The shrill blare of a horn ripped through the air—but it was already too late.
Vilcard Shade felt time stretch, each millisecond elongating like a rubber band on the verge of snapping. The chrome bumper of the truck gleamed under the city's neon lights, reflecting his terrified face. Adrenaline surged through his veins, yet his legs refused to move. Twenty-eight years of life flashed before his eyes in an instant: sleepless nights coding, cold ramen consumed in front of his screen, the loneliness of his shabby apartment.
The impact hit like a steel tsunami.
Pain erupted instantly, absolute and unrelenting. His ribs cracked with a sharp snap that reverberated through his body. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, mingled with asphalt dust. His vision blurred; streetlights dissolved into hazy, dancing halos. The cold of the asphalt against his cheek clashed violently with the sticky heat seeping from his shattered skull.
His final thoughts were oddly lucid: Pathetic. Even my death is mundane.
Then, nothing.
Awakening was gradual, like surfacing from the depths of a viscous ocean.
A strange weight pressed upon him, unlike anything he had known. His body felt… compact. Odd. Vilcard Shade tried to open his eyes, but something was wrong. His perspective was too low, too close to the ground. Damp grass tickled what should have been his face.
The smell hit him first: fresh earth, decomposing leaves, and a musky scent he couldn't identify. Then the sounds: the constant rustle of foliage, the distant hiss of unseen creatures, and a persistent hum that seemed to emanate from the forest itself.
He tried to stand—and choked on surprise. Four legs. He was on all fours. His hands—no, his claws—dug into the spongy moss. Panicked, he turned his head and glimpsed something sweeping the air behind him.
A tail. Scaled. His tail.
"What…?"
Even his voice was gone. Only a guttural hiss escaped his throat.
The truth hit him like a slap: he had become a lizard. A tiny one, barely a foot long, with dull green scales that shimmered under the canopy's filtered light. His new senses overwhelmed him: he could feel vibrations in the ground beneath his feet, detect moisture in the air, notice movements no human eye could have perceived.
Reincarnation, he thought, the word surfacing naturally in his mind. Just like in the webnovels he devoured during breaks. But those stories spoke of heroes reincarnated as humans in fantastical worlds, not… reptiles.
A faint ding resonated in his head, followed by a translucent panel materializing before his eyes.
[SYSTEM]
Name: Vilcard Shade
Species: Common Lizard
Level: 1
Class: Evolution
Skills:
Whipping Tail
Cold Gaze
Natural Camouflage
Lizard Agility
Cold-Blooded
Immediate Goal: Survive 24 hours
The information etched itself into his mind with surgical precision. A system. Just like in his favorite games. His lizard heart—did he even have one?—pounded. If this was really an infinite progression system…
He tested the interface mentally. Other tabs opened: stats, empty inventory, grayed-out evolution tree. Everything was there, functional, real.
Whipping Tail. He focused on his tail and felt a peculiar energy surge toward the appendage. With a sharp flick, he struck a twig. CRACK! The wood snapped cleanly. Weak, yes, but effective against small targets.
Natural Camouflage. Instantly, his scales shifted hues, adopting the brown tones of the humus beneath him. He looked down and could no longer see his own legs. Perfect for ambush.
The wind carried new scents. His forked tongue darted out instinctively, a primitive yet deadly chemical analysis. Potential prey to the northeast. Predator—something bigger—to the south.
Hunger gnawed at him suddenly, visceral, animal. His lizard stomach demanded food. In his old life, he would have ordered delivery. Here, he had to hunt.
It took an hour to find his first target.
The slime was barely larger than a ping-pong ball, a pale blue gelatinous mass wobbling lazily among the roots of a centuries-old oak. It hadn't noticed him, busy digesting plant debris.
Vilcard activated [Natural Camouflage] and melted into the shadow of a fern. Observation was crucial. He had read enough novels to know that underestimating an enemy, however weak, could be fatal.
The slime moved slowly, yet unpredictably. No legs meant no telegraphed movements. Its surface seemed soft, yet its translucence hinted at a sturdier consistency than it appeared. No visible natural weapons, but caution was still necessary.
Strategy: approach stealthily, strike with [Whipping Tail], then retreat if needed.
He slithered, belly to the ground, his scales blending perfectly with the moss. Every movement was calculated, fluid. His new physical abilities astonished him: perfect balance, natural adhesion, total silence. One meter. Fifty centimeters. Thirty.
