The Grand Uncle in a Thread-Sized Guise

“Instead of just spacing out like that, focus your attention from now on. You must grasp the signs of when you are about to revert to a human to some extent. Just as you learned to recognize the sensation right before you collapse, you need to figure out what kind of process your body undergoes before turning back.”

His advice made perfect sense, so I did my best to monitor my tiny body for any anomalies. However, that day seemed destined to pass without any change occurring.

The following day, while Great Master Won-hyeon was engaged in his internal energy cultivation (Ungi-josik), I practiced slithering right beside him. I set a goal for myself to complete exactly three laps around his seated figure in the time it took him to inhale and exhale a single breath, crawling continuously. For a beginner, I felt I possessed quite a natural talent.

But when on earth was I going to grow? A hatchling serpent might look adorable to human eyes, but its miniature size was drastically disadvantageous when it came to defending itself against stray dogs or larger snakes.

Seriously, what kind of bizarre fate had I been dealt? After painstakingly growing into a full adult in my past life, I reincarnated as a literal newborn baby. Then, just as I managed to grow a bit from there, I suddenly transformed into a thread-sized baby snake.

And on another note, shouldn’t there be some professional courtesy among serpents?

I was the legendary Dokgak-hwamang, yet simply because my current mass was minuscule, every random oversized snake I encountered tried to mark me as their next meal. Because of that, I couldn’t even slither around with an air of elegant dignity; I had to frantically scurry for my life every single time, which was thoroughly irritating.

After practicing around Great Master Won-hyeon for a while, I altered my trajectory, deciding to practice moving back and forth between his seat and the front door. I was on my sixth repetition when I picked up a distinct vibration through the ground.

‘It’s the Abbot!’

Realizing the Abbot was approaching, a surge of excitement washed over me and I eagerly slithered out to greet him. Completely oblivious, the Abbot simply walked right past my tiny form, and I turned around to trail directly behind his heels.

He seemed entirely unaware of my presence until he reached the threshold of the door, where he finally spotted me. Because he hadn’t noticed me at all, I had ended up stopping directly beneath his descending foot; right before he could crush me, he avoided me with an extraordinary display of martial reflexes. Upon recognizing who I was, he burst into a booming laugh.

“You little rascal! Why on earth are you crouching right there? I nearly stepped on you.”

Hearing the commotion outside, Great Master Won-hyeon stepped out of the room.

“It seems Sorin was playing a little prank on you.”

I tried to dart back to Great Master Won-hyeon’s side, but the Abbot swiftly scooped me up.

“Where do you think you’re going now? Stay with me for a bit.”

“What brings you here today, Abbot?” Great Master Won-hyeon asked. “Won’t your personal Guardian Monks (Suho-seung) find it strange? You keep leaving them behind during your walks.”

“That is exactly why I cannot visit you as frequently as I wish, Martial Uncle. Please do not hold a grudge against me, thinking my footsteps have grown sparse.”

“Do you think I do not know how burdened with duties the Abbot of Shaolin is?”

As Great Master Won-hyeon spoke, the Abbot tilted his head slightly, staring intently at my scales.

“Hold on a moment. Dark blue-gray serpent hide… Martial Uncle, by any chance, did this little fellow sneak into the inner temple grounds yesterday?”

“What… whatever do you mean by that?”

Caught thoroughly off guard, Great Master Won-hyeon evaded offering a direct answer, his tone shifting defensively.

“I also assumed it would be impossible, but I happened to overhear a conversation among the second-generation disciples earlier. When I first heard it, I didn’t think of Sorin at all, but looking at him right now, a strange suspicion suddenly strikes me.”

“And what exactly did you hear from the second-generation disciples?”

“Among the children of the Gwang-generation, there is a youth named Gwang-yeon. Surely you know of him, Martial Uncle?”

“Of course I know Gwang-yeon. Is he not the child who passed the trials to become an Arhat Monk faster than anyone else in the last fifty years? His martial talent is so monstrous that Hyeon-geon claimed him as a direct disciple early on. I even heard rumors that a bitter dispute broke out among the elders during that selection process.”

“Seeing that even you are so well-acquainted with his name, Martial Uncle, Gwang-yeon truly must be extraordinary. In truth, there is no one within the entire Gwang-generation who can rival his caliber.”

Great Master Won-hyeon nodded in agreement, then prodded, “So, what was it that he said?”

The Abbot continued, “Gwang-yeon was speaking of a certain baby snake. He claimed he had encountered a unique hatchling serpent, but it vanished. He noted the memory was incredibly vivid, yet when he woke up from a brief nap, it had disappeared like an illusion. He mentioned he desperately wished to meet it again… and looking at Sorin now, the realization suddenly hit me. Could it have been him?”

“Sorin? Did Gwang-yeon claim the snake possessed a red head with a dark blue-gray body and a matching horn?”

“He didn’t mention a horn, but it occurs to me that he might have intentionally omitted that detail to keep the creature for himself. He did, however, emphasize that its eyes were incredibly clear and adorable… But then again, there’s no logical way Gwang-yeon could have crossed paths with Sorin, right?”

With those words, the Abbot shifted his gaze back and forth between the two of us, silently demanding an explanation.

Why did my throat suddenly feel so incredibly parched?

Great Master Won-hyeon seemed entirely lost for words and feigned ignorance, looking away. At his suspicious reaction, the Abbot’s eyes widened in sheer shock, and he tightened his grip on me.

“You little rascal! Did you truly sneak into the inner temple grounds? What would you have done if a disaster occurred? You must realize that the only people in this entire temple who will protect your life are the two of us. It was a stroke of absolute luck that you were discovered by Gwang-yeon; had you been caught by Hyeon-geon instead, it would have triggered an absolute catastrophe. What on earth were you thinking?”

