Reborn As An Evolving Monster

Chapter 1 Reborn As A Monster

?In an endless void, countless souls shined.

Surrounded by nothing but darkness, they hovered between the world we know of and...

"This one?"

Nod-

"I don't like it. Seems like quite the gamble. Are you sure?"

"A gamble, huh? I like that."

***

Suddenly, something happened to one of those souls.

'I... What is...? Where...? How long...?'

[Congratulations!]

The chosen consciousness heard a soft and gentle voice.

[Your soul has been chosen by the System.]

[You are being offered a Second Life.]

[Do you accept?]

'Huh? I can't talk... I can't see anything. A Second Life? I can't remember anything...'

Still, there was one thing that soul had left.

A sole desire.

'I want to live once more.'

[Congratulations!]

[You have acquired a new Title.]

[You have acquired the Title "System Holder".]

'Title?'

[You shall be reborn in the Higher World.]

[It is a World inhabited by Monsters and Mythical Creatures.]

[Only the strong can survive.]

'Wait wait wait wait... Monsters? That's not how my past life was. I can remember at least that. Is a peaceful afterlife too much to ask?'

The System ignored the soul's question.

[Please choose which Form you would like your Physical Body to take:

1) Skeleton:

They are weak Monsters made of bones. They have no muscles, tissue, or organs. Their Strength, Agility and Senses are average because of that. Their Endurance, on the other hand, is very high.

2) Ant:

They are weak scavengers, usually feasting on others' meals. Their Strength and Endurance are below average while their Agility and Senses are above average.

3) Horned Hare:

They are weak Monsters, usually seen as prey. Their horn is sharp. Their Strength is very low while their Agility, Senses and Endurance are above average.

]

'So I don't even get to live as a Human? Becoming a rabbit, what kind of joke is that?'

[Choose wisely, for your survival is at play.]

'Tsk... That's it for your explanation? How am I supposed to choose? Even if I were to choose, the right choice would depend on where I appear. To survive, I should probably put the Agility and Sense Stats as my priority. But then I'll be a ant or a weak rabbit. Ugh whatever...'

[Your answer has been accepted.]

[The System shall, randomly, choose the Form you will take on.]

'Huh...? Wait... Huh? NO, I-'

The lone consciousness faded.

As if guided, the chosen soul traveled immeasurable distances.

...

Some time later, that soul hovered above a body.

It couldn't really be called a body, as it looked more like a decrepit corpse than anything else.

A Skeleton.

With no light in its eyes, it was lying on the ground in a dark place.

Unmoving and silent.

The soul entered that Skeleton.

The next second, its eyes lit up.

A blue light appeared inside of them.

'What is...? Where am I?'

The Skeleton raised its arm and scratched its head.

'Huh... Oh. OH! I HAVE A BODY! FINALLY!'

The Skeleton rejoiced as it stood up.

'This feels so good. Finally, I have a body.'

The Skeleton lowered its gaze.

It brushed its whole body using its hands.

'Creepy... I have close to no sense of touch. Still...'

The Monster looked around.

'Being able to see things... Touching the ground... I feel like I could cry...'

Maybe the Skeleton would have cried, had its body the ability to do so.

'So I became a Skeleton, huh? Maybe a Horned Hare would have been a better choice for survival. Anyways, I just came back from death, so I should stop thinking about death. Yeah. I'm alive. Finally-'

[You have taken the form of a "Skeleton".]

[You currently possess three "Titles".]

[Check your "Status" for additional information.]

'Alright. I can't talk though. That's to be expected since I became a Skeleton... Is thinking about it enough? Umm, Status?'

[ Name: None

Species & Level : Skeleton Lv1 (0/10exp)

Evolution Points: 0

HP: 20/20

Endurance: 150/150

Stats: Strength: 3

Agility: 3

Sense: 3

Vigor: 2

Endurance: 15

Skill(s): (None)

Title(s): System Holder.

Devourer.

Evolving Monster.

]

'Aren't these Stats super low? I guess I have no reference to judge... Only Endurance is high. Probably because Skeletons don't really get tired... Skills? What are those?'

[Skills are certain actions or moves that require a specific amount of Endurance Points to be used.]

'Alright. How do I get Skills?'

[Repeated actions can give birth to Skills.]

[There are many other ways to obtain them.]

'How about those Titles? Devourer and Evolving Monster?'

[Those are your Unique Titles.

[They are yours and yours only.]

[Your "Devourer" Title allows you to devour other Monsters and turn them into Energy.]

[The Energy is turned into Evolution Points.]

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" allows you to use those Evolution Points to Evolve into a different Monster Species.]

[Once you Evolve, your Level will be back to 1.]

'Umm... Okay, I guess. Level, huh? Am I supposed to level up somehow?'

[You Level Up by acquiring a certain number of Experience Points.]

[You acquire Experience Points by defeating Monsters.]

'So I have to kill Monsters and eat them to get stronger? What kind of second life was I given?'

[Monsters can be devoured even if you are not the one who defeated them.]

