I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

EP.1

This must be a dream.

I struggled against the delirium, trying to wake from the dream. But I didn’t wake up.

Eventually, I had no choice but to accept that this was reality.

For now, I found myself trapped in some space.

The interior was filled with moisture, and solid walls were hindering my movements.

At first glance, I couldn’t quite grasp what kind of space it was. However, figuring out where I was wasn’t too difficult.

【Green Gecko LV1】

HP: 7/7
MP: 3/3

The solid walls blocking me were the eggs of a gecko lizard.

I had become a gecko.

It was unbelievable, but I had no option but to believe it.

Out of all the countless creatures, why did I have to become a lizard?

It would have been fine if I had turned into a dinosaur instead.

After all, they seemed much cooler, and I at least had a bit of knowledge about them. But when it came to lizards, I had hardly any information. Just a few videos I saw scrolling through YouTube.

As if reading my thoughts, something was added to the blue window that seemed like a status screen.

【Green Gecko LV1】 ▶View Details

View details?

How do I use this?

‘View Details.’
__________________________
【Green Gecko】

A lizard about 15cm in body length and weighs around 70g.
It has tiny setae on its foot pads, allowing it to easily stick to walls and ceilings.
__________________________

It was a description that should have cited the source from something like an ocean wiki.

My size was not particularly small. Well, not compared to a gecko, at least.

It felt as if I was crammed tightly into the egg. I must be quite the hefty fellow.

Having a larger body meant I was qualified to break out of the egg and into the world.

There would be no benefit to staying in this eggshell for long.

I used my head and hands to push against the eggshell.

There’s a saying about eggs representing the world.

It was a very fitting metaphor.

For me, as a gecko, the world’s walls were far too high.

Even when I tapped with my small hands and pushed with my head, nothing budged.

But I wouldn’t give up.

If I showed that even a foolish child like me was trying this hard, surely someone, like a parent, would respond.

Crack.

Thank you, Mother.

For a moment, I squinted at the sunlight flooding in; then I realized reptiles have no eyelids and cannot blink.

Ah, I’m finally out.

Once the egg hatched, I looked around.

I was not the first to break out; broken eggs were strewn about me.

Yet something felt off.

Even though the eggs were cracked, I couldn’t see any siblings.

“Gikik?”

Hearing a sound, I looked up to see a creature far larger than I.

【Oviraptor LV.10】

So my mother is an Oviraptor.

Hello there.

I slightly bowed my head in greeting.

I felt a strange emotion at the sight of a dinosaur right in front of me.

My heart raced.

Is this what it feels like to be excited? Seeing a living dinosaur stirred deep feelings within me.

…But is it normal for reptiles to have such fast heartbeats?

In that moment, I vaguely grasped the reason for my racing heart.

I am not an Oviraptor.

I am just a gecko.

Then who in the world is that dinosaur over there?

Oviraptor, Oviraptor.

It was a familiar name.

‘View Details!’
__________________________
【Oviraptor】

The dinosaur that was around 1.6m long and weighed approximately 20-40kg was discovered in the late Cretaceous period.

It preyed on small animals but, true to its nickname as the “egg thief,” its preferred food was the eggs of other animals.
__________________________

It was a creature frequently featured in popular media.

Egg thief, huh…

Egg thief?

The way the Oviraptor was looking at me was a bit unsettling. It didn’t seem to be gazing at its son, who had just hatched, with affection, but rather with the predatory eyes of one looking at prey.

Was it trying to help me break out of the eggshell just to peel away the useless shell and eat the nutritious part?

No, that can’t be right.

I am a fine offspring of an Oviraptor, and that dinosaur is my mother…

“Kyieeek!”

Shit.

I have to run.

At that moment, I realized what had happened to my siblings as soon as I heard that roar.

They had gone into its belly.

I hurriedly crawled across the ground using my tiny legs.

I thought adjusting to my newborn body would be tough, but maybe I still had some instincts. Surprisingly, I managed to escape at a decent pace.

“Kyieeek!”

However, from the Oviraptor’s perspective, my frantic movements probably seemed pointless.

Thud!

Its claw struck my tail. My small limbs were no match for its claw. I was in a dire situation.

[Warning! HP is low!]

Is this how it ends for me?

All I had left was to wait until I became an Oviraptor’s meal.

No, this is too unfair.

What has my guardian been doing while I ended up like this?

Ah, my guardian is probably just another lizard.

Is it that the gecko family is destined for annihilation like this?

[You are granted a skill as a reincarnation bonus. Would you like to check it?]

A skill?

Is that even something worth mentioning?

Check!

