The process of choosing what to evolve into was quite rational.
First, I don’t want to become a wyvern.
Growing wings wouldn’t be bad.
However, suddenly changing species here would be no different from reducing my infinite possibilities.
The grand journey that started from ‘Little White Snake’ might end here.
If I stop being a snake.
Would dad no longer be dad, and would Wyvern Mom become my real mom?
Anyway, I still wanted to maintain my identity as a snake.
‘Crystal Double Crown Python.’
Evolution from ‘CCP’ to ‘CDCP’.
Though it looked like an orthodox evolution tree, do I really need two crowns?
There’s a saying about too much of a good thing.
Rather than a kingly evolution, it might be a branch into a variant.
Thinking about future evolution trees, I had concerns.
In mythology and such, there are always snakes with multiple heads.
Things like Hydra, Typhon, Orochi, Nine-Headed Dragon.
Personally, I don’t want to evolve like that.
Having multiple heads is scary.
From that perspective, two choices remain.
First, No. 3 Big Head Serpent.
No. 4 Little Prince Serpent.
Since I wanted to quickly evolve into a serpent.
Finally reaching the serpent stage this time.
Big Head Serpent means a serpent with a big head, but I don’t know why this evolution option appeared.
What relationship is there between my actions and big heads?
Is it because I got along too well with dwarves, who are typically big-headed?
The Pelerian’s soul form accompanying me does have a head and body of similar size.
Little Prince Serpent has the ‘Little’ modifier.
My image of a serpent is one with substantial bulk. But little?
Does it mean small by serpent standards or actually objectively smaller?
I became slightly smaller when evolving into Crystal Crown Python.
Getting a bit smaller from here might not be bad.
I can grow bigger with Gigantification anyway.
‘…Hmm.’
Actually, the deliberation wasn’t very long.
Prince = prince, right?
Though I don’t want to become a prince, a smart snake could notice.
Prince and ‘Crown’. They seem related.
In other words, it might be the orthodox route of my [Crown] trait tree.
I made my decision.
「Evolving into ‘Little Prince Serpent’」
It begins!
Normally I would feel my body changing here.
Scales becoming tougher.
The crown on my head growing and such.
But this time those changes didn’t progress rapidly.
Below the options was text I’d never seen before:
──────────────
※Evolution from current state to ‘Serpent’ takes approximately 30 days.
──────────────
Since I had no intention of choosing anything but serpent anyway, I was prepared for this.
「Preparing evolution」
「Forming crystal cocoon」
Ooh, oh!
I can feel something covering my body.
Surely I won’t have to endure just rolling my eyes for 30 days.
The timing is perfect.
Being able to safely evolve in this underground shelter that rivals a nuclear bunker.
Though clearly asleep, drowsiness washed over me.
A dream within a dream.
I slowly sank into slumber.
When I open my eyes, I’ll be a magnificent serpent.
That’s what I expected.
==
“Huu, hu.”
Pandan exhaled roughly.
He was an excellent adventurer and skilled rogue.
But keeping up with the fairy and Heilit’s running was extremely difficult.
If they hadn’t been considerate, he would have fallen behind.
It would have been nice if he had.
He didn’t want to get involved with these dangerous-looking two.
But the two insisted on dragging Pandan along.
Running toward where flames rose.
Right where those dangerous wyverns were.
Finally Heilit released Pandan’s wrist.
Pandan fell to his knees and dry heaved.
“Uuk, huu, heok, huk.”
“You said there was a stone tower!”
Pandan raised his tired face at Heilit’s words.
And was startled.
“Uh…?”
“Why isn’t it here.”
“I-it was definitely here!”
There was a stone tower, but now there wasn’t.
There was definitely a black stone tower.
He had confirmed it before returning, but coming back to the spot, there was nothing.
“Ah, i-it must have collapsed!”
The air was thick with dirt dust.
That massive stone tower must have collapsed completely.
Indeed, thunderous sounds had echoed several times on their way here.
Stone fragments were neatly piled up.
But why did a perfectly standing tower suddenly collapse?
Pandan had no way to guess.
He didn’t know that tower was legacy left by the infamous Heaven Defying Magician.
Iris and Heilit whispered.
“What should we do?”
“What else.”
The place presumed to be Pelerian’s dungeon had collapsed.
Only one option remained.
“We have to clear the rocks and search.”
Heilit’s face turned ashen at that answer.
“Clear these rocks with just us two… no, three?”
When Heilit exclaimed in surprise, Pandan looked around.
Three? Why say three?
“We must.”
“Rather than that, if we hire workers and slowly demolish…”
“…”
“Right, we can’t do that.”
“Should I call my kin?”
“Just getting fairies here would take ages.”
Heilit sighed.
Though she usually bickered with Iris, she had been willing to help.
Isn’t that why she brought her here?
‘But this is too much…’
But searching through collapsed tower ruins to find Pelerian’s whereabouts?
Even hiring workers, it would be a major project taking at least several months.
If handling it secretly, it would take years.
That means being tied here that whole time.
She’s not a long-lived race like fairies, it’s nonsense.
‘Honestly we’re not even that close.’
Heilit decided.
‘Yes, sorry but I should say we need to go back.’
From here on is fairy business.
Just as Heilit was about to say this.
A white mass plopped down in front of her as she turned.
“Aak shit! You scared me!”
A white mass the size of a human torso.
It contained undigested termite monster shells and legs mixed in.
Looking up at the sky revealed the identity of what fell.
“Bird droppings, no, wyvern droppings…”
Two massive wyverns flapped about in the sky above.
He knew of their existence from what Pandan told him.
But something seemed odd.
The two weren’t fighting. They just flew around in circles.
“Kugagagagagak!”
The Black Wyvern Queen.
That monster roared at them.
A wary look as if saying ‘Don’t dare think of approaching.’
‘That one’s warning us.’
Hunter Heilit Langrey instinctively considered hunting methods.
Definitely a named monster.
If asked whether it could be hunted, it wouldn’t be impossible.
Even if it’s a monster you can’t win against in battle, skilled hunters can still hunt it.
