Chapter 162: Evolution, a Fork in the Road
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: Evolution, a Fork in the Road
“Gek…”
This time, I didn't feel that gaze on me anymore.
Was I just imagining it?
I hoped so, but my senses were rarely wrong.
The original plan was to evolve right after catching the Fire Rat, but things had gotten a little complicated.
Nothing was happening right this second, so I decided to check the evolution list first.
I needed to see it to decide my next move.
[You have met the conditions for a Special Evolution.]
A special evolution, right off the bat?
Good. Wasting time on bait-and-switch options like before was a pain.
It would be a shame for a lizard of my caliber to undergo a normal evolution.
[Your potential exceeds its limits.]
A pleasant message appeared.
When the status window added extra commentary like this, it always meant it was about to give me something good.
[Hidden options will be revealed.]
【Gomodo-Lania】 can evolve into:
1. 【Gomodo-Salamander】
2. 【Gomodo-Earth Dragon】
3. 【Gomodo-Steel】
4. 【Gomodo-Crushing Dragon】 (Conditions Not Met)
This was different from before.
Previously, the conditions were listed right next to the options.
Like how I could evolve into a Gomodo by consuming a Dilophosaurus's inner core, or into a Salamander by eating Hwari.
Also, unlike before, the prefix "Gomodo" was attached to each name.
It was probably similar to how most dinosaurs have "saurus," meaning "large lizard," in their names.
It seemed "Gomodo" was no longer being used as a species name, but as a title meaning "Old Death with a Tail."
Which meant I didn't have to worry about losing my faith anymore.
The lineup was magnificent.
At first glance, it felt like all my hard work was finally paying off.
Let's look at them one by one.
1. Salamander
【Gomodo-Salamander】
The form of Gaegaek's divine beast, Gomodo, after accepting the energy of fire.
A giant lizard covered in scales like flames.
A mystical divine beast that wields the power of fire and holds the potential to become a dragon.
Gomodo, after accepting the energy of fire.
I'd never seen another of my kind, but there had to be similar creatures out there somewhere.
Considering the Tang Clan treated the divine beast Gomodo as a legendary creature, it must have existed at some point.
But now, it was different.
Gaegaek's divine beast, Gomodo.
A regular Gomodo might exist, but I was the only Gomodo that went "Gek-gek."
In other words, I would be the only Gomodo-Salamander in existence.
“Ge-ge-gek…”
It was a very tempting option.
During my last evolution, I had agonized over the choice between Salamander and Lania.
Lania had been a great choice, too.
My increased size was a huge advantage in most battles. Overwhelming opponents with sheer mass might seem simple, but its destructive power was immense.
Still, I was a little disappointed to have missed out on the Salamander, a lizard that wields fire.
If it weren't for the restrictions of my faith, I would have chosen Salamander without hesitation.
But now, I could become a Salamander without those restrictions?
Plus, since it inherited the traits of a Gomodo, it would be like adding the ability to control fire to my current form.
Let's put it on the list of candidates.
2. Earth Dragon
【Gomodo-Earth Dragon】
The form of Gaegaek's divine beast, Gomodo, after accepting the energy of the earth.
A beast that devours the land with its massive body.
A mystical divine beast that wields the power of the earth and holds the potential to become a dragon.
Earth Dragon!
A dragon, a dragon!
And a dragon that controls the power of the earth!
…No, get a grip.
Just because it has "dragon" in its name doesn't mean it's a real dragon.
Remember the Green Basilisk.
A beast that devours the land with its massive body.
It wasn't a lizard, not a snake, not a reptile, and not a dragon.
It was just labeled a "beast."
What did that mean?
It was trying to trick me.
"Earth Dragon" is another name for an earthworm.
Maybe it was offering me this weird thing because I ate a Deathworm.
Sure, my body would get huge and my combat power would increase.
But the moment I became an Earth Dragon, my hands and feet would disappear.
The snake mother and daughter might like that, but not me.
You're rejected.
Let's see the next one.
3. Steel
【Gomodo-Steel】
The corrupted form of Gaegaek's divine beast, Gomodo.
A spirit beast said to burn mountains with fire and freeze the land with hail.
Resentful of its failure to become a dragon, it tries to kill everything in sight.
Based on abilities alone, this one would be the best.
Fire and cold.
It said it wielded both powers.
But that was it.
This one had no future.
The others were described as mystical divine beasts with the potential to become dragons, but the Steel one had nothing like that.
I'd be disqualified before I even had a chance to become a dragon.
Plus, words like "corrupted form" and "tries to kill everything in sight" were written all over it.
It was ominous in many ways.
It felt like some kind of dark evolution.
If I chose that, I felt like I'd turn into a skeleton lizard.
You're getting skipped, too.
Next.
4. Crushing Dragon.
Crushing Dragon.
This one was very different from the other options.
【Gomodo-Crushing Dragon】
The form of Gaegaek's divine beast, Gomodo, after passing the Trial of the Dragon Gate.
A spirit beast that can ??? the ??? of ?.
