Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World

Ark could hear a shuffling sound outside the ice house.

It was low and nearly impossible to pick out, whatever was outside was clearly trying to keep a low profile. Meaning unlike the Basilisks, this was an intelligent monster.

Once Ark began stalking towards the window, Thalia’s eyes suddenly snapped open, her pupils were narrowed into thin slits, it seemed she had also sensed the monster...

Once their eyes met, Ark raised his hands to his teeth to tell her to be quiet, then pointed at Olivia. Thalia nodded and placed one hand over her mouth before proceeding to wake her up.

While she was doing that, Ark got to the window and took a peek out of the square frame. There was nothing outside, it was just like it had been last time he checked.

The lava veins were pulsing with light as fresh lava washed away the colder ones. The bodies of the basilisks were motionless, like they should be—

Ark suddenly froze.

”What the hell is that?” He muttered in a low tone as he concentrated his gaze on a particular spot in the distance. It looked like a large chunk of the black ice Jenna had unleashed all over the place.

Only that... Jenna never created a chunk that big.

Ark basically leaned out of the window as he took in its peculiar shape, but it was pitch black, so no matter how much he stared he could not tell what it was.

The black mass suddenly twitched.

”...”

And then two eyes appeared at the sides of its head. It was not a damn rock, that thing was a fucking salamander!

[Threat detected! Black Salamander, Level 20 x 1!]

As if one was not bad enough, another salamander suddenly stepped out from behind it. The bastard had been using its ally to completely mask its presence!

[Threat detected! Red Salamander, Level 20 x 1!]

Just like Ark had suspected, they were bosses. Individually, they would not have been strong enough to be considered one, but together? They more than met the requirement.

Unlike the first Salamander who was black, this one had bright red scales that glowed like hot coals.

From the moment it had appeared, Ark had already summoned his weapon, the hero’s blade, swiftly transforming it into a large shield. ”Incoming, get behind me now!”

It was almost as if he knew what would happen next, because he did. Salamanders were notorious for starting their battles with a long-range devastating attack.

Most times, that attack was more than enough to settle the fight...

”W-what? What are you talking about—eek!”

Confused, having just woken up, Olivia was about to ask what was happening, when Thalia immediately dragged her towards the safety of Ark’s shield.

As they dashed towards him, the black salamander unleashed a torrent of black oil from its mouth, and then the red salamander doused it in flames, transforming it into a stream of liquid fire!

The world became intensely bright, and then a shockwave pounded right into Ark’s very soul.

BOOOOM!!

The entirety of the ice house was blown apart, the fire washing right over them. Ark planted his feet down, gritting his teeth as he firmly held his shield, pushing back against the torrent of fire.

The fire continued to gush out of the salamanders in unending waves. Ark could feel the fire begin to get to his weapon, its edges had turned bright red, and just holding it was increasingly getting difficult.

But he persevered. It was impossible for the Salamanders to keep the barrage going on forever, and when it ceased, he would strike.

The fire suddenly stopped, leaving Ark confused.

He could have sworn that they would last longer. He lowered his shield, only to gasp as the two monsters were right in front of him...

”Oh...”

From a distance, they were already big, but up close they were terrifying. The scales of the black salamander were beautiful, black like a starless night, and with intricate patterns that detailed its body.

While the scales of the red one were like gemstones, and Ark could see little whips of fire swirling within them.

Wyverns could be described as little dragons, but describing salamanders as little wyverns would have been sheer stupidity.

Salamanders were the cultists of the monster kingdom. They were faster than most things on land, and their flames were three times hotter than that of a wyvern!

Now what would happen if you were to combine that fire with a black salamander’s oil? It would be pure carnage.

The monsters watched him the way a cat would stare at a wandering mouse, and then a low rumble began to emanate from their guts in warning.

Ark laughed as he raised his head to meet their gaze. ”Well, that is one way to make an entrance, how about we go, big boy?”

SKREEEE!

The red salamander snarled, and Ark felt like gagging as the stench of god-knows-whatever slammed into him like a tank. It tried to bite off his head, but Ark was already swinging.

”Keep that foul mouth of yours closed for fuck’s sake!”

His shield immediately changed into a mace, and then he drove it right into its jaw, snapping its head back.

He followed it up with a wide swing, but the salamanders jumped back with cat-like reflexes, distancing themselves from him, their golden eyes gleaming with malice.

The monsters began to slowly circle them, both monsters rumbling like cheap V4 engines.

”What the hell?” Olivia hissed as she stared back at what was left of their house. She had been sleeping when Thalia had dragged her towards Ark, so it was only now that what happened dawned on her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at her only comfort in this harsh terrain...

”You... you bastards! I was still using that!”

The black salamander hissed at her and Olivia hissed back, causing it to recoil in shock. ”I’m going to teach you guys a bitter lesson...” She growled, summoning her axe.

”What is the plan?” Thalia asked, cautiously watching the monsters.

Ark shrugged indifferently. ”Let loose, they aren’t worth planning for.” The salamanders may have been tough, but both Ark and Olivia had fought in much worse circumstances. As for Thalia... she had fought him, that was life-threatening enough.

”You guys take the black one, the red one is looking at me funny...”

Olivia smiled wildly, her wings fanning out by her sides as fire danced in her green eyes. ”I like that plan.”

VWOOOSH—!

The salamanders suddenly unleashed another burst of oil and fire. Ark jumped left, racing towards the red salamander in a circular arc, while Olivia and Thalia went right, forcing the salamanders to split their attack.

The fire chased after Ark, while the oil raced after the girls. Although fire was needed to reach the full potential of the oil, without it, it was still corrosive, and more than capable of peeling skin from bone.

But that was not Ark’s problem. His problem right now was the fire. He suddenly accelerated in zigzag patterns, dodging the flames and closing the distance between them.

His mace once again transformed into a scythe mid-air as he slashed with vigor, the tip of the scythe inches away from the monster’s eye.

Swoosh!

But the salamander reacted with ease, courtesy of its breakneck speed. It disappeared, causing Ark to slash at plain air, just before it appeared behind him, its claws carving a path towards his back.

Ark was still mid-swing, meaning it was impossible to dodge the attack. And the salamander knew this, its claws burned crimson as it struck—

But Ark suddenly vanished, appearing at a distance away from the monster.

The monster’s eyes narrowed as it stared at him.

”I know, it is a really cool skill, isn’t it? Its name is unwind in case you are curious—”

Like a mirage, the salamander’s body blurred, and in a heartbeat, its tail was flying right at Ark’s face.

Clang!

Sparks cascaded into the air as Ark’s scythe met its scales.

”Not bad...” Ark praised the beast. ”But speed is not everything, little dragon.” He laughed. ”Please, don’t die too fast... I would like to enjoy this battle to the fullest~”