Ch.1010. Evolution Would Be Sad Without You.

Crisis situation. My senses, my wild instincts were telling me.

A frontal assault would fail. They were telling me to charge forward only if I wanted to throw my life away.

“Grrrr!”

The low growl of the Red Ceratops triggered fear. A massive body about 4 meters tall. Magical energy swirled around its sharp horns.

In that moment, my body stepped back. It wasn’t my conscious decision.

This monster’s body had instinctively retreated.

Before I knew it, the Triceratops’ tail had swept past my face.

The air around me changed.

I belatedly returned to reality and fled aimlessly. The Yeager Guild would handle it anyway. Catching just one would be enough.

But this thought of mine was shattered when I heard a tearing noise.

Evil Bat. That flying creature had started searching for me.

[Evil Bat’s tracking ability is the highest among C-rank monsters, with cases of it pursuing a single Yeager for over 5KM.]

If I release my monster form, I’ll die without even being able to escape. If I maintain the monster form but make no progress, the Yeagers will come and kill me too.

There’s only one choice.

Kill the Evil Bat first.

How?

I looked at the nearby trees. With this body, it’s possible.

I put strength into both legs and charged forward like a bull.

Each time my feet touched the ground, I bounced as if on a trampoline.

At least I’m faster than the Red Ceratops.

Various scenarios overlapped in my mind. Could I defeat these enemies in a head-on battle?

My wild instincts were saying no.

Just as wild animals don’t easily fight and instead size each other up before retreating, I already knew the answer.

“But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to win.”

The Armored Salamander I defeated was also C-rank. Clearly, I just need to avoid a frontal assault.

I climbed a tree in one breath.

My claws dug into the center of the tree, and as I pushed off to climb higher, the tree shook between the night lights from the impact.

I hid within the trees again, repeating this until the sounds grew distant, and then I needed to prepare.

The Evil Bat would chase me to the end. That’s the kind of creature it is.

Among the skills available to me, only one could intercept the Evil Bat: Breath.

If I unleash it at close range, even the Evil Bat would take damage.

Two smoke screens left. I’ll use them to catch both the Red Ceratops and the Evil Bat.

“Peep peep peep peep!”

Something like a signal sound rang in my head. It meant the Evil Bat was approaching.

[Evil Bat sends out sound waves to scan its surroundings. In other words, hiding won’t work. To hide effectively, you need a place with many obstructions that forces the Evil Bat to come close. In short, you need to attack. It’s agile and swift, but has weak durability.]

My knowledge contained the method to defeat it.

As the pain intensified and my consciousness wavered, I detected the Evil Bat flapping its wings, flying past the side of the tree.

Right now, I spewed smoke from my mouth.

“Kee-keh-keh-keh?”

The smoke that hit it instantly spread in all directions, obscuring vision.

Then I used Breath.

A blue breath erupted from my mouth like a dragon’s breath, stirring the smoke.

“Kaack!”

I heard a scream and felt it crying out in pain within the fog.

“Kaack!”

Another scream, and something changed in the lower part of the fog.

In less than a second, my body had already flown toward it.

As the Evil Bat fell, my mouth caught its wing.

If you ask why specifically the wing, it was simply to prevent it from flying away.

I tore at the wing and thrust my claws into its body.

Then I ripped it apart. Dust rose from the ground, and before my eyes lay the brutally slaughtered Evil Bat.

[Absorbing DNA.]

-Beast

[DNA Points Acquired]

-400

Total points: 950.

“Just a little more and…”

Now I just need to escape. I want to catch more, but my body’s condition won’t allow it.

But this was just my delusion. A tree collapsed, heading in my direction.

I heard footsteps that shook the earth. Damn, they don’t give up, do they?

Three Red Ceratops were charging toward me. I’m too exhausted to run away now.

[Red Ceratops forces you to avoid frontal confrontation with its terrifying horns and charging power. But it’s the opposite. Its weakness is right there in that terrifying and powerful front—the center of its forehead. That’s its vital point.]

I struggled to my feet.

One hit would leave me in critical condition.

And there are three of them.

“Attack first.”

This is the only option I have. I just need to catch one of them.

I fired one of my remaining Breaths now, aiming at the face of the charging monster.

The Red Ceratops hesitated as its face contorted.

I spewed smoke again.

The lead monster stopped, but the others ignored it and continued charging.

Where to dodge? Right in front of the monster. Obviously, the other two wouldn’t hit their own kind.

When the smoke had formed and the opponent was disoriented, I boldly approached.

If I just get close and strike, I should hit the forehead.

There’s no time.

I attacked the forehead with all my might.

“Kroaaah!”

The monster’s scream echoed. Fall down. Please!

But unfortunately, my hope was dashed. It had struck me with its horn.

“Kuk!”

It’s stronger than the Armored Salamander. But I didn’t give up.

I forcibly drove both hands into its forehead and swung.

“Die! I said die!”

The Red Ceratops’s legs buckled. Just a little more…

But my wish wasn’t granted. As my wild instincts warned me, I turned to see another Red Ceratops charging through the smoke.

“Wha…”

Before I could even speak, intense pain struck my entire body.

“Kraak!”

I could see the smoke in the distance.

I needed to land on the ground, but I couldn’t maintain balance.

Blood was flowing from my side.

“How can I escape from here…”

My vision blurred and the pain continued.

Through it all, the Red Ceratops that had sent me flying appeared.

Now it was charging toward me again. I had no strength left to dodge; I could only take the hit.

After all this effort to regress?

