Reborn As An Evolving Monster

Mark and his Underlings dealt with the Monsters without much difficulty.

'Evolving would be tough. Ever since that Unique Evolution...' Mark wondered, as he stared at his open palm.

Mark started walking toward the dead Monsters one by one.

'It allowed me to get the best body parts from the different Monsters I had defeated at the time... But that meant the creation of some kind of hybrid unique Monster...'

He started munching on the different unmoving bodies laying on the ground.

'There's so obvious Evolution for this body. I'll probably have to turn into an entirely different Monster Species...'

Mark was right.

His body was unique.

The strong muscles and sturdy bones of Royal Minotaures.

The hard protective scales of Lower Wyverns.

The sharp fangs of Inferior Drakes.

The retractable and deadly claws of Superior Velvet Werewolves.

The light yet powerful wings of Lower Demons.

It was a body entirely constructed for maximum killing efficiency, using the dead as tools.

'But there are no Monster Species that interest me here. For now, it's mostly Monsters related to animals... Going back to walking on four limbs doesn't appeal to me much. Mmmm... There is a Body Modification that I would've liked to get though...'

[Body Modifications are no longer available.]

'Oh, shut up. I know that.'

Mark chuckled lightly.

'But, now that I think about it... Body Modifications, Evolutions, buying Skills... I used the System for them but... That's not necessary, is it? I used to buy the Skills of Monsters I had devoured. But now, I gain those Skills without going through the System... Then, wouldn't be the same for Evolutions and Body Modifications?'

Mark pondered about it for a bit.

'After all, I already have something. I didn't know it held power by itself, but that's probably where those abilities came from-'

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is shaking.]

A nervous smile appeared on Mark's face.

'Reacting to my thoughts?'

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is looking at you.]

A strange feeling overtook Mark.

'I'll need to devour some of them first. But...'

It was as if a part of him, a part he was not familiar with, was staring at him coldly.

'You'll make that Body Modification for me, won't you?'

That gaze quickly warmed up to him.

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is smiling.]

'Huh... Haha... Um... Alright then?' Mark chuckled weakly.

[The System chuckles at your foolishness.]

[The System hopes you'll keep your own Titles at bay.]

[The System hopes you won't let your Titles swallow you.]

Immediately, intense hunger sprung forth.

[You Title "Devourer" is waking up.]

A hunger for stronger Monsters.

'Swallow me...? What's that supposed to mean? It's true that I do not know nor understand much for now. But, for now...'

Mark's gaze turned cold.

'How about you stop calling yourself "System"? Who is it that I'm talking to exactly?'

[Your Title "System Holder" is trembling.]

....

Somewhere far away.

Hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.

"Ugh! He's being so stubborn. So annoying." A woman complained.

"Huh? He's interested in us and his Titles. That's a good thing!" A man argued.

"No... It's not." The woman said as she massaged her forehead.

"I don't get why Mark... That's his name, right? Such a shit name... Totally unfit for hideous Monster he is." The man commented.

He was tall and thin.

His pale skin contrasted nicely with his dark hair.

"Still, his Titles aren't bad." The man added.

His eyes shined a bloody red.

That man, was called Raven

"Don't talk to me about Titles. I was chewed out earlier because his Titles were going haywire. The other candidates didn't have such problems, you know?" The female descendant of Dragons complained with a tired voice.

"Yeah, well-"

Just as Raven was about to lose interest in the conversation, a certain character entered the room.

"Well, look who's here..." Raven said, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Should I get going now, General?" A huge man asked.

While his appearance resembled that of a Human, it wasn't clear that he was one.

Standing at about four meters tall, the man's frame was wide and his presence imposing.

His whole body was covered by black armor, tinted with gold.

"Yeah. Better earlier than later, Zephyr." Draconia answered without turning to face the huge man.

Without missing a beat, Raven walked to Zephyr's side.

"Now, now..." Raven said, with a condescending tone, as he gently taped the man's armor. "Don't you know that Zephyr doesn't like his own name?"

Anger rose inside Zephyr's body.

Still, he could not do a thing about it.

Not only were the two in front of him much stronger than he was, but they outranked him too.

"Is that so?" Draconia asked, as she finally turned to face the giant in black armor. "What should I call you?"

Zephyr was taken aback by the question.

It had only been a couple of weeks since he had joined their Army.

This much respect coming from a General was unexpected.

His surprise was understandable.

After all, he had no idea that Draconia, too, knew what it was like to bear a name one couldn't accept.

"I... Haven't given it much thought." The huge man admitted.

While Raven was trying hard to stop himself from laughing out loud, Draconia turned away.

"Do tell me once you find the right one. Anyway, make sure you do just as I instructed. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Yes, General. Then, I'll take my leave."

Raven turned towards Draconia.

"Think it'll be okay?"

"Probably. My issue is with Mark though. Do you think I should start explaining things already?" Nia asked, even though she didn't really care about Raven's opinion.

"I don't know. Whatever. Good luck." The latter answered before exiting the room.

Draconia nodded.

She had expected such a response.

'Whenever some work or thinking needs to be done... The weasel runs away.' Nia thought to herself.

...

"You didn't need to come all the way here, my Lord. It would have been my pleasuee to bring you plenty." Levi said solemnly, as he killed three Spider Monsters at once.

'It's fine. Let's get the most we can.' Mark thought, as he swallowed the Monsters right away.

[Your Title "Devourer" sighs due to the disappointing quality of the ingested Monsters.]

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is looking for ways to put the Evolution Points to use.]

'Tsk. They really won't stop now-'

[The System regulates your Titles' actions.]

'Oh... Only answering now, huh? Tsk. It's confusing. Messages from the System, messages from... My Titles?'

[Evolutions and Body Modifications were the effects of your Titles.]

[Those effects were channeled by the System, to make them easier to use and control.]

'But you can't do that anymore?'

[Incorrect.]

'Then?'

[It is a complicated matter.]

'So... I can use my Titles directly now?'

[Possibly.]

'Ugh... What does that mean? Where do I even start? Is it the same as using Skills?'

Mark swallowed another dozen Spider Monsters.

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is looking at you.]

'Mmmm... How do I go about this? The Body Modification I wanted was kind of like-'

The image of the desired Body Modification appeared in Mark's mind.

The next second, words appeared in front of him.

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is smiling widely.]

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is consuming your Evolution Points!]

'What's happening-'

The next second, Mark felt multiple spots on his back twitch.

He fell to his knees, his hands on the ground.

The shadow cast by his body changed suddenly.

'This is... UGH!'

It was painful.

But not enough for him to scream.

'Ha... Hahaha...' Mark chuckled weakly, as he slowly stood back up.

What looked like spider legs had grown from his lower back.

It only took a couple of seconds for Mark to get used to his new limbs.

'Using them in battle would be different but... Yeah. They're sharp, just like those the Sixth Floor's Guardian had... This is exactly what I had in mind.'

[Your Title "Evolving Monster" is proud of its creation!]

'Good job?'

Mark was still confused by his Titles and their effects.

But the slight fear they had provoked was slowly fading.

As if in response to the amount of Evolution Points decreasing,

[Your Title "Devourer" wants you to swallow the Last Floor's Guardian.]

'Is that so? Then...'

Great arrogance, greed, and excitement mixed.

The Underlings and their Master immediately started making their way back to the Last Floor.

'I won't make you wait.'