Chương 12: Sudden Deaths

I had been in the middle of chewing upon a leaf when notifications suddenly materialized before me. It seemed that the elf had accomplished considerably more with my venom than I had initially imagined. [You have assisted in killing: Jane Tailor (Farmer) - Level 15] [You have assisted in killing: Lily Red (Hunter) - Level 17] [You have assisted in killing: Marcus (Village Elder) - Level 21] [You have assisted in killing: Lance Brightheart (Warrior) - Level 27] [Experience Awarded] [You have Leveled Up! 15 >> 19] [Strength +2, Agility +2, Vitality +2, Mana +2] [1 Trait Point Awarded] Judging by their names, the elf's victims were all human, which was somewhat regrettable. A more sentimental soul might have been horrified by the sheer loss of life. To an extent, I could not entirely suppress a measure of pity for the unfortunate victims. And seeing their classes, these people had been ordinary villagers for the most part, people who likely just wanted to live a peaceful life.

The elf had almost certainly attacked some remote village or settlement. But, while their deaths were regrettable, I found myself considerably more concerned with a different matter entirely. Why did the elf attack some random settlement in the first place? As far as I remembered, elves had always been isolationists. Arrogant, certainly, and often insufferably convinced of their own superiority, but they very rarely involved themselves with other races.

They preferred to remain in their own territories and pursue their own interests. Openly slaughtering an entire village was not something I would have readily associated with elven behavior unless they had first been provoked. And yet… I found it exceedingly difficult to believe that this particular elf had acted in self-defense. So, either this elf was an extraordinary exception, or elven society itself had changed significantly since my death.

Part of me could not help but wonder precisely how that elf had employed the venomous spines she had plucked from my body to kill those four unfortunate humans. Had she driven one of my barbs directly into someone's throat? Or perhaps she had refined my venom into some alchemical concoction. Either way, I would likely never know the full truth. But, there was a silver lining in all this.

Thanks to that elf's murderous tendencies, I had gained several levels in a single stroke and, more importantly, earned another Trait Point. [Displaying Available Traits] 1. Improved Digestion 2. Heat Resistance 3. Cold Resistance One detail I had noticed regarding Traits was that the available selections so far never remained constant. Each time I became eligible to purchase one, the choices of Trait I could select changed.

This meant that selecting a Trait now could very well result in the others disappearing entirely for the foreseeable future. It also meant that every decision carried a degree of permanence. Carelessly choosing a Trait simply because it seemed useful in the moment could easily result in me losing access to something significantly more valuable later. I had already been evaluating every option cautiously so far, but this realization only reinforced the need for scrutiny.

[Improved Digestion] Improves your digestion of any food matter you can consume, granting you additional experience. [Heat Resistance] Grants you resistance to high temperatures. You will be less harmed by fires, magical or otherwise. [Cold Resistance] Grants you resistance to cold temperatures and winter weather effects. You will also be less harmed by ice magic. Both Heat Resistance and Cold Resistance were respectable Traits in their own right, but neither particularly appealed to me at present.

That was not to say they lacked utility. On the contrary, surviving a blaze or resisting ice magic sounded beneficial. The problem was simply that my current circumstances did not warrant either choice. Heat Resistance seemed unnecessary when I had managed perfectly well without it. Had I been traversing an endless desert or residing near active volcanoes, perhaps I would have viewed this particular Trait differently. But as things stood, I spent most of my time within a temperate forest.

And I had even more doubts about Cold Resistance. The only indication that anything remotely cold existed within this region had been the mysterious magical beast whose trail I had been following. Beyond the lingering fragments of ice embedded within that wolf carcass, I had seen no evidence of freezing climates or winter conditions. If I were currently crawling through snow-covered mountains or some frigid northern wasteland, I might have found the Trait considerably more tempting.

That left Improved Digestion, which was a solid option. Additional experience from food consumption would prove useful, particularly now that I possessed the Corpse Eater Trait and could derive benefits from consuming slain creatures. Even so, I hesitated to pick this Trait. Most of my recent progress had come from kills, whether achieved directly through my own efforts or indirectly through the murderous habits of a certain elf. I had little intention of abandoning that approach if I could help it.

