Chapter 7: The grind towards evolution

While Sairal talked about a lot of things, I feel like he avoided or purposefully forgot to mention others. Picking out what is the most important of everything he said, is a bit difficult. Though the immediate surroundings of the forest, Luxia, and how the system operates are high on the list.

When I asked more about the forest, he completely avoided the topic, only saying that I should not go deeper into the forest, and stay at the so-called outskirts.

With the system, fairness seems to be important. I kind of understand how it works. Mainly it balances the world out, but how strong that balancing force is, and if breaking that rule has consequences is also vague.

Anyway, something that is far more logical, is that I both need skill- and normal levels. Seeing Sairal taking down those beavers, has shown how strong beings can become. And if I’m correct that is only the tip of the iceberg. In this world, there are monsters that can destroy entire cities with a single attack or skill. Maybe even that is not the pinnacle.

Another point of interest is evolving to the next grade. Sairal too, was a bit hesitant to talk about it. Instead, he told me that I should return when I had a few more levels under my belt.

I shift into another yoga position in my home, finding it to be slightly more comfortable.

A loud howl pierces through the silence of the night.

It is close. Really close.

Something runs past the tree, making the ground quake with fear. I freeze, hold my breath and do anything else that might help me remain hidden.

There is a bestial scream outside. It’s followed up by a gleeful howl and a pained whimper. The next thing I know there is the vicious tearing into flesh.

My hidden home below the tree suddenly doesn’t feel so safe anymore. A thin wall of dirt hides me from whatever is out there. As today has shown, a bit of dirt can’t hide nor protect me from something truly strong.

I turn away from the opening, making myself as small as possible. Maybe if I try hard enough, I can blend in with the roots.

I turn back to the opening and see a blood-red reptilian eye stare at me through the opening.

I blink and it’s gone as if I imagined it.

But that too can’t be true. The air is heavy with the scent of blood. I pay no mind to it until the blood starts to run, into the opening in my home. I don’t need to explain the rest, do I?

***

I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night, only thinking about the eye that peered at me from the opening. It shone like a spotlight in the darkness. Every time my mind flicks back to it, I still feel shivers crawl on my skin.

I wait a bit longer for good measure, hoping that the daylight will scare it away if it is laying in ambush right outside.

I pack the dirt away, now wet with blood out of the entrance. Oddly enough, when the droplets of blood meet my bark-like skin, they get absorbed.

No one ever told me that mandrakes were vampires.

Finally, with everything out of the way, I leave my small home and meet the sun outside. Oh, and the carnage next to my tree. Bones lay scattered all about with an ivory white ribcage, cleaned of every scrap of meat as at the centre.

There, while I look at the carnage, I promise myself to never go outside at night. The creature that fell prey to the other is several times larger than me. It alone must have been the size of an adult elk.

With the promise made to myself, I begin the long trek to the very outskirts of the forest where the weakest creatures roam.

***

The landscape is the same as last time; endless grassland with the smallest trees growing at the edges of the forest. I rush from each base to the tree to the next while searching for targets.

Even this area is dangerous for me. I try to blend in with the tree as a small herd of deer walk past. Most of them are in (I) grade but with so many, the chances of victory are slim.

Plenty of monsters of my grade roam around, but my skill set doesn’t allow me to take them down.

The insects have carapaces that are too resistant to my claws, the birds just fly away and I don’t even want to come close to the weird rodent creatures with glowing teeth.

After a good half hour of scouting, I find my target. One of the baby deer wandered too far off from the herd, and now it’s lost. I feel some sadness for it. The poor creature is clearly in distress, calling out to the rest of the herd.

Sadly it doesn’t know that it is also attracting every predator to its location.

Can I really kill this dear? My mind flicks back to the beavers and the remains of the monster this morning. I don’t want to but it has to be done. I don’t want to end up like that. I need to grow stronger fast.

I peel off from the tree and close in from behind. It hasn’t noticed me yet. Sensing the opportunity, I use Identify.

[Infant Blossom Deer] lvl 3/5 (I)

*Identify (C) lvl 1/20 -> Identify (C) lvl 2/20.

Aha! The first level for this skill. With some work, it will reach the maximal level soon enough.

I trail it blending in with trees as it looks around searching for its friends. I push my body against one of the nearby trees and wait for it to walk past me.

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It doesn’t take long. The dear goes from distressed to panicked. It stomps through the forest, uncaring of which directions it has already checked for the herd.

It wanders past me and I lash out. With my hand, I draw four small gashes into its side. Blood spills out and the creature screams in pain.

It begins to run through the forest. Before it really takes off, I push my claws into its hind leg and get a kick from the monster as a reward. However, the damage has been done.

The deer stumbles as its leg isn’t able to support its weight.

Like before I climb up the creature and start scratching its skin on its back.

Panicked, it stands up and begins to gallop around the forest, screaming out for its herd.

The whole endeavour reminds me of the Cokoca. Things are truly gonna be this way, aren’t they?

It turns out that the neck of a blossom deer is far less flexible than a Cokoca. The creature is barely able to look at me, much less bite me.

So this creature too, is trying to shake me off with all its might.

But this all leaves us in a stalemate. The deer can’t just throw me off, and I can’t pierce its skin with my claws.

I close my fist and slam it down on the deer while holding onto it with the other hand. The Blossom deer lets out a painful bleat in response.

Ah, I see, it isn’t resistant to blunt attacks. I pummel it with one hand, opting that this is a better way to kill it than to try to break its neck. It isn’t because I feel slightly guilty about the way I killed Cokoca.

