I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 232

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

The sound of something munching.

Or rather, the distinct sound of a lizard munching on grass.

Chomp, chomp.

While my main diet is meat, it doesn’t mean I can’t eat plants. You could call me an omnivorous lizard.

That said, don’t expect me to eat leaves or bark. But I can manage human-edible greens without much fuss.

I tore into the meal that Cho-Do had prepared for me.

Seriously, serving salad to your guest just because you’re a herbivore?

No wonder the Bicorns were always smelling like chlorophyll.

I had grown used to it, and surprisingly, the taste wasn’t bad, so I ate without complaining.

Chomp, chomp.

“Hmm, perhaps because you’re a spirit beast that governs the energy of the neck, you seem to enjoy it. It’s not quite to my taste, though.”

“Geck?”

You can’t even eat anymore.

I held back the retort.

“Oh, right. If you ever have the chance, do visit my domain. I’ll serve you the best meal you’ve ever had.”

Steel Mountain, pretending to be a rocky mountain?

“You won’t forget the taste of those great boulders once you’ve tried them.”

“Geck, geck.”

I’ll pass.

I mean, why eat rocks? Even earthworms wouldn’t touch those.

Come to think of it, how is that place being managed?

I left the snow mountain under Cheoldooryong’s care, but I can’t exactly make Gongbok, trapped in the fox orb, rule over it.

There are spirit beasts like the Red Dragon and Baekrang who could handle the Dragon Gate, but...

The Red Dragon is busy, and Baekrang needs to stay with me.

Even if the Red Dragon returned, sending him there alone feels wrong.

The other spirit beasts are still too inexperienced to govern the Dragon Gate.

Argentavis and the Snake Queen have their own territories, so they can’t come over casually.

Sigh...

Where can I find an ally who’s strong, loyal, and unemployed?

Maybe an elder with a long snout, a dazed expression, who dances and cackles a lot...

If I meet the Compy elder someday, I’ll try to persuade him.

Though he’ll probably refuse at first, if I keep asking, he might consider moving.

Sure, he might poke me with his pointy snout out of annoyance, but I can already picture him cackling in delight once I bring him there.

Unlike Argentavis or the Snake Queen, who dominate half of their respective jungles, the Compy’s nest is small because his kin are tiny creatures.

Giving him the Dragon Gate would be like gifting an apartment to a father-in-law.

The Dragon Gate’s power is currently sealed within Gongbok, or rather the fox orb, which is even better.

The elder might resist, but his subordinate lizards would likely fall to the Dragon Gate’s allure.

Even monstrous creatures like the Magnosaurus lose their minds, so it’s better if the Dragon Gate’s power stays dormant.

Having a good son-in-law sure comes in handy.

I can already picture my father-in-law grinning.

...

Wait, why am I so naturally calling him my father-in-law?

I mean, technically, the Snake Queen, Fasir, and I are married on paper, but...

Ugh, whatever.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

These greens are surprisingly addictive.

If seasoned right, they might taste even better.

Should I take some back to share with the others?

Tang Soyeong is human, so maybe she can whip something up.

She did make that Crocodile Tail Soup pretty well.

Now that I think about it, there are also the Bicorns.

Even if I bring back an armful of greens, they’d devour it in a minute, making cooking pointless.

As I finished eating, Cho-Do, now visibly lighter and more relaxed, gave me a polite bow.

“Dae-hyeop, now that your meal is over, would you accompany me for a short while?”

“Geck-geck.”

Accompany?

That just means more training.

“Nenoooooom...”

Your brother’s getting the wrong idea.

“Chaos.”

Slaaash!

A massive frog, which Cho-Do called Chaos, bound Gongbok with vines.

“Hmmph... Hrmph!”

“Ribbit!”

From my perspective, Cho-Do looked like her name was written as Cho-Do, but Chaos must be a nickname of sorts.

The frog subdued Gongbok and placed the fox orb on its back.

