I'm Not an Earthworm, I'm an Earth Dragon

When you tear off a scale, rather than it being painful, it feels oddly refreshing. It’s like moist skin being brushed by a cold wind, I suppose. Of course, it hurts too.

I casually tossed the extracted scale onto the ground and crossed the bridge I had made. Why is it that every bridge in this world is so poorly made?

This time, like the first time, I was going to make it roughly, but Myungho asked me to make it properly so that others could use it too, so I had no choice but to make a proper one.

“…There are more monsters than I heard, and the road is damaged in places… It’s strange. Could it be that the demon race is up to something again…?”

“Isn’t it just that humans are lazy? Every bridge is broken.”

The ones in the mountains could be considered old, but the ones here don’t look that old. The map showed a bridge here, so I went without thinking, and this was the result.

“I don’t know about any tricks, but it’s mating season now. The males fight each other, so it’s possible that some things got damaged.”

“I see… Altera. But that scale… are you just throwing it away? Akash. It’s a dragon’s scale, even if it’s a half. Can’t we use it for something? Like, a high-quality material or…”

Not wanting to be associated with criticizing humans, Myungho naturally changed the subject to my scales. I like that he’s interested in me… but it’s a bit uncomfortable that he’s interested in my cursed blood.

“I tried picking one up, but it’s useless. More than half of it is made of magic power, so as soon as it leaves a worm’s body, its properties change immediately, and the altered scale is worthless and rots quickly.”

“I don’t know what that guy is saying, but it’s probably useless. Hold out your hand. It’ll be faster to show you.”

I pulled off a scale with a snapping sound to tease the bewildered guy and placed it on his hand. The startled guy soon went silent as he watched the scale change.

The scale, which had a black metallic sheen, quickly lost its luster in his hand, and even its color faded, turning light brown.

“Now try to squeeze it hard. Don’t worry. It won’t pierce your hand or anything.”

At least not my hand. Myungho, perhaps feeling uneasy, squeezed it gently. Then, the scale easily crumbled in Myungho’s grip.

“That’s why it’s useless. It’s not sturdy. It’s not beautiful. All the scales that fall from my body are like that. They last longer if I smear my blood on them… but would you do that?”

Of course, he wouldn’t. Myungho answered as expected. But I’ll remember that he hesitated for a second.

“Why are you so hung up on it? There are only a few people in the world who can process dragon materials. You might as well try using the blood instead.”

Myungho, clearly understanding that the scales that fell from my body were useless, moved on, albeit with a hint of regret.

I can give him a lot of trust, but I have no intention of giving him my body. I thought as I followed behind Myungho.

After crossing a fairly wide river, a different landscape greeted us compared to before the river. A slightly darker and more humid land, and a sign with unreadable text.

“Beware of sinking, swamp monsters. Hmm? Let’s see… This seems to have been added recently. Beware of bodies hidden beneath the surface…? Do not approach the sword? Hmm, it warns of strange things.”

There were many slimy swamps and shallow puddles everywhere. It was as if to say that the swamp was starting from here. Myungho said last night that we would arrive at the swamp today, so I was prepared, but…

As soon as I smelled the damp earthy smell, I suddenly felt five times worse.

It felt like my feet were sinking slightly, and I had a bad feeling as soon as I stepped on the ground. Ah, I hate places with so much water.

“There’s no such thing as being too careful, so let’s do as the sign says for now. Altera, can you warn us if there are any invisible bogs or deep mud pits?”

The ground was damp, so the detection range seemed to have shortened. It wasn’t fatal, but it was enough to be significant enough not to be dismissed as trivial.

“Aren’t you relying on me too much? You’re a gold rank. At least try to do something yourself.”

I’m not a detector, you know. Don’t treat me, who is more capable, stronger, and more competent than any detector, as just a detector.

“Please. It’s my first time in a swamp.”

Is it anyone’s first time? I was about to answer, but his attitude was so polite that I sighed and answered.

“…I’ll try my best. But don’t expect too much. The ground is so damp that it’s hard to tell what’s what.”

Maybe if I concentrate with all my might. At least I could clearly feel what was nearby.

“Thank you. Yuna, you keep watch with Altera too. Akash… um… just guide us on the right path.”

“Sure, I’ll guide you to a place where no one can find you if you suddenly die. Why are you so serious? I’ll guide you to the dwarven ruins. Can’t even make a joke, can’t make a joke.”

