I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 292

A dragon and a carriage.

If I fully understood this connection, I felt like I’d be stepping into a swamp I could never return from.

But since it was another dragon—the Red Dragon—saying this, it must have some merit.

“We need to create a carriage that demands attention the moment you see it. So, we should make sure the rear is big....”

Why was she so obsessed with the rear of the carriage?

“Geeek...”

Just in case, I instinctively used my tail to cover my own rear.

“Why are you covering that?”

“Geeeeeek!”

Of course, all I did was trigger the Red Dragon’s curiosity, which resulted in me suffering a bit.

Still, I had to admit—her carriage theory might actually work.

Western dragons were always depicted as creatures swooping down from the sky to attack humans.

So maybe... just maybe... this carriage was meant to trigger that instinct?

...Of course, assuming that was the instinct being triggered was a whole other question.

For now, the important thing was the carriage itself.

The easiest way to get one was to return to the Heavenly Demon Cult.

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They didn’t use carriages as much as spirit beasts and dinosaurs, but surely there had to be at least one carriage lying around.

The problem?

I highly doubted they had the kind of carriage the Red Dragon wanted.

There was no way they just happened to have a "well-shaped, attractive carriage with a perfect rear."

“...We’ll have to build one ourselves.”

“Gek?”

We?

“Isn’t your power wood-related? Can’t you just make one?”

Technically, I controlled the power of wood, but my abilities weren’t that simple.

Yes, I could grow trees, but building a carriage out of them was a whole different story.

The power of wood was about growth and expansion.

It allowed me to accelerate plant growth, but not to instantly carve out perfectly cut wooden boards.

Even Cho-Do had once told me—solid, processed wood was closer to metal than living wood.

In short, I could grow trees, but I couldn't magically build a carriage.

“...Hmph, I see. So we’ll have to manually construct it ourselves.”

And not just any carriage, but one that could attract a dragon’s attention.

That wouldn’t be easy.

Especially considering that I was terrible with craftsmanship.

“Gek.”

Can’t someone else just make it for us?

“Hehehe.”

"Ilbu-Yangcheo?"

“GEEEK?! What the—?!”

Suddenly, they appeared.

“Hehehe... scales... scales....”

A horde of Bicorns swarmed toward me.

“GEEK!”

Why were you here?!

And HOW did you even get here?!

“...As expected of a man served by Bicorns.”

The Red Dragon looked at me with a satisfied smile.

Her expression said, "Well, that's the last problem solved."

No, no, no—shouldn't anyone be shocked that these creatures just teleported here?!

Was I the weird one?

Why was no one else fascinated by their bizarre method of moving around?!

“Hehehe.”

One of the Bicorns turned its head toward the Red Dragon.

“Bigger. Bigger.”

“I think we should make it overall larger, with a focus on the rear end.”

“Understood. Understood.”

They already knew exactly what to do?!

One of the Bicorns, who had been attentively listening to the Red Dragon, turned to look at me.

“Gek?”

“Hehehe... Pillars. Pillars.”

Pillars?

Ah... they wanted me to grow wood for the frame?

“Gekgek.”

Well, that was easy.

At this point, questioning the Bicorns was pointless, so I simply accepted their help.

I grew the wood, and they immediately started building.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The Bicorns worked like expert carpenters.

“Hehehe... wings... fabric....”

“Tail?”

“Hmmm... Left side. Left side.”

“Hehehehe... tools....”

Wait a minute—

They were suspicious as hell, but also insanely skilled.

Honestly...

The Bicorns might be the most competent members of the entire Heavenly Demon Cult.

"Slan-Du! Slan-Du!"

"Sado! Gul-Raema! Gul-Raema-AHHH!"

"Gal! Slan-Duuu!"

...And now they were splitting into two factions and headbutting each other over some meaningless argument.

Apparently, one group was Team Gul-Raema, and the other was Team Slan-Du.

I had no idea what that meant, and I didn’t want to know.

“Gekrong.”

...But judging by the sound, Gul-Raema had the better name.

“Hehehe... Gul-Raema....”

In the end, Team Gul-Raema won.

Even Team Slan-Du begrudgingly accepted their loss and continued working.

And at last—

The masterpiece of the Bicorns was complete.

“Hehehehe... Ilbu-Muryang-Daesu-Cha....”

And just like that, the mysterious Bicorns vanished into the shadows.

"As expected of Bicorns. Just look at this thing—how could any dragon resist?"

...Excuse me, it’s a carriage.

Though, admittedly...

It was a very flashy carriage.

Just like the Red Dragon requested, the rear wheels were massive, and there were long strips of fabric designed to resemble a dragon's tail.

Instead of windows, they had placed wide fabric panels, which, from a distance, looked exactly like a dragon’s wings.

Hmmm...

It was surprisingly well-made.

And massive.

“...Now that I see it up close, it’s a little embarrassing. But our mission is more important.”

Wait—why was she embarrassed?!

Just having a carriage wouldn’t be enough to lure the Ice Dragon.

So, following the Red Dragon’s advice, we filled it with bait.

We added meat soaked in the scent of blood, and deliberately scattered gold and jewels to tempt the dragon.

According to the Red Dragon, it was only a matter of time before the bait was taken.

Our plan was to hide in the tall grass, waiting for the perfect moment to ambush.

And so, we crouched, holding our breath.

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“...Phew. This feels strange. Crouching like this, pressed against our Divine Beast, with a carriage in front of us....”

