I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

EP.2

【Nephila Jurassica LV.13】

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Nephila Jurassica

The body length is approximately 7 cm, but its legs exceed 15 cm, making it a gigantic spider. It primarily preys on insects, lizards, or even the young of small dinosaurs, showcasing its proficiency as an ancient hunter that effectively uses webs. It is also known by another name, Mongolian Arachne.

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Mongolian Arachne?

Mongolia?

Does this mean I’m in Mongolia?

No, that doesn’t really make sense. This world has both Oviraptors and green geckos coexisting.

What matters is that there is a spider in front of me that is larger than I am.

I decided to stay calm. Just because it looks threatening doesn’t mean it’s dangerous; it might be warmer inside than it appears.

Hello, Mr. Spider.

Let’s get along.

I nodded my head in greeting.

“Kiiek!”

The spider clapped its front legs together sharply.

15 cm? It looked to be at least double that from where I was standing.

I suppose it wasn’t an exaggeration to say it could eat a small dinosaur.

Preparing to flee, I kept my eyes fixed on it.

This was just in case it decided to attack, so I could respond quickly.

However, the spider merely glanced at me before turning away, seemingly disinterested.

“Kiik.”

What was that?

Is it scared of me?

Could it be that the green gecko species is a natural enemy of spiders?

I entertained such vain fantasies, but the truth quickly revealed itself.

【Caligrama LV.3】

【Caligrama LV.1】

【Caligrama LV.1】

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Caligrama

It measures about 5 cm in body length. Unlike butterflies, it is classified as a dragonfly. It does not eat meat but feeds on nectar with its long snout similar to that of butterflies. Its wings have patterns resembling the eyes of other creatures, which help it evade predators.

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The spider’s web was filled with prey, enough that it didn’t need to concern itself with me.

Unless it was a tarantula, I’ve heard that spiders using webs typically don’t attack creatures directly. Plus, I wasn’t that small either.

I may not yet be fully grown, but I looked like I was around 10 cm. There was no real reason for it to engage with me unless I was caught in its web.

In other words, it had decided not to bother with me. As long as I didn’t bother it, I would be fine.

Still, sharing the same space felt a bit awkward, so I decided to give some ground.

It wasn’t out of fear or anything.

Swish.

I climbed onto a branch a little further away.

I crawled towards the area where the leaves gathered, keeping a lookout.

This place was vacant of other guests. This meant it was somewhat safe.

I had no chance to look back after being chased out right after hatching. Now that I had a moment, I needed to gather whatever information I could and make the most of it.

Let’s summarize my situation.

I had reincarnated as a gecko lizard.

Seeing the HP, MP, and the skills and status window, it was clear I was in a different world from the one I came from.

Yes, skills.

If there was a status window, there should naturally be a skills window as well.

“Skills window!”

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Skills

「Tail Cut LV.1」「Wall Climbing LV.1」「Cold Blood LV.1」「Predation LV.1」「Wild Eyes LV.1」「Tail Cut LV.1」

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It turned out to be quite a lot more than I expected.

「Wall Climbing LV.1」

Allows the gecko lizard to climb walls with its feet.

「Cold Blood LV.1」

Reptiles are cold-blooded, granting resistance to mental attacks and the ability to maintain composure in extreme situations.

These truly were skills worthy of a gecko lizard.

Still, the ability to keep one’s composure seemed promising. I had no idea what a mental attack entailed, but being able to remain calm could be advantageous in any situation.

Perhaps it was thanks to this skill that I was feeling strangely composed despite finding myself transformed into a lizard overnight.

「Predation LV.1」

Allows the consumption of the enemy. Can consume prey beyond its limits, with excess converted to experience points.

「Wild Eyes LV.1」

Allows for a closer examination of the opponent.

These two skills, Predation and Wild Eyes, felt like a beginner’s pack of special perks for reincarnators in another world.
It was disappointing that I didn’t have any offensive skills, but I couldn’t deny that I had plenty of useful abilities.

However, why were there two “Tail Cut” skills?

Reading the skill descriptions revealed no differences.

It was just a meaningless statement about cutting off my tail.

…Could it be?

One thing I could infer was that “Tail Cut” was a basic skill that was given to me, much like “Wall Climbing.”

In that context, the skill that had been granted to me as a perk for my reincarnation was “Tail Cut.”

….

This was absurd.

I mean, if I was reincarnated as a green gecko, shouldn’t I at least get a better skill? Something like the “Heavenly Demon Technique,” or at least something cool like “Dragon Breath.”

What is this “Tail Cut”? Plus, it’s a duplicate.

It’s infuriating.

[The effect of Cold Blood activates.]

A calmness found me on its own.

While that was also somewhat irritating, I knew it wasn’t the time to get angry.

Given the relatively peaceful moment, I needed to figure out what to do.

The problem at hand was this:

[HP is low!]

I had only 1 HP left.

Just brushing against something could be a critical hit.

I needed to recover HP.

I didn’t know the exact method, but I could take a guess.

One of the skills I had, Predation.

I felt that eating something would likely restore my HP.

Even if it didn’t, there was a saying about gaining experience points. If I were to accumulate experience points, I’d level up, and leveling up would surely replenish my HP.

I didn’t even hope to raise my level.

First and foremost, I needed to replenish my HP.

What should I eat?

I lightly touched my tongue to the leaf beside me.

I was hoping that maybe I was a herbivorous lizard.

What hit my taste buds was an incredibly bitter taste of chlorophyll.

