I was reborn.

I may not sound the part, but I am thrilled. I get another chance to experience what the world has to offer, even though I may not be on Earth anymore!

Hmm, ‘Lesser Gyarian Lizard’…I was reborn as a damn lizard. Oh, dear god, why couldn’t you have let me be born as something higher up on the food chain! Heck, being born as a slime would have been better! At least they’re big enough to not be preyed upon by birds, snakes, or whatever else manner of monsters or beasts that dine on small, helpless lizards!

Sigh. I need to calm down. Deep breath in, breath out. Deep breath in, breath out.

Maybe it isn’t that bad. A lot of non-human isekai main characters are born as super weak creatures, but then manage to survive and evolve into overpowered monsters that dominate every other living being around them. All I have to do is just to survive.

…

I can almost imagine some narrator mockingly say ‘but little did the small lizard knew, surviving was NOT that easy’. I know, I know. Surviving isn’t going to be easy, but with my human wits and my newly acquired lizard body and instincts, I think I have a big leg-up on the whole surviving business.

…Right…?

Welp, putting that aside, let me continue on with my life. First things first, let me check my status.

“Gyaaa!”

…

……

Well this is awkward.

How the hell am I supposed to bring up my status page without the ability to speak? Don’t tell me it’s one of those systems where I can only spend points after leveling up! Wait, but I just leveled up (technically). So what the hell am I supposed to do? Scream ‘status’ in my mind?

Nameless Lesser Gyarian Lizard; Level 1

Status Effects : Confused, Hungry

Unspent Skill Points : 5

Skills :

Identify: LVL 1

Night Vision: LVL 1

Resistances :

Heat Resistance: LVL 1

Traits :

Bi-blooded

Oh. So it does work that way.

Guess I should start assessing my status.

Huh, it tells me quite a lot about myself. Quite convenient, although why does it say I’m nameless? I already have a name, it’s…

…

What the hell.

I can’t remember my own name…

Huh, now that I think about it, I can’t recall anyone’s name or face from my previous life. I guess reincarnation wipes these things from your memories.

Now, going back over the skills, seems I have the integral skill for all reincarnators: Identify.

Identify LVL 1:

Allows skill holder to identify name, level, species, and class of target, if applicable.

Yep, the basic appraisal skill we all know and love.

Moving on...

Night Vision (Passive) LVL 1:

Allows skill holder to see better in the dark. Effectiveness increases as level increases.

Heat Resistance LVL 1:

Gives skill holder resistance to hot climates and burns from heat-related attacks.

So heat resistance acts as the typical ‘fire resistance’, but it is with the added bonus of making hot climates more bearable for me. Two birds with one stone, I guess. I’ve never been a fan of hot weather, and given the fact that lizards are cold-blooded, I’m probably smack in the middle of a savanna or someplace similar.

Bi-blooded:

Trait holder’s body can regulate internal heating.

Now this is interesting. The explanation doesn’t tell me too much, but together with the trait’s name and some of the random knowledge I’ve acquired over the course of my previous life I think I can piece together what this trait does. The trait basically makes me both warm-blooded and cold-blooded at the same time, allowing me to regulate my body temperature. This is amazing since cold-blooded animals use a lot less energy than warm-blooded animals but with the downside being the need to be at a certain internal temperature before doing any action. With this trait I can reduce my consumption of energy all the while not suffering from the downsides of being a cold-blooded animal. Guess this world really is magical.

I grin, or at least try to, and look at my 5 unspent skill points. Going off of consistency, I say ‘use unspent skill points’ in my head and, as expected, a new window pops up.

Available Skills :

Venom - 3 skill points

Magic Manipulation - 20 skill points

Body Enhancement - 5 skill points

Only three options. I was hoping for more, but you got what you get. No one’s going to listen to me complain and then decide on a whim to give me more…Although you should if you do, just sayin’.

Back to the available skills. As much as I want to get magic ASAP, I can’t afford it, so Magic Manipulation out of the picture. Now it’s down to either Venom or Body Enhancement.

