Survival

The string of notifications came at the worst possible time, but I learnt to trust in the miracles of the system.

With my last remaining MP, I softened the ground around Freya into mud, using my Greater Earth Manipulation. The monsters' minds clearly weren’t right, since all of them mindlessly walked into the mud trap, one after the other.

That should buy some time. Now, what’s this about evolution?

{Boulder Guardian}

{A physical attacker that relies on speed, strength, and durability to break defences. Its rounded body uses momentum to travel and makes it a dangerous opponent.}

So that’s what the Foresight skill does. If what I’m reading here is correct, this is the next form I’ll take after evolving. I practically jumped with joy. If I evolve into this, I’ll get the one thing I’ve been wanting since I woke up in this world: speed!

I looked at Freya's unconscious body and moved to rescue her, then stopped. She was safe as long as the mud kept those monsters trapped.

I’m sorry, Freya, but if I don’t evolve now, then we’ll never win here. I need to evolve to the Boulder Guardian species, at least that way I can zip between Freya and the boss.

My mind was made up.

Lost Oracle, what do I need to do to evolve? I beckoned through my thoughts.

{The required level for evolution is Lv20}

That’s in one level. It might actually be even closer than that, since I’ve gained a lot of Experience points. I just need to kill one more monster and–

My attention was stolen back by the charging Magia Golem. The heavy stomps of its feet shook the cracked ground as it headed my way. In what felt like the longest moment of my life, the Magia Golem shaped a handful of blue ooze as it ran. I rushed out of the way, but my stubby legs could only take me so far.

From this distance?!

“Graaaahhhh!!”

A wounded troll rose from the gravel nearby and aimed itself at me, unbothered by the Magia Golem that took aim behind it. It felt like the cherry on top, but where I usually would’ve complained, I felt a tinge of hope sprout.

Wait, if it's something tough like a troll, could I use it to dampen the blow?

The Magia Golem cast it with a brutish spike that sent fear throughout my body. I braced for impact behind the body of the attacking troll. There wasn’t time to think it through, I moved off instinct and prayed along the pay that it’d work.

Shadows shifted and disappeared all in the same second as the glowing ooze hurled towards us with a terrifying speed. I drove my fist into its chest with every bit of strength I could muster, and felt the resulting crunch of its ribs and bones around my hand.

“Graaaaargh!!”

My intent wasn’t to kill it, but rather damage it enough that it wouldn’t fight back. The staggered breaths that left the troll's mouth fell against my head as it slumped forward, weak to the knees.

The massive ball of blue ooze crashed against the troll's backside, and an expression of pure agony broke it from the frenzied glare, right before its body burned away. Shards of stone rose into the air around me as the ground and everything in a ten-meter radius from me were consumed by destruction.

This– this is way too intense! Until now, I had barely felt pain as a golem. My stone body was immune to it without skin or muscles, but there was no doubt that what I was feeling was the excruciating sensation of pain.

A pure attack of mana was all it took to break that hurdle I thought wasn’t possible for me. My body cracked and split along the edges, as the HP bar in the corner of my vision depleted to a deep red.

{Warning}

{User has suffered a major loss of HP}

No kidding! I’m about to die here, and I’m feeling every second of it, even with this freaking stone body you gave me… wait, that’s it!

I focused on that sharp burn that scalded my very soul. The sensation of mana pierced through my surface and hurt me on a deeper, non-tangible level. It was something I had come to know quite well with my new body. Not only detecting mana, but also how mana was able to be expelled, as well as absorbed.

It might be a long shot, but…! My thoughts melted behind the excruciating pain. I fell to basic instinct and followed through with the single thought that resonated through my mind.

Absorb.

The way I saw mana in my mind was always an image of light, but this time I imagined my own light blending with the brighter one. Its colour slowly softened to match mine and eventually shifted into one larger light source. The pain along my core lifted, and the tension of the ooze ball lifted entirely.

{Passive Skill <Minor MP Regeneration> has evolved into Passive Skill <Mana Vault>}

{You have gained the skill <Parasite>}

In accordance with the system's announcement, I felt the pressure lessen and my MP skyrocketed as a result. Not only that, but I got a cool new skill out of it, too.

I stumbled back. My body fatigued, and I felt the crumbling of my body take a sudden pause. I hung on by a thread, but was still alive at the very least.

{Gained 250 Exp}

{Level up}

Oh, I managed to get some experience from that troll’s death. I guess adding something to its death, even just a little, helps get experience too.

{User has survived against a powerful magic-based attack}

{Evolution options have updated}

{You will now evolve}

Huh…?

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