I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 42

—–CROW—– 

[Shit, what is this?]

-Author: SilphyLover

I tried the antique gacha this time.

As you all know, we can check item information with our status windows, so it’s like a total cheat when it comes to unidentified items, right? I was collecting good antique items with the help of my status window, and then I found this.

(Picture of a damaged ring)

The name is Typhoon’s Jewel, and looking at the effects, it’s a protective item containing the power of a wind spirit.

I thought the name “Typhoon’s Jewel” was a bit too grand for a protective item.

(Picture of a small typhoon raging)

I was completely wrong.

Shit, I really didn’t know it would actually summon a typhoon.

The surrounding area is a mess because of this.  Thankfully, the typhoon’s size was small, so it was quickly suppressed, but since it’s obvious I’m the culprit, it’s costing me a fortune right now.

-Whoa. It actually summoned a typhoon.

-Typhoon’s Jewel lives up to its name.

-I’ve never seen that item before. Did something like that even exist?

-Yeah, it existed. But it’s not a well-known item.

-With that level of power, it must have been made by a high-ranked spirit, right?

└If the ring is that damaged, it must have been made a long time ago, and if it’s still that powerful, it must have been made by a high-ranked or even higher spirit.

└Who knows? A mid-ranked spirit from ancient times could have made it.

└Even in ancient times, a mid-ranked spirit could use that much power?

-So where did you get it?

└Didn’t the post say they got it as an antique?

The Typhoon’s Jewel.

Even in the Jijiyong world, it was a rare item known by very few.

It activates automatically when the owner’s health drops below a certain level, or just before they receive such a wound, summoning a typhoon around the owner using the spirit’s power contained within the item.

*Rumble rumble rumble*

And just how powerful would the Typhoon’s Jewel be, containing the power of the Spirit King, the strongest of all spirits?

A range wide enough for even the distant Dragon King to notice.  The typhoon, rising endlessly high into the sky, resembled a massive waterspout.

[If it has this much power… is it the Spirit King?!]

And naturally, since I knew about the Typhoon’s Jewel, I could easily deduce who the source of this disaster was.

This much power. This wide a range.  This was clearly something achievable only by the apex of a race, something not even the highest-ranked could reach.

“Wh-What is this?!”

[It seems you cherished it more than I thought.]

Not just any item, but the Typhoon’s Jewel containing the Spirit King’s power.

Surprised by the safety measure’s unexpected scale, I listened to the voice coming from within the typhoon.

Judging by their bewildered reaction, did they not know about the Typhoon’s Jewel?

Or did they know, but were surprised by the power exceeding their expectations?

[Hey.]

“Y-You! Did you do this?!”

[Hardly.  You did this, not me. You should be able to tell just by your location.]

Hmm. It seems they didn’t even know what kind of item they possessed.

Still, it’s a relief that communication is possible.

Because the owner can dispel the Typhoon’s Jewel’s power if they wish.

[This typhoon is a phenomenon caused by the Typhoon’s Jewel you possess.]

“Typhoon’s… Jewel?”

[It’s an item that activates when it senses your danger. Naturally, only you, the owner, can quell this typhoon.]

“H-How do I do that?”

[……]

Uh. I don’t know that either.

[Good luck.]

“H-Hey! You have to tell me how!”

Ahem. Sorry, but I have my own things to do.

Who knows what kind of problems might occur if I lose focus while using a lot of power to stop the typhoon. I have to be careful.

‘Besides, I’ve been feeling this since earlier…’

That typhoon is intentionally rejecting the wind I’m manipulating.

Because of that, the power I need to exert has doubled.

*Whoosh*

But I can’t give up here.

If I let the surroundings be swept away by this typhoon, Ceres will also be harmed.

I can’t just stand by and let that happen.

“My, my. It’s even more massive up close. Why would the Wind Spirit King exchange something like this for a mere Yeouiju? I heard he was injured by some strange fellow recently. I should make him some medicine and send it over.”

[…You?]

A mysterious presence suddenly appeared in this space where no one but the person who activated the Typhoon’s Jewel and I should be.

A middle-aged man appeared, wearing casual clothes, sporting an unkempt beard as if he didn’t usually groom it, and with greasy hair in a bad way.  And the pungent smell of alcohol wafted all the way over here.

He looked up at the towering typhoon and muttered something to himself.

*Gulp*

What is this?

He certainly looks carefree on the outside, and vulnerable with many openings.

But my instincts are screaming.

That to survive a fight with him, I can’t afford even the slightest lapse or mistake.

That he is absolutely not someone I can underestimate.

“Hmm. Hmm. A black Imugi.  Certainly different from us.”

[…Fast.]

To think he’d approach me with movements that escaped my sight in that short time.

And this time I was focusing on him.

