I force my eyelids open. Everything is blurry. What’s happening…? Where am I…? Small pains radiate from places all over my body. Why does everything hurt? The memories from yesterday come rushing back to me. Did I… level up to ten? Didn’t that feeling say something special would happen when I got there? The moment the thought comes to mind, my Status opens up without a direct order from me.
Razag
Level: 10 (Max Level)
Species: Crimson Dragon Hatchling
General Skills:
[Passive - Dragon Scales] lvl 3
[Passive - Danger Sense] lvl 2
Skills:
[Spark] lvl 4
[Slash] lvl 4
Unused Skill Slots x 3
Stats:
STR: 30
END: 44
VIT: 30
WIS: 39
INT: 35
{Evolution Available}
Evolution? Well… I guess the feeling was right. That certainly is something different. But, more importantly, how did the Status open up on its own? It’s never done that before… The feeling makes itself known. So the feeling opened it up? I didn’t know it could do that…
How do I evolve, anyway? The feeling sends a sense of opening the message. The message will tell me? Ok then. Mentally, I order the bolded text to expand. Another notification pushes at the edge of my mind, which I let in.
Evolution is a process that allows monsters to evolve their race and increase their level caps. This process can take between 10 minutes and 2 hours, depending on how different the new species is from the old one.
Wow… I really did get a notification explaining it… It’s pretty simple, all things considered. Mainly, my level seems to be capped until I evolve, which probably means I can’t level until I do it… so I kind of have to.
I do wonder, though… is this why those dragons left me out here? To evolve? Either way, I probably should do it, since it’ll only take a few minutes and the benefits would be astronomical. But… am I safe in this log? Can I afford to stay here, dumb to the world?
My stomach lets out a grumble, interrupting my internal musings. Again. Before I evolve, I definitely should eat something. I turn towards the fox and crawl towards it, then devour it. It takes what feels like mere seconds to eat the whole thing.
Wow… I haven’t been that hungry since the day I was born. Anyways, now that I’ve eaten, I should be ready to evolve. But how? … Probably by opening the message again. I open up my status and will it to open.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Checking if requirements have been fulfilled…
…
All requirements have been met. Evolution commencing.
The moment the words come to my mind, I black out.
…
My eyes open once more and I’m met with complete blackness. The only sign that my eyes are actually open is a glow at the very edge of my vision. I’ve been blacking out a lot recently… Where even am I? A system message pushes at the edge of my mind.
You are inside of an evolutionary space. This is the place where all of your achievements between evolutions culminate into new races that you can evolve into. You must pick one of the races before you leave this space. Then, your body will be transformed into that new race.
Evolutionary space? I suppose it makes sense… and it’s based on achievements? That sounds… interesting. I wonder what options I’ll have? No more system notifications come.
I guess it stopped answering questions… Now, what the heck is that glow? I turn my head to the side. Three pillars of light extend infinitely upwards and downwards behind me. They’re huge and, strangely, glow in ways that are more reminiscent of situations than colors. The one that is farthest to the left glows a green that reminds me of sunlight being filtered through leaves. The pillar in the middle glows a deep, angry red, like that of my scales. The pillar on the right almost seems to glow clear. But how is that possible?
Something about the pillars calls to me. Maybe it’s the way they glow, or their anomalous size. They slowly seem to grow closer. Or…? I look down at my legs and realize they’re moving. When did that happen?
My legs finally stop once I reach the leftmost pillar of light. What even are these things? My claw reaches out and is enveloped by the pillar. A message begins to push at the edge of my mind and I quickly allow it in.
Nature Dragonling - You have surrounded yourself with life essence, allowing it to inundate your body and overwhelm your fiery nature. This is the result. The Nature Dragonling is a young dragon that manipulates the foliage surrounding it. In its natural forested environment, it is never without a weapon.
SPL (Stats Per Level): STR +2, END +2, VIT +2, WIS +5, INT +5.
Woah… that must be one of my options for evolution. I suppose those other pillars must be the other options? This one seems so powerful... Since I can’t find a way out of the forest, it makes perfect sense to build my abilities around it, so this would be perfect! But this is only the first one… Maybe the others are even better!
I back away from the pillar of light and the knowledge fades from my mind. I can still remember the words, but they don’t have the same omnipresent feeling to them. I guess I should move towards the next pillar then. I walk towards the one glowing a deep red. I wonder what the option inside of this one is? My claw extends and enters the pillar. More knowledge pushes at the edge of my mind and once more, I eagerly allow it in.
Fire Dragonling - You have not strayed from the path of your ancestors, following the trail they walked. This is the result. The Fire Dragonling is a simple evolution. It empowers the Crimson Dragon Hatchling, bringing all its powers to a higher level.
SPL (Stats Per Level): STR +3, END + 3, VIT +3, WIS +3, INT +3.
Wow. That really was a simple description. It just said, “You can do everything you did before, but better.” That is a good thing, though. No new powers to acclimate to, just more of the same. It’ll be like a more dramatic level up. A straight increase in power. Not bad at all.
Now, it’s finally time to see what the last option is. I withdraw my claw, turn, and walk to the last pillar. The one that shines with the peculiar “clear” light. I extend my claw into it, causing a burst of knowledge to push at the edge of my mind.
Arcane Dragonling - You have exhibited an intelligence far above the average of your age group. You have proven yourself prepared to walk the path of the Arcane, one requiring much study and knowledge. The Arcane Dragonling is given the first tools necessary to walk this arduous path in the form of the most basic of spells.
SPL (Stats Per Level): STR +1, END +1, VIT +1, WIS +7, INT +7.
That’s an intriguing description. “Walk the path of the Arcane”? “Arduous path”? Right now I don’t have access to any real knowledge… besides those instincts, of course. But they don’t really teach me, they just take control of my body…
Anyway, now that I’ve looked at all the options, I should probably make a choice. But… which one do I choose?
