horn,Oe6tV then Seol-ah.FNfUWrj
JDScfIThe moment my6AYaiA feet touchedhHlCv the warp,GRifSL an overwhelmingFdyiN pressure seizedaJwCm my entirewjaXuK body.HE0o
YEQgBLWhooooosh…g8P1i
gLBVKdIt felt likecEtLQy an invisibleUfX force wasB9ILL4 pulling everythingpVG toward a white pointuPmiZ on the18kJsy horizon. JustPMBz as mysuGE consciousness startedvfJAwg to waver,baEDC my bodyFUt60F stabilized allghShzZ at once.5D0OsdGcc
dgII opened myhuq eyes, whichBTH I’d beend5kO squeezing shut—andzJGJ was momentarilycQXD stunned byJCEM the landscape.RmpTULVz
WWUA barren island,433Kk with a central elevationFvX9VT shaped likeGxUfj a volcano.OizjWs The airZnu7V4 reeked ofaucb sulfur, sharpJoWh enough tor6I2D sting thecy47I nose. RiversJ9S6 of lavaD9lqw bubbled inafIl the distance.RkHEcWEM2L
maHAIt was theeVK0 complete oppositeCYLwC1 of theWfAqeJ grim, coldukJQ atmosphere ofkOlWh the undeadAZsTm dungeon.DSj
tYLWZ‘So this isRlq the place.’LJJtyrV0
NE3We had arrivedt6vGQq at theEbAq “Shattered Island,”7dk the site97gl5w where BasiliskqYXEb had madeYRVdOy its nest.heEfB0eM
awOEnSoon after, theZC1 space behindgefsB2 me distortedYz4D and spitEqk out HornePD and Choi2PpQu Seol-ah. Bothwjc nearly fellcKMuCP but managedfcPUoc to stayf2Nw on theirSEdj feet.C3Z
bQFThey also took0VCh in the04KNV dungeon with5Pr3 awe. The4nTzW oppressive atmospherejt45K left themNwGiVj speechless.nmoTzX
e5EmQpHorn was the5oHY first tof90b react. SheOvS pointed towardU10A a specificEtP spot.iicqNQ
z1vgf“I can senseqfe a familiarNQ2 mana… fromrcISn there.”7AIB2I
gBx0Ahead of usLGFrMu was anvzjukO entrance shapedADZ like a serpent’s openlR6 jaws. ItJ2mq was obviousKO7 that wasnhxE the dungeon’scej0 gate.DeO
kbiRcN“There…”aOXdx
Sll2Horn’s expression darkened.sJbj16 After staringwEtH silently forStO a while,C2Uh she beganfd6j6 walking aheadGXVwbR on herG3S7 own.A4P
SxARfsHer footsteps sankiIp slightly intouMt3u0 the semi-liquidV90H ground, asil3EYw if stampingHGpO a sealjdBUr with every9n9P step. Choij2PyZt Seol-ah andrTuQja I followedgMEr silently.iUpDgA
6Wn***ir67
SKQTj8Inside the dungeon.eOEvXd2nUR
d8ftqnAs we entered,LZaM a silent8M0T3M cavern greeted1hL us.xcvmw
oxz27OIt was far4R82Lk larger thanOFcsmz I had5qG imagined. The5nhuK path coiledpny like a snake, winding0cGjI in a way thataBNom made getting4pz lost easy.xyMb8evgTz
TK4But we movedRKWIt9 forward withoutSAStMk issue, thanksSvnkc to HornWNx tracking thexrxjWD mana.xXn9
e5ov‘Even Choi Seol-ahuly is doingoYkLf her partrjl9 properly.’5NENd
n6r0zQAnd me? What65fTr was myk6K role? Obviously,xnu1 to eliminatevReAt Basilisk.21ZWFN
8eLHowever, there wasyG6nM one detail3UmPg4 that botheredWPeWi me—a specialHZL “trait” ofuuNyjs Basilisk thatwg0el Horn hadXaZpuO told meHZki about. If4MoyP it wasiQHu5 true, heBFy was anWcep enemy with1So terrible synergyvq2Z1s against me.GgrXTlebwxp
Lc9‘In terms ofJwQwOh compatibility, thisigq could bew9e even moreERc annoying thani3r a Corps2kPf81 Commander.’8CJ
dQ3A1mI was scratchingTlmV my headV6jSwI in frustrationS5JL1 when—vdmeF
Iss“Goddammit…”PFC
2hwufI heard Choi9T6H06 Seol-ah cursekwSe next toeOR3B me.rvbv1c
4il2toI turned indw18Q the sames6MLcf direction shexNdcbL was looking.u8F8HUiR4v
e9yThe area wasMvpKa covered inUayp dozens of1eCmN statues, perfectly0F4e aligned. A chilling sight.GQVTy4qvRF3
ktGAnd we knewmAUcmA exactly what9s9J they were.2EWIVcu
reldThey were theJ2e heroes whorPbdm had been3F8N7W petrified byxwZ Basilisk’s demonicmsVU3j gaze.dtMv
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaThis fight Is gonna be peak like undead dungeon