[Identification process completed!]
[Name: Pandora Fallon
Race: Poisonous Scorpion
Category: Child
Class: Not qualified yet
Level: 1
Poison Seal: Locked
Evolution Progress: 0]
[HP: 80] [MP: 75] [EXP: 0/25]
[STR: 15] [AGI: 40] [DEX: 40]
[VIT: 30] [INT: 10] [LUK: 15]
[Basic Skills]:
[Venom Flick
Type: Physical + Poison Attack
Cost: 3 MP
The scorpion whipped its tail toward the enemy, injuring and injecting a light poison.
Effect: Deals 5% physical damage + light poison effect for 2 turns (1% HP per turn).]
[Sand Veil
Type: Defense / Illusion
Cost: 3 MP
Description: The scorpion shook the ground and created a thin sand haze that concealed its presence.
Effect: Increases Evasion +10% for 1 turn.]
[Chitin Guard
Type: Defense Buff
Cost: 3 MP
Description: The chitin layer on the scorpion's body hardened temporarily, reducing incoming damage.
Effect: Increases Defense +15% for 2 turns.]
For a moment, the small female scorpion only stared at the screen while blinking a few times. "Is this for real?"
Half believing and half doubting, Pandora eventually looked at the notification board several more times. Her feelings surged between excitement, confusion, and astonishment.
How could Pandora have obtained this system?
But she was too reluctant to question or make a fuss about such things. Thus, she did not voice any complaint at all.
"I'm curious about its authenticity. If I use this skill right now, will it take effect?"
She almost pointed her curved tail randomly at something, before finally realizing something. "I'd better test it on something else. My points are still very low. If I use them on useless things, won't that just waste all my stat points?"
Realizing that early, she could only resume her journey toward the academy. She had waited by the riverside long enough. If they truly planned to come, they should have done so earlier.
For now, only one possibility crossed Pandora's mind. They had come but left before her. After all, Pandora arrived late. Besides, they did not know her final decision was to join the academy.
Under the moonlight, she continued walking across a stretch of land filled with tall grass that had turned yellowish-brown—withered. Who knew how long it had been since it last rained? Some fields and forests had already begun to dry out.
Besides, ever since she became a scorpion, Pandora no longer paid much attention to the weather. It no longer mattered to her.
When she arrived at a high plain, she stopped in her tracks. "Turns out walking this far was also quite tiring."
Pandora did not know the exact location of the academy. But she was determined to find it no matter what. But wait, Pandora felt like she had missed something.
"Wasn't the academy only a place for the outcasts who couldn't evolve? But now I have a system that allows me to evolve? Shouldn't I avoid going there?"
Look at how foolish Pandora was. She didn't even think that far ahead. Whether because she was overly happy or simply not thinking straight. If she still had a human body, disappointment would be clearly visible on her face right now.
"Ah, should I go back?"
For a moment, the girl waged a war inside her mind. Should she continue the journey? But now she was no longer an abandoned scorpion. Yet what about Eden and Liora?
In that confusion, suddenly another notification appeared right in front of her.
[Congratulations! You have just received your first mission! Would you like to open it?]
[Yes] [No]
"First mission?" Pandora muttered in confusion.
She wasn't stupid—she knew that was something she had to do once she obtained a system. It was just that she wasn't sure whether it would be easy or troublesome.
As a level one, it shouldn't be too hard to complete, right? But still, Pandora had to stay cautious. After all, in a place this magical, nothing was impossible. And she had already realized that from the very beginning.
Since she had no other choice—and was also curious—Pandora finally lifted one of her claws and pressed the green button that said "Yes." A moment later, the notification board flickered, displaying a loading process.
[First mission loaded! You must enter Wildroot Academy and become a student there!]
Pandora's entire body loosened instantly. To be honest, her feelings were mixed. She was happy that she didn't have to turn back just because she had already evolved now. But on the other hand, she couldn't help but question something in her heart.
Why did she still have to enter the Academy even when she already had a system to evolve?
But since it was an official mission from the system, she had no choice but to obey. She continued walking across the stretch of dry grass and desert sand.
But wait! Pandora stopped in her tracks when she realized something. "How am I supposed to reach the Academy? I don't even know the way."
She hesitated a bit, but back when she was human, she had watched and read something like this—where the main character would get a system that helped them along their journey.
So she had an idea.
"System!" Pandora called.
For a moment, there was no response. Even when she looked around, she found nothing. Pandora started to doubt—did the system only appear when she truly wished for it?
But that doubt disappeared instantly when the notification board reappeared in front of her.
[Do you need something?]
