"Damn..." I thought, sighing heavily.
I couldn't read the skills of these species; the description was simply blocked. I had to choose something based on my own judgment.
"Should I choose the red crow?" I pondered, tapping my chin with my wing. This species stood out with its color, a distinctive type. At least there was a strength characteristic here.
The magical crow caught my interest. It had everything I needed.
"If I choose the crow, my magical power will increase. That's a plus in becoming someone great."
Since I had wings instead of hands, using magic was the best option for me. Yes, if I had hands, the red crow would have been just right for me.
[Evolution chosen!]
[Evolution initiated!]
"What?! What's happening?" I exclaimed in surprise as black tendrils began to emerge from the ground, enveloping me in a warm, dark cocoon. It wasn't painful; it felt like I was in a cozy bed.
As the cocoon fully closed, I felt the urge to sleep. I could feel myself slowly drifting off, my eyes closing.
"I'm getting weaker..."
I woke up in the forest. I thought only a little time had passed since I fell asleep.
The cocoon was no longer as strong, and I began to break free, like from a spider's web, which simply turned to dust, revealing me in front of the bright sun.
"How much time has passed?" My large wing shielded my eyes from the sunlight.
[2 days have passed!]
[You have evolved!]
[Do you want to see your characteristics?]
"What? Two days!" I exclaimed, grabbing my head with my wings.
I had spent two days evolving. This news didn't please me; I had spent too much time on this leap.
"I thought it would be instant..." I sighed heavily, lowering my head.
Although I no longer felt tiredness, I felt like I wouldn't sleep for the next few days.
Alright, since it was offered to me, I opened my characteristics to see my new self.
[Your life has increased to 100/100]
[Energy up to 80/80]
[Received 10 additional experience points]
Species: Magical Crow
Level: 10/50
Name: Kuroi
HP: 100/100
Energy: 80/80
Strength: 0
Intelligence: 5
Defense: 3
Agility: 0
Stamina: 0
Wisdom: 45
[Experience: 137]
Runes: 13
Development path: Monster
Titles: [Demon 1.lvl], [Voracity 1.lvl]
Your skills: [Quiet Planning 2.lvl], [Predatory Bird Flight 2.lvl], [Beak Strike 3.lvl], [Crow's Will 1.lvl]
Learned abilities: [Crow Gesture 1.lvl], [Shrinkage 1.lvl], [Sand Control 1.lvl], [Tough Skin 2.lvl]
[All your points have been reset except for the added ones!]
[Received +25 to Wisdom]
"Ah! So that's it? I need to redistribute my characteristics to be able to do something!"
I exclaimed in frustration, quickly getting down to it. After a minute, it looked something like this.
Species: Magical Crow
Level: 10/50
Name: Kuroi
HP: 145/145
Energy: 95/95
Strength: 37
Intelligence: 33
Defense: 53
Agility: 50
Stamina: 77
Wisdom: 45
[Your health has increased to 145/145]
[Agility increased from 20 of your points to 30 bonus: 50]
[Defense increased from 23 of your points to 30 bonus: 53]
[Stamina increased from 32 of your points to 45 bonus: 77]
[Intelligence increased from 18 of your points to 33 bonus: 33]
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
[+15 to Energy]
[Strength increased from 32 of your points to 47 bonus: 77]
"So, from the bonus every 10 numbers, I don't get anything, while during the regular spending of points, for every 10 numbers, there's a bonus +15."
That's the conclusion I drew while reviewing my characteristics. After all, if each tenth gave some bonus, my characteristics would grow indefinitely.
[Achievement unlocked: Stronger than a human child!]
"Well, well," I rolled my eyes. I was annoyed by the system when this notification appeared before me.
Now some of my characteristics have reached 50 or even 77 points. Soon, they could become round numbers.
Over time, I began to notice my strength; being a magical crow meant I would be associated with magic. My eyes were pleased with these changes.
However, I didn't understand why I was given such a notification if I was several times stronger than a child with these skills.
I accessed my characteristics once again to review each novelty. Finally, I could see the skill that I managed to obtain as soon as I got rid of the small crow body.
[Crow's Will — your ambitions and strength can give you communication with all kinds of crows. You can easily communicate with them without any gestures. You have received the gift of communication.]
[Skill: Crow Gesture has changed to [Crow's Will]]
"So this is a dialect skill, did I just get a regular conversational skill? Well, at this rate, I should have chosen the red crow instead..."
I scratched my head with my wing, surveying the surroundings. I am hungry now. I needed to find a new prey to test myself.
Approaching a small puddle to see myself, I was pleased with my gait this time. My steps with my paws were much broader.
Lifting one of my paws, my claws were very sharp. I smiled, feeling power within me. I was finally more than just a pup.
Looking at my reflection in the water, I saw blue lines under my eyes, running down and ending before the beak. They were subtle. Apparently, these were features of this species. I was an unusual crow.
"I'm so cool..." I admired myself, looking at my fluffy chest rising in the air with every breath.
Alright, I decided to take a walk and find someone who could give me new points. There were no traces of monsters left on the huge rocks.
I killed them all. So, I could continue my journey. I wanted to go in a different direction. In the depths of the forest, I stopped, noticing a little red tail peeking out from the bushes.
"What's this? A fox? He's kind of small for a fox..."
The tail was very small, and the bush trembled like a car engine. I would never mistake a fox for anything else. It was definitely a fox's tail.
This animal was different. It either hid from me or simply observed me. It just forgot to hide its tail.
