I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel – Chapter 206

Chapter 206: Habit

I stood at the highest point of the volcano and surveyed my territory.

A vast area, incomparable to the swamp, had become entirely mine.

It felt sentimental to look around like this.

I remembered the time when I was born as a gecko lizard and chased by an Oviraptor.

Back then, could I have imagined myself becoming like this?

…No, even surviving a single day was overwhelming.

Every single day was a struggle for survival and a fight for tomorrow.

In the acacia forest, in the swamp, and even in the Silver Dragon Cave.

There were moments of rest here and there, but in the end, it always led to a desperate battle for survival.

I had always fought with my life on the line, but now I had finally found a place to settle.

A mid-tier dragon species, Paryong.

With this much accomplished, perhaps indulging in a brief moment of complacency wouldn’t be so bad.

My inherent strength was at least on par with, if not greater than, the Red Dragon, and I had gathered powerful followers as well.

The volcano and the snowy mountain.

Managing both simultaneously would naturally make me stronger over time.

I had lived busily until now because I longed for a peaceful life like this.

The first opponent who made me feel a wall I couldn’t overcome, the Caiman.

I even encountered an Imoogi far stronger than that Caiman and witnessed my master subduing such a creature in an instant.

I realized that becoming moderately strong wouldn’t allow me to survive here.

That’s why I had come this far.

…Of course, there were moments when I faltered, but even considering those, I could proudly say I had endured a lot.

The fact that I am younger than my followers is evidence of that, isn’t it?

Of course, I wasn’t without unfinished tasks.

There were many things to do, but the most important was dealing with matters related to the Yongsaengguja.

The task of handling them still remained.

They must also be plotting something.

Since they manage the Dragon Gate, they would know that the owner of the volcano had changed and that even the snowy mountain had been absorbed.

However, considering they didn’t attack me immediately after I claimed the volcano, the chances of them making the first move seemed very low.

If Chodo or Gongbok were to invade, I might as well thank them for saving me the trouble.

No matter how formidable the Yongsaengguja are, they wouldn’t stand a chance against my Komodo-Secrets barrage.

Of course, the story would change if I were to march out for a subjugation, but even that would be resolved the moment the Red Dragon returned.

I could just take either Baekrang or the Red Dragon with me.

For now, I planned to take some time to rest.

I needed to train my followers and learn more about this Fox Bead.

There was no need to rush like before.

“Uuugh…”

Tang So-yeong, who was lying beneath me, let out a sound.

“Huh!”

It seemed like she was finally regaining her senses.

“W-what was that just now?”

I wasn’t particularly inclined, but I was currently holding her with my body.

It was almost like a hen incubating its egg.

Since the Red Dragon, who could handle fire, was absent, this was the only way to safely thaw her.

Fortunately, it seemed to be just a light frost on the surface, so leaving her alone might not have caused major problems.

But I couldn’t take risks. So-yeong had relatively little body fat, and if our only healer got hurt, there would be no one to treat her.

“Dal Dae-hyeop was wiggling his finger… motioning me to come over….”

Tang So-yeong, spouting nonsense like someone waking up from anesthesia.

“Uuugh… But why would Go Dae-hyeop…”

I had thought about leaving her to the wolves but decided it was only right for me to take care of my follower.

Seizing the rare opportunity, she fumbled and touched my scales.

“Hehehe…”

…Would you mind wiping your drool?

“But, Go Dae-hyeop. In a way, you’re a reptile, aren’t you?”

She continued speaking while gently stroking my scales and fur.

“Then why is your body so warm?”

Warm?

It probably wasn’t anything like that.

It might feel that way because of my fur, but at my core, I’m a lizard, a cold-blooded animal.

Not that my body was ice-cold, but it wasn’t exactly warm either—more like cool, perhaps.

She likely thought I was warm because she had been freezing just moments ago.

“Still, it’s not bad. …Honestly, I thought you didn’t like me, Go Dae-hyeop.”

Why would I dislike you?

Although I took away her title of Divine Physician, it wasn’t out of malice.

I just wanted to prevent her from arrogantly flaunting that title in front of the Red Dragon and getting herself turned into “Charcoal So-yeong.”

…Knowing Tang So-yeong as I did, she would absolutely do something like that.

“Tang Clan did some bad things to Lady Spider… no, they did some very bad things.”

