"Little lizard, do you understand now?"

Baek Yeon-Yeong stood in a pool of blood, looking down at me with a dignified air.

“As obvious as it may sound, your body is different from a human's. The internal energy cultivation methods created by humans won’t work for you. The same goes for martial arts.”

Her presence exuded a nearly demonic, domineering aura.

“Follow what I’ve shown you, but make it your own.”

In a word?

Amazing.

My eyes sparkled instinctively.

[You have acquired Dragon Claw Hand.]

Dragon Claw Hand? Seriously?

I had been practically begging to learn an attack technique, and thanks to her, I finally got one.

Apologies to the Shaolin masters I cursed without knowing better.

I actually really like head-butting dinosaurs.

Judging by Baek Yeon-Yeong’s thick hair, learning Dragon Claw Hand doesn’t seem to come with any nasty side effects like hair loss. I guess I can use it without worry.

And then there’s her Nine Yin White Bone Claw.

It was an extraordinary martial art, one that could be called a supreme technique.

She had killed that gigantic white snake in one move.

I stretched out my front paw to mimic it.

If I could master that, would I become as strong as her?

Of course, just watching it once wouldn’t be enough to master Nine Yin White Bone Claw.

But at least I had unlocked Dragon Claw Hand.

I had crudely imitated it in my battle with the small snake, and now I had seen its perfected form with my own eyes.

If I work hard, I’m sure I’ll eventually be able to use Nine Yin White Bone Claw as well.

Both Dragon Claw Hand and Nine Yin White Bone Claw are martial arts executed with the hands.

If I train Dragon Claw Hand as a foundation and gain enlightenment, I might be able to reach Baek Yeon-Yeong’s level.

[Dragon Claw Hand]
A technique where you seize the enemy with the claws of a dragon. It incorporates the essence of hand, palm, and finger strikes, making it adaptable to any situation.

Now this is martial arts.

Though Soaring Dragon Step was a good technique, it was just a movement skill, so it left me wanting more.

Finally, I had an actual attack technique.

The claws of a dragon.

Isn’t that the perfect fit for me?

I’ve got the dragon’s step, and now the dragon’s claws, too.

Maybe I’ll evolve from a green basilisk into a green dragon next. That would be a bit much.

“Gehk-gehk…”

“Are you even listening to me?”

Of course I’m listening.

You’re talking about how awesome Dragon Claw Hand is.

The excitement I felt was similar to when I first saw a dinosaur.

The only difference was that back then, I nearly died, and now I had saved my life thanks to this martial art.

Baek Yeon-Yeong sighed lightly and stretched out her hand.

Fwoosh.

A fire rose from her palm.

After displaying that level of internal energy, it was only logical to assume that fire was Samadhi Flame.

Samadhi Flame.

Yet another piece of information that made my eyes light up.

If I could learn to control that, wouldn’t that mean I could cook food using fire?

Maybe I could even evolve into something like a salamander…

...Well, this is a martial arts world, so probably not.

But why did she suddenly conjure that flame?

Was she planning to roast the snake meat?

Grilled meat, huh? Seems she knows her food.

Maybe I should stick close to her and snag a few pieces.

Baek Yeon-Yeong placed her hand on the Titanoboa’s corpse.

Fwoosh.

The flames of Samadhi Flame spread to the Titanoboa’s body.

The intense blaze engulfed the Imoogi’s body.

...She wasn’t doing it to eat.

“Geh-geeh!”

Why are you burning it?! What a waste!

That fire was meant to incinerate.

The Titanoboa was level 50, and it had even evolved.

Eating just a piece of that meat would make me incredibly strong.

It was like the level-up candies you find in video games.

I hurried over to Baek Yeon-Yeong’s side.

“Gehk-gehk.”

Even though I tried to get her attention, she didn’t look at me.

So I nudged her thigh with my tail.

“Little lizard, what is it?”

She turned her gaze sharply toward me.

I flinched under that stare.

Honestly, this woman terrified me.

Anyone with power like hers would be scary, no matter who they were.

In terms of raw strength, she was more of an inhuman monster than the caiman or Titanoboa.

Even so, wasting the Titanoboa’s meat was just too much to bear.

I mean, if she was going to burn it, there’s a perfectly good scavenger here to clean it up.

I might be small, but I could eat it all.

I wagged my tail eagerly.

Maybe she’d throw me a piece if I begged.

This wasn’t the time for pride.

Tap-tap-tap.

“You want to eat that? The Imoogi’s meat isn’t worth eating. It’s an incomplete creature that failed to become a dragon.”

I’m immune to poison, so it should be fine.

...Or maybe not?

Reluctantly, I gave up and just sucked on my fingers.

The power of Samadhi Flame was indeed incredible.

If it had been an ordinary fire, it would have taken a long time to burn through such a large creature, but soon enough, it was reduced to ashes.

Amidst those ashes was a large bead.

It was something I had seen before.

A black orb with streaks of white.

[Supreme Internal Core]

An Internal Core. And not just any core—a supreme one.

I salivated.

“You want it, don’t you?”

I nodded furiously.

With that Internal Core, I could do anything.

“You’re quite greedy. You still have things inside you that haven’t been digested, yet you’re already reaching for more.”

Things that haven’t been digested?

If I had to guess, it must be the fragment of the caiman’s core.

Even though it was just a fragment, it was still labeled as “high-grade.”

I didn’t feel a significant increase in internal energy when I ate it, which means it’s still sitting in my body, undigested.

“This core isn’t something I need right away, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless.”

So, she was going to keep it.

“Gehk…”

It was only fair, since she killed it.

