Chapter 554 A Massive Enhancement

1. [Light-Winged Wolf Beast]

Compatibility: 72%

Description:

A medium-sized predator inhabiting mountainous and hilly terrain. Its primary diet consists of hares, small rock sheep, and marmots. Its body is covered in lightweight downy feathers. The head and torso retain the characteristics of wolf-like creatures, while its limbs have evolved into tough eagle talons.

Its howl resembles the screech of an eagle. The broad wings on its back allow the beast to leap from high altitudes and glide on air currents for over a dozen kilometers.

2. [Winter Wolf]

Compatibility: 96.7%

Description:

An intelligent predator found in freezing polar regions. Its size far exceeds that of ordinary wolves, and its body is covered in thick, snow-white fur capable of withstanding severe cold.

It can converse using simple Common and Giant languages. In combat, the freezing breath it exhales can instantly turn enemies into ice sculptures.

3. [Broad-Skulled Emerald Forest Jackal]

Compatibility: 59%

Description:

A primordial spirit beast born in ancient forests. Its skull is broad and flat, with a cluster of green, sprout-like tentacles growing from the top. Its body is covered in moss and a mantle of leaves that changes color with the seasons, serving as natural camouflage in the woods.

The jackal possesses the innate talent to cast plant-based spells. It can use vines and thorns to inflict lethal damage on enemies, and it can also siphon life energy from the forest to heal its injuries and restore its stamina.

Densely packed translucent characters flashed before Xia Nan's eyes.

These were three more upgrade paths, but compared to the options from his First Evolution, everything—from their descriptions to the factors he had to consider—was much more complex.

First, the three creatures currently on his Attribute Panel were visibly much stronger than those offered during his First Evolution in terms of combat power—or rather, Challenge Rating.

For reference, the Challenge Rating of the [Worg] back then had been "0.5." Although Xia Nan wasn't particularly familiar with the other two species, he figured their Challenge Ratings were also somewhere between "0.5" and "1."

But right now, the official Challenge Rating of the [Winter Wolf] at the Adventurers' Association was—"3"!

The creatures in the other two options might differ slightly in strength, but he estimated they were at least in the same tier.

Though the number didn't seem high, according to the Challenge Rating system, this was a powerful monster that required a well-balanced four-person Adventurer Squad with an average Class Level of 3 to safely defeat.

Even the hatchlings of mighty dragon breeds, such as Blue Dragons and Gold Dragons, only possessed a Challenge Rating around this level.

Sitting at this exact same tier were notoriously troublesome monsters well-known among adventurers, such as Hook Horrors, Owlbears, and Displacer Beasts.

Therefore, to some extent, even if he picked randomly, his overall strength after the Second Evolution would experience a massive surge.

Of course, since this concerned his plan to farm combat technique proficiency, Xia Nan couldn't possibly be so careless.

He glanced up at the little sparrow on the treetop. It showed no sign of moving, simply resting quietly on the branch as it waited for his evolution to end.

Xia Nan took the opportunity to carefully read the information regarding these three creatures on his Attribute Panel.

Honestly, if he ignored everything else and judged solely by the compatibility value on his Attribute Panel, he could just brainlessly pick the second option, the [Winter Wolf], and he absolutely wouldn't be wrong.

For one, his current core combat technique, [Fang Hunt], was originally derived from Winter Wolves. Xia Nan had even personally witnessed the entire creation process of this technique, having interacted with that nightmare-like black wolf, Kalosh, within the dream of the [Dream Weaving Corridor].

Furthermore, the Winter Wolf's intrinsic combat prowess was exceptionally solid, placing it above average among monsters of the same Challenge Rating. It had almost no statistical weaknesses and perfectly compensated for Xia Nan's inability to speak and communicate.

The only thing that needed careful consideration was the impact of the habitat.

Winter Wolves typically lived in freezing polar regions and possessed extreme cold resistance.

But currently, Xia Nan was in a primeval forest filled with towering oak trees.

If he were to travel and operate within it as a Winter Wolf, there would inevitably be inconveniences.

Its pure white, snow-like fur would lose its natural camouflage in the woods, and he would have to adapt to the ambient temperature.

So, choose one of the other two?

Xia Nan hesitated.

The greatest feature of the [Light-Winged Wolf Beast] was naturally the pair of lightweight wings on its back, which were capable of supporting it in high-altitude glides.

By taking the high ground, he could swoop down to fight or flap his wings and retreat.