The Skeleton looked around.

It was in a large corridor.

'Where am I?'

[You are inside what we call a Dungeon.]

[Currently, you are on this Dungeon's Tenth Floor, the lowest one.]

'Am I alone?'

[The Monsters on a certain Floor are weaker than those on the Floor above it.]

'So that's a no. Tsk. Since this is the lowest floor, the Monsters here are the weakest. Good...'

The Skeleton's gaze wondered.

It stared at its bony feet for a bit.

'I'm standing... I'm actually-'

Howl-

'What...? A wolf?'

The Skeleton ran towards a wall and stuck its back to it.

'Should I fight? Can I even beat it? Probably not. I don't have a weapon...'

The Skeleton stared at the darkness to its left.

Something emerged from the darkness.

Gray pelt tainted by drops of blood.

Burning eyes filled with hatred.

Sharp fangs.

'I can't beat that... I can't...'

The sound of the Beast's saliva hitting the ground echoed.

It was coming closer and closer.

[ Gray Wolf: An [F] Rank Monster.]

'Rank?'

[Monsters are ranked from [G] through [A].

[Above them all, stand the Special [S] Rank Monsters.]

'Oh. [G] are the weakest then. What's my Rank?'

[You are currently [G] Rank.]

'...'

The Skeleton stood still as the Gray Wolf passed in front of it.

'It didn't see me... I guess turning into a Skeleton has its benefits. No beating heart. No need to breathe. The only sounds I make are those produced when moving around...'

The Skeleton waited for the Gray Wolf to go further away before walking in the opposite direction.

It walked without making a sound, with extreme caution.

'I seriously can't remember anything about my past life. But it was nothing like this! I was human, that I remember, but the rest is...'

After the Skeleton walked for about five minutes, the way split in three.

Sounds coming from the path on the right could be heard.

The Skeleton carefully looked at what it was that made those sounds.

A lone creature was eating something greedily.

Its skin was greenish.

The green Monster was ugly and made disgusting sounds as it ate.

It was eating an unmoving Monster.

The scene awoke something in the Skeleton.

'Is this... Hunger? Why do I feel hungry when I don't have organs?'

The System gave no response.

'Hungry... I feel so hungry...' The Skeleton thought as it stared at the feasting Monster.

The green Monster was a Goblin.

'Can I take it down? It looks small and weak enough...'

The Goblin was about 10 steps away.

'It looks light...'

The Skeleton walked towards the Monster without making a sound.

Drool would have been going down its mouth, had its body the ability to do so.

A handful of seconds later, the Skeleton stood right behind the Goblin.

'It's eating... A Gray Wolf...'

The Skeleton's feeling of hunger skyrocketed.

It couldn't resist anymore.

The Skeleton used all its strength to grab the Goblin's head with both hands.

The green Monster shrieked, but the Skeleton gave it no mind.

The green Monster was lifted into the air.

Its body was slammed on the ground repeatedly.

[You have defeated one Goblin. 5 Gold Coins and 10 Experience Points earned.]

[You have leveled up!]

[1 Stat Point has been added to every Stat.]

The Skeleton gave no mind to the floating messages in front of it.

The instant parts of its body were chewed and swallowed, they disappeared.

After about 45seconds, the Goblin's whole body had been eaten.

[You have gained 5 Evolution Points.]

The Skeleton turned towards the remains of the Gray Wolf.

'It looks disgusting, but...'

The instant it started eating, all feelings of disgust disappeared.

The Goblin had eaten a very small part of the Gray Wolf's carcass.

'Most of it is still intact, lucky...' The Skeleton thought as it devoured the meal.

[You have gained 30 Evolution Points.]

'They don't have a taste at all... Or maybe it's just that I don't have tastebuds, since I'm a Skeleton...'

[You can check the Body Modifications available.]

'Sure... I felt so hungry I forgot about all this. I need to get stronger. Experience Points are pretty hard to get. Eating on the other hand is... Well, I don't need to go through all the fighting for that.'

[Available Body Modifications:

1) Strengthened Bones: 50 Evolution Points.

2) Horned Skull: 30 Evolution Points.

3) Sharp Elbows: 20 Evolution Points.

4) Strengthened Arms or Legs: 25 Evolutions Points.

]

'That's it? I only gained 35 Evolution Points... They're all pretty straightforward.'

The Skeleton started dissecting the presented option.

'The first one enhances the whole body and the second one gives me a horn which might be useful. The third one, Sharp Elbows means that my elbows will kind of become knives. That might be good. The fourth seems like a scam. If I strengthen my arms and my legs, then that would have cost me 50 Evolution Points. Meanwhile, the first option costs the same, but enhances the whole body, not just my arms and legs. Mmm... There's no reason to believe that the level of strengthening would be different. Still, beggars can't be choosers. Getting stronger arms or legs might be the right move...'

The Skeleton walked deeper into the path where it had found the Goblin.

'I guess my choice will depend on how the next enemy will look like...'