Wooong, wooong.

The fox orb trembled slightly, as if enjoying the situation regardless of Gongbok’s will.

It looked like someone enjoying a ride at an amusement park.

“Ribbit.”

When Chaos lowered her head, Cho-Do climbed on naturally.

“Dae-hyeop, please board as well.”

I tilted my head.

Board?

Sure, this frog was enormous.

But I’m not exactly small, either.

Back at level one, I weighed about three tons. Now, I’m much heavier.

If I climb on, it’s going to be a burden.

...Still, I won’t say no.

“Ribbit!”

Chaos let out a resentful croak.

By the way, the name Chaos is oddly feminine.

“Ribbit...”

Thud, thud.

With every step Chaos took, the earth shook.

She must weigh at least ten times more than me, so it’s only natural.

Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Cho-Do’s true form.

I thought this giant frog was Cho-Do, but apparently, it’s just her subordinate.

What does her real form look like?

Probably not that big.

“...Dae-hyeop? What’s with that look?”

Cho-Do, looking much lighter and carefree, tilted her head at me.

It makes sense she’s small in stature.

With idle thoughts like these, we arrived surprisingly quickly.

After all, we were already within Cho-Do’s domain, and Chaos’s strides were enormous.

“You’ve done well, Chaos.”

Cho-Do stroked the frog’s head, making it purr as it lowered its head to let her dismount.

The place was different from where we trained before.

This was another forest, dense with countless trees.

“Come, follow me.”

Slaaash!

At a wave of Cho-Do’s hand, the dense trees that seemed to block the path parted naturally.

The grandeur was awe-inspiring, though it briefly made me think.

I should avoid fighting guardians within domains like this.

Not just within the Dragon Gate—entering the domain of any powerful spirit beast was dangerous.

No need to look far. Thinking about my battle with Gongbok proves that point.

I only managed because it was in my territory. If it had been in his, I would’ve been helpless.

Sure, I’m at the Supreme level now, so the outcome might be different, but the risk would still be immense.

“Hmph... Even my dear brother has not seen this place. Who knows what treasures it holds.”

Having somehow freed himself, Gongbok didn’t bother hiding his irritation.

“If my brother had asked, I would have shown him. Though it would have just been directions.”

And with one word from Cho-Do, he was freed.

“Ah, to think my sister loves me so much!”

...Is that love?

It just sounds like she didn’t want the hassle of guiding you.

From my observations during training, I could deduce Cho-Do’s personality.

She’s a recluse.

She despises leaving her domain.

But she didn’t show that side to me.

Why? Because I’m the heir of Gomodo.

Had it not been for that, she would’ve likely retreated into Chaos’s flower bud to nap.

Or maybe she just pretends to avoid Gongbok. If so, that’s kind of sad.

“This is the place. Dae-hyeop, can you identify what this is?”

Cho-Do pointed at a massive boulder.

It was covered in vines and moss, evidence of long neglect.

At her gesture, the plants parted as if bowing, revealing the true form of the giant rock.

Mysterious, unreadable inscriptions covered its surface.

Understood, I’ll use Gomodo consistently in the translation moving forward. Let me revise the text accordingly:

The illustration depicted several key elements:

A representation of human movements.A carving that reached the pinnacle of the rock.Finally, a sword mark etched at the topmost point."This is said to be a trace left by the Heavenly Demon," Cho-Do explained.

A trace left by the Heavenly Demon? The revelation sent a thrill down my spine.

"The humans living in the Ten Thousand Mountains refer to it as the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. While he never called himself the Heavenly Demon, it seems there’s no better name for it."

Even my master referred to it as the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, though the Heavenly Demon never explicitly claimed that title. Clearly, its original name exists, but even Cho-Do seemed unaware of it. Perhaps only the Heavenly Demon himself, the True Dragon, or the previous Gomodo would know.

