The snake, emitting a blinding white light, coiled up and looked down at us.
"Oh, it's a huge snake...!"
At Wiesol's exclamation, I bit my lip.
It was the worst possible situation.
"...A monster?"
A snake of such size could only be a monster.
If it could speak, it must be an intelligent monster.
I had never heard of such a thing.
Especially not one of this size.
What should I do? With my current body, I couldn't even scratch it.
At the very least, I had to ensure Wiesol's escape.
Then, how could I draw its attention...?
As if reading my thoughts, the snake spoke.
- Cease your efforts, child. I am not hungry now.
Did it mean it wasn't hostile?
I hid my cold sweat and asked.
"...Can you understand me?"
- If I am speaking, then I must understand.
"How can a monster speak human language?"
- A monster... How amusing.
The snake flicked its tongue.
Even that flexible tongue seemed larger than me.
- It seems the time has come to be called by that name.
It was a somewhat bitter voice.
It seemed not hostile, but I couldn't trust a monster, so I didn't lower my guard.
The snake's golden eyes flickered as it asked me.
- ...You are curious, child. How did you, who are not of the Jin family, come to this place?
"Jin family...?"
Are you talking about the Jin Chon Yeon family?
"...The Jin Chon Yeon family disappeared hundreds of years ago."
At my words, the snake's eyes widened.
Then it slowly closed its eyes.
Swoosh.
The snake coiled its massive body even tighter.
Even a slight movement made the room seem to shake.
- ...So it has come to this. Indeed, it was inevitable.
The massive head slowly lowered to the ground.
- But, I am still curious. Even if my power is fading, it is not easy to find this place. How did you come here?
'...Is the power you mentioned the formation that was set up in Bego?'
A monster with such unbelievable power.
It was a terrifying thought.
What should I answer to the monster's question?
In reality, Wiesol had done all the drumming, dancing, searching, breaking, and tearing to get here, so there wasn't much to say.
"...I just found it."
- ...Is that so.
The snake paused, sounding bewildered. Its gaze shifted to somewhere.
It was definitely looking at Wiesol.
The snake's golden eyes glinted slightly as it looked at Wiesol.
Its size was so large that it made me feel an involuntary fear.
Wiesol, also scared by the gaze, pressed herself closer to my back.
The snake's head moved a little back, observing this.
- I see... That's how it is.
What? Why are you accepting it on your own?
- Child, why did you come to this place?
Then, the snake suddenly asked me.
I hesitated at the snake's question.
If the snake is related to the Jin Chon Yeon family, would it let us, who came to raid Bego, go?
"I just happened to come in."
Without realizing it, I naturally used formal language.
The snake flicked its tongue at my words.
It might have been a delusion, but it seemed to be smiling.
The snake said.
- Unfortunately, there is nothing left here for you to covet.
...Shit, you noticed we came to raid Bego.
Thanks to that, my back was drenched in cold sweat.
The snake slowly continued.
- My lifespan is almost over, so the day this place reappears in the world is also near.
'...Almost over?'
The snake's words made me realize how the Tang family might have discovered this place.
If what it said was true, the Tang family must have just stumbled upon this place when the formation was broken.
'It's no wonder they couldn't find the white maple tree for so long.'
Is it really true that there is nothing here?
Then, what did the Jechun family head gain from this place?
- Child.
"...Yes?"
I tensed up in response to the snake's call.
It wasn't the time to worry about my pride being hurt by using formal language.
- What do you think fate is?
"What kind of ridiculous question is that...?"
The absurdity of the question made me revert to my usual tone without realizing it.
You crazy bastard, you shouldn't be doing this in such a situation.
- Hahaha!
The snake burst into laughter at my response.
The massive body made my legs tremble.
- That's right... I asked a strange question.
Fortunately, the snake didn't seem upset.
I wanted to ask why it kept asking me, but I held back.
This wasn't a situation where I could afford to lose my composure.
The snake slowly uncoiled its body.
- ...In the end, for what did you endure something that would eventually disappear?
