### Chapter 119: The Magical Beasts and the Fourth Evolution
118 – Magical Beasts and the Fourth Evolution #1
Batus, Shuleiman, and Vitali stumbled upon a few townsfolk who had barricaded themselves inside their homes to avoid the chaos of the rat stampede.
They were trembling and promptly explained the situation about the recent events.
“People have been acting weird for the past month. As soon as they step into the chapel, they turn into different people, letting all the beasts loose and demolishing the stables. They even released all the chickens and chicks into the wild!”
“I thought they’d completely lost their marbles. Lucky for me, I don’t attend chapel regularly. I can’t believe a cursed fox was hiding in there controlling people!”
“Oh, now everything makes sense. Whoever the Black Brotherhood is, they need to be dealt with!”
Fuming over being manipulated by beasts and sorcerers, the villagers stormed into the Guard Captain, Sergeant Garfield’s office.
“Hand over the Brotherhood! I’ll break them in half! How dare they let my chickens loose?!”
“Calm doooown! This is basically no different from being controlled!”
Garfield, sweaty and panicked, tried to fend off the incoming villagers. Those who broke through the damaged door rummaged through his office and the basement with wide eyes.
“They’re not here?”
“Weren’t you supposed to have them? What happened, oh noble knight?”
The townsfolk tilted their heads at the old gentleman Shuleiman. He too nodded in confusion as if he couldn’t comprehend.
“It should be difficult for ten or more people to hide away. What’s going on, Sergeant Garfield?”
Garfield scratched his head awkwardly in response to the old man’s questioning.
“Crazy villagers charged in and took off with the Brotherhood.”
“You expect me to believe that?! You lazy bum, Garfield! You must have slacked off on the job!”
Garfield winced as a furious farmer shouted back.
“Hey, you were part of this too! You madman! Don’t you remember? You guys choked me and threatened for the keys to the underground jail!”
The farmer and Garfield began to tussle, each blaming the other. I couldn’t help but grimace at the sight.
Batus stepped forward, probably trying to calm the heated crowd.
“Everyone, cool it down! Fighting won’t bring back the fleeing Brotherhood.”
“That’s the Platinum Hunter!”
“The Hunter who took out the fox!”
The very mention of the elusive Platinum Hunter, said to be one of only four in existence, instantly quieted the excited townsfolk, who began to listen intently to Batus.
Once the chatter quieted down, Batus cleared his throat and continued.
“I’m on my way to the royal capital. The situation with the Black Brotherhood is being monitored by the royal family, so I’ll try to arrange compensation for the losses. I will also request more guards be dispatched to nearby villages surrounding the Ancient Nest, so we can prevent such incidents in the future.”
At his words, the faces of the residents lit up with hope. They raised their hands high and cheered Batus’s name.
“Hail to the Platinum One!”
“We will never forget this incident!”
“Our village’s savior, a hero!”
Batus shrugged his shoulders at the adoring townsfolk. Then he raised his arm to point at me, huddling in the corner.
“Express your gratitude to that white-furred beast, Alpha. He’s the one who killed the fox and freed this village from its curse. I’ve done nothing, really.”
At Batus’s words, the villagers shifted their attention to me. They swarmed around and lifted me into the air.
“Let’s erect a statue for Alpha!”
“This adorable beast saved us!”
“His fur is so soft, and his belly is so squishy!”
“Ugh, I want to pet him too!”
The townsfolk of Salom paraded me around like a float. Honestly, it felt a bit over the top, but I didn’t mind it too much.
—Don’t throw me, don’t throw me!
The villagers tossed me into the air. It was my first experience getting a celebratory toss, and as I flailed my limbs, Batus doubled over with laughter.
“Receiving affection and attention will make you stronger! Don’t be shy, embrace it. After all, you did save these villagers.”
*
As two moons rose, Salom turned into a lively festival. The townsfolk brought forth clean food and treats free from the rat contamination and laid them out for me and my companions.
Their bright smiles were not due to brainwashing but rather a reflection of the unique culture of this village.
They set up a large bonfire in the center of the town and danced around it in circles.
Waving dolls made of Longtail’s fur and white feathers on sticks, they seemed to be attempting some clumsy play.
When the white-feathered doll finally knocked over Longtail’s stick, the villagers erupted into laughter.
“Is that white-feathered thing me?”
“Have some, Alpha.”
“No, he prefers soft grapes. Look, he swallows the whole thing in one bite!”
“He actually loves honey the most!”
Surrounded by cute rural girls and Vitali, I was pampered to the point of losing fur. Whenever I opened my mouth, peeled fruits were conveniently thrown in like I was in paradise.
【You have gained experience points.】
【You have leveled up.】
【You have reached the maximum level; no further experience points will be gained.】
【Conditions met. You may evolve.】
—Wow, I just leveled up by eating the fruits given by the girls!
I thought it would take longer, but I had already reached level 20. My guess is that I had been close to the end of level 19.
Name: Alpha White Dog
Species: Magical Beast lv.20
Strength: 75
Agility: 60
Health: 67
Skills: 《Omnivore》 《Sturdy Claws》 《Subsonic》 《Stealth Movement》 《Invisibility》 《Dance of Courtship》 《Crossbreeding》 《Speech》 《Riding》
—Why are all these stats jumpin’ up like crazy?
I trembled with joy at the dazzling words that floated before me.
Compared to my last level, my strength increased by 4, agility by 5, and health by 6, totaling a 15 stat increase. This was similar to gaining three levels in the low-level range.
As I climbed in levels, the rate at which my stats increased seemed to grow exponentially along with it.
