I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 218

"Ughhh..."

Thanks to Tang Soyeong, the healer of Gae Gak Sect, the injured were treated quickly.

At first, I wasn’t expecting much, but her skills were undeniable—she truly lived up to her lineage from the Tang Clan. Her mastery of acupuncture was dazzling.

She also made brilliant use of the medicinal herbs growing in my domain, demonstrating an almost miraculous ability to mend broken bones in no time.

"Huff... huff... huff!"

As a result, the wolves were nearly fully recovered.

From Ilrang to Chilrang, they wagged their tails enthusiastically as they gathered around me.

Watching the eight furry creatures rush toward me never got old.

They licked every part of me they could reach, each one trying to outdo the others with their affection.

"Awwooo!"

Seven black wolves and one white wolf rolled onto their backs, showing their bellies.

A white wolf?

My gaze naturally turned to Baekrang, who was wagging her tail with ease.

"...Keng?"

Baekrang made a startled sound, but then casually tapped my scales with her front paw as if nothing was amiss.

Tang Soyeong had been acting strangely earlier, and now Baekrang seemed a bit off, too.

Normally, she’d act aloof and wag her tail subtly, but now she was behaving like Chilrang.

"...What? Am I not allowed to act like this?"

Her golden eyes glared at me.

Not that there was anything wrong with it.

"Gek!"

Come here, you!

Just as I was about to ruffle her fluffy white fur—

Ssshhh!

Smooth scales coiled around my arm, pulling me back.

"Gek?"

It was the Snake Queen.

"My partner prefers scales over fur," she said, her tail tightening around me even as Tang Soyeong treated her wounds.

“What nonsense. He loves my fur,” Baekrang retorted, grabbing my arm with her paw as if unwilling to lose.

"Geeeek..."

The Snake Queen and Baekrang had known each other for some time. After all, the Snake Queen had introduced Baekrang to me.

"Hoho, looks like you've grown bold," the Snake Queen said, her tone icy.

I instinctively felt my left arm freezing over, while my right arm seemed to be turning to stone.

"Geggek!"

Stop it, both of you!

"Scales and fur are fine, but feathers are better," Argentaavis chimed in, glancing at his wings.

Was he... was he seriously considering joining this? Please, I can handle Chicky, but not you, big guy.

"T-Take it easy, Snake Queen! You shouldn’t move so much!" Tang Soyeong exclaimed.

She was applying herbal paste to the Snake Queen's wounds, the last of the critical injuries aside from Argentaavis.

It was natural that the Snake Queen and Argentaavis were the most injured since they had fought Gongbok directly.

"For a human girl to possess such medical skill... perhaps I should interact with humans more often," Argentaavis mused.

He seemed quite taken with Tang Soyeong’s abilities—though probably just her medical expertise.

Considering he was injured when we first met, requiring treatment with a unicorn horn, it seemed the King of Birds had a frail constitution. No wonder he was so interested in someone like Tang Soyeong.

"Hehe... scales... feathers..."

Tang Soyeong muttered something under her breath, her eyes glinting with excitement.

It wasn’t Argentaavis or the unicorns; it was Tang Soyeong herself.

She seemed utterly delighted at the opportunity to treat such high-ranking mystical beings.

I glanced over at the unicorns.

"Some... thing... about... polygamy..."

They were... well, one unicorn was trapped, surrounded by bicorns, who were groping it relentlessly.

The unicorn kept looking at me, silently pleading for help.

But the bicorns, being as rough as they were, paid no attention to its minor injuries and instead indulged in their instincts.

Given that their horns were valuable enough to use as medicine, those small wounds would likely heal on their own.

"Hang in there, unicorn. Whether you ascend as a true unicorn or become a bicorn like them is up to you," I muttered.

My gaze shifted to the Iron-Clad Dragon.

Despite its near-indestructible body, it seemed perfectly fine.

"Haaa... I am deeply ashamed to have struggled so much."

The Iron-Clad Dragon looked awkward.

But really, it wasn’t his fault. After all, he had achieved the incredible feat of taking down the Keratosaurus.

Still, he probably felt guilty about how the battle had played out—being tossed around by the terrain manipulation and only managing to defeat the Keratosaurus by exploiting an opening during Gongbok’s indiscriminate rampage.

Given the mismatch in elemental attributes, it couldn’t be helped. Besides, he had used the power of the snowy mountains to protect the followers.

