I began consuming unthinkable amounts of vegetation as I pushed deeper into the wilderness. The discovery of new species left me speechless, not that I could actually speak. Large birds sporting a bright plumage as colorful as the rainbow itself. Boars the size of small cars and hares the size of toddlers. There were even ants that were 30cm long, which was plain frightening.

Fortunately, they seemed to be docile, picking at fruits and fungi rather than chasing living creatures. I felt a strange sense of peace as each animal or insect seemed to fit into a distinct role. Like cogs in a machine, the active creatures seemed to perform their own tasks while not disturbing the other.

The only thing was, I found that most living creatures would often look towards me.

‘Hey!’ I called out inwardly.

A sizable ant stopped its march, turning its beady eyes up to me. It gave me a second of its attention before completely ignoring me.

‘Hello?’ I tried to communicate with a large boar that simply snorted, turning its snout up before walking away.

Grow your connection with the Spirit of Nature and you will be able to command and communicate with wildlife.

As I pondered the phenomena, an explanation appeared in front of me.

‘I understand now,’ I thought.

As of now, the most I was able to get out of most forms of life was a brief glance. I think meditation would be the best course of action once I finished eating.

The mushy consistency of grass filled my tongue as devoured clumps of grass. Since I have devoted nearly all of my attention to it, only a few hours were needed for me to reach the evolutionary milestone.

I felt the instinctive urge to rest, so I found a small clearing to lay in. My eyelids grew heavy and the calming environment was disarming. I lowered my body and fell into a sleep-like state, vaguely perceiving the changing of my body.

‘I wonder what will happen next?’

…

When I opened my eyes, a curtain of night had cast itself over the now quiet forest.

I raised my body, standing taller than before. I had become stronger, but it wasn’t as if I was able to overturn trees with my horns. I was impressed with the rapid growth, however, there wasn’t an extreme difference.

Simply put, I had become an adult ‘Bloodhorn Elk.’

Extra layers of fur, muscle, and fat lent me a bulkier appearance. My horns extended to a deadly length. My eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell felt sharper.

While there wasn’t something exactly jaw-dropping about my change, I thought it seemed a bit too easy. If all transformations were like this, I think I could easily transcend the food chain.

‘How much biomass needed for the next physical evolution?’ I asked calmly.

To achieve your next physical evolution, Alderhorn Elk, three prerequisites must be met.

-A total of 60,000kg worth of organic matter must be consumed.

-One plant infused with the energy of nature spirits must be consumed.

-You must spend at least 300 hours inside of a heavily forested area.

After achieving your next evolution, more options for physical alterations will become available.

I blinked.

It’s all I could do as I processed the hefty requirements. It completely circumvented my expectations, leaving me stumped. To start with, the most difficult aspect was finding a plant infused with the energy of nature spirits. I had only arrived in this world and hadn’t even gotten a grasp on myself let alone nature spirits.

The notion that I had made considerable progress to start with was wiped away as I concentrated on the words in front of me.

‘Wait–’

I looked up, finding the darkened woodland had become deadly quiet. I was too absorbed in the guidance that lay in front of me to notice, but now the deafening silence sent chills up my spine. My ears twitch, rapid footsteps headed toward me, aggression laced steps echoed striking my eardrums like an alarm bell.

I followed my first instinct and ran while keeping a close eye on my surroundings. Then, a stampede of hurried steps filled the air. Large boar, bloodhorn elk, and strange types of deer formed a tide. The beating of hooves sent the darkened woods into a commotion.

It felt like an apocalypse as the incessant cries of birds spread through the trees as flocks took to the air.

I understood why as I gazed over my shoulder. Hundreds of glinting eyes caught the light of the moon, revealing countless predatory forms. Charging through the foliage was a stampede of wolf-like creatures whose forms were just barely visible. The exhaled steamy breaths of air as their desire to hunt became palpable.

‘Holy shit!’

I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I was frightened and the image of some hulking mass of muscle leading the charge scared me even more. That thing was not a wolf. It was the very definition of a predator.

If my current form was around 3.7 meters, the wolf in the lead wasn't much smaller. Standing nearly shoulder to shoulder with, its sleek grey fur only served to outline its sheer physical prowess. Its maw hung half ajar like a bear trip, lined with teeth that seemed sharp enough to tear through steel. Its large eyes were bright, zeroing in on the slowest of our number. If the wolf in the lead caught up to me, I would die. There was no doubt in my mind that letting it catch me spelled an immediate end.

Vicious snarls followed our heels as all of the fleeing animals combined into a tide. It was reminiscent of my run-in with humans except for the creatures behind us were faster and stronger.

A deafening howl reverberated and nearly sent me stumbling. The bloodlust laced howling stunned a portion of the fleeing animals.

As they tumbled, shell-shocked from the sound, clouds of dust and dirt filled the air. Relieved that I was not among those who fell, I looked back one last time and saw a pile of fallen creatures being consumed. A bloody stench filled my snout as pained animalistic cries rang out.

The calm and peace of day had shown itself to be the antithesis of night, where predators seemed to reign king.

...

I followed the herd before we split. My large body lent itself toward ascending steep hills so I opted for higher ground while most rested in open plains where ambushes were unlikely. Looking down on them, I calmed my beating heart, inhaling and exhaling in a calm manner. Other than my human intellect, my advantage over all the creatures here was my ability to override my instincts. I concentrated on my breathing and retained stillness.

The cool night air helped dissipate my internal heat. The ability to sweat was something I envied in humans as my stamina recovered slowly.

‘I need to adapt to this life and quickly.’

I bore the Spirit of Nature, but that did not make invincible. If I died, it would search for another candidate which meant my life was not under any special protection. I needed to take matters into my own hands.

Rather than feeling appalled by the savagery of nature, it served to remind me of my own mortality. I needed to make use of the advantages I did have to avoid running from everything.

Once again, the tranquil feeling that could only be experienced through meditation filled every part of my mind. It granted me clarity and I listened to the wind glide over each leaf, branch, and blade of grass there was.

‘Elemental control and magic.’

Putting aside the distant physical evolution, magic was a good way to supplement the protection it would offer.

To gain a beginners insight into the understanding of elements, the following is needed:

-1/100 hours of meditation (Air)

-0/200 hours of meditation (Wood)

-0/200 hours of meditation (Earth)

-0/500 hours meditation (Water)

-0/1000 hours of meditation (Lightning)

-0/5000 hours of meditation (Fire)

-0/5000 hours of meditation (Metal)

Necessary hours are based on your current affinity with each element. Locations that are related to a specific element will drastically increase the rate at which you gain insight. To commune with Spirits, you must gain insight into at least 2 elements.

‘Wonderful,’ I thought, feeling a genuine determination in immersing myself with nature.

With the hectic event still fresh in my mind, I could only maintain a light concentration while keeping an eye out for danger.