I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 18

—–CROW—– 

Rustle.

There was a problem.

A very big problem.

Hiss.

If I couldn’t immediately resolve this issue that Silphy helped me discover, I didn’t know how it would hinder me later.

I couldn’t let that happen. Absolutely not. I wouldn’t leave it like this.

Hiss.

The problem Silphy helped me uncover was with the poison I possessed.

One might call it *just* poison.

After all, there were plenty of examples where a priest could purify it with a single spell, magic could prevent the poison from spreading, or a potion could simply neutralize it.

But those methods only worked against ordinary poisons.

Truly terrifying poisons couldn’t be treated with such simple methods.

Take, for example, the three representative venomous creatures in mythology:

The Hydra. Nidhogg. Jormungandr.

The Hydra and Jormungandr possessed poisons that could even threaten the gods, corrupting their divine essence.

Nidhogg was the master of a poison so potent that it nearly killed Yggdrasil, the World Tree, the mother of the elves and sanctuary of spirits, breaking through the very concept of nature that protected it.

Truly powerful poisons were dangerous, an understatement, really.

And, though hard to believe, if my poison continued to grow at its current rate, it would undoubtedly stand alongside the venoms of that toxic trio.

Wouldn’t that be a good thing?

Unfortunately, not at all.

This poison was blocking the path towards my goal of becoming a sacred beast.  How could that be good?

‘Though, they probably don’t exist in this time period.’

The Hydra, Nidhogg, and Jormungandr only appeared after the ancient era, after all.

If I failed to resolve this issue and my poison continued to mature, I might become their great ancestor.  *Chuckle.*

‘Sigh…’

Was it because I was so apprehensive about what I had to do?

I was actually spouting such nonsense, something I never usually did.

“Shaa!”

Right. Time to prepare.

To achieve the goal I dreamed of.

To eliminate the obstacles in my way.

Myself. Directly.

Gulp.

I glanced back, checking the distance between myself, Cheong, and Silphy.

The cave was already far behind us, out of sight.

This much distance should be enough.

I couldn’t do this near them.

I didn’t want them to hear my screams, or worse, see me in a potentially embarrassing state.

“Shaaa.”

Mentally prepared.

Now then… let’s begin the operation in earnest.

First step to removing my poison!

To eliminate the poison, I first needed to locate the poison sacs.  Commonly known as venom glands.

‘One in each cheek. And… one inside my body.’

I had a total of three poison sacs.

See? Tricky, right?

And the process of removing them wouldn’t be easy either.

‘The internal one first.’

I chose the internal poison sac as the first to remove.

There were several reasons for this. Firstly, this task required the most concentration.

The venom in my cheeks wouldn’t require as much focus, but it would be incredibly painful.  I was worried the pain might break my concentration later, so I decided to remove the internal one first.

Wriggle.

Slowly. Carefully.  Meticulously, I had to control my body perfectly.

Lacking hands and feet, I wriggled and twisted, carefully manipulating my insides to reach the poison sac and begin the extraction process.

Wriggle. Wriggle.

‘Ugh.’

The sac, nestled deep inside, reacted to the sudden attempt at removal by releasing toxins.

Naturally, the poison released inside my body was absorbed by me.

But I couldn’t panic.

My body could withstand this much.

I just had to endure and continue.

Wriggle. Wriggle.

‘Might as well finish it in one go!’

If I stopped now, the poison sac would return to its original place.

Then I’d have to do this all over again, and I didn’t want that.

If I tried again, my concentration would be worse, and that would increase the risk of mistakes.

‘So, I’ll finish it now.’

Wriggle. Wriggle. Wriggle.

“Kyaaaaa!”

Ah, so this is what it feels like to induce vomiting.

I could feel the distinctly sour and dangerous substance gradually rising up my throat.

I think… I even had tears in my eyes.

Ugh.  Kaaaagh.

Along with a sensation I never wanted to experience again, the poison sac finally reached halfway up my throat.

Now, I just had to open my mouth wide and… *Heave!*

Thud.

“Kyaa.”

‘Ughhh.’

With tear-blurred vision, I examined the poison sac I had just expelled.

Good heavens, how could something from my own body look so dangerous?

Hiss.

I needed to get away from it.

Instinctively, I moved away from the thing I’d just vomited up.

It had barely touched the ground, and the corrosion was already spreading.

It was a designated hazard for a reason.

