This wasn’t my first time advancing my development stage, nor evolving to a new path. But this was different.
A glow consumed my body as a rush of warmth spread through me. I could see the aura I was radiating, lighting the dark tunnel around me, and as I looked down at my paws, I realized I was changing far more drastically than last time. My claws, while growing larger and sharper right before my eyes, also had a cascade of colors dancing around the hard, bony stuff that made up my nails.
As the changes settled, my claws were left with a dark blue tint to them and were slightly translucent. If I looked closely, I could see tiny particles moving around inside them, like tiny, tiny stars.
Not only that… I tilted my head to examine my side, realizing instantly that not only had I grown bigger, but there was a slight blue tint to my undercoat. Twisting my back the right way to part the hairs made my undercoat a little more visible. I at first wondered if this would affect my stealth abilities, but I doubted it, considering my camouflage skill that I retained from my previous path and the fact that it was quite a dark blue.
[Congratulations! You have evolved into the Arcane Nightstalker Path!]
You walk between shadow and element, unseen and unbound. The pulse of the world flows through your veins, and you can harness it to your whims.
[New trait obtained: Elemental attunement]
You have improved attunement with the elements, increasing your capacity to harness and store elements, whether through consumption or by other means.
[New trait obtained: Moon Harvester]
Under direct moonlight, the potency of your spells is improved, and magic-related mana costs are reduced.
[New active skill: Elemental absorption]
You can harness mana from the world around you and from attacks. When absorbing elements defensively, success will depend on your level and resistances.
[New active skill: Elemental Swipe]
Channel a single specific element into your claws for a melee attack infused with the element of your choosing.
[New active skill: Elemental Cocktail]
Combine as many elements as you want to cast a variety of different spells.
[New Passive Skill: Elemental Mastery]
The potency of your spells becomes stronger.
[New Menu Function Available: View Elemental Reserves]
You can now check the quantity of elements available to you to cast spells.
Woah! That’s a lot to take in! This Path seemed a lot more complicated than my last one. I’d love to take some time and experiment with it a bit, but…
The monster pressed its face into the hole it was digging to check its progress. If it was concerned at all about my evolution, it didn’t show it and let out another of those giddy snarls as it resumed digging.
I still felt winded from the earlier chase, but it seemed the system was kind enough to grant me one more boon as a ding sounded and another screen overlapped all the skill screens.
[Achievement! Clutch Evolution!]
Evolving mid-fight? Talk about cutting it close! And with your new Path comes a renewed will for survival.
All vital deficits restored by 50%
A wolfy smile spread across my snout as I checked my vitals.
Vitals
Health: 322 / 340
Mana: 322 / 370
Stamina: 205 / 368 (+40)
Stamina was the most crucial, and the fatigue melted away instantly, feeling like I had just woken up from a good nap.
One last thing to check was this new “function.” I didn’t have time to figure out how to efficiently use my new abilities, but I at least wanted to have an idea of what I was working with.
View elemental reserves.
Elemental Reserves
Fire: 15/20
Electricity: 15/20
Water: 4/20
Wind: 4/20
Earth: 1/20
So it seemed I kept the mana from the things I’d consumed earlier in the day. I had eaten a lot more Lightning Toads than Fire Martins, so it seemed odd that they were at the same quantity. But maybe it was because my maximum was only 15 before evolving? Elemental Attunement was probably to thank for that, and I assumed leveling it up would improve my capacity.
I hoped those numbers equated to individual uses and each spell wasn’t too much of a drain. Or worse, if it was a drain-it-all-in-one-go kind of thing, I’d really have to make it count.
As the monster continued to dig, I considered how to proceed. Running wasn’t an option, so I had to fight. This thing was huge and clearly at a higher level than me. So while my chances were significantly improved, victory was far from a sure thing.
I believed more and more that the system offering achievements was also influenced by its desire for me to survive. Yet, it must have been limited in what it could offer. The rewards may have been tailored to some degree but still had to reflect what I’ve earned. It probably couldn’t just give me +1000 strength to allow a one-hit kill, no matter how badly it wanted to aid my survival.
I also considered that temporary bonuses were a long-term negative, as it missed opportunities for permanent gains.
Whatever the case…
I swiped away all the screens and stared down the tunnel. Elemental Cocktail or Elemental Swipe?
Elemental Cocktail probably meant I could attack from a distance, but the monster could also bury me with its own magic if it realized I had such an ability. Perhaps the only reason it hadn’t already was for mana conservation, and it didn’t want to waste it on what was already a sure thing.
I flexed my claws. Elemental Swipe… I’d wait for it to put its eye down again and try using it with electricity. Fire was more surface-level damage, but based on how the red masks shocked me with those damn poles of theirs, I knew electricity was a deeper-reaching kind of damage, the kind that might be able to permanently damage an eye. Plus, through conductivity, going through the eye would be a way past the scales, which might resist electricity, and even fire might just splash right off of.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
I came forward, watching the rocks and rubble fall from where it was digging. Then, the digging slowed, and I came forward more, tensing, waiting for my moment to strike.