Experience gained through hunting simply appeared far more substantial than what I received from just eating. Besides, up until now, I had never once attempted to conserve a Trait Point. For all I knew, accumulating Trait Points might allow me access to entirely different options in the future. Perhaps rarer or more powerful Traits existed, hidden behind some threshold I had yet to discover. More importantly, my previous evolution had occurred upon reaching Level Ten.

So I wondered whether the same pattern would repeat itself at Level Twenty. If so, then another evolution might soon be within my grasp. All I needed was some more experience, whether that came through hunting unfortunate creatures or discovering some rare magical herb to consume didn't matter. Something that would give me— The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

[You have assisted in killing: Millie Whitfield (Seamstress) - Level 20] [Experience Awarded] [You have Leveled Up! 19 >> 20] [Vitality +2] [Evolution is now available!] It seemed I had severely underestimated that elf's enthusiasm for murder. I had assumed she had already concluded her grisly work after slaughtering those previous villagers, but it's clear that I was mistaken.

My first thought was that this Millie person had perhaps attempted to flee the village, only to be hunted down and killed before she could escape. Alternatively, perhaps the elf had simply decided she desired one final victim before leaving the village to go who knows where. Neither possibility reflected particularly well upon her. Then again, I had already reached the conclusion that the woman was an insufferable sadist. That said, I wondered just how much authority and impunity did elves possess in this age?

Had things truly deteriorated to the point where one could simply stroll into a human settlement, massacre its inhabitants, and suffer no consequences whatsoever? Perhaps, if fortune favored me, I would have an opportunity to ask that strange Creature during my evolution, assuming I encountered it again. After a brief search, I settled upon the branch of a tall and densely foliaged tree. A tree hollow would have been preferable, but since I couldn't find one, this place should do just fine.

Once I made sure no birds were nearby, I decided that this was a good time for me to evolve. [Displaying evolution options] 1. Phoenix Chrysalis 2. Protean Chrysalis 3. Corpseweaver Caterpillar 4. Imperatrix Caterpillar It appeared that I had been granted one additional evolution option this time compared to the three choices previously presented to me, which was certainly a welcome development. More interesting, however, was the nature of those choices.

Out of the four available evolutions, two involved becoming a chrysalis, while the remaining two allowed me to continue as a caterpillar. Even in my previous life, the lifecycle of butterflies had been common knowledge. Caterpillars eventually spun cocoons, entered a chrysalis stage, and later emerged as butterflies. I had fully expected that I would, at some point, be forced down that route if I wished to continue progressing. Yet the System had offered me a choice that was not as linear as I had imagined.

There had to be benefits and drawbacks associated with each path. Perhaps becoming a chrysalis immediately would allow me faster growth as I should in theory gain access to the butterfly stage soon after that. In contrast, perhaps remaining as a caterpillar for longer would reward me more in a more distant future. Of course, there was only one way to know for sure, and that was to read through my options. [Phoenix Chrysalis] This Chrysalis will eventually become the Phoenix Wing Butterfly.

While in this stage, the Chrysalis possesses the ability to utilize fire magic within a short radius and can gain experience simply from exposure to sunlight. [Protean Chrysalis] This Chrysalis will eventually become the Shapestealer Butterfly. While in this stage, the Chrysalis possesses the ability to temporarily transform into small creatures it can see, but only during daylight. Once night falls, the Protean Chrysalis will revert to its original state.

[Corpseweaver Caterpillar] The Corpseweaver Caterpillar is a very rare species known to inhabit marshlands and swamps. It possesses the ability to inhabit corpses and animate them like puppets. Particularly powerful specimens have been known to control two corpses simultaneously. [Imperatrix Caterpillar] This caterpillar earned its name through its exceptional mastery over psionic abilities and is almost never encountered in the wild.

