Then, the system spoke.
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[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Congratulations, Arthur! You have absorbed the volatile Soul Core of a long-dead Elder Beast, a direct descendant of the Titan of Fire.
New Evolutionary Traits Available:
* Infernal Scales: Strengthen your carapace with a layer of fire-resistant scales, providing enhanced protection against both heat and physical attacks.
* Ember Breath: Gain the ability to exhale a stream of embers and fire, dealing burning damage to enemies over time.
* Molten Core: Imbue your attacks with a molten heat, causing additional burning damage to anything you strike with your claws.
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Arthur gasped, his chest heaving as the system’s voice faded. The fire inside him still raged, but it had settled into a steady burn now, a controlled inferno that pulsed with every beat of his heart. He could feel the power it offered, the potential locked within each of the options. This was more than just survival now—this was a path toward true strength, something far beyond the raw physicality he had known so far.
Fire-resistant scales? Fire breath? Molten attacks? Each option echoed in his mind, each one tempting in its own way.
Arthur clenched his claws, feeling the weight of the decision. The Kraken had almost defeated him, had left him broken and bruised. He couldn’t afford to make the wrong choice. He needed to get stronger—now.
His eyes flicked toward the distant glow of the Scorching Badlands. He hadn’t forgotten the red mark on the map, the warning that had flashed in his mind. He knew he would need more than just defense when the time came to face whatever lurked there. He needed to be able to strike, to burn through whatever threatened him.
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[Evolutionary Trait Selected: Molten Core]
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The moment the choice was made, Arthur’s body convulsed. The fire within him intensified, burning hotter, deeper, until it felt like his very blood had turned to molten lava. His muscles rippled, expanding as his frame grew. He could feel his bones stretching, his carapace thickening, his limbs growing longer and more powerful. Every part of him felt heavier, denser, but also stronger.
He was growing.
The ground beneath him shifted as his body expanded, his tail lengthening, his claws becoming sharper. The transformation was slower this time, more deliberate. His body was reshaping itself, not just to survive, but to dominate. He could feel the molten heat in his claws now, simmering just beneath the surface, ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice.
By the time the evolution was complete, Arthur stood taller, broader. He glanced down at himself, realizing just how much he had changed. He was bigger now, around the size of an adult crocodile. His limbs were thicker, his carapace harder, but it was the molten energy coursing through him that felt the most different.
Arthur flexed his claws experimentally, and as he did, he could feel the heat surge through them, a molten edge forming around his fingertips. His strikes would now leave more than just cuts—they would burn.
But with that new power came a new hunger.
Arthur’s stomach clenched, the gnawing emptiness inside him growing louder. His larger form demanded more. More food. More energy. The hunger was always there, lurking beneath the surface, but now it was insistent, driving him forward.
Bigger means hungrier, Arthur thought grimly, his claws digging into the seafloor.
He was evolving, yes, but with every evolution, the stakes grew higher. His enemies would get stronger, and so would the hunger. He would need to hunt, to feed, to keep growing. There was no stopping now.
Arthur glanced toward the dark abyss ahead, his senses heightened, the primal urge to survive stronger than ever.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
*
Arthur swam through the cold depths, his body now heavier, more powerful, and surging with molten energy. The seafloor below was a jagged landscape of rocks coated in luminescent moss that bathed the area in a faint, eerie glow. Small eel-like creatures flitted in and out of cracks, their glowing eyes tracking him, but he had no time for them. His focus was on one thing.
The mini-Kraken.
He hadn’t forgotten how it had nearly killed him, how it had dragged him toward its jagged maw, poised to devour him. But this time, he was ready. His larger, evolved body pulsed with the power of his Molten Core, and he was determined to test his new strength.
The faint red glow of the Scorching Badlands shimmered in the distance as Arthur approached the mini-Kraken’s lair. The water grew heavier, the pressure more oppressive, but none of it fazed him. His molten heat surged through his veins, strengthening him with every pulse. His claws flexed instinctively, and his muscles coiled with anticipation.
The instant he crossed into the mini-Kraken’s territory, the creature lunged from the shadows. Its tentacles whipped toward him like deadly lashes, slicing through the water with terrifying speed.
Arthur twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the first strike. His newfound agility, thanks to his Aquatic Swiftness, allowed him to outmaneuver the beast. With a powerful swipe of his claws, he countered. The molten heat surged through his fingers, and when his claws slashed across the mini-Kraken’s side, its dark, rubbery flesh sizzled and bubbled, releasing a sickening stench into the water.