「Tail Cut LV1」

You can cut off your tail!
Cost: 1 MP

Is this even a skill?

The description was as shabby as the name itself.

“If only it were something like throwing a spear to inflict physical damage.”

No, complaining isn’t going to help.

In a situation where I couldn’t do anything, it was already valuable to have the option to do something.

“Tail Cut!”

The part that had been stepped on by the Oviraptor was cleanly severed.

And at the moment my tail was severed, I gained remarkable speed.

I couldn’t help but think, “Can my small body really achieve this kind of speed?”

Thud!

My tiny claws struck the ground. For a brief moment, I felt as if I was flying through the air. Escaping with such tremendous power, I crawled away from the creature with all my might.

Bam bam!

I had managed to create quite a distance between me and the Oviraptor.

That alone was enough to fulfill the role of the Tail Cut, but remarkably, the effect hadn’t ended yet.

Wriggle.

My severed tail still seemed alive, writhing and making a commotion.

Wriggle wriggle.

The chance that that stupid dinosaur could comprehend this situation was slim.

Still, it was too early to feel relieved.

My tail was still but a mere snack to it.

It wouldn’t take long for it to regain its composure.

Even though I had gained speed, the basic difference in stride length was enormous.

My ten steps wouldn’t even equate to a single step of its own.

Yet, a path remained open.

A way that only a gecko can traverse.

Bam bam!

I swiftly climbed up a tree.

It’s common knowledge that gecko lizards can climb trees.
The effect of the Tail Cut was still active, allowing me to climb to a height where the Oviraptor couldn’t find me in an instant.

The Oviraptor searched around in various places, but eventually gave up and returned to its original spot.

It made no sense for it to expend effort looking for prey as small as me.

I had underestimated the Tail Cut; it turned out to be a pretty decent skill after all.

Though it was a one-time use, it had saved my life at least once, which meant I had gotten my money’s worth.

While pondering this, I gazed at the place where my tail had been severed.

I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes.

My severed tail was beginning to grow back.

Was it not a one-time skill?

That was quite good news.

If it weren’t for that message I had seen earlier, that is.

[Warning! HP is low!]

【Green Gecko LV.1】

HP: 1/7

MP: 2/3

Casting Tail Cut hadn’t consumed any HP.

The damage I had taken was entirely from being stepped on by it.

If I had matched the timing and cut my tail right before being stepped on, I wouldn’t have taken any damage.

Wild lizards often break their tails and flee before being attacked.

I gently flicked my regenerating tail.

It moved without much hassle.

Based on the speed of its growth, it seemed that within a few minutes it would be fully restored.

I slightly glanced down from my perch on the tree.

It was a dizzying height. I could probably get down easily by scaling down the trunk, but I had to be cautious about that.

The presence of the Oviraptor meant there were other dinosaurs around as well.

Of course, those dinosaurs likely wouldn’t take an interest in a small lizard like me, but if they simply stepped on me, I would be dead. Until I found some way to protect myself, I had to stay living up in this tree.

Furthermore, I was currently low on HP.

I decided to focus on my current location.

It was a large tree branch. While there wasn’t much space to hide, the height meant I didn’t have to worry about an Oviraptor attack for the time being.

There were enough leaves that if I gathered a few, I could create a sort of nest that might serve as an adequate disguise.

A plan began to take shape.

I didn’t know why I had ended up in this place, but for now, surviving was my top priority.

Yes.

This would be the start of my survival journal as a lizard in this new world.

The beginning is the most important part.

I moved between the branches, searching for a better spot.

I found a place that was quite satisfying. It had just the right amount of foliage and the branch was wider than others. If other places felt like an 18-pyeong apartment, this felt like a 24-pyeong unit.

Given my small size, a bigger space would be better for a home.

Just as I was about to settle into this spot, I sensed someone’s presence.

I immediately raised my head.

Flames flickered. No, it was a bright red light that was so intense it could easily be mistaken for fire.

A spider with a beautiful pattern was glaring at me with its eight red eyes.

Its body length was similar to mine.

However, its legs were abnormally long. Not just two legs, but eight of them. The sharp teeth visible near its mouth looked exceedingly threatening.

At a glance, it resembled a tiger spider.

But it appeared to be of a completely different caliber than an ordinary spider.

Why was such a monster in my cozy little branch house?

No, it looked frightening, but I had overcome an Oviraptor.

I was sure I could deal with a spider like that easily.

I narrowed my eyes just as I had when facing the Oviraptor.

As a result, things that hadn’t been visible began to come into view.

【Nephila Jurassica LV.13】

The spider’s level is higher than that of a dinosaur?

Just let me live.