As I waited for death, a massive object fell in front of me.

It was a Red Ceratops. The one I had been attacking. Why did it fly here?

When I looked up, as the smoke dispersed, the third Ceratops was tilting its head in confusion.

In that moment, I realized.

Thanks to the smoke, it had attacked its own kind. Wait, does that mean…?

[DNA Points Acquired]

-400

-Total Points: 1350

A miracle had just occurred before my eyes.

[Evolution Card has been unlocked.]

At the same time, a red evolution card was glowing through my status window.

And I saw two possible futures: continuing growth in my current semi-dragon form, or a complete dinosaur form.

As the Red Ceratops charged at me, my red card began to emit light once more.

***

The Red Ceratops recognized that something was strange about the target in front of it.

A monster, yet an enemy attacking it.

A monster’s goal is singular: eliminate hostile targets.

Even if it’s another monster, there are no exceptions if it attacks.

Naturally, it tried to attack to defeat it, even as its vision was suddenly obscured.

But it’s weak.

The monster’s instinct told it so.

So it attacked.

The bloody, sprawled figure seemed to be the result of its charge. The smoke enveloped everything again, but it just needed to charge in the same direction.

Time to finish this. The Red Ceratops moved again. But once more, a strange light was emanating from before it.

But it didn’t matter. The target was weak.

As it charged, the Ceratops suddenly realized something odd.

When the light disappeared, the strange creature it knew was nowhere to be seen.

Rather, what stood before it now was not the creature it had seen earlier.

The Red Ceratops naturally halted its steps.

Something had changed.

Something significant enough to stop its charging instinct.

Something was wrong.

“Grrrr…”

The Red Ceratops let out a warning growl, but “it” seemed uninterested.

It was big.

The Red Ceratops, boasting a height of 4 meters, was now looking up at its opponent.

“Grrrr…”

The low rumbling sound was completely different from its earlier sub-adult form.

About 6 meters tall? The black body, comparable in height to a tree, moved.

It was no longer the small 2-meter height from before. Dark red scales covered its body, and protrusions on its back extended to its tail, adding to its ferocity.

In contrast to the black scales, its head was covered with something bone-white, with a horn protruding from the nose area.

Moreover, its large jaw and the visible teeth arranged in two rows suggested tremendous biting power.

This was not the same creature it had seen earlier.

Instinct commanded the Red Ceratops to flee.

But unusually long hands grabbed the Red Ceratops’s head.

When it struck the supposedly hard horn with its claws, it crumbled pathetically.

“Kraaah!”

The startled Ceratops swung its tail, hitting the body directly.

It should have caused damage here. But the monster before it was completely unharmed.

When the grotesque monster exerted force, the Ceratops’s head was separated from its body.

Overwhelming power.

The other Ceratops tried to escape, but the monster had already jumped forward and thrust its mouth.

Crunch.

With a crisp sound, the remaining Ceratops collapsed to the ground.

*

Main Card

-Species: Dinosaur Name: Dinosaur Asura Growth Stage: Sub-adult

Traits: Wild Power (All stats increase by 1.5 ranks, but control decreases by the same amount), Magic Enhancement (Emits magical energy to enhance attack power and stamina. Resistance and magic resistance decrease by 1 rank), Ferocity (When defeating monsters, attack rank increases for 5 minutes)

Strength: B

Agility: C

Resistance: B

Magic Resistance: C

Stamina: B

Magic Power: C

Skills: Gaia Flame, Bite, Claw Attack

Evolution: Beast, Humanoid possible

Total Points: 950 points

I transformed. Thanks to the evolution card that came to me as a lifesaving measure, I was able to survive.

My body now was on a completely different level from before. I had become incredibly strong. And this wasn’t even the adult form?

But something feels strange.

The more I see other monsters moving around, the more I want to chase them.

If I don’t release this form and escape now, the guild might discover me.

“Return… Kraak!”

But my body won’t listen. I want to kill more excitedly…

It’s hard to control. The moment I realized this, this body relentlessly absorbed my will.

The stronger it is, the harder it is to handle.

“Mmm!”

I barely managed to stop my steps, and I fell forward.

A loud noise reached my ears, signaling something wrong with my body.

“Phew…”

I barely stopped. Right at this moment, one of my hands glowed.

[Transformation Released]

I returned from the massive body to my original 178cm form.

“Whew. That’s a relief. It didn’t come like last time.”

I looked around. The mountain is a low priority for the guild since few people visit.

That’s why they haven’t come until now.

“This is really tough. I want to get to the gate quickly.”

Staying vigilant, I was barely able to return to my lodging.

Looking at the clock, it was past 9. That much time had passed.

“Ugh. I just want to sleep.”

After transforming into the sub-adult form, fatigue was overwhelming my entire body.

Is this the backlash?

But I still had things to do. I summoned the card again.

[Sub Cards]

-Evolution Card, Awakening Card, Magic Claw, Smoke Screen, Tail Enhancement

The sub cards had also changed. So when I evolve, the sub cards are reorganized accordingly.

And with M points, they support me with various card types.

Now I could understand all the gifts my summoning spirit provided.

“Yes, with this I have nothing to worry about. I just need to keep getting stronger. What remains is…”

Suddenly, I recalled the final exam period before my regression. Being called by the dean and facing expulsion. Since I can’t transform at school, it’s obvious the same thing will happen again.

“I need to prevent it somehow in advance. But not today.”

This body is exhausted, and even thinking is difficult. Rest—I need rest. I dragged my tired body toward the lodging.