He circled around me, constantly letting out exclamations as if appraising an object, then pointed at the still violently swirling typhoon and said,

“You’re the one. The one who fought my daughter.”

His smile as he looked at me somehow overlapped with the smile of the woman I had just fought.

[I see. If you’re the Dragon King, then that absurd power makes sense.]

A being of a higher order than even sacred beasts.

A being called the king of the goal I must reach.

To think the Dragon King would appear here in person.

“That voice… Dad? Is that you, Dad?!”

The Dragon King’s face brightened momentarily at the shout from the one who recognized his voice despite the typhoon’s influence.

Ah, that’s the typical look of a doting father, no matter how you look at it.

“Yes, my daughter! Dad is here…”

“What the hell did you give me, you old geezer?!”

*Cough*

Thanks to his daughter’s outburst of anger instead of a welcome, the Dragon King bent over and made a pained expression as if he’d been hurt.

“Do something about this first!”

“Ahem. Of course, my dear.”

Of course, he immediately regained his composure at his daughter’s following words.

*Whoosh*

[The typhoon… is subsiding.]

As I reached out towards the typhoon, the typhoon visibly diminished.

Just a moment ago, when I tried, it resisted fiercely, and the best I could do was prevent further damage, but is this the difference between me and the Dragon King?

I almost felt a sense of emptiness at how easily he resolved it.

“I-I’m alive!”

“Ahem. That’s why you shouldn’t go to the surface and get into trouble. If you had stayed quietly in the palace, everything would have been resolved.”

“This is all your fault!”

“Haha. More importantly, my daughter. You’ve been through a lot.”

Then the Dragon King’s gaze naturally shifted towards me.

“My, my. This fellow… nothing about him, from his appearance to his abilities, fits my predictions.”

The Dragon King now looked down at me with dragon eyes.

Perhaps because of his all-seeing eyes, I found myself widening the distance, preparing to attack at any moment.

“You can’t even transform into a human, yet you defeated my daughter.”

*Step*

“Still, I won’t kill you, since my daughter made the first mistake.”

*Step*

“Yes. Consider this a simple test.”

[A test?]

“Yes. Why do you have a different form from us? Why did the heavens open their blessings only for you? Of course, since it’s a test, there must be a reward if you meet my expectations.”

*Pitter-patter*

Along with the raindrops falling from the sky, the Dragon King’s eyes flashed.

The man who just moments ago seemed like an alcohol-smelling uncle was now looking down at me in the form of a dragon.

“Now, the test begins.”

***

*Thwack. Thwack. Crack.*

“Amazing. How can this be?”

The Dragon King continued to exclaim in admiration as he watched the small Imugi before him.

It was clearly anomalous.

Its appearance was different from ordinary Imugi, as was its size, and even the power it possessed was clearly abnormal.

“An Imugi wielding a Yeouiju?”

It probably wasn’t a Yeouiju.

But the power it wielded was identical to that of a Yeouiju, so it might as well be one.

How could an Imugi wield the power of a Yeouiju?

「Deepwater Thrust」

*Crack.*

That was not the kind of power one would expect from such a small body.

The Dragon King brushed off his arm, which was vibrating from the recent attack, and chuckled.

Yes, this laughter was a hollow laugh born of disbelief.

Good heavens, wielding a Yeouiju was shocking enough.

「Deepwater Thrust」

“Is it copying, too?”

It was definitely an attack he’d seen before.

But the attack just now was clearly a more advanced form, or more accurately, a form incredibly similar to the one the Dragon King had used.

It wasn’t simply mimicking the movements.

It was a perfect reproduction of the technique, stealing even the flow and attribute of mana that fueled the movements.

Presumably, the previous Deepwater Thrust was a technique stolen from his daughter, who was currently watching this fight.

“…A talent like no other.”

On top of that, the creature wielded the power of a Yeouiju.

What did that mean?

It meant that regardless of whether it was a spirit, sacred beast, or divine beast, anyone could have their power stolen by this creature.

“That’s why it’s dangerous.”

If it were left alone for a few more years, it would acquire power that no one could handle.

Originally, he had intended to simply test its abilities and give it a scolding for hurting his daughter.

[Huff.]

“…This is insane.”

However, that thought vanished with El’s next action.

Where did it even steal that technique from?

El’s form reminded the Dragon King of a past memory.

The technique used by the one who had scarred his face to this day.

“Just looking at it makes my forehead throb!”

It was the first technique El had ever encountered.

A special technique that, originally, only a select few among beast-type beings could use.  He hadn’t been able to learn it back then due to a lack of talent, and the regret lingered.  Now, having become an Imugi and with overflowing talent, El reproduced the technique imprinted in his memory with power incomparable to that time.

[───!!!!]

「Lion’s Roar」

The Imugi’s fierce roar tore through space and surged towards the Dragon King.

—–CROW—–

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