I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 20

—–CROW—– 

“Myaa.”

“Shaaa.”

-Okay! Put a little more strength in your belly! That’s it, good job!

A week had passed since I’d collapsed.

During that time, I’d fully recovered from the self-inflicted injuries—that is, the wounds from removing the poison.

My movements were back to normal, and I could open my mouth wide without pain.

What did that mean?

It meant there were no more obstacles in my path to becoming a sacred beast.

In other words, I was finally ready to begin training in earnest!

Hiss.

Silphy, the most knowledgeable among us about mana and various other information, took on the role of instructor.

-Now that warm-ups are over, let’s begin the first lesson!

“Myaa!”

“Shaa!”

‘Finally!’

Silphy, more energetic than usual, showered Cheong and me, her students, with an almost excessive amount of enthusiasm and attention.

So, what was the first training exercise?

-Meditation for a clear mind!

Meditation.

‘But is this how you’re supposed to meditate?’

The problem lay in the posture, which was considered crucial for meditation.

Cheong adopted the typical loaf-of-bread pose cats often assumed.

I curled up, resting my head comfortably.  And this was supposed to be meditation?

-Meditation should be done in a comfortable position! Of course, you need to maintain that position for a long time, so you shouldn’t be so comfortable that you fall asleep!

That’s what she said.

So, we each maintained what we considered a comfortable position and began our meditation.

-Don’t just breathe casually, breathe with intention.  It might seem pointless now, but these small things accumulate, becoming the sturdy steps that will lead you to your desired goal.

Breathing with intention.

Inhale. Exhale.

What intention should I imbue my breath with?

The resolve to become a sacred beast?

Or perhaps the memories I’d made here?

Or…

‘Gratitude for my friends who genuinely worried about me.’

If Silphy and Cheong hadn’t been there to take care of me, I would have had to postpone this training.

And that strange green substance she had found had also contributed greatly to my recovery.

The one Silphy had tasted and complained was bitter.

I hadn’t ingested it like Silphy; I had applied it to my wounds.

That was probably the correct way to use it.

‘It was still incredibly bitter, though.’

The problem was that my wounds were inside my mouth.

I had been careful not to swallow it like Silphy, but the bitter taste and scent that lingered whenever I swallowed saliva was truly unpleasant.

I now understood why Silphy had made such a fuss and why Cheong had reacted so aggressively.

Whoosh.

Still, thanks to that, I was perfectly fine now.

The process had been tough, but the result was ultimately the best.

Inhale. Exhale.

‘But am I supposed to be thinking about this?’

My mind had wandered.

I had intended to focus on my gratitude for Silphy and Cheong, but I was now reminiscing about the medicine I had used.

‘Is my concentration that poor?’

My thoughts kept straying.

I wasn’t usually this easily distracted.

[OMG! Is today’s school lunch for real?!]

[Look at this cat.]

[Found a real sacred beast for the Gallery Master]

[I’m gonna become a regular in the nurse’s office at this rate.]

[I want a harem too.]

See? I wasn’t the type to get easily sidetracked, but the next thing I knew, Gallery was open in front of me!

My instincts were sabotaging my attempts to focus. I was already worried about my future.

I discreetly checked the posts on Gallery, imagining others thinking, “He’s just messing around,” or “He’s completely lost it. He’s so easily distracted.”

‘Hmm.’

There were quite a few interesting posts.

[Look at this cat.]

-Posted by: Cat.Lover

(Picture of a cat with muscular arms.)

Meow.

-Gaaaaaah!

-Where’s the cat I want?!

└It’s right there, nestled in those bulging biceps.

└Gaaaaaah!

-Damn, those muscles.

└Wow, they look more defined than our gym teacher’s.

└Agreed.

-How much can you lift?

-Teach me how to work out, bro.

-Now those are some muscles.

It was a picture of a muscular man flexing his bicep with a cat drawn on it.

Ignoring the cat drawing, the post showcased muscles that would impress even another man.

I wasn’t the only one who thought so, as the comments were filled with praise for the poster’s physique and inquiries about his workout routine.

‘Hmm?’

Then I spotted a post that caught my attention.

[Found a real sacred beast for the Gallery Master]

Someone had found a sacred beast for me.

Was it just clickbait, or was it real?