Because etiquette prevented him from directly reprimanding his Martial Uncle, the Abbot directed his scolding entirely at me. By lecturing me, Great Master Won-hyeon was forced to listen anyway, effectively killing two birds with one stone. Feeling a wave of pity for my scolded form, the Great Master finally stepped in to advocate for me.

“Abbot, do not lecture the child too harshly. Sorin has undoubtedly learned his lesson through this ordeal. He has finally realized how terrifying the outside world can be, so he will be careful from now on. On his way back to me, he was nearly slaughtered and eaten by a hawk.”

“What? Even a wild hawk has lost its mind, it seems. The absolute second its beak touched his hide, it would have realized it couldn’t pierce it. To dare strike a Dokgak-hwamang…”

“He is a mere hatchling; how could a wild bird possibly recognize him as a Dokgak-hwamang? No matter how sharp a hawk’s vision may be, it could never spot this microscopic horn from high in the heavens. A predator doesn’t decide whether an item is edible until after the hunt is successful. Furthermore, although Sorin is a Dokgak-hwamang, he is still far too young; I believe he can still be sustained with physical injuries right now.”

While a fully grown Dokgak-hwamang possessed a hide that could never be cut by blades, I was still too immature, meaning my body was not yet completely invulnerable. The Abbot finally noticed the deep, lingering laceration on the back of Great Master Won-hyeon’s hand and nodded in understanding.

“So you sustained that injury from the hawk while saving him, Martial Uncle.”

“Indeed. This minor scratch is of no consequence, but I am plagued with anxiety that this reckless rascal will venture out again and meet a grim end.”

“That is a valid concern. From this moment forth, the burden falls entirely upon you to be infinitely more vigilant, Martial Uncle. You must ensure Sorin never steps foot outside. If keeping an eye on him proves too difficult, why don’t you simply lock him inside a wooden chest whenever he transforms so he cannot leave the room?”

“To cage him in such a manner would be far too cruel. While it breaks my heart to worry, I still desired to grant him at least a small modicum of freedom to roam while he is in his serpent form.”

“But what will you do if he is hunted and killed out there, Martial Uncle? You know full well what path truly serves Sorin’s best interests.”

Both Great Master Won-hyeon and the Abbot were acting out of pure, unadulterated concern for my survival. The Great Master nodded at the Abbot’s firm reasoning, seemingly conceding to the point. He appeared to be agreeing outwardly just to placate the Abbot, intending to let me roam again once the Abbot departed.

Overwhelmed with profound gratitude toward Great Master Won-hyeon, I slithered onto his shoe. I wanted to climb all the way up his arm and rub my head against his hand to show my affection, but executing such a complex movement was still too difficult for my current form. I clearly had a vast amount of physical training left to master.

Lifting me up from his shoe onto the back of his hand, Great Master Won-hyeon gently stroked my red head.

“Gwang-yeon is bound to be deeply disheartened. To be completely bewitched by such a bewitching little creature… he will likely yearn for this encounter for a drastically long time. This is quite a problem.”

“In truth, that seems to be exactly the case,” the Abbot chimed in. “When I questioned his martial instructors, they remarked that they had never seen Gwang-yeon display such a severe lack of focus during training before.”

To think Gwang-yeon had been affected to that extent. I felt a pang of guilt for having abandoned him so coldly.

Yet, I had no choice. While the first day of a transformation was generally safe, there was absolutely no guarantee of what might transpire from the second day onward. Furthermore, even the safety of the first day wasn’t a mathematical certainty.

Just because I had never reverted back to a human within a single day in the past didn’t mean a sudden anomaly couldn’t trigger a premature shift at any given moment.

The Abbot stared directly into my eyes, his voice solemn as he demanded a promise.

“Sorin. You must absolutely never venture into the inner temple grounds again. Any martial artist who lays eyes on you will instantly recognize that you are an extraordinary entity. The moment that happens, you will be captured and locked away. They will not slaughter you, but it is an absolute certainty that they will cage you for eternity. Therefore, do not plunge yourself into jeopardy. I am begging you not to turn my own disciples into villains.”

Locking his gaze directly with mine and speaking with such profound gravity, I found it impossible to remain stubborn. Witnessing my compliant posture, the Abbot let out a helpless, dry chuckle.

“Look at me… lecturing a serpent as if it can comprehend a single word leaving my mouth.”

Declaring that he had delivered his piece, the Abbot finally took his leave. A wave of profound melancholy washed over me at his restrictions, but Great Master Won-hyeon gently offered comfort.

“Do not despair overmuch, Sorin. If we search thoroughly, we are bound to find a way.”

Had it not been for the presence of Great Master Won-hyeon, I truly could not fathom how I would have survived the grueling tribulations of this tumultuous life.

This time, the transformation lasted for a total of three days.

During previous reversions, even after reclaiming my human form, I had usually remained completely insensate for a period, requiring Great Master Won-hyeon to manually dress my unconscious body. However, because I had successfully retained my rational mind throughout this entire serpentine cycle, the absolute second my human form snapped back, I was able to immediately don my clothes myself.

Deeply fascinated by this progress, Great Master Won-hyeon remarked that it would be wonderful if I continued to evolve incrementally in this manner. For me, the absolute greatest luxury of being human again was the simple ability to speak.

I excitedly chattered away, recounting the details of my encounter with Gwang-yeon.

“Going into the inner temple and seeing martial monks around my own age was wonderful. I even met Monk Gwang-yeon.”

“He is not ‘Monk Gwang-yeon’ to you; he is your Grand Martial Grandson (Sa-son).”

“Yes.”

“You only need to refer to him as your Grand Grandson.”

Great Master Won-hyeon spoke firmly, seemingly intent on ensuring that my official status as his direct disciple was deeply engraved into my mind.