Chapter 59: IF-017-1 Part 12

The interior of the passage was a confusing mess, like a mirror world.

The leader snake, known as IF-108 “Nessho,” was waddling forward.

It was a path that had been opened millions of times before, but the leader snake wasn’t bored.

That was because, unlike usual, there was someone to talk to.

”Fire Snake, you were huge, right? But why did you shrink?”

The leader snake looked down and sent a thought.

At that moment, the Fire Snake, whose eyes only met with a short, chubby creature, blushed.

”I… I’m not sure…”

It was hard to believe that the once fearsome Fire Snake could have such a shy expression.

Now, Nessho sent thoughts without hesitation, laughing softly.

‘Your speech changed too. You used to say things like, ‘Under my wings, everything will burn!’ and speak so loudly.’

‘Forget about it… Please… forget…’

The Fire Snake lowered its head and started patting its own cheeks softly.

Nessho found it amusing that the once terrifying Fire Snake could now be so easily teased.

‘Heehee.’

Just then, while Nessho and the Fire Snake were walking through the passage, Nessho suddenly felt something odd and turned around.

Something following them had disappeared at some point.

Far behind, something chubby was wriggling around.

”Bweeeng.”

It was the pig snake.

”What’s wrong with it?”

”I don’t know either…”

Nessho, curious as to why the pig snake wasn’t following, ran back to where they came from.

When Nessho approached, the small snake couldn’t move from the spot it was stuck in, almost as if it was wedged in tightly.

“Ugh, is it stuck again?! This happened last time too”

Nessho, frustrated with the small snake always taking up space in the passage, began slapping it around.

“Stop! Stop!”

When the small snake’s cheek started turning red from the slapping, Fire Snake, who had caught up, raised an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t seem like it should be stuck… Could it be…?”

Fire Snake stared hard at Nessho and the pig snake.

As if trying to see through their very bodies.

“What… what is it?”

”Bwee?”

Nessho, feeling suddenly embarrassed under Fire Snake’s gaze, tried to cover its body, while the pig snake blinked innocently, completely unaware.

Then, Fire Snake’s eyes widened in realization.

“You guys… Are you each keeping a Pearl Master?”

At Fire Snake’s question, Nessho and the pig snake exchanged a look.

Nessho flicked its tongue.

If it was the Pearl, then it was something that the ancestors must have placed inside them in that way… Nessho could still feel it under its tongue.

The pig snake seemed to be thinking the same thing and nodded along with Nessho.

“The younger ones are quick these days…”

Fire Snake, impressed, continued.

“The Pearl is a part of the ancestors, so it has an enormous presence… So… when it comes to spatial transitions, it always gets caught…”

Fire Snake spoke nostalgically, as if reminiscing about the past.

Nessho, though, was more curious about something else.

“I also have a Pearl, but why is that dumb snake the only one stuck while I’m not?”

“Dumb? I beg to differ!”

At Nessho’s question, Fire Snake looked at the pig snake, which was still wriggling in its stuck position.

“Is the Pearl talking to you right now?”

The pig snake let out a confused ”Bwee?” and shook its head.

The Pearl was just a silent Pearl, nothing more.

‘The Pearl? Talking? No. Quiet.’

“Even though it stays warm, or suddenly wakes you up as if telling you to pay attention, doesn’t that happen…?”

But Fire Snake urged it to think again.

Upon hearing this, the pig snake thought for a moment, then realized that both were correct.

The Pearl was always warm, and when it sensed danger, it would heat up as if to alert them.

The pig snake nodded its head, and Fire Snake responded, “I knew it.”

“The Pearls have different personalities. The one you serve is more active than the one I serve. That’s why it’s always talking to you…”

Fire Snake’s words made the pig snake exclaim a surprised “Bwee…”

Up until now, the pig snake had thought the Pearl was just a Pearl, not realizing that it had been watching over it all along.

The pig snake tilted its head in confusion.

“How did it get stuck?”

“What do you mean?”

Fire Snake was taken aback by the pig snake’s peculiar way of speaking.

Nessho stepped in to clarify.

“Ah… Does that mean you don’t know how to get unstuck? You don’t even understand how to fix it?”

“Yes! Yes!”

Then came a vigorous “Bwee!”

Nessho smirked and glanced at Fire Snake.

Realizing it had finally understood, Fire Snake calmly patted the pig snake’s head.

“To calm down the Pearl, all you have to do is be gentle… I used to go to the ruins of the Golden City, where the Pearls love to visit, but you won’t need to go that far for such a new one. Just talk to it, and it’ll cool down.”

