Chapter 8: Misjudging the Genre
【Green Basilisk LV1】
HP: 50/50
MP: 20/20
【Title】
「Loved by Spiders」
Spiders will not attack you first.
When facing insects, strength and speed are enhanced.
The effect was quite good.
Not being attacked by spiders first seemed like something I could make good use of.
I could cooperate with other spiders like this time.
Moreover, getting additional bonuses when facing insects also looked great.
I couldn’t know exactly how effective it was, but this place was teeming with insects. Insects were also the main food for lizards.
It was an effect that could be used efficiently.
It was a title that wouldn’t hurt to have.
…So why did they give it to me?
I glanced at the distant acacia tree.
I felt disturbed.
It felt like something hot was rising from inside me.
Strange.
I suppressed that feeling and looked up at the sky.
The day was gradually breaking.
I had spent time fighting ants and evolving.
I watched the sunrise for a while.
Before I could admire the world turning red, the sun was obscured.
I expressed my displeasure with an annoying voice.
“Gegegek!”
Whoever it is, get out of the way.
【Oviraptor LV10】
“Grurk?”
I made eye contact with the Oviraptor.
It looked somewhat like a chicken, and it acted like one too.
Awake at this early hour.
The Oviraptor, meeting my eyes, tilted its head.
I was a bit scared by its movements, but then I reminded myself that I was no longer a pathetic lizard.
I was a Green Basilisk.
I wasn’t a weak reptile like a gecko.
I stood up on my two legs.
I spread my arms wide and puffed up my body.
It wouldn’t attack easily.
“Grurk!”
Yeah.
Let’s go our separate ways.
Predators originally didn’t fight each other.
Even if they won, getting injured would be fatal for survival.
“Grurk!”
The Oviraptor clicked its beak, which looked like a bird’s.
Wait a minute.
No matter how I looked at it, those eyes seemed to see me as prey.
Did I overestimate myself? The creature rushed towards me, seemingly unfazed by my slightly larger size.
Why was the lizard so embarrassing?
If it was going to be like this, it should have been like this from the start.
‘Sprint!’
I felt lighter and ran in the opposite direction of the creature.
Tudududud!
…Wait, am I supposed to be this fast?
It was an unbelievable speed.
I wasn’t even running on all fours, but on two legs.
Swinging my arms wildly as I ran, I achieved a speed incomparable to before.
No wonder this lizard could walk on water.
I fled at an uncontrollable speed.
Uncontrollable, quite literally.
It was almost impossible to change direction at that speed.
But it was fine for now. I just needed to shake off the creature.
“Gegegek!”
*
The Oviraptor couldn’t catch up to me.
It seemed to give up quickly, but each time I slowed down and cackled.
It chased after me, eyes rolling and drooling.
But who was I?
Wasn’t I the basilisk known as the Jesus lizard?
The creature could only stare blankly as I calmly ran across the water.
If I could turn better, I would have had Oviraptor meat for breakfast. What a shame.
“Gekgek!”
I surveyed my surroundings.
It was a large swamp.
The basilisk is a lizard that runs on water.
I discovered that I could run faster on water than on flat ground.
If so, staying here would be advantageous for survival.
…It’s not because I want to catch and eat fish or shrimp.
I looked around the swamp.
Hiding my body in suitable leaves because I wasn’t alone.
I saw large dragonflies flying around and small dinosaurs running to catch those dragonflies.
I quickly scanned them.
The dragonflies could be staple food, and the small winged dinosaurs called Microraptors seemed like a good match for this lizard body.
If they were alone, that is.
They moved in groups, so attacking carelessly would result in becoming lizard skewers.
So were those the only ones?
If so, just a bit more growth and I could dominate this swamp….
Splash!
Flap!
The sudden appearance of a large reptile caused the Microraptor group to scatter in panic.
A large wing entered the crocodile’s jaws.
Crunch.
Crack!
As soon as the crocodile bit the wing, it performed a death roll.
【Piranha Caiman LV7】
__________________________
【Piranha Caiman】
They grow up to 3 meters in length, with males weighing up to 75 kg.
As their name suggests, they primarily eat piranhas and are enemies with jaguars.
They prefer ambushing prey in the water and are clever hunters.
__________________________
Before the dust settled, the creature dragged its prey into the water.
No wonder it smelled so bad; it was because of the mixture of rotting carcasses and its dung.