"If you learn the martial art of the Heavenly Demon, it might be fitting for you to name it yourself," she suggested.

In that case, it might end up being something like the Divine Art of the Lizard King.

It wasn’t my first time encountering traces left by the Heavenly Demon. I had seen similar carvings before, in the Silver Dragon’s Cave and in the dwelling of my friend, the Utahraptor.

In the Silver Dragon’s Cave, I had only managed to learn one of the Shaolin martial arts, the Dragon Claw Technique. At the time, as a mere small lizard, I couldn’t afford to explore beyond the immediate utility of the technique. Survival demanded immediate skills.

In the Utahraptor’s dwelling, I encountered a martial art created directly by the Heavenly Demon: the Roaring Dragon Kick. Among its techniques, I frequently used the Earth-Shaking Dragon Step, which allowed me to mimic the motions of a dragon crawling across the ground, especially when combined with Reverse Scattering Momentum. It was a versatile technique, particularly effective when my feet were on the ground.

Yet, even that was said to fall short of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. It was a technique crafted by the Heavenly Demon, but it didn’t bear the title of Heavenly Demon. If even something that powerful wasn’t worthy of the name, just how formidable must the true Heavenly Demon Divine Art be?

I had witnessed its might firsthand when my master used it against Tae-Se’s forces, crushing them with a single strike. It was nothing like the Roaring Dragon Kick. If I were to name it, it would have to be something grand, like Heavenly Demon’s Supreme Domination Step. Yet my master had admitted that even his rendition was incomplete. The true art left behind by the Heavenly Demon must be incomprehensibly profound.

In the past, my abilities were too underdeveloped to fully understand the carvings. The only concept I had grasped was thanks to the Utahraptor’s wall painting: "Alone Above All, Heaven and Earth" (천상천하 유아독존). It had baffled me at the time—why would a phrase associated with Buddhist teachings appear there? Yet, understanding that the Heavenly Demon was not inherently evil shed some light on it.

That realization alone had been enough to enable me, in my injured state, to strike a critical blow against the monstrous Kaichal Goa-Thal, empowered by Tae-Se’s influence.

Even so, there was no guarantee I could fully interpret the carvings before me now. However, I had already gained the Dragon Claw Technique, the Roaring Dragon Kick, and the enlightenment of "Alone Above All, Heaven and Earth" from past encounters. Surely, I could learn something here.

Moreover, now I had something I hadn’t possessed before: the Dragon Eye. Surely it would reveal something to me.

I lifted my gaze and saw something truly strange.

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The sword mark was carved at an incredible height, far above my line of sight, yet its length was surprisingly short. I didn’t know much about swords, but even I could tell that the technique used to carve that mark shouldn’t have been possible.

Initially, I thought the Heavenly Demon might have been a being akin to a spirit beast. After all, some of the sword marks I had seen before had been in places no human arm could reach. In this land, it wasn’t uncommon for spirit beasts to speak and wield martial arts.

But then I learned the Heavenly Demon was human.

So how was such a mark even possible?

The trace reached the pinnacle yet remained astonishingly short. It resembled the slash of a dagger wielded by a giant. Even if I could understand the motion, it didn’t seem applicable to me.

My arms were long—this had always been the case, even when I was a small lizard. I had favored techniques that involved sweeping strikes with my limbs. Over time, I had adapted to moving and fighting in ways that mimicked humans, with their upright stances and dexterous use of arms.

Even when wielding a sword, my approach would differ. I had drawn a blade against Gongbok solely to manifest a sword aura, as my master had briefly demonstrated for me. That demonstration had required a weapon to replicate—not my claws, but an actual sword.

For me, my tail was effectively my blade. And my tail was anything but short. There was no reason for me to adopt a movement as confined as this.

Yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

My heart pounded as I stared.

What was it about this mark that stirred me so deeply?

Even as I acknowledged it didn’t suit me, I couldn’t suppress the overwhelming excitement it evoked.