Chapter 6

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 6

Chapter Title: First Evolution

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I gazed contentedly at the flurry of messages popping up.

The situation was good in all sorts of ways.

Could there be a more ideal opponent than this?

Its level was higher than a squirrel or a caterpillar, but its combat power was weaker than theirs.

Its pheromones had no effect on me, which made it even weaker, allowing me—who had fled from a caterpillar—to take down a superior foe.

And on top of that, as it died, it gave me a huge chunk of meat and a glowing feather.

The Phishing Snake was my benefactor.

No, it was more than worthy of being called my mentor.

Pheromone Manipulation!

This must be the ability it was using.

I had to equip this right away.

I tucked the feather into the feathers near my chest.

Huh?

Slots?

Did I have something like that?

"Caw..."

My plan to become the ultimate crow had hit a snag.

I could only steal one trait at a time?

No, it must be because I'm still a pathetic baby crow right now.

The stronger I get, the more slots I'll unlock.

I pulled out the gray feather from my chest.

The Sturdy Beak was gone, replaced by Pheromone Manipulation.

I'd become a crow that could emit pheromones, no less.

With this ability, I could make myself smell like chicken.

...Was that a good thing?

If I used it wrong, it'd be like advertising "eat me."

Still, it was a useful power.

If I went to a rotten tree stump or something and sprayed some crow-chicken scent, bugs would come flocking.

Then I'd just stand there with my beak open, and food would crawl right in.

Eating bugs felt a bit off, but I'd better get used to it quick.

"Caw..."

I looked at the Phishing Snake meat in front of me.

A worm pretending to be a snake pretending to be a worm.

Yet its name was Snake.

Wondering what it would taste like, I tore off a piece and ate it.

Plop.

It tasted more like snake than worm.

Not that I'd ever eaten either, but I knew the vibe.

Snake meat probably tasted like chicken, while worm meat...

I didn't even want to imagine.

In short, this guy's meat was pretty decent.

"Caw caw."

Plus, thanks to the pheromones it'd released earlier, there was a faint chicken aroma that made it even better.

As I sorted through its meat in moderation, I turned my gaze to the main course.

The feathers and meat were just side dishes compared to this.

Evolution.

Just two syllables, but it stirred a man's heart.

Achieving max level meant advancing to a stronger species.

It was like being handed infinite possibilities.

I'd been worried about living my whole life as a Little Crow, but this changed everything.

Turning back into a human would be tough, of course. But becoming a stronger species would at least reduce the times I had to risk my life like this.

Getting back to human form could wait until I was strong enough.

"Caaaw..."

I had no idea how evolution worked.

So let's think logically.

First, I needed a safe space.

Caterpillars make cocoons, right?

My guess was there'd be a vulnerable period.

Next, food.

Changing form—and species, no less—would burn massive calories.

It was just a hypothesis, but better safe than sorry.

I needed food and a safe space.

And right now, I had both.

Thanks, Mr. Phishing Snake.

It even gave me options?

I slowly examined the list from the blue window.

Even in this crow body, seeing this made my heart race.

Once again, no details on the options.

Just pick by name, but that was fine.

The names said it all.

Option 1: Black Crow.

All the others had "Little," but not this one.

Obviously the adult or sub-adult form of Little Crow.

It seemed like the strongest immediate choice.

Fluff gone, proper feathers, bigger size.

But it had too many drawbacks.

To survive this hell, a plain crow wouldn't cut it.

Pass on you.

Option 2: Little Twitter.

Huh?

Just the name conjured up a blue bird.

You aren't even a crow to begin with.

I skipped it immediately.

Left with Little White Crow and Little Night Crow.

White or Night?

Let's think about Little White Crow first.

The name alone screamed white crow.

Honestly, it'd look super cool.

Red eyes and all.

How could I resist an albino crow?

The looks were my type, but reality got in the way.

Albinos fared poorly in the wild.

Everyone else had normal colors or camouflage.

Albinos had none of that.

Cool, sure, but that's it.

It'd be like permanent taunt aura.

Even top predators like tigers had lower survival rates as albinos.

And me, without that power, going white?

There'd be a novel titled Obsessed Predators: I Just Evolved and Now They're After Me.

So, naturally, Little Night Crow it was.

What did "Night" in Night Crow mean?

Knight, like armored knight?

Or night, as in darkness?

Feathers hard like knight's armor, or black as night?

...I was already pretty black.

Knight crow or night crow, either way no loss.

Compared to the others, Little Night Crow looked best.

Black Crow lacked flair, Little White Crow was too visible—fatal flaw.

Little Twitter seemed harmful just to pick.

Yeah, you're the one.

My eyes slowly closed.

Crack.

It felt like my entire skeleton was restructuring.

Time to say goodbye to the Little Crow body.

I was being reborn.

Not as Little Crow, but Little Night Crow!

"Caaaaw!"

I let out a valiant cry as I opened my eyes.

Little Night Crow!

Not knight, but night as in darkness.

Unlike the pathetic Little Crow, this one got decent treatment.

The third line was meh, but the second was key.

A crow that could operate at night without issue.

Birds' chronic weakness? Poor night vision.

Fix that, and it's a crow without flaws.

Bonus rewards like this, huh?

A bit underwhelming, but you can't fill up on the first sip.

Removing a crow's key weakness? Pretty solid.

Huh?

"...Chweet!"

This feels big.

Little Night Crow really was the right choice.

"Caaaaw...?"

The feel was different.

I'd expected something basic like Peck Frenzy, but this seemed legit.

Consuming a feather meant it was a trait.

But what was Night Feather?

No info, so I'd have to test it myself. And there was some activation condition.

Plus, the text was glitched.

Was I really supposed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to get something like this now?

Couldn't use it yet, but no harm in having it.

And an immediately usable reward too?

Are they just giving stuff away? What's left for them?

Now I was a crow with two trait slots.

With the slot open, time to equip that Mountain Eater feather I'd set aside.

That's when I tried rummaging through the nest.

The nest felt cramped.

Like, my body was wedged so tight I couldn't move.

"...Caw?"

That's when I realized.

I'd become a crow stuck in the wall.

*

I hadn't neglected preparations for evolution.

I'd anticipated some growth and done minor renovations.

Just grew more than expected.

"Little" suggested small, but it was bigger than thought.

Still, by rolling around, I cleared some space and flapped to remodel the nest.

"Caw..."

Free from being a wall-stuck crow.

Next evolution, find a roomier spot.

Good thing I'd stocked food.

Could replenish calories burned evolving.

Snakes prized tails as delicacies, right?

Plenty left, so feast to celebrate.

I tugged at the remaining meat with my beak.

...Huh?

Something was off.

Hardly any flesh left.

Did Phishing Snakes lack tails?

No way.

"Caw?"

Maybe some got sliced off in the fight?

I peeked outside to check, and saw the Phishing Snake's cut end.

Sliced clean by something sharp.

Impossible with my strength.

Not like it snapped thrashing either.

That cut meant one thing.

While I evolved, someone approached ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the nest.

When I was defenseless, something strong enough to kill me had come close.