Before I started evolving, I prepared a small mountain of clothing in my room. If I'm evolving into a humanoid, I need something to wear after all. But since I had no clue what I'd look like after evolving, I simply collected any clothing I could find. With all this, I should have at least something to cover my shame if I manage to evolve in the way I wish.
And since I'm all done with the preparations, show me those evolution options!!
Evolution Menu: Future:
* Stygian Executioner (Rank E+)
* Reha Phraga (Rank E+)
* Reha Agragorg (Rank E)
* Demonic Cheetah (Rank E)
* Dark Gazer (Rank E-)
Current:
* Reha Zera (Rank F+)
Previous:
* Grey Demon (Rank G-)
This is...quite a colorful cast...
Executioner, Gazer, Cheeter, and some strange stuff that sounds like they crawled out from a Lovecraft story? And these are supposed my 5 best evolution options? Seriously, what am I doing with my life?
The good news is that I got one minus rank less than when I was gonna evolve into an F-rank demon. I think back then, I had two minus ranks, one "normal" rank, and two plus ranks.
I looked at my options from the bottom up, so there's no harm doing the same this time as well.
Race: Dark Gazer Rank: E- Genus: Demon (Evil Eye Demon) Attribute: Darkness Traits: Lesser Demon, Evil Eyed Description:
A demon with the appearance of a flying eyeball with tentacles and large, bat-like wings.
They are an extremely aggressive species that will try to attack anything that gets too close.
The Dark Gazer uses its Mana and Magic stats to empower its Magic Eye-type skills.
It uses [Flight] to swiftly move around in tandem with its [Levitation] skill from the days before it evolved. Its [Magic Eye of Darkness] will inflict Darkness-type damage to anyone who is glared at by the Dark Gazer.
Ah, now I remember. When I looked over my F-rank evolution options, the "Gazer" demon was on the list. This guy must be in its natural higher evolution stage. One with a focus on the Darkness attribute. Maybe I've unlocked it because I have 2 Magic Eyes now?
Whatever the case, this guy's no good. It's not humanoid for the first, it has a bad reputation, and I don't have the [Levitation] skill that supposedly works well with the [Flight] skill, so I'm not sure if I can still make good use of my high SPD-stat. And while having more MP is alluring, I'm not sure how well this Dark Gazer will work with my spider-related skills. Therefore, it's rejected.
That Magic Eye skill the description mentioned, on the other hand, is something I could pick up~.
Okay, time for the next guy.
Race: Demonic Cheetah Rank: E Genus: Demon (Bestial Demon) Attribute: --- Traits: Lesser Demon, Feline Description:
A demon with an appearance similar to a cheetah. A feline demon that is well-known due to its incredible speed.
An incredibly rare species that is not often seen. They are considered an endangered species and are therefore a target for protection.
A Demonic Cheetah has incredibly high-speed stats, along with an impressive Stamina to allow it to run long distances.
In battle, the Demonic Cheetah uses [Demon's Claws] to tear apart its prey. When it needs some extra pep in its steps, it activates its [Swift Legs] skill to improve its footwork.
Ah. It's a "cheetah". Not "cheater". My bad.
But I'm failing to see how this guy's so amazing. Other than its speed (which is prolly how I unlocked this option, due to my bone-breaking SPD-stat), I can't imagine it being that strong of a monster. It's prolly not a good fit with my spider-based abilities again. And to finish it off, it's not a humanoid...
Okay, he's scrapped! Next demon, please!
Race: Reha Agragorg Rank: E Genus: Demon (Spider Demon) Attribute: --- Traits: Lesser Demon, Arachnid Description:
A humanoid-like demon of the spider-like Reha species.
It has six dexterous arms and a solid exoskeleton to protect its body. As a humanoid demon, it can easily make use of weapons, a rarity among the Reha species.
The Reha Agragorg uses its high Dexterity stats to make use of its many weapons. Furthermore, it has high Strength so it can defeat its enemies.
