Fairy Evolves into Fairy

Does evolution apply here too? For living creatures, evolution means accumulating changes over multiple generations to alter the traits of an entire population, eventually forming a new species.

In other words, evolution doesn't happen in a single instant. You might point to a caterpillar turning into a pupa, or a pupa into an adult insect—but that's not evolution; that's metamorphosis.

'Well, it's not exactly wrong to call it evolution.'

Anyway, as long as the meaning gets across, right? Whether it's evolution or transformation or whatever, who cares about precise terminology when it means I can escape this pathetic paper-thin body?

The exhaustion that had soaked into my condition vanished, like I'd chugged a massive dose of caffeine. How could I possibly sleep now, with this much dopamine surging through me?

'After that endless stretch of mockery and persecution... this shitty life was dragging on forever.'

I slowly propped myself up and checked the faintly glowing status window.

Level 10—the evolution threshold. When I'd first become a fairy, my level was just 1. Now, somehow, it had hit the max.

Piecing together why wasn't hard.

The first time I'd seen a level-up message was when that crow I'd been toying with finally died. After that, to avoid getting caught by predators, I'd fled the scene of my kills while taking the lives of countless small animals blocking my path.

There were still a few things to verify, but one thing was clear: like killing monsters in a game to gain EXP, I could level up through slaughter.

…

Yeah, so.

'How do I evolve?'

As I stared blankly into space, tilting my head, a small popup appeared on the status window.

'...It's here!'

No reason to refuse. I mentally gave a firm yes, and the popup closed as new text appeared.

Finally free from this pathetic fairy body—I grinned innocently and scanned the updated status window.

Blink.

…Blink.

"Hello?"

No matter how many times I closed and opened my eyes, all I saw were options that screamed "not human"—zero context, zero appeal.

Hornet? A stinger that could kill a human with one wrong jab, an exoskeleton shrugging off hundreds of honeybees. Top predator among arthropods, sure—but still just a wasp.

Fairy Frog? Pixie frog? The African bullfrog that starts cute like a fairy as a tadpole but turns ugly as an adult? If that's it, I'd get skin thick enough to eat hornets alive and a steel-like belly. But still just a frog.

And hermit crab? What the hell, what am I supposed to do with that?

…Fine, all three were better for survival than a fairy swinging a leaf like a sword.

In the wild, humans—let alone a half-handspan-sized one—are pitiful bottom-tier prey. Strictly speaking, becoming a new species was evolution.

'Can't argue with that.'

Who in their right mind would happily accept turning into an insect or amphibian instead of a mammal?

Sure, maybe some freak with weird tastes, but not me—a perfectly normal, rational intellect. These were brutal choices.

'...Should I just smash it?'

Skipping evolution meant rolling with this tiny fairy body forever.

'Better a fairy for life than quit being human.'

A full-bellied pig is worse than a hungry Socrates. No point surviving as a bloated monster—better die frail and human to the end.

'Yeah, evolution was never a thing to begin—'

"?"

Right when I'd tried to pretend it never existed, a few lines appeared at the bottom of the status window.

Er, um, so…

"You could've told me sooner if this was here!"

I retract my anti-evolution stance. The world was wrong from the start—fairies evolving into wasps or frogs? That's punishment, not progress.

Grinning ear to ear, I eyed the new evolution path.

.

.

.

.

…?

Fairy can evolve into Fairy!

….

So.

Fairy—I can evolve into Fairy!

Up until now, I wasn't a fairy? Not evolving from fairy, but to fairy?

Hmm.

Ergh…

….

Sigh…

Fine. Got it, for now.

So.

"What the hell changes, exactly…?"

Fairy and fairy are the same English word. This isn't some chaos of chaos or dark of darkness nonsense. What a generic mass-produced game world— even the evolution menu feels like a trash game.

I couldn't wrap my head around this island nation minister-style wordplay for evolution options.

But there wasn't much I could do. Complaining wouldn't unlock better choices.

'Can't rage-quit into a bug or amphibian.'

Obsessing over the unchangeable just wastes emotion. Time to accept and adapt.

"…Evolve."

Following the status window's cue, I focused on the "Fairy" path and murmured it.

A brief message and timer popped up. Eight hours— if I slept now, I'd wake right on time.

'Problem is, I'm wide awake.'

Lying still with eyes closed didn't help; my mind wouldn't settle. I'd just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠waste the night in fruitless brooding.

"Haa…."

I opened my eyes again and turned to the skills tab to distract from the disappointment.

'…Quite a few now.'

When my fairy life began, skills were just [Flight lv.1]. Now there were seven.

Including the new Dark Adaptation, the total levels added up to exactly 20.

'Dark Adaptation pushed it over, unlocking the Fairy path.'

Recalling the conditions, I finally understood why Fairy hadn't appeared right away.

Dark Adaptation: Eyes gradually adjusting to darkness, making surroundings visible.

Proving it, the crevice had been pitch black at first. Now, I could vaguely make out the leaf under me and the leaf sword's outline.

'Do the others work the same?'

Just trying to see in the dark granted a skill. But.

'…No level up.'

Unlike [Flight], which leveled easily from basic flying, [Dark Adaptation] stayed at 1 despite staring at the leaf sword for ages.

Come to think of it, [Air Current Ride] was an early skill but still lv.1. Meanwhile, [Evasion] from the same time was lv.3.

'There must be specific conditions to level skills.'

Like riding strong winds for Air Current Ride, or hiding perfectly from predators. I'd test one by one starting tomorrow.

'Skills seem generated from my actions.'

[Flight] after first flying. [Evasion] and [Air Current Ride] dodging wolves. [Hide] avoiding detection. [Stab] killing the crow with the leaf sword.

So, skills emerge from actions. But one issue.

'Natural Affinity?'

No clue on this one.

I hadn't done anything nature-loving. Or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠maybe eating tree fruit counted—

—Nope. Staring at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Natural Affinity brought up a sub-window with details. Watching closely, I formed a plausible guess.

'From the stream, maybe.'

To wash off the blood scent, I'd soaked in icy water for a good while.

If skills react to actions, this was probably from then.

'Wind and Earth at lv.0.'

Pondering, I came up with an answer.

'Maybe needs more intense experiences…?'

Like enduring a torrent strong enough to pin me with the leaf sword, clinging till the brink.

Or surviving brutal winds that nearly topple me. Or burying myself in soil.

'Test later.'

Mulling over skill theories naturally brought sleep.

.

….

Chirrp. Chiiirp.

A nameless bird chirped as sunlight filtered through the stump crevice—a peaceful morning.

"Mmm…."