I'm Not an Earthworm, I'm an Earth Dragon

Although I got swept away by monsters at the end and it was a bit of a nuisance, I somehow managed to escape. I had nothing to fear from unorganized monsters, no matter how many attacked me.

And the plains are, once again, peaceful. The weather isn’t as fickle as the mountains, there are no ferocious and dangerous monsters, and most importantly, there’s no fog. Which means I don’t have to be on edge all the time.

Because no matter what attacks, there are others who can see it besides me. So unlike in the mountains, I didn’t have to be constantly on edge.

“You have to roll your tongue less there. If you roll it more, it becomes a bit… strange. So. Thank you. Like this. Try it once. Thank you.”

“Khamsa…hamnida?”

The words are terrible, and the pronunciation is terrible too. Every time I learn, I can’t understand how such a language is commonly used in this world.

Hasn’t there been a single person who complained about this awful language? There must have been at least one. It can’t be explained unless all those people disappeared as dew on the execution ground.

“That was almost right. Well, people will probably understand this much. Let’s stop here for now. I think the meat is done.”

Myungho closed the book, smelled the aroma, and said the meat seemed to be done. How can there be a language that becomes less appealing the more you learn it? I tilted my head, but my body faithfully moved towards the meat.

It was a random animal caught on the roadside, so I wouldn’t normally have expected much, but the cook is the cook, so I was looking forward to what it would taste like this time.

Besides, he said we’d arrive in the city tomorrow, so he used up all the remaining ingredients today, so it couldn’t possibly taste bad.

“The foreleg is mine! Even if Altera says she wants it, I won’t give it to her!”

“Don’t worry, Altera doesn’t seem to be interested in such a small foreleg. She doesn’t seem to care about anything but the hind leg. Altera? Could you… maybe leave one hind leg?”

The golden, glistening, incredibly crispy-looking skin, and the juices that flowed out when poked with a fingernail. It was hard to believe it was the same insignificant animal.

“…One leg should be fine. But give me all the ribs.”

It was just a shame that I had to share. If I were alone, I could have eaten it all. Even though it’s been over two weeks since I joined them, group life still felt quite unfamiliar.

“Alright. It’s been a while since I’ve had a leg. Akash, anywhere is fine this time too, right?”

“I’m not really interested in food made with such low-quality ingredients. What’s the value in low-grade meat whose original taste is masked by spices? As long as it fills the stomach, that’s enough.”

Unable to bear it any longer, I twisted off the hind leg from the body and stuffed it into my mouth. The aroma and taste of all kinds of spices filled my mouth, creating a blissful taste.

I couldn’t taste the meat because it was covered in spices, but it’s delicious. Anyway, if it’s delicious, that’s all that matters.

As promised, I tore off the other leg and handed it to Myungho, then crunched down on the bones of the one I was eating. Then, I split open the chest and took out the ribs.

I tore off the attached spine and buried it in the ground, then gnawed on the ribs like a dog. I know it might not look great, but it was so delicious I couldn’t help myself.

“Altera, you don’t have to eat so fast… Nyam. No one’s going to steal it. Eat slowly, slowly. You’ll get indigestion.”

Myungho tells me to eat slowly, but how can I eat this slowly? It’s the kind of taste that makes you want to take two or three bites for every one bite others take.

Yuna seemed to know this too, as she was devouring the foreleg without leaving anything behind. It doesn’t look as appetizing as the hind leg since there’s less meat, but there must be some flavor in it.

At first, I thought he was crazy when he poured in all those spices, but I guess he was right. Aside from being rude, he might actually be a remarkable talent.

He’s outstanding in both magic and knowledge. As for stamina… well. If it comes to it, I can just grab him by the collar and run. I guess I should say he’s excellent except for his rudeness and lack of stamina.

I made teeth marks on the last remaining rib, savoring every last bit of meat, and the world seemed a little more beautiful.

What if it’s just me who’s been living in a hellish place all this time, and this is the norm? It might be a surprisingly livable world. Lost in optimistic thoughts, I looked at the tower, which was now quite close.

They say there’s a city at the base of that tower, and rumor has it that the tower literally reaches beyond the clouds. No one knows who built it, and it’s still a matter of debate.