It possesses powerful psychic powers that allow it to manipulate objects and its surroundings. Some accounts even claim that mature specimens have managed to crush the limbs of clumsy adventurers. Seeing all these different evolution options having at least some kind of magical ability was incredibly good news. If I were still human, I would have quite the wide smile at the moment, but alas, there are more important things to think about. The Phoenix Chrysalis option was not too shabby all things considered.

Fire had always been regarded as one of the more destructive and versatile forms of magic, and the notion of wielding even a small fraction of that kind of power had its appeal. Even more intriguing was the ability to gain experience merely through exposure to sunlight. Such an absurdly convenient ability almost sounded unfair. But then again, maybe that was a tradeoff for this Chrysalis form's inability to move. Honestly, becoming a chrysalis concerned me somewhat.

The description suggested I would eventually emerge as a Phoenix Wing Butterfly, but it neglected to mention precisely how long this intermediary stage would last. So far, I've earned an evolution every ten levels, but I wondered if that would be true after this current evolution. I feared that there might be a chance that my next evolution will cost me more levels than previous ones, and if so, then I'd want a form that gives me more agency where possible.

My attention soon shifted toward the second option, and I found myself rereading the description twice. The ability to assume other forms offered a staggering degree of utility and freedom. I could become a small bird and traverse great distances, or perhaps take the form of a rodent to infiltrate burrows and settlements unnoticed. The restriction to daylight was admittedly unfortunate, though hardly crippling with some proper planning. More importantly, this evolution promised a good amount of flexibility.

No matter how intelligent or resourceful I might be, I remained constrained by the limitations of my tiny caterpillar body, and the prospect of temporarily casting aside those limitations whenever the situation demanded it was enticing. But before making my decision, there was still the third option to consider. Animating corpses was certainly a striking ability.

And judging by how things were worded, I would not merely be commanding the dead like a conventional necromancer, but physically inhabiting them and almost wearing them like puppets. The image that immediately came to mind was strangely amusing: a tiny caterpillar hidden somewhere within the remains of an enormous beast while confused onlookers tried to comprehend what manner of abomination stood before them. Ridiculous as the thought was, I could not deny its practicality.

One of my greatest weaknesses was my size. No matter how potent my venom became or how much experience I accumulated, I remained a small and rather fragile creature that could be crushed beneath a careless foot. This evolution neatly circumvented that problem entirely by allowing me to borrow bodies better suited to dealing with the world's many inconveniences. Were it not for the name of the last evolution option, I might have picked the Corpseweaver Caterpillar then and there.

But I just couldn't help myself when I saw the Imperatrix Caterpillar, an evolution with such a beautiful name could not be ignored. The moment I finished reading the description, I knew this had to be my choice. I had already begun investing in psionic abilities when I selected Latent Psionics earlier, and I strongly suspected that this evolution had only become available because of that decision.

The mere thought of further developing such powers was intoxicating, so much so that it made this whole being a caterpillar business feel much less painful than it once did. Then there was the name itself, Imperatrix. I would be lying if I claimed that had not influenced my opinion at least a little, though naturally, it was only a minor factor compared to the overwhelming practical benefits. Psionic abilities could allow me to interact with the world in ways my body simply could not.

Perhaps, as I grew stronger, I would even be able to manipulate tools, move objects with precision, and perform tasks that would otherwise be impossible for a creature of my size. And, of course, I would be remiss if I did not admit to the sheer appeal of another possibility entirely. The thought of effortlessly crushing the limbs of whatever foolish creature dared stand in my way through the power of my mind was immensely satisfying.

Whether such feats would prove easy or difficult to accomplish remained to be seen, but the potential was there. I carefully reviewed all four options once more, and honestly, I found myself genuinely impressed by every single option the System had presented. It was almost enough to make the decision difficult. But in the end, I was not going to let my previous investment in psionics go to waste. Before I committed myself to my choice, I did wonder how many more evolutions awaited me beyond this point?

Would I continue evolving indefinitely, shedding old forms again and again, or was there some final stage lying at the end of this path? Would I eventually stop at becoming a butterfly, or would the System continue guiding me toward something far greater? The possibilities were intriguing, though I supposed such questions were problems for my future self. [Evolution Sequence Initiated]