I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

EP.33

The size of that beast was not particularly large.

It was bigger than a wolf but smaller than a tiger.

Yet it felt larger than any beast they had ever seen.

Its profound inner strength resonated within.

Even those of third-rate status could sense its overwhelming power.

Inner strength needs to be refined down to the smallest grain of rice.

However, this beast emanated an unrefined raw energy.

It was proof of limitless inner strength contained within its body.

The Blood-Letting Saboteur and Jang Bong could not move.

The drool dripping down was a signal that they were seen as mere prey.

Its tongue flicked out.

Similar to the gaze of the Demon Cult leader they had once witnessed.

A wild movement that seemed to assess the opponent’s strength.

Once the assessment was complete, judgment from the beast would surely commence.

The heart of the Blood-Letting Saboteur raced.

They had come to Shiman Mountain in pursuit of wealth and fame.

He could not die here in vain.

He had to survive at all costs.

But no matter how he thought about it, there was no normal way to escape this predicament.

He moved instinctively.

His foot slowly extended.

It was not an action taken by his will.

He had instinctively found the one way to survive in this situation.

Wham!

“Kyah!”

The Blood-Letting Saboteur pushed Tang So-young away with force.

The frail girl stumbled and fell.

The turquoise beast lowered its head to meet the fallen Tang So-young’s gaze.

“Tongue, Blood-Letting Saboteur. How could a hero like you…”

Jang Bong was about to scold him.

“Shut your mouth and run away NOW!”

With the Blood-Letting Saboteur’s command, everyone snapped back to their senses.

Even Jang Bong, who had pretended to be friendly, as well as the other motionless martial artists.

What mattered most was surviving this demon’s domain.

And now was the only moment where a path to escape was open.

Tang So-young was already down.

There was no way to save her.

Even had the Blood-Letting Saboteur not pushed her, she would have perished for being closest.

Her death had already been sealed.

In such a situation, the best course of action was to flee.

Those with a sense of conscience offered condolences for her.

“Primordial Heaven Sovereign, Primordial Heaven Sovereign.”

“Shut the hell up. You’re not even a sage!”

Jang Bong and the martial artists shook off their stupor and turned to escape.

With a rushing sound!

They fled with all their might.

They still had some time before the beast would consume Tang So-young.

They needed to put as much distance between themselves and the beast as possible.

That was their thought process.

How long did they run? Judging that a sufficient distance had been created, they paused to catch their breath.

“What the hell…”

It was coming.

Something huge.

The turquoise dragon was sprinting towards them at great speed.

Yes, it was running.

On two legs, no less.

And it was incredibly fast.

The Blood-Letting Saboteur let out a gasp at this surreal sight.

“What in the world is this grotesque sight?!”

There was no time to lose.

To avoid being caught by the frenzied creature, they had to run immediately.

Though they were third-rate, they were exceptionally good at fleeing.

They had spent their lives running away.

“If it’s sprinting on two legs, it must not be an ordinary dragon!”

“I know, right! How could it possibly be a normal dragon!”

“Huff… laboring… So what I’m saying is, if we run through the water, we might be able to survive!”

If they stayed on land, they would be caught soon enough.
If they ran into the swamp, they might be able to escape from that monster.

With its sharp claws and physique, they surmised that the dragon was a species that dwelled in trees.

Thus, Jang Bong believed it would not excel at swimming.

Even if it could, it would struggle in shallow waters.

“I’m counting on you!”

The martial artists all headed toward the marshy area.

It was a place that a human leg could easily cross, but it would be difficult for those short legs.

The beast would slip and get caught in the trees, unable to reach them.

That was their thought.

“Huff….”

“Look at that! Hesitating in front of the water!”

“Haa… haa… did we take it down?”

“Blood-Letting Saboteur, shut that mouth!”

At that moment, Jang Bong scolded the Blood-Letting Saboteur.

The beast, standing on the water as if contemplating something, stepped onto the surface.

It literally walked on water.

“Kekekekek!”

The beast was stepping on the surface of the water as if it was natural.

The turquoise dragon slowly approached them, looking directly at them.

“Jang Bong! D-Did you see that?”

“I have eyes too! Is that… the Unbalanced Power Technique? How could such a monstrous thing…?”

“Not the Unbalanced Power Technique, but more like the Unbelievable Strength Technique, if you ask me.”

“What’s with you! Why don’t you try finding the Primordial Heaven Sovereign instead!”

To think they would encounter an entity not only using a formation technique but also at the level called the Transformation Technique. Just as Jang Bong said, it was indeed a situation fitting the term monstrous strength.

Jang Bong and the martial artists hastily changed direction.

There was no way to evade the beast’s pursuit by the water’s edge.

“I-I clearly saw claws, not webbed feet!”

“What are you talking about! Did you not see those sharp blades?”

