The speed of my fall was accelerating.

At this rate, even if there was water on the ground, I’d hit with enough force to burst open and die.

I had to slow down somehow.

Schwip!

I reached out and grabbed the nearest wall.

Scrrrrrrrch!

I thought that maybe I could cling to the wall since some of my gecko traits still lingered.

But that ability didn’t fully apply here anymore.

While my fall slowed slightly, I couldn’t hold on.

I needed to slow down more.

I spread my newly regrown tail as wide as possible to increase the surface area against the wall.

Ssssssssss!

It hurt like hell.

My still-unhealed wounds were exposed directly to the friction heat.

It felt like my flesh was roasting—or maybe it actually was.

But no matter how excruciating the pain, I couldn’t pull my hands or tail away from the wall.

If I let go, I’d hit the ground and die.

To minimize the friction heat, I alternated between my hands and feet, pressing them against the wall.

As I continued roasting while falling, my hand managed to catch onto something.

Snap!

It was hard to see in the dark, but it felt like some kind of thread.

Maybe an animal’s fur, or perhaps a plant’s stem?

There was no time to figure it out.

Whatever it was, it held me suspended in the air for a brief moment, giving my overheated body a chance to cool down.

Snap!

Of course, that bit of luck didn’t last long.

The thread couldn’t handle my weight for long and snapped almost immediately.

Scrrrrch!

I could feel my claws being ground down in real-time.

I tried to cling to the wall again, but it was still too much.

Still, at least this way, I wouldn’t die instantly.

Thud!

My small body crashed to the ground.

“Keeeeek!”

I wasn’t the type of lizard to scream in pain, but I couldn’t help the cry that escaped my mouth.

But the fact that I could scream meant I still had the strength to make noise.

Which meant I was still alive.

[You have acquired 「Tough Skin LV1」.]

[You have acquired 「Fire Resistance LV1」.]

Ugh.

Why couldn’t you give those to me sooner?

…Never mind. You might take them away if I complain too much.

Thank you, status window.

【Green Basilisk LV6】
HP: 24/75
MP: 25/32

I had lost a lot of HP, but I had to be thankful I survived at all.

If I hadn’t managed to slow my fall even slightly, I’d have been flattened like a lizard pancake.

I’d have been perfectly grilled with a nice Maillard reaction, too.

…Jeez, why am I thinking about food at a time like this?

It feels like my thoughts are becoming more lizard-like.

But being hungry was unavoidable.

I’d used up an enormous amount of energy while running from the Cayman. Regrowing my tail also burned through a lot of energy. Wanting to replenish all that energy was only natural.

Still, unlike an ordinary lizard, I could hold out for a while.

If I were just some ordinary 3-day-old lizard, I’d be squeaking in distress by now.

I was hungry, but I didn’t feel like I’d die from it just yet.

Before I dealt with hunger, though, there was something else I needed to address.

Where on earth am I?

Even with my elite lizard brain, the answer wasn’t immediately clear.

After the ground collapsed, I fell.

I had no idea there was a place like this near the swamp.

I never would’ve imagined it.

I noticed a small amount of light trickling in.

It wasn’t much—just some moonlight since it was night—but it was better than total darkness.

I could make out the general layout of the place.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and stalagmites grew from the ground.

It was obvious: I had fallen into a cave.

I could feel a faint breeze.

That meant there was probably an exit somewhere.

At least I wouldn’t have to worry about suffocating.

I craned my slender neck to look up at the hole I had fallen through.

With my movement technique and wall-climbing skills, maybe I could make it back up?

Alright, let’s give it a try.

I thought of myself as a certain red-capped, mustachioed plumber and leaped toward the wall.

To summarize the result: I failed miserably.

I’m not an Italian plumber.

If the hole had been straight, I might have had a chance. But the opening narrowed as it went up, making wall-climbing impossible.

The walls became too slick to hold onto after a certain height.

Still, it wasn’t a total loss.

[You have acquired 「Dark Vision LV1」.]

I got dark vision!

Of course, it probably had nothing to do with wall-climbing.

It likely developed because I’d been in the dark for a while.

But still, having dark vision made me feel a bit more secure.

Even if someone ambushed me, I’d be somewhat prepared.

And I had already reached Level 6 in Danger Detection, so there was that.

I had almost exhausted everything I could do here.

【Skills】
「Dragon Ascension Steps」「Small Circuit」「Tenfold Poison Immunity」「White Orchid Cultivation Technique」
「Tail Severing LV9」「Dash LV8」「Danger Detection LV7」「Tail Severing LV2」「Wild Eyes LV2」「Cold Blood LV1」「Predation LV1」「Gourmet LV1」「Tough Skin LV1」 ……

A slightly tidied-up skill window.

I stared at it.

There was something I needed to address.

There was a traitor among my skills.

Yes, I’m talking about you.

「Tail Severing LV2」

You, pretending to be Tail Severing.

I raised a claw and tapped the skill that was masquerading as Tail Severing.

Crackle.

「%! Ja■□ LV2」
Cuts %!

The skill window flickered, and its name changed.

It was less of a name change and more like the error message you’d see in a buggy game.

That bizarre description.

I’d seen something like this before.

The first time was when I acquired the skill Webbed Feet.

It tried to evolve into Great Webbed Feet after being influenced by the other skills I had.

And then, this weird thing showed up.

This skill, pretending to be Tail Severing, reacted to Webbed Feet, and that led me to learn the movement technique Dragon Ascension Steps.

The second time was when I was being chased by the Cayman.

I had activated Tail Severing, but it felt like something other than my tail had been severed.

Because of that, the Cayman ended up vomiting everything it had eaten.

And the pieces of that superior inner core had scattered all over.