The Tang Clan targeted Tus, Pus, and Nephila to isolate them in loneliness.

That was undoubtedly true.

But that didn’t mean I could blindly despise her.

Even though she came from the Tang Clan, she seemed unrelated to their deeds.

How many years had we lived together, sharing our lives so closely? How could I now find fault in her for something like that?

Besides, the spiders seemed to have forgiven her long ago, given how well they played with her now.

“It might sound sudden, but meeting you feels like a stroke of fortune, Go Dae-hyeop.”

She leaned against my body.

She was so light I could barely feel her weight.

“When I was in the Tang Clan… I couldn’t live so freely like this.”

The creature, like me, looked at the scenery and spoke.

“I joked a bit about staying with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but I still think being by your side, Go Dae-hyeop, is better.”

This girl.

Why is she acting out of character all of a sudden?

She’s the type who would’ve leapt with joy if I had dropped her off at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“Honestly, it was a bit hard while you were gone, Go Dae-hyeop. Living with divine beasts and those close to them, even their mundane actions often felt dangerous.”

Tang So-yeong is a second-rate martial artist.

If she uses poison, she might be evaluated a bit higher, but her skills won’t work well on large, powerful beasts. They often have natural resistance to such things.

To put it bluntly, the current Tang So-yeong is weaker than Tus and Pus.

I wouldn’t leave her alone, and the other followers would prioritize protecting her as our healer, but in emergencies, she’s the most vulnerable.

Right now, even a friendly head bump from an Igaksu could make her faint.

She had even been frozen by the cold that Tus and Pus wielded.

“Still… it’s not often one gets the chance to live among divine beasts. I’ll find a way to endure it… by clinging to Go Dae-hyeop’s back!”

I’ve occasionally acted a bit mean to her and even smacked her bottom for no reason, and now I feel slightly guilty.

Tang So-yeong is the only human among my followers.

Maybe, subconsciously, I was keeping some distance because of that fact.

After all, I’m not human; I’m a lizard.

The irony of this situation struck me—accepting a human as a follower despite such thoughts.

Thunk.

I retrieved a sphere from the dragon scales near my chest.

“W-what is this?”

It was the core of the Inmyeonjo that my master had given me.

I’d agonized over who to give it to.

Should I strengthen the Red Dragon or Baekrang, or should I use it to promote the evolution of Tus and Pus?

The Red Dragon and Baekrang are already incredibly strong without such a core.

Tus and Pus are weak now but are steadily treading the path of divine beasts.

A divine beast’s transformation is much easier than a human’s, so they might evolve on their own soon.

Tang So-yeong, however, is different.

No matter how much she trains, reaching the level of transformation is nearly impossible.

And there’s no one who could help her train.

It’s exceedingly rare for divine beasts to know human martial arts.

Even the martial arts I know are tailored to my unique body.

Therefore, Tang So-yeong is the one who can make the most efficient use of this core.

“You’re not… giving this to me, are you?”

Tang So-yeong’s eyes widened in surprise.

Despite her astonishment, her hand reached out.

“Well, um… I’d be fine with just an ordinary core….”

Her eyes seemed to spin, and her face turned red.

After staring at the core I handed her for a long while, she smiled bashfully.

“But if you insist on giving it to me… I’ll accept it with gratitude.”

She looked up at me, her face still flushed, and spoke playfully.

“Thank you so much, Go Dae-hyeop.”

….

…That came out of nowhere.

“Honestly… there’s a very, very high chance my body won’t accept it, but who cares!”

Huh?

Now that she mentions it, she’s right.

Unless someone has a unique constitution like mine, consuming a core recklessly is extremely dangerous.

Isn’t this core far too potent for a second-rate like her?

“Well, one of my principles is never to refuse gifts.”

She quickly tried to stash the core away.

Since I already gave it to her, I wasn’t planning on taking it back….

But I hoped she’d be sensible about consuming it in moderation.

I just hoped she wouldn’t eat it all at once and cause her body to explode.

“…Huh? My core?”

Someone had snatched the core away.

“Eek!”

Tang So-yeong jumped like a startled cat.

It was Nephila, poking her head out from my back, who was staring at her.

“Kiiong…”

“Kieeng…”

Of course, Tus and Pus were also hiding somewhere in my fur.

“T-this is… um…”

Tang So-yeong looked flustered, like a mistress caught in an affair.

