Chapter 29: Evolution and the Truth of the World Revealed
"Eh?"
Shiro lifted her head and looked around in confusion. Did she just hear D's angry roar? Was it just a hallucination?
"Shirazawa, what's going on with you two? Did you have a fight?"
Beside her, Shirazawa scratched his head. "Did we? I don't think I said much of anything."
"Hmm... whatever. Must have been my imagination."
"Food! Food!" Shiro shrugged, too lazy to dwell on it. It wasn't a big deal anyway. Even if she knew the truth of the world, so what? Did her weak self have the power to change anything? Not at all.
Why look for trouble when you could enjoy a fresh, delicious wyrm feast instead? Shirazawa agreed, and the two began to gorge themselves. High-end ingredients often require only the most primitive cooking methods...
[Proficiency reached. Skill
"Ah~ thank you for the meal. I'm satisfied." Shirazawa patted his bulging stomach and squinted his eyes contentedly.
"Now that our
Shiro stretched her limbs, looking quite comfortable. "By the way, Shirazawa, why would Mother appear in the Middle Stratum? Shouldn't such a powerful monster stay in the Bottom Stratum of the labyrinth?"
"Who knows... maybe she's going to the Upper Stratum to lay eggs. After all, newborn spiders are too weak; they couldn't survive in the Lower Stratum." Shirazawa spread his legs. "Actually, Mother is quite considerate when you think about it."
"Uh..." Shiro's mouth hung open slightly, her words catching in her throat. If she hadn't almost been eaten by Mother back then, she might have actually believed that.
"Then, can we follow the tracks Mother left to find the way to the Upper Stratum?" Shiro suggested, a flash of inspiration hitting her.
"Hmm... that is one way." Shirazawa nodded, then stood up. "But before that, let's evolve."
Shiro paused, only just remembering that their levels had reached the cap.
[Evolution Options: Greater Taratect / Small Poison Taratect / Ede Saine]
There wasn't much to say about the Ede Saine—a small spider monster symbolizing death, the evolved form of the Zoa Ele. As for the Greater Taratect, it was dismissed immediately.
[Ede Saine: Evolution Condition: A Zoa Ele that has reached the level cap. A monster that specializes in reaping souls.]
"They all look pretty strong," Shiro muttered, rubbing her chin and considering the options.
"The Ede Saine's final evolution path, like the Zoa Ele line, leads to a half-human spider monster. But if we keep evolving down this path, we reach the Arachne," Shirazawa explained.
The
Without another thought, Shirazawa chose the evolution. The light of evolution enveloped them both. After a brief slumber, they opened their eyes to find their appearances subtly changed. Their cool outer shells were harder, their sharp claws and fangs had grown, and fierce barbs gleamed with a cold light on their backs.
Before they could even react, a powerful flow of information surged into their minds.
[Proficiency reached. Skill
[Condition met. Taboo effect activated. Installing information device...]
[...Installation complete.]
In an instant, the various disasters that had occurred in this world flickered through their minds.
*Atonement!*
*Humans discovered MA energy... the planet's lifespan began to drain rapidly...*
*Atonement! Atonement!*
*The Dragon race was enraged... Goddess Sariel sacrificed herself...*
*Atonement! Atonement! Atonement!*
*Doomsday countdown... consuming souls to restore energy...*
*Atonement! Atonement! Atonement...*
*Administrator Güliedistodiez...*
*System intervention... Goddess Sariel's wish...*
*Humans... Atonement! Atonement! Atonement! Atonement! ATONEMENT!!!!!*
...
"Sss—"
"It hurts!"
Shiro couldn't help but twitch. She clutched her head, feeling as if it were about to split open. She slowly opened her eyes, her face pale. "Is this... the truth of the world?"
"Yes," Shirazawa's voice rang out. "Because of human greed, the world is heading toward destruction. Of course, the source of all evil is that old elf's fault. In the end, if Goddess Sariel hadn't sacrificed herself and D hadn't intervened to create the System, the world would have collapsed long ago. Though, things are more complicated than they seem."
"Humans must atone for this world. The skills and stats they acquire are reclaimed by the System upon death to fill the missing MA energy. Their souls then reincarnate to level up again, continuing the cycle. But a soul is like clothes—if you wash it too many times, it eventually wears out. Once a soul breaks, it's permanent death. No more reincarnation."
"This world has become a cage. Human souls are trapped, unable to move on to other worlds until this one returns to normal. Of course, we as reincarnators are exceptions. With the skill
"But no one wants to die. Humans are selfish; they won't pay for their own mistakes. Therefore, the world's decay hasn't stopped."
Shiro was stunned, then shook her head violently. "No! Absolutely not!" She was terrified. "Will we perish with the world? This... we..."
"Shiro, calm down." Shirazawa patted her shoulder, comforting her softly. "There are still decades before the world ends. It's still a long way off."
Hearing this, Shiro calmed down slightly, but her face remained tense. "Damn it, why do we have to bear this?!" She clenched her fangs and growled. "We just want to live a good life. Is that too much to ask?!!"
She became more agitated, struggling to breathe as if a giant boulder were pressing down on her chest.
Shirazawa sighed lightly. "This world is terminally ill, but it's not beyond saving."
Shiro paused. "How?"
"Exterminate all of humanity. Use their soul energy to fill the world's deficit."
His voice was filled with a decisive, murderous intent. Shiro stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly looked up. "Do you have a plan?"
"All conspiracies and schemes are meaningless before absolute power. The only thing that can stop us is absolute strength."
His cold voice snapped Shiro back to reality. "What do you plan to do?"
"Heh, it's too early to say. Get stronger, Shiro." He smiled, looking at her with a gentle, doting gaze.
"Get stronger..." Shiro lowered her eyes in thought, then took a deep breath, her gaze turning firm. "I understand."
With that, she turned and walked back toward the Lower Stratum.
"Eh? Where are you going?"
She stopped, turned slowly, and her eyes burned with a fierce fighting spirit. "I'm going to challenge Earth Dragon Araba!"
"Wait, what..." Shirazawa was dumbfounded.