Chapter 21: Until We Meet Again
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21: Until We Meet Again
“Little lizard. Do you understand now?”
Baek Yeon-yeong stood in a pool of blood, looking down at me loftily.
“It should be obvious, but your body is different from a human’s. Internal energy cultivation methods made by humans are not suited for you. The same goes for martial arts.”
She exuded an overbearing, almost demonic, aura.
“Follow what I have shown you, but make it your own.”
If I had to describe it in one word:
Fucking awesome.
My eyes sparkled involuntarily.
[You have acquired 「Dragon's Claws」.]
Holy shit, Dragon's Claws.
I'd been singing the same old song about wanting to learn an attack skill, and now I've got one thanks to that woman.
To the masters at Shaolin, I'm sorry for talking shit without knowing anything.
I actually really like head-butting dinosaurs.
Seeing how lush Baek Yeon-yeong's hair was, it seemed like learning Dragon's Claws didn't have any side effects like hair loss. That meant I could use it without worry.
And then there was the Nine Yin White Bone Claw that Baek Yeon-yeong had demonstrated.
It was a martial art that could truly be called an ultimate technique.
To think she killed that giant white snake in a single blow.
I stealthily spread my front claws wide.
If I mastered that, could I become as strong as her?
Of course, I couldn't just copy the Nine Yin White Bone Claw after seeing it once.
Still, I could now use Dragon's Claws.
It was probably because I had clumsily imitated it during my struggle with the smaller snake, and then saw the perfected version with my own eyes.
It was clear that if I worked hard, I'd one day be able to use the Nine Yin White Bone Claw as well.
After all, weren't both Dragon's Claws and Nine Yin White Bone Claw techniques performed with the hands?
If I trained with Dragon's Claws as my foundation and gained enlightenment, I too could become as strong as Baek Yeon-yeong.
「Dragon's Claws」
A technique that snatches the enemy with the claws of a dragon. It combines the profound principles of the fist, palm, and finger, allowing you to respond to any situation.
This is a martial art.
The Little Dragon's Heavenly Ascent Steps was a pretty good technique, but it was just footwork, which was a bit disappointing.
I finally have a proper attack skill.
Dragon's Claws.
Isn't that the perfect name for me?
I have the steps of a dragon and now the claws of a dragon.
I'm seriously worried I might evolve from a Green Basilisk into a Green Dragon.
“Gek gek….”
“Are you listening to me?”
I'm listening.
You were saying how Dragon's Claws is a fucking awesome martial art.
A wave of emotion, similar to when I first saw a dinosaur, washed over me.
The only difference is that back then I was about to die, whereas now, my life was saved thanks to that martial art.
Baek Yeon-yeong sighed and lightly extended her hand.
Fwoosh.
Fire erupted from her palm.
Given the level of internal energy she's displayed, it's reasonable to assume that fire is the True Flame of Samadhi.
The True Flame of Samadhi.
Another piece of information that made my eyes gleam.
If I could learn to wield that, wouldn't I be able to cook food with fire?
I might even be able to evolve into something like a Salamander.
…But this is a martial arts world, so maybe not.
But why did she suddenly bring that out?
Is she planning to roast and eat the snake meat?
Cooked meat. Now there's someone who knows how to eat.
I should stick close and snag a few pieces.
Baek Yeon-yeong placed her hand on the Titanoboa's corpse.
Fwoosh.
The flames of Samadhi transferred to the Titanoboa's body.
A fierce blaze engulfed the imugi's body.
…This wasn't a fire for cooking.
“Ge-ge-ge-gek!”
Why are you burning something so precious!
That fire was meant for incineration.
The Titanoboa was level 50, for crying out loud.
And it had even evolved from that state.
Eating even a single piece of that meat would make me incredibly strong.
It was basically like a Rare Candy from a video game.
I quickly scurried over to Baek Yeon-yeong's side.
“Gek gek.”
She didn't even look at me, no matter what I said.
