The wriggling vines of the massive rose-headed monster still struggled under my claws. Veyra stood at my side, focused with a dagger aimed at the beast. She held it firm and confidently, as if she had done it a hundred times before.

  It was a side of her I had never come across before. One that, for a long time, I didn’t think she was capable of making.

  It’s now or never, Veyra!

  She nodded and lowered her mouth to the dagger in front of her chest. Green magic gathered at her palms in the shape of glowing runic letters that danced through the air in seemingly random motions. In a flash of light, the symbols rushed towards the monster and were enveloped in the same green light. A glowing ring formed around its body from the letters and closed tightly over it.

  {Target has been affected with status condition and will be physically weaker for a brief moment}

  Whoa, so this is her magic? I watched in awe as a strange symbol appeared beside the monster's name tag. It was a small shield with a downward-pointing arrow, most probably the result of that magic she used.

  Veyra rushed over with the dagger held in her right hand, supported by the palm of her left. She kept her body low and dashed in with controlled movements. She closed the gap and swiftly extended her reach.

  The blade penetrated the rose bud and head of the monster, which resulted in a high-pitched squeal, and a moment later, the notification signaled we won.

  {50 EXP gained}

  I gained experience points for that too? I barely did anything, though. I wonder if she gained any experience points for it?

  {Target has been successfully added to party}

  {Party Function has been added}

  {Target has acquired 200 EXP}

  It looks like she does get more experience points for dealing the killing blow. I figured as much. This party feature isn’t half bad.

  I turned my attention to Veyra. I didn’t know you could use magic. What other spells and tricks are you holding out on me? I glared with a look of half suspicion and more so curiosity.

  “Elvish…magic.”

  I wasn’t too caught up with what Elves could do in this world, but if I had to go based on my previous life's knowledge… that’d mean she could use support magic and abilities surrounding nature.

  I guess that’d be pretty handy. I want to ask her to explain more, but I feel like that’s a big ask considering she can’t talk properly just yet… I’ll leave it at that for now.

  We continued on and found a few more of those strange rose vine monsters, some larger than others. Once we cleared a good portion of walking, we ended our adventure for the day and took Veyra back to the village. Thanks to my perfect memory, I could retrace our steps and find the exit again.

  Once the wooden gates of the village came into view, I sent Veyra ahead and said my goodbyes for the night. I couldn’t risk getting too close, or the villagers might have panicked again, so I turned around and returned to the forests.

  Overgrown towers of bark and leaves surrounded me as I entered the forest just outside their village. There weren't that many monsters in the forest, at least nothing willing to challenge me. Since I evolved, almost everything I found in the wild would turn and run as soon as it saw me.

  I wonder what happens if Veyra reaches a high level. Could she evolve as I did? After a few seconds imagining an outcome, I came to the idea of an even bustier elf with sharp features and long cerulean hair. Y-yeah, probably not…

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  It was quiet. I could hear every crack from the branches around me as animals skulked under the cover of bushes and trees. Then, as if right over my shoulder, I felt an eerie presence right on top of me. I snapped my attention around, and the cause of that feeling bolted off in a scurry.

  For a split second, I felt something pop into my field of vision, but it was too quick to tell anything specific. I thought about chasing after it, but with my speed, there was no chance of getting anywhere close to it. Whatever it was that I saw, it was long gone.

  What the heck was that…? Could it be the thing that snuck up on me the first night, too? N-no way… then I really would be prey to that thing, surely not! He-he-he… this crazy forest is way too spooky!

  The rest of the night didn’t seem to come up with any more problems, so I decided to wait for tomorrow when I could investigate further with Veyra.

  ?

  ***

  ?

  I found a moderately open space within the forest outside the village, where no monsters appeared to be. With so much time to spare before meeting back up with Veyra, I honestly considered exploring the ruins on my own, but I knew that wouldn’t be completely safe.

  Should I test out some things while I have free time? Might as well. I shrugged.

  There were still some skills I got from evolving that I hadn’t completely tested and explored as thoroughly as I usually would.

  First off was the Construct skill, probably the most creative skill in my arsenal. It got us out of that tight pinch when leaving the dungeon, but I still wasn’t entirely sure where its limitations and uses lay. So, the first thing to do was to appraise it.

  {Construct}

  {Creates any form or structure from a selected material source. Shape and size are proportional to the user's proficiency with that source}

  Focusing my mana on the ground in front of me, I channeled the earth into one point and extended it out into a large chunk.

  Yeah. It works almost exactly the same as Greater Earth manipulation. Maybe there's something unique about it?

  I tried using the skill again to make something a little more complicated. The chunk bent and cracked under the force and shook violently in place until I relinquished the skill's hold on it.

  Okay, guess it’s impossible to make the object bigger or smaller without adding more material to it. So there are some differences between the skills. So, why would I use this and not just the element manipulation skills?

  My gaze fell onto one of the many tall trees around me and then flicked back to the chunk of rock I had just been tampering with.

  N-no way. Would that even work?

  I activated Construct again and aimed its effects on the tree, contorting its shape and bending it into the image of a massive orb to follow the picture in my mind. The shape wasn’t perfect, but it looked pretty similar to what I was going for.

  This is incredible! With this, I could bend any kind of object I want!

  Although there’s more firepower in the earth manipulation, by using Construct, I could completely bend the object in question to any shape I want. If I use them together…

  I extended my hand, and the chunk of stone I used earlier floated into view. The stone's rugged shape crunched and condensed down until it was no larger than a marble, spinning on its own axis.

  Next, I’ll add a touch of wind…

  A massive burst of wind circulated around the ball and propelled it forward at a speed I couldn’t completely track. The scattered leaves around the base of the tree shot into the air as the marble pierced forward and out the other end of another tree.

  Even at my size and weight, I felt slightly pushed back by the sudden burst of pressure.

  A massive hole appeared where the marble shot through and sent the tree, along with two others behind it, toppling over. It all seemed like a joke at first, until I heard the monstrous sound of snapping wood and the shudder it made when it hit the floor.

  That firepower is no joke… This far surpasses the Piercing Stone skill I had before! This is like a bazooka shot or something!

  {Skills and have evolved the skill

  into }

  Earth Breaker Lance?!! Isn’t that a little scary of a title for a skill? Actually, looking at the damage, it’s pretty appropriate. I gawked at the sight of another tree toppling over behind the one I already blew apart. If it’s a skill like this, I shouldn’t have much problem with any enemies I find around here.

  I’ll continue. I want as many skills as I can get out of tonight.

  ?