If anything, the Keratosaurus must have been even more frustrated. No matter how hard it attacked, it couldn’t leave a single scratch.

Considering that, it was clear the Iron-Clad Dragon had been the right one for the job.

"Divine Beast, everything’s ready."

Red Dragon spoke to me.

Since her condition was the best among us, I had entrusted her with the cleanup.

Truthfully, I had a feeling that exhausting her a bit would be the best way to preserve my sanity.

I climbed to a slightly elevated hill, where I could overlook everything Red Dragon and my followers had prepared.

As I stood there, everyone’s attention focused on me.

The Snake Queen and Argentaavis.

There was a reason for all their excitement.

What was cooking in the cauldron was none other than... my tail.

It might seem barbaric, but there’s no better meal for recovery.

Admittedly, I wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea of feeding my followers my tail.

And it’s not like they’d been desperate to eat it—though Nephila had occasionally tugged on it while I slept. But she’d never gone so far as to sever it.

However, if it was already severed?

A tail that would rot away anyway—why not share it?

And this wasn’t just any tail.

This was the tail I had honed into a blade using Dragon Speech. Together with the severed horn and scales, it had formed a weapon powerful enough to pierce Gongbok’s armor.

But after defeating Gongbok, its durability had significantly diminished. It was no longer fit for use as a weapon.

So what was left to do?

Turn it into food.

As strange as it sounds, the efficacy of my tail had already been proven. And with the horn infused into it, it was bound to be even more potent than before.

Thus, I proudly presented the dish: Gomodo’s Tail Soup.

"Gek!"

I ladled the soup into wooden bowls, handing them out to my followers.

The reactions were immediate.

“This... this is amazing!” Baekrang exclaimed in awe.

“So this is what the Great Warrior tastes like...” Tang Soyeong muttered in shock—wait, what?

Her choice of words felt off.

"Kioooong!"

"Keeeng!"

Tus and Pus cried tears of joy as they devoured the soup.

Even the presumed herbivores like the Iron-Clad Dragon and the unicorns ate without hesitation.

Chomp chomp chomp.

The wolves buried their snouts into their bowls, eating ravenously.

While I felt a sense of pride, there was also a lingering chill running down my spine.

It felt as if I’d revealed something that should’ve remained a secret.

Still, seeing them enjoy the meal made it worth it.

“I should’ve brought my daughter. How could I enjoy such a delicacy alone?” Argentaavis muttered regretfully.

I suppose it was a shame Chicky and Shrieky couldn’t taste it.

“If only no one were watching...” the Snake Queen murmured, her gaze fixed on the bowl—but not the soup.

"Gek!"

Stop staring!

Even as I scolded her, I glanced around to check on everyone.

The effects of my tail in its usual state were already on par with the Millennial Golden Spirit Fruit. Now, infused with the horn, it was likely even more potent.

At first, there were no noticeable changes.

Except for one thing.

Tus and Pus... their cries were starting to sound a little strange.

But since they’d always been prone to odd noises, I didn’t think much of it.

At least, not until their bodies started to glow.

"Kioooong?"

"Keeeng?"

A white light enveloped Tus and Pus.

Flaaash!

Tang Soyeong let out a startled scream, choking on her food.

“This is... could it be a rebirth? No way—kehhek!”

She coughed, shocked beyond words.

A rebirth?!

They were finally evolving.

Though it was unlikely they’d achieve full humanization like Nephila right away, any evolution was a welcome sight.

Given their levels, it wasn’t surprising that they were evolving now. If anything, it was overdue.

But the fact that it happened after eating my tail...

Was my tail somehow a catalyst for evolution?

A stray thought crossed my mind.

When Nephila evolved into Arachne, she skipped a stage that should’ve corresponded to something like a Green Basilisk for me.

And back when I lived in the acacia tree, I’d occasionally given Nephila pieces of my tail as I stole her prey.

In other words, Nephila had consumed a massive amount of my tail over time.

Could my tail have served the same function as an inner core?

Was that why Nephila had been able to evolve into Arachne?

"Keeeng..."

Nephila met my gaze.

She was drooling.

Come to think of it, every time she looked at me, there was always that spark of hunger in her eyes.

I’d assumed it was just her being her, but now it seemed like something more.

Her evolution, it seemed, had left her with a lingering appetite for me.

Not figuratively—literally.

And now Tus and Pus had also evolved after eating my tail.

Which meant...

I now had three spiders with their sights set on my tail.

"Geeeeeeek!"

Cancel the evolution!