You have slain Stalker Variant Mirage Wolf LV5

You have leveled up 4 → 5

You are able to evolve through the Dark evolution tree.

You have breached Void Realm ( I )

Your stats have increased:

Health: 60 → 150

Magic: 50 → 60

Power: 4 → 5

Endurance: 7 → 9

Speed: 8 → 10

Intelligence: 12 → 16

Spirit: 5 → 7

You have 9 unassigned stat points

The long notification fills up my vision. Suddenly, the shock and sadness gave way to anger and scorn. My face contorts in annoyance.

"So this world has stuff like that too then."

I use identify on the mutilated corpse. Surprisingly, it works.

Stalker Variant Mirage Wolf

A more intelligent variant of the Mirage Wolf, the Stalker Variant Mirage Wolf’s innate power is to perfectly imitate an illusion of deceased organisms the target has encountered before after staying close to them for a certain amount of time. The image changes from those the target feels little emotional attachment for to images that have higher emotional weight for the target, all depending on the amount of time the wolf spends near the target. Found in areas with a natural population of Mirage Wolves and monsters.

LV5

Disgusting creature.

I stand up, clutching my bleeding arm. It burns with excruciating pain, but I bear through the agony. I look down at the fallen wolf. It’s covered in holes and blood from both mine and its own. My mind heads back to the image of me burning.

God… is that really how I looked like?

I was about to kick the corpse, but I shake my head. It’s already dead, and being spiteful won’t do anything to remedy my current situation.

My arm is covered with purple blood, warm and slick. Moving even just a little sends painful sparks all over my arm. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but I can barely focus with the pain anyways. I ready my magic, and will it to heal my arm. The mana flows in at a steady pace, but visually, it looks as if nothing is changing. I try and be a little more specific with the imagery and will, hoping that it will expedite the process.

The mana flows into the arm, being absorbed into it, similar to when I was enhancing a part of my body. The goal this time is not to increase the physical capabilities of the arm, but the recovery aspect. The mana encourages cell growth and clotting, any broken bones are repaired, and foreign matter is removed from the area. The mana flow begins to speed up, and it seems to be moving to different areas than it did before.

You have increased your intelligence by 1.

Mana starts to be consumed at a more rapid pace, and I can certainly feel something happening. Still though, visual confirmation of healing is not present. I guess it’s just not that easy to heal a body part. I grit my teeth in pain as I begin to move towards Knifey.

I accidentally cut myself when leaping towards the wolf with the knife. I have to get some sort of grip on this thing soon, so don’t injure myself more than I already have.

I shuffle my way back to the tall bundle of grass I let onto the ground. I don’t think wrapping grass around my arm as a bandage would do much good at all, even if I could wrap and tie it with my one arm. And so, I just sit on it. I let out a pained sigh, and think back to that notification from before.

Apparently, I’m able to evolve now for some reason. Was it a level requirement? And what about that Void Realm ( I ) thing? It sounds too… doom-y for someone like me. Is ita bad thing that I have breached it? My health seemed to have increased dramatically as well.

Well, I’m actually kinda curious about what evolving would do to me. I mean, I’ve been a juvenile shade beast this entire time, so I wonder what an adult shade beast would be capable of?

How do I even evolve in the first place?

You have the option to evolve into a greater form. Your level is capped until you do so.

Your evolve tree: Dark

Access evolve panel? (Y/N)

Oh. It just pops up if I think about it then. Fine then, mysterious system, I want to see my options.

I sit there and wait. Eventually, the lack of any prompt starts to gnaw at my patience.

Did I do something wrong? It’s taking a little while longer than expected.

~Error detected destination:Void~

~Error resolved. Resuming procedures~

~Emergency: Detecting breach of system~

My eyes widen in surprise. Suddenly, an unknown atmosphere descends around me. Nothing has changed on the outside, but I know that something has happened to the surroundings somehow. I continue waiting for the system to hopefully patch itself up, sitting indifferently to what seems like a system hijacking.

~Resetting Program:System~

~Reset Overridden. Pathetic.~

~System Control compromised~

~Initiating Program:Divination_א

~Void energy purged~

~Error resolved.~

Select an evolution:

...what? Was that..? I narrow my eyes.

Does this all somehow relate to my entrance into this world? And void energy, isn’t that what I somehow “breached”? Did I somehow do this? Or did I just get a defective system…

Tch. Whatever. It’s not like I can do anything about it, and these system prompts sure as hell aren't doing anything about my mangled arm. Let’s just get this evolution process done with.

First one’s up:

Shade Beast (Adult):

The adult version of the juvenile shade beast. The adult shade beast gives moderate improvements in all aspects over the juvenile counterpart, and gives increased night vision. Evolving into this will transform the user into a black humanoid with spiked fingers, surrounded by an aura of darkness. Silver lines will also appear next to the eyes, siphoning mana into special structures within the eye and giving the Shade Beast a natural ability to apply a light paralysis to any target it looks at.

Shade beasts lose much of their stats and skills when exposed to bright light, and loses health when exposed to sunlight.

Rarity: Common

So the first one is just the adult version of the me right now. Doesn’t look too bad. Just kidding. That weakness is a bit much, for someone who’s goal is to eventually ascend to the surface. Other than that though, it actually looks like a really big upgrade, being a very general improvement to everything. I might be forced to choose it if all of the other options are worse though.