A lower-rank dragonkin that holds the potential to become a true ?.
The text was broken.
But I could guess from what was visible.
Unlike the others, this one was a being that could truly be called a dragon.
Seeing it described as a "lower-rank dragon" must mean it was a mythical being on par with a Basilisk.
Or maybe even greater.
But right now, I couldn't choose the Crushing Dragon.
Because I could see the words "Conditions Not Met."
And that condition was the Trial of the Dragon Gate.
I guess just catching a Fire Rat wasn't enough.
That was enough looking at the list for now.
In my current situation, the only choice was Gomodo-Salamander.
Unlike the others, it had no penalties, and my combat power would skyrocket if I could properly wield fire.
However, this wasn't a situation where I could evolve peacefully.
Glancing at the list was fine, but during the evolution process, I would be defenseless for quite a long time.
What if someone attacked me then?
I might revert back to a gecko.
I needed to evolve in a safe place, at the very least.
So, should I just go down the mountain?
No.
That felt like a waste.
The Trial of the Dragon Gate. And the Crushing Dragon.
As a man, I couldn't just see those words and walk away.
There had to be something at the summit of the volcano.
I defeated the guardian, so maybe I was eligible to take the Trial of the Dragon Gate.
Let's just try climbing up.
Who knows, maybe the trial was simply reaching the top of the volcano.
It was worth a shot.
And I also wanted to find out what that gaze staring at me was.
My level went up from catching the Fire Rat, so my condition was perfect.
I could probably take down most opponents in this state.
And if it was too strong, I could just run away.
“Gek-gek.”
But first, let's grab this delicious elixir-like snack in front of me.
The Fire Rat's fur didn't burn, so if I skinned it carefully, it could be very useful.
And it should have an inner core, too.
After thanking the generously giving Fire Rat, I brought my sharp claws to it.
\*
The higher I climbed, the stronger the volcano's energy became.
But in my current state, I could more than withstand it.
The effect of the Ice Crystal was still active, and the Fire Rat had helped me out, too.
The Fire Rat's inner core was inside me, working hard.
Plus, the Fire Rat's pelt was draped over my body, blocking the heat.
At this rate, I could probably settle down and live on this volcano.
The Fire Rat's inner core granted me a strong resistance to fire energy.
Unfortunately, it didn't add any new evolution options.
I felt like it might influence my next evolution if I chose Salamander.
Since the effect was simple, it wasn't much of a burden on my body.
Maybe because Hwari's energy was still in my system, the Fire Rat's power blended in very naturally.
Looking at it this way, Salamander seemed like the perfect fit.
As I kept climbing, I finally reached the summit.
I sensed a presence, so I quieted my steps and hid behind a rock.
If there was a scary-looking monster, I'd fire a Gaegaek Death Beam immediately.
I peeked out and saw something that looked like a human.
…Was that the being that sent killing intent my way?
Perhaps because of the temperature here, my Eye of the Wild wasn't activating properly.
My vision was blurry, as if looking through a thick heat haze.
It didn't seem to know I was here yet, so I decided to just watch for a bit.
I shouldn't judge by appearances, but it didn't seem like I needed to launch a surprise attack.
It was a woman with red hair, soaking in a hot spring.
That body, which could only be described as destructive…
…Get a grip. Don't I look like some perverted lizard peeping on someone bathing?
…Is that wrong, though?
She was definitely a strange person. To come up to this dangerous place just to take a bath.
No matter how good the hot springs were here.
……But was that even a hot spring? Wasn't she just sitting in lava?
“Hmph.”
The woman hummed, looking up at the empty air.
“I sent out my killing intent on purpose, and you still came all this way?”
No way.
She saw through my perfect camouflage.
“You didn't really think you could hide that massive body, did you? And seeing you drooling over there, were you planning a surprise attack?”
Drooling? She was saying things that could be easily misunderstood.
I was just curious because I saw a human.
Still, from the way she was talking, it didn't seem like she wanted to fight me.
If a giant lizard like me was peeking at them, a normal person would scream and attack first.
Swoosh.
The red woman stood up.
Tssss…
Splashes of lava from the spring hit the ground.
She didn't seem to be an ordinary human.
This was the 100,000 Great Mountains, so maybe she was a friend of Baek Yeon-yeong.
I didn't know about before, but she wasn't emitting any killing intent now, so she seemed like a decent person.
And with a body like that, she had to be a good person.
Very disappointingly, a black cloth covered her body.
But even so, it couldn't hide her destructive figure.
“Hmph…”
The red-haired woman hummed.
In that moment, a change occurred.
Two black horns sprouted from her head, and a long tail grew from above her rear.
It looked just like a reptile's.
So she was a spirit beast after all.
Well, it wasn't like a normal human would be here.
But her appearance was a bit unusual.
Those two horns. And a reptilian tail.
……Was there a spirit beast that looked like that?
The woman smiled faintly at me.
At the same time, my disobedient Eye of the Wild finally activated.
【Red Dragon LV???】
“Namgung Yeon wasn't lying.”