Chapter 19: Fortuitous Encounter
No matter how much I shook my head, that was indeed a depiction of a person.
It couldn’t possibly be a chimpanzee wearing clothes.
Humans existed in this world after all.
The round food I just ate was also probably made by a person.
In other words, someone had visited this place.
To have dropped such precious food in this cave, how careless of them.
I worried that they might be desperately searching for it, but I thought it had already been a long time.
I had swallowed something without an owner.
The dumplings I ate would likely prefer becoming my nutrients.
If I had left them alone, they would have been eaten by some strange arthropod.
In comparison, being eaten by such a gentlemanly lizard was an honorable end.
While pondering these strange thoughts, I focused again on the mural.
Curved and straight lines were bizarrely yet beautifully connected.
Traces of martial arts. Perhaps they should be called sword marks.
Honestly, all I could see were lines. But I felt a bit of their beauty. There must have been profound martial arts principles contained within them.
But that was all.
I couldn’t discern anything beyond that.
The best I could reference was the mural next to it.
If the sword marks were for advanced practitioners, this seemed to be for beginners.
I slowly examined the beginner’s corner.
The first thing that caught my eye was a drawing of a person swinging a sword.
A horizontal slash.
A vertical slash.
A thrust.
Yes, it was the Samjae Swordsmanship.
Samjae Swordsmanship was the most basic of the basic sword techniques.
It referred to a swordsmanship containing the mysteries of heaven, earth, and humanity, the most fundamental and important swordsmanship.
If I were to learn from the basics, I should start with Samjae Swordsmanship.
Of course, this was under the assumption that I was a person.
Unfortunately, I was a lizard with a long tail.
Even if I tried to sharpen my claws to the maximum, they couldn’t substitute for a sword.
Unless I evolved further, the claws of a Green Basilisk were out of the question.
Regretfully, I passed on the swordsmanship.
After passing by the Samjae Swordsmanship, I looked at other drawings.
I saw a drawing of someone spreading their stance and launching a fierce attack on an enemy.
It was a form of martial arts that could be called a palm technique or hand technique.
It had many movements and seemed like a very useful martial art if learned.
But I passed on this one as well.
Why?
Because the person in the drawing was bald.
Other drawings had hair, but this mural had none.
I couldn’t learn martial arts used by a bald person.
It’s not that I had a prejudice against bald people.
I respected them.
I even thought they were cool.
But martial arts were strangely capable of negatively affecting the user.
It could make one impotent, force them to live as a virgin for life, or even turn them into an extremely beautiful girl.
…The last one might not be a negative effect.
Anyway, it could be a martial art that caused complete hair loss.
Of course, if I could become stronger, I could sacrifice my hair.
But I didn’t have hair.
Because I was a lizard.
What corresponded to hair might be my scales.
If my scales fell off, I’d become extremely vulnerable.
So my reason for passing on that martial art was not personal but entirely rational.
“Keck keck.”
I continued to examine the murals, but there didn’t seem to be any martial arts suitable for me.
I completely excluded anything involving swords or spears, and fist techniques didn’t suit my hands.
Since my legs were strong, learning leg techniques didn’t seem like a bad idea, but it didn’t resonate with me.
Sigh.
That bald person’s martial art seemed somewhat decent, though…
No, there must be more to come.
While I was contemplating martial arts, I heard something approaching.
It was a slithering sound, like something gliding along the ground.
Srrrk.
I immediately went on alert.
“Saak!”
A white snake appeared, taking an aggressive stance.
【Titanoboa LV1】
【Status】
「Hostility」「Youngling」
__________________________
【Titanoboa】
The largest snake, with a body length of up to 15m and a weight of up to 1.2t.
The thickest part of its body exceeds 1m, and its head alone is over 70cm.
It primarily feeds on fish over 2m long or small crocodiles.
__________________________
Titanoboa!
Just the description was terrifying.
Of course, that was just based on the description.
“Saak!”
Damn. Using the name Titanoboa would make you cry.
At best, it seemed like a Blood Python.
The creature before me was too small to be called a Titanoboa.
It looked like it would struggle in a fight against a single Piranha.
It couldn’t possibly be my opponent.
“Gek gek gek!”
My mouth watered at the thought of eating snake meat.
I was full, but meat was a different story.
I quickly lunged at the snake.
Titanoboa was terrifying due to its size, but it didn’t possess venom.
In other words, a small Titanoboa was just my protein source.
A complete victory.
Slash.
Thud!
A cold sensation brushed past my cheek.
It was the tail of the white snake, like a white whip.
It had bent its body like a bow and then used the recoil to flick its tail.
…Did Titanoboa hunt this way?
No, it couldn’t be.
That snake was strange.
“Saaaak.”
The white snake, after retrieving its tail, flicked its tongue.
Flick.
