Chapter 26 Gecko Skill
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【Green Basilisk】 can evolve into:
1. 【Green Iguana】
2. 【Marine Iguana】
3. 【Large Armored Lizard】
4. 【Water King Lizard】 (「Soaring Dragon’s Ascension Step」, after consuming a fragment of a high-level Core)
5. 【Crocodile King Lizard】 (「Dragon Claws」, after consuming a fragment of a high-level Core)
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I had two choices before me.
Water King Lizard and Crocodile King Lizard.
The fact that both had “King” in their names indicated that they were nearly at the top of the lizard evolutionary tree.
I was torn.
Both had their strengths and weaknesses, but I couldn’t remember them clearly.
Wait, now that I thought about it, my Wild Eyes skill had leveled up.
Should I check?
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【Water King Lizard】
A large lizard that typically grows between 1.5 to 2 meters and can reach up to 3.5 meters in length. It can weigh up to 50 kg for males. This lizard is adept at swimming and can use its sharp claws to dig burrows or climb trees.
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Not bad.
It seemed like a creature that had gathered all the advantages of the lizards I had seen so far. No wonder it had “King” in its name.
That was for the Water King Lizard. What about the Crocodile side?
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【Crocodile King Lizard】
A large lizard that typically grows between 1.5 to 2.5 meters and can reach up to 4 meters in length, with its tail comprising two-thirds of its total body length. It can weigh up to 15 kg for males. Primarily arboreal, it has sharp claws and teeth reminiscent of theropods.
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This one was quite impressive too. Although it was longer than the Water King Lizard, it was smaller overall.
Its long tail accounted for much of its length, and it weighed more than three times less than the Water King Lizard.
It was definitely outmatched in terms of size.
However, its teeth and claws were noteworthy.
Especially the teeth that resembled those of theropods.
In terms of attack power alone, it was superior to the Water King Lizard.
Considering the size difference, if the two fought, the Water King Lizard would likely win.
But I wasn’t betting on who would win between the two.
I needed to choose the one that suited me better, one that could minimize weaknesses and maximize strengths.
Hmm… it was a tough decision.
If Komodo had been an option, I wouldn’t have had to worry.
If I had trained in poison techniques, I might have evolved into a Komodo.
Komodo Dragons were on a different level.
The English names for the others would likely be Water Monitor, Crocodile Monitor.
The term “Monitor” referred to something that watches.
What did they watch?
Their rivals and natural enemies, the crocodiles.
Their survival strategy included breaking crocodile eggs while the parents were away, eliminating future competitors.
Thus, they were known for their uncanny ability to sense when crocodiles were absent, and natives could tell if crocodiles were around by observing the monitors.
That’s why they were called “Monitors.”
It sounded cool, but not as cool as Komodo.
After all, it was called the Komodo Dragon.
Even among monitor lizards, it was in a different league.
Unlike the Bearded Dragon, the Komodo was so big and strong that it almost seemed like a real dragon. Plus, it had poison.
It was unfortunate, but these King Lizards weren’t bad either.
It was time to choose.
A larger-bodied Water King Lizard, or a more agile and powerful Crocodile King Lizard.
My choice was:
‘Crocodile King Lizard.’
The reason I chose the Crocodile King Lizard was simple.
I was currently living on two legs.
For combat and when I needed to run fast.
If I evolved into a Water King Lizard, running on two legs might become difficult.
I might lose the long tail of the Basilisk, which could affect my balance for a while.
On the other hand, the Crocodile King Lizard’s body was similar to the Basilisk’s but with added flesh.
I could retain my previous combat strategies.
Minimize weaknesses and maximize strengths.
There was no reason not to choose the Crocodile King Lizard.
Crack.
A white egg enveloped my entire body.
Crunch.
It began.
My bones quickly grew as if being replaced with new ones.
Crack.
The process was incomparable to my time as a Gecko Lizard.
The larger body size accelerated the bone growth process.
Crunch.
Next, flesh and skin layered on in order.
Lastly, scales that resembled armor.
The Basilisk hadn’t possessed scales like these, but the Crocodile King Lizard’s scales were akin to armor.
Shatter!
The egg that encased me broke open.
[Congratulations! 【Green Basilisk】 has evolved into 【Crocodile King Lizard】.]
【Crocodile King Lizard LV1】
HP: 200/200
MP: 50/50
【Title】
「Loved by Spiders」
I flicked my tongue and emerged from the egg.
I felt a surge of power throughout my body.
The view felt different, perhaps due to the higher vantage point.
Looking down from a higher place gave this cave a different feel.
Status window, have you forgotten something?
[「Wall Climbing LV 5」 has evolved into 「Gecko Kung Fu」.]
You did give me something.
It felt a bit stingy compared to the first evolution, but I would make good use of it.
The evolution was complete.
The first task was to fill my hungry stomach.
I ravenously devoured the nearest eggshell.
Crunch!
There wasn’t much left inside the egg, but it was a delicacy.
The calories replenished me somewhat, but it wasn’t enough to fill my stomach.
The appetizer was over, so it was time for the main course.
Today’s meal?
Millipede (upper), Millipede (lower) double mix!
Whoever did it had cut it in half very nicely.
