Episode 185: The Strongest Snake (3)
Choi Seol-ah’s ears perked up. The slippery and rustling sounds were slowly approaching. There were also cracking sounds here and there. She could tell just from the two pieces of information reaching her ears.
It was the sound of a snake slithering across the ground.
How nice it would be if it were a small rattlesnake, but that’s just a fleeting hope.
A look of shock came over Choi Seol-ah’s face. Every time ‘it’ moved, a small earthquake occurred. The ground wouldn’t shake unless it was of a certain size.
At that moment, the tip of her nose felt tingly. Choi Seol-ah quickly pinched her nose with her index finger. Then she slowly lowered her gaze. The greenish fog that had spread down to her knees was melting the leather of Louis Vuitton’s shoes.
The sight of luxury goods turning into a hanger. Choi Seol-ah’s expression was astonishing, but soon turned bright red. The fear that had been dyeing her hair just a moment ago was instantly pushed away by anger.
“This, this… you little snake!”
Choi Seol-ah, her eyes rolled back, pulled out a revolver. Just before her index finger could pull the trigger, Kang Geum-ma covered her mouth with his hand and covered it.
“Quiet.”
“But, but. My lord, I waited in line in the early morning breeze just to buy this! It’s a limited edition and costs 30 million won! How could I not be angry when this is a complete rag?!”
Even though her mouth was covered, Choi Seol-ah shook her feet with a look of indignation. Her shoes were riddled with holes, as if rats had eaten them. Her toes were wiggling inside.
Kang Geum-ma frowned. Then he clicked his tongue and dismissed it.
“If your life is worth only 30 million won, then get out.”
“… … .”
“And the guy who says it costs a million won a week to get married burns 3,000 won on shoes? That won’t do. When you leave, I’ll have to re-educate you.”
“My lord, my lord! Mercy… …!”
At that moment, the monster swimming on the floor revealed itself. It was a huge brown snake. Its body was so big that its head touched the ceiling, and its coiled body resembled a hill.
It was like a rat that encountered a snake.
A snake flicking its tongue. As it snorted, a long stream of green smoke came out.
The long, vertically slit eyes swept across the three people. Choi Seol-ah slowly put away the revolver she had drawn. It was clear that even if she hit those thick scales with a lead bullet, it would not even make a scratch.
However, the snake did not rush in. It simply tilted its head and observed the human as if it was curious.
It was the first time that a human had come face to face with him and not run away immediately. However, if he made up his mind to move, the distance would quickly be shortened.
Choi Seol-ah clenched her teeth.
‘I have to run away at this timing.’
She rolled her eyes sideways. Unlike herself, who had turned pale, her lord looked indifferent. As always, always, always.
It was a boring reaction that made the person who was trembling feel embarrassed. When on earth will that person become embarrassed?
‘Still, I wish I could see my master’s bewildered expression someday… … .’
A pervert’s sadism dyed one side of his chest pink.
‘No, no!’
Choi Seol-ah immediately shook her head to clear away her distracting thoughts.
When you’re a villain, you often get scolded for not being able to fix your bad habits. If this intention is discovered, it’s certain that the smell of a fragrance is scarier than the smell of poison.
Choi Seol-ah suddenly fixed her gaze on her lord. Her lord was assessing his enemy with narrowed eyes. His pupils, half-submerged in his eyebrows, were filled with weariness.
Then the lord spoke to the nobleman.
“That guy isn’t a basilisk, is he? He’s just big, but he doesn’t look like much. A B+ at best?”
The lord spoke as if he were grading the meat of a giant snake. The startled nobleman nodded his head in a trembling manner.
“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s probably a subordinate of the Basilisk. Judging from the size of its body and the way it spits out venom, it’s probably just a gatekeeper that blocks approach. However, it’s definitely not an easy target. The venom will become thicker as you get closer, and by then, not just your clothes, but even your bones will melt.”
“So you’re saying I should just kill that snake without getting near it?”
Kanggeomma replied while scratching his chin. Hon looked bewildered at his indifferent tone.