Her eyes were starting to look... off.

“Gek?”

...Are you okay?

“...You really are a baby, aren’t you? Even though your body is all grown up... Hmmm. But the fact that you can just look at that carriage and sit still proves you really are a baby....”

She seemed deeply conflicted.

“...Haah... This is giving me the worst kind of guilty pleasure. If I stay here too long, this is going to be really bad....”

Then, casually, she started stroking my scales.

“Gek.”

Excuse me—what are you doing?

“Just stay still, Divine Beast.”

“Geeeeek!”

YOU stay still!

“Ugh, forget it. They say it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission...”

“Gekek! Gekgekek!”

And just as I was fighting off the Red Dragon’s hands, trying to stop her from peeling my scales—

“Kroaaaaarrrr!”

A deep, thunderous roar echoed.

It could only belong to a dragon.

“Gek!”

“...Tch.”

The Red Dragon clicked her tongue in disappointment.

But almost immediately, her expression turned cold—a true dragon who could separate work from personal feelings.

Whoooosh!

Something massive flapped its wings above us.

The dense foliage made it hard to see clearly, but it was obviously a dragon.

"Shh... We need to strike when it's at its most vulnerable."

The Red Dragon spoke in a hushed voice.

Its most vulnerable moment?

"...If we watch carefully, we'll know when."

Whooooosh!

“Kroaargh!”

The dragon descended slowly toward the carriage.

"Hoho! What a splendid carriage to be in a place like this!"

...It really was fascinated by the carriage.

"Young lady, are you all right? What? How could this happen...? Ah, I understand! Fear not—I shall lift you back up!"

...Huh?

Was it... talking to the carriage?

Lost in its own world, the dragon approached seductively, step by step, toward the carriage.

"Hmm... I see no traces of humans here. Come to me, my dear."

From a seated position, it flapped its wings.

And then, it stared at the back of the carriage with... unsettling intensity.

"Hohoho... What a magnificent rear wheel...."

It began stroking the wheel with its wings.

...What the hell was I looking at?

Was this really a dragon?

"What? You say you trusted me, but then you go and attach such long fabric to your windows?! How dare you play with my heart?!"

It spoke dramatically to the carriage.

Not in a way that sounded like a monologue, but as if it genuinely believed the carriage had a soul.

"Grgh... I can’t take it anymore! Come here! Ahh, yes! Yes!"

Just as this winged lizard was about to completely disgrace itself—

"Now!"

The Red Dragon gave the signal.

BAM!

For the sake of avenging the Red Dragon’s family—

For the sake of preserving my illusions about dragons—

I charged at full speed.

"Wh-What?!"

The dragon let out a pitiful shriek—one that didn’t belong to a proud, majestic being—

And my claws shot toward its throat.

Just as I was about to tear its neck open—

"Divine Beast! Wait!"

Hearing the Red Dragon’s voice, I switched my attack, striking it with my palm instead.

SMACK!

"KEEAAAAAHH!"

The dragon rolled across the ground, tumbling over and over.

...Wait.

Was this even a dragon?

It was smaller than I expected.

And when I hit it, the sound it made was far too pathetic for a true dragon.

"It's not the Ice Dragon."

I took a closer look.

Indeed, it wasn't.

Its color was more brass-like, and it was far smaller than the Red Dragon.

And more importantly—its body structure was different.

A true dragon should have four legs and two wings.

But this one?

It had no front legs.

Which meant—

[Brass Wyvern – LV75]

It wasn’t a dragon—it was a wyvern.

"So not the Ice Dragon, but a wyvern."

What a letdown.

We had built this trap for the Ice Dragon, but somehow, we caught this idiot instead.

"KEEEEEK! How dare you strike me?! I am a trusted servant of the Ice Dragon!"

At those words, the Red Dragon’s eyes gleamed sharply.

That changed everything.

If it had just kept its mouth shut, we might have let it go.

But it just admitted it was working for the Ice Dragon.

"Wh-What?! You—you—what do you think you're doing?! I am—huh? A lizard? Why is this lizard so big?!"

Finally, it processed the situation.

It stumbled backward, clearly panicking.

"Grgh..."

But it was too late.

The moment its feet touched the ground, there was no escape.

"A—a—a lizard, right?! I—I am a dragon! If you harm me—d-do you think your kind will be spared?!"

It flapped its wings wildly, trying to take off.

I could have cut off its wings before it even left the ground, but I didn’t.

"Ha-ha! Yes! No matter how strong you are, once I’m in the sky—!"

"In the sky, what?"

The wyvern froze.

Because waiting in the air, arms crossed, was the Red Dragon.

"Wh-Why is a human flying?!"

The wyvern looked between me and the Red Dragon, then screamed.

"How dare you?! How dare you attack a dragon?! Do you not fear the extinction of your race?!"

The Red Dragon stared at him with a bewildered expression, as if she had just heard the dumbest thing imaginable.

"So... people just call wyverns 'dragons' these days?"

The wyvern flinched.

Even with its limited intelligence, it was now painfully aware of who he was dealing with.

"Y-You... wait. You two are—?!"

Nice to meet you, Wyvern.

I am a Mid-Tier Dragon, the Tyrant Dragon.

"Gekgek."

And over there?

She is a Mid-Tier Dragon, the Red Dragon.

"Ggk—GGHKK...!"

The wyvern started foaming at the mouth.

And then—

It passed out.