I slowly opened my eyes as the rays of light teased .
Stretching, I gradually ca back to myself.
’It’s already morning... I really was exhausted.’
I sighed internally.
My night’s sleep hadn’t been great; nightmares attacked from every direction, forcing to wake up again and again.
Each ti, I simply took a deep breath before going back to sleep.
It was unpleasant, but I could deal with it.
If I had to define another goal in this life, it would be to unlink this resentful spirit from myself and abandon my position as a legacy beast.
Even though I was sure it would still be useful to , there were many bad things about it.
’But now—what about this?’ I looked to the side, where a girl was trying to hug in her deep sleep.
Agnes certainly looked like a delicate and beautiful princess at this mont, despite her hair being stuck to her rosy lips.
Her arms had been wrapped around just monts ago, and now they were searching for again amid sleepy grumbles.
’Damn humans, using like a stuffed toy.’
Imdiately, I moved closer to her face and thought for a mont before making my decision.
I smacked her with my paw. A weak slap, without any real force.
A codic slap.
But completely irritating.
Her eyes twitched just before I attacked again, her body writhing as she tried to cover her face with a pillow.
I simply circled around and kept going.
Amid a series of grumbles and curses, Agnes finally opened her eyes and glared at , annoyed.
However, as soon as her gaze t mine, her irritation turned into fear, and then into pure terror as she threw herself toward the other side of the bed, trying to put distance between us—only to roll off and fall head-first onto the floor in a manner not at all befitting a princess.
"Ouch!"
As she massaged her aching head through clenched teeth, I approached the edge of the bed and looked down at her.
[ Hi, good morning! ]
"G-good morning... I guess..." she mumbled, still waking up.
I laughed in amusent before jumping down and observing the surroundings—rows upon rows of food arranged in preparation for my evolution.
[ You did a good job. At this rate, I might consider leaving you for last. Or at least making it quick and painless. ]
Her body suddenly trembled as she swallowed hard, unsure whether to feel grateful or terrified.
She simply coughed awkwardly in the end.
Standing up with a sigh, Agnes went to her wardrobe to put on sothing more appropriate than her royal nightgown, which revealed far more than it should have.
At that mont, another human aspect of mine awoke... I didn’t know whether I should ignore the sight or simply accept it gratefully as a blessing from the heavens.
Agnes, obviously, treated like an animal with no interest in humans whatsoever and continued without discomfort... though that wasn’t entirely true.
At least, not on a psychological level. Physically, I was still a cub—just one who knew how to appreciate the beautiful things in life when he saw them.
A short while later, following her planned routine, the maids entered with carts full of trays and teapots.
Agnes sat at a table on the balcony, enjoying coffee befitting her royal status.
I watched in silence for a while; the maids had also served —just a bowl and a piece of raw at.
I like at...
But there’s sothing better right in front of ...
"What are you—?"
Much to Agnes’s surprise, I jumped onto the table and stole her slice of cake.
My chubby cheeks rose and fell as the sweet taste touched my refined palate.
[ I don’t have hands to serve myself—don’t judge . Just bring more. Oh, and a cup of coffee too, with one spoon of sugar. ]
Agnes stared at for a mont, then glanced at all the at around , but ultimately sighed and did as requested.
"Isn’t this going to hurt your stomach?" she asked as she watched calmly eating various sweets and savory foods.
[ I evolved my stomach. Since then, it’s strong enough to eat rocks and glass... ]
"How can you be so sure?" she asked with furrowed brows.
[ If you’ll allow , I’d prefer to preserve my dignity. But know that your father didn’t leave a choice. ]
Her eyebrows knitted together as she rembered what I had recently been through.
Agnes’ eyes suddenly lit up, and a complicated expression crossed her face as she scratched the back of her neck.
"Sorry about that... my father can be a little impulsive sotis."
[ ’Impulsive’ is the wrong word. He threw to the wolves with nothing to eat. I’m pretty sure he wants to kill both of us. ]
I simply stayed quiet after that while continuing to enjoy a good cup of coffee.
In my past life, coffee had often been the only thing allowing to et goals—whether academic or professional.
Taking a sip of coffee felt almost like a ritual for luck and success.
And now, I needed luck.
A lot of luck.
[ It’s ti... ]
I said suddenly, leaping toward the piles of at. Agnes followed with curious eyes.
"I’ve never seen a beast evolve," she said, making frown. "What’s it like?"
[ Violent, painful, unnatural—like I’m selfishly subverting nature and being punished for it at the sa ti. ]
Agnes listened attentively to each of my words. I had the feeling she wanted to write everything down but lacked paper and pen.
[ In a way, I think it’s a deserved punishnt... I gain aura by doing things I shouldn’t do. In a sense, it’s a betrayal of nature itself. ]
I montarily rembered all the animals I had hunted—not one because I needed to.
I killed them to beco stronger, and I killed many, far more than necessary.
If everyone acted like , the natural balance would collapse in days.
To nature, I was a cub ant to play and grow, and only after reaching adulthood should I hunt just enough to keep the balance.
Yet I had already broken nature’s balance as a cub.
I was nothing I was supposed to be.
I was a deviant.
It wouldn’t be wrong to call a demon.
[ Watch closely. I’m going to start. ]
There were four options: Skin, Muscles, Claws, Fangs.
Skin would directly increase concealnt and resilience.
Muscles would increase raw physical strength.
Claws and Fangs were specialized enhancents for combat power.
So the two real options were obvious—but the final choice wasn’t.
For a while now, I had felt that my strength exceeded what my body could handle.
I clearly felt a barrier preventing from using my full power, and that barrier existed because my body couldn’t withstand my own strength without hurting itself.
Improving my muscles would only increase my potential strength, not my usable strength.
Therefore, the correct choice was skin.
[ Please choose your mutation. ]
’Skin’
[ Consu Aura (100 → 0) to evolve your Skin from [Wild] to [Ferocious (Legendary)]? ]
’Yes’
[ Mutation in progress. ]
[ Loss of consciousness will result in death. ]
I took a deep breath as I once again felt my aura spreading through my body, out of my control...
Or rather, now that I understood it more deeply, I could tell I myself was guiding it so instinctively that it felt uncontrollable.
The aura gently touched my skin, flesh, and bones.
And then the first impulse ca.
My bones expanded without warning.
My body convulsed as it enlarged, the air suddenly leaving my lungs.
But I soon inhaled sharply again.
Then the second impulse ca, my body growing once more, splitting the skin in small cracks.
I clenched my teeth, feeling blood seep from each one of them.
Then ca the third, fourth, and fifth impulses.
My body felt like it was about to explode as my skin tore further and further.
The pain was hellish—but sohow still bearable as long as I gritted my teeth and breathed deeply.
Blood covered my entire form as the skin peeled away from my flesh, exposing my muscles.
I scread, even normal air burning as it touched my raw flesh.
The ground beneath felt like steel thorns while the sun burned like hellfire.
My body fell and continued to convulse as a new layer of skin slowly ford.
A short while later—
I lay there gasping on the floor, resembling a newborn fresh out of the womb.
[ Mutation complete! ]
[ Pain Tolerance 2 → 3 ]
[ Fainting Tolerance 2 → 3 ]
When I ca back to myself, I looked at Agnes—her eyes wide, terror covering her entire face.
[ I’m the one who almost dies, yet you’re the one who’s scared? ]
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