[Welcome to Martial Evolution!]
As Klein logged into the game for the first time in this timeline, he was greeted by the system notification.
Then, he was taken inside a white room. On inside, he could see 6 pillars, each has a description of a beast from each animal family category, which were mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, amphibians, and invertebrates.
From the guides, players were able to roll five times in each pillar, which meant there were 48 options for a player to choose which beast would become their Martial Beast.
Choosing a Martial Beast!!
Klein grew increasingly nervous as he approached the pillars. This was the moment that would decide his turning point, the chance to make up for the regret of his previous life.
Because, when wormholes appear on earth, players will also awaken Martial Beasts in the real world the same as the Martial Beasts they had in Martial Evolution.
Many people believed that when they chose their Martial Beast in the game, the Martial Beast would be bound to each player's soul, which allowing it to awaken in real world as well.
Since then, the game become the second world for human.
Of course, the ones who were making so many complaints were the first batch of Martial Evolution players, because many of them had already chosen Martial Beasts that weren't to their liking.
However, some of the larger guilds in the game realized and started monopolizing as many resources as they could, since they had the first-comer advantage.
In his previous life, Klein thought that he was lucky to get Komodo Dragon as his Martial Beast, but then he realized that he couldn't cultivate it properly and was only able to reach the Rare Tier 5 Great Beast.
Lack of resources was one of his weaknesses in his previous life. However, he also learned one simple truth, which is that he didn't have enough talent to cultivate his Martial Beast in his previous life.
This is why he was worried, because this is the moment that will determine his fate!!
*Tap Tap Tap*
As Klein entered the amphibian category, he started rolling his chances for the Martial Beasts.
[…]
A panel appeared with a list of different beasts. He clicked on the first one, and a detailed description appeared on the screen.
[Red-Spotted Newt]
- This small amphibian has a distinctive bright orange underside with black spots. Its skin produces a powerful toxin that can cause paralysis in predators. Humans who bond with a Red-Spotted Newt gain enhanced agility and dexterity.
Klein scrolled down to the next one.
[Giant Chinese Salamander]
- One of the largest amphibians in the world, the Giant Chinese Salamander has a brown or black body with a wrinkled, slimy texture. It has poor eyesight but can detect prey with its acute sense of smell. Humans who bond with a Giant Chinese Salamander gain increased strength and endurance.
He continued to read through the list, but nothing really caught his eye until he got to the fifth option.
[Splash-Back Poison Frog]
- A small, brightly colored frog with blue and black stripes. Its skin secretes a potent neurotoxin that can cause paralysis or death in predators. Humans who bond with a Splash-Back Poison Frog gain the ability to produce small amounts of the same toxin through their skin, which can be used for self-defense or incapacitating enemies.
Klein couldn't help but remember a well-known player from his previous life who had a Golden Poison Frog as his Martial Beast.
The player had become famous for his deadly poison attacks and had evolved his frog to become a Divine Beast.
Klein wondered if he could achieve the same level of success with the Splash-Back Poison Frog, but he decided to keep looking through the other categories before making a final decision.
Overall, Klein found the amphibian category to be underwhelming compared to some of the other options.
He was nervous as he moved on to the next category.
*Tap Tap Tap*
Klein moved on to the mammal category, feeling a sense of anticipation. In his previous life, he had heard of some of the most powerful players who had obtained fearsome martial beasts from this category.
He thought of one such player, who had managed to obtain a lion as his martial beast, which he had later evolved into a Divine Beast, Heavenly Sun Lion, making him one of the 4 Great Heroes who had reached a demi-god level. He was The Guild leader of Escanor Lion, Leon.
[...]
Klein took a deep breath and started rolling, but to his dismay, not a single predator Martial Beast of mammal or the Martial Beast of well-known players appeared on his list.
Instead, he was presented with common mammals like rabbits, squirrels, and raccoons.
He felt his hopes fading as he realized that he might not be able to obtain a martial beast that could match the beasts of the famous players he knew.
Klein felt a wave of disappointment wash over him as he continued rolling, hoping for a more powerful and impressive beast to appear on his list.
But with each roll, his hopes were dashed as he saw the same common mammals appearing over and over again.
He couldn't help but wonder if fate was playing a cruel trick on him, as he was hoping to redeem himself from his regret in his previous life but was now faced with disappointment once again.
Despite this setback, he refused to give up and moved on to the next category, determined to find a suitable martial beast that could help him rise to the top of the game.
As Klein moved on to the fish category, he hoped to find a beast that would suit his fighting style. He began to roll the dice, hoping to get a fish with some impressive abilities.
However, his hopes were quickly dashed as he rolled the same common and unimpressive fish species one after the other.
Klein tried to stay positive, reminding himself that he didn't need a powerful predator to succeed in the game. But as the list of fish species continued to appear on the panel, he felt more and more disappointed.
Next, he moved on to the invertebrates category, hoping that he might have better luck.
As the list of invertebrate martial beasts appeared, he scanned each one carefully, but he found nothing impressive or useful.
Klein couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration and disappointment as he failed to find any useful martial beasts that suits him.
He wondered if he was just unlucky or if he simply didn't have the right skills to find the best beasts.
Klein realized that finding the right martial beast would be crucial to his success in the game, and in the real world.
He took a deep breath and prepared to move on to the reptile category, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness.
This was the category where he had the most of his hope in. As he began to roll, he saw a list of Martial Beast.
The first one was a [Gila Monster] - A venomous lizard with a distinctive banded pattern on its skin. Its venom is used to immobilize prey and is also used in traditional medicine. Humans who bond with a Gila Monster gain enhanced strength and resistance to toxins.
The second one was a [Galapagos Tortoise], a slow-moving and long-lived reptile found only on the Galapagos Islands. It has a tough shell that can protect it from predators and harsh weather conditions. Humans who bond with a Galapagos Tortoise gain enhanced stamina and endurance.
The third one was a [Veiled Chameleon], a small and colorful reptile that can change its skin color to match its surroundings. Humans who bond with a Veiled Chameleon gain enhanced stealth and camouflage abilities.
The fourth one was a [Komodo Dragon], a giant and ferocious lizard found only on several islands in Indonesia. It has a venomous bite that can cause paralysis and death in its prey. Humans who bond with a Komodo Dragon gain enhanced strength, agility, and regeneration, as well as resistance to toxins.
Klein couldn't believe his luck. He had rolled the Komodo Dragon again in this timeline! Was it fate? The fact that he had another chance to have the Komodo Dragon as his Martial Beast was almost too good to be true.
However, Klein resisted the temptation to choose the Komodo Dragon right away. He wanted to check out the final category of beasts, birds, before making his final decision.
[...]
As he looked at the list of the birds, he saw nothing that particularly caught his attention. He had never been much of a bird person, and he couldn't see how any of the feathered creatures on the list would help him in his martial arts journey.
Just as he was about to give up hope, he saw something that made his eyes widen in surprise on his last roll.
"Mutated Martial Beast!!"