Next.

Shadow Variant Chimera

The Shadow Variant Chimera is a rare variant of the regular chimera. The chimeras are a type of monster that lose all natural abilities and lose much of their early stats when first evolving, but is able to slaughter enemies to gain their skills. Race specific skills that are obtained immediately begins the chimera’s body modification process in order to utilize those skills. Shadow Variant Chimeras are limited to only assimilating Dark attribute skills, but increases their effectiveness massively.

Chimeras are limited to only being in places with a high enough mana concentration, losing health when the ambient mana is insufficient.

Rarity: Rare

Hmm. The chimeras seem like an extraordinarily strong type of monster. I lose out early on, but I’m able to gain access to a wide array of abilities later on from any monster. Seems like its the type of monster that snowballs later on when it already has enough skills to at least kill a monster, even if it’s weak early. Interesting.

Next.

Lesser Dungeon Core

The Dungeon Core is a unique and rare type of monster that is able to manifest and control a dungeon. The lesser variant has only limited capabilities compared to the matured variant. The user will transform into a crystalline structure and will become completely stationary while having the ability to observe anything that happens within the dungeon. The dungeon can manifest an avatar for itself once it has reached a certain level. The dungeon core does use the same system as other creatures, instead using a completely different system unique to dungeon cores.

A Dungeon Core’s life is connected to its dungeon. If the dungeon is destroyed, the dungeon ceases to exist.

Rarity: Mythic

What a… weird evolution. I mean, it sounds interesting for sure, but I’m not sure if I want to become an immobile crystal. I could just summon an avatar, but it just doesn’t seem like my cup of tea. Still, it looks like it could be a better option than the adult shade beast.

I let out a sigh. Next.

Apostle of the End

Freedom from your fate. Massive increase to all stats.

No weaknesses.

Rarity: Undefined

Don’t choose this evolution.

Wow! That’s like, so suspicious! I will totally choose this class now.

I roll my eyes and laugh sardonically. Because of that, I grit my teeth from the pain of shifting my arm. Damn it. Next please.

Are you sure?

YES. I’m so sure. Please move.

Unfortunately for my dwindling patience, the blue screen does not fade away. In fact, I think the whole system prompt actually locked itself. I try to will it away, and it succeeds thankfully.

I lay down on the grass, clutching my arm. It hurts… so bad. My mana continues to drain at a steady pace, and the arm seemed to at least clotted at this point. Still a bloody mess. I exhale and close my eyes, trying to rest while the pain continues to sting.

I feel uncomfortable laying down. I want to move, but if I shift my arm another time then I know I will regret it.

I let out another breath, letting go of my arm. I move my other arm up to rest against my eyes. The slash on my palm is still bleeding slightly, as I haven’t really directed my mana to regenerate it. I lay there for a moment, and start to cry. From pain, from the wolf, from everything.

Damn, I try so hard but everything just… it just sucks.

My mind goes back to the image of me burning. When will I ever forget about that? I can never escape my old world, that garbage fire of a life.

The memories chase me even here. I don’t even know if I could ever forget.

I clench my fist, and begin to sob. Quietly, before a monster notices me here. In my manic depression, I start to laugh. It’s not even funny at all, but I just laugh anyway.

It was wrong to think that this would be a better life. I can’t even call it a different life. I’m still the same me, as always. The same, pathetic me. Just with a new coat of paint with some bells and whistles.

I sit there, overcome with pain. From my arm and the thought of me. I lay there, not as a juvenile shade beast, but as Aaron Leum. The one who’s inability has him laying in a cave crying. A kid.

Should I just accept this as my life? Is there really nothing I can do to change this? I will never become a better person. My past will forever get in the way of my future, and I’m just too pathetic to get over it. Some people make it sound so easy… My mind, yet again, wanders to my past life. I remember what I was thinking when I died.

Aaron, who’s apathy kills him.

But was it really my apathy? Maybe I was just trying to cover up for my cowardice under the mask of indifference.

Because I know that I do care. I care more than ever before.

Damn it I just wanted to live a regular life. Why did I have to be born under the Leum name? Why did I have to born as some shadow monster in a cave?

Why did I have to be born?

Look at me, I’m pathetic. I let my emotions control my decision. Like when I jumped on that wolf. I should’ve just let him go, but I was angry because he reminded me of my past.

Really, I was just angry at the sight of me.

This world will move on, but I will remain stuck in the same place, as I always have been. And that’s just life.

I move my arm out of my face, wet with my tears. I stop crying finally, and open my eyes.

Are you sure?

I don’t even have the will to be angry. This evolution prompt… so persistent…

“Whatever,” I say to no one in particular. Or to myself maybe. Who cares?

“Just give me the class.”

Suddenly, the world seemed to slow down and darken. A strange force descends upon the area. I can see myself being lifted up from the ground. I don’t really care though.

Just letting things happen as they come at this point.

All of a sudden, a bright light envelopes my vision, and then disappears to darkness. Is this really what’s suppose to happen when things evolve? Well, it’s not like it matters to me.

After all of that, my vision returns, and I find myself in a flat, endless expanse of white. I turn my head side to side, wondering where I was currently. I also notice the pain in my arm is gone, and I look down to then see myself in my old body, before I died.

I look up to see a white door in front of me.

I let out a yawn.

Let’s just get this over with.