The slime pulsed suddenly.
It sensed me.
Without hesitation, Vilcard Shade reacted. His [Lizard Agility] amplified his natural speed, and his tail lashed out like a whip at the gelatinous creature. The impact produced a wet splat, and the slime burst into bluish fragments.
But it wasn't over.
The pieces instantly reformed, slightly smaller but still cohesive. The slime pulsed anew, its color turning blood-red. It lunged at him with multiplied speed.
Shit!
Vilcard rolled to the side, feeling the gelatinous mass brush against his scales. The smell was terrible: a mix of ammonia and rotting flesh. Wherever the slime touched the ground, the grass hissed. Acid.
Phase two: adaptation.
He activated [Cold Gaze]. Instantly, his perception of time slowed. The slime's movements became predictable, their trajectories tracing dotted lines in his mind. The creature readied another leap.
This time, he was ready.
Instead of dodging, he dove forward, passing under the slime in a jump. His tail whipped upward just as the creature passed over him. The strike hit the gelatinous core dead center.
SPLORCH!
The impact was deeper, more decisive. The slime didn't immediately reform; its fragments struggled to maintain cohesion. Shin Woo-jin sensed the opportunity.
Phase three: execution.
He unleashed three rapid tail strikes, targeting the same central point. Each hit weakened the creature further, its color gradually dulling. On the fourth strike, the slime emitted a pathetic squeal and collapsed into a lifeless puddle.
Silence returned to the forest.
Another ding echoed in his head.
[COMMON SLIME DEFEATED]
Experience Gained: 15 XP
Item Obtained: [Minor Slime Core]
Skill [Whipping Tail]: Progress +12%
A wave of satisfaction swept through him, unlike anything in his human life. Primitive. Visceral. The thrill of survival. Of progression.
He approached the slime remains and, driven by an instinct he didn't fully understand, licked a small amount. The taste was bitter but nourishing. His HP regenerated slightly.
So I can absorb my enemies to heal. Interesting.
His former developer brain kicked in. Data analysis, strategy optimization, XP maximization. In this world, the law of the strongest ruled. But unlike his previous life, here he could truly progress. He could grow stronger.
Checking his interface, he saw 85 XP to reach level 2. According to the partially unlocked evolution tree, entire branches of possibilities awaited: Warrior Lizard. Assassin Lizard. Even something called "Ancient Lizard" at the end of a complex evolution chain.
The wind suddenly carried a new scent. Stronger. Wilder.
A branch cracked behind him.
Vilcard Shade spun around, senses on high alert. In the shadow of giant ferns, something moved. Much larger than a slime. Two yellow eyes glowed in the darkness, followed by a low growl that shook the dead leaves.
A wolf. No, not exactly a wolf. Its silhouette was different, bulkier, with fangs protruding even from its closed jaw. A werewolf? A warg? The name didn't matter: this creature could crush him with a single paw.
Yet instead of the expected terror, Vilcard felt something unexpected rise in his chest: excitement.
This is exactly what I need.
He silently activated [Natural Camouflage] and began to retreat, mind already plotting strategies. This predator was far too strong for him… for now. But in this world, he could evolve. Become stronger, faster, smarter.
The wolf-creature sniffed the air, nostrils twitching. It had detected something but couldn't pinpoint it. Shin Woo-jin continued his tactical retreat, every step calculated to make no sound.
Once at a safe distance, hidden beneath a tangle of roots, he observed the predator search the area of his first fight. Intelligence shone in its yellow eyes. This creature was no mere animal. It hunted. Tracked. It thought.
Perfect, Vilcard Shade thought, a mental smile forming in his reptilian mind. You'll be my ultimate target. But first, I need to get strong enough to challenge you.
Night fell over the forest, bringing new challenges and opportunities. In the growing darkness, his lizard senses sharpened further. He now perceived countless small creatures: giant insects, minor slimes, perhaps even other lizards.
So much experience waiting.
So many steps toward evolution.
In the depths of the nocturnal forest, a small green-scaled lizard began its long ascent toward ultimate power. And for the first time since his reincarnation, Shin Woo-jin felt truly alive.
The system never lies, he thought, activating [Cold-Blooded] to restore his remaining HP. In this world, I can truly become anything. I just need to survive… and hunt.
A rustle in the leaves caught his attention. His next prey had just revealed itself.