Body Enhancement:

Allows skill holder to enhance parts of their body, whether it is to strengthen blows or toughen defenses.

Venom :

Skill holder will be able to produce venom at a specific location (teeth, claws, etc.). Location will vary depending on species.

As much as I feel Body Enhancement will benefit me in the long run, one cannot pass up on an ability that gives you damage over time. I mean, the Komodo dragon has venom glands in its mouth that secretes toxins that prevents the victim’s blood from clotting. This allowing them to hunt water buffalos many times its size because all it needs to do is to bite the buffalo once and let its venom do its job, making the creature bleed out and weaken before it goes back in for the kill. Venom is a very effective, albeit time consuming, way of hunting as it minimizes harm inflicted on the hunter all the while shaving away at the victim’s strength and making it easier for the hunter to kill the prey.

So, in light of the fact that I have a lizard’s dexterous body, I can hold off on getting Body Enhancement and get Venom first. Maybe in this world if I work my body enough I might get Body Enhancement for free. You never know. It’s only 5 skill points. I’ll be able to buy it by next level either way. DOT for the win!

Please confirm your purchase :

~ ~ ~

Venom --- 3 Skill Points

Yes

No

Yes!

*ding*

You have purchased Venom for 3 skill points.

A sudden stinging pain gripped my mouth as a felt each and every one of my teeth hollow out and venom glands form in my jaws.

The pain disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and I just stood there stunned for a moment.

Didn’t expect that to hurt as much as it did, but it didn’t do me any harm or gave me a debuff, so I’ll let it slide.

Alright, with all that said and done, time to get out of here!

A sudden pang from my stomach stops me on my tracks. Oh yeah, my status did say I was hungry. I’ll need to find some food, and fast. I’d rather not test if ‘hungry’ can become ‘very hungry’.

I crawl to my birthplace’s roof and being clawing at it. The loose, slightly dry dirt fell easily to my claws and snout, and soon the eggshells are buried behind as I got closer and closer to the outside world.

The first thing I see when I broke through was the sky. A vast and majestic blue sky without a single cloud in sight. The sun was high up in the sky, its rays felt warm on my skin. Almost makes you want to stop for a second and just enjoy the view and sunlight. And stop for a second I did, until a large shadow flew over my head and made me flinch.

I freeze. My instincts were screaming at me not to move even a single muscle as the shadow flies over my head once more. And another. And another.

Eagles.

Eagles, like many other birds of prey, hunt alone. Wolves, on the other hand, hunt in packs. Both are deadly predators, and are at the top of their respective food chain.

But then, what do you get when you add them together?

Answer: a nightmare.

Flying over my head was a pack of large gryphon-like creatures, each I’d approximate to be the size of a small car. And the alpha. Oh, the damn alpha. That creature is the size of a minivan.

Lupusgriff Alpha --- LVL 42

They have a sandy brown coloration, and overall looked very wolf-like. They are, instead of a mash between an eagle and a lion, a mash between an eagle and a wolf. How the hell these gigantic beasts could even keep themselves afloat in the air is anyone’s guess, but I’ll just attribute it to magic.As I stand there, motionless, the alpha swoops down and picks up something. As it flies higher, I’m able to identify it and the large creature caught within its claws.

Greater Gyarian Lizard --- LVL 6

Well fuck.

Seems like lupusgriffs eat gyarian lizards…I really can’t compete with those guys at all. I’ll have to keep my head low and try to not be seen. I’ll use my size to my advantage. I’m only around the size of a baby crocodile, and look the part too, for the matter, except my skin’s a lot smoother and my legs are more downward pointing.

As the group of lupusgriff flew off with their catch, I carefully crawl out of the hole. Looking around, I notice that I was next to a riverbank. In front of me was a small river filled with slow-moving dirty brown water, and behind me was tall grass. I knew I would be seen if I loitered around for too long along the river, and I knew that going inside the river also wouldn’t be very wise given that I have no idea what lives down there, thus I’ve come to the conclusion that making a run for the tall grass is the safest choice.