Each punch to the beast's back barely does anything, but when you continue to hit the same spot again and again it begins to show effects quickly. The skin starts to bruise and grows worse with each hit until it begins to bleed.

Meanwhile, the deer just runs around in a panic, screaming its lungs out, all the while it tries to shake me off.

Knowing that soon more creatures are attracted to its scream, or worse the herd finds their lost infant deer, I speed up.

With a grimace on my face, I peel the bruised skin off and reveal bloody flesh and muscle beneath. The sight of it forces me to take a gulp.

You need to reap life to grow stronger.

I feel as if someone punched me in my gut as I slam my fist down on the flesh. Blood spatters all around me. I feel it drip down my face as I continue.

Again the deer cries out painfully, its screams breaking with pain and the knowledge of its soon-arriving death.

The deer’s spine cracks and its hind legs give out under it.

Now that it can barely move, defeat already in its eyes, I break its neck.

*You have slain [infant Blossom deer] lvl 3/5 (I)

I should have gone after its neck from the start. This took too long, and it was too gruesome.

*Congratulations you have gained a level. You are now level 3.

+2 HP +1 SP + 1 Strength +1 Agility.

I vacate the area when I gain the kill notification, weary of the predators that will be attracted to the blood and the screams it made.

I open my menu and go over all the skills and my new stats. My eyes fall on two skills that I haven’t used or don’t know how to use.

Nature Affinity is just strange. It hasn’t done anything but sit on my list. Mandrake Screech on the other hand is even stranger. I think it activated once on its own when I met Sairal. Or at least I think that that is what the pressure I felt in my throat was.

I need to learn to use my skills unconsciously. In my next fight, I will practice it and not brute force my way through. Maybe then it doesn’t have to be so bloody.

I wander around and find another target, this one a snail that seems to be as large as a human hand. Its shell is a weird earthy brown, with metallic yellow specks flaked on it.

[Segriad Specked Snail] lvl 4/5 (I)

Ah, another target.

I stretch out my hands and activate Body of Roots, sharpening my claws as if they are knives.

The snail seems to be unaware of its impending doom as I stalk forwards to it.

I slash at its shell, expecting to cut through it with slight difficulty. What I didn’t expect, was to be deflected by the stupid snail, only bits flaking off the shell.

Shaken, the snail retreats back into its shell, forcing me to look for another target. With hatred in my eyes, I continue the hunt. I make a promise to myself to return one day to kill this snail. I will have my revenge.

Another hour passes while I look for an easy target. Sadly, I don’t find anything suitable. My eyes travel back to one of the snails. They are one of, if not, the most numerous monster in these parts of the forest.

If I just had a rock I can smash the shell to bits. Wait, do I really need a rock? I just need a hard surface…like a tree.

I scan my surroundings for the closest and smallest snail. As it turns out, the snails vary in size and it doesn’t correlate to their level.

I pick up the closest one. It tries to free itself by nabbing at my skin. With its body stuck out, it manages to touch one of my fingers. Immediately it starts to sizzle and burn. I let the snail fall out of my hand, these things are acidic? How is that fair? Snails are supposed to be weak.

Down on the ground, the creature tries to flee from me but with its arguably slow speed, that isn’t happening anytime soon.

Like the one before, I rake my claws over its shell, making the creature shudder and retreat back into its shell. Perfect.

It doesn’t move as I pick it up.

It doesn’t move as I walk towards the closest tree and raise my hand, ready to throw it at the tree.

The snail doesn’t even move when it flies through the air, a few seconds away from impending doom.

It does, however, let out a painful squelch when the impact reverberates through its shell, creating cracks through it.

Victory is mine. Heheheheh.

I finish off the snail and only get a tiny bit of acidic mucus on me. I need to be careful but this can prove to be a quite efficient way to reach the maximal level.

However, this isn’t a good way to rack up achievements for evolution options.

Risks are rewarded by the system. So a risk I need to take.

Above me, the sun flickers out. I crouch down and scramble to the base of the closest tree. Wearily, I look up. Just a cloud, not a bird the size of an aeroplane.

Huh? Confused, I look up again. Up high in the sky, there are several clouds drifting through the sky, all coming from the west. I wouldn’t have thought much of it, but this is the first time I see a cloud in this world. And just like everything it is bigger, more than back on Earth.

It’s weird, to be honest. How can this forest be so full of life and so green if it barely rains? Perhaps it just rained when I got here, or there is someone messing with the weather? Nothing is out of the question.

My eyes move from the cloud to the sun. I need to go back soon.

Not feeling up for killing another snail, I head home.

***

The bloody dirt has dried and everything seems to be normal. The remaining pieces of flesh that were strewn around the clearing have been eaten by monsters over the course of the day. Though, the rib cage is still there in its haunting glory.

I head into my home, pack the dirt into the entrance and pat myself on the shoulder for a job well done. Just two more days like this and I can evolve. Truly, with some preparation, this world isn’t that bad.

I find the most comfortable position once again. Even my body seems to be adjusting to this yoga. Laying like this barely stretches my muscles.

My eyes fall shut and I drift away to sleep.

***

I’m woken up by sounds once again. The monsters of night seem to be more active in this area of late. It's probably just the lingering scent of blood.

I get into another position until I hear sniffing outside. My roots freeze and I slowly turn towards the entrance packed with dirt.

A big reptilian eye, blood-red at the edges, fading to a cold orange at the centre stares at me. It looks right at me, locked on the smallest movement.

I was stupid. When I saw that eye staring at me last night, dream or not, I should never have returned.

Now that monster, that thing. It's right outside.