“Leave it to me. Swamp monsters are quite easy to spot. Just don’t stray from my side, okay? Myungho? Don’t wander off.”

“Yes.”

Seeing Yuna specifically telling Myungho, it seems he must have troubled her somehow before. Myungho, after giving instructions, drew his sword as if he couldn’t just stand still either.

It used to be just an ordinary sword, except for looking like a bone. Now, the sword was cracked, and an ominous purple light flowed from the cracks, giving it a chilling appearance.

Still, I wasn’t particularly curious. Apart from the glowing, there were no other distinctive features. Anyway, I don’t have much to do with Myungho other than his brush.

“Then let’s go. Walk carefully. You never know what might come out.”

Gloomy and cloudy sky, stagnant yellow water, and annoyingly clinging vermin. It wouldn’t be strange if a rotten hand suddenly emerged from the ground and grabbed your leg, but nothing like that happened.

A frog hastily escaping after taking a wrong turn, a small slime dragging its yellow muddy body, and a fish with a tail like a head. There were only creatures like that.

The real hindrance was the bugs and this damp air. It was irritating just to inhale, and the strange smell was quite bothersome.

As we went further, as if to prove that the swamp was ahead, there were more puddles and the ground became damper.

While complaining about the terrible environment, we steadily moved forward and found a large sword stuck in a puddle.

“Oh, is that it? Beware of the sword… Altera. Do you feel anything strange from the puddle where that sword is stuck?”

Myungho asked if there was anything strange as if he suspected something about that puddle. I focused my senses and examined it, but there was nothing.

No ominous signs, no suspicious movements. It looked like it was stuck to mark something on the ground, but that’s all I could tell.

“I don’t feel anything.”

“It’s not a swamp monster either. Myungho? Where are you going? You said to be careful.”

As soon as he heard that there was nothing, Myungho was slowly approaching the puddle where the sword was stuck but was stopped by Yuna.

“Well, um… you said there’s nothing. I was just curious why it said to be careful.”

“Let’s take a look. If it’s dangerous, we’ll let the worm handle it.”

“Not, a worm.”

He’s been quiet lately, so he’s starting to call me that again. I growled to tell him not to get cocky and stuck close to Myungho.

There’s no hidden magic or anything, but there are many things in the world that I don’t know. Maybe there’s a trap or something.

As Myungho stepped into the puddle, he suddenly stopped. Did he step on something? Or did he belatedly realize that his clothes were soaked in muddy water?

“…Guys. I think I just stepped on something… that looks like a person…?”

A person? Down there? Curious, I tapped the ground with my tail and sent vibrations. It was blurry because it was underwater, but there was definitely something like a person down there.

“Myungho, I told you not to! Get out of there! I don’t know what it is…!”

But despite Yuna’s shout, something strange happened. The purple energy from the sword Myungho was holding escaped, wandered in the air, and entered the puddle.

And suddenly, a hand with decaying flesh barely clinging to it emerged from the puddle and grabbed Myungho.

Without a moment to speak, I stomped my foot, causing the ground to rise right next to Myungho.

As the bottom of the puddle surged up with muddy water, what was underneath was revealed. A bloated corpse, shattered into pieces, was thrown out of the puddle.

“What… is this…!”

The shock was brief, as Yuna stomped hard on the wriggling flesh, scattering it again. Myungho, who had been in a daze, seemed to regain his senses and quickly got out of the puddle, slashing the corpse with his brush.

-Bruegeugeugeureureuk…

With a bizarre bubbling sound, the corpse stopped moving. Myungho, soaked from the water, just stared blankly at the scene.

“Hooh. So that’s what it was. They were making adipocere. Now I understand why they warned us. It was to tell us not to ruin their business. Adipocere makers never change.”

“Adipocere…? That… they make wax from corpses…?”

“Adipocere is a raw material favored by those who try to reach the realm of the dead, such as necromancers and spirit mediums. The conditions for making it are demanding and time-consuming, but the materials are easy to obtain. And there are few raw materials better than that. I’ve used it a few times myself, but so this is how they make it.”

Can you make wax from a corpse? I had my doubts, but after glancing at my tail, I accepted it.

If there are dragons and strange monsters, it’s possible to make wax from corpses. But something else caught my eye.

“Hey, your sword isn’t glowing anymore.”

The light on the sword Myungho was holding had gone out.