The millipede that had seemed so large now looked small.
My size had increased significantly.
Before evolution, I was about 70 cm long.
With the tail being about 50 cm, my body length was roughly 20 cm.
Now, I was at least 1.5 meters. Although the tail took up a significant portion, I was still considerably larger. My body had also become much thicker.
Chomp.
Crunch.
Even the sound of eating was different.
The millipede’s armor, which had been tough to break before, shattered easily.
It was partly because it was dead, but mostly due to my increased bite and grip strength.
Crunch.
Gulp.
Crunch.
Gulp.
Even after finishing the millipede feast, I still felt a bit hungry.
I wasn’t starving, so I could take care of the next urgent task.
Splash.
I crawled toward the water puddle, making a grand noise.
Even though the standing water made me hesitant to drink, I had the Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity, so I wasn’t too worried.
Gulp, gulp.
After quenching my thirst, I examined my reflection in the water.
Was this me?
My bright green skin had turned into a dark teal.
It could have been the lighting, but it was definitely darker than before.
My eye color had also changed to something closer to blue.
My prominent teeth looked quite fearsome.
I felt like I could command respect anywhere.
I tried to make a dignified cry that suited my new appearance.
“Gegegeck!”
…Hmm?
*
I worried that I might have become a Gecko King Lizard, but it was just my habit of making that sound frequently.
I could make other sounds too.
“Growwwl…”
…Not great.
It sounded a bit like a zombie.
“Kurrk!”
What was that?
It didn’t matter if the sound was odd.
I was a Crocodile King Lizard.
Nothing could stop me now.
I was like the king of this cave.
Even though I hadn’t found the exit, I could now climb the cave walls to escape.
Slash!
Look at my claws.
With these claws, I couldn’t fail to escape.
Of course, the claws were just a backup measure.
The core of my escape lay in the martial art I acquired during evolution, Wall Climbing Technique.
Its original name was Gecko Wall-Climbing Technique.
It roughly meant a tiger climbing a wall.
…That’s what people thought.
The technique didn’t refer to a tiger’s movement.
While “호” (ho) did mean tiger, “벽호” (壁虎) had another meaning.
It referred to the gecko lizard.
“Gegegeck.”
The Wall Climbing Technique was a skill that allowed me to cling to walls like a gecko.
In other words, this martial art was made for me.
I could escape this cave whenever I wanted.
However, I wasn’t planning to escape immediately.
Exiting through the entrance would lead to the swamp, which meant encountering the Caiman.
I needed to familiarize myself with this body and plan how to catch the Caiman before venturing out.
There were a few places in this cave I hadn’t explored.
One was a location I presumed to be Titanoboa’s nest, and another was the cave’s exit.
I hadn’t gone to the former because it was dangerous, and I couldn’t find the latter.
And then there was one more place.
The thread I grabbed when I fell.
It was hard to believe that thread was something natural.
This cave itself was unusual. It had murals of martial arts, a
super strong woman, and even a lurking Imoogi.
There had to be something at the end of that thread.
Alright, let’s go.
“Gegeck!”
…
“Kurrk!”
With a burst of speed, I climbed up the wall.
My sharp claws pierced the rock like tofu.
The Wall Climbing Technique gave my feet a peculiar suction force, making the climb easy.
Crunch.
Chomp.
After climbing for a while, I spotted the thread-like thing I had seen before.
It was a thread.
A rainbow thread.
I quickly jumped to the spot where the thread was.
Thud.
There was another cave beyond that spot.
A thick stone door blocked the entrance, making it seem difficult to enter.
…Seeing this place, I didn’t feel like entering.
Rainbow threads and straw dolls were scattered around, and the stone door was plastered with talismans.
Yeah, it looked like messing with it would bring trouble.
It felt like it would trigger some curse.
But since I had come this far, I might as well take a look.
What could possibly go wrong?
Despite my thoughts, I kept a safe distance.
I wasn’t scared because I was a Crocodile King Lizard, but maintaining a safe distance was a basic precaution.
There were Chinese characters written all over the place.
I could hardly read any of them.
I could only recognize the occasional 天 (heaven) character.
Was that 毒 (poison)?
Alright.
I had seen enough.
Once again, I wasn’t leaving because I was scared.
The stone door was firmly shut, so how could I…
Creak.
The stone door opened.
…Why now?
This was scary.
No, but I had Crisis Detection.
Since it wasn’t alerting me, it should be fine.
Should I sneak in and take a look?
I slowly turned around and cautiously extended my long tail inside.
After waving it around for a while without any reaction, I decided to enter.
This must be a fateful encounter.
As soon as I stepped inside, a foul smell hit my nose.
There were countless insect corpses inside.
It was clear that a long time had passed since this place had been sealed.
Was it fortunate?
I could take the treasure without a fight.
What awaited me?
I hoped for elixirs and cores.
It was about time to consume another.
As I indulged in these thoughts, something white caught my eye.
More precisely, something thin and white growing on the backs of the insects.
…Mushrooms?
Why were these insects sprouting mushrooms?
Creak.
Thud.
The stone door closed.
And at that moment.
“Keekeekeek!”
The fallen insects began to rise.