I decided not to look in that direction. The water was dirty, and there seemed to be nothing edible for me.
There was nothing I could do against that monster anyway.
After a quick escape, I examined the area where small water puddles gathered.
The water was relatively clean, and there were no visible predators. There were many naturally concealed spots, making it a perfect hiding place.
I cautiously crawled to the puddle.
It was a cozy spot.
Although there was no food, that meant there were no predators either.
It was the best place to sleep or rest.
“Gekek.”
I dipped my feet into the water.
It felt extremely comfortable. It was as if my feet were moving on their own.
Was this how a waterbed felt?
Gulp.
Hiss.
I felt something rising from inside me again.
It had been like this since I evolved.
I felt a hot energy in my abdomen.
Was there poison in the food the spider gave me?
I stuck out my tongue and drank the water.
Licking it like a dog or cat was frustrating. I plunged my snout into the puddle and drank deeply.
The more I drank, the thirstier I became.
It was similar to when I first ate after evolving.
As I continued to gulp down water, the thirst gradually subsided.
I patted my satisfied belly.
I had rested well, eaten a lot, and quenched my thirst.
Feeling good, my long tail swayed naturally.
“Gekgek.”
Since coming here, had I ever rested so comfortably?
Sizzle.
I was so comfortable that steam was rising from my body.
…Why was steam rising?
I quickly submerged my body in the puddle.
The hot energy in my abdomen grew stronger.
[A sacred energy surrounds your body.]
This message.
It was the same one I saw before evolving.
[The energy of the mid-level core permeates your body.]
Wait a minute.
Mid-level core?
That was what the spider had.
I finally realized why I could level up just before dying.
The spider had given me its core.
Since I was still alive, it seemed giving it didn’t cause death, but the core was still a valuable item.
I felt unnecessarily guilty.
Spider, if you evolve into an S-class blonde beauty, I’ll reconsider.
[The energy of the low-level core permeates your body.]
A low-level core?
What’s that?
Come to think of it, the spider kept giving me something after I woke up.
There were a few bitter-tasting ones; were those the cores?
The rising hot energy was because the spider kept feeding me cores?
No, spider.
Thanks, but.
Are you sure I can eat this?
Am I going to explode?
[A sacred energy fills your body.]
I saw a white light. If someone extracted white color from nature and pushed it into the body, it would look like this. The white light, making me dizzy, entered my body.
[A sacred energy accelerates your growth!]
The hot energy gathered in one place.
If I were human, it was slightly below the belly button.
It was the spot called the dantian.
The energies began to condense slowly.
Ding.
[“Sprint LV7” reacts with “Webbed Feet Walk LV1.”]
At the same time, a status window appeared.
[“Tail Cutting LV9” reacts with “Webbed Feet Walk LV1!”]
Sizzle.
The surface of the puddle I was in started to bubble.
[“Wall Climbing LV4” reacts with “Webbed Feet Walk LV1!”]
My skills reacted with the newly acquired skill.
I could roughly guess. It probably boosted the webbed feet walk skill.
Maybe it would add about three levels.
[“Webbed Feet Walk LV1” evolves into “Large Webbed Feet Walk LV1”!]
Sure.
I didn’t have high expectations anyway.
You would be like that.
Large webbed feet walk? Does it mean my feet will grow bigger? That’s too half-hearted.
If that’s the case, take it back!
The message from the status window suddenly became blurry.
[“Webbed Feet Walk LV1” ■□■■□□ with ■■comb□■!]
I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
It was just a joke. Please give it back.
No, you can’t take back what you’ve given.
[“%! ■a■□ LV1” reacts with “Webbed Feet Walk LV1!”]
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
It was a skill that wasn’t in my skill window.
No, it wasn’t even legible. It looked like a glitch.
[“Webbed Feet Walk LV1” has transcended its limits.]
Transcended its limits?
[“Webbed Feet Walk LV1” evolves into “Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step”!]
Something was
different.
The name was unusual, and it didn’t have a level attached to it.
I barely calmed my pounding heart and read the skill description.
「Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step」
It is a stepping technique like that of a small dragon. You can climb walls as if flying and walk freely on water. It boosts your basic speed and makes it easier to master other martial arts.
I barely held back from screaming in astonishment.
A stepping technique?
And other martial arts too?
A day after reincarnating as a lizard.
I had misjudged the genre.