I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 275

“So... while we take on one of them, you’re going to hold off the other?”

As expected of Baekrang.

She immediately understood the key point of what I had said.

That was why I couldn’t help but trust her.

In times of crisis, even if I wasn’t around, I could leave Nephila or Baekrang in charge of Gae Gak Sect.

Nephila, as the High Priestess, understood my intentions without me having to say a word. Baekrang, on the other hand, was quicker to grasp the situation than anyone else in the sect.

Was it because she was a wolf?

She had the vibe of a genius dog.

Of course, if I said that out loud, she’d probably rip me apart.

“Absolutely not!”

Grrrr.

Baekrang bared her teeth, growling in anger.

“Do you think I’d just say, ‘Oh, okay, that makes sense’ and let this slide?!”

The problem was that she understood me too well.

“You’re saying you’re going to hold off a Hyungyeong master alone? Until we take down the other? That’s... basically gambling with your life!”

I had tried to brush it off lightly, but clearly, that wasn’t going to work.

A master at Hyungyeong level was on an entirely different plane from any opponent I had faced before.

Even within Hwagyeong, the gap between its early and mid stages was vast.

The battle between Seolhwa and the Heukwoonbang Lord had proven that.

And the higher the realm, the greater the chasm between stages.

If such a wall existed even within Hwagyeong, then what about the gap between Hwagyeong and Hyungyeong?

They were probably so powerful that I couldn’t even begin to imagine it.

Aside from my master, I had never encountered a Hyungyeong-level warrior before. I had no way of knowing their true capabilities.

If all Hyungyeong masters were as strong as my master, then I would stand no chance at all.

“You’re right, Ko Daehyeop. No matter how strong you are, your opponent is a Hyungyeong master. To put it simply, it’s like you’re going up against your own master.”

Even Soyeon was looking at me with concern.

“Kiwoooong...”

“Kieng...”

Even Tus and Pus hung their heads, looking anxious.

It was impossible for me, as I was now, to fight Bihee or Qiongqi head-on.

Regardless of how strong I was, my current realm was still only at the peak of transcendence.

How could I possibly hold off a Hyungyeong master?

But it was something that had to be done.

Even if, by some miracle, we managed to defeat these two safely...

What would come next?

If two Hyungyeong-level warriors were taken down, the True Dragon would no longer be able to stand by.

It would most likely come here itself.

I didn’t have to defeat Bihee or Qiongqi immediately, but I at least needed to be able to stall them.

That way, I could prepare for the True Dragon itself.

Cho-Do’s green eyes stared at me intently.

“This is impossible. Even if all of your followers gathered, and even if we somehow miraculously defeated them, the battle wouldn’t end quickly. This could turn into a fight lasting several days.”

It was impossible.

“The only advantage we have is numbers. We need to use that to our advantage if we want to win. And yet, you want to throw that away and fight alone?”

But it was something I had to do.

“If you die, there’s no reason for me to cooperate.”

Cho-Do also opposed the plan.

Well, she hadn’t known I was planning something like this when she decided to leave her domain.

“Why is everyone acting like this? Isn’t this a beautiful sight?”

At that, Cho-Do’s eyebrow twitched.

I turned toward the voice.

Docheol.

Finally, someone who agreed with me.

“A real man has to prove himself.”

Docheol nodded in approval.

“Docheol, you...!”

Rustle!

Vines shot up, trying to bind Docheol’s legs.

“That’s why I should be the one to go with him.”

At those words, the vines slackened.

It seemed like she was agreeing with me, but in reality, she wasn’t.

She wasn’t saying I should go alone—she was saying she would come with me.

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“...Fine. Honestly, it’s probably better if Docheol goes with you.”

Not a single person was in favor of my plan.

Everyone opposed it.

“So please reconsider. It’s far better for all of us to fight together than to split our forces.”

If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have been concerned.

But Docheol... she really would follow me.

And that would put the other followers in danger.

“...Even back then, and now again—why do you always try to handle everything alone?”

Baekrang’s voice was somewhere between frustration and resignation.

“No matter what, I refuse to watch you die.”

The wolves whimpered.

They, too, opposed this plan.

“My little brothers and sisters would be heartbroken. They’d cry every day, stop eating, just sit outside in the snow... longing for you.”

Baekrang was using her younger siblings as hostages against me.

“In time, they might gradually forget. But then, one day, when I remember you again... I... I...”

Baekrang’s golden eyes shimmered with tears.

She wasn’t using her siblings as leverage—she was using herself.

“...Ko Daehyeop is right. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Why were they all so kind?

“...Don’t go.”

Even Nephila clung tightly to my forelimb.

With everyone against it, how could I insist on my decision?

I raised my hands in surrender.

“...Hmph. If it were up to me, I would’ve followed you no matter what.”

“Ko Daehyeop, you made the right choice. If we use the Dragon Gate and our territory wisely, fighting together will be far more advantageous.”

As I gestured my agreement, everyone’s faces brightened.

“Kioooong!”

“Kieeeng!”

Tus and Pus happily flailed their arms, doing a little celebratory dance.

“Jjaek-jjaek-jjaek!”

Jjaekjjaeki, not knowing what was happening, just mimicked them.

My words, my actions...

They changed everything.

I looked at the brighter expressions of my followers.

The commotion had settled down, and now it was time to discuss more productive matters.

“Ke-ge-ge-ge-geck!”