The pig snake, feeling the gentle pats, began to recall the past.

The image of the mother snake, separated from her baby, lingered before the little snake’s eyes.

Laying the little snake on her lap, she gently stroked its head with warm hands while she spoke.

The little snake tried to communicate with the bead.

“Shh. Shh. Our. Baby. Sleep well. You. Our. Baby….”

It was a song that stuttered and faltered.

Kwangcheol, who was listening nearby, looked terribly flustered.

“Hmm… I don’t think the baby would like being called that…”

“What? Comfort. This. Right.”

But, the little snake, only doing as instructed, responded with a puzzled expression.

Kwangcheol, looking anxious, and the little snake, standing proudly, exchanged glances.

***

A moment later.

The bead, once warm from the little snake’s body heat, gradually cooled to match the little snake’s temperature.

At the same time, its presence began to fade.

Ppol-ppol-ppol.

The little snake easily slithered out of the tight spot.

Then, with a sudden lift of its head, the little snake proudly showed off.

“Success.”

“Wow! Now it won’t be stuck anymore!”

“That… works?”

Kwangcheol, looking stunned, and the chief snake, who clapped like a seal, watched the scene.

Well, as long as it worked, right? The three of them bounced around, excited.

After a brief dance session, the chief snake grinned, spreading its fins wide.

“Let’s go now!”

“Wait.”

For some reason.

Even though it had freed itself from the tight spot, the little snake remained still, as if frozen in place.

“Eh, why?”

The chief snake asked in confusion, and the little snake pointed behind it with its insignificant tail.

“Ancestor. Still.”

It meant it wanted to wait for the ancestor and go together.

“Oh, right! Let’s wait for the ancestor!”

The chief snake agreed and sat down, looking toward the entrance to wait for the ancestor.

***

A moment later.

Something suddenly appeared at the entrance.

“Ancestor?”

The little snake’s eyes lit up, but the chief snake shook its head.

“No, that’s the human.”

Dressed in white like a two-legged beast, the human was strangely following the chief snake without any fear.

However, something was odd.

The human was stuck halfway through the passage and wasn’t moving at all.

It was as if they were like the plump snake from earlier.

“Eh, no way…!”

The chief snake, startled, flapped its fins and rushed toward the entrance.

It was exactly as feared.

The human was stuck in the passage, struggling to free themselves.

Unlike the plump snake, this human couldn’t even fit their body fully into the entrance.

“Not again, no!!”

Shocked that the passage was blocked again, the chief snake flattened its fins against its face and collapsed in a crumple.

Meanwhile, Kwangcheol was in complete disbelief.

“The bead… it’s huge… No, it’s not gigantic, but there’s a lot…”

There was no way anyone could get through this many beads.

Kwangcheol’s mouth hung open, unable to close.

The meaning of carrying so many beads was clear—there was only one possible explanation.

“No way, is that child the new High Priest?”

High Priest.

A representative of the city’s god, who was too grand to stretch out their hand to the city, and the city’s only manager.

‘Why the High Priest was human and why they were stuck there was unclear, but… Still, if they were the High Priest, Kwangcheol thought, perhaps he could deal with it immediately by informing them.’

He sent the same telepathic message as before.

“Calm down, speak to the bead…”

Struggling.

However, the human didn’t respond at all and continued to fight against the passage, trying to free themselves.

The little snake understood the telepathic message, but the human didn’t seem to comprehend a thing.

Kwangcheol, increasingly flustered, sent another telepathic message.

“High Priest…?”

But there was no answer.

Then.

“Help me, Lulu…”

In that brief moment, the human, with a pale face, cried out for help.

They were pulled backward and then suddenly slipped free from the passage.

The human’s body collapsed onto the floor on the other side of the entrance, groaning.

And then, the ancestor’s telepathic message came through.

“Come out.”

Kwangcheol asked in confusion.

“Huh…? Weren’t we supposed to go to the lake…?”

But the ancestor’s response was firm.

“This one can’t understand telepathy. We’re walking. So come out.”

The ancestor’s tone suggested they had already given up on trying to communicate with the human.

The chief snake, the little snake, and Kwangcheol exchanged looks.

“… If we walk, how long will it take?”

“I’m not sure, but it’ll probably take a while…”

Then came a faint sigh.

After a brief silence.

“… What are you waiting for? Let’s hurry out.”

“Defeated.”

Kwangcheol, leading the pair, dragged them out.

His expression wasn’t particularly bright either.

The mood had drastically dropped in an instant.

“What are you doing? Come out already.”

“Yes, yes…?”

With the ancestor’s telepathic order, the three sluggishly made their way back outside.