Having no choice, I gently nudged her thigh with my tail.
“Little lizard. What is it?”
Baek Yeon-yeong whipped her head around to look at me.
I flinched at her gaze.
To be honest, this woman scared me.
Anyone would be scared of a being with this much power.
Frankly, in terms of sheer power, she was closer to a non-human entity than the Caiman or the Titanoboa.
Even so, the Titanoboa's meat was too precious to give up on.
Besides, if she was just going to burn it, there was a high-performance corpse disposal unit right here.
My body might be small, but I was confident I could eat it all.
I tried wagging my tail enthusiastically.
Who knows, maybe she'd toss me a piece of meat.
This was no time for pride.
Tap, tap, tap.
“Are you doing that because you want to eat it? The meat of an imugi is not for eating. Especially one that failed to become a dragon and transformed into that.”
I'm immune to ten poisons, so I'll be fine.
…Or would ten not be enough?
With no other choice, I just sucked on my fingers.
The power of the True Flame of Samadhi was truly incredible.
A normal fire would have taken a long time to burn that massive body, but it was reduced to a pile of ash in no time.
In the middle of the ashes, a large orb remained.
It was an object that looked incredibly familiar.
A black sphere mixed with white.
[Supreme-grade Inner Core]
An Inner Core. And one with the modifier "supreme-grade," no less.
Drool trickled from my mouth.
“Do you want it?”
I nodded my head frantically.
If I could just get my hands on that Inner Core, I'd do anything.
“You're quite greedy. You still have undigested things in your body, so why do you covet this as well?”
Undigested things?
If I had to guess, it must be the fragment of the Caiman's Inner Core.
It may have been a fragment, but it was a high-grade fragment.
And it didn't seem like my internal energy increased the moment I ate it.
In other words, it's still in my body, undigested.
“This lady has no immediate need for it, but that doesn't mean it has no use.”
She was saying she'd take it.
“Ge-ek….”
It was only natural, since she was the one who killed it.
If only she'd left just one piece of meat, I wouldn't have been so disappointed.
“Even if I gave you this Inner Core now, you wouldn't be able to digest it. Perhaps when you've grown more. We'll see when we meet again.”
Oh.
Does that mean there's still a chance?
“Gek gek gek.”
Yeah. Even if it's just words, that's something.
But wait, when we meet again?
I stealthily climbed onto Baek Yeon-yeong's foot.
I wrapped my tail around her calf and thigh.
Baek Yeon-yeong stared down at me blankly.
“…What are you doing?”
Wasn't this the part where you take me in and raise me?
I was reincarnated as a lizard in a martial arts novel, but I get picked up by an SSS-rank beautiful girl who pampers me.
Wasn't that how this was supposed to go?
Baek Yeon-yeong grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and set me down.
I lifted my head slightly and tried to read her expression.
Seeing her silence, she somehow looked angry.
This was bad.
The moment that woman felt any hostility toward me, I would die.
“Gek gek.”
I had to try and negotiate somehow.
I gently wagged my tail, trying to signal that I wanted her to take me with her.
Baek Yeon-yeong grabbed me under my armpits and lifted me up.
Her blue eyes stared into mine.
“Little lizard.”
Yes, she's decided to take me!
“Is what you truly want to be raised in my arms?”
…….
I felt like I'd been struck in the head with something hard.
Was it because this was the first person I'd met since coming to this world?
Was it because she was a beautiful woman?
Was it because she was stronger than any other being I had ever seen?
Why did I have such a foolish thought?
“Lizard. Little lizard.”
Remember. Remember why I fell to the bottom of this cave.
“Is that truly your wish?”
It's because I ran away. Because I couldn't beat the Caiman and fled pathetically, crying my eyes out.
It was because I was weak.
And even now, I was trying to run away again.
I clenched my fist.
A lizard's hand isn't structured to make a fist.
My claws dug into my flesh.
Blood dripped to the ground.
This was no time to be thinking idly and leisurely.
