Chapter 401: Afterword and Congratulatory Art
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 401: Afterword and Congratulatory Art
This is the afterword.
From June 10, 2024, to June 25, 2025.
First and foremost, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all the readers who have followed this series for a little over a year!
Without you, I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel would never have reached its conclusion.
I believe this novel, Mu-Lizard, was 40% me, 40% you, the readers, and 20% the story the characters created for themselves.
I can finally confess this now, but Mu-Lizard was a novel built on improvisation upon improvisation.
The prologue, which many of you praised, was actually a chapter I hastily added just three hours before the Novelpia Challenge began, thinking it might be a good idea to include one.
I believe that was a lucky punch that led to the results we have today. Gekgek.
Also, some of you might remember Mu-Lizard's release pace.
It was a minimum of two chapters a day, sometimes three, and at its peak, the ultimate four-chapter release.
For those who joined recently, it was an incredible pace you probably can't even imagine.
So, did I do that because I had a huge stockpile of chapters prepared?
Nope.
My stockpile ran out around chapter 15.
I couldn't resist releasing more chapters after seeing your reactions, so I just kept charging forward, writing completely live.
That's why it's fair to say Mu-Lizard was a novel written live, on the fly, with no buffer.
Although I had a rough outline, I often made real-time adjustments based on reader feedback before posting.
There were quite a few turning points.
The most important one would have to be Gekgek-i's evolutionary path.
To be honest, Gekgek-i wasn't supposed to stay on the lizard route; I had planned for him to take the standard dinosaur route.
After the Crocodile Monitor stage, I was thinking of evolving him into something like a raptor.
But then I thought, since he's a lizard, he should at least hit the Komodo stage. That led to another thought: wouldn't evolving from a Komodo to a raptor be a regression? After racking my brain over it, a new species was born: the Gomodo.
The meaning of "Gaegaek," the meaning of "Gomodo"... none of it was decided in the early days of the series.
The same probably goes for the in-story "Gaegaek."
Hui didn't say it with any deep meaning, but as his relationships grew, the word "Gaegaek" took on a life of its own.
"Gaegaek" was created from hearing his meaningless "Gekgek" sounds. And I, in turn, created a narrative based on that "Gaegaek." So, I think it was truly a case of Gaegaek doing a Gaegaek thing.
Gegegek.
There were many other turning points.
The most memorable one is the appearance of the Snake Queen, Parsil.
Parsil's debut caused a huge stir, both inside and outside the story.
The heroines who appeared during what is perhaps the biggest hurdle for a non-human story—the episode where the protagonist leaves the starting zone for a new location—were Swish-Swish and the Snake Queen.
If you look back at my author's notes from that time, you'll see me panicking and worrying.
I was really worried, but the Snake Queen's appearance blew all my concerns away.
From an external perspective, Mu-Lizard's rise began right after the cover featuring the Snake Queen's mighty petrification pouch was released. I believe the momentum I gained then is what carried me all the way here.
I also learned that you readers really enjoy this kind of thing, which led to heroines appearing much more frequently afterward.
Honestly, the Snake Queen arc was supposed to be five chapters at most, but it somehow ended up this long.
Another improvised setting I can reveal here is the relationship between the Snake Queen and Baek Yeon-yeong.
Since I originally based the Snake Queen's model on Baek Yeon-yeong's image, it was inevitable that they would look alike. But I managed to disguise that as foreshadowing and successfully tied it into the story of the first Heavenly Demon.
So it wasn't: "Oh, so this is why they look alike." X
It was: "I built a story around the fact that they look alike." O
That was the truth. Gekgek.
I also have to talk about the unicorn and the bicorns.
The reaction to the unicorn, which I added as a gag element, was so good that I gave him an awakening scene and promoted him to a regular character.
Then, I added the bicorns as a contrasting presence in the Mount Hua arc.
There were a total of ten suns before Yi shot them down.
And there are a total of ten bicorns.
Could it be? Did the author lay the groundwork from the beginning, using the bicorns who follow the Black Sun?
Of course, this was also a coincidence. Gekgek.
Eleven felt like too many, and nine felt like too few, so I went with ten.
By chance, it happened to align with the myth. I later discovered the commonality between Hui, who symbolizes the sun, and the bicorns, who cry out for the Black Sun, and created the bicorns' narrative based on that. Gekgek.
I wonder if my readers thought I was an author who lays meticulous foreshadowing... but I guess I've just red-pilled you all. Gerong.
Also, it seems quite a few people have expressed admiration for the Hanja (Chinese characters) I use.
I don't have a high-level Hanja certification, nor do I use AI to generate them.
I just go to an online Hanja dictionary and search for them one character at a time.
Take Medetashi, for example.
Me. De. Ta. Shi.
I change the sounds into something plausible and search for each one.
Then, I choose the character that will serve as the core.
By a stroke of luck, there's a character, 腜 (Mae), which means "to conceive a child."