It took a peculiar stance, raising its tail slightly and moving just the tip.
…You’re not a snake, are you?
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like a provocation.
That hissing sound must mean it’s challenging me to attack.
I wouldn’t fall for such a low-level provocation.
I was not a wild lizard, but a dignified lizard with intelligence.
I was on a different level from those born in a cave.
Flick flick.
“Gek gek gek!”
I closed the distance with Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step.
Bang!
However, the snake’s recoiling tail blocked my approach, and it used the rebound to widen the gap again.
As expected of a snake.
It was like a master of Snake Fist.
When I tried to close the distance, it would retreat, and from a distance, it launched unilateral attacks.
It was an enemy type I had never experienced before.
It didn’t have overwhelming size, venom, or solid defense.
Even so, it was challenging to deal with.
It was difficult just to get close.
At this rate, I would absurdly lose to this tiny snake.
Bang!
The snake’s tail flew towards me.
I had no way to defeat it.
That was, if I were my previous self.
I sharpened my claws.
I swung them towards the snake’s tail that was flying like a whip.
Crack!
Squeeeze.
I caught the snake’s tail.
I could feel the white snake’s panic.
It must have thought I was just an ordinary lizard.
This was the martial art of the unknown bald person.
I could feel the captured tail writhing.
Indeed, since it attacked using its tail, it had significant muscle mass.
But the tail wasn’t exclusive to the snake.
Thwack!
I smacked the snake’s head with my long tail.
The snake’s tail was restrained.
Only I could attack unilaterally.
Hey, snake, how does it feel to be attacked?
Thwack!
The strength of my tail was also considerable.
My tail was essentially used as a third leg.
As I struck its head with my tail, my claws dug into its flesh.
“Kieeek!”
The snake writhed.
But once my claws dug in, they didn’t intend to let go.
Thwack!
A series of indiscriminate tail strikes followed.
The snake, suffering from a concussion, couldn’t regain its senses, and I immediately lunged for its neck.
Crunch!
[Level has increased.]
A master of Snake Fist.
An enemy, but a commendable one.
“Gek gek!”
I roared, stepping on the defeated snake that had turned into snake meat.
In respect, I’ll make good use of your meat.
Chomp.
Crunch.
Perhaps because it had a lot of muscles, it was a bit tough.
But it wasn’t inedible.
Though it had a lot of small bones, it tasted fairly decent.
Ah, nice.
Now this feels more like a place where people—no, lizards—live.
There was food other than insects, and the mural that could be called a fortuitous encounter made me envy nothing.
By the way, didn’t I perform quite splendidly in the recent battle?
I used something like martial arts and mimicked the enemy’s attacks.
Shouldn’t I get something for that?
I glanced at my status window.
An offensive skill.
Please give me an offensive skill.
Even staring at the status window, there was no change.
I guess they don’t easily grant martial arts.
…I have plenty of time, so if I thoroughly analyze that mural, something will come out.
Having eaten the Caiman’s core, I decided to meditate.
I might gain insight into martial arts.
After covering my eyes with a piece of snake skin, I sat cross-legged.
The internal energy that began at my lower abdomen started circulating throughout my body.
My mind became clear.
I felt as if the core I had consumed and the recent experiences were entirely becoming mine.
A warm energy enveloped my entire body.
It felt like something was wrapping around me.
A moderately soft texture.
And a faint floral scent.
Had I surpassed the Minor Heavenly Circuit and reached the realm
of Three Flowers Converging on the Summit?
My growth was frightening.
My body was slowly floating.
I had heard of this.
When a master with profound internal energy meditates, their body floats in the air.
“Truly amazing.”
Moreover, I heard a voice as melodious as jade beads rolling on a silver platter.
It must be the voice of a celestial maiden.
Reaching the Five Qis was already enough.
I had surpassed Three Flowers Converging on the Summit and reached the realm of Five Qis.
“I’ve never seen a lizard sitting cross-legged before.”
Now, I was ascending to immortality.
“My body is weak, and I was planning to nourish myself, but this is fortunate.”
To discard the lizard’s body and gain a new….
Nourishment?
That didn’t sound like something a celestial maiden would say.
Using my front paw, I slowly removed the piece of skin covering my eyes.
I saw something apricot-colored wrapping around my body.
It looked very soft and chewy.
Chomp.
Crunch.
Instinctively, I bit into the soft flesh.
My sharp teeth couldn’t penetrate.
It was definitely soft.
But firm.
What was this paradoxical situation?
No matter how I chewed, there was no change.
Whose finger had such a texture?
Wait, a finger?
Why did I think it was a finger?
While biting the finger, I slowly turned my gaze.
I saw blue eyes.
The owner of the eyes was quietly observing me.
Eventually, realizing I was looking at them, they spoke in a gentle voice.
“…So, does my finger taste good?”