“In theory, yes, but there’s no way to defeat such a large demon from a distance… …!”
“You can’t get stopped by the mid-boss. And if he doesn’t come, you have to make him come.”
Before he could finish speaking, Kanggeomma took a step forward. He walked a few steps towards the snake, activated [Protection of Communication], and opened his mouth.
-Get out of the way.
… … ?
The green irises, which had been torn apart, gathered more vertically. The snake’s eyes blinked like traffic lights. Kanggeomma spoke again.
-If you don’t want to get wet, just get wet.
The snake reacted to the provocation of scratching its insides. Its green eyes turned red. It went berserk.
“Ssaaaa …
The bastard’s piercing mouth filled the entire room. At the moment when his gaping mouth was about to rush in for a bite, Kanggeomma knocked Murasame down. Choi Seol-ah shouted in a thrilled voice at that scene.
“Sir, no way. You can see that, my lord?!”
The lord’s secret technique that instantly killed a berserk ogre.
“Death sashimi!”
At the border between imagination and reality, a blade flashed white.
Crunch.
The snake’s body struck the ground as the irises, which had been tightly closed vertically, opened up.
Kwakwakwakwang!
The snake squirmed as if it had static electricity and wiped the floor with its scales. The stone statue that had been caught in the air caused debris to fly in all directions. The hem of the soul’s clothes fluttered.
“Ugh. What’s going on all of a sudden… .”
Hon raised his arm to block the flying rocks. The wind laden with rock dust covered his retinas, making his eyes sting. Nevertheless, he strained his eyes and barely managed to open his eyelids.
“Eek!”
The soul fell backwards in shock. The lifeless eyes and the absent-minded gaze met. The pupils became translucent gray-white. The soul stared blankly at itself inside. Only the tongue, forked in a Y shape, flowed out of the snake’s mouth. It died instantly without shedding a single drop of blood.
My head was pounding. Why? How? Question marks appeared and disappeared randomly. It was not enough to interpret the situation with only perception and senses. Then suddenly, Boradol’s words came to mind.
‘Hey, you little punk, have you ever seen someone put a demon in a cardiac arrest with a sword?’
Ki-ki-kik. The stiff head turned forward as if it was petrified. The blade that had been shining smoothly slipped back into the scabbard. Kanggeom-ma let out a small breath. Even in the lava zone, white breath rose.
Kanggeomma turned around. To his eyes, the human looked much bigger than the snake that had been dragged down. It was a wondrous presence. The murderous intent that pierced his skin also played a part.
He opened his mouth as the poisonous fog cleared.
“Let’s take a break here.”
“… … .”
“I have to eat too.”
Hon nodded silently. He had been walking for nearly three hours. It was time for a rest.
… It was an offer they couldn’t refuse anyway. So the three of them lit a fire right next to the snake.
* * *
Knock, knock.
The fire was just right. Kang Geum-ma seasoned the three pieces of Korean beef he had prepared with salt and pepper. It was beef bought with Choi Seol-ah’s card.
He placed the seasoned meat on a stick and placed it over the fire. Soon, the fat began to sizzle and a delicious smell began to waft out.
Since I expected a forced march, I had to eat one meal inside the dungeon. Even though I was supposed to be fighting S-class demons, I couldn’t skip a meal. I would fight better if I had a full stomach.
He had dealt with all sorts of people. He realized that even the strongest people wouldn’t be able to provoke him, and that there was no need to get anxious. It was more helpful to not think about anything.
However, it was not something he could do alone. His party members also had to keep their wits about them and help him.
Basilisk is an S-class demon. It has a petrifying eye that is extremely difficult to defeat. Choi Seol-ah doesn’t know, but it can only be defeated if the dragon spirit is with it.
So I spent some money and bought some tuple beef. I wanted to recharge my energy and spirit.
Pan-hee.
Two people staring intently at Hanwoo from both sides. Their worries seem unfounded. Especially, the eyes of the soul looking at the meat were sincere. The way they flared their nostrils. They didn’t even try to miss the smell.
