Reborn As An Evolving Monster



An exhausted white-scaled Monster folded its wings and landed on the ground.

A couple of meters above him, an Elven Princess leaped on platforms of solidified air, only landing a couple dozen meters further.

Yawn-

Between Elisa's arms, a sleepy Moonlit Feline.

'...'

A slight frown appeared on Mark's face as they passed him.

"Good luck." Elisa chuckled.

Splash-

Splash-

Splash-

Mark turned around as the wave of Monsters started exiting the waters.

Lizardmen, Sirens, Ludroths, and other Monsters which could survive both underwater and on land appeared.

The white-scaled Monster extended its arms forward.

'Let's try this again...'

Having flown all the way across the Border, Mark had exclusively used Endurance Points to do so.

His Mana reserves were filled to the brim.

Scorching Ray-

The beam of condensed red flames pierced the air.

While the Monsters could survive on land, they were more comfortable underwater.

Their skin and bodies were meant to spend a limited amount of time out of the water and under the sun.

The latter was setting, which gave them the confidence to venture forth onto the land.

They didn't fear their bodies and skin getting dehydrated as much.

The condensed red flames, of course, changed that.

Their bodies already weak to heat, couldn't handle the flames.

The beam moved in a straight line and, with great speed, burned holes through the bodies of a dozen Monsters.

"Ah!" Mark chuckled. "That's more like it." He muttered to himself.

Dozens of meters away,

"Well, isn't this nice?" Elisa whispered.

She had taken a seat on the lone and smooth rock visible on the ground.

On her knees kept together, a Moonlit Feline was lying.

It was lying, but did keep its eyes open and focused on its Master.

"Agh... So tired. So sleepy..." Elisa massaged her shoulders as she looked around. "No forest, no jungle, nothing... I guess that's good. Just an open plain. There isn't even grass on the ground... Strange when we're this close to water. Still, good for us, right?" The Moonlit Feline raised its gaze, nodded, and then directed its gaze back towards its Master. "Sleeping in the open is pretty stressful but... Yes, this is pretty good."

Elisa pressed her lips together.

'We're making good progress, though it is taking some time. Just have to cross Lust now then follow the Border between Lust and Pride to the Rift. Ugh... It's still a long way from here. Why do I feel so stressed about it?'

  The Moonlit Feline was gently pushed by Elisa who made space for her elbow to lay on her thigh.

She lay her chin on her palm and lightly tapped her cheek with her index finger.

'It's good. Everything's good. We're going at a good pace. We escaped from that Commander. We escaped from that disgusting Calamity the instant it appeared. The fact that both held one another back saved us back there. Yes... Yes. We barely made it out. That's what I'm stressed about. That's what it is.'

The tapping on her cheek grew more rough and the intervals between each tap grew shorter.

'Ugh...' Elisa sighed as she curled her index finger, letting her nail scratch her cheek with just enough intensity for it to sting a bit. 'I feel so anxious.'

She directed her gaze towards someone else she thought would be feeling anxious.

'If I try to use the Skill... I wonder if I can do it without condensing the flames between my hands. Oh. Like that one Boss Monster on the Skeleton Floor...'

Elisa sighed again.

'He's having fun fighting while I'm over here stressing out. Ughh... So annoying!'

She shook her head a brought a hand to her chest.

'We're getting closer... To the goal. He still hasn't answered. There isn't much way left... No. There's a lot left. But still, he hasn't answered. Should I ask?'

Elisa let her head drop forward.

'No, still not it. Fuck, this is annoying. This ball in my stomach, I can't figure out what's causing it.'

Meanwhile,

'I can't do it that way. Still need to condense the flames using both hands. It's easier to use and control now that I developed the Magic Skill though. Interesting. I'd really like to fire the beams off like that Guardian did. Though that was Dark Magic...' Mark thought to himself as he jumped back.

Frost spread on the ground below and a wall of ice appeared in front of him, blocking the Monsters' way.

A second later, the wall broke into dozens of sharp chunks which were manipulated to pierce the enemies.

'Next...'

Mark moved on quickly.

His nerves were calm and his mind collected.

Despite the fact that a hundred Monsters were approaching him, and more were exiting the waters.

There was no need to worry or stress about it.

A hundred, no.

A thousand enemies could be dealt with.

No matter the number, he could defeat them or get out of the situation.

One singular enemy, now that's a problem.

The Commander, or the Calamity.

These ants on the other hand?

A walk in the park.

Of course, that can only be true for so long.

Using Magic Skills to fight them means remaining a safe distance away.

And since the waves of Monsters do not wait for anyone or anything, Mana Points were depleting rapidly.

The initial distance and the continual advance of the swarm made it more difficult for Mark to reach the dead Monsters and, in turn, made it more difficult to Devour them.

Using Bone Manipulation allowed him to move the dead closer. But by then, Monsters would be standing on their bodies or blocking the way, further increasing the Mana Cost of moving their bodies.

Moving their bodies using Bone Manipulation was already tough and expensive in Mana Points since the whole body is moved but only the bones are manipulated. Minute control is necessary for the bones not to exit the flesh as Devouring bones wouldn't produce the same result.

Once Mark's Mana Points started reaching critical levels,

Tap-

Mark turned around.

"Tag out." Elisa said as she walked past him. "I'll deal with them while you rest for a bit. We're running right after, 'kay?"

"Yeah." The white-scaled Monster started walking away while keeping an eye on the swarm. "Thanks."

Elisa made her Timeworn Elven Daggers spin.

"I might not have as much raw power as him but..." Suddenly, an explosion occurred in the middle of the swarm, blowing away two dozen Monsters at once. The Wind Arrow that Elisa had shot towards the sky had finally descended upon them. "Mm. I guess that's not entirely true."

Elisa fought while Krista and Mark watched from afar.

Things seemed to be going well.

Only the three had forgotten something.

Upon entering Sloth, System Notifications had appeared.

Notifications about the interest the Demon Lord Of Sloth took for the Potential Demon King Candidation.

None had appeared for now.

Did the Demon Lord Of Lust not care about a being bearing such a Title, or...?