What would have happened if the woman before me hadn't been friendly?
What if I had met the adult Titanoboa before meeting her?
What if I hadn't found that crevice in the rock when the Caiman was chasing me?
What if the Oviraptor had chewed me up while I was still in the egg?
My survival was a product of coincidence piled upon coincidence.
Because my opponent made a mistake, because I was lucky, because the timing was right, because someone's disposition wasn't bad.
My own will had no part in any of it.
Anyone else in my situation would have survived this long.
This world is not so kind.
Opponents stronger than me are piled up like mountains.
Even the Caiman seems pathetic compared to this woman.
And I ran away from a creature like that.
At the very least, I have to defeat that beast with my own hands.
If I can't, I'll never be able to move forward.
I stared at Baek Yeon-yeong with fierce intensity.
My eyes held the conviction of my will and my ambition.
“Gekek.”
I will never run away again.
“Huhu.”
Were my eyes deceiving me?
An actual expression had appeared on Baek Yeon-yeong's face.
Not a fake laugh that moved only her lips, but a genuine smile, as if she were truly amused.
It was for a fleeting moment, but I definitely saw it.
“How admirable.”
After that brief smile, Baek Yeon-yeong placed me back on the ground.
“Little lizard. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again soon.”
Right. We have to meet again. I'd be grateful if you'd leave that Inner Core alone until then.
I lifted my front leg and made a cupped-fist salute.
It was my way of asking her to take good care of the Inner Core.
“Ahaha! What are you trying to imitate with those adorable little hands?”
Baek Yeon-yeong's laughter stopped.
She made a fist with one hand and covered it with her other, open palm, returning my salute.
“Excellent. I went out of my way to come to the Silver Dragon Cave, and I've gained more than I expected.”
Silver Dragon Cave? So that's the name of this place.
“Little lizard. I look forward to the moment you shatter that small vessel of yours.”
After saying that, Baek Yeon-yeong vanished in an instant.
It was as if she had melted into the shadows.
She was so fast I couldn't even follow her with my eyes.
I guess masters of that level have completely different footwork.
I have a goal now.
Baek Yeon-yeong.
That woman is my goal.
But reaching her level right away will be impossible.
A smaller goal, then.
The one responsible for trapping me here…
The Piranha Caiman.
I steeled my resolve.
All that was left for me now was to train.
Until I'm strong enough to defeat the Caiman in this pitch-black cave where not a single ray of light enters.
I will build my strength by chewing on the corpses of insects.
….
…Wait a minute. Wouldn't it have been fine to at least get me out of here?
Or she could have at least told me where the entrance was.
Don't tell me she thought I was native to this damp cave?
Where have you ever seen a cave lizard that looks like me!
“Ge-ge-ge-gek!”
Come back!
Get me out before you leave!
If not that, then at least show me the way!
I can train outside, you know!
No. No matter how strong I get in here, I can't catch the Caiman.
Won't I just get huge like that imugi I saw earlier and have to hide in this cave forever?
“Gek gek!”
The long-gone Baek Yeon-yeong could not answer.
Ssssk.
Other beings answered instead.
The thunderous noise from the battle between Baek Yeon-yeong and the Titanoboa.
And the vacuum created by the disappearance of Baek Yeon-yeong, a being with an overwhelming presence.
It could be interpreted as two powerful beings having fought, with one of them now dead.
Just as the insects now swarming to this place thought.
“…Ge-ek.”
To survive in a cave like this, is there no choice but to covet the corpse of a natural enemy that died fighting another?
So many of them are coming.
But there's no imugi corpse here.
And Baek Yeon-yeong is long gone.
The only thing here is one small lizard.
This is an opportunity.
Don't mistake me for the Green Basilisk I used to be.
I am a Basilisk who has learned the Dragon's Claws.
I am the Green Basilisk, direct disciple of Baek Yeon-yeong.
“Ge-ge-gek!”
Come at me, you insects.
…Wait, why do your numbers keep increasing?