Reborn As An Evolving Monster

Chapter 197 Quiet Doubts Unseen Under A Starry Sky

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"What do we do... What do we do..." Elisa repeated as she paced back and forth next to Krista.

The blizzard wasn't getting any less powerful.

"No map... No way to tell where is what or which way leads to what... We might never make it out... We might never make it out, Krista!" 

Elisa's frustration was showing.

The Moonlit Feline mostly ignored her.

The Lioness lay on the snow and let her chin fall to the ground.

"Oh, really? Going to sleep now? This is just... Just great. We might starve or freeze or stay here forever and you're just calmly going to sleep?"

Krista really wasn't worried about that.

Freezing to death? Impossible.

Starving? Unlikely.

She was confident that they would be able to survive.

With Elisa with her, there was no way that either would starve.

With Elisa with her.

With Elisa with her...

What if she wasn't?

What if they were to get separated?

Would she be able to fend off for herself?

Slight anxiety sprouted inside the Lioness' heart, but it was so weak she could barely feel it.

Elisa eventually sat next to her.

But she got up only seconds later.

Feeling restless, she couldn't remain unmoving.

"Do we go look for him...? Which way would we even go? We'll end up running in circles. What if we end up widening the distance instead... What if he finds this spot somehow but only after we've moved..." Elisa's whispering continued for a while.

Immediately, Krista raised her chin off the ground.

The Moonlit Feline's anxiety grew tremendously.

Surviving wasn't an issue.

But him not finding them.

Not finding his way back to them...

A restless back leg started shaking.

No.

He would.

Her Master would find his way back.

Of course, he would.

He always had so far.

And it wasn't about to change anytime soon.

Whether it was a distance away from Monsters, or inside the Underling Necklace, the Moonlit Feline was used to waiting.

To waiting for its Master.

The Lioness took a deep breath in and lay her chin on the snow once more.

Krista wholeheartedly believed that her Master would find his way back.

She closed her eyes, but didn't sleep.

Going back to the way it was before him.

To the way it was inside the Dungeon.

The struggle for survival.

The lonely and endless struggle.

Krista's leg shook.

He would come back, for sure.

Nevertheless, a seed of doubt had been planted inside her mind by Elisa's words.

The latter, of course, had no intentions of doing such a thing.

Still, quiet doubts started settling deep within Krista's heart, buried by hope and belief.

...

A good distance away,

"Incredible..." Mark whispered.

With the Olga now flying with its body parallel to the ground, he stood on his feet.

The limbs that extended from his lower back were piercing the ground below.

Mark wanted to spread his arms to the side as he looked at the starry sky.

On the beautiful and dark canvas, countless lights shone, giving the canvas a slight purple hue.

Now out of the blizzard, the breeze was pleasant and refreshing. Nothing like it used to be.

Heeding his better judgment, Mark did not spread his arms, despite wanting to.

Who knew when the Olga would suddenly decide to take a dive or to rise higher?

He slowly lowered his gaze towards the gigantic creature he stood upon.

The gigantic creature he was, in a way, riding.

Mark had walked carefully for a while.

He was now standing on the Olga's head.

Mark stared for a bit.

'Having something like this as an Underling would be... Oh. Now that Nia isn't here, maybe I can...'

"Conditions for Reviving a Monster?"

[The Conditions required cannot be divulged.]

"You... What?"

[The Conditions required cannot be...]

"Yeah, yeah, I heard. Tsk. Does that mean Nia was giving me information that the System wouldn't have given? I guess that has to be the case..." Mark whispered to himself.

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is looking at you.]

"Any idea?"

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" shakes its head.]

'Huh... Tsk. Marking the Monster was one of the pre-requisite, right? I can't do that now. Monsters get notified when they're poisoned or hit with a Status Effect. No doubt it would be the same for my Skill... Though I'm not sure how that would work for Monsters that are... Not? Intelligent.'

The Olga's gigantic fins moved through the wind with grace despite their size.

For no real reason, Mark decided to turn around.

"Wha-"

A dozen Olgas were flying all over the snowy land.

Above the blizzard, they hovered.

Peacefully, and harmoniously.

Mark couldn't help but scratch his head.

First of all, it didn't do a thing-

Why don't you just leave it alone-

Why do you have to be like that-

It's just a peaceful-

"I really do get her point. Especially now that I'm standing here..."

Mark raised his left arm to the side.

'Why do I have to be this way, huh?' 

A Dark Corrupting Spear appeared in his palm.

'Standing here, I realize...'

Many, many of them had already entered the Olga he was standing on.

But its size was such that even though more Corruption than Mark had ever produced had entered its body, there was no effect to be noted.

[Your Title "Devourer" is looking at you expectantly.]

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is looking at you fondly.]

'Nothing I've ever seen is making my stomach growl the way this Olga is.'

Mark took a deep breath in.

The oxygen levels in the air had decreased substantially, but the Evolving Monster had already grown used to the change.

A curious thought entered Mark's mind.

He extended the arm holding the Dark Corrupting Spear forward.

"Affinity with Corruption Magic, huh?" Mark whispered.

He slowly let go of the Dark Corrupted Spear.

It didn't fall, or move due to the wind.

It remained in place.

The Dark Corrupted Spear floated in the air.

A wide smile appeared on Mark's face.

'It has to be this way.'