Having briefly experienced the advantage of high altitudes twice with Hein, Xia Nan understood exactly how useful this rare and powerful flight ability could be in combat.

Especially against adventurers in the Secret Realm who couldn't use combat techniques or equipment, if he could fly, he would likely hold absolute dominance for a very long time.

But—

Fortunately, Xia Nan had the Attribute Panel, allowing him to acquire extra introductory information about this species.

Otherwise, if he had chosen this evolutionary path based solely on its name, he would probably have been in for a huge disaster.

Although the [Light-Winged Wolf Beast] had the word "Winged" in its name, it didn't possess the ability to take off from a standstill.

It could only perform long-distance glides by leaping from high vantage points like treetops or cliffs.

It was a far cry from the true, unrestricted flight of actual birds.

And more crucially, there were a few easily overlooked words in its description.

—"Medium-sized predator," and "primary diet consists of hares, small rock sheep, and marmots."

This was enough to prove that the [Light-Winged Wolf Beast] was not large, and it clearly lacked in raw Strength and overall combat power.

Of course, there might be other traits not highlighted by the Attribute Panel that bolstered its combat abilities.

But clearly, just like the Petrification Lizard, the Challenge Rating of the [Light-Winged Wolf Beast] was propped up by a specific physical trait rather than a well-rounded display of strength.

It was not a good choice.

As for the [Broad-Skulled Emerald Forest Jackal]—

From a certain perspective, this creature was actually the most suitable option among the three for Xia Nan's current situation.

The primeval forest was a perfect match for its natural habitat, allowing the abilities and traits of the [Broad-Skulled Emerald Forest Jackal] to be utilized to their maximum potential.

But—the Attribute Panel had also made it exceedingly clear.

This forest spirit beast was an out-and-out spellcasting monster; its primary combat method was manipulating thorns and vines.

This was a domain Xia Nan had never dabbled in before.

Since transmigrating, he had chopped off the heads of quite a few Spellcasters and had gained some insight into how to handle that class in combat. He also frequently used spell-like abilities like [Gravity Control].

But fundamentally, his role was that of a highly mobile Swordsman focused on agility and burst damage.

He was not skilled in—or rather, he completely lacked—the ability to cast spells.

The 59% compatibility for the [Broad-Skulled Emerald Forest Jackal]—the lowest among the three options—was enough to prove that.

If this were a game where death and failure carried no penalties, he might have been very interested in trying out this novel evolutionary path and attempting to learn nature spells.

But facing the humanoid sources of combat technique proficiency currently waiting for him to harvest in the Secret Realm, making such a choice carried far too much risk.

In summary, the [Light-Winged Wolf Beast] had weak flight capabilities and insufficient combat power, while the [Broad-Skulled Emerald Forest Jackal] focused on a spellcasting ability he was entirely unfamiliar with.

Compared to these two evolutionary routes, the [Winter Wolf]—which had no overwhelming advantages but also lacked any fatal flaws, being well-rounded and comprehensive—actually became Xia Nan's best choice.

As for the impact of ambient temperature—

It was a powerful monster with a Challenge Rating of 3, after all. It couldn't possibly just drop dead from the heat just because it traveled from the polar regions to a forest, right?

Even if it was somewhat unbearable at first, he would most likely adapt to it very quickly.

Moreover, it wasn't as if Xia Nan was going to live as a [Winter Wolf] until the ritual ended just because he chose it now.

He might very well encounter a few more adventurers in a couple of days and trigger his Third Evolution.

What he hoped for was to use the [Winter Wolf] as a pivotal node before the evolutionary tree branched off.

Using it as a starting point, he could continue developing in this well-rounded and powerful direction in the future.

He could have certain inclinations, but he absolutely could not take an unorthodox path like the [Light-Winged Wolf Beast] or the [Broad-Skulled Emerald Forest Jackal].

Pondering this, Xia Nan made his decision.

His consciousness lightly tapped the [Winter Wolf] evolutionary route on the Attribute Panel.

"Hum—"

As glowing blue light surged into his body, the chaotic currents that had been solidified throughout him seemed to be guided by an invisible force.

They shifted from their initial disorderly rampage, instead rushing toward several fixed directions within him.

"Riiiip—"

Muscle fibers tore apart and regenerated, his spine twisted and elongated, and his body felt as though two opposing forces were simultaneously stretching it from the front and back.

His Wolf's Maw grew broader and thicker, with two new molars sprouting on the innermost corners of both sides. His wolf eyes, which had only recently been filled with gold, were once again covered in an icy blue reminiscent of a frozen polar lake.