I don’t know about anything else, but it’s definitely tall and thick. It’s no joke, even when I first saw the tower from the mountain range, it was so long it seemed to pierce the sky.

“…It’s hot. But it’s delicious. A bit salty, though… Akash. So, do you really not know who built that tower? I thought you might know.”

“I don’t know, something so useless. What’s certain is that it’s probably older than this land. If you’re really curious, ask those higher-ups. One of them might know. Oh, but I do remember holding a game where everything was at stake at the top of that tower. Cheating, stopping time. It was a mess.”

Myungho kept asking, still thinking Akash might know something. Honestly, I’m curious too, but is it really necessary to know who built it?

With the campfire at my back and the night sky as a backdrop, I pictured the full view of the tower in my mind. The top was covered in clouds, so I couldn’t see it… but. It doesn’t really matter, does it?

Every time I see such a sight, it evokes a feeling, whether you call it awe or something else. The feeling of how small I am.

Lately, I seem to be getting lost in these thoughts more often. It’s something I never dreamed of in the days when I was satisfied just to be alive day by day.

Hmm. It’s nice, this. It’s a good thing to be able to dream of the future and have hope.

“…Hmm. Altera. What, do you see? Do you see the tower?”

Yuna, having finished eating, slowly approached me and asked what I was looking at. Thanks to the words she learned in the short time, she could understand vocabulary at my level.

…That is, child-level vocabulary. I couldn’t understand the words Akash and Yuna used in everyday conversation. The pronunciation is awful, too.

“Yes. I see the towwer.”

I responded to Yuna with perfect pronunciation. Yuna smiled awkwardly, said “I see,” then sat a little more comfortably and said something I couldn’t understand.

“…Even though our goals are different, you’re looking for your parents just like me. I hope you succeed. Hmm, I hope you can get along with your father… but that might be difficult.”

“…What are you saying?”

I could understand “parents” and “father.” Well, seeing her faint smile, I guess she’s cheering me on. I’ll take it that way. Yes, I must win.

“It’s nothing.”

Yuna said that and sat silently beside me for a moment, then left. It was sudden… but if I think of it as building a bond, it didn’t feel bad.

Still, I don’t want to be left out, so I need to learn more, faster. If all else fails, I’ll ask him to use his brush or something. If he can kill a Dalokos, he should be able to inject a language, right?

– – – –

Because it touched the sky, people called the tower the Skypiercing Tower. Those who longed for the sky because they couldn’t fly climbed the tower that touched the sky.

To get a little closer to the sky.

That was all the story that the small city of Corvo held. Sweet tales of betrayal and unbearable love stories. All kinds of stories flowed from that tower.

But no one cares what’s at the top.

Every single one of them was busy staring up at the tower with a vacant look. The surprising thing is that the lizard doesn’t seem very interested. It seemed to have just the impression of it being a huge building, nothing more.

I don’t care what the riffraff say. When we arrived at the gate, a guy who seemed to be a gatekeeper greeted us in an exaggerated tone.

“Welcome to Corvo! Have you come to challenge the Skypiercing Tower?”

“We’re just going to stay for a bit.”

“Hey, Akash…”

Did I say something wrong? I shrugged and stepped back. Even if I say the right thing, they’ll keep nitpicking, so it’s better to stay quiet.

It’s been a while, so I’ll update the others on my situation. I’m also getting updates from them and learning how the world is going. The damn old man asked about the Earth Dragon’s information.

How can we be the same but not get along so well?

Still, I am me, so I gave him some false information mixed in. He’ll see through it quickly, but it’ll make his rotting brain work a little harder.

Is it because I’m close to the original? I’ve inherited the obsession too. While I was complaining, Myungho must have dragged it out long enough, because the guard’s expression brightened again.

“I see… But please try challenging the Skypiercing Tower sometime! Since you’re gold-rank adventurers, you’ll probably reach the middle levels easily! Then once again! Welcome to Corvo!”

He talks a lot. This is why cities that only have tourism are no good. I don’t like it when it’s just boring, but I hate it even more when they try to act cheerful.

They don’t even know what’s happening inside that tower.

With a sigh of dissatisfaction, I followed Myungho into the city.

[T/N: First time we are getting Akash PoV and it’s so short, hopefully we get more of his brain wirings~]