Green Basilisk LV1 HP: 50/50
MP: 20/20

Title:
"Loved by a Spider"
You will not be attacked first by creatures belonging to the Arachnida class. You receive bonuses to strength and speed when fighting insects.

The effects were pretty decent.

Not being attacked by spiders first could definitely come in handy.

I might even team up with other spiders in the future, like I did before.

And the additional bonuses when fighting insects—
That also seemed incredibly useful.

I wasn’t sure exactly how strong the effect was, but this place was teeming with insects. After all, lizards’ main food source was insects.

It was definitely a useful ability.

Having this title certainly wasn’t a bad thing.

…But why was it given to me?

I glanced over at the distant acacia tree.

My emotions were in turmoil.

It felt like something was boiling up inside me.

How strange.

I swallowed down that feeling and looked up at the sky.

The day was gradually dawning.

I had spent so much time fighting the ants and evolving that I hadn’t noticed the passage of time.

For a moment, I watched the sun rise.

Before I could admire how the world was being bathed in red light, the sun was blocked.

I grumbled, annoyed.

“Geggek!”

Whoever it was, they better move right now.

Oviraptor LV10

“Grrrk?”

I locked eyes with an oviraptor.

It looked kind of like a chicken, and apparently, it acted like one too.

Awake at this early hour? Seriously?

The oviraptor cocked its head as it met my gaze.

For a second, I got a bit nervous, but then I remembered that I wasn’t some weak little lizard anymore.

I was a Green Basilisk.

Not a feeble gecko or some other frail reptile.

I rose up on my hind legs.

Spreading my arms wide and puffing up my body.

That would make it think twice before attacking.

“Grwk!”

Yeah.

Let’s just go our separate ways.

Predators usually don’t fight each other.

Even if you win, getting injured could be fatal.

“Grwk!”

The oviraptor clicked its beak.

Hold on.

The way it’s looking at me... is it seeing me as food?

Did I overestimate myself? The oviraptor didn’t seem to care about my slightly larger size and charged straight at me.

Damn lizard, how embarrassing.

Why didn’t you just do this from the start?

Sprint!

I instantly lightened my body and bolted in the opposite direction.

Thud thud thud!

…Wait, am I really this fast?

It was unbelievable speed.

I wasn’t running on all fours—I was on two legs.

Flailing my arms as I ran, I reached a speed that was incomparable to before.

Now I understood why this lizard could walk on water.

I dashed away with such overwhelming speed that I couldn’t control it.

And I mean that literally—I was running too fast to change direction properly.

Still, that was fine for now. The important thing was to get away from the oviraptor.

“Geggek!”

The oviraptor couldn’t keep up with me.

It was about to give up and turn back, but every time I slowed down, I would jeer at it with a taunting cry.

Its eyes glazed over, and it drooled as it desperately tried to chase me.

But who am I?

I’m the basilisk, also known as the “Jesus Lizard.”

The oviraptor could only stand there in awe, watching as I dashed gracefully over the water’s surface.

If I could change direction properly, I’d be feasting on oviraptor meat for breakfast right now—what a shame.

“Gekgek!”

I took stock of where I had ended up.

It was a large swamp.

Basilisks are known for running on water.

I had discovered that I could run even faster on water than on land.

So, staying around here might be advantageous for survival.

…Not that I wanted to eat fish or shrimp or anything like that.

I scanned the swamp.

Since I wasn’t alone, I carefully hid myself among some convenient foliage.

I saw large dragonflies buzzing around and small dinosaurs leaping to catch them.

I quickly scanned the creatures.

The dragonflies looked like something I could make a staple of my diet, and the small, winged dinosaurs—Microraptors—looked like they’d be a good challenge for this basilisk body of mine.

That is, if they were alone.

They were traveling in groups, so if I recklessly attacked, I’d probably end up as lizard skewers.

But is that all there is?

If I grew just a bit stronger, I could probably claim this entire swamp as my own…

Splash!

Thrash!

A massive reptile suddenly appeared, scattering the group of microraptors in all directions.

One of them was caught in the enormous jaws of the crocodile.

Crunch.

Snap!

The crocodile bit down on the microraptor’s wing and began its death roll.

Piranha Caiman LV7

Piranha Caiman

It can grow up to 3 meters in length, and males can weigh up to 75 kg. As its name suggests, its main diet consists of piranhas, and it has a hostile relationship with jaguars. It is a clever hunter that prefers ambushing its prey from the water.

The caiman dragged its prey back into the murky water before the dust even had time to settle.

So that’s where the awful stench was coming from—rotting corpses mixed with the caiman’s waste.

