I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

EP.32

After returning to their nest, I conducted a mental training session with Tus and Pus.

“You two, you must not recklessly cross over there.”

“If they charge in, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Kieeng!”

“Right. You understand?”

“Let’s do well.”

It feels somewhat ridiculous to preach like this.

Normally, if they’re not completely foolish, they wouldn’t head over there in the first place.

The Deinonychus and Baryonyx looked like walls I hadn’t seen in a while.

Perhaps it served as a moment of reflection after having become cocky from defeating the Cayman.

I just needed to grow stronger moving forward.

First, I should calm my startled heart.

A few rounds should suffice.

I headed toward the area where the Piranhas gathered.

Piranha.

One of my preferred foods. There was quite a bit of it, and it tasted fairly decent.

When I was a Green Basilisk, those guys had underestimated me and charged recklessly in groups.

But now that I’ve grown larger, they flee at the mere sight of me.

The name of the Piranha will cry out.

Even if they know they’ll lose, Piranhas usually charge in mindlessly.

Still, it’s fine.

It would just become a hassle to hunt.

Splash!

I dove into the water.

Since they hide underwater, submerging like this was the right choice instead of using Little Dragon Ascending Step.

I swam like a crocodile, undulating my long tail.

Silently, without making a sound.

I spotted a Piranha.

A suitably plump one.

There was no need to hold back any longer.

Swish!

Using sudden acceleration, I quickly approached it.

It tried to respond, but it was already too late.

The explosive momentary strength unique to King Lizard types makes it nearly impossible to react.

Flap!

After hunting the Piranha, I immediately tossed it onto the ground.

I hadn’t bitten hard enough to kill it, but it wouldn’t be able to move.

Even if I took it back to the nest, it would still be alive enough to eat fresh.

If Tus and Pus finish it off, they might even level up.

I wonder if they realize just how much I consider them.

Parenting is quite difficult.

Splash!

Thus, I caught an additional three Piranhas.

This should be sufficient.

After emerging onto the land, I shook off the water clinging to my body.

Tudadad!

As expected, a whirlpool formed in one spot of the swamp.

Kuguwuuu.

A massive Piranha glaring at me from afar.

No, a koi fish.

Every time I caught a Piranha, it would mysteriously appear and display itself like that.

Is it a warning? I’m not exactly sure.

It was bothersome, and I tried to catch it several times, but it wasn’t easy.

Its strength didn’t seem particularly formidable. However, its ability to escape was on a whole different level compared to regular Piranhas.

To exaggerate a bit, it looked like it could fly in the sky, despite being a fish.

Was this how other creatures felt when they saw Little Dragon Ascending Step?

It wasn’t directly harming me, and there wasn’t a proper way to catch it, so I decided to ignore it.

Kuguwuuu.

Alright, I’m leaving now.

Upon returning to the nest, I finished my meal with the spiders, and before I knew it, night had fallen.

Pus stealthily crawled next to me and subtly showed off the web it had spun today.

Was it looking for praise?

“Gekgek.”

I raised my hand and gently scratched its back.

The size difference has become so significant that managing my strength is quite challenging now.

“Kieeng!”

Aren’t you scared of me at all?

…And don’t stick your butt out like that. No matter what you’re expecting, I won’t do it.

“Kieeng….”

Pus crawled to a corner of the nest with a look of disappointment.

It lay down beside the already dozing Tus and began to doze off.

Another day comes to an end without any incidents.

If considering the view I got from the upper swamp was something significant, then perhaps it was, but it was still a peaceful day like any other.
It’s time to close my eyes.

I can’t tell you how comfortable it feels to finally be able to shut my eyes.

After a big yawn, I curled up to sleep.

And at that moment, there was a loud noise.

“Grur….”

Who is making noise while the kids are sleeping?

Elimination of noise pollution.

It was the very first thing I did after becoming the master of the swamp.

The noisy turtles and toads had already turned into jerky.

Only the golden-headed individuals and their subordinates remained quiet to survive.

Even the flying koi stay silent at night; what reckless creature dares to make noise?

That’s quite the personality surfacing after a long time.

Thump.

I walked towards the swamp.

I needed to identify the source of the ruckus.

“…What’s going on?”

Wait a moment, is that…?

It’s a human voice.

It wasn’t the first time I encountered humans here, but it was still surprising.

What brings them out here?

Whatever it is, getting involved seems like a bad choice.

Unless they are weirdos like Baek Yeon-yeong, ordinary humans would likely see me as a foe.

Best to quietly retreat.

Stealthily.

Just as I was about to back away.

“…Huh, huh!”

I locked eyes with someone.

Thud.

Moreover, I bumped into a small-sized person.

Those individuals had clearly noticed my presence.

There’s no avoiding it now.

Time for Plan B.

First, smile as harmlessly as possible.

Hello, humans.

Looking at their bodies, I see they’re injured.

I have no way to treat them, though…

Should I at least lick their wounds?

I gazed at them with a worried expression.

*

The eight second-rate martial artists had dwindled to five.

All thanks to the Deinonychus hunting them down.

Nevertheless, as martial artists, they managed to avoid total annihilation.

“A spirit being using formation techniques? What on earth…!”

The Blood-Letting Saboteur exclaimed.

Even individually, their combat power wasn’t low, yet they had mimicked and used formations.