—Meaning, right after the evolution, if I level up a few more times, I could reach a stage similar to the Forest Keeper or a Mythical Creature!
Pleased, I got to my feet.
“Where are you going? Don’t leave!”
“It’s my turn to pet you now…!”
“Maybe he’s off to the bathroom.”
“He better come back!”
Leaving the cheers of the village girls behind, I headed towards a quiet corner where no one would bother me, seeking a place to focus on how I can evolve.
I slipped out of the bustling town square to an alleyway. As I expected, countless letters floated before my eyes.
—What will appear this time? Since I’ve eaten from the Three-Eyed Wolf and Monkey, Kaah’s scales, I wonder if something related will come up? There are four options this time…!
I rubbed my front paws in anticipation. However, as I read the upcoming letters, my face soured.
—What the heck is this?
『【Magical Beast: Beta】
Three months after birth, the subject learns to hunt for itself like other beasts. Its primary hunting method involves smashing prey using its increased strength in its front paws. Simple, yet highly effective and uncomplicated. Its nature is quite vicious, making it difficult to train, but that’s a success for the test.
We named it Beta, signifying ‘experimental subject’ or ‘variant.’』
—What the heck.
I felt a jolt of déjà vu from the name Beta. Isn’t that the name of the deceased magical beast mentioned by Batus—Adam?!
—Why is this showing up? Is there something different about evolving into an adult compared to a regular evolution…?
It was a moment that shook my hypothesis that “the evolving species corresponds to the one I consumed or some related beast.” After all, I hadn’t eaten a Magical Beast: Beta.
My eyes slowly scanned to the next entry.
『【Magical Beast: Gamma】
We named the second subject Gamma. Unlike the first subject, Beta, which was fed primarily agile beasts caught in winter, Gamma developed its hind legs to be fast and nimble, allowing it to move quickly. While it lacked pure strength compared to Beta, Gamma’s agility and reaction speed more than compensated for it.
Observing Beta and Gamma, we formulated a hypothesis that magical beasts develop differently based on ‘environment’ or ‘diet.’』
—This is someone’s record.
Reading the letters, I realized they were penned by someone who created the Magical Beasts and Behemoths.
And I pondered if it might be Laplace, the snake that was shrouded in many mysteries.
—Let’s keep reading for now.
『【Magical Beast: Delta】
For the third subject, Delta, as soon as it could walk, we released it into the ancient woods to hunt. Unlike Beta and Gamma, which were raised in confined and limited spaces, Delta was simultaneously subjected to experiments concerning how the ‘growth environment’ influences magical beasts. Perhaps that’s why Delta blossomed its own talents after facing tough environments.
A natural gift being cultivated later on!
The one most surprised by this fact was Adam. He firmly believed that Delta was our hope. So when Delta was slaughtered by the guardians of the World Tree, Adam grieved the most.
Ultimately, due to Delta’s experimental results, we confirmed that both ‘environment’ and ‘diet’ significantly impact magical beasts.』
—Adam.
If I wasn’t mistaken, this Adam might be the same person I know as Batus.
I pictured a rock-like man grieving in my head.
But I couldn’t easily visualize it.
Lowering my head, I decided to examine the last entry, Epsilon.
『【Magical Beast: Epsilon】
The mother World Tree reinforced its boundaries with twelve mythical creatures. Therefore, stealing eggs was quite challenging. After the slaughter of the last subject, Delta, the fourth subject, Epsilon, was born around a thousand years later. Knowing it could be our last chance, we poured all our knowledge and experience into creating the best being, a perfect entity.
As a result, a creature emerged that had Beta’s strength, Gamma’s agility, and Delta’s talents. Sure, each trait felt slightly diluted, but we could confidently say we achieved a satisfactory outcome.
We promised that once Epsilon matured, it would be named ‘Alpha,’ meaning ‘King of All.’ That name would lead its path as an unavoidable destiny.』
“Alpha, what are you doing over there?”
Startled, I turned my head at the voice coming from behind me. It was Batus, standing outside the dark alley, gazing at me.
I must have been so engrossed in reading that I hadn’t noticed him approaching.
“People are looking for you. The village hero shouldn’t be sulking alone in a place like this.”
Batus approached me, carrying a warm, expertly grilled piece of meat.
“It’s rat meat, properly cleaned and marinated, so it should be tasty.”
I accepted the meat from Batus with my front paw. Having been stripped of its fur and marinated, it looked less like rat meat and more like grilled horned rabbit from the Ancient Nest.
As I tore into the meat, a spicy flavor burst forth, accompanied by the richness of lean meat.
—Delicious!
“If you go over there, you’ll find a mountain of grilled meat. I prepared all the rats manipulated by Nialli.”
—Gulp.
At the mention of Nialli, I instinctively twitched, and Batus gave a faint smile.
“You said nothing happened, but I’m aware that Nialli has come here to wreak havoc. Surely, it’s been spreading lies to drive a wedge between us. That creature thrives on causing discord and chaos.”
It seemed Batus had already picked up on some sort of dealing happening between Nialli and me.
Since it had come to this, I thought I’d just ask him my burning question.
—Mr. Batus, are you going to use me?
“Exactly. I will use you for various purposes. And you can use me too. That’s all we need. I will make you strong, and through your strength, I will catch the beasts pretending to be divine. Sounds like a win-win, right?”
Yet, Batus’s answer didn’t quite satisfy my curiosity. I decided to be more straightforward.
—So, are you my enemy?
Batus closed his eyes quietly at my blunt question.
“Everything in this world is your enemy, Alpha.”
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