I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 297

How does it know?

How does it know that I wasn't originally a lizard, but a human—someone who didn’t belong to this world?

Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.

My heart pounded violently.

That meant... that Thunderbird had something to do with my reincarnation.

Forget Jinryong, forget Al-Yu—was the Thunderbird actually the true mastermind behind everything?

— Surrender your body to me.

The silent Shimma suddenly spoke.

— I’ll tear that thing apart for you right this moment.

The sheer malice and killing intent were suffocating.

Far more ominous than when I faced Qiongqi and Bihui.

"Why? Is Gomodo talking to you?"

"Is it telling you to hand your body over?"

The Thunderbird spoke with a smirk.

"That thing is so simple. Acting like that only makes my words more credible."

...It wasn’t wrong.

Why was Gomodo, who had been silent until now, suddenly speaking to me?

To kill the Thunderbird.

No, beyond that—to prevent me from speaking with it.

— You don’t need to listen to that thing. Just quietly give yourself to me...

KWAANG!

My head smashed straight into the ground.

“Keuk... Looks like you're finally ready to listen.”

Shimma’s voice was just too loud, too intrusive.

"You want to know how I know that?"

Fine. I’d listen.

Only then could I decide how to act.

"The answer is simple. I once shared the same purpose as Gomodo."

A former companion of the previous Gomodo.

Now serving under Jinryong. So, in the end, it had betrayed him.

"That’s why I know exactly what kind of creature Gomodo was. And what kind of preparations it made."

Its voice, filled with madness, continued.

"During the final war, Gomodo quite literally vanished."

The war between Gomodo and Jinryong.

The world believed Jinryong had won, but the fact that it remained sealed within Kunlun proved otherwise.

"Did Jinryong defeat Gomodo? No. It couldn't. Jinryong was pushed to the brink of death. And yet, Gomodo disappeared. What do you think happened?"

It laughed as if entertained.

"That thing was banished from this world! That’s the only explanation!"

Banished from the world.

Could such a thing even happen?

No, if I—a human—could be reincarnated as a lizard, then what was truly impossible?

"And Gomodo acted as if it had expected this. It made plans. A contingency. So that even if it vanished, it could return one day."

But what did that have to do with me?

"Jinryong was terrified. It never confirmed Gomodo’s death. So it believed Gomodo would return one day."

And just as Jinryong had feared, Gomodo had returned.

Even if it was now trapped within me.

"So I told it. Gomodo would return by borrowing the body of its descendant."

...That explained Gomodo’s murderous rage and hostility.

Because it had been completely betrayed.

But how did the Thunderbird know all this?

"Every last one of its descendants was wiped out. For countless, unimaginable years, Jinryong slaughtered every dragon-kin that even slightly resembled Gomodo."

The parents of the Red Dragon, along with countless other spirit beasts, must have perished.

Simply because there was a possibility that Gomodo might return.

"I crushed Gomodo’s grand scheme with my own hands! HAHAHA! You wouldn’t believe how satisfying it was!"

The Thunderbird grinned mockingly, but then suddenly, its face turned serious.

"But then... you appeared."

Jinryong, who had planned to eradicate all humans, would never have made a mistake.

It had gone to extreme lengths, even mobilizing beings like Bingryong and the Thunderbird, to track down and kill a mere gecko lizard.

"This doesn’t make sense. Was there a flaw in our net? No. Impossible. I confirmed it again and again."

And yet, Gomodo’s descendant had appeared.

Inside me.

"Even if a descendant existed, it would have been too weak—nothing more than a pathetic lizard. But you have defied all logic and grown this powerful."

Its voice wavered between rage and something disturbingly close to joy.

"This shouldn't be possible. There was no vessel to hold it, and yet... how has it returned?"

Excitement dripped from its words, unable to conceal its thrill.

"But in the end, it has returned. When I first heard the reports, I had my doubts, but now that I see you with my own eyes, I finally understand. If there was no vessel..."

It paused dramatically.

"Then a vessel must have been created."

...A created vessel?

"That’s right. You are the vessel Gomodo made."

A vessel crafted by Gomodo...

"Every last descendant of Gomodo was exterminated. Even if one remained, its blood would be so diluted that it would be meaningless. There was no longer any need to worry."

There were no more true descendants of Gomodo in this world.

Except for me.

"Even if Gomodo created a vessel, it wouldn’t matter. A banished being’s creation could never cross into this world. That’s why we stopped searching for Gomodo’s bloodline and focused on preparing for the future."

The future.

The true purpose of all this.

To finish what Jinryong had started—eradicating humanity and achieving eternal life.

"But... that was our mistake. A lowly lizard, on the brink of death, laid an egg. And you managed to slip through that crack and enter this world. Hahaha! What an absurd coincidence!"

The last lizard carrying Gomodo’s blood.

She had been slaughtered.

But before she died...

She left behind me.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Isn’t it hilarious? A lizard, wounded and maimed, fled across the Central Plains, deceiving all of us, and laid an egg. No wonder... Gomodo, who had fought so desperately, accepted death so easily in the end."

