I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel #Chapter 3 - Read I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel Chapter 3 Online - All Page

EP.3

Sprint.

I finally obtained a skill down skill.

In fact, “Sprint” wasn’t a particularly great name either.

It was more like running.

However, compared to “Tail Cutting,” it was several times better.

“Sprint LV1”

The energy of the wind dwells within the caster’s body. Speed increases dramatically.

MP consumption: 2

The skill description was anything but ordinary.

Instead of just saying you run faster, it claims that the energy of the wind dwells within the body.

Who am I?

I am the master of Sprint, the Green Gecko LV2, after all.

It made me chuckle.

“Gekgek!”

I let out a roar that wasn’t quite a roar as I chewed over the skill called Sprint.

The energy of the wind, huh? That sounds like something you’d find in a fantasy.

While the description was impressive, I couldn’t quite grasp its exact effects from the words alone.

Now that my HP and MP were restored, it was time to test the performance of my newly acquired skill.

“Sprint!”

[The energy of the wind dwells within your body.]

Oh.

I felt a lightness in my body.

I had a similar sensation when I used Tail Cutting. That was likely due to the weight loss from having my tail cut off. But now, my tail was intact. It was literally just an increase in speed.

Whoosh!

I sprinted with full power. It was clear that I had indeed increased my speed. I felt at least twice as fast.

Of course, I had experienced this level of speed before. I could achieve it using a double application of Tail Cutting.

If that was all there was to Sprint, I would have been disappointed. But what if Sprint and Tail Cutting stacked?

I would become the fastest gecko lizard!

“Tail Cutting!”

As my body felt lighter, my speed surged dramatically.

I wasn’t satisfied yet.

“Tail Cutting!”

That was a double application of Tail Cutting.

The speed was so overwhelming that I could barely comprehend it.

Zoom.

It took only 5 seconds to go from one end to the other.

I truly felt the energy of the wind.

At this rate, wouldn’t I win a race against an Oviraptor?

I consumed 4 MP, but I didn’t regret it.

From this experiment, I found a way to replenish my MP.

Nephila something.

Just wait for me.

【Green Gecko LV6】
HP: 24/24
MP: 10/10

The strongest gecko lizard in history had been born.

After a fierce battle with the Nephila Jurassica, I transformed into a Super Gecko Lizard.

I hadn’t defeated that creature.

No matter how fast I became, I hadn’t grown strong enough to confront it head-on. If you think about it, its web was my natural enemy, and the moment my speed dropped, I would die in vain.

Yet, the reason for my growth was singular.

【Caligrama LV3】

I had stolen all the spider’s prey.

I felt a slight pang of conscience, but what could I do?

[The effect of Cold Blood has activated.]

My blood is cold.

But I wouldn’t starve to death. I had discarded a tail for every prey I stole.

With my tail now fuller, I might even welcome it.

Rather than the subtle flavor of insects, a plump lizard’s tail meat would surely taste better.

Should I try a bite of my own tail?

I shook my head in denial.

If I discovered that my tail was delicious, I might unwittingly become an Ouroboros.

…A gecko lizard turning into an Ouroboros?

That felt like a bit much.

But I couldn’t help it. Less than a day had passed, and I had achieved the remarkable feat of reaching level 6. I wasn’t sure whether this was extraordinary or ordinary. Still, thinking something good came out of this, I decided to praise myself.

After all, who knows? A positive mindset might even grant me a skill.

…But that seems unlikely.

During my achievement of reaching level 6, I was able to gather various pieces of information.

Not only did I gain experience when filling my belly through predation, but I also leveled up when I killed enemies.

I levelled up when I took a bite of a still-breathing butterfly.
Gaining experience by eating prey felt like a bonus.

I had already experimented multiple times to confirm that HP and MP are restored every time I level up, and I found that they recover very slowly when my stomach is moderately full.

Regardless of what it is, I had to put it in my mouth.

Only then could I grow stronger.

The reason I needed to become stronger was simple: monsters lurked in this place, literally.

I had not descended below the tree, but I had been covertly hiding my body and observing.

This world was teeming with dinosaurs.

I could see not only docile herbivorous dinosaurs but also raptors that hunted in packs. Surviving in this body of a lizard among such monsters was impossible.

While I would like to escape this lizard body, I had yet to find a way.

What could I do about being born as a gecko lizard?

Yet, if I continued to level up consistently, I could reach a level where I could stealthily survive among those monsters.

__________________________

【Skills】

「Tail Cutting LV6」「Wall Climbing LV3」「Cold Blood LV2」「Predation LV1」「Wild Eyes LV1」「Tail Cutting LV1」「Sprint LV2」「Stealth LV2」

__________________________

My skill window had changed significantly since level 2. The more I used my skills, the more they leveled up, and by minimizing the sound of my footsteps and approaching spider webs repeatedly, I obtained the skill “Stealth.”

To level up, I could naturally grow stronger by hunting prey.

Now that I understood how to become stronger, I just needed to put it into practice.

However, there was a problem.

I had eaten all the insects caught in the spider’s web.

I considered trying to catch that spider, but quickly gave up. I was not a match for it in a one-on-one fight, and I needed that spider to keep ensuring my food supply in the future.

