Intelligent Design: A Monster Evolution LitRPG

Claire had been asleep for a few hours as David poured over the ‘Advanced’ interface curiously, slowly puzzling out what the Overseers had meant by the term. At first, he thought he had been trolled, with a few minor fixes to the display being touted as an entirely new functionality before he figured it out.

Well isn’t that interesting? I’m almost tempted to send another bug report saying everyone needs this mode, ‘cromulence’ notwithstanding. This would have saved me so much pain and probably made me choose other things in the past if I’d had this type of information.

Screech E: You emit a loud screech, damaging enemies in a cone. Low chance to inflict Stun, Deafened.

(20 Stamina, +X Overcharge, Ranged) Offense/Control.

[6/10]

Moonsong F: A soothing melody that adds a greatly increased Regeneration rate to yourself and your allies for a short time.

(50 Stamina, 100% Increased Regeneration, 5 minute duration.) Restorative.

[5/10]

Gloom C: Your wingbeats spread Dusk powder with every flap. Enemies under the effect of Gloom are inflicted with visual hallucinations. Stacks up to 8 times.

(Physical Passive) Control.

[7/10]

Nocturnal Strike C: A quick, lunging attack that steals a small percentage of the target's Stamina.

(-3% Target Max Stamina on hit, 4’ Range.) Offense/Control.

[6/10]

3% Stamina theft on Nocturnal Strike is kind of a lot, isn’t it? Even if I don’t have them disabled that’s almost 10% of their total in three hits, and I can slam those out every second or so. Well, sorta. Depends on if I can hit them reliably if I’m being honest with myself. These new wings from Corruptor are a lot sturdier and have a lot more reach with the little stabber on my wingtips, and just more reach overall. I could be using Nocturnal Strike a lot more strategically, I’ve just been using it for damage and movement. Well shit…

I knew Moonsong used 50 Stamina, it’s always the same amount every time. The fact it increases Regeneration by 100% for 5 minutes is damn good. That’s extra strong because of my high Regeneration on this Evolution, but if the next one I take isn’t as high I should probably consider changing it out. When I know we’ll have some downtime I need to swap it out with some other abilities to see how they work, just in case.

Gloom…yeah pretty much knew all that already. It’s like my most-used ability, I’d be pretty screwed most times without it. I guess I could still apply all my debuffs with Nocturnal Strike, maybe the new spitting thing I could do, but a bigass cloud of Gloom does a lot of heavy lifting. I should try to Fuse more effects into it when I get the opportunity, eventually, I’d like it to just turn people off so I don’t have to deal with them. Just ‘poof’ and you get 60 status effects and sit in timeout in dimension-X. I have that Corrosive Mutagen in storage too, I wonder what that’d do to Gloom? Speaking of Mutagens…

Ancestral Terror Mutagen C: Your body deepens its primal bond, fortifying your strength and weakening the resolve of enemies that can perceive you. Your gaze may trap enemies in instinctive Terror.

Blood Memory: Inflicts Terror, causing enemies to hesitate, cower, or flee.

(+Offense, +Defense, +Control, Passive.)

[1/10]

Soporalytic Mutagen E: Your attacks have a moderate chance to inflict paralytic sedation, inducing muscle spasms and rendering targets unconscious.

(++Control, Physical Passive.)

[9/10]

Secretive Mutagen E: You become more elusive, making you harder to track and detect.

(-20% Detection Range, Physical Passive.)

[8/10]

Apical Mutagen C: Assert your dominance, add bonus effects to Abilities dictated by Ability Type. [Control: Drain a small percentage of Enemy Health and Stamina] [Offense: Sunders a percentage of Enemy Defenses]

(+4 Health/Stamina, Control Passive. 10% Defense Penetration, Offense Passive.)

[3/10]

Corruptor Bloodline A: Ancestral memory of venomous shadow-stalkers that move with preternatural swiftness, unseen. Afflictions you inflict fester and intensify. Provides intrinsic control of affliction delivery.

Corruptor’s Touch: Release a small dart of liquid, inflicting applicable Status Effects on contact.

