Chapter 40 - Evolutionary Routes
Doing the final check-up, I made sure that where I was right now, was a safe place to be.
A place without intruders who potentially could ambush me from all sides.
My
This seemed odd because to me it felt like the tree had lived for years.
Seeing the circles on top I assumed this being the case, but instead, the tree was hollow.
Seeing the moss above my head made me curious if there was more to be found.
Looking around revealed moss to be spread around the opening which I had barricaded.
Informing me of the fact that the inside had to be unoccupied for a fairly long time,
decades even. At the same time, it felt a little off to me. My consciousness ate away at my curiosity. I felt safe in this shallow, but hollow space. Knowing it wouldn't be raided anytime soon. Yet… The feeling wouldn't get away. A feeling of uneasiness… Like something wasn't right… Maybe, it would just be my survival instinct kicking in? But at the same time… It had never failed me before, so it wouldn't now, would it?
The hollow space within the tree stump was big enough for me to walk around in, which was quite odd in a way if you thought about the fact that my size had been multiplied several times since birth. Doing so made me think this tree might have been too convenient of a place to be. But at the same time… Was there anywhere else to go right now?
Deciding to walk around the edges of the tree made me realize how big it was.
What added to the weirdness was the fact that I could feel a slight breeze from underneath me. Being cold-blooded made it clear as day, there was a hidden path in here…
But where would it lead?
For a moment I snapped out of my delusions and decided it was time to check out what the system had to show, just because I was safe wouldn't mean this would last forever.
"Better do it now, than be sorry."
Without second-guessing the situation I decided to open up the window.
Looking upon what the system presented to me started with a message.
[Due to the survival of calamity level danger the player has unlocked a "unique" evolutionary route. Would you like to take a look?] [YES]/[NO]
"Yes! Now that I'm safe for the moment let's check this so-called "route" out!"
[Inserting information about "the player". Uploading necessary information… Please wait for a moment.]
"Great… Now it makes me feel as if I'm playing or "updating" a game…
Hope it will be done soon, can't wait to find out more about these evolutionary options unlocked by the faithful encounter with "The Guardian".
[Thank you for waiting "Mira" please take a look at the provided information;
Unique Evolution Route; Ragnaria Ultima;
A noble and territorial Apex predator known as "The Guardian".
This deity is known for the protection of the seed, a seed known by few as the seed of life.
Held close to their own, the seed is known as "The Essence of Life".
Essence necessary for the mythical tree of life to grow. The tree is known as Yggdrasil.]
I stopped reading for a moment, being unable to grasp what I was reading.
What I was reading went far beyond normal understanding. But what I came to understand was that in a world with dragons and gigantic eldritch horrors something like the mythological tree of life should be possible to exist as well.
Accepting that Myth and Reality went hand in hand within this universe might have been a lot to grasp… Knowing I had to live with this the acceptance came quite naturally.
I mean, not having a say in the matter does that to a person.
I took a deep breath and continue reading.
[ Ragnaria Ultima is the final evolution of a fusion between the Ragnaa Evolution Tree and the Wurm Evolution Tree. Would you like to examine the Ragnaa Evolution Tree?] [YES]/[NO]
For now, I just wanted to get whatever information I could, seeing how many tiers the evolution tree had would give me perspective in certain limitations as well as look into other options. Although I had to admit that I was flabbergasted about the possibility of crossing breeds? What did the system mean with Wurm Evolution Tree? Would I be able to change into a worm?
"Uggghh, please don't think about it makes me want to puke… My answer for looking into the Ragnaa Evolution Tree is "Yes!"
[Player has chosen to look into the Ragnaa Evolution Tree, preparing all available data known to the player within the system, please stand by for a moment…]
It was finally happening, I was allowed to see what was needed to evolve into the guardian of the seed, wasn't that something rather insane to be fair?
As I asked myself this question a screen popped up thanking me for using the system to look up the appropriate information.
[Thank you for using the Gaia-System, content is loading… 35% of total content loaded.]
It appeared it had to load up quite some information.
"Come to think of it… It only needed to load one time before this, right? What is this? Shouldn't the system have been updated with the appropriate information? Waiting while in danger for my own life… How is that fair?"
[80% of total content uploaded to the portable system of the player known as "Mira".
Please stand by as we transfer the necessary data…]
"Loading the Evolution tree must be special in some degree, right? Why else would this take that long? Or why else would the system even need to update or calibrate the data?"
Asking this question appeared to be asked at the right time because the calibration of the Evolution Tree had finalized as we did.
[Finished setting up the Ragnaa Evolution Tree with known data of the player. "Mira" allow yourself to witness the glorious evolution line of the "Ragnaa".]
Instead of the usual window, an entire system booted itself up.
A window saying "Gaia System" showed a logo befitting the name. It looked like a planet, covered with roots, leaves, and plant life kept slowly spinning around in circles.
To me, the logo looked quite corny, edgy even… But I liked it nevertheless…
Within moments the system showed a welcoming message, followed by the following options;
[Welcome to the Gaia-System, player "Mira" please select your choice of use…]
[Status]
[Skills]
[Quest]
[Options]
[Beast Catalogue]
[Evolutionary Tree Routes]
Everything felt weird to me, why were all these options available? For Status, Skills, and Evolutionary Tree Routes it seemed rather normal… But to even have a Beast Catalogus, Quests, and Options?! Everything I did began to feel more and more like a game…
Could it mean that I found myself within the world of a video game?
This question had popped up several times, but never did it bother me, till now…
What if it was true? Why was I playing? Was this even for entertainment purposes?!
I only had more questions without any of them being answered in the least.
The only thing I was certain about was what the "Gaia-System" had asked me about.
Surprisingly enough E.V.E. had been silent through this all, maybe I should ask her about all this after I've finished checking the Evolutionary Routes?"
For now, I choose to open the [Evolutionary Tree Routes] sections which seemed to be a separate program within the system. The button which I had pushed not too long ago had centred itself within the window, As it began to expand digital lines could be seen, almost as if it began to root itself deep within the core of the program…
The window lighted up a bright turquoise which pulsed itself comfortably across the border of the window. Starting at the top the program read; [Unlocked new data Ragnaria Ultima, The Guardian of the Seed. Tier; ??? Rank; SSS]
"Tier; ????! Are you kidding me right now Gaia?! Is the data incomplete?!"
[System tried implementing all available data of the Ragnaria Ultima.
But since not many tiers are known to the player this information is not available yet.
One could try checking the "Beast Catalogue" at times like these.]
*Sigh*
Really? What's wrong with this system? Here I thought it would inform me about what I wanted to know, but nooo… Damnit! I hate to admit it, but I wasn't the one killing it in the end, maybe that could be the reason?
I kept speculating, nothing seemed logical, except for this…
I kept complaining for quite some time before calming down and examining what the system was allowed to show me. But since there wasn't much more to it, the only thing I could do was trying to calculate what its tier rating could be, right?
The idea felt like my best option which was why I began scrolling down without holding back. As I did many unknown paths were shown without revealing their information. Nothing but question marks flew by until I reached the bottom, the beginning of the tree so to speak. The bottom read; Baby Ragnaa Tier 0 Rank; F.
Or so I thought until it revealed something underneath the baby stage named; Egg.