So, with 腜 as the center, I choose the other three characters to embellish it.
The embellishing words aren't too difficult, as you can combine the three to make sense in some way.
腜队妥時
腜 (Mae): To conceive a child
队 (Dae): A group, a party
妥 (Ta): To be appropriate, proper
時 (Shi): Time, moment
And thus, Medetashi was born.
That's how it's done. Gekgek.
Now, I'll address the most important thing: the side story schedule.
I said I'd be back after a short break, but I'm quite late.
And I'm going to be a little later still.
....
Gekgek!
First, to give you a date, the series is scheduled to resume on Friday, July 11th.
I think my readers know why it's been delayed.
There's the issue of the stockpile, and also... eheheh... scheduling... eheheh... issues....
As much as I've delayed, I will repay you with satisfying quality and multiple chapters.
Also, the side stories for Mu-Lizard probably won't be released continuously.
The plan is to finish one chapter arc, mark the novel as "Completed" for a week, and then return a week later with a new chapter arc, starting with a multi-chapter release.
According to Novelpia's system, once a story is marked as "Completed," it can't be reverted for a week, and I can't post paid chapters during that time, so this release method seems unavoidable.
"Then why not just keep it ongoing instead of marking it as completed!"
Gek....
That's a good point. Gekgek.
Honestly, while I say it'll be a one-week hiatus (completed) after each chapter arc, depending on my condition, my stockpile, and reader reactions, I might just continue releasing chapters without a break.
But for now, the plan is: finish Chapter 1, one-week hiatus (completed), then return with a multi-chapter release.
It seems like it will follow that kind of cycle.
Just because they're side stories doesn't mean I'll only be making dried lizard jerky. I plan to develop the episodes I have in mind while inserting some... eheheh... parts in between.
There will probably be a "such and such" scene with one or two heroines per chapter arc. Gekgek.
Perhaps, as some readers have suggested, I might continue the series in a way that feels like a Season 2 of Mu-Lizard.
When I'm a reader myself, I often wish that truly great novels would never end and just keep going, even if people call it "milking the series."
It would be a tremendous honor if my readers feel that way about my novel.
Actually, even if you don't, my plan is to keep posting until you're thinking, "Is this thing still not over?" Gekgek.
While I have some episodes in mind, the root of Mu-Lizard is a novel written together with my readers.
If there are any side story episodes or IF stories you'd like to see, please feel free to write them in the comments.
Oh, and if you have any questions about the lore, feel free to ask those as well, and I'll answer them. Gekgek.
I thought I'd be writing a tearful afterword, but it turned out more straightforward than I expected.
That might be because it feels less like an ending and more like a legal hiatus. Gekgek.
I think the tear-jerking afterword will come when the side stories are truly complete.
By then, you'll probably be saying, "Please, just go already!" Gegegek!
With that, I will take my leave for now.
As mentioned above, the expected return date is Friday, July 11th.
If you can wait just a little longer, I will see you again with some rich content.
The sweltering heat is upon us.
Until the day we meet again, I hope your days are as cool as Gekgek-i's body.
I'd like to express my thanks to the readers who have followed me until now, to Novelpia for making it possible for me to meet you all, and to the illustrators who have helped me in so many ways. Gekgek!
And... for the very last thing, the congratulatory art!
This is from the emoticon artist, Meuming!
Gegegek!
This is Meuming, who drew three sets of Mu-Lizard-ticons!
I think the cute depiction of Gekgek-i, and especially the SD images of Tus and Pus, came out incredibly well.
Not only the emoticons, but she's a true artist of our time who whips up other small drawings whenever I shamelessly ask....
And above all, she even achieved the feat of... bringing Miss Heart Demon to life...!
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her once again!
This is from the illustrator, Hwadoe!
Gegegek!
I feel that one of the reasons Mu-Lizard was able to come this far was because I met such a great illustrator. She's the amazing artist who created the magnificent design for the Crushing Dragon and was in charge of Gekgek-i's human form, as well as illustrations of the other spirit beasts!
And she's also continuously working on the... eheheh... illustrations...!
Every piece of her work was so satisfying that I found myself thinking she's an artist I want to keep all to myself! Gegegegek!
The final piece of congratulatory art!
From artist Aqua!
I imagine many of you might not know who this is.
In the very beginning, when Mu-Lizard was only about five chapters long, there was a cover of a clothed gecko throwing a punch at a dinosaur.
That cover was the work of artist Aqua.
If that doesn't ring a bell, maybe "Maid Swish-Swish" will?
That's right. She is the precious artist who drew Maid Swish-Swish for us. Gekgek.
Of course, there's a minor error in the drawing of Soyeong, but... gegegek....
Even I couldn't stop it... Geeeek...!
Still, she's an artist I'm always grateful for! Gekgek!
Now that I'm done showing off the congratulatory art, I will truly take my leave!
Please leave comments with episodes you'd like to see and any lore questions, and I will answer them! Gegegegegek