The mini-Kraken screeched, recoiling in pain, but Arthur wasn’t finished. He advanced, slamming into the creature with all his weight. The hardened carapace of his back collided with the mini-Kraken’s squishy body, sending shockwaves through the water. He could feel the brittle snap of its bones beneath his assault.
But the mini-Kraken was far from defeated.
As it flailed, tentacles whipped toward him in a chaotic frenzy, one managing to coil around his hind leg, squeezing with brutal strength. Arthur growled, feeling the pressure build, but the molten heat in his claws surged even stronger. He slashed downward, severing the tentacle in one clean strike. Dark purple blood clouded the water, but the mini-Kraken wasn’t done yet.
It thrashed violently, propelling itself backward with its remaining tentacles as it tried to retreat to the safety of its shell. In desperation, the mini-Kraken unleashed a barrage of ink into the water, creating a thick, black cloud that quickly enveloped them both. The inky darkness surrounded Arthur, obscuring his vision, making it difficult to track his enemy’s movements.
For a moment, the water was still. Arthur floated in the thick blackness, his senses heightened, his molten core burning beneath his scales. He could hear the faint sound of water shifting, the subtle movements of the mini-Kraken as it prepared its next attack.
Suddenly, out of the darkness, a tentacle lashed out, wrapping around Arthur’s neck, choking him. Another tentacle whipped around his midsection, squeezing tighter and tighter. The pressure was immense, threatening to crush him. Arthur growled, his body tensing as he struggled against the mini-Kraken’s grip. The creature was trying to strangle him, choke him out in its inky veil.
But Arthur wasn’t done yet.
He summoned the molten heat from within, feeling it surge to his claws. His body burned with fire as he raked his claws against the tentacle strangling his neck, severing it with a fiery slice. The water hissed and bubbled where the molten heat touched, and the mini-Kraken screeched in agony as its limb was cut away.
It retreated again, this time with more desperation. Arthur could feel its panic. It wasn’t used to being hurt, wasn’t used to losing.
The mini-Kraken, growing more erratic, sprayed streams of boiling ink-laced water at Arthur, each strike meant to push him back. The scalding water struck his scales, sending waves of burning pain across his body, but his molten core gave him the edge. His scales resisted most of the heat, protecting him from the worst of the damage.
Arthur growled, dodging another tentacle. His mind raced. He could feel the creature’s desperation. It was trying to keep him away, trying to keep distance. Why? He glanced around the battlefield, and something clicked. The creature was avoiding the tall spires of salt-like crystal. Arthur’s eyes widened.
Salt. The mini-Kraken was avoiding the salt spires.
A memory from his human life flashed through his mind. The mini-Kraken was shaped like a fusion between a slug and an octopus—slugs couldn’t handle salt. He grinned, baring his sharp teeth.
With a feral growl, Arthur tore one of the salt spires from the ground with his claws, snapping it free with sheer strength. The spire was heavy, but Arthur was stronger now. He hefted it over his shoulder and hurled it straight at the mini-Kraken.
The spire slammed into the creature’s side, and the reaction was immediate. The mini-Kraken screeched in pain, its body writhing as the salt made contact with its flesh. Where the salt touched, its rubbery skin shriveled and cracked, burning as if it had been doused in acid.
Arthur grinned. He had found its weakness.
He tore another spire from the ground, advancing on the retreating mini-Kraken. The creature lashed out with its tentacles in a desperate attempt to stop him, but Arthur was faster, more focused. He dodged the strikes, his claws scraping the ground as he hefted the second spire.
The mini-Kraken, now limping from its injuries, tried to flee, but Arthur wouldn’t let it escape. With one final roar, he hurled the salt spire into its path. The spire pierced through the creature’s rubbery body, pinning it to the ground.
The mini-Kraken convulsed, its tentacles flailing wildly as its body dissolved around the salt spire. It let out one last agonized screech before its body went limp.
Arthur, panting heavily, approached the fallen creature. The water around him still bubbled with the remnants of his molten power, and the air smelled of burnt flesh. He looked down at the mini-Kraken, its body now a shriveled, lifeless husk.
Without hesitation, Arthur flicked his middle claw in a human gesture—flipping the dead creature off.
It’s over.