The tense atmosphere was melting away like meat fat. As smoke filled the room instead of the poisonous fog, Choi Seol-ah noticed and asked.
“I… … . My lord. It may be a little late to be worrying about this, but what if the demons smell me if I give off such a strong smell? I’m sure you have thought about it, my lord.”
Kanggeomma replied while rolling the meat.
“Oh. So, either look at the meat or be anxious. The soul next to you will also be anxious.”
“Ah, yes. Sorry, hehe. By the way, how much is this Korean beef? The marbling looks like flowers, and it seems to cost more than a few pennies.”
“100,000 won per piece.”
“Oh! You spent some money?! Oh my, as expected, you’re a big spender! Wow, wow!”
Choi Seol-ah raised her thumbs in unison and shook her head. Kang Geom-ma glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
‘Hey, don’t you know that I bought it with my own money?’
Because I bought it after stealing the wallet from the soul. Kang Geum-ma’s clan was Seori Kang.
Choi Seol-ah, who still didn’t know the truth, scratched her temple awkwardly and looked at the wood fire again.
After a while, Kanggeomma distributed a piece of ripe Korean beef to each of them.
“Eat.”
Forks and knives were a luxury. You had to hold them with your hands and eat them. That added to the charm and whetted the appetite.
“I will eat well, my lord!”
“I will enjoy the meal.”
Hon and Choi Seol-ah bit into the meat. Their jawbones felt tingling. They stayed like that for a few seconds.
Tears of emotion flowed down the cheeks of both people and fell onto the meat surface. This was the taste of meat, no, the taste of emotion.
I didn’t add any seasoning other than salt and pepper. So what is this shocking taste?
The right amount of saltiness to whet your appetite to the limit. The degree of ripeness was perfect, so much so that it felt like it could be chewed with just your gums rather than your teeth.
Hon and Choi Seol-ah looked at each other as if they had made a promise. They were still holding onto the meat in their mouths.
‘That’s crazy. Isn’t it, you little punk?’
‘My dragon life, I may have lived for this moment, Mr. Boradol.’
There was a lot of conversation through their eyes. Soon, they were competing with each other and gnawing on the meat. Choi Seol-ah was biting her lip with her plump cheeks.
“Sir, you’re crazy. Seriously! No, how can it taste like this when there was only salt and pepper? Don’t you plan on opening a meat restaurant? You’re just going to rake in the money?! Wow, this is really great. Why can’t it taste like this at home?”
“When you’re hungry, even eating dirt tastes good. And are wood fires and gas fires the same?”
Even though he said that, Kanggeomma smiled faintly. The surroundings were dark. In the middle of it all, the warmth of people and fire warmed the air.
But even a ray of light in the darkness attracts flies.
Sssss. Sssss. Sssss.
Shadows cut through the darkness, drawing curved paths. The jaw that had been moving frantically stopped. The laughter stopped.
Choi Seol-ah turned her head slightly. Goosebumps ran through her body. At a glance, it seemed like there were hundreds of snakes surrounding her from all sides.
They weren’t as big as snakes, but they were about twice as big as humans. Choi Seol-ah’s lips, glistening with oil, quivered.
“My lord, my lord, my lord!”
“Don’t be so excited.”
Kanggeomma didn’t react much. He looked around with indifferent eyes and quietly walked towards the snake’s corpse. His eyes were calm, without a trace of anxiety.
“The snake cubs know the smell of Korean beef. Everyone in the dungeon has gathered.”
Kanggeomma was chewing meat. He had been looking forward to this situation.
Soon, his right hand touched the snake’s scales. Kanggeomma spoke heavily. His eyes flowed black.
“Get up.”
A light flashed across the murky eyes of the snake. It slowly raised its massive body, which was as big as a mountain. The strong swordsman spoke as he tore at the flesh.
“They’re getting in the way of my meal. Kill them all.”
As soon as the master gave the order, the snake snorted loudly. The venomous wind instantly obliterated hundreds of snakes.