“Hey, give it back! Go Dae-hyeop gave that to me directly!”

Unusually, she seemed ready to go after Nephila.

But, as usual, she was quickly subdued by Tus and Pus.

“Ugh…”

Now that I think about it, I haven’t done much for Nephila either.

I’ve received quite a few cores myself.

Of course, I had considered giving this core to Nephila too.

“Gegek.”

But Nephila’s reward is something else.

It’s the Feng Yuhuan said to be located in the Yongsaengguja’s nest.

For some reason, I can already foresee Tang So-yeong and Nephila fighting over ownership of that.

The Inmyeonjo’s core for Tang So-yeong.

Other cores and the Feng Yuhuan for Nephila.

This much should keep them from fighting.

“Well… if that’s the case, I suppose giving up the core wouldn’t be so bad….”

Tang So-yeong mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers as if calculating something.

That won’t do.

Tang So-yeong must never eat the Feng Yuhuan.

“Fine, then at least give me that core!”

After creating this heartfelt moment and giving her the gift, taking it back would be cruel.

I’ll have to promise Nephila a different gift.

I was just about to step in and mediate when—

“…That’s not it.”

Nephila’s red eyes locked onto mine.

And at the same time—

Chomp!

She shoved the core into my mouth.

“Wha—what the heck?”

Was she trying to make me eat this core?

No, why all of a sudden?

I tried to spit it out, but I couldn’t.

Nephila’s pink lips pressed over mine, sealing them shut.

…What is this situation?

A series of unexpected actions unfolded without explanation.

Why now, of all times, was she trying to make me eat this core?

I couldn’t even question her.

The moment the Inmyeonjo’s core entered my body, I was overwhelmed by sleep.

The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Nephila’s red eyes tinged with a faint violet aura.

I saw a vast lake.

It was a scene so familiar.

Yes, this was my mental landscape.

The Inmyeonjo’s core truly seemed remarkable.

I’ve swallowed cores before without issue, but this one was strong enough to put me to sleep.

Unless… did Nephila do something else to me?

Nephila wouldn’t act without reason.

Even in my sleep, her words could make me feel as though another blessing had fallen into my lap.

First, I needed to think about why I was sent here and what I could do.

I briefly surveyed my mental landscape.

The lake was now incomparably deeper and wider than before.

An endless lake.

I instinctively knew that all the power I had accumulated over time was sunk beneath this lake.

Beneath the lake…

I hoped to wake up before that creature appeared.

Splash!

Just as I thought that, an enormous wave erupted.

The creature I had been waiting for revealed itself.

It no longer wore its usual comical appearance, but rather the form I saw when I first encountered it.

Red skin and claws sharp enough to tear through anything.

A massive crest that could seemingly block out the sun.

Yet, it was the loser of its era, chased by the Tyrannosaurus.

The Spinosaurus.

Yes.

The creature had been acting strangely all this time.

My heart pounded.

A being of terror.

A presence that ensnared me in traps.

Or perhaps, my true rival.

That was my inner demon.

…Though its occasional absurd antics were an issue, that too was probably part of its strategy.

Seeing its current imposing form made my blood boil.

A martial artist’s instinct stirred, urging me to conquer this inner demon.

—Grrrrr.

The inner demon let out a low growl.

It glared at me as though ready to devour me but didn’t attack.

It merely extended a finger, pointing toward the center of the lake.

As if it had something to show me.

Drip.

A single drop of water fell into the vast lake.

At the center of the lake, a new image began to form.

A desolate rocky mountain, barren and empty, came into view.

Horns were broken off of fallen Igaksus.

A dragon wielding flames had crashed to the ground.

…What is this?

The scene was so devastating I could hardly believe my eyes.

A wolf wielding ice was trapped in a block of frozen despair.

Spiders wept, desperately trying to wake a lifeless girl from the Tang Clan.

The Igaksu, the Red Dragon, Baekrang.

Tus, Pus, and Tang So-yeong.

They all lay defeated.

A massive snake made of rock stared coldly at them.

A swordsman scattering plum blossoms clutched a severed arm, trying to stop the bleeding.

—Screeeech!

A lizard with broken horns and a severed tail couldn’t lift its massive body.

It could only wail helplessly at the horrific scene before it.

…

This was no time to grow complacent.