Chapter 186 – The Strongest Serpent (4)

Shhhhhh.

The poisonous gas, spreading like a cloud, engulfed the snakes. Horn, who was watching the scene, nearly dropped her hanwoo.

‘…W-What was that?’

Looking away from hanwoo when it’s right in front of you… For a dragon, there was no greater sacrilege. But anyone would have reacted the same upon witnessing what she was seeing.

Horn cautiously lifted her gaze. The serpent beast that had died earlier was now standing tall, displaying its massive figure.

Was it just playing dead? No. She couldn’t feel a trace of mana. It was a corpse. Definitely dead.

And yet…

Why was that same serpent, which had been their enemy, now annihilating its own kind? Horn couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

She looked down. There stood Kang Geom-Ma, next to the giant serpent, calmly chewing his meat as he watched the massacre unfold with total composure. Not even the blood-curdling screams echoing around them altered his expression.

Choi Seol-ah tapped the stunned Horn on the shoulder.

“Eat while the Lord takes care of them. I bet the moment he’s done, he’ll have us marching again.”

“…Neither you nor Kang Geom-Ma seem shaken at all. Am I the weird one for being surprised? Am I an abnormal dragon?”

“Look at miss big-ears, won’t stop talking now. If you’re not gonna eat that hanwoo, pass it over.”

Choi Seol-ah reached out greedily. Horn, as if guarding a treasure, pulled back and shoved the chunk of meat into her mouth in one bite.

Ah! Even in the middle of chaos, the flavor was divine.

Was it the quality of the hanwoo? Or the skill of the cook? For a moment, Horn’s mind went blank.

Her eyes drifted in delight until she shook her head hard.

“That trap disguised as a question! Were you all feeding me sausages every day while hiding this from me?!”

Choi Seol-ah clicked her tongue. Left with no choice, she focused on her own piece of hanwoo.

“Tch. You feed them, put a roof over their head, and they still complain about the menu… people say raising kids is pointless for a reason.”

Horn felt a twinge of guilt. Just a few weeks ago, she’d been grateful for even a crust of stale bread. She’d gotten spoiled so quickly. And while Choi Seol-ah often threw shade, she had been the one taking care of her.

Horn bit her lip and spoke with some hesitation.

“I do appreciate it… but I was serious. What is that power? And how can you stay so calm?”

“I don’t really get it either, but I think the Lord can revive enemies he’s killed… at least once.”

“W-What are you saying?! That’s insane! Not even our Dragon Lord could do something like that!”

“You still think our Lord is on the same level as a mere Dragon Lord?”

“……”

The answer was so obvious that Horn was left speechless. Choi Seol-ah shrugged and continued.

“I get how you feel. I reacted the same way at first. I asked him directly… but he clearly doesn’t want to explain. And if he doesn’t want to, you don’t push it. So you and I just need to do our part. Don’t bother him.”

Choi Seol-ah sucked on her fingers, savoring the lingering heavenly taste on her nails.

All around them, the beasts were being slaughtered, yet she licked her fingers without a trace of shame. Horn watched in silence, stunned by her childish behavior.

Choi Seol-ah gave her a mischievous grin.

“And why am I so calm? That’s obvious…”

She gestured with her chin toward the front. Horn followed her gaze.

The beasts—reduced to soft, melting bones. And in the midst of it all, Kang Geom-Ma stood, his expression unchanged.

“The safest place in the world… is right next to the Lord.”

Choi Seol-ah looked at him with an expression full of trust and admiration.

“That’s why I’m calm. Well, yeah, sometimes it feels like he’s gonna kill me… but at least I know I won’t die at the hands of the enemy. Big-ears, if you ever feel like your life’s in danger, stick to his back. Got it?”

***

The attack of the magical beasts had ended. After scanning the surroundings, it looked like no more enemies would appear, so we gathered our things and resumed the march.

The original plan was to ride the giant serpent like a bus. It sounded romantic, and it spared us from worrying about lesser enemies. But just ten minutes in, the serpent turned back into a corpse.

A shame. I’d even given it a name—Totogas. Because with all that poisonous gas, it reminded me of “that character.”

“Good job, Totogas.”

Feeling a little nostalgic, I got moving without wasting time. And of course, before leaving, I made sure to collect materials—fresh scales and venomous fangs packed into my bag.

Step by step.

Thanks to Totogas’s rampage, the path ahead was completely cleared. With no obstacles in sight, moving forward was a breeze. If things kept going like this, we’d reach the final boss’s chamber soon.

“Before we go in, we need to prepare.”

Everyone had their gear ready, so there was no issue there. The important part was mental readiness—especially Choi Seol-ah, who had let her guard down too much. One slip, and she’d end up as a statue inside this dungeon.

So, while we walked, I called out to remind her of her role and what to do when we faced Basilisk.

“You don’t want to become a statue, do you?”

Choi Seol-ah nodded so hard her purple hair flailed like crazy.

“Then listen carefully. Once we enter the dungeon, you…”

***

…After three hours of walking, we finally reached a massive door that looked like the entrance.

It was cracked like shattered glass, and through the gaps, bubbling lava glowed. At a glance, it looked like a red serpent was coiled around the door.

“Ah…”

Finally, Choi Seol-ah felt it. Beyond that door, the S-rank magical beast Basilisk was definitely waiting. A chill ran down her spine.

Now that she thought about it, why was she even here? Horn being nervous made sense. But why did she have to be involved? She was just the babysitter for a few weeks, and now she was risking her life.