So, I decided to look for other prey.

That spider wasn’t the owner of this tree.

It only occupied a single branch.

That meant there could be similar-level creatures elsewhere.

I walked with confidence.

I was not slithering.

I walked.

Standing on two legs and using my tail to balance on the ground, I could manage to maintain my balance.

It wasn’t exactly a meaningful action.

If anything, I could see a little further?

It might have the effect of making my bulk appear larger, causing predators to flee.

In reality, this action stemmed from the lingering identity of still being human, rather than expecting such effects.

I moved to the second branch.

There were no previous guests.

At least, that’s what I could see with my own eyes.

【Acacia Aphid LV1】

Using Wild Eyes, I saw what I couldn’t see before.

They were so small that I almost missed them.

__________________________

【Acacia Aphid】

A small insect about 1mm, it is a representative pest that sucks plant sap.

This insect has no combat abilities; instead, it digests sap and produces a sweet substance, forming a symbiotic relationship with ants.

__________________________

Oh.

Aphid.

If it’s Acacia Aphid, does that mean this tree is an Acacia?

It doesn’t seem that way.

Isn’t aphid one of the weakest creatures?

Facing off against aphids as my first opponents really sapped my excitement.

I didn’t even need to use Tail Cutting.

It was time for a massacre.

Wang.

In an instant, five or six aphids clung to my tongue.

They were so small that it was thrilling.

Yet, the taste was quite decent. It had a popping texture and a sweet flavor. I felt that I had to catch these creatures not just for leveling up, but also for their texture and taste.

The aphids began to flee in a panic.

Watching them run away gave me an inexplicable sense of empowerment.

Might I be a dinosaur to them?

I stretched out the tongue of the Green Gecko-Saurus and swept them up.

Half water, half meat, or rather, half grass, half aphid.

I reveled in the sweet flavor filling my mouth.

…However, no matter how much I ate, I felt like I wasn’t getting filled at all.
I felt like I had to eat about a thousand of them just to level up.

While I was certainly getting enough nutrients, I wasn’t hunting these creatures just for the sake of nourishment.

Still, I needed to eat something.

Wang.

Having devoured those trembling aphids, I gently patted my slightly empty stomach.

A cluster of aphids was gathered on a leaf.

Before finishing them off, a good idea came to mind.

After all, eating this wouldn’t level me up.

Let’s invest for tomorrow.

I bit off a leaf with my teeth.

Balancing the leaf on my tail, I headed toward the nest of Nephila Jurassica.

“Geggeggekk.”

I deliberately made noise, causing the spider to appear, clearly on edge.

Despite its poor eyesight, it was gazing intensely at my position.

“Keyek!”

It flailed its arms, possibly out of anger.

Had I stolen too much from it?

I’d be upset too if I were in its position.

I gently placed the aphids I had brought onto its web.

“Keyek!”

And then I quickly backed away.

The spider was rapidly scuttling toward me.

When it reached the area where the aphids were, it tilted its head in confusion.

“Keek?”

Looking puzzled, it waved its legs and poked at the aphids I had provided.

The aphids were already dead, so there was no need to bind them with silk. As it glanced around warily, it started devouring the aphids in a hurry.

Though the amount was small for me, it would be a great help for survival. After all, aphids could be seen as little bundles of sugar.

Just as it was finishing, I threw some more aphids from the leaf toward it.

“Hyek!”

Did its cries sound a bit cuter, or was that just my imagination?

Yes, eat well now.

You need to eat a lot to gain strength and steal the better insects.

Night fell.

It was time to sleep.

But I felt a bit chilly.

I tore some leaves haphazardly to make a nest.

It was cold, but I didn’t think it was cold enough to freeze me to death.

I curled up, attempting to fall asleep.

However, I had overlooked a critical issue.

You see, gecko lizards can’t close their eyes.

Without eyelids, I couldn’t close my eyes even if I wanted to.

Like wild lizards, I had to sleep with my eyes open, which was quite challenging.

I should have had some experience with this by now.

I bit onto the leaves vigorously.

I placed some leaves of an appropriate size on top of my eyes.

Good, now I can’t see.

Finally, I could sleep.

…

But I couldn’t fall asleep.

Why was that?

Could it be that gecko lizards are nocturnal?

Then what does that make me, who was active during the day?

Regardless of being nocturnal, I needed to get some proper rest now.

I should sleep when it’s safe, like this.

One raptor, two raptors.

I decided to count dinosaurs instead of sheep.

Surprisingly, this method was quite effective.

Six raptors, one Tyrannosaurus.

…Now a full Tyrannosaurus.

My thoughts drifted like that.

Tyrannosaurus… Mecha Tyrannosaurus…

Before I knew it, the imagined Tyrannosaurus had evolved into Golden Mecha Tyrannosaurus.

Just as I focused my eyes to see its majestic form clearly, something peculiar caught my attention instead.

【Acacia Fire Ant LV1】

Just an ordinary ant.

Hey, don’t disturb the slumber of the great Green Gecko LV. 6.

【Acacia Fire Ant LV1】

It wasn’t the right time to let this slide.

The ants were a legion.