I wasn’t even sure if chlorophyll had a taste.

In any case, I could tell I couldn’t eat such plants.

As I had figured out through close observation, I had to resort to eating small insects.

Small insects, huh.

….

I leaned slightly to look at the Nephila something or other.

Delicious-looking insects were dangling from its web.

With so many of them, surely it wouldn’t be a problem to take one, right?

I swallowed nervously.

Should I try talking to the spider?

“Geggegek.”

I’m a lizard that just moved next door, could I possibly eat just one of those bugs?

“Kiiek!”

The spider waved its long legs around wildly. It seemed like it might be in a bad mood.

I neatly gave up.

Of course, giving up didn’t mean I would refrain from taking food in a legitimate manner.

What’s the point of neighborliness?

It’s often easier to seek forgiveness than permission.

I cautiously approached its web.

Even though the spider had eight eyes that could easily give me away, spiders aren’t known for their excellent eyesight. Especially those that spin webs.

They detect prey through the vibrations in their webs, not through their eyes.

This meant that as long as I didn’t get caught in the web, getting closer wouldn’t pose any problems.

I slithered forward.

Approaching quietly was an innate talent for me in my current form.

Before I knew it, I was right at the edge of the web. The spider hadn’t sensed me yet.

I stared at my tail closely.

It had grown to be quite thick and looked very appetizing.

…Wait, what am I thinking?

Maybe it was due to my low HP, but I was having all sorts of strange thoughts.

No matter how poor its eyesight was, I would be discovered eventually.

My goal was to steal the butterfly trapped in that web, so naturally, I couldn’t avoid being caught.

If I was going to be detected anyway, it would be advantageous to choose the timing myself.

“Tail Cut!”

At the moment my tail was severed, I felt a lightness in my body.

I hadn’t lost any HP, but I felt a slight hunger.

I carefully lifted my tail with my hands.

My tail was thrashing about wildly.

And in that very state, I threw it to a corner of the web.

“Kiiek!”

The spider reacted immediately.

Even though my tail was caught in the web, it was still flailing about vigorously.
Well done. My tail.

“Kiiek?”

The spider tilted its head in confusion.

The more my tail flailed, the more the web shook.

It crouched down, trying to assess the situation.

Even if a prey got caught in the web, the spider rarely attacked immediately.

It could get injured by all that thrashing about.

After exhausting its strength, the spider would wrap its prey in silk—that was its hunting method.

Now, the spider’s focus was solely on my tail caught in the web.

…Sigh, I was still a bit anxious.

“Tail Cut!”

With a flicker of hope, I used the skill once more.

Then something amazing happened.

The already severed tail split into two.

Moreover, I felt even lighter.

This meant the effects stacked.

The spider seemed disoriented. It must have mistaken the movements of my tails for those of a predator capable of breaking the web. But it wouldn’t last long; the more I moved, the more tangled the web would become.

However, I had more than enough time on my hands right now.

Swoosh!

I swiftly snatched a butterfly hanging on the edge. It fell off the web surprisingly easily. With the butterfly in my grasp, I fled without a glance back.

Swoosh!

Operation successful.

【Green Gecko LV1】
HP: 1/7
MP: 0/3

Successfully executing a double “Tail Cut” had great significance.

Even without it, I might have succeeded, but it would have been riskier.

[All MP has been depleted. Penalties apply to all activities.]

The status window warned me.

I should probably keep at least 1 MP remaining.

With no HP and no MP, I was in a bind.

I glanced once more at the insect ensnared in the web.

I had no fondness for eating insects.

But in order to survive, I had to.

Nom.

I took a big bite.

Crunch.

The crispy texture was quite impressive.

I had expected it to be mushy, but it was surprisingly good.

Having been stuck in the web for a while, it had naturally mummified, and now it was in a condition that could be aptly described as jerky—no, insect jerky.

It was far better than a mushy texture. I wouldn’t say it was delicious, but it was filling.

I didn’t check explicitly, but I felt like my HP and MP were rising. It was probably due to being full. Just as I finished off the butterfly, the status window brought good news.

[Level up!]

Oh.

I had a rough idea, but to actually level up felt strange.

Squeak.

My skin was tingling.

Pop.

A white film appeared on my body.

…Wait, is this molting?

I quickly shed my skin. I’d seen videos of lizards molting—it usually took a long time—but I succeeded in a flash.

【Green Gecko LV2】
HP: 9/9
MP: 5/5

I was no longer Green Gecko LV1. I had been reborn as Green Gecko LV2.

Naturally, my severed tail regrew, and I felt like I had grown a bit larger too.

[You have achieved an impressive milestone, Raptor! Survived after using “Tail Cut” twice in a row!]

Huh? An achievement?

Are they praising me? Come on, what did I do right?

[“Tail Cut” is a last resort used just before dying. Using such a technique twice and surviving is quite the feat.]

All thanks to my tail.

[It’s surprising that you possess two such pathetic skills, and yet, you managed to level up to boot!]

Yeah, thanks.

…Wait a minute, that phrasing is a bit off.

Are they mocking me?

“Gekgek.”

I muttered lowly, indicating my displeasure.

Getting double-upgraded skills and being reincarnated as a weak Green Gecko, it felt like I had plenty to complain about.

Under the pretense of achievement, they were just rubbing it in.

I had a grudge against that status window.

If the design is terrible, it should at least be kind.

[Congratulations. You have obtained “Dash LV1” as a reward.]

…Whoever designed the status window sure did a terrible job.

It’s the best, status window!