Each was diligently hunted down as their roles were inverted.

Still, five remained. Including the noble’s daughter, that made six.

“At least preserving our lives counts for something. Right, Blood-Letting Saboteur?”

“Hmph, whatever.”

They hadn’t defeated the spirit being to survive.

They barely managed to escape, leaving three behind.

And the reason they survived was largely due to Tang So-young.

Even with no combat prowess, she was one of Tang’s kin.

She detonated the smoke bomb she had on her, allowing them to flee.

Even so, the deaths of three martial artists were inevitable.

“We’re doomed… We’ve even lost the Great Hero of the Moon… Huuh…”

Tang So-young began to cry again.

Honestly, it was a sound I didn’t want to hear, but she was someone I owed my life to.

Though her personality was a bit odd, I figured it would be beneficial to treat her kindly.

“Miss. Don’t worry too much. The Blood-Letting Saboteur and I are martial artists looking for ways to survive. Call us seasoned second-rate warriors if you will.”

Tang So-young turned her head to look at Jang Bong.

Then she turned back.

“Huhhh… There are so, so many strange people around… Aren’t they ashamed…?”

Jang Bong cleared his throat awkwardly a couple of times.

The Blood-Letting Saboteur interjected.

“Alright! Either way, we need to survive here, don’t we? We must find a safe place and procure food.”

“That’s true. But what can we possibly find in this swamp?”

Swamp.

It was an unfamiliar hellhole for them as second-rate martial artists.

“Anything could show up. Fish, or perhaps we could find some kind of crawling critter.”

First, let’s look for a place to take shelter and some food.

It would also be advantageous to find herbs to treat the wounds inflicted by that spirit being.

Thus, they began their exploration of the swamp.
“…It’s quiet.”

“Of course, it’s night.”

The swamp was excessively quiet.

As if someone were controlling the creatures.

At that moment, Jang Bong spotted a strange creature.

“…Wait a moment. Is, is that?”

It was a massive turtle adorned with a peculiar golden shell.

“Huuh! That, that’s a Golden Turtle?”

It was the legendary spirit creature known as the Golden Turtle.

The Blood-Letting Saboteur didn’t believe Jang Bong’s words.

“Golden Turtle, my foot. It’s probably just the darkness playing tricks on you.”

Just as he was about to say not to make a fuss, something golden caught his eye as well.

It was a gigantic toad.

“Huuh, huh! That, that’s Golden Wa!”

Almost simultaneously, screams erupted.

Other second-rate martial artists came rushing to the spot where the Blood-Letting Saboteur and Jang Bong were.

What they saw was a massive spirit creature glowing with a golden light.

“Th, th, that’s!”

Gwoooo.

A colossal silkworm fish creating a small water vortex was staring at them.

“Th, th, that’s the Eternal Fire Carp!”

The swamp descended into chaos.

“Capture it!”

The eyes of the martial artists became colored with greed.

“Let go of that! I spotted it first!”

“Even if you second-rate martial artists eat it, it won’t be of any effect! J, just let me have it to study…”

Tang So-young, who had been crying, jumped in excitedly at the sight of the Golden Wa.

Though not on par with the likes of the Eternal Fire Carp, the Golden Wa was also highly regarded among the Tang family spirit creatures.

The martial artists vied to capture the spirit.

But a mere third-rate martial artist couldn’t catch a spirit creature.

“Kaaaargh! How is that turtle so fast?”

“My hand! My hand is getting weird!”

“Even if it’s a spirit, how can a fish soar through the sky like that?”

The moon hung high above.

They were quite literally engaging in gymnastics under the moonlight.

“Huuh… Huh…”

The spirit creatures evaded their grasp.

Exhausted, the martial artists panted and took a brief rest.

“Ugh… It’s filthy fast.”

“Still, there are so many spirits here; I feel like we can catch one with some time.”

“What do you think about setting up camp here? If we catch them one by one, no matter how strong they are, they’ll be caught.”

Though they hadn’t secured any food, the existence of the spirits became a strong motivator for them.

Shiman Mountain felt like a land of opportunity to them.

“If, if we can catch the Golden Wa… perhaps we can be forgiven for losing the Great Hero of the Moon…”

Hehe.

Tang So-young let out a bizarre laugh.

Even while everyone else was taking a break, she was crouched down, searching for the Golden Wa.

“Miss, stop that and come here. It’s time…”

Just as Jang Bong approached her, his steps halted.

Clang.

“Huuh!”

He dropped the sword he was holding.

Ignoring Jang Bong’s reaction, Tang So-young moved forward.

Thud.

And at that moment, she collided with something.

Tang So-young looked up.

A sorrowful full moon hung above.

A turquoise beast obscured the moon.

Poisonous drool dripped from its mouth.

“Grur…”

It emitted a low growl, as if displeased.

Tang So-young froze in place.

“Whee… Wheeeek!”

Blood-Letting Saboteur and Jang Bong felt the urge to save Tang So-young, but their bodies wouldn’t move.

That sturdy armor and sharp claws.

Those blue eyes.

The long tail.

The fearsome roar.

“Ahhhh!”

Even a third-rate martial artist could feel that overwhelming inner force.

“It’s, it’s a dragon! A dragon has appeared!”

It was a creature worthy of being called a dragon without the slightest shortcoming.