(+Speed, +++Control, Physical Passive.)

[1/3]

Wait, Mutagens just directly give me stats? That’s a lot of plus symbols kicking around there, is that basically like overcapping your Evolution stats? If my Offense is 4, but I have another from Ancestral Terror, does that mean it’s actually at 5? And my speed is…4? I guess that sort of makes sense, they’re all physical augments to things. I guess I need to focus more on a few things, instead of trying to have straight 5’s on the Evolution. If I can use the Evolutions base stats as the foundation I can push a few things sky-high and still have respectable weight in the other categories. Damn, I evolved wrong for what I have.

David sighed and closed the Status briefly, his obsidian eyes flicking around the swamp as Claire slept as only a true apex predator could. Loudly. She didn’t snore so much as let out a very noticeable rattling hiss every few seconds, and David’s sensitive ears could detect the difference in their surroundings caused by it. A hundred feet from their position, insects hummed or buzzed, small things scuttled through the swamp grass busily, and the occasional splash rang out as tiny battles raged in the dark. Everything kept a respectable distance from them, however, and a quick check with Spooky returned a vague sense of acceptance. With a silent snort, David turned in a slow circle and bathed the ring of silence in Echolocations, more out of habit than actual concern before he settled back down to try something new. With a mental nudge, the raw data for his Evolution resolved neatly in front of him as he nodded firmly.

Twilight Corruptor Ω

Predatory Physiology,

Draining Attacks: Increased Regeneration after successful strike.

Offense: *****

Defense: *****

Speed: ****

Regeneration: *****

Control: **

Yep, works just like that. I need to figure out a way to graft this onto my Status so I don't have to expand it every time. If I did it with my little readout I can probably do it with this too, huh? I wonder why Control is on its own line, maybe it’s because I forced those upgrades onto the base form with the Evolution and my Mutagens? Looks like it changes after 6 stars, too. Intended to work that way then, fuck I was right. I almost wish I’d taken that Control/Speed-focused Evolution now, but I probably wouldn’t have Spooky kicking around without the Predatory Physiology thing. I admit the Draining Attacks don’t seem exceptionally good, but…

Shit – Does this mean I can get an ‘Advanced’ Evolution Menu? That’d be amazing. I should complain again, maybe that’d work…

“Man I have a lot to do all of the sudden, it feels like,” David grumbled to himself as he scratched his neck idly with a talon. He sighed closed the panel and looked up at the stars, carefully picking out the constellations like he always did, searching out his favorites as he spun in a slow circle once more.

His eyes rapidly traced from anchor to guiding anchor, Cassiopeia leading him to Polaris before he sought his personal favorite - the familiar glow of Mars. Despite the clouds periodically spotting the night sky obscuring his search, the red star revealed itself quickly. Yet its appearance made him frown as Spooky suddenly snarled in the back of his mind, David's head cocking slightly in an instinctive display of puzzlement as he halted. A reflexive glance over his shoulder brought the source of his confusion into sharp focus, and an identical crimson point hung defiantly out of place where it absolutely should not have been. His frown deepened as he fixed the imposter with an intent stare, utterly certain of its absence only a few days ago, and a wave of inexplicable unease washed over him as key differences finally filtered into his awareness.

What the fuck?

This imposter burned brighter than its natural twin, its light refusing to waver softly like the natural twinkle of the stars around it, but instead pulsing in an unmistakable, rhythmic pattern. But it was not alone. His gaze darted outward, and there, hanging impossibly amid the familiar constellations his father had spent dozens of hours telling him stories about as a child, burned several more. Shocking hues of saturated blue, dark violet, lurid green, and brilliant gold pierced the darkness, their lights somehow ominous in the sky. Each pulsed out of sync with its unnatural siblings as if responding to separate, unseen conductors.

A tremor traveled David's spine as dread took root, his instincts screaming that these should not, could not exist. Spooky positively raved in the back of his mind at the sight of them, spitting and hissing in anger.

If they aren’t stars, what the fuck are they?

“Hey, Claire?” David barked loudly in sudden panic, “Wake up, something’s fucky!”