‘I’ll just check it out.’

I clicked on the post.

-Ah! El, you’re not focusing!

Just as the post loaded, Silphy caught me red-handed.

Damn…

—–CROW—–

“Myaaa…”

“Shaaa…”

I was exhausted.

I felt like collapsing on the ground and passing out again.

Why was I so tired?

-So, mana is…

Because of Silphy’s lesson.

The atmosphere had been quite pleasant during the initial meditation.

But it turned out that was just a deceptive lull before the storm.

“Myaa.”

“Shaa.”

I missed being injured.

At least then, I hadn’t been this mentally drained.

Cheong was now openly doing other things, and I was barely pretending to listen.

The lesson felt like a fifth-period theory class after lunch at school.

In other words, it was incredibly boring and difficult to focus on.

‘I need to see what I missed earlier.’

It was all because Silphy had caught me at that exact moment.

I secretly opened Gallery again and searched for the post I hadn’t finished reading.

‘There it is.’

[Found a real sacred beast for the Gallery Master]

-Posted by: RustyNewbie

I risked life and limb to meet a sacred beast for our Gallery Master.

Don’t ask which one. You all know it.

(Picture of a black lion tearing into a huge piece of meat.)

You all know who this is, right? That’s right, it’s the Mountain Lord from the mountain behind the academy.

‘Whoa, they met the Mountain Lord?’

The Mountain Lord was notoriously ill-tempered.

I hoped the poster hadn’t been seriously injured as I continued reading.

…

…

…

So, what did I ask the Mountain Lord?

Only things that would be helpful for our Gallery Master.

So, Gallery Master, please read this. And leave a comment after you do.

What’s the benchmark for becoming a sacred beast?

Answer: Can you control mana without being controlled by it, both physically and mentally?

What’s the biggest challenge in becoming a sacred beast?

Answer: Intelligence.  As mere animals, most don’t have high intelligence, so even perceiving mana is difficult for their simple minds.

Are there any tips for becoming a sacred beast?

Answer: Live in a mana-rich environment.  This increases the chance of instinctively comprehending mana. Also, think a lot to improve your intelligence.

Does the difficulty of becoming a sacred beast vary between species?

Answer: No. As mentioned in question 1, as long as you can handle mana, everyone starts on equal footing, except for those born with the silver spoon of sacred beast blood. Of course, those with higher intelligence have a better chance.

What about dragons?

Answer: Dragons are a special case among sacred beasts. They have to go through an intermediate stage called Imugi, and not just anyone can become an Imugi, so it’s twice as difficult as the usual path.

How does one become an Imugi?

Answer: There are two ways. One is for the fish in the Dragon King’s domain to earn his favor.  The Dragon King will then grant them a portion of his power, transforming them into Imugi. However, on land, where there are no Dragon Kings, only snakes can become Imugi. Of course, in this case, the difficulty increases exponentially compared to the former, so it’s wiser to aim for becoming a snake sacred beast instead of dreaming of becoming an Imugi.

How does a snake become an Imugi?

Answer: Have you heard this saying?  An Imugi creates a Yeouiju, and a dragon wields it.

‘Right, my path wasn’t going to be easy.’

I had a hunch since the moment I pulled out my fangs to get rid of the poison.

If everything said here was true, my path ahead was like climbing a steep, vertical incline.

‘But this is a bit annoying.’

I reread point number 6, grimacing slightly.

Those living in the sea just had to win the Dragon King’s favor?

Why the species discrimination?

Annoyed, I instinctively thrashed my tail against the ground.

‘It’s not fair.’

Here I was, pulling out my own fangs just to become a sacred beast, while others could become Imugi just by acting cute.

-El? Your expression suddenly darkened. Was my lesson that boring…?

Ah, had I unconsciously shown my feelings?

I shook my head apologetically at Silphy and Cheong, then recalled point number 7.

‘An Imugi creates a Yeouiju.’

Did it literally mean creating a Yeouiju, or was there another hidden meaning?

Lacking knowledge in this area, I decided to seek help from a certain spirit.

“Shaa!”

‘Silphy! Help! I desperately need your help!’

-Huh? What is it?

Our informant, who was faster than anyone at spreading and receiving news.

Silphy, the wind spirit.

Time to get back to work.

—–CROW—–