The glow of the cavern beyond darkened as the monster lowered itself. The second I saw that glowing yellow eye, I lunged.
{Elemental Swipe}! Lightning Claw!
I focused on the thought, and mid-leap my dark blue claws changed to a bright white tint and I swiped—scoring a direct hit!
The white of my claws quickly drained out, creating a jagged bolt of white that sank directly into the creature’s eye as my claw scraped the area. The monster instantly reared back, letting out a deafening roar and stomping, head pitched toward the ceiling as it backed off.
A geyser of earth erupted just behind me as I dove out of the tunnel and under the creature. I dodged to the left to avoid being stomped and then retreated while it was still shaking its head in agony.
When it recovered, it looked back to the tunnel, then started pivoting its head left and right, searching for me. I spun around, kicking up dirt as I came to a stop and tried another spell.
{Elemental Cocktail}! Fire and Lightning!
As I used the spell, I instinctively knew to rear back on my hind legs, lift my front paws, and swipe down. A mix of red and white spun around my claws for a moment before draining out and creating a white and red arc of energy. As quickly as it formed, it shot forward with impressive speed. A little luck was on my side as the monster turned just in time to put its big, ugly face in the way.
Its eye that had taken the Elemental Swipe was lidded, struggling to open. The other eye widened in surprise, unable to duck away from the attack. The arc of energy exploded as it hit its face, and the monster reared back again, this time falling backward and hitting the ground. It growled as it scrambled to its feet, but I was already on the move again, running around it in a wide circle, trying to decide on the next opening.
Damage to the face was great for weakening it, but how would I get a killing blow? Continuing to bombard it with attacks might take too long, as I could imagine it had impressive Vigor for its size.
I checked my reserves to get a better idea of what I had spent and what I still had to work with.
Elemental Reserves
Fire: 13/20
Electricity: 8/20
Water: 2/20
Wind: 2/20
Earth: 1/20
So the Elemental Swipe probably drained 5, while the Elemental Cocktail drained 2 of each. Could I mix even more elements for a bigger attack? I’d need more earth to try using all five at once. In my gut, I had a feeling that would be a very powerful attack.
As the monster flailed on the ground before finding its footing, I noticed its stomach was not as heavily scaled. The flesh there looked unarmored and soft.
I used {Vail of Shadows} and hid amongst some greenery that clung to a rock as the monster got its bearings down and began searching for me.
I knew I couldn’t disregard my mana either, so I checked it.
Vitals
Health: 322 / 340
Mana: 232 / 370
Stamina: 170 / 368 (+40)
I was missing 90 mana from when I last checked and already knew Veil of Shadows cost 30, so my two new active skills probably cost 30 apiece as well.
In frustration of losing sight of me (and probably being so badly injured by something it thought of as prey) the monster let out another roar and stomped its two front limbs down, claws digging into the ground as three waves of earth erupted forward, turning over the dirt in distinct paths and crumbling to rubble until the wave fell just short of the stream.
Good! Waste your mana, you big, dumb monster!
But could I use Elemental Absorption on such an attack to gain the earth element I needed? How did it work? And was I too low a level to do so effectively?
The wave attack it just used seemed to get weaker the further out it reached, so maybe that was where I should attempt it?
For now, the monster was moving closer to me, and though it inhaled through its nose, it didn’t seem able to track me, perhaps due to being too disoriented.
When its back leg, which I had attacked previously, came near, I leapt from hiding, using {Crippling Bite}, enhanced by Predator’s Focus, Veil of Shadows, and Night Hunter.
I sank my teeth down right on top of the punctured, bloody area from my previous bite. This time, I could feel the strength of my jaws and knew it was a more effective attack. Being bigger myself let me get more teeth around as well. But its limb was still too thick to even hope to break it, as I would against other foes.
Still, the monster was back to screaming and stomping. I darted away from it again, and this time it gave chase. Just as I felt it lunging down to try to scoop me up, I reversed direction and dove under it, causing it to slam its nose into the ground again.
I aimed for the injured leg and used {Elemental Swipe}, Lightning Claw!
The monster screamed as my electricity went through the punctured scales, damaging deep into its flesh. Once I retreated and turned to face down my adversary once again, I saw how the leg shook and the monster winced as it tried to put weight on it.
That’s right, I might be small, but I’m smarter than you! I growled, showing my fangs as my hackles raised, and I stared the monster down from a distance.
Then, it did exactly what I wanted. Opening its mouth in a big roar, showing its massive fangs, it slammed its front claws down, erupting another three-pronged wave of turning earth that was heading right for me.
I doubled back shortly, but then turned and dove right for the end of one of the waves—
I hope this is how this works!
{Elemental Absorption}!
The wave died before the other two, crumbling into soft, turned dirt right before my eyes (and paws!). But that wasn’t all. Tiny brown particles rose from it and floated directly towards me. It was similar to the green orbs that hovered about the lake in the middle of the vale.
I checked my reserves, and indeed my plan worked perfectly.
Elemental Reserves
Fire: 13/20
Electricity: 3/20
Water: 2/20
Wind: 2/20
Earth: 3/20
Now the question was: Where do I attack?