It was too perfectly timed to be a coincidence.

I continued staring at the skill masquerading as Tail Severing.

Are you going to answer me yet?

……

The status window remained silent.

「Tail Severing LV2」
Cuts the tail.

The description returned to its original state.

So, it’s not ready to reveal itself yet.

To be fair, this skill hadn’t caused me any harm.

In fact, I’d only benefited from it.

Still, something felt off.

It was helping me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was walking around with something I couldn’t control.

What exactly is this skill?

One thing’s for sure—it’s no ordinary Tail Severing.

If it could deal damage to the Cayman, maybe it’s more powerful than I think.

“Keeek…”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer.

But one thing was clear: it was useful.

“Kekek.”

I’ll keep it for now.

But if it misbehaves, I’ll get rid of it immediately.

Not that I knew how to get rid of skills or if “keeping it” was the right way to phrase it, but I steeled myself with this new resolve.

Maybe, if it could read my thoughts, it would start behaving.

With the issue of the Tail Severing imposter settled, it was time to move on to the next matter.

What was the most important thing for me right now?

Escaping the cave?

Of course, that was important. That was my primary goal.

But before that, there was something I needed to do.

I needed to fill my empty stomach.

My HP was low, and my hunger was no joke.

If I didn’t eat soon, I’d starve to death before escaping the cave.

And if I encountered any enemies, I’d be too weak and end up as their meal.

It was time to return to being the ruthless hunter, the Green Basilisk.

Even with Dark Vision, it was still tough to tell if there was any prey nearby.

The creatures living here were probably well-camouflaged in their environment.

But I had Wild Eyes.

I focused my gaze and activated the skill.

I could see them.

Countless names and levels.

With the skill leveled up, I could not only see more clearly but over a much wider area.

There were about 30 creatures within my range.

…Isn’t that a bit too many?

【Scutigera LV1】

【Scutigera LV1】

【Scutigera LV1】

Ugh.

No.

Still, if they’re all level 1, they must be really weak insects.

The more, the better, right?

But Scutigera?

Why does that sound so familiar?

Maybe they’ll taste like spaghetti.

With my mouth wide open, I rushed toward them.

At the same time, the level of Dark Vision increased.

[The level of 「Dark Vision LV1」 has increased.]

My vision instantly brightened.

【Scutigera】

Also known as house centipedes, these creatures belong to the centipede family. Found all over the world, they are actually beneficial insects that feed on pests, despite their appearance. The number of legs increases as they molt, with adult centipedes typically having 30 legs.

Wait.

Hold on a second.

That’s—

That’s a centipede!

Ssssssssss!

I immediately slammed my front claws into the ground.

I had nearly thrown myself headfirst into a hellish nest of centipedes.

“Keeeeee?”

Dozens of centipedes turned to look at me.

I am a Basilisk Lizard.

A mere bug like that can’t do anything to me.

They’re not much different from the aphids I hunted on my first day.

Like the diving beetles, they should be easy prey to cook.

But… this isn’t easy.

That’s…

They’re so disgustingly creepy!

It was a different kind of terror from the Cayman.

I tried to erase their image from my mind as much as possible, but the visual of centipedes that close was hard to forget.

Pretending like nothing was wrong, I slowly backed away using only my hind legs.

【Megarachne LV4】

【Megarachne LV2】

There was a cluster of spiders over there.

Yeah, spiders are safe.

…Hope Toos and Foos got away safely.

There’s no point in eating them—they weren’t very nutritious anyway.

I approached the area where the spiders had gathered.

I was their idol, after all.

This was a chance to gather more followers for the Green Basilisk Cult.

And maybe secretly fill my stomach, too.

【Megarachne】

The name means "giant spider." With a body length of 55cm, it’s an enormous species classified as a sea scorpion, not an actual spider.

“Kieeeeeek!”
“Keeek!”

…It’s not a spider?

But it looks exactly like one.

It’s even called the "giant spider."

Once again, I slowly and carefully backed away.

At least it wasn’t hostile, so I could relax.

Now, let’s find something smaller and cuter.

Like a cricket, something small and tasty.

As I cautiously moved backward—

Thud.

Something bumped against my foot.

The alarm bells of Danger Detection Level 7 went off.

Wee-oo, wee-oo.

I had a bad feeling that I shouldn’t look up.

But curiosity got the best of me.

【Arthropleura LV17】
【Status】
「Annoyed」

【Arthropleura】

The largest known millipede, growing up to 2.6m in length, 55cm in width, and weighing up to 50kg. While primarily herbivorous, it is also venomous and possesses a tough, nearly impenetrable exoskeleton.

Its iridescent shell shimmered purple, rivaling the thick armor of the Cayman. This millipede, coiled like a snake, somehow looked entirely natural in that posture.

Sssss.

The corrosive saliva dripping from its mouth only amplified its menacing presence.

I couldn’t show any signs of fear.

I had to act like I belonged in this cave, like I was a fellow arthropod, not a lizard.

“Ssshhhhaaa!”

It didn’t work.

Apparently, a two-legged creature in an arthropod’s territory just didn’t sit right with it.

Arthropleura.

The giant millipede.

“Keeeeek!”

I was ready to let this slide, but now I was pissed.

I activated Dash.

I prepared myself to use Tail Severing if I had to and activated my special technique.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

It was the ultimate retreat.

No, it was a strategic withdrawal.

Consider yourself lucky, millipede.

If my HP were higher, one of us would’ve ended up on a ceremonial offering plate today.

“Kekek!”

Rumble!

…Don’t follow me. I didn’t mean it.

Rumble, rumble!

I swallowed a superior inner core, you know. If I evolve, you’ll regret it.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.

Please, stop chasing me.