Even if she’d said that being near the Lord was the safest place, reality always had unexpected twists. And now, he had given her an important mission.

Her shoulders felt as heavy as a ton. Still, deep down, she felt proud. It was the first time she felt like the Lord had acknowledged her.

‘I can do it, Choi Seol-ah. I can do it!’

She gave herself a few slaps on the cheeks. Then looked over at Horn.

Horn was staring at the door. The reddish glow of the lava reflected on her face, but it didn’t hide how pale she looked.

She might look like a child, but her eyes were lifeless—only lighting up when she ate meat.

‘So young… and already carrying the weight of someone who’s lived too long…’

The sigh escaped her without realizing it. Something strange stirred in her chest—familiar and unfamiliar all at once.

She shook her head several times to clear it.

Then Kang Geom-Ma called out to them.

“Once we go in, the fight starts immediately. Horn, try not to transform into a dragon. You said the recoil after leaving your human form is harsh.”

“Even so…”

“I’m not saying never do it. If it’s an emergency, do what you have to. Just keep it as a last resort.”

Horn thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.

“Got it.”

“Since he’s your brother, Basilisk will likely focus on you. He’ll probably ignore me and Choi Seol-ah, thinking we’re just humans. That’ll be our chance. Choi Seol-ah, carry out exactly what I told you.”

“Yes, sir!”

Choi Seol-ah responded firmly. To her surprise, the Lord gave her a faint smile. Her cheeks lifted with joy.

After the strategy talk, Kang Geom-Ma approached the door. It stood firm as if it would block their way. He smirked and pulled out his master key.

Zzzk.

His shoulder gave off a faint glow and a diagonal line slashed through the air like lightning. The door collapsed a second later.

Boom.

The ground shook, and sparks mixed with ash scattered everywhere.

Like an old-west cowboy, Kang Geom-Ma spun his sashimi knife in his palm. The blade spun like a pinwheel before gently sliding back into its sheath. At the same time, the light it emitted was reabsorbed.

“……”

Horn no longer looked surprised. After all, this was the same man who had killed a giant serpent with cardiac arrest—and then resurrected it.

Cutting down a door was nothing after that.

The constant shocks had numbed her. Though she still felt a faint tingling at the back of her head.

Maybe her brain couldn’t keep up with processing everything she’d seen. Or maybe she just didn’t know where the astonishment was supposed to start anymore.

Still, that faint ache helped clear her nerves.

“Damn it… so much dust.”

Kang Geom-Ma waved the air with his hand to push the dust away. Finally, the inside became visible.

He checked the ceiling first. Stalactites of stone hung like icicles.

‘Good.’

He sighed in relief. If there had been obstacles up there, his plan would’ve fallen apart.

But it was too early to relax. The real thing started now.

Kang Geom-Ma narrowed his eyes and looked forward. The dark space swallowed all surrounding light.

And then, a pair of glowing eyes pierced through the shadows. Red spheres filled with sinister intent.

The rest of the body melted into the darkness, but from that dark-red aura, there was no doubt.

The corrupted serpent—Basilisk.

It stared at us with pomegranate-like eyes as it slowly slithered forward.

Kang Geom-Ma frowned. He didn’t like that look—like it was watching a rat walk into its own death trap.

‘Seems it hasn’t realized Horn’s a dragon yet.’

The range of the Petrifying Eye was 200 meters. And that distance would be the key to taking him down.

Step. Kang Geom-Ma took the lead. Horn and Choi Seol-ah followed.

One step, then another. Cautious and slow… or at least, that was the plan.

“Choi Seol-ah!”

“Yes, sir!”

At Kang Geom-Ma’s sharp call, Choi Seol-ah drew her revolver. She aimed at the ceiling and fired.

Bang!

The shot echoed as it hit the ceiling. The lead bullets scraped the base of the stalactites like they were sharpening pencil tips. Soon, the hanging rocks began to fall.

As she pulled the trigger, Choi Seol-ah recalled her Lord’s earlier instructions.

‘This time, your role might be the most important of all.’

‘What do I have to do…?’

He had raised his index finger and pointed to the ceiling.

‘See those stalactites? Shoot them down. Then Horn will use her magic to keep them floating in the air—just for a bit.’

With a firm gaze, the Lord had continued.

‘We can’t approach Basilisk with our eyes closed. So this time, we’ll be the ones to blind him.’

‘You don’t mean…’

‘That’s right. These stalactites will be the blindfold that protects me from the Petrifying Eye.’

↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

A rain of rocks pierced the darkness with force.

Just before the jagged tips hit the ground, Horn released her mana like an open palm.

Wooooom.

A forcefield spread wide and stopped the rain of stones mid-air. But it wouldn’t last long.

Horn quickly turned her head and shouted hoarsely.

“Now!”

Kang Geom-Ma launched off the ground and jumped. His explosive speed outpaced even a bullet. He shot forward like lightning, stepping between the suspended stalactites.

Clink. The sound of a scabbard hitting the ground.

Choi Seol-ah reloaded and precisely aimed again at the stalactites.

As her Lord moved closer to the enemy, those falling rocks served as cover. She fired with all her heart.

“Leave the rear to us, Lord! Just keep going forward!”

Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang!

As gunshots rang out, Kang Geom-Ma flicked his wrist and drew his sashimi knife.

[The Blessing of the God of the Sword manifests.]