Because you… know what it’s like to burn?

“Yes.”

The voice sighs, the crystalline figure looking dejected from the response. It then regains a little more composure, and the entity in front of me resumes speaking.

I guess an outcome like this is something to be expected, but it’s still a little disappointing for you to resume siding on the gods.

“I don’t want to side with the gods either, if what you say is true.”

I want to believe that someway, in all of this, that there could be a different option other than the destruction of a world. I’m exactly not looking for compromise or peace; I'd settle for just another way to not involve this world.

Then what do you want to do then? Without a backing, there’s nothing a lesser existence like you can do. You’ll die a useless death. Eventually, in the future, you will realize it, and then come to us. The option to join is still open. Fight against your fate as another monster to be slaughtered by the god’s toys. It is not too late for redemption. You are not one of them; you come from a different world. You have the potential to become something greater than those go-

“Really, I can’t join. There’s nothing that you could give me that would make me want to destroy this world, even if it will fade eventually.”

Keep on holding hope, Aaron. Keep at it, because if you don’t, then the alternative is a meaningless existence in a disposable world.

There’s really nothing convincing you now, is there? Well, that works out fine for us; We’ve been waiting for an opportunity for a long time. A couple of extra centuries or so isn’t very much.

The crystalline figure gets up from its seat and snaps its fingers. Light starts to surround me, similar to when I stepped into that teleporter.

Enjoy your little life for as long as you can. Soon though, you will join us eventually on your own free will. We’ll be waiting for you.

“Goodbye, veiled.”

Yeah, yeah… whatever.

I let the feeling engulf me as I begin to be teleported back to the cavern. This time with a new sense of purpose: find a way out of here. And also think of a solution to this whole mess at the same time.

This is it, Aaron. No more time for dilly dallying, serious business is at foot. Business that transcends whatever problems I had before. At the last second, I realize that I forgot something. I can feel the magic beginning to take hold, and I rush to Identify the crystal figure.

Your Identify failed.

The panel vanishes and all of a sudden, I am away from the endless expanse of space.

Still in there though, is the mysterious crystalline figure. Another figure, smokey this time, materializes next to it, standing over the dejected form of the void entity.

That went exchange went horribly.

I know right? Dude probably thinks we’re lame and just wanted to do his own thing.

The smokey figure pats the crystal figure on the back, trying to comfort him.

Don’t worry, he’ll join us eventually. We are his only option for salvation.

Yeah… I know.

The crystal figure lets out a massive sigh.

It’s just that, I don’t get how these lower existences think sometimes.

A massive burning pain assaults me. It’s my arm, still as mangled as before. The evolution panel is still open before me, but this time the Apostle of the End has added text says that it can be chosen at anytime at the bottom. I immediately dismiss the panel, the pain almost crippling. I double my efforts at trying to heal it, using up even more mana.

Think Aaron, how can you make the spell more effective. Mana flows through the arm, not only stimulating regeneration but also…

The ideas flow into my mind. Stem cell division in bone marrow, building a barrier between the wound and the outside, numbing, cooling down the overheating cells…

My mana consumption leaps. I’ll only last for a few minutes at max, but the wound seems to be closing at a noticeable rate, if at least slow. This spell will prove incredibly useful for me as I continue to survive in this cave. With the pain temporarily relieved, I can finally start going through the evolution panel, this time with a more clear mind. I'm not entirely sure that evolving will actually fix my wounds, but I can’t spend my time just waiting for my arm to heal. At the very least, I believe that it will lessen its effect. A scratch that may be grievous for a baby may be less serious for an adult.

I continue to swipe pass the possible options I have for evolution.

Lesser Dark Elemental

The Lesser Dark Elemental gains a moderate increase in all attributes, as well as a constitution that limits the effects of any poison, curses, and other affliction. The Dark Elementals specializes in magical capabilities rather than physical prowess. Lesser Dark Elemental have humanoid figures and is constantly shrouded in a large haze, which is can use as a medium for its spells. Dark elementals can rest in the dark to lower passive mana intake and recover from wounds faster.

Dark Elementals require a large passive intake of mana to sustain itself. If it runs out of mana, it dies.

Rarity: Uncommon

An interesting class. It’s in the right direction of what I’m looking for. Honestly, it’s not a terrible option, being both powerful and moderately sturdy. The only drawback is to rest in the dark to regenerate mana, but I don’t have to be idle while doing so.

Juvenile Doom Bringer

The juvenile form of the Doom Bringer, an elusive and deadly monster. Its physical capabilities are limited, but it’s magical abilities are boosted massively.

The Doom Monster has limited sentience, being completely uncontrollable until it has killed enough sentient races. Only then will it gain a brief period of clarity. When it does not have this level of sentience, the Doom Monster will enter an uncontrollable state where it ceaselessly kills everything on sight.

Rarity: Mythic

No.

Powerful, yes. Reasonable, no. Though it would make sense for the void entities to make a monster like this if they just wanted to kill the gods’ creations.

I continue to read through a couple of more panels, and I can feel my mana starting to run out. Finally, I come across one that fits in enough with my goals.

Juvenile Mana Monster

Evolving into a Juvenile Mana Monster will give a small increase in Mana, Spirit, and Intelligence stats while moderately decreasing all others. Juvenile Mana Monsters generally have high evolution potential, the Mana Monster evolution tree branching out to almost all of the different attributes, with the exception of Divine and Unholy. Specialization in Mana Monsters will lead to greater increases in the Mana, Spirit, and Intelligence stats while lowering all others, with the exception of health which cannot be lowered below one hundred points. The innate skill for all Mana Monsters is the ability to siphon mana off of weakened or recently deceased monsters at a rate that increases with one’s Intelligence stat. Mana Monsters are able to shift forms over time, with faster speeds the more evolved one is.

