I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 178

"Grk-grk-grk...."

Wait, why did she suddenly faint?

She doesn't seem to be seriously injured.

I stared at the fallen terror bird.

Something felt strange. I could sense a faint trace of an ominous aura.

It makes sense now why three first-class martial artists struggled so much; this was the reason.

"Grrr...."

Even though the terror bird was dead, the aura lingered.

Crunch!

I stomped on the strange red eye embedded in the bird, and finally, the aura disappeared.

So a remnant of that evil god’s influence was still here.

I hope this is the last of it, but I doubt it.

Seeing these Heavenly Demon Sect humans here, they must be here to clear out the remnants as well.

But these young martial artists aren't that strong. Why were they fighting something like this?

...Did they just wander in, unaware?

I’ll find out once I question the unconscious humans here.

Just as I approached the fainted woman—

"W-Wait!"

I turned and saw a man with a chest wound staggering to his feet.

It looked like he’d lost quite a bit of blood, but he could still move.

A regular person would be in danger, but martial artists are something else.

"Grrr...."

The short-haired man flinched at my growl.

Scared of me, huh?

Once, I wouldn’t have understood why, but now it makes sense.

At my size, even a hamster would be terrifying.

"P-Please, spare Wol-Ah!"

Trembling, he made that plea.

It was unexpected, so I found it a bit intriguing.

Despite being terrified, he was standing up to me.

Wol-Ah.

Judging by where he was looking, it wasn’t hard to deduce that the woman’s name was Wol-Ah.

But asking me to spare her?

She just fainted.

He’s the one in more danger.

Blood’s still dripping down, too.

And he’s not even supporting his unconscious friend behind him.

"You can eat us if you want, but please spare Wol-Ah!"

I may be a lizard who rarely cries, but...no, I guess I don’t cry at all.

"Grk-grk."

Why would I eat you?

I may have a lizard’s body, but my mind is still human.

...Mostly, anyway.

Some values of mine have changed—like the way I can’t resist certain big pouches. That must be the lizard instincts influencing my mind.

Still, even with this change, eating a creature capable of speech feels wrong.

Now, if it were an enemy like a Biikjo or an Inmyeonjo, I wouldn’t hesitate. But with no grudge between us, it’s not something I’d do.

It’s not about hypocrisy; it’s just basic decency.

Think about it. Imagine a sizzling pork belly starts talking to you right before you eat it.

Wouldn’t your appetite disappear?

No matter how appetizing it is, it wouldn’t be easy to eat it.

...Well, if I were starving, maybe. But that’s not the case here.

Besides, these humans don’t even look that tasty.

Not much strength in them.

Like a garnish of seasoned eggplant?

At least eggplant has some health benefits, so they’re probably below even that.

In short, even if offered, I wouldn’t eat them.

"Grk-grk-grk."

"Th-thank you...."

Did he understand me?

Good.

Since he’s still conscious, I don’t have to go to the trouble of explaining everything.

"Grk-grk, grk-grk-grk!"

Letting out my mighty lizard cry, I explained as clearly as I could.

"Ah... I see!"

Is he really understanding me?

Just to be sure, I used hand gestures to fill in any gaps.

"Squishy? What are you talking about...."

Finally, Jo Ahn intervened.

"Wol-Ah, we heard something different."

Jang Cheong cleared his throat, as if waiting for this moment.

"Why have you come to this deep place?"

Jo Ahn, looking slightly exasperated, added further explanation.

"...Not exactly like that, but something similar. It was a deep, heavy voice."

"It... spoke?"

Was she possessed?

Seo Wol-Ah couldn’t believe it.

That lizard could talk?

Sure, maybe it could, but shouldn’t its voice sound similar?

A deep voice, really?

The voice she heard still echoed in her ears.

"...Alright. Fine. So, the mystical creature spoke to you? What did it say?"

Seo Wol-Ah couldn’t shake the feeling that Jang Cheong and Jo Ahn were teasing her.

But they wouldn’t lie about what the lizard had said.

"...Should I even say this?"

"What’s with that reaction?"

Were they hiding something from her?

She felt a strong urge to know what the lizard had said.

"You’re hiding something, aren’t you?"

"Well, it’s not really appropriate to say it myself."

"Aren’t you just relaying what the lizard said? Go ahead."

After some hesitation, Jang Cheong finally spoke.

"Take the bird carcass, but do not touch the inner core."

Jang Cheong lowered his voice as much as he could, but it was nothing like the lizard’s voice. Seo Wol-Ah pushed aside her curiosity about the voice and focused on the lizard’s message.

"And tell her."

Jang Cheong glanced around before continuing.

"Baek Yeon-Yeong."

Baek Yeon-Yeong.

The sect leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Seo Wol-Ah now understood why Jang Cheong had hesitated.

He was essentially speaking the leader’s name aloud.

It was an offense

for a disciple, but this was an exception.

He was simply relaying a message.

"This inner core contains the evil aura."

That explained why they shouldn’t touch the core.

It was a matter for the sect leader to examine.

Seo Wol-Ah nodded in understanding.

That lizard clearly had a connection with Baek Yeon-Yeong.

That’s why it had helped them.

Finally, she understood the situation.

"And."

Jang Cheong wasn’t done.

Seo Wol-Ah listened closely.

"It will visit your chambers...."

Swish.

Before he could finish, Wol-Ah had drawn her broken sword.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"No, that’s what the lizard said!"

"And you expect me to believe that?"

Swinging the broken blade, she lunged at Jang Cheong with an intense glare.

"As if a lizard would visit the sect leader’s chambers!"

"I told you, I didn’t want to say it! I’m just relaying the message!"

They scuffled for a while.

Seo Wol-Ah dismissed it as a prank by Jang Cheong and Jo Ahn.

What kind of lizard would dare enter the sect leader’s chambers?

The rumor about a small lizard sneaking off with the priestess’s hidden snacks seemed more believable.

"...Wait, lizard?"

Midway through pummeling Jang Cheong, she suddenly thought of the lizard.

No, it couldn’t be.

She wondered if the mystical creature she’d just encountered was the same as the little lizard she’d seen before, but quickly dismissed the thought.

"That doesn’t make any sense!"

"Wol-Ah! You hit my bone!"