I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 269

"It’s vicious. I never expected him to do something like this in this situation."

Seolhwa stared coldly at what remained of the Black Cloud Faction’s leader.

I was just as surprised.

What kind of relationship did he have with Jinryong to throw away his own life?

Or was it possible that the Dragon Pill had manipulated him?

That was a real possibility.

The Gu that the Red Dragon had briefly swallowed—the original purpose of that Gu was to turn its host into a puppet.

If the Dragon Pill contained Jinryong’s power, it could definitely have a similar effect.

Of course, it was also possible that he did it out of pure loyalty, but considering he’d been skimming off the faction’s elixirs behind their backs, it didn’t seem like he was entirely devoted.

Either way, the pill was suspicious.

The Dragon Pill, supplied by Jinryong’s faction.

Seeing how it had strengthened an opponent I could have easily defeated to such a degree, this was no trivial matter.

If someone gathered a group of high-level martial artists just on the verge of transcendence and gave them Dragon Pills, even I would struggle against the monstrous force they’d become.

Not to mention the possibility that a Dragonborn-level divine beast could take one.

"The Dragon Pill... Our sect should investigate this. Even though the faction leader is dead, it’s not like we’re completely out of leads."

The Black Cloud Faction leader was gone, but that didn’t mean there was no way to gather information.

After all, we hadn’t wiped out every last one of them.

Some of them were still alive—frozen solid by Seolhwa’s ice arts, while others were unconscious from my poison.

If we dragged them away for some persuasive questioning (also known as waterboarding), they’d spill everything we needed and then some.

"The ones who took the Dragon Pill all died from necrosis... The ones who didn’t take it are lower-ranking, so I don’t expect much from them, but it’s better than nothing."

Better than nothing.

And chances were, they’d be very cooperative.

Some of them were suffering from Gomodo Hair Loss Poison.

Just showing them their own reflection in a mirror would be enough to get them talking.

"It’s kind of funny. I only came here to gather information, and somehow I ended up meeting you, Hui. Things really escalated."

"Gegek."

Yeah, no kidding.

Of all places, running into Seolhwa here...

"Oh, I don’t mean that in a bad way. I was going to have to draw my sword eventually, but thanks to you, it ended much faster."

Her gaze dropped to my tail.

"You used quite a bit of internal energy, but it feels like you have even more than before... Wait. Did you feed me an elixir while I was trapped in my Inner Demon?"

So she noticed.

Not surprising. A martial artist of her caliber would be able to tell.

And it wasn’t just any elixir. It was one of the high-grade ones Jinryong had been stockpiling for his own vital essence recovery.@@@@

"You should’ve saved that for my sister, but instead, you used it on me. What a foolish little lizard... Though I guess I can’t complain since I was unconscious at the time."

"Gehek."

Seolhwa gently touched my thick tail.

"If I had swallowed an elixir too, it would’ve been perfect. But right now, it feels a little lacking."

The reason we had stormed this place in the first place was to secure medicine for my master.

In the process, we had gathered some very high-quality elixirs.

But now, I had used one on Seolhwa.

Out of the three we had obtained, one was gone.

That meant we might not get the full effect we were hoping for.

But I didn’t regret it.

When Seolhwa was in danger, there was no way I could just hoard an elixir instead of saving her.

"Hui is already an incredibly powerful divine beast, so it might be possible to refine the medicinal properties stored in your tail. But that means you can’t cut it off for a while."

So I just need to let it mature?

That actually sounded like a good plan.

It wasn’t like I was just going to sit around doing nothing. I’d keep training and accumulating internal energy just like usual.

Meditate, consume other elixirs out of boredom, and thicken my tail.

If I could make up for the elixir I used on Seolhwa through training, that would be ideal.

Of course, there was a downside—I couldn’t use Tail Shedding during this time.

But honestly, that wasn’t a huge deal.

Tail Shedding was a technique I had been using since my gecko days.

For normal lizards, it was a survival tactic.

When a predator attacked, they’d drop their tail to create a distraction and then escape while the enemy was focused on the wriggling limb.

Of course, I had taken that simple trick and weaponized it.

I could instantly regrow my tail, and when I cut it off, my speed skyrocketed.

Which meant I could drop my tail as many times as I wanted.

But even I rarely used Tail Shedding anymore.

Even if it grew back quickly, being without a tail was a serious disadvantage.

My overwhelming speed came from Little Dragon Ascends to Heaven Steps.

That footwork technique reached its peak efficiency when I ran on two legs.

And the reason I could maintain my balance while moving at such extreme speeds was thanks to my tail.

It let me keep my arms free for combat, while my legs focused purely on pushing off the ground.

In other words, my tail was vital.

That’s why I didn’t use Tail Shedding casually, and over time, I had simply grown used to keeping my tail intact.

*

"Hu-hu... Hu-hu-hu...!"

Finding Docheol wasn’t hard.

Or, to be exact, I heard the laughter of someone who must be Docheol.

No doubt about it. That’s him.

What the hell is he doing here?

Crouched down, carefully handling something, Docheol muttered to himself.

"Yes... With this..."

His voice carried a sinister air.

"Everyone... shall praise me...!"

Gray powder, heavy with volatile energy, was scattered all around him. He wore a wicked grin.

"Yes... I am Docheol, the one who shall slay you—Khi-hi-hik...!"

Judging by his words, this stinks of betrayal.

Unbelievable.

Docheol, a traitor?

...Why, though?

I slowly walked toward him.

"Heh-heh-heh... I am the end of all thi—huh?"

Noticing my presence, he flinched in surprise.

"H-how are you here?"

He even stammered.

"Gek."

What the hell are you doing?

"T-there’s no need for you to know! First, explain how you got here!"

At first, I wasn’t sure, but judging by his reaction, this really was betrayal.

Crackle.

I let lightning surge in my left hand, and Docheol shuddered.

How dare you betray me?

"W-wait! Hold on! Betrayal?! Do you really think I, the great Docheol, would suffer a single defeat and then resort to such cowardly tactics?!"

Then what exactly am I looking at?

"T-this... I cannot say...!"

Yup. That’s definitely betrayal.

Crackle!

"W-wait!"

Hmm. This reaction is strange.

If he really was betraying me and got caught, the normal thing to do would be to immediately charge in headfirst.

That’s the Docheol I knew.

But now? He was hesitating.

Why would someone who loved fighting react like this?

"Ugh... A real man doesn’t stoop to such cowardice... This is all a misunderstanding!"

So, he loves fighting, but he hates being a coward?

"Gek-geek."

Okay, maybe this isn’t betrayal.

But that doesn’t mean I’m letting this slide.

What exactly were you doing here?

"Uh..."

Docheol’s face turned slightly red.

"A... performance..."

His voice barely came out.

"If I set this on fire... it’ll explode boom... and it’ll be loud... And then I’d show up...!"

...So that gray powder was gunpowder.

Where the hell did he even get that?

"I’d appear super cool... You’d be impressed... I’d demand a rematch... And then I’d conquer you..."

So basically, all of this was for dramatic effect?

My tail flicked lazily.

"W-wait!"

Go on. Let’s hear it.

"I was wrong this time! But you have to understand! How could I not make a dramatic explosion entrance?!"

...Fair point.

Still doesn’t excuse throwing me into a pitch-black cave while he was out here scheming his cool entrance.

So while I was suffering, he was out here thinking about how to look badass?

Yeah. He deserves a beating.

"W-wait! As an apology, I’ll tell you something good!"

Too late.

I don’t care what you say now.

"I—I’ll tell you the secret to human transformation!"

...Alright. I’ll at least hear you out.