‘Right. This is what a proper obstacle should be like.’

And I had to remove two more of these dangerous things.

‘And this time, it’ll be much more painful.’

Honestly, this made me hesitate a lot.

The method I was about to use was incredibly… crude.

And it was a bit terrifying to do alone, without anyone’s help.

‘Damn it, I’ve never even had a wisdom tooth pulled.’

The method involved concentrating all the poison into the connected fang, then pulling out the fang along with the poison sac.

The reason for concentrating the poison in the fang beforehand was to prevent the poison sac from bursting during the extraction.

‘Sigh. Pulling out a live tooth without anesthesia.’

This was practically self-torture.

But I couldn’t stop here.

With tears welling up, I moved my tail and… grabbed my right fang.

‘Huu. Hu! One. Two. Three!’

Crack.

—–CROW—–

-I’m so worried!

“Myaaa…”

Silphy and Cheong remained where El had left them, filled with worry.

Why didn’t they follow him?

Because El had wanted them to stay.

So they stayed.

They believed in him.  They firmly believed he would return to them safely.

-Sigh. He must be hurting a lot.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t worried.

What if something happened to him?

What if he did something reckless and came back injured?

Silphy, in particular, was deeply concerned about El, because she believed she was the reason he had left.

-If I hadn’t told him the truth…

Then El wouldn’t have gone off on his own.

“Myang.”

-Cheong.

Cheong approached the despondent Silphy and gently swung her arm.

A careful pat, devoid of any force.

It was a clear gesture of comfort, and Silphy managed a small smile.

-Thank you. But when El returns, do it for me too. Give him my share of comfort.

“Myaa!”

If that’s what you want.

With Cheong’s nod, Silphy felt a little better and realized she couldn’t just wallow in her worry.

-Right, let’s ease his worries before he returns.

Why had El left like that?

Because of the poison in his body, he couldn’t become a sacred beast.

So, she decided to use her power to find a solution to his problem.

-Wind, carry my words far and wide.

Her question, seeking a solution to El’s problem, was carried away by the wind.

*Whoosh*

-It’s here! It came!

Before El returned…

Responses arrived from those who had answered her call.

Silphy sprang to her feet and, with gratitude, replayed the messages from those who had helped her.

-Sounds pretty serious. Why not just kill him?

-N-No way!

Kill who?!

Silphy recoiled in horror and played the next message.

-That poison sounds interesting. Are you willing to sell me that snake?

-El is my friend! He’s not something to be sold!

And the next.

-Wow! That snake looks delicious! Where are you? I’ll bring my special sauce!

-El is not food!

The next.

-Hmm. How did you befriend such a lowly creature? Back in my day… a solitary life…

-Ugh! Shut up!

Next.

-If the poison’s the problem, just cut him open and take it out!

-Don’t be ridiculous!

There were no answers that seemed helpful at all.

Silphy gritted her teeth, thinking of her unhelpful brethren.

How could there not be a single solution among so many responses?!

-Ugh. This is a bit scary, but should I ask the Spirit King?

She was just a low-ranking spirit.  She didn’t know if the Spirit King would even respond to her.

If the Spirit King was in a good mood, it might be alright. But if not, he might send high-ranking spirits to punish her for daring to speak to him.

…But she would do anything for her friend.

-Alright! I’ll ask!

With newfound resolve, Silphy sent her question to their king.

Unlike before, when she had broadcast her question widely, this wind, meant for a single being, traveled with incomparable speed.

-Are you that free? To even talk to me? Must be nice being a low-ranking spirit these days.

-Eek!

For some reason, she received a reply from an exhausted-sounding Spirit King.

I’m doomed.

That single thought filled Silphy’s mind.

Rustle.

But Silphy was quickly able to shake off her worries.

Why? Because the very cause of her anxiety, El, had returned!

-El! Where have you been? You’re finally… What happened to you?!

“Myamyamyack!!!”

But it seemed it was too early to rejoice.

Her friend had returned with blood smeared around his mouth and an utterly exhausted look in his eyes.

-W-Who did this to you?!

“Myang! Myack! Haack!!”

Cheong and Silphy were enraged by El’s condition.

El, upon hearing their frantic questions, stared blankly at the sky, then…

“Shaaa.”

‘N-Never again.’

Thud.

…and collapsed unconscious.

-Eeeeeeel!

“Myaaaaack!”

—–CROW—–