To obtain these weapons, the Reha Agragorg uses its [Web Weapon Creation] skill to craft them out of solidified webbing. To further improve its usage with them, the Reha Agragorg also has access to the [Dual Weapon] skill that improves its usage with multiple weapons equipped at the same time.
Hey, this guy's pretty good!
Having high DEX and STR means I could fight without having to rely on my MP, something that is my lifeline outside my web. The only downside I can see with this species is that it's a "humanoid spider". Not like the mythological Arachne, with a human upper body, but a pure spider, just shaped like a human. It is better than my current situation, but still...
I'll file this one as a "maybe". Okay, next!
Race: Reha Phraga Rank: E+ Genus: Demon (Spider Demon) Attribute: Darkness, Poison Traits: Lesser Demon, Arachnid Description:
A spider-like demon of the Reha species. It lives in dark jungles or caves.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
They act like natural assassins as they hunt down their prey with poisons and traps while they stay hidden in the darkness.
Reha Phragas have high Mana and Dexterity to allow them to create and maintain their traps.
To assist their assassin-like combat style, the Reha Phraga has access to the [Poison Shower] and [Draining Web] skills.
And here's another surprisingly good candidate! But man, another non-humanoid. Am I cursed? Or is it not in my nature to be "human"? Even if they're all demons...
The status growth seems damn good, plus it has access to Poison-type abilities. Another bonus since I'm planning on having that attribute. According to the Kigal-Note, creatures related to an attribute will have it easier to use skills of that attribute. Otherwise, things could get nasty, or so I've heard.
I've also never heard about the skills it provides. Rather, if they existed, I don't get why K-N never suggested them. Maybe they're locked behind certain races? I bet some classes could unlock them as well, but the current I can't. This work sure isn't kind to the weak.
Anyway, what's the final demon? I bet it's another inhuman...
Race: Stygian Executioner Rank: E+ Genus: Demon (Humanoid Demon) Attribute: Darkness Traits: Lesser Demon, Evil Eyed Description:
A humanoid demon that looks extremely similar to regular humans except for demonic horns and a tail.
They are a sub-species of the infamous "trickster demons", the Stygian Clowns. The Executioners are killing specialists, having vast amounts of methods related to killing a target. Rumors in demon-populated cities are that the Executioners are demons who have been trained in assassination techniques since birth.
Stygian Executioners have high Dexterity and Magic stats, as they allow the Executioners to use many different and mysterious assassination arts.
Among these assassination-arts are the skills [Darkness Daggers] and [Magic Eye of Weakness]. In addition, each Executioner has their own style of killing, so it is difficult to develop a common strategy against them.
OIIII!! What's with this high-spec demoness killer!?
Evil eyes (Magic Eyes, but still), assassination arts, tricksters, and daggers made outta darkness?! How much are these guys going for on the chuuni-scale!?
I've decided! I'm taking this bad boy! Eh, bad girl? Guess seduction could be part of an assassination style. ......not that I'll ever be able to do that myself.
Damnit! Now I went and pushed myself down in the dumps again! But should I take this one? Let's summarize:
The best candidates here are: "Reha Agragorg", "Reha Phraga", and "Stygian Executioner".
If I only want a humanoid evolution, I should throw out Phraga. But Phraga is also one of the strongest options I have.
On the other hand, Agragorg is a humanoid, but just barely. It can use weapons, make them, plus it seems to be good with webs, but...I honestly dislike the idea of looking like some alien.
As for the Executioner, it has Magic Eyes, it's a humanoid, it sounds damn awesome (if not a little scary), and, from the extra info I read about it in the Kigal-Note, they seem to be one of those good-looking demons...
Okay, I've decided! The executioner! Let me execute some people already! Start the Evolution!
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
You have chosen to evolve into the race: Stygian Executioner.
During evolution, you will not be able to move.