I look around once more. No big bad predators were spotted. Good.

I slowly turn around to face the tall grass, and then I bolted. I ran as fast as my little lizard feet could take me.

Zipping into the tall grass, I was not met with the gullet of a large hungry monster or the claws of one of those lupusgriffs.

Good, good. I’ve made it to safety.

*groooowwwl*

One problem down, another to go.

Food.

I’m hungry.

Really hungry, actually. Seems like sprinting took a bigger chunk out of me than what I expected. Good thing I learned this now and not while I’m attempting to escape from a predator.

Alright, now back to food.

From what I recall of a presentation I did on lizards back in elementary school, there are both carnivorous lizards and herbivorous lizards. I don’t know what I eat, but I have a pretty solid grasp on what I probably eat. Given the fact that I was given the option to gain venom in the skills store, I am 99% certain that I eat meat. Hopefully I’m omnivorous. Having more sources of food, especially ones that don’t try to run away when you try to eat them, is quite beneficial.

I prowl through the tall grass cautiously, unwilling to disturb whatever prey or predator that may lay in wait within these yellow curtains.

I spot something black and round amidst the yellow and instantly freeze. I lock my eyes on it as it sways from side to side, as though it was trying to size me up. I stare at the area around the black round thing intensely, trying to see whether or not it was part of a larger being while my legs readied for another burst of speed to run.

Oh wait. I can just cast Identify on it.

Shirubian Blueberry

…

……

…I’m such an idiot.

I walk up to the blackish blue berry and sniff it, not that sniffing it did much, but more because I felt it was appropriate. The berry faintly smelled like a regular blueberry. Quite mouth-watering considering my grumbling stomach..

The shirubian blueberry was the size of a cherry tomato. Pretty darn big for a berry, but I’m not complaining. I see more berries scattered around the field of tall grass, and I spy a couple birds picking at the them. I look back and take a berry in my jaws and I lightly tug it. It came off pretty easily, and I drop the berry on the ground. I continue staring at it, debating whether I should eat it or not. I mean, the birds are eating it, so it should be safe, right? Setting aside my doubts, I open my mouth and take a small test bite. The berry was surprisingly juicy given the fact that we’re in the middle of a savanna, but once again, I’m not complaining. The berry tastes sweet, if not a little sour, but it didn’t make me feel weird or kill me right away, so I’ll just label this fruit as ‘safe and good to eat’. I take another bite out of the berry, and then another. Soon, I’m onto my second berry. Then my third. Fourth. Fifth. This stuff’s really friggin delicious, mind you. It’s not like I was a glutton or anything. I’m just very hungry. Not a glutton. Nope.

After I finished my sixth berry, my stomach has stopped growling and I feel fairly satisfied. I continue making my way through the grass, and I soon come across a small clearing.

I nearly jumped back in surprise from what i saw.

A village.

Out here, where giant flying eagle-wolves can swoop down from anywhere and snatch you up. I just stand there, mouth agape. There were a bunch of mud-and-straw huts scattered somewhat haphazardly. A large hut stood at the center of the village, along with an open area right in front of it.

I quickly turn to my left and scuttered off. A village means people, and people means hunters. I’d rather not risk going into the village and potentially be killed for food.

As I made my way away from the village, a shadow passes over my head and I instinctively freeze. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a giant dragonfly flying overhead. I cast Identify.

Lesser Fire Dragonfly --- LVL 6

I let my breath out. Only a dragonfly. No danger to me, even though the damn thing’s the same size as me.

Suddenly, I feel a searing pain on my back, making me jump back. I begin to panic. What the hell was that!? In my panicked state, I fail to notice the dragonfly speed towards me. I learn that these guys had claws for feet the hard way as I feel a sharp pain passes across my right flank.