“Listen! With movements like that, it’s clearly a creature living in the water. How could such a being climb a tree!”

The Blood-Letting Saboteur found Jang Bong’s words suspicious.

Was his mind altered by fear?

But there were no good options left.

On flat ground, or by the water, they were slower than the beast.

They had to find another way.

So they climbed up the trees.

Even though they were third-rate, they were still martial artists.

Climbing a tree was simple enough.

They didn’t stop there, moving quickly along the branches to other trees.

“That should do it. I think we’re safe now. Even if it tries to find us by scent, it’ll lose us soon.”

“You’re right, Jang Bong. By climbing the trees, that foolish monster hasn’t been able to find us.”

“We were lucky. Now we just need to remain quiet and wait for it to leave.”

“Huff… it’s been three years since I entered the martial world. This is the first time I’ve felt such a crisis. Once this is over, I should return to Anhui and propose to her…”

The Blood-Letting Saboteur trailed off.

Jang Bong was staring at him as if he had seen a ghost.

“What… what is this?!”

Pababababak!

The turquoise spirit creature was climbing the trees with ease.

No, saying it was climbing wasn’t quite right.

It ascended comfortably as if walking on the ground.

It was the Gecko Wall Climbing Technique.

“Huah! Blood-Letting Saboteur! Is this really happening?”

“What did I do wrong! Lower your voice! You’ll give us away!”

“We’ve already been discovered!”

Jang Bong and the martial artists jumped down from the trees simultaneously.

What on earth was the identity of that beast?

The Unbalanced Power Technique and the Gecko Wall Climbing Technique.

They had never heard of such a being.

Could it truly be a dragon?

No, there was no way a dragon would run on two legs.

If it could fly, it would surely be flying.

Then what exactly was that creature?

Jang Bong pondered this even while fleeing.

But still, this would be the end of it.
There are more of us here, so if one gets caught, the rest can survive.

“Jang Bong!”

“Ugh! Why are you doing that again? Speaking is a waste of breath!”

“Look, look at that beast!”

“If you think you can push me like that, wake up. If you try, the Blood-Letting Saboteur will die too.”

“That’s not it! Look, look at that thing’s mouth!”

Mouth?

What do you mean by that?

Jang Bong turned his head slightly to glance at the pursuing beast.

In its massive jaws, the sword that Jang Bong had dropped earlier was lodged.

“Now that’s just too much!”

For goodness’ sake, is it actually going to use a sword now?

Is it planning to slaughter us with that blade?

Jang Bong scrapped the plan to use one person as bait.

Look at it, chasing us with a sword in its hand like a demon.

Even if it caught one, it wouldn’t stop.

“GRAAAAH!”

And so, they continued to run for quite a while.

Until the turquoise monster stopped chasing them.

*

You idiot.

Take the sword!

It looks pricey at a glance…

Oh dear.

It’s already gone that far.

That’s dangerous.

I was worried, but there was nothing I could do.

Its ability to escape is remarkable, so it’ll find a way out on its own.

If I pursued any further, I’d only end up deeper in.

But why does it keep running away?

Even with a clever mind, there was no answer.

I only greeted it with a harmless expression, yet it fled in terror.

I didn’t understand the reason.

Did it see something scary?

…Could it be that I look that frightening?

Nah, there’s no way that’s true.

I’m quite the lizard recognized by Baek Yeon-Young, after all.

Baek Yeon-Young’s face could be called the world’s most beautiful without a doubt.

Even a lizard recognized by the world’s most beautiful wouldn’t be… well, I’m not entirely hideous, right?

I glanced at my reflection in the water.

I’ve grown a bit larger due to evolution, developed armor-like scales, sharpened my teeth, elongated my claws, made my tail longer, and emitted venom from my mouth, but I almost looked the same as before.

I have this baseless confidence that Baek Yeon-Young would still poke fun at me like she used to.

No, she probably wouldn’t even blink an eye if I turned into a dragon.

Though I have gotten quite a bit larger, humans were always taller than me anyway.

Of course, I might look bigger standing on two legs.

But why did they suddenly appear?

Given it was a place where people used to live, they made such a fuss about it.

Is it their first time seeing a lizard like me?

I don’t know.

Maybe they took a wrong turn.

Since I probably won’t meet them again, what does it matter?

As long as I don’t head further into the swamp, I’m not risking my life.

It’s late at night anyway, so I should head back to my den.

…Right.

What about that woman who fell earlier?

I wonder if she’s still there?

She looked like she hurt her leg.

Let me just check on her.

….

Just in case, I should practice some expressions.

Let me smile for a bit.

By the water, there was only a handsome lizard wearing a splendid smile.

This should be enough.

Sigh. What are these martial artists so scared of lately?

They lack guts, they really do.

Back in my day, I trained by clambering into the Silver Dragon Cave, feasting only on bugs.