Ke-ge-ge-ge-geck?

A furious old Compsognathus came charging toward me.

Vwooong.

Vwooong?

BANG!

“Gyaaack!”

...Why was he like this?

The discussion was over—why was he yelling at me now?!

*

Thanks to Cho-Do buying us some time, and the fact that the enemy still hadn’t pinpointed my exact location, we had a bit of time left.

Everyone put their heads together, planning our strategy and preparing for the upcoming battle.

The most important thing was staying in peak condition.

We needed to eat well and get enough rest.

In this battle, we would all need to exceed our limits.

Knock, knock.

I heard a knock on my door.

“Can I come in?”

“Gek.”

A soft groaning sound followed, and then the massive wooden door slowly creaked open.

It had been built to match my size, so for a human like Soyeon, opening it was naturally a struggle.

“Hahh... I’ve never come in here alone before, so I didn’t realize how heavy this was.”

Sweating profusely, Soyeon barely managed to step inside.

She was holding a pillow in one hand.

“Ko Daehyeop? What’s the reason you called for me?”

I had indeed called for her, but not to sleep together—though, judging by her expression, she had misunderstood something.

“Heh, I thought you’d call for the wolf lady or the spider maiden, but instead, you called for me. This proves it! The one you actually cherish the most... is me!”

I stared at Soyeon in silence as she spouted nonsense.

“...Wait. This is real?”

Of course not.

A strand of her hair, which had been tucked behind her ear, swayed slightly.

That’s not even a tail, so how is it moving like that?

“Hold on... could it be that the hypnosis I used on you last time is only now taking effect? Fufufu... if that’s the case....”

Yeah, sure. As if.

Soyeon’s nonsense had a strange charm to it, though. It made me want to see how far she’d go with it.

“If that’s the case, then the reason you called me here... Hah! No way—”

I had no idea what she was thinking, but her face suddenly flushed red.

“Ugh... w-wait a second... what I’m wearing right now....”

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She glanced down, stuck her fingers inside her collar, and adjusted her clothes slightly.

“Black... hmm, this isn’t too bad....”

I had no idea what she was checking, and I didn’t want to know.

“Ahem, ahem! So, Ko Daehyeop. What’s the real reason you called me here, alone, in the middle of the night?”

She had looped the conversation back to the beginning.

The operation would begin tomorrow, so wasting time was a luxury we couldn’t afford.

We needed to eat well and rest properly to perform at our best.

“Gek.”

Calling Soyeon was an extension of that plan.

“...Seriously?”

When I explained the reason I had summoned her, Soyeon’s eyes widened in shock.

She tilted her head, as if doubting her ears.

“You’re saying you want me to... massage your body all over?”

She even asked again, just to be sure.

Normally, I would have shut down her nonsense immediately, but unfortunately for me, that was exactly what I was asking for.

So I had no choice but to nod.

“...Heh... Hehehe....”

Soyeon’s expression shifted into something bizarre.

Her hands, which had been twitching slightly, now visibly trembled with excitement—she was completely ready to go all in.

“Come here!”

With a sudden leap, she shut her eyes tight.

...What the hell is she doing?

I decided to stay still and watch, curious about what she was up to.

After a few moments of silence, she peeked through half-lidded eyes...

Then rubbed her forehead against my scales.

“...Wait, why aren’t you hitting me?”

She looked confused.

Normally, I’d whack her with my tail at this point, but since I didn’t, she had realized something was off.

Since I remained still, she slowly crept closer...

And then, her face shifted into a mischievous grin.

“Come heeereee!”

And finally, she touched me.

With questionable enthusiasm, Soyeon grabbed my scales and started kneading them all over.

“Hehehe....”

She even stuck out her tongue and licked—

“Gek!”

...At this rate, people might mistake you for a spiritual beast, too.

“Hrrrng, stay still!”

After rubbing me all over, she lifted her gaze.

Her green eyes held a faint flicker of unease.

“...Ko Daehyeop, what exactly are you thinking right now?”

Her eyes wavered.

She was quick on the uptake.

There was an obvious reason I had called for Soyeon at this hour.

And so, I slowly opened my mouth to explain.

“...No.”

Soyeon, who had been listening quietly, trembled slightly.

“Why... why are you telling me this?”

It wasn’t Nephila.

It wasn’t Baekrang, either.

“...They’ll get jealous, you know.”

This request could only be made to Soyeon.

“...I’ve never hated listening to you more than I do right now.”

I knew this was a heavy burden for her.

But there was no other choice.

If we were going to stand against Bihee and Qiongqi, this was the only way.

“...If you look at me like that, how can I say no?”

And out of everyone I knew, Soyeon was the best person to trust with this.

The flower of the Tang Clan, Soyeon, reached out again.

Unlike before—when she had simply been messing around—her hands now moved with purpose as they slid between my scales.

As she continued for a long time, tears welled up in her eyes.

Seriously... it’s not like I’m dying.

She worries too much.

“Ko Daehyeop... once this is over... I have something I need to say—”

“Gegegek!”

I cut her off abruptly.

For some reason, if I let her finish that sentence, I had a terrifyingly strong feeling that I really would die.

Phew. That was too close.

TL Note: The title Dae-hyeop is an honorific used to address a great hero or a knight in shining armor in the world of martial arts. Here, "Ko Daehyeop" is a form of address for the protagonist, combining his surname Ko with the title Dae-hyeop.