It didn't seem to be talking to me.
To whom was it speaking? After finishing its words, the snake's body suddenly glowed brightly.
It wasn't the gentle white light, but a golden light like its eyes.
Just as I was thinking about taking Wiesol and running, something fell from the snake's mouth.
A golden bead.
I picked up the bead that rolled toward me.
Then the snake said.
- Take it.
"...What is this?"
- This is the price for keeping me company. It will soon fall into someone else's hands, so it's better to give it to you, who have a connection with it...
Compared to what came out of the snake's body, there was no saliva or foreign matter on it.
If I had to compare, it looked similar to a magic stone, but there was no ominous feeling that usually comes with a magic stone.
On the contrary, it felt luminous and noble.
Perhaps even sacred.
- Since you carry something like this inside you, you will probably accept it more easily than others.
'Carry? What...?'
As soon as this question arose, a sudden hot energy surged into my body.
"...Gah!"
I couldn't bear the sudden intense pain and collapsed.
It was because the Demon Dao Absorption Technique activated again.
I had let my guard down, thinking it wasn't ominous, but was it a magic stone?
The strange thing was that there was no demonic energy, even though it was a magic stone.
The problem was the massive amount of energy coming in.
As I struggled to endure, I felt Wiesol's hand stroking my back.
Surprisingly, the violently surging energy changed direction and flowed calmly.
The energy that had been swirling through my body eventually rushed into my dantian, which had been trembling in fear.
It mixed with the warm energy of the Gyeonhwa Wheel Technique and swirled inside my body.
"Ugh...!"
The pain intensified, making me feel like I was dying.
Was the snake trying to kill me with pain? If it wanted to kill me, it could have just swallowed me whole...!
Slowly, then quickly.
- Bang, bang, bang!
All I could hear was my groaning, but I felt something exploding in my head.
Was it an illusion caused by the pain?
The energy that had been swirling for a while eventually merged into a single stream.
It then condensed into a single point.
Without my will, it spread throughout my body.
It felt like something was exploding.
When the pain reached a level I couldn't bear,
I lost consciousness.
******************
After Gouyang Qian couldn't bear the energy and fainted.
Only the snake and Wiesol were left in the room. The snake chuckled.
- It was too much for you to bear.
It was the treasure of a being that was about to become a dragon.
Especially since it was being absorbed rather than directly consumed.
You must have taken a more complete form of energy than others.
Wiesol, with Gouyang Qian's head on her lap, slowly stroked his back.
The snake looked at Wiesol and asked.
- Are you satisfied with that?
Wiesol looked up at the snake's question.
Her eyes, usually as black as obsidian, were now golden.
Wiesol said.
"I don't have the right to be satisfied or not."
There was no trace of her usual meek tone.
The snake, seeing this, said in a sad voice.
- You have twisted too much. Is this your choice?
"Why? Can't you understand?"
- No, I understand too well, which makes it even more painful and regretful.
The snake slowly lay on the ground.
The bright scales gradually lost their luster.
Wiesol, still stroking Gouyang Qian's back, asked.
"You, why did you give away your precious treasure to a human you just met today?"
- It was just a whim. Waiting for someone who won't come is the loneliest thing. I let it go too.
A bright smile of a golden-haired young man flashed in the snake's mind.
Someone it would never see again.
- ...Fate is truly fleeting.
The scales slowly fell to the ground. They shattered upon touching the ground, like maple leaves on the ground.
The snake would soon disappear without a trace.
This was the end of the spirit that gave away its treasure.
Wiesol gently stroked Gouyang Qian's head.
"Even in this situation, you only thought about protecting me. You are... so stubborn."
Drip, drip.
Water droplets fell on Gouyang Qian's face.
If only he had run away.
Gouyang Qian, trembling while looking at the snake, refused to back down.
He was still stubborn. What was he, anyway?
What was he, who only complained and despised without knowing anything?
The image of the person who didn't speak a word for him until the last moment came to mind.