"I WAS OUT FOR THREE DAYS, RAIN! EXPLAIN!"
Rain barely looked up from his papers, waving off Lime's frustration. "Oh? I knew you'd be out for a while, but even I'm surprised it took three days."
"Why did that happen?" Lime demanded.
"Evolution time is directly related to how complicated your transformation is. If it's just improving existing organs and stats, it'll be quick. But if you're gaining new organs and going through a complete redesign—like you did—it's gonna take a while."
"So… the more complicated, the longer the process."
"That's the gist of it."
Lime frowned. "That's troubling. Does that mean unless I choose evolutions that complement this one, I'll keep taking longer?"
"Most likely, yeah."
"Great…" Lime sighed
"So, how was it? Did you get the organs and skills you aimed for?"
"A lot of new organs, yeah. Some skills too. The rest i'll have to pick up once i get some skill points."
Rain leaned back, giving him a warning look. "And remember—don't grab too many skills at once. You'll just slow your progress and won't be able to level them up properly."
"Got it. So… what now?"
"Tell me about your evolution. What changed?"
Lime hesitated, debating how much to share. "It's all about consuming cores. The raw stat gains seemed weak, but it said core consumption would be easier and way more beneficial."
Rain's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Ooooh, interesting! Can't say I've seen a monster with traits like that before. Sounds like it'll make your next evolution even better."
"For sure. Can I go now?"
Rain smirked. "Break a leg."
---
Lime left the office and stopped by the quest board. It was time for higher-level quests. Higher-tier targets meant more points, and more points meant access to rare cores, weapons, and maybe even skill training.
"Damn, I really wanna tell Rain that I can passively learn skills… but nah. No need to show all my cards."
His eyes landed on an infestation-clearing quest.
> Target: Giant Ants
Location: Western part of the third layer
Threat Level: C-rank (recently upgraded)
Notes: Ants are weak individually, but their numbers pose a significant threat.
"Huh. Not bad, decent payout… but it's a group quest."
His face twisted in annoyance. "Yeahhh, no. I ain't working with a team. Me and Asil make a great pair on our own. Guess I'll just hunt deeper for now."
---
Welcome to the Swamp
"Dig, dig, all I do is dig, dig~ la la la la la—uwaaaa!"
Lime faceplanted into something soft and wet.
Asil gracefully floated down beside him, tilting her head as she observed their new surroundings.
It was a swamp—thick mud, murky water, and mosquitoes everywhere.
Giant mosquitoes.
Lime's stomach dropped. "Oh, hell no. Asil, I think we need to wipe this whole layer off the map."
"Yes!" Asil's body flared with fire mana, heat rippling around her like a burning aura.
"NOOO, I WAS JOKING!"
"Awww…" She pouted before giving him a mischievous grin. "But, you know, if you ever want me to burn everything down, just say the word~."
…Why is she so scary?!
Still, they had a job to do.
"Let's exterminate some bloodsuckers!"
The two split up. The mosquitoes weren't much of a threat, their mana signatures far weaker than Lime or Asil.
Asil dashed forward, fire mana boosting her speed like a jet engine as she burned through entire swarms.
Lime focused on hunting cores, using mana sense to pinpoint the ones worth killing.
Most of these monsters were Tier 3, meaning more than half had cores. That was perfect. He needed cores to level up his abilities before consuming them. No point wasting rare cores without preparation.
For the next few days, they hunted non-stop—from mosquitoes to crocodiles—gathering cores, refining skills, and getting stronger.
Lime walked back to the guild, handing in his latest quest, when he noticed something odd.
The ant infestation quest had changed.
> New Rank: B
Updated Danger Level: Extreme Growth Detected.
Urgent Extermination Required.
"Wait… what? That's not normal."
He felt a presence behind him before he even turned around.
"Good news," Rain's voice drawled. "You'll be joining the expedition to wipe out the ants."
Lime whipped around. "WHAT?! WHY?!"
"Well, they're growing too big, too fast. We need to cut them off before they become a real problem."
"Isn't this above my rank? How can I even take this mission?"
Rain grinned. "Because I said you can. Pack up. We leave tomorrow morning."
Lime groaned. "Wait… we?"
"Obviously. Someone has to monitor you. Aka, me."
Lime sighed, rubbing his face. "This is just… great"
---
The Expedition Begins
The next morning, Lime made his way to the camp, where dozens of adventurers were already gathered. Swordsmen, mages, archers, and beast tamers—it was a massive force, far more than he had expected.
"…Isn't this overkill?" he muttered.
Rain, appearing beside him like a ghost, chuckled. "You can never be too careful."
Lime flinched. "Do you have to always sneak up on me?"
"It's a perk of the job."
Ignoring him, Lime scanned the crowd. Many adventurers had beasts at their side—giant apes, massive serpents, armored lizards. It seemed like Asil wouldn't stand out too much here.
With a flick of mana, he summoned her.
The moment she appeared, a nearby woman took notice. She was clad in fitted leather armor that covered every inch of her body, twin weapons strapped to her sides—a dagger on the left, a sword on the right. Her blonde hair was tied back, and her bright green eyes studied Asil with interest.
"Hey, nice pet. What is it?"
Lime's brows twitched. It?
"She's her own being, thank you very much. And her name is Asil. A Blazing Steel Bee."
The woman tilted her head. "Huh. Never seen a bee like her before. But to be fair, they're not common choices. Most people go for heavy hitters or support-types. Still, she looks amazing."
She gestured toward the creatures beside her. "These three are my companions. Bone—Tier 5 Stone Tosser Monkey. At this level, he's fused with earth mana, and even has steel mana in the mix. His bones and muscles can shatter mountains."
Lime's eyes widened slightly as he took in the massive ape beside her.
"Next is Roberta. A crow." She smirked. "Not much in a fight, but she's my eyes in the sky. Fast, stealthy, nearly invisible when she wants to be. And last—Binder."
She gestured toward a small, hunched creature with glowing eyes.
"A demon hybrid caster. Healing, destruction magic—a bit of everything. Ps: demons are rare so yeah am cool like that"
Lime nodded. "That's pretty cool. I dunno if I'll get any more companions, though. I'm happy with what I've got."
The woman smiled. "I get that. Picking a companion is a huge deal. Good talk. Maybe we'll chat more later."
After about forty-five minutes, everyone was prepared to move out.
But before the first step was taken—
BOOM!
A massive stone plummeted from the sky, crashing into the center of the group.
The ground trembled from the impact, dirt and debris blasting outward.
Fortunately, none of the adventurers were amateurs. They dodged easily, weapons drawn, spells at the ready.
Then the real threat appeared.
Skittering from the shadows, giant ants swarmed toward them. But these weren't normal monsters—each one was bigger, thicker, and pulsing with mana. Their chitin shimmered like polished armor, their mandibles sharp enough to carve through steel.
Rain clicked his tongue. "Tch. They attacked before we even reached the nest?"
A second wave emerged, crawling over the trees, the ground, even the damn sky as winged variants took flight.
Lime's muscles tensed. "So much for overkill."
Rain stood behindand shouted. "Everyone, hold formation! Pick your targets—Extermination begins now!"