I deliberately walked in the opposite direction, listening to various sounds behind me. The creature was running through the bushes, keeping an eye on me. I knew I wasn't alone, as I walked in different directions to make sure of my feelings.
I stopped to pick up a stone with my beak, keeping an eye on the trembling bushes with my peripheral vision.
"Why don't you want to attack? Are you trying to say you're different?"
I continued to test my luck, wiggling my rear end to lure it out. But nothing happened.
In the end, I sighed heavily, letting my guard down, and turned away.
The fox leaped at me from other bushes, straight onto my face, knocking me to the ground. My strong wings held its body to prevent it from tearing my throat apart.
—Oof! Grrrrr!!
"You little brat!"
Confusion was written on my face. He managed to hide so well that I didn't notice him. He outsmarted my vigilance. What a cunning little bastard, and so tiny.
"Wait! You're just a kid..."
I held the wild little creature in my wings; its rage was unrestrained. It didn't understand who was stronger or weaker; it just wanted to tear my throat apart, screaming at me while its sharp claws tried to strike anywhere.
"Short legs don't reach far! You little piece of crap..."
— Oof! Oof!
Species: Fox Cub
Level: 5/10
HP: 20/20
Energy: 5/5
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 1
Defense: 10
Agility: 20
Stamina: 15
Wisdom: 1
"So, you're as dumb as a rock, I see..." I held him in my wings, pushing him away with sand magic.
He landed on the flat ground with his paws, agile enough not to fall, balancing on his agility.
"His health didn't even drop?"
Development Path: Path of the Gods
Titles: [Unwavering Bravery 3.lvl]
Skills: [Sharp Teeth 2.lvl], [Sharp Claws 1.lvl], [Stealthy Silence 2.lvl]
Other Abilities: None
He had ordinary skills. Stealthy Silence could conceal one's presence. Apparently, he had been using it for some time to lower my vigilance.
"He's smarter, he wanted to catch me off guard, even if I noticed him..."
"What? Path of the Gods?!" My eyes narrowed, looking at this little rascal.
I didn't think I would encounter someone following a different path. He's just an animal, how could he have a god's path?
"Something doesn't add up, I need to test him..."
[Unwavering Bravery — The will of a creature that refuses to surrender even in the face of death. Even if your health drops to 1, you still fight for your life.]
I looked at this title, reading it carefully. Each sentence was very interesting. It meant that this child managed to survive in harsh conditions.
"Apparently, he's very hungry, so he attacked me..."
"Path of the Gods..." I whispered to myself, trying to understand what it meant. It was an unusual development path, and I was sure that encountering a creature following this path was something extraordinary.
I decided to give this fox cub a chance. Instead of instantly running away as I expected, he stayed put, looking at me with a puzzled gaze. He continued growling, preparing for the next attack.
"You're not an ordinary fox cub, are you?" I thought with a faint smile, liking that he didn't give up.
The fox quickly found himself behind me to attack with his claws. I was surprised. My eyes filled with delight. He managed to get behind me quickly, and I saw how he used speed. He was much slower than me in terms of stats.
I blocked his claw attack with a small sand wall. Being behind him, I weakly struck him on the back, causing him to fall to the ground even from such a weak blow.
"Stop, you won't be able to harm me, you're too weak to do anything to me..."
[Sand Control leveled up to 2.]
I leveled up my skill on the weak creature. What a villain I am. He's so small that I don't even feel like fighting him.
Although the fox cub fell to the ground, he still resisted, trying to get up and attack me again. His audacity and persistence earned my respect.
"You're a true fighter, little one," I thought, watching him try to get back on his feet.
"You've chosen the wrong opponent."
As he stood up, the fox cub lunged at me again, but this time I was prepared. I changed tactics and used my skills to control sand and block his attacks.
—Argh!
— Oof!
"Stop," — I thought, blocking his next attack.
"You can't harm me."
The fox cub seemed to slow down his attacks, as if realizing the futility of his attempts. His eyes met mine, and I saw something in them that made me pause.
"Oh! Get away from here!” — My wings lifted up, I simply turned away from this wild creature.
I had nothing to offer him; he had to survive in this cruel world on his own. The fox changed his manners; he licked himself and sat on the ground, waiting for something.
His head turned questioningly to the right, and the fox's face stopped looking at me with a hostile look.
—Puff?
The fox didn't understand why I left him alive, why I didn't kill him. My attacks tried to keep him away from me as far as possible.
I had nothing to do with this creature; I just felt sorry for the child. I was just like him in my first days.
"Helpless..."
Our battle ended in a truce. I left him alive as I walked away.
As soon as I turned around, there was no fox behind me. He disappeared as if he had never been there.
I sighed heavily, turning forward. Before me stood this little cub. He surprised me again, using his stealth skill.
His ears drooped like two petals. He approached me, starting to press his forehead against my stomach.
It seemed he lacked parental love. I didn't understand where his parents had gone; they should have protected him as a family member.
He pressed against me, not looking into my eyes; he didn't want to show his weakness. I understood that. I sighed heavily, hugging him with my wings.
I left him alive. Yes, I was ruthless to all creatures in this world. But he was like me, abandoned to the mercy of other creatures of this world.
I let him go, and he looked at me with his green eyes. His emotions changed, he looked like a dog wagging its tail, waiting for someone to throw a ball to him.
I stepped away from him, weakly smiling with the corners of my beak. My head nodded forward, telling him:
"Come with me. It will be much better for you."
The fox cub got up on his paws, bounding after me with his tail wagging. That's how I acquired a new protector, fighting for survival in this world.