Do you wish to start the evolution into the race: Stygian Executioner?
Y/N
Didn't you hear me the first time? YES!
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Commencing evolution to Stygian Executioner.
Alright, good ni-zzzzzzz...
---
*Yawn*, good morning. ...hmm? Oh? O-ho~?
Arms! Legs! And they're not spider-legs! The evolution worked!
A System Message is telling me about all the new stuff, but that's for later. Right now, I want to check out my new body!
This is...quite some size. Not my height. I think I'm barely 160 cm tall. I'm talking about my boobs. Did I make a mistake and evolve into something like a succubus? There's a mirror inside the room I'm occupying. I think this place used to be the sleeping area for the servants of the mansion or something.
In the mirror, I could see my current self. It's a human body!! But I've got white skin, hair, and dark red eyes. And that means I'm STILL albino! That's gonna sting when I'm finally leaving this place and facing sunlight for the first time in my second life.
And as I mentioned before, I've got curves now. The kind that could make me the most popular girl in class. At least the top 10. Top 20 if you factor in my personality.
Self-reflection aside, my body's got more than just a nice shape. There are also two demonic-looking horns, both of them growing down from the sides of my temple. They start as black, jet-black, before gradually turning purple. I got a tail as well, the thin, succubus-kinda type. The tip looks like an arrow tip. And unlike the rest of my body, it's both black and purple at the same time.
Other than that, the white parts of my eyes are black instead, and my otherwise white hair has streaks of purple in it. It's like someone's dyed it as part of some fashion trend. Not that I dislike it. But what's freaky is the tear-like marks that go down from my eyes. The dark red color of the marks makes it look like I'm crying dark blood... Freaky.
And finally, my purple-red pupils seem to be...sorta cross-shaped. Weird.
After I was done enjoying-, *cough*, after I was done thoroughly inspecting my body for any potential faults, I started to look for clothes in the piles I'd prepared beforehand.
It took a while, but I finally decided on a black vest without arms, some short pants (why couldn't they have some regular pants in my size?), and a pair of simple leather boots. It feels sorta bare, but none of the other clothing fits me, so I can't be demanding. Why couldn't one of the quest rewards be some proper clothing? Like underwear, or anything useful...
Now that I think about it, I think I did get something to wear after beating the Rat King. Please don't let it be Reha Zera-sized...
Guess I lucked out! They're human-sized. It's a brown, leather robe that seems easy to move in, black leather gloves, and a necklace made from fangs. I do hope this is not rat-leather... then again, the fangs must be safe. The King Rat's teeth were much bigger than these guys. Maybe this stuff has some special effects?
Name: Rat King's Coat [Equipment - Upper Body] Rarity: Ra Quality: C+ Durability: 2,000/2,000 Effects:
* RES Up
* Increased RES stats while equipped.
* Disease Protection
* Small resistance against Death-aligned status ailments.
Name: Rat King's Gloves [Equipment - Hands] Rarity: Ra Quality: C+ Durability: 1,000/1,000 Effects:
* Critical Increase
* Increases the probability of inflicting critical hits.
Name: Rat King's Fang Necklace [Accessory - Necklace] Rarity: Ra Quality: C+ Durability: 1,000/1,000 Effects:
* STR Up
* Increased STR stats while equipped.
* Disease Infection
* Improves the probability of inflicting Death-aligned status ailments.
Hmm, are these good? I'm not used to the equipment, so I can't say for sure. Their strong traits could be their high(?) durability...I guess?
They're better than nothing. And I'm hungry. I'll check out the System Message after I get some grub.
I went to the kitchen (as it would be too pitiful to eat from the floor as a human-ish creature) where I found Gust. He's finally awake, that bookworm bird.
"......WHO ARE YOU?! And what red-light district did you come from!? Wait, there's such a place here? Then there are people! Tell me now, you wannabe magician!" - Gust
Can I punch the light outta this bird? And say assassin, not a mage.