What?

"Ah? What’s with that expression?"

The Thunderbird stared at me before sticking out its tongue in amusement.

"Ohhh, I see. To you, that thing was practically a mother, huh? Well, I killed—"

I lunged at it.

KWAANG!

But in my current state, even the Thunderbird’s human form was beyond me.

Kuugugu...

It effortlessly blocked my attack.

"What? Is this some kind of reaction? Puhahaha! Are you seriously angry right now?"

The Thunderbird burst into laughter, thoroughly entertained by my reaction.

Why was I so furious?

It was just some lizard I had never even met.

Where was this rage coming from?

Where was it heading?

...I didn’t know.

And I didn’t care.

ZZZZZHHHHH!

I charged recklessly, without a single thought for what came next.

My head was burning, and if I didn’t do something—anything—I felt like I would lose consciousness.

It wasn’t just simple rage.

Just like Bingryong had pointed out, the doubts I’d held about my own identity all this time...

The confusion that stemmed from them.

A second life was something one might call a blessing, but living as a lizard? That had to be a curse.

KWAANG!

I had tried to stay optimistic.

I lived like a simple-minded lizard.

I told myself that even life as a lizard wasn’t so bad.

I had been deceiving myself.

Because I was once human—because I had a human mind—I couldn’t have survived this life if I didn’t force myself to believe it was fine.

So I had to be optimistic. I had to pretend I was thoughtless.

That was the only way I had managed to endure.

ZZZZZT!

But there were times when I simply couldn’t endure.

Humans are warm-blooded creatures.

Lizards are ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) cold-blooded.

No matter how much time passed, my cold blood never truly adjusted.

Whenever the cold night wind blew, dark thoughts filled my mind.

That was why I sought warmth from others.

Because when I was in that warmth, it felt like—just for a moment—I had returned to being human.

KRAAAAK!

The Thunderbird's attack sent my body crashing down.

My form, buried in the rocks, could no longer move.

My eyes grew heavy.

It felt like I was falling into a long dream.

Who was I?

Was I a human dreaming of being a lizard?

Or was I a lizard dreaming of being human?

If I closed my eyes here and opened them again, I would probably forget everything I had experienced.

Just like memories of childhood fevers—

Scattering, fading into obscurity.

...

Right before my eyes shut completely, I caught sight of a silver thread around my neck.

A trinket, decorated with seashells and jewels.

A token that carried the traces of others, so much so that its original shape was no longer recognizable.

......

Who am I?

A lizard dreaming of being human?

A human dreaming of being a lizard?

Neither my human memories nor my lizard memories had faded.

Did it even matter which one I was?

Did it mean anything to distinguish them?

I was born human.

I was thrown into a martial arts world.

I had lived as a lizard.

And yet... I had more joyful memories than painful ones.

How could I possibly call this a curse?

I had become an evolving lizard in a martial arts world.

Something no one else could ever experience—

Something I could even call an adventure.

How could this not be a blessing?

The Gae Gak Sect was never about species.

It was about those at the bottom reaching for the top.

What did it matter if I was a lizard or a human?

Tzzzzzt.

My massive body shrunk.

It dwindled until it was around the same size as the Thunderbird.

The approaching footsteps stopped.

“...What is that form?”

My tough, hardened scales vanished, replaced by vulnerable flesh.

I had no tail, making it harder to balance.

My claws dulled, and my body became covered in black robes.

"Pfft! And what do you think you can do now?!"

It was the human form I had longed for.

So now—after everything—was I finally being given my body back?

But...

This wasn’t what I needed.

A human body was too weak—too fragile to protect what was precious to me.

...

Was that really true?

Was I truly incapable of protecting anyone in this form?

No.

I didn’t need claws to cut down my enemies.

I didn’t need scales to defend myself.

The body itself didn’t matter.

After all, even a tiny lizard had once protected me.

Slowly, I stood up.

For the first time, I saw the world not through a lizard’s eyes—

But through human eyes.

[You have activated Dragon Speech.]

I spoke, not with the abilities of a human, but as a lizard.

"My body shall become a sword."

A sword was formed.

Not from a severed tail—

But from my entire being.

My body was the sword.

And the sword was me.

This was Sword Unity—a blade and its wielder as one.

A lizard dreaming of being human was me.

A human dreaming of being a lizard was also me.

Why should they be any different?

The same was true for the Five Elements.

Wood, Fire, Metal, Earth, Water.

The universe itself was a cycle—the Five Elements in harmony.

So why should I separate myself from my own existence?

My mind became clearer than ever before.

All the energy in my dantian reached perfect harmony.

It was a sensation I had never experienced before.

It was as if every elixir I had consumed—every pill I had absorbed—

Were shouting inside me.

Why... had I not used their power until now?

The vessel I once thought too small—

Now felt immeasurable.

Yes.

This was what my master had spoken of.

This was enlightenment.

And this was the realm of Harmony.