Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World

[Campfire effect active...]

After going far enough for the wyvern’s child to not be a problem, the party made camp underneath a large tree, then made a fire to ward off wild animals.

Fires could not ward off most monsters, but for the humans in the party, it was important that they were able to see in the case of an emergency.

Esau and Olivia were roasting meat they had stolen from the wyvern over the fire, while Sazan was snapping wood to add to it.

Ark on the other hand was seated next to Thalia, who still seemed to be shaken up from earlier.

It was weird.

He had never been good at comforting others, thanks to years of treating his playstation better than people, so he just sat there, staring at the others as they worked.

Easu had told him to stay with her in order to ease her fears... but Ark couldn’t help but wander...

If she was this scared, how was she going to ever make it as a player?

Players were constantly exposed to far worse situations, if she continued to remain like this, it wouldn’t be long until she died...

”Are we... really going to fight those things?”

Ark turned to face her. ’Is she talking to me?’

She glanced at him, which confirmed his suspicion, then he stroked his jaw.

”No, not really. This is a two star mission, we will never be told to fight anything like wyverns.”

”Really?” Her eyes got brighter. ”But what about the eggs?”

”Wyverns usually go out to hunt early in the morning down to around 2pm. As long as we get there on time, we will be able to take as many eggs as we want before they come back.”

”Haaa~” Thalia visibly relaxed, her shoulders slumping down.

”You don’t seem to like wyverns very much....”

”Of course I don’t, have you seen what those things do to—uhum—even the rockbear was torn to shreds...”

’Why did it look like she changed what she wanted to say midway?’

Ark did not ask her of course. Instead he nodded. ”Wyverns are deadly monsters, I don’t think anyone will like them much....”

”The meat is ready, come have yours.” Easu waved a piece of well roasted meat in the air, the aroma drifting right into Ark’s nose holes.

Ark stood up and dusted his clothing. ”I’ll take the first watch, you guys enjoy yourself.”

Thalia had a guilty look on her face as she watched him go. Unlike the rest of them that could enjoy Esau’s cooking, he couldn’t even drink water...

Without thinking, she jogged up to him and tugged on his clothes. ”S-should I come with you?”

Ark glanced at her over his shoulder. ”Aren’t you going to eat?”

”I can take it along with me!”

He laughed. ”Don’t worry about me, I’ll do fine on my own.”

Without giving her room to argue any further, Ark suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving a wave of distorting shadows that fizzled away as well.

Thalia stared at the empty space in front of her. ”Stealth magic? Wasn’t he a mage?”

Normally, when patrolling a player would move in circles around his party’s camp site. At times they would even take positions on trees to have an aerial view of the environment.

But Ark did not do anything like that. Because he had lied.

He had no plans on doing a real patrol, patrolling the camp would have been far too boring and uneventful. This was not a patrol, it was a hunt.

It took only about ten minutes after leaving the camp for Ark to encounter his monster.

It was a rock bear very much like the one the wyvern had killed earlier, only that this one was much larger and far more territorial.

The moment it set its eyes on them, a rippling raw tore through its throat as it began to stampede forward.

[Threat detected! Rock Bear, Level 10 x 1!]

Ark stared at the monster as it approached. It would reach him in seven seconds tops? But he was not in a hurry to move.

Although it would have been nice to have company on his little hunting trip, Ark had chosen to go alone for one simple reason.

He did not want anyone to see what was about to happen...

”Come on, rise.”

Dark shadows suddenly burst out from underneath his feet, momentarily clouding the area around him with dark shadows.

Azure blue eyes shone from within these shadows, and then suddenly, the shadows took form.

Five undead now stood around him like body guards, forming a defensive wall between him and the bear.

The monster immediately skidded to a stop, cautiously staring at the undead.

Rawr!

Its throat rumbled with rage as it stood up to its full height, casting a shadow over them.

”Oh, a smart one huh?”

Ark glanced at the undead in front of him. ”Sumo, let me see what you can do.”

Sumo stepped forward, slowly walking straight towards the monster. The monster growled, warning him to stay back, it beat its chest to scare away his challenger, but Sumo narrowed his eyes, advancing even closer...

Once he got too close for comfort, the monster pounced, swiping its deadly claws right at his face.

Swish—!

But just as the hand came, Sumo’s axe moved, slicing so fast in the air that his figure blurred.

Splat!

The monster’s arm was sent flying into the air, blood gushing out of the wound. It took a step back, trying to retreat, but Sumo charged at it.

When a monster was pushed to the wall, it was often the deadliest it could be. But even with its life flashing before its eyes, the rock bear could do nothing in the face of the undead king.

Sumo ducked underneath a desperate swipe, sliding underneath its thick legs, then he jumped right into the air, before bringing his axe down in one massive slash!

Swish!

Right from its thick skull, down to its abdomen, the rock bear was divided into two clean halves, its body collapsing with a wet thump.

[You have slain a level 10 Rock Bear! +15 exp]

Ark gulped as he watched Sumo rise, bathed in the blood of the bear.

It had not even been a challenge...

’If not for the abundance of skills, deception, and a good amount of luck... Could I have lost in the tutorial?’

Sumo had far better stats than him and was a better fighter. But the system had reduced him to a boss monster, he had to be needed if they wanted to survive.

Sumo grabbed the corpse by the leg and pulled it effortlessly towards Ark, before bowing.

How would it have felt to fight the real king? The one who had held an entire kingdom back for thirty days?

’Will I be able to take him back to that level with endless evolution?’

Only time would tell.

”Excellent work.” Ark laughed before placing his hand on the corpse.

[Harvest successful! You have successfully received 1 strength point!]

Initially, Ark’s plan had simply been to hunt stray bears that might wander into their camp, but now, a new idea was coming into his mind.

If Sumo was able to do this much damage alone, and at level 1, then what was the point of holding back?

He still had Jenna, Mountain and Inquisitor with him...

Ark walked to the spot the monster had been in before they arrived and observed it closely.

There were footsteps coming from deeper within the forest, monster footsteps...

”Inquisitor, follow this trail.” Ark stood up and summoned his magic staff. ”Let us pay the rock bears a visit...”