The most obvious change across his entire body was naturally the icy, snowy white that spread outward from the roots of his fur, gradually driving the pitch-black pigment to the very tips.

Snort—

The bone-chilling mist that erupted from his Wolf's Maw and nasal cavities coated the verdant meadow before him in a layer of crystallized frost, trailing white vapor into the air.

His long tail swayed behind him. Xia Nan raised a wolf paw and padded lightly in place, carefully sensing the changes in his body. He felt the robust power coursing through him—power that had finally shed its original frailty and was gradually approaching the strength of his human form.

It felt as though the urgent pressure deep within his heart had also eased slightly along with his body's enhancement.

It was worth noting that Xia Nan—who was leveraging the Attribute Panel's powerful "unlock once, unlocked forever" trait to launch overwhelming strikes against other adventurers in the Secret Realm using his human form's combat techniques—keenly noticed something. The combat technique proficiency provided by the two adventurers from earlier was different from what he had expected.

If he went by the proficiency values initially granted by that wild boar adventurer from the Raging Tide Warband, killing two more adventurers should have added two proficiency points each to his [Gravity Control] and [Ember Echoes].

But right now, the proficiency of [Ember Echoes] had increased by a full three points.

Even [Heavy Tide] had gained ten proficiency points, which was much higher than expected.

As for the reason behind this discrepancy, Xia Nan guessed that it was partly due to the difference in the quality of the combat techniques themselves.

This was easy enough to understand. To some extent, higher-quality techniques were relatively harder to train, leading to a slower increase in proficiency.

On the other hand, he estimated it was also because the honey badger had just absorbed the goblin adventurer's blue light, meaning it had already completed a First Evolution.

Perhaps—the higher the number of evolutions and the higher the tier of life, the more proficiency killing them would bring him?

Xia Nan pondered, his gaze shifting forward and upward.

On the treetop, that brown-feathered sparrow was still waiting for him with the same immense patience as before.

This was the very entity that had just helped him in battle.

It was undoubtedly an adventurer pulled into the Secret Realm as well, but as for its exact identity—

Xia Nan had initially guessed that it might be the Halfling, Alton. But on second thought, given the little guy's personality, he probably would have been chirping and flapping his wings, flying over the moment he laid eyes on Xia Nan.

He wouldn't possibly be this patient.

So—was it the Druid Hein, or Lorraine? Or perhaps some other unfamiliar adventurer he didn't know?

With a hint of caution, Xia Nan opened his Wolf's Maw slightly, dispersing a chilly mist into the surrounding air.

The throat structure unique to the Winter Wolf, akin to an intelligent being, finally granted him the ability to speak once more!

"Who are you?"

His voice was deep, muffled, and hoarse, but it was loud enough to be heard clearly.

In response, the palm-sized brown sparrow on the branch ahead might not have been able to speak, but at least its hearing was perfectly fine.

Seeing Xia Nan spit out human words, it was initially so frightened that it hopped twice on the treetop.

Then, it realized this must be the result of him absorbing the blue light and undergoing a massive bodily transformation.

Flapping its wings, it flew down from the tree and landed on the ground.

It found a small clearing where the weeds were relatively sparse after the battle. With a few quick scratches of its slender talons, it wrote out a name in Common that Xia Nan was very familiar with:

Sarissa.

Hm?

Xia Nan was taken aback.

He truly hadn't expected that the little sparrow before him would turn out to be her.

He remembered that this archer from the annihilated Black Tide Hunter Fleet was supposed to have been staying behind at the port to watch the ships when the curtain of light fell.

To think she had been dragged into the Secret Realm as well.

Suddenly recalling something, Xia Nan asked aloud, "How are things over at the Blade of Vengeance Ship? Did anything happen?"

Unable to speak, Sarissa could only reply by writing on the ground, which looked quite strenuous:

[We encountered a fishman attack, but there were basically no casualties on the ship.]

[Except for Ryan and Gordon, everyone else on the team has been pulled into the ritual.]

Seeing her reply, Xia Nan breathed a slight sigh of relief, but a second later, he noticed something odd about it.

"Your drop point was right nearby?" he asked. "I thought our spawn locations were tied to our positions in the real world."

Hearing this, a visible look of hesitation appeared on Sarissa's sparrow face.

She paused, as if pondering how to explain it.

Then, she reached out her slender little bird talon and began scratching at the ground once more.