The second pain snapped me out of my confusion. I’ve finally put one and one together. That searing pain was in fact the dragonfly staying true to its name and shooting fire at me. I also realise that I can’t flee. The dragonfly’s a lot faster than me, and running away is just gonna end up with me dead. Better die fighting than die fleeing at this point. I hope I can at the very least take this stupid ass fire-breathing dragonfly with me.

Turns out, as fast as it can fly, it seems its maneuverability is very low as it’s taking quite a long time for it to turn back around and go for another claw attack. This, in turn, gave me just enough time to steady myself and come up with a simple battle plan.

As the dragonfly came down for round two, I contract my leg muscles. I jump up as high as I could right as the dragonfly reached its max speed.

You know, even though one should aim to reduce the chances of an accident happening as much as one can, sometimes unplanned events can be very, very beneficial. Instead of landing behind the dragonfly and dodging its attack, I landed on top of the dragonfly.

It’s now the dragonfly’s turn to panic. The dragonfly crashes down into the ground, its wings bending from the stiff blades of grass it crashed through. Taking advantage of the situation, I clamp my jaws onto the dragonfly’s long abdomen, pumping my venom into the oversized insect as my claws work to crush its legs. As strong as this dragonfly’s fire and claw attacks were, it has an awfully weak exoskeleton, as its legs came off easily and my jaws nearly ripped the poor sod’s abdomen in half. I didn’t even need to use my venom. I turn around and bite down on the giant bug’s head, crushing it altogether just in case it pulls an Rasputin on me and somehow not die when I kill it.

As the giant gooey slump finally stop twitching, I’m greeted by a few message boxes.

You have slain Lesser Fire Dragonfly LVL 6.

Heat Resistance has leveled up to level 2.

You have gained enough experience points to level up. You are now level 2. You have received 5 skill points.

Woohoo!

Level up! 5 skill points! Heat resistance level up! More food!

Although my back and side still stings like crap, I’m in a festive mood! My body feels stronger now, and it feels as though I’m one step closer towards…something. So many things have leveled up, and I can buy Body Enhancement now!

I pull up the skills shop.

Available Skills :

Magic Manipulation - 20 skill points

Body Enhancement - 5 skill points

Regeneration - 7 points

Heat Vision - 10 points

Enhanced Hearing - 10 points

Enhanced Olfactory - 10 points

Regeneration:

Skill holder passively regenerates faster. Skill holder may spend mana to further speed regeneration.

Heat Vision:

Allows skill holder to see heat. Range increases as level increases.

Enhanced Hearing:

Gives skill holder better hearing. Effectiveness increases as level increases

Enhanced Olfactory:

Gives skill holder a better sense of smell. Effectiveness increases as level increases.

Hey, more skills! Heat Vision, Enhanced Hearing, and Enhanced Olfactory are obviously very useful, but once again given my lizard body, I can make do without them for the time being. Regeneration, on the other hand…

…Seems like I’ll be pushing back Body Enhancement once more. I’m sorry, Body Enhancement, but Regeneration is just that much more useful right now, especially considering my back is suffering from a major burn, and my side is bleeding.

Please confirm your purchase :

~ ~ ~

Regeneration --- 7 Skill Points

Yes

No

Yes!

*ding*

You have purchased Regeneration for 7 skill points.

I instantly activate regeneration and immediately I start to feel the effects. A slight tingly sensation goes over my back and side as I feel the skin grow and my muscle stitch back together. Within five minutes, all of my wounds have healed. I could feel that most of my mana was used up, I’d say only about 30% was left. I need to be more careful, since regeneration uses up so much mana.

Leaving that aside, it’s time for some more food! I move back towards the dead dragonfly and dig in. Thanks for the meal and levels, stupid dragonfly!

Nameless Lesser Gyarian Lizard; Level 2

Status Effects : Content

Unspent Skill Points : 0

Skills :

Identify: LVL 1

Night Vision: LVL 1

Venom: LVL 1

Regeneration: LVL 1

Resistances :

Heat Resistance: LVL 2

Traits :

Bi-blooded