Mana Monsters can produce mana over their Magic limit, giving a slight buff to the spells they use, but slowly draining their Health at the same time.

Rarity: Uncommon.

Yes, this is perfect. I want to find some way of preventing the eventual destruction of this world, and I’ll need magic to do it. This provides just that, while also providing a negative that doesn’t obstruct me too much. Yes, the lowered physical stats would be pretty painful early on, but I can eventually work around those using spells to compensate for my defense. It also has high evolution potential, so I’ll keep getting more and more magically adept.

I laugh out loud in joy, regretting it as I clutch my arm in pain.

Damn… keep it together, Aaron, you have work to do. My magic may numb the pain, but it doesn’t completely stop me from feeling my severe wounds. Pain like this isn’t something that I’ll let get ahead of me, though. Not now.

I continue to look through the couple of more evolution options I have left. I think they are offered based on what I’ve done before, seeing as how there are only a few evolutions that don’t focus on magic. And the rarity too. There seem to be multiple tiers: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Mythic. There may be more, but that’s what I’ve seen so far. I think the pattern with them is that the higher rarity an evolution has, the less it appears as an option. At the same time, higher rarity options are usually very extreme, both for advantages and drawbacks. The common ones on the other hand are usually much tamer.

I feel my mana run empty. I look at my arm.

Still a bloody mess, but significantly less painful than before. Overall, I’d say it took about fifteen minutes to get to this point, though it may be less because being in pain makes time go so much slower.

Not too bad, even if it did take up all fifty points of mana to only mend the severe portions of the wound. I can’t move it around like normal still, but I don’t think that I will be stuck with a broken limb at least.

That’s one less thing to worry about then. Good. Very good.

I let out a sigh. Well, now I guess I just have to finalize my selection.

Do you want to evolve into Juvenile Mana Monster? Y/N

Just do it, please.

As I think that, a blue light surrounds me, and at the same time, burning hot pain. So much worse than the arm, a hundred times. A thousand times. I could do nothing, not even scream, as my body was forcefully molded into the composition of my evolution. My bones, heart, brain, lungs, muscles, all being grown and stretched and broken and bent until the evolution was completed. I couldn’t move from my place, being petrified in a position of agony. Eventually though, the process was completed, and I immediately felt better. So much better actually, like I had a general feeling of elation.

I heard that a woman’s brain is flooded with endorphins among other chemicals that soothe the pain directly after childbirth. Is this what that is?

I shake my head. No time for useless thoughts and tangents. I have a job and I will complete it. I get up, and I can immediately feel the effects of my evolutions.

I look similar to the form I had before, with the shadowy haze and shade beast figure, but this time multiple dark wisps surrounding me, stretching out pretty far. It’s similar to mana, can I retract them?

The wisp moves in closer to me, and I can feel their power even more. Come to think of it, the panel description never did mention a Mana Monster’s “true” form did it? Maybe it’s just mimicking my shade beast form because that’s what I’m familiar with in this world.

Nevertheless, I check my status.

Name: Aaron Leum

Class: Juvenile Mana Monster

Level: 5

Health: 150 (Void Breached)

Magic: 100

Power: 3

Endurance: 6

Speed: 6

Intelligence: 19

Spirit: 12

Skills: Mana Siphon LV1, Identify LV3, External Magic Manipulation LV1, Internal Magic Manipulation LV1, Mana Sight LV2

8 unassigned stat points

Wow, that’s a moderate decrease? It cut my stats by 50%. And it only raised my others by a couple of points.

Well, I guess I do still have my void breached health though, whatever that means. And I have my 8 unassigned stat points I could use in a pinch. Still haven’t came across a life or death situation where I had to use those. Mostly just very close to death or agonizing situations really.

I take in a deep breath. Time to test my magical capabilities.

Ice bullet.

A cube of ice nearly instantly materializes in my hand and shoots out immediately without me even throwing it. It impacts the mushroom tree with much more of a bang than before, doing more damage as well.

Good, so my attack is set. All I have to do is work on my defense, and I’ll be ready to do some deep mana research.

From what I’ve seen so far, mana functions as a resource that can be used as both energy and matter, which is unreasonably versatile by past world’s standards. I’ll be taking advantage of this, tinkering more and more until I can form some sort of mana framework than functions similarly to electricity. Mana itself seems to be very simple to manipulate, which will make studying it a lot easier than normal. If I am to build some sort of structure that can automatically convert steam into mana, I’d have to analyze what happens when mana converts into steam and try to work from there. My biggest tools for that so far is external magic manipulation and mana sight, both of which I’ll have to level by a large amount before I can do any real research.

Okay then, I’ll use mana sight indefinitely than. Obviously, not at full power. Maybe I could do something like starting small, and then gradually increasing the amount of mana that’s visible. Eventually, I think I’ll be able to deal with the altered view. It isn’t as if mana blocks light from passing through, but more like alters it in a way.

I’d also have to passively use my external magic manipulation at times. I think the most effective way to level it is to use it while in battle. I’ve read that in some books, skills level faster if one is in battle, so maybe that could apply here. It would be a good situation to train external magic manipulation though, as I could constantly replenish my lost mana with corpses through mana siphon, the new skill I got from evolution. Yeah, that'd probably level as well.

I let out a deep breath. I’m all set, and my goals are straight. I pick up Knifey and begin walking with the bundle of grass on hand to the lakeside cliff. My whole being is filled with determination. It almost feels exciting.

I smile. For the first time in my life, both my last one and now, I finally have a goal to work towards.