Chapter Twenty Eight - Evolving

Chapter Twenty Eight - Evolving

Skill Aptitudes are strange things. You wont ever see the system acknowledge them even if you hire a [Diviner] and have them use a Perfect Appraisal spell. However, they most certainly exist.

A Skill which you have an Aptitude for will level far faster than your other Skills. It will level from even the most minimal effort and continue to level far into your life. Finding these Aptitudes are important, because everyone and everything has some.

Yes, that includes monsters as well. Ever wonder why Blink Toads are so good at jumping even though they teleport more than they hop? Every species has its Aptitudes and their Skills in those areas will be high even if they were born the day before.

-an excerpt from, How to Survive: a companion to the Adventurer Training Guide by S-rank adventurer Dre the Massacre

Aside from the fact that I was an inch from death, I found it was rather easy to survive as a toad now that I didnt have my instincts driving me to attack monster lizards. Food? There are bugs everywhere. Water? I dont need clean water like a human would. Shelter? Ha! I built my house in a few hours because I am so tiny that I can use a shrub for a roof and some muddy sticks for walls! Plus, I was able to dig out a bedroom in a few minutes!

Admittedly, my easy survival involves me eating bugs, drinking dirty water, and living in a hole in the ground under a bush.

Those same instincts that had driven me to fight were also the same ones that had allowed me to feel relatively ok about my current situation, and now they were mostly silent. Sitting in my little den, I was finally hit by a wave of horror and disgust. Every time I had to eat an insect I very nearly threw up and I had become paranoid about parasites in the water.

I did start trying to meditate in the hopes of maybe gaining some more self control in the future, and I even got a Skill out of it! However, it was very difficult to keep my focus on my meditation. I wanted to use meditation to improve my focus, but I couldnt focus enough on my meditation to improve my focus

It was maddening!This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Each day, I recovered a single point of health and gained a single point of experience. Each day, my instincts came back a little more. By the time ten days had passed, I was struggling not to try and wander and explore. After fourteen days, I was hopping around my home in laps while trying to meditate at the same time. At sixteen days, I only managed to hold myself back because I was so close to Level five, and eighteen days later, my experience ticked up from forty nine to fifty.

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 5!]

[You have gained +1 Strength, +1 Endurance, and +1 Vitality!]

[You have reached the limit for your current Species and Growth stage! You may Evolve!]

[Would you like to see your available Evolutions now? Warning: deciding not to choose an Evolution will result in the System choosing for you.]

Well I definitely wanted to choose for myself rather than let the System choose for me, so I acknowledged that I wanted to see the possibilities. I was somewhat excited, actually, I wondered what kind of options I would get?

A new screen popped up, one that looked more like my Character Menu and less like the general notifications.

Evolution Species:

Young Boreal Toad:(Common) The Young Boreal Toad has survived the difficult competition of a Boreal Spawning and is stronger for it. These large toad monsters are highly aggressive and known for actively seeking prey even when their hunger is sated. +15 to all Stats, +1.2 to Str, End, Vit, Agi, and Dex per level, [Torpor](racial), [Salutivore](racial).

Unlocked by: Being a Hatchling Boreal Toad.

Young Horned Toad:(Common) Aggressive, poisonous, and generally unpleasant, the Young Horned Toad does not actually have horns. Instead, it is covered with sharp spines that secrete toxins and it has a penchant for ramming itself into its enemies to impale them. +25 to End, +5 to all other Stats, +2 Str, End, and Vit per level, +1 Agi and Dex per level.

Unlocked by: Killing an enemy with repeated slams by your body, having the Skill Charge, purposely trying to use your skins poison in a fight.

Young Kalif Toad:(Common) A slightly less aggressive cousin of the Boreal Toad, the Young Kalif Toad is better suited to dry environments. The Kalif Toad is more agile than the Boreal Toad, but correspondingly less durable. +15 to all Stats, +2 to Agi and Dex per level, +.8 to Str, End and Vit per level, [Torpor](racial), [Water Retention](racial).

This leaves me with three choices: the Young Kalif Toad, the Hatchling Kalif Newt, and the Hatchling Witchs Newt.

The Kalif Toad is not very interesting, but it isnt a bad choice. The fifteen bonus Stats exceed the total value of the Stats I would get from leveling either of the newts. However, both newts have [Regeneration] and enhanced poison, which makes them very attractive. It would be hard to choose, but there is one deciding factor between the Kalif Toad and the newts: I dont want to be a fucking toad!

A newt isnt much better, but it is better! So should I choose the Kalif or Witchs Newt? There really isnt a question, is there? The Witchs Newt can gain Willpower, so choosing that one is a no brainer. Plus, it probably has some interesting Evolutions I would think.

With the decision made, I chose to Evolve into the Hatchling Witchs Newt and I began to feel very sleepy. A wave of the purest exhaustion hit me and before I knew it, I had settled down to sleep in my little hole.

I woke up at night and stretched. I immediately felt the difference in my body and tried to get a good look at myself. I wasnt able to, so I would have to wait until morning to see my reflection, but more importantly I felt healthy!

Character Menu:

Name: - Species: Hatchling Witchs Newt Level: 0/5 Experience: 00/60

Class: -locked- Health: 57/57 Mana: 2/2 Stamina: 100/100

Statistics:

Str: 20 End: 19 Vit: 19 Agi: 12 Dex: 8

Per: 18Acy: 23 Wil: 6 Cha: 15 Mgc: 4

Lck: 163

Abilities:

[Breathes through her Skin](racial) [Toxic Skin](racial) [Toxin Control: Minor](racial)

[Regeneration: Minor](lesser)(racial) [Better First Impression] [Healthy Thoughts] [First Words] [Killing Blow]

Skills:

Ambush: 1 Analysis: 1 Charge: 2 Crafting: 1 Digging: 5 Dodge: 2

Jumping: 4 Meditation: 1 Swimming: 2 Stealth: 2 Taunt: 1 Throwing: 1

Trap Making: 1

I had healed! Was it from Evolving or from my [Regeneration]? Probably from Evolving, I wouldnt think my [Regeneration] would have been working until I had finished. I feel great! My head is clearer, my senses are sharper, I am stronger, and I am faster and that was only with a mere plus three to all my Stats!

Presumably I feel so much better because - compared to my former Stats - even an increase of as small as three is a large amount. Plus, my health is full for the first time in a long time. I have spent more of this life hurt than whole, so this is just excellent!

I moved out of my little burrow, noting that I was larger now than I was and that I would have to expand Toadhome. Newthome? No, I will keep calling it Toadhome. Wait, why the hell did my pool look like it was boiling!?