If she had just left me a bit of the meat, I wouldn’t have minded so much.

“You wouldn’t be able to digest this core, even if I gave it to you. Maybe when you’ve grown more. I’ll check when we meet again.”

Oh.

So there’s still a chance?

“Gehk-gehk.”

Alright. Even if it’s just words, there’s hope.

Wait, what? When we meet again?

I hopped onto Baek Yeon-Yeong’s foot, wrapping my tail around her calf.

She looked down at me, puzzled.

“…What are you doing?”

Isn’t this the part where you take me with you?

I was reborn as a lizard in a martial arts world but get picked up and pampered by an SSS-rank beauty.

Wasn’t this supposed to be that kind of story?

Baek Yeon-Yeong plucked me off her leg and set me down.

I glanced up at her, gauging her reaction.

She didn’t say anything, but her silence made her seem a bit irritated.

This isn’t good.

If she harbored any ill will, I’d be dead in an instant.

“Gehk-gehk.”

I needed to negotiate somehow.

I wagged my tail gently, signaling that I wanted her to take me with her.

Baek Yeon-Yeong lifted me by the armpits, her piercing blue eyes locking onto mine.

“Little lizard.”

Great, she’s finally warming up to me!

“Do you truly wish to grow up under my care?”

……

It felt like I had just been struck by something hard.

Maybe it’s because she’s the first person I met in this world.

Maybe it’s because she’s so beautiful.

Or maybe it’s because she’s stronger than anyone or anything I’ve ever seen.

Why was I having such foolish thoughts?

“Lizard. Little lizard.”

Remember why you ended up at the bottom of this cave.

“Is that truly your wish?”

I had run away.

I had fled, crying and wailing, because I couldn’t defeat the caiman.

I was weak.

And now, I was trying to run away again.

I clenched my fists.

A lizard’s hand isn’t really designed for making fists.

My claws dug into my flesh.

Blood dripped down.

This wasn’t the time to be thinking leisurely.

What would’ve happened if this woman hadn’t been kind to me?

What if I had encountered the adult Titanoboa before I met her?

What if I hadn’t found that crack in the rock when the caiman chased me?

What if the oviraptor had eaten me when I went after its egg?

I survived thanks to a string of coincidences.

Because my opponent made a mistake, because I was lucky, because the timing was right, because the people I met weren’t entirely bad.

My survival wasn’t my doing.

Anyone else in my situation could’ve made it this far.

This world isn’t so kind.

There are countless beings stronger than me, stacked up like mountains.

Even the caiman seems insignificant compared to this woman.

And I ran away from it.

At the very least, I need to kill it with my own hands.

If I don’t, I’ll never move forward.

I looked at Baek Yeon-Yeong with fierce determination.

My gaze was full of resolve and ambition.

“Gehk.”

I won’t run away again.

“Heh.”

Was I seeing things?

A fleeting smile appeared on Baek Yeon-Yeong’s face.

Not a fake smile, but a genuine, amused one.

I saw it, even if it was just for a brief moment.

“How adorable.”

Baek Yeon-Yeong set me back down on the ground.

“Little lizard, I have a feeling we’ll meet again soon.”

Yes.

We will meet again.

And by then, I hope you’ll leave that Internal Core for me.

I raised my front leg and made a gesture of respect.

A request for her to take good care of the core.

“Haha! What are you trying to do with those tiny hands?”

Her laughter stopped.

She clenched one fist and spread out the other, accepting my gesture.

“Very well. I came to Silver Dragon Cave on a whim, but it looks like I’ve reaped more than expected.”

Silver Dragon Cave?

Is that the name of this place?

“Little lizard, I’m looking forward to the day you break free from your small vessel.”

With those parting words, Baek Yeon-Yeong vanished.

It was as if she had melted into the shadows, disappearing in an instant.

She was too fast for my eyes to track.

I guess martial artists of her caliber have different movement techniques.

I now had a goal.

Baek Yeon-Yeong.

She was my target.

But reaching her level would be impossible for now.

I needed a smaller goal.

The one responsible for throwing me into this situation—

The piranha caiman.

I steeled my resolve.

All that’s left for me now is training.

In this dark cave, where no light reaches, I will train until I can defeat the caiman.

I’ll gnaw on the corpses of insects to build my strength.

...

...

Wait, but couldn’t she have at least told me how to get out?

Or maybe just pointed me to the exit?

Did she think I was born in this cave or something?

There’s no cave-dwelling lizard that looks like me!

“Geh-geeh!”

Come back!

Get me out of here!

Or at least show me the way!

I can train outside, can’t I?

There’s no way I’ll catch the caiman if I stay cooped up in here.

What if I just grow huge like that Imoogi and end up hiding in this cave?

“Gehk-gehk!”

But Baek Yeon-Yeong was already long gone, and couldn’t answer.

Rustle, rustle.

Only other creatures responded.

The echoes of the battle between Baek Yeon-Yeong and the Titanoboa.

And the void left by her overwhelming presence.

It could easily be interpreted that two powerful beings had fought, and one had died.

Just like these bugs swarming here might think.

“…Gehk.”

To survive in this cave, you have no choice but to scavenge the corpses of predators that killed each other.

Quite a few of them have gathered.

But there’s no Imoogi corpse here.

Baek Yeon-Yeong has long since disappeared.

All that’s left is a small lizard.

This is my chance.

Don’t mistake me for the green basilisk I used to be.

I am the basilisk who learned Dragon Claw Hand.

The green basilisk, Baek Yeon-Yeong’s direct disciple.

“Gehk-geeh!”

Come at me, bugs.

...Wait, why does it feel like your numbers are still growing?