"Actually, I don't know the way to the Academy. Can you tell me?"
[Sorry, your request cannot be processed.]
"Why?"
Before the system could respond again, Pandora suddenly felt a chill behind her. It was actually just a breeze, but for some reason, it didn't feel that way.
Instead, she felt as if the cold air of the night pierced straight through her bones. Because of that, Pandora quickly turned her head to the right, left, and behind—just to make sure what was really going on.
Her suspicion was confirmed when she caught a glimpse of a shadow flashing behind her. It moved so fast—like lightning—that she didn't even have time to see it clearly.
"What was that?" Pandora muttered.
Even though she had lived as a scorpion for quite some time, she had only recently left her nest. Before this, she had never traveled this far. Naturally, that made her a bit frightened, even trembling slightly.
Just then, the system's voice entered her hearing again.
[This is part of the mission. You must find your own way.]
This time, Pandora didn't intend to argue with the system. Her head was already filled with confusion and fear about whoever—or whatever—had just passed behind her.
Not wanting to cause trouble on her first day outside the nest, Pandora decided to keep moving forward without looking back.
"I'd better get out of here. Even though I don't know where I'm going, at least I should avoid any possible danger lurking around."
She finally used all eight of her legs to move quickly. But her steps suddenly stopped, replaced by a confused expression when a familiar voice rang sharply in her ears.
"Pandora!"
That voice sounded exactly like Eden's. Out of reflex, she turned around. Unfortunately, at that very moment, something shot straight into her eyes. Her eyes turned red, and then—she remembered nothing.
---
Pandora woke up with a dizzy head and eyes that stung. Slowly, she moved her body—which, luckily, was still functioning properly.
But waking up in an unfamiliar place was enough to let fear dominate her completely. She couldn't utter a single word and could only glance around in panic.
"What just happened? Why am I here? Wasn't I on my way to the Academy? Did I fall asleep from exhaustion?"
Pandora felt like she couldn't hold all the confusion inside her any longer. But just as her eyes scanned the entire room, she suddenly spotted a figure she knew all too well.
With all eight legs, she moved closer to that figure.
"Eden?"
Yeah, it was Eden. Unfortunately, she couldn't find Liora anywhere. But this was still good. At least she had found one of her friends.
"Eden, wake up!" The girl shook Eden's body with her claw, feeling a bit worried when the male crab still didn't respond.
At a time like that, Pandora looked around again to find some clues. When she swept her gaze across the place, she realized one thing.
They were inside a cave glowing with a bright red light—its source completely unknown. All Pandora could do at that moment was swallow hard while slowly walking deeper into the place alone.
"What is this place, actually? Why am I here? Who brought me here?"
She forced her head to recall what had happened before she arrived here. After a few moments, she finally started to remember everything. "Nine-Faced Lizard!"
Pandora shouted the name as the memory returned to her. The moment she did, the cave's ceiling suddenly shook, causing chunks of soil to fall and stab into the ground.
Startled, Pandora instinctively stepped back and pressed herself against the wall. She looked up, but she couldn't see anything. "It seems that name is forbidden to be spoken here."
Whether she felt relief or surprise, Pandora noticed that Eden began to wake up after the tremor subsided. Seeing that, she quickly walked toward him.
"Eden, are you all right? Can you hear me?" Pandora asked anxiously.
Eden, who didn't seem to have regained full consciousness yet, could only shake his head a few times. But he blinked several times once he saw Pandora in front of him.
After confirming that it was indeed Pandora, Eden shouted, "Pandora! You must get out of here right now! He's insane! He'll wipe us all out!"
"Hey, calm down, Eden. You're all right. We'll all be fine, so please calm yourself, okay?"
Honestly, Pandora was also confused and panicked by Eden's reaction. But if she panicked too, she was sure nothing would go well from that point onward.
Even after being comforted, Pandora could still see the panic in Eden's expression. Well—technically, that was just the face of a normal scorpion. If it were another creature, maybe they wouldn't even notice the difference.
But Eden and Pandora were the same species now. They were both scorpions, and of course, they could understand each other—whether through language, expressions, or even thoughts.
"Where's Liora? Why can't I see her? Weren't you supposed to be with Liora?" Pandora asked again. She knew Eden was still in shock, and it would be impossible for him to speak first unless prompted.
Ah, Pandora had learned quite a lot since becoming a scorpion.
"Liora?"
After hearing Liora's name, Eden suddenly looked as if he had realized something. His eyes widened, and he stared sharply at Pandora. "She—"
"Oh, so my last prey has woken up. Excellent. Looks like I'll be feasting tonight."