I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 261

“Gehhh...”

I struggled to move my now-bloated tail.

To exaggerate a little, I had probably consumed more elixirs in this moment than I had in my entire life up until now.

And not just in quantity—these were top-quality, on par with the best I’d ever had.

The system kept throwing notifications at me, rambling on about some supreme benefit, practically begging me to accept its rewards.

If I agreed, it would spin the roulette and upgrade my skills on the spot.

I swallowed hard at the thought, but I deliberately blocked out the messages.

I had no intention of accepting those rewards right now.

The system continued insisting, but I ignored it.

Because instinctively, I knew—

This power, if left untouched, would be far more valuable to my master.

For his recovery, I couldn’t afford to claim these benefits for myself.

Besides, without Seolhwa, I wouldn’t have even gotten these elixirs in the first place.

I didn’t know how severe my master’s internal injuries were.

He looked fine on the outside, and since Seolhwa had come here alone, it was unlikely that he was in a critical condition.

Still, he had been injured long before I even met him, yet his presence never seemed weakened.

Even so, I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Why had Namgoong Yeon targeted my master in the first place?

That bastard—Al-Yu—was once a divine being.

Even if the injury seemed minor, it must have been something he considered exploitable.

He had already tried to kill me and my followers to provoke my master into going berserk.

Meaning... my master wasn’t safe.

It might seem ridiculous for someone like me to be worried, but I had to protect him.

If I could heal this damn injury, then Al-Yu wouldn’t dare make another move against him.

With that thought, I suppressed the elixirs, refusing to absorb their energy, instead directing it all to my tail.

I wasn’t a gecko, but my tail had begun to resemble one—plump and suspiciously soft.

It was a bit inconvenient to move with, but if I enlarged myself or returned to my normal size, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Right now, I was just too small, making it look more obvious than it actually was.

“Gek...”

Vwooom.

Thud.

My swollen tail wobbled wildly on its own.

Honestly, it was a relief that none of my followers were around to see this.

I wasn’t sure why, but I had a bad feeling they wouldn’t be able to resist.

They’d all lunge at my tail like it was some divine treasure.

Pus and Tus would be drooling.

Sishishi and Fasir would marvel at its magnificence.

Even Soyeong would be unable to resist touching it.

“Hui, your tail is really strange. Even for a spiritual beast, this kind of trait doesn’t make sense.”

Seolhwa gently stroked my tail.

...You’re not after it too, are you?

“The energy from the elixirs isn’t going to your core but straight to your tail. Sigh, at this rate, eating all those elixirs will be pointless. Are you sure about this?”

I couldn’t say I wasn’t disappointed.

But this was something that had to be done.

And besides, cutting off the tail wouldn’t make me lose all of the elixir’s effects.

Just then, I heard something approaching.

Pabababat!

It sounded like hundreds of tiny feet moving at once.

Ironically, despite the sheer number, the noise wasn’t that loud.

It wasn’t hard to guess who it was.

“Kid! I think I found something...”

Ah, yes. The ever-reliable Mr. Centipede.

“Boss, I did it! I pulled it off!”

And the overenthusiastic mantis flapped his wings beside him.

Well done. Good job.

While Seolhwa and I had been messing with the stronghold leader, our strike team had been on the move.

Their goal was simple—while the leader was distracted, they were to locate the hidden stash of elixirs.

Not just any elixirs—the ones meant to be offered to True Dragon.

Those, at all costs, had to be taken.

If we couldn’t steal them, we’d at least have to make sure they were unusable.

If those elixirs ever reached True Dragon, even a fraction of them, it would aid in its recovery.

“I think I found the main building? Or whatever you call it? There was a very suspicious-looking room inside. The security was too tight for me to get closer, but my instincts are screaming that it’s the place!”

It wasn’t a sure thing, but at least we had a general location.

Now we just had to empty it out.

“Kid, there’s something else. Something more important. The humans are moving fast. They’re all arming themselves and gathering their forces.”

Good. Useful information.

“So, the stronghold leader isn’t an idiot, huh?”

He must have figured out Seolhwa’s real identity.

Even if he hadn’t figured out who exactly she was, he had at least realized she wasn’t the real Ice Palace Lord.

“Or maybe... he’s just acting out of sheer rage?”

That was also possible.

The financial loss I’d inflicted on him must have been colossal.

But maybe money wasn’t even the issue anymore.

If things had escalated this far, his own head might be on the line.

Even if Seolhwa was the real Ice Palace Lord, it was possible that he was setting her up as a scapegoat.

“Hm. He moves fast. Not bad.”

Seolhwa stretched her arms.

The massive pool of internal energy within her responded instantly, making me momentarily tense up.

“Gero-long...”

At least now that I had seen this, I was immune to seduction tactics for a while.

“Hui, what will you do?”

She rolled her shoulders.

Even though she was a priestess, she had zero hesitation when it came to fighting.

Well, makes sense.

