Leaving the Cave

{Unamed Golem Lv12}
Attack: 170
Agility: 15
Vitality: 225
Defence: 300
MP: 80

My stats had improved significantly after evolving, but something stood out above the rest.

My agility stat went up by five. I did a double-take just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. I knew evolving into a new species would come with some boosts or perks, but I never expected that.

I was slightly taller, not to mention bulkier than before. I longed to see my new form, but without a reflection, I couldn’t see it just yet. With nothing else to do, I trailed back to the old path I found the Boss in before and found the cave exit, unoccupied. The room ahead was littered with thick patches of webs.

If I trudge through here, it’ll take me hours. Sounds like a pain. I raised my hands out, and with a calm mind, focused on a single image. Perfect chance to use my new skill.

The mental image of spikes came to fruition and the cave's floor rose in an army of protrusions that tore apart the webs and retracted back into the ground, just as fast. A heavy chunk of my MP was drained from that, but all in all, I still believed it was worth it.

I approached the fresh beams of light that poured into the cave room and, with a hearty step, exited the cave. The subtle wave of warmth from the outside world managed to lift my spirits somehow.

Hmmm~ Looks like I can feel things a bit easier than before, this evolution was definitely worth it!

Tall trees surrounded the cave entrance, silver leaves rustled through the gentle morning breeze. I reached out to catch a fallen leaf and surprisingly, it felt soft but firm enough not to crumble away with a touch. Even without skin, I somehow felt small textures, not fully, but enough to make out the soft features.

The lush grass swayed ever so gently and a golden light rushed over the mountains in the distance. It had probably just turned to morning, but I couldn’t be sure. I looked around, but only trees surrounded me. There was no sight of life other than my own.

{Rock} {Rock} {Tree}

My appraisal skill worked in full drive as I focused on everything around me, trying it out to the fullest. After what felt like the hundredth new item, I heard the sudden ring of a notification.

{Skill <Appraisal> has evolved into <Greater Appriasal>}

W-woah, another skill evolved?! That pretty much confirms my suspicion, it looks like the best way to evolve a skill is to just use it as frequently as possible. That might be a bit challenging with my attack skills, since I wouldn’t want to lose MP in case I get attacked by something… I’ll stick to appraisal for now, then.

I looked over at the tree I had appraised before and gave it another shot.

{Delwood Tree}

The descriptions are different, I guess it really does make a difference to evolve my skills.

I decided to take my chances with the forest and ventured further ahead. I wasn’t exactly looking for anything specific, but I knew I didn’t want to stay by that cave forever. As I walked, I noticed some new wildlife. Exotic birds with translucent feathers and fox-like creatures with fluffy chests, each one had my head turning, wishing I could chase after them and pet them.

{FeatherTwin Lv3} {FeatherTwin Lv4}

{Wild Boar Lv2}

{Three Horned Boar Lv6}

Each animal I passed disappeared into a full sprint the moment I approached it. Even with fifteen agility, I was no match for their speed.

What’s the point of leaving the cave when everything just keeps running away from me?

Crunch!

I snapped towards the sound and locked eyes with a child, his dim green eyes widened with fear as he stared at me. He stumbled back and, as he fell from the raised root of a nearby tree, landed hard on his butt.

“Clarishva Te…Yashva taye, uyara verta!” He said something I couldn’t interpret at all. The words came out as gibberish as I tried to piece them together.

I relied on my last resort.

{Human Boy. Condition: Frightened}
{Looks to be 15 years old.}

I know it evolved slightly, but aren’t these appraisals still kind of basic? I might need to evolve it once or twice more before it's useful… For now, how should I play this? I should at least show him I mean no harm, but how do I do that when he’s freaking out like that?

I waved my arms to deny whatever he was thinking, but it only seemed to make it worse. His voice shrilled into a terrified sound and then suddenly stopped. He stood up and walked over gingerly.

“Yarishe verata?”

I still had no idea what he said, but at least he didn’t seem frightened anymore. He reached out like he wanted to touch me, so I stepped forward to let him. His hand hesitantly grazed over my chest and suddenly recoiled in fear. Once he saw nothing bad happened, he tried again. This carried on for a few seconds before he got comfortable with me.

“Verakta Kah! Verakta shuray!” He carried on joyfully petting me.

After he got comfortable around me, he acted like I was some new neighbour to befriend. He held onto me, playing on my arm like a jungle gym and happily giggled as he did so. His smile was contagious. At first, I thought it would be annoying, but I was just happy to be able to play with someone, another living being that didn’t want to kill me.

Before I knew it, the sun had begun to set and his expression clouded with a sudden sadness. He stood over the revealed root of a tree and greeted me with a forced smile. “...nice…to you…!” He said, as we waved and left.

A few words still weren’t quite clear, but I was sure I recognised a few words of that. I had only just met him and that was the first I had heard that language, yet it felt pretty easy to pick up after a few hours with him. I felt a twinge of loneliness as his backside disappeared into the distance.

****

I travelled around a bit and managed to find a river, its water travelled clear and quietly. I got a pretty big shock as I stared at my bulky reflection in the water.

{Myranite Golem}
{A new Species of Golem created from concentrated Mana on a Myranite Source}

Not bad, I’m not as cute as I was before, but not as scary as a spider at least. Still, this description leaves me a bit curious…

My body had definitely gotten slightly larger than before, the main difference being that I had rounder qualities across the board. The cracks that littered my body had disappeared, but the orb on my chest was still there.

I know my arms grew back, but the cracks are gone too. Did evolving completely heal me up? I wonder when I'll get to evolve again?