As dawn broke, the sky transformed into a canvas of orange and pink hues, jolting Adam awake. He was no longer a hawk. His body felt strange and unfamiliar. When he attempted to stand, he stumbled, landing snout-first in the dirt.
Never before had he felt so vulnerable. He tried to flap his wings, but a sharp pain shot through his new, shorter limbs. There was an unfamiliar heaviness in his body. He had transitioned from a hawk to a Deinonychus.
With a grunt, he pushed himself up, glancing down at his new form—a peculiar blend of muscle and feathers. His arms felt clumsy as he stretched them, feeling the sharp claws flexing. Testing his legs, he felt the powerful muscles ache as he took his first steps.
"I need to learn to navigate this body," he thought. The forest was his domain, and he had to adapt to thrive within it.
He began to explore his strength, practicing movement, learning to use his claws to grip, and experimenting with running and leaping. The forest floor became his playground, a space to hone his skills.
By midday, confidence began to replace his initial clumsiness. He had mastered walking and running, even managing a few awkward glides. Though still adjusting, he was learning.
Unfortunately, hunting posed a greater challenge. While he could now consume larger prey and gain more points, he had lost the hawk's ability to fly an undeniable downgrade.
Scavenging was also difficult; at 20ft in lenght and and 3 ft in height, his new form was hard to miss. However, he could gain points more quickly by consuming larger amounts of prey, hoping to evolve into a more efficient form.
[System Interface Activated]
Name: Adam
Species: Deinonychus
Age: 98 days
Evolution Points: 900
Special Titles:
[KinSlayer: Grants 20% damage boost against family members]
Stats:
Strength: 2 → 10
Agility: 2 → 12
Intelligence: 10 → 11
Abilities:
[Enhanced Vision]
[Flight Mastery] → [Glide]
[Slightly Hardened Talons] → [Slightly Hardened Claws]
[Slightly Sharper Beak] → [Slightly Sharper Teeth]
New Abilities acquired: [Night Vision]
Points Required for Minimal Evolution: 150 (increases with each evolution)
Potential Evolution Pathways:
Predatory Instincts: Enhance hunting capabilities.
Physical Augmentation: Increase strength and agility.
Cognitive Development: Boost intelligence.
[Warning: Evolution is a double-edged sword. Each transformation may alter your instincts and desires. Choose wisely.]
[Congratulations on your first significant evolution, host. As you transition to a new form, you will have the opportunity to grow stronger with age and through further evolution. However, be aware: this new form will influence your instincts in ways you may not yet comprehend.]
Despite the system's prompt, Adam was too shocked to care. He knew his new form would naturally make him far more powerful than a bird. Seeing his stats increase so dramatically brought him joy, easing the ache of his lost points even his intelegince increased. Yet, a thought nagged at him: what were the average stats of humans in comparison?
He wasn't looking to eat them; he wasn't a monster. Corpses worked well, but he needed to understand how powerful he is.
Going back to the forest Adam had spent the next three days honing his hunting skills in the forest. He hunted relentlessly, taking down everything from hares to elks and even wolves, amassing an impressive 2000 points.
During this time, he discovered that his new form thrived on ambush tactics. Although he was incredibly fast, striking from the shadows proved far more efficient, allowing him to quickly kill and devour his prey with minimal effort.
[Outside the Forest]
A group of villagers huddled together, surrounding an old man. Before them lay a grim tableau of carcasses: from small animals to the rare and valuable elks. The ground was littered with remnants—twenty wolf carcasses, six elk, and countless smaller animals, reduced to nothing but bones.
Gamekeeper Olaf's face twisted with concern. The farmers had reported unsettling noises emanating from the forest when they went to work on the farms near the forest, and animals were behaving strangely; horses and mules outright refused to approach the woods.
The farmers naturally skittish of approaching this side of the forest for fear of being branded as poachers, they would not venture near, but this was different.
After a day of investigation, the villagers had stumbled upon the grisly scene in the outer reaches of the forest. None dared to confront the beast responsible for this slaughter without the baron's men for protection.
"This is bad," Olaf thought. As gamekeeper, he was responsible for managing the forest and its wildlife, and now most of the animals lay dead—especially the elks and the majority of the wolves. He could already feel the impending wrath of the baron. These animals were not just wildlife; they were status symbols for the nobles during hunts.
Looking at the anxious faces surrounding him, a shrewd glint flickered in his eyes. He needed to shift blame. "Everyone, follow me," he commanded. "We must report our findings to the baron. You will be rewarded for your efforts."
The baron's territory was modest, covering about 35 kilometers. After all, he was merely a baron, presiding over around 800 subjects. His lands included a small forest, several villages, and the baron's castle. It was typically peaceful, save for the occasional squabble among the barons over land and resources. But this incident had the potential to disrupt that peace significantly.
[At the Baron castle]
Baron Orwen stood at the castle walls, his gaze fixed on the decapitated heads of the four farmers Olaf had brought before him. The cold wind whipped through his hair, but his face was devoid of emotion.
Next to him, Olaf shivered. The gamekeeper's face was pale, betraying the fear that gnawed at him. Orwen's mind was consumed by thoughts of the game lost in the forest—the elks, the wolves—each one a symbol of his power and prestige.
With a sigh, Baron Orwen turned to his men. "Take the families of these men. Sell them into the next slave caravan.We need to compensate for the lost games" and eliminate any threat of revenge.
Olaf felt a knot tighten in his stomach. The baron's gaze shifted to him, calculating. Orwen had always viewed him with disdain, and now, with this failure, the old gamekeeper felt the weight of impending change.
Orwen's expression hardened. "It's time for you to retire, Olaf. I need someone more capable of managing the forest."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Olaf understood the message. His days in the baron's service were numbered, and the forest would soon be under new management.
With a heart full of resentment, Olaf cursed the beast and the baron in silence, forced to smile and fawn over Orwen to keep his life intact.
The beast, meanwhile, was in a foul mood. After all his hunting, he had accumulated only 5,800 points—far less than he typically gathered from consuming decayed human corpses.
Rampaging into human settlements was not an option; even if he did, he wouldn't be able to consume half of them before they banded together to kill him. He didn't know if they were a threat, but he certainly didn't want to find out too late.
With limited options, he decided to focus on what he could control.
"System, spend all my points into size and metabolism," he commanded
[Ding]
[Starting Evolution]
[The evolution will take approximately 2 hours to finish. Sweet dreams, host]