I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 156

"Ugh..."

For some reason, whenever I pet Baekrang, the nearby Igaksu creatures go wild.

"Polygamy-y-y!"

"Geh-geh-ggek."

Whatever, as long as they seem to like it.

Things seem to be going well.

I suppose the misunderstandings between the Igaksu and the wolf pack have been resolved. Now that the youngest and the leader are together, there’s no need for them to attack the wolves recklessly. At the very least, they'll hold back for my sake.

The Igaksu weren’t that aggressive to begin with.

“Rustle, rustle, rustle.”

Yes, from now on, let's settle things with words.

"Geh-geh-ggek!"

As I continued petting Baekrang and Chillang for a while, the Igaksu gradually started to retreat.

"Huktayaang..."

They left something behind — a suspicious-looking root.

It looked like a large mushroom.

It didn’t seem poisonous, but were they telling me to eat it?@@@@

"Omnivore, omnivore!"

From the look on their faces, it seemed like that’s exactly what they meant.

Crunch.

The creatures looked absolutely delighted as I accepted their offering.

"Polygamy-y-y!"

Then, the Igaksu respectfully withdrew.

"Gehk."

Take care, everyone. See you later.

Problem solved.

Now that I’ve completed my mission, I just need directions to the Dragon Gate, and I’m done.

"Alright, let's wrap this up..."

Oh, right.

"Gehk-gekk."

Before I knew it, I was petting both Chillang and Baekrang.

Chillang felt pretty good to touch, but Baekrang was on another level. I just couldn’t help myself; I wanted to keep petting.

"Enough!"

Grrr.

Hey, you're the one who asked me to pet you — why are you getting mad?

"Huff... huff..."

Guess Chillang’s the better choice.

---

After the petting frenzy, I returned to the cave.

"Whimper..."

Baekrang scolded the other wolves for failing to keep the youngest out of trouble.

"...I never imagined the problem would be resolved so quickly."

"Gehk."

Right? It was way easier than I thought it would be.

So, what kind of trouble did these Igaksu get into anyway?

...Could it be that Baekrang just wanted to give me an easy mission because simply asking for help would’ve been too embarrassing?

This guy. He’s more thoughtful than he appears.

If it were me, I would’ve kept a debt hanging over him.

"Still, as much as I hate to admit it, you saved me from a lot of worry. Thank you."

"Gehk-gekk!"

If you’re that grateful, how about giving me an elixir or something?

...I wanted to say that, but it wouldn’t be fair to ask Baekrang for that. He has to take care of the seven sisters, so feeding them alone is already a struggle.

"What you want is the location and details of the Dragon Gate, right?"

"Gekk."

"Hmm... Alright, let me give you the information first."

Baekrang is quick to get down to business.

“There are four Dragon Gates I know of.”

I had heard from my master that there were multiple Dragon Gates.

Since he specified, there might be more than just these four.

Though, for me, one gate would be enough.

“One is made of stone, another is decorated with flowers.”

That’s exactly what Baek Yeon-Yeong told me.

Those two mountains are likely just ordinary ones.

“Then there’s one covered in snow and another with flowing lava.”

Those two mountains, however, are anything but ordinary.

It’s possible for such mountains to exist naturally, I suppose.

But snow-capped and volcanic mountains coexisting? It’s unusual, to say the least. The nearby stone and flower-covered mountains should either be scorched by the heat or frozen solid.

“You can choose among the four. Which one do you prefer? Stone? Flowers?”

"Gekk."

I shook my head.

The stone and flower-covered mountains.

At first glance, they might seem easier than the snow and lava ones.

But that’s a trap.

"Sa, love me!"

Even the fourth was purring in the lizard’s embrace, and the youngest was at his side, wagging her tail.

Baekrang had experienced the lizard’s touch as well and knew how it felt.

In his head, he wanted to resist, but his body couldn’t.

Being an advanced spirit beast, Baekrang could withstand the lizard’s allure.

But his younger sisters, who hadn’t yet reached that level, couldn’t.

Baekrang took this very seriously.

Liking the petting was one thing.

But this lizard was just temporarily part of the pack.

What if he left?

What if his sisters were so attached to his touch that they followed him?

It was a critical issue for the survival of the pack.

"Sa, Chillang! Come here, I'll pet you!"

He had to separate them from the lizard.

He could certainly provide similar affection.

But for

some reason, the wolves weren’t as satisfied with his touch.

When he called, they came to him, but their eyes lingered on the lizard’s large hands.

This wouldn’t do.

Baekrang thought long and hard.

He needed to surpass the lizard in petting.

Wolf paws were a hindrance.

So why not use something other than wolf paws?

Baekrang was a spirit beast.

And he could take human form.

He disliked taking that form, but his sisters enjoyed it.

Usually, he avoided it because it reminded him of domesticated dogs, but he had no choice now.

If he petted them with human hands, they’d be satisfied.

Human hands would surely be better than the lizard’s rough paws.

For the first time in a while, he took on his human form.

“Grr?”

Chillang looked up at Baekrang.

“Pant, pant!”

The wolves liked this form.

It was warm, and they enjoyed the feeling of being petted by these hands.

“Chillang. Come here.”

No matter what magic the lizard used, this form would be hard to beat.

Just as Baekrang hoped, the youngest wolf dashed over to him.

“That’s right. Good girl...”

Baekrang proudly stroked the wolf lying with her head on his lap, restoring the pack’s harmony.

“See, Chillang. You don’t need that lizard...”

Then Baekrang felt something strange.

Instead of soft wolf fur, he felt hard scales.

He looked down at his lap.

"Gekk."

The shameless lizard was staring up at him with a smug expression.

“...Whimper.”

Chillang had been pushed aside by the lizard.

“You want to leave?”

"Gek-gekk!"

Who is this lizard, anyway?

Baekrang pondered the question but found no answers.

“This is Chillang’s spot, you know?”

The lizard moved off his lap, looking disappointed.

No way the lizard preferred the human form, right?

But, oddly enough, a plan formed in Baekrang’s mind.

The wolves like the lizard’s petting.

And the lizard seems to prefer my human form.

If I keep the lizard close, that could solve the problem, right?

"...Hey, mind coming back here for a second?"

Baekrang tapped his thigh.

"Gek-gekk!"

The shameless lizard eagerly returned.

As Baekrang stroked the lizard, a plan began to take shape.

"Mon... monogamy-y-y-y!"

Far away, in a distant jungle, a spirit beast howled, but its cry never reached the black-scaled lizard.