The monster was already charging after me, its big limbs thumping the ground, but hobbling on its back leg. I was doing pretty good so far; my size and brilliant tactical mind allowed me to run circles around this big oaf… but I knew that wouldn’t last forever. One mistake and I’d be turned into dinosaur food in an instant.
I had considered attacking its belly, and that might be its weakest point, but even then, it would take a while for it to die like that. Anywhere covered by scales was completely out of the question.
It lowered down, planning to scoop me up again as it came forward. The earth rumbled, and I got moving to the side to avoid it. I had to hop over a forming geyser, and my back legs were hit, but I used it to just increase the height of my jump and easily avoided the monster's mouth.
I saw the back of its neck. It had the spikey bone part armoring it even further back there. I usually got kills by snapping their neck, but that would not work.
So belly?
I hit the ground and ran in another wide circle as the monster lifted its head and growled in frustration as it tried to put its remaining good eye back on me.
Fusing two elements was pretty strong, and I could only hope all five would be exponentially better. But I only had one shot at it. I couldn’t go around hunting for other elements while this thing was trying to chomp me.
My paws skidded in the dirt as I turned towards it. Would hitting its belly really be enough? I should do it close-range to be sure I didn’t miss either way… but…
Even if I exploded its guts, it wouldn’t die right away. I’d have to continue fighting, and maybe I could eventually break down this monstrosity, but there was no obvious killing blow!
Then, as it opened its mouth and roared, an idea struck me.
Its mouth…
It looked terrifying, but that was clearly its weakest point.
Alright! I hope you like spicy food!
I planted my hind legs and stared right into the eye of the beast as it charged forward. Its mouth opened, displaying a chasm of giant teeth that could tear me to pieces in seconds. It had crunched right through that mole thing, which I had known from Marrow Sense had abnormally thick bones.
I only had one shot at this—blow this sucker’s head off or become its dinner!
I saw the giddiness in its eye as the target it had been chasing around all night was now standing still. Clearly it wasn’t intelligent enough to ponder why that would be, but it would be finding out… right… about…
NOW!
{Elemental Cocktail}! Pentaclysm!
My front paws went up, my claws cascading between a rainbow of colors. I could feel the power spread through my body and suspected my undercoat was glowing just as vividly.
I swiped down, watching the colors drain from my paws and swirl together in a ball right in front of me. Then the ball shifted into a multicolored beam that shot right at the monster's mouth!
It was mere seconds from gobbling me up, but instead the beam exploded right between its jaws. The light was blinding, causing me to squint as I looked away, but the monster’s head rocked back from the force, and its roar of pain fizzled out to a choking sound. A shockwave followed, blowing at my fur as I braced against it. I forced my eyelids open to see the results.
As the shockwave cleared, the monster staggered backward. Steam rolled out of its mouth in waves, carrying with it the coppery tang of blood and burnt tissue. Its lower jaw hung crooked; one side melted down to bone where the blast had stripped away the flesh. A thread of skin still clung to the jaw joint, twitching as it tried—and failed—to close its mouth.
Then with a groan, the monster collapsed to its side… still breathing, but barely. Each intake of breath was labored.
I ran to its stomach, performing two quick slashes of my claws, draining my reserves.
{Elemental Swipe}! Fire Claw!
{Elemental Swipe}! Fire Claw!
I tore into its belly, burning it with each swipe, and as I turned my gaze to its neck, wondering if I needed to do more to finish off this foe, the system answered that question for me.
Great Foe Eliminated! Level 18 Earth Tyrant!
Experience Gained!
You have leveled up!
You are now level 11!
+4 Vigor
+4 Strength
+5 Dexterity
+8 Attunement
+7 Sense
You have leveled up!
You are now level 12!
+4 Vigor
+4 Strength
+5 Dexterity
+9 Attunement
+7 Sense
Two levels at once! Yes! My jaws clenched and lips curled back in a triumphant smile. But of course, I wasn’t done yet.
[Achievement! Apex Predator!]
The weak run. The strong endure. But the apex decides who gets to breathe another dawn. You defeated a great foe and have become top of the food chain in your current environment.
Major Bonus to all stats
200% Bonus Experience until you next sleep
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my muzzle. I had evolved into a powerful new Path tonight, but a possibly even stronger one, Whisperfang Juvenile, was now open to me as soon as I hit stage 5 development.
But then, I thought about the bonus experience.
I hadn’t planned to do any more hunting tonight—it was already far too late, and Lily was probably worried about why I hadn’t come back yet.
Still, the flavor text of the achievement lingered in my mind, hinting at what the system might be trying to nudge me toward…
Two humans, drunk and complacent, camped right at the mouth of the cave.
Technically, weren’t they part of my environment?
The thought took root.
By morning, this place would swarm with red masks. But right now? There were only two—two who thought they were safe. Two who had chased frightened Hell Hound pups into the dark and had no idea how much one of those pups had changed in just two short days.
My tail swished once.
I knew what I had to do.
Read next chapter now on Patreon!
$5 for 5 additional chapters!
The $10 tier currently has 7 chapters!