I’d best avoid that place altogether. The water’s filthy, and there’s nothing there for me to eat.

There’s no way I could take down that monster anyway.

I quickly scurried away and found a cluster of small pools.

The water was much cleaner, and there were no predators around to worry about. Plus, the area had plenty of natural cover, making it the perfect hiding spot.

I cautiously crawled into the pool.

It was a comfortable spot.

There wasn’t much food around, but that also meant no predators.

It was the perfect place to sleep or rest.

“Gekgek.”

I dipped my feet into the water.

It felt incredibly soothing. My feet moved of their own accord.

Was this what a waterbed felt like?

Suddenly—

Glug.

Ssssss.

That burning sensation in my gut came back again.

It had been there ever since I evolved.

It felt like something hot was stirring inside my belly.

Did that spider’s food have poison in it or something?

I stuck my tongue out and licked the water.

Lapping at it like a cat or dog was too slow, so I dunked my head into the pool and gulped down huge mouthfuls.

The more I drank, the thirstier I felt.

It was just like when I first ate after evolving.

As I continued to gulp down water, the thirst eventually subsided.

I patted my satisfied belly.

I’d had a good rest, eaten plenty, and quenched my thirst.

Feeling good, my long tail started wagging unconsciously.

“Gekgek.”

Since coming here, I hadn’t had such a peaceful rest.

Ssssss.

I must have been so relaxed that steam was rising from my body.

…Wait, why is there steam?

I quickly dunked myself fully into the water.

The heat in my belly kept getting stronger.

An aura of mystical energy envelops your body.

This message—

It was the same one I saw before I evolved.

A mid-grade core’s energy fills your body.

Wait a second.

A mid-grade core?

That’s what the spider had!

I finally realized why I had been able to level up just before I died.

The spider had fed me its core.

I guess just giving it to me doesn’t kill the giver since the spider’s still alive, but still, a core is a valuable thing.

I felt a little guilty now.

Hey, spider. If you evolve into a golden-haired beauty, I’ll reconsider.

A low-grade core’s energy fills your body.

A low-grade core?

What now?

Come to think of it, after I woke up, the spider had kept giving me things.

Some of them had a bitter taste—could those have been cores?

Was the heat rising inside me all because the spider kept feeding me cores?

Hey, spider.

I appreciate it, but—

Are you sure I’m supposed to be eating those?

Am I going to explode at this rate?

A mystical energy completely fills your body.

I saw a white glow.

If someone could pull white light out of nature and pour it into a body, this is what it would look like. My mind started to fade as the white light flooded into me.

The mystical energy accelerates your growth!

The heat in my belly began to concentrate in one spot.

If I were human, it would be right below where my navel would be.

In other words, my dantian.

The energy slowly began to gather.

Ding.

Sprint LV7 reacts to Webbed Walk LV1.

At the same time, a status window appeared.

Tail Slash LV9 reacts to Webbed Walk LV1!

Ssssss.

The surface of the pool I was soaking in began to bubble and boil.

Wall Climbing LV4 reacts to Webbed Walk LV1!

All of my skills were reacting to the new one.

I had a general idea of what was happening. The new skill was being boosted.

Maybe it’d gain 3 additional levels or so?

Webbed Walk LV1 evolves into Greater Webbed Walk LV1!

Of course.

Not that I was expecting much anyway.

“Greater Webbed Walk?” Does that mean my feet just get bigger? That’s a bit underwhelming.

You know what, just take it back!

The messages in my status window suddenly began to blur.

Webbed Walk LV1 ■□■■□□ is fusing with ■■□□■!

I’m sorry, I’m sorry!

I was just joking. Give it back, please.

I mean, you can’t just take it back after giving it!

%! Za■□ LV1 reacts to Webbed Walk LV1!

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

There was a skill in my window that hadn’t been there before.

No, it wasn’t even readable—it looked like the text had glitched.

Webbed Walk LV1 has transcended its limits.

Transcended its limits?

Webbed Walk LV1 evolves into Soaring Dragon Steps!

Something was different now.

The name alone was impressive, and it didn’t even have a level attached.

My heart was pounding as I forced myself to calm down and read the skill description.

Soaring Dragon Steps
A movement technique akin to that of a small dragon. You can scale walls as if flying and walk freely on water. You receive bonuses to basic speed, and it makes learning other martial arts techniques easier.

I nearly screamed in excitement.

A martial movement technique?

And there are other martial arts skills too?

I’ve been reincarnated as a lizard for just a day, and I’ve already misunderstood the genre of this world.