She’d nearly torn me apart when I stole her dumplings the first time.

And she was also my master’s younger sister.

“Want to stick with me?”

I shook my head.

The fighting was her job.

Even if the stronghold leader was strong, he wasn’t stronger than Seolhwa.

And no matter how many warriors he gathered, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

So what was my job?

Simple.

While all hell broke loose, I was going to ransack their hidden elixir storage.

In a desperate last stand, they might try to use every single elixir at their disposal.

If that happened, even destroying the stronghold wouldn’t feel satisfying.

That’s why our strategy was simple.

A feint.

While Seolhwa kept the leader occupied, I would steal the best elixirs right out from under them.

I was already looking forward to the moment the leader realized—

Just when he needed those elixirs to power up...

They were already gone.

Too bad for Docheol, though.

He looked ready to fight, but...

Well.

He should’ve gotten here sooner.

*

Centipede, Mantis, and Millipede took charge of protecting the venomous insects.

The first two weren’t particularly strong on their own, but thanks to the elixirs they consumed while staying with me, they had grown exponentially.

Now, they were strong enough to protect the other venomous insects.

I could use these venomous creatures in battle, but for now, I decided to hold back.

I wasn’t that desperate for assistance, and it was better to keep as many of them alive as possible to recruit them into the Gae Gak Sect.

I wasn’t sure if Soyeong would be thrilled about it, but establishing a division of venomous creatures under my command didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Using Wall Tiger Art, I crawled along the walls and ceiling at a slow pace.

Below me, martial artists were moving about busily.

They were probably preparing to attack Seolhwa.

I could leave them be, but there were more of them than I expected.

Ssss...

I took in a slow breath.

Hooo...

And exhaled.

“Hm? Where is this warm—Kheuk!”

One of the humans who had inhaled my breath clutched his throat.

It was inevitable.

After all, what I exhaled was poison.

Most spirit beasts had natural resistance to poison, so I rarely got to use it, but things were different when it came to humans.

Especially ones with weak cultivation.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Ghk... Guhp!”

A martial artist turned pale yellow and began foaming at the mouth.

It wasn’t a lethal dose.

Was I suddenly embracing a no-kill policy?

Not at all.

This involved my master. I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about such things.

“Hey, you alright?”

“Guhhh...”

Taking down one enemy with poison meant losing one enemy.

But if an enemy became incapacitated?

Then someone else would have to carry them, further reducing their numbers.

The best method was an assassination with no witnesses, but that would leave a lot of lingering resentment and vengeful spirits. This was the ideal approach.

"Kuaagh!"

"What's wrong with you now?!"

Moving back and forth between the walls and ceiling, I continued spreading my poison among their ranks.

“Kuaaagh!”

This should be enough.

The number of people who collapsed wasn’t overwhelming, but it was enough to instill fear in them.

If Seolhwa demonstrated overwhelming force now, their fighting spirit would crumble instantly.

A mysterious plague combined with the wrath of a Hwagyeong master? No one would be able to stand their ground.

Just as I was about to leave, a voice rang out.

"Gal!"

Someone shouted in alarm.

"Do not be deceived by the enemy’s petty tricks!"

Oh? That bald guy from before?

He seemed like he had some skill.

After all, he had managed to counteract my poison.

"Using poison is proof that one lacks confidence in their own strength!"

Ah, I see. So, he had a Poison-Immunity Body strong enough that even if his hair fell out from poison exposure, it wouldn’t harm him otherwise.

"Ignore the unconscious ones! We will deal with the vile infiltrator who has entered the Black Cloud Hall! Let the Lord finish her off without interference!"

I had been planning to leave it at this, but now it seemed like I had to do a little more.

“Gekek.”

I let out a small lizard-like cry.

“A... a lizard?”

But they wouldn’t be able to see me anymore.

By now, the poison mist was thick enough to be visible.

"Stand behind me! Gal! This insignificant poison mist will soon—"

It didn’t disappear.

Tsszzz...

It wavered for a moment, then thickened once again.

Whoosh.

Because the wind suddenly picked up.

“W-what is this...?”

Poison techniques were powerful, but they were easy to counter.

After all, poison had to be introduced into the body somehow.

For assassinations, mixing it into food or water was the best method, but that wasn’t always an option.

Especially in situations like this, right before battle.

In these cases, you either applied poison to hidden weapons or dispersed it through the air.

Hidden weapons could be blocked, and airborne poison could be resisted, like how that bald guy had done by shouting to push the toxic air away.

It was similar to Lion’s Roar, using vocal power to expel the tainted air.

But what if the one using poison could also control the wind?

If someone wasn’t trained to resist poison, no one would be able to stop it.

“Guhhh...”

One by one, the martial artists started dropping to their knees.

Even the confident bald man fell to one knee, gasping for breath.

Step.

I slowly walked up to him.

“Gekek.”

This was Visible Toxin.

Need an antidote?