Reborn As An Evolving Monster



'The Dungeon business... Keeping what was brought inside... Items, Armor, everything else... Everything else... I could probably get a lot of Skills that way... A lot to Devour-'

"It's a gamble..." Elisa said with half-open eyes. A slight smile on her face. "And we won."

"A bit different for us, isn't it?"

"Sure is." She chuckled. "We were forced to take part in the gambling, which should increase the Rewards. It's truly strange that you didn't get much more than me... In truth, I only had a Boss Room to Clear after all... Since I was... Part of the Floor..." 

"Yeah." Mark nodded while looking at Elisa as she fell asleep.

He lay a hand on the sleepy Lioness' head.

'Titles give power... And if they're all like the Gaavah's Follower Title, then responsibilities too, maybe? You can only be a Monster Hunter if you act like one. Then I imagine you can only remain a Monster Hunter if you keep acting like one. Dark Mage... What's a Dark Mage? A user of Dark Magic, I guess. Curses and Corruption too, probably... An Evil Warlock. Yeah. I guess that's how Dark Mages are seen. Or rather, how I'm used to seeing them. Might be different in this world, though I doubt it, judging from Elisa's reaction.'

Mark let the back of his head rest against the dead tree behind him.

'Evil Warlock... Or just Warlock. That could be a Title. Now that I think about it, Knight or Princess' Knight could be one too.'

He chuckled.

'Everything could be a Title really. Huh. And even Titles have Ranks. Mm. Now that I think about it, it's normal for them to have Ranks. If one were to have to Title of "King" and another the Title of "Peasant", then it's obvious there would be a difference in Rank. Huh. King, that's probably the most simple Title to grasp...'

Mark felt a chill go down his spine.

'Being Titled "King" would give great power. A whole Kingdom, an Army, riches, and... More? But in exchange for that power, a "King" needs to act like a "King" and lead those below him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be worthy of being "King" anymore, and eventually lose the Title. Recognized by the World and others... The World... The System?'

He closed his eyes, deep in thought.

'Elisa said that the Dungeon Master cannot freely choose the Rewards. That the Rewards have to match the Achievement. The Difficulty of the Task then, huh? A Dungeon... Is a Challenge. Matching Rewards... Fairness? Fairness... The System imposes fairness. Why?'

After a couple of seconds, Mark opened his eyes and looked at the sleeping Elisa.

"System, how high is her Agility Stat?"

[That Information is not available.]

'Not available to me, that is.' 

He closed his eyes once more.

'It would be unfair to share that Information... Huh. The System...' Mark opened his eyes and raised his gaze. 'The will... Of the World?'

He stared for a while.

'Fairness. The kind of fairness that even the strong must accept... The world... Tsk.'

Mark scratched his head, perhaps out of frustration.

'The fuck is that supposed to mean? How would that even work?'

He lowered his gaze, and remembered the Darkness Catalyst that lay in his hand.

Mark stared at it for a bit, before letting Mana flow out of the hand holding it.

Or at least, before trying it to let Mana flow out.

'Mana Manipulation... Lost, huh? I haven't seen Elisa use it. Zephyr said it was something special too. Controlling pure Mana. I can remember how using it felt but...'

Mark's hand twitched.

Something clicked.

Magic is best understood with one's gut-

"With my gut..." He whispered.

"Shhh..."

Mark clicked his tongue internally.

'With my gut. That's it. That was Nia's goal, wasn't it? Making it easier for me to use different kinds of things... Yeah. That must be it.'

A large smile was drawn on the Monster's face.

'There's no better way to understand something with my gut than experiencing it. Using Mana is slightly different from how it was inside the Dungeon. Using and acquiring Magic Skills requires more than it used to. But... It'll be easier for me to get it back. Easier than simply acquiring them would have been.'

Mark clenched his fist.

'Because I've done it already. Because I know how it feels to use those Magic Skills... How it feels to control Mana and Aura.'

He closed his eyes once more.

'I'll be able to do all the things that I could do inside the Dungeon. It'll probably take some time though...'

I can't do anything with that Item, but you can-

'Mmm...'

I can't do anything with that Item, but you can-

'Mmmm.'

Just like the Elven Necklace. It's much more valuable for me than it is for you, since I can use it-

'Fuck.' Mark opened his eyes and brought the Darkness Catalyst closer. He stared. 'Since I can't use Dark Magic, this is useless... For now. Except if... Tsk.'

He stared at it.

He wanted it.

[Your Title "Devourer" is salivating.]

But at the same time, he feared it.

Something inside of him was yelling at him not to.

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" warns you.]

'This is it... The thing only I can do... The thing that gives the Item more value.'

Mark stared at it for a bit longer, but eventually stored it back into his Inventory.

He felt there was no need to rush.

'Devouring an Item like this... Mm. I wonder what kind of effects that would bring. Wonder whether Devouring an Item would be better or worse than using it.'

Mark chuckled.

"Using an Item is kind of like Reviving-" He whispered.

"Shhh... Can't you just... Go to sleep or something...?"

"Not sleepy." 

"Hmph, right." Elisa yawned before turning to lie on her side. "Oh. Did you..."

"Did I what?"

"Did you kill it?"

"The Olga?"

Elisa shook her head.

"Nevermind. Good thing you managed to find us."

The Lioness showcased her fangs.

Moist air.

"Face the other way if you're going to yawn." Mark nagged as he pushed Krista's head away with his hand.