Truth and New Discoveries

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Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.

Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.

【Fire Magic】 level has increased.

You learned a new Flame Band spell.

【Space-Time Magic】 level has increased.

You learned a new Mass Teleport spell.

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Hmm. It was a fierce battle, and although my opponents were all below my level, I did gain a level. I also learned two new spells, making it a very fruitful battle.

"Um, Izam-san? Could I ask you something?"

"What is it? Though I can pretty much guess what you want to ask."

With that, I removed my silver mask. Everyone was evidently stunned by my hideous true face (?) hidden beneath it.

"I was planning to tell you after inviting everyone to my clan, but let's go over the details after we've finished harvesting."

"Yeah, there's a perfect spot right here."

The place Nanako indicated was an anthill whose inhabitants had all been wiped out. We should check it just to be sure, but I thought we could take a breather there. I would tell them about my circumstances, then invite them to join my clan.

The order ended up reversed, but once I'd decided to invite them, I was always going to tell them eventually. Let's just think of it as the schedule being moved up. Yeah.

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The ant nest was so large that thoroughly exploring it would require us to get serious. That was only natural, considering the enormous number of giant ants that had lived there. So we decided to sit in a circle right near the entrance.

...and that's how I learned abyssal magic and reached my current Race, a Chaos Abyss Dragonbone High Lich."

I told everyone about my adventures and how they had turned out. Of course, I kept Agnaslerim-sama and the password for entering the 'Ancient Moving Tower' vague. A heavy silence settled over us, but Mossan was the first to speak.

"Whew, I suppose you wanted to hide it—or had to hide it—since players would show up and keep chasing you down to drag out every detail."

"And there'd be people who spread all sorts of fabricated nonsense out of jealousy, too."

"Ugh, a stalker? No thanks."

"Actually, whenever the subject of evolved Races comes up on the magic-specialization thread, things often start getting nasty."

Mossan, Nanako, Toji, and Eiji all showed a certain understanding of why I'd hidden my identity. Their points were exactly what I'd been worried about.

"More importantly, I want to try the special evolution you can get by using 【Alchemy】. I don't care about the whole secret-keeping thing if you're going to do it for me."

"Oh, I'll try it myself. I am an alchemist, after all. If anything, I'd say thanks for the information~."

Sei and Shiitake, who had become eligible to evolve after surviving the fierce battle, said that. Since I'd told them my story before they evolved, if we had any usable items, I could have them use them during their evolution right away.

"But was it really okay to tell beginners like us?"

"I'm grateful, though."

Shifune and Wool, on the other hand, seemed confused that I'd told them at all. Apparently, they had no intention of blaming me for keeping secrets. That was convenient enough, but there was one more thing I needed to tell them.

"I'd already told Nanako and the others, but now that you've heard all that, let me ask you: would all of you join my clan?"

Of course, this was the invitation. Once I had them in the clan, it wouldn't matter how much or what I taught them!

"I'm not forcing you, and you don't have to decide right now. But I want you to decide your answer before this event ends."

I don't like forcing people, nor being forced myself. So this should be enough of an invitation.

"Now, let's put the troublesome talk behind us. It's time for the fun part: evolution."

"Oh!"

"We've been waiting!"

Now it was time for the evolution we'd put off. Only Shiitake and Sei were eligible to evolve at this point. If we'd obtained anything usable for their evolutions in the battles so far, we might as well use it.

"First, show me the material items you're carrying. We need to check whether they can be used. Even if an item looks unusable, show it to me anyway."

"Here you go."

"Got it."

Following my request, Shiitake and Sei began laying out the various items they'd collected in their battles so far. There were monster horns and claws, as well as plants they'd presumably gathered along the way. Oh, it would be interesting if the ore worked, too, even though it hadn't been compatible with my bones!

If there weren't a carry-in restriction, I could have provided various items I've been keeping in storage, but unfortunately I don't have them on hand right now. We'll have to make do with only the items we obtained in this event.

"All right, let's take a look... Hm?"

I tried to use Alchemy's Fusion the same way I'd used it on myself, but for some reason, my vision displayed, 'The target cannot be fused'!

"What's wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing."

Wait, wait, wait! You can't tell me I got everyone's hopes up only to say, 'It didn't work'! Think! Come up with some excuse... Oh, right!

"This way... it works!"

What occurred to me was the Chimera Creation spell. It was the most recent Alchemy spell I'd learned, and I'd left it untouched because I hadn't had a chance to test it.

I tried using Chimera Creation on Sei as a last desperate hope. Then the words 'Please select materials' appeared. Ah, thank goodness. It looked like I could do all sorts of things this way!

Wait, this Chimera Creation can target players too?!

"Sorry for the delay. Apparently, doing it the same way I did mine wouldn't work. Ah, don't worry. I found another way."

"Another way?"

Shiitake, being an alchemist, asked with great interest. Since she had planned to try it herself, I needed to tell her as well.

"As I said earlier, I modified my flesh... my skeletal body, rather, using Synthesis, Fusion, and Transformation. But for some reason, that didn't work properly."

"And?"

"I learned Chimera Creation when my 【Alchemy】 level reached 20. It looks like this should work."

"Twenty~! I'm almost there, but I haven't quite reached it yet. Sorry, but could you do this one for me, too?"

Apparently, Shiitake's 【Alchemy】 level hadn't reached 20 yet. Unlike combat-oriented Skills, production Skills took time to level up. It couldn't be helped if her level was low. Thus, it seemed she wouldn't be able to use this method herself.

"I could, but it would be better to improve the quality of the materials first. Level up the items you have in large quantities."

"Okay~."

With that, Shiitake eagerly began synthesizing her material items. She started with the materials from the Lesser Calamity Ants, which we'd obtained in practically unlimited quantities during the previous battle. Their mandibles and poison stingers looked like they might be useful.

"Then I'll begin Sei's enhancement. What's usable... animal-type items, I see."

Of the items Sei had, the usable ones were things like monster fur and fangs. When I selected two items, the message 'The success rate for Chimera transformation with the target is XX%' appeared. In Sei's case, it was 0% for metal- and plant-type items, and under 10% for insect-type items. That basically means it'll fail, right?

Besides, even when it told me the success rate, it didn't tell me what kind of Chimera would result. I suppose that meant I was responsible for whatever happened. In particular, anything with a single-digit probability looked like it would become an incredibly rare monster if it succeeded. It was pure gambling.

"It looks like I can choose only one. What should I mix it with?"

When I tried to select two or more materials, the message 'No more materials can be selected' appeared. I didn't know whether that applied only this time or every time, but for now, it looked like I could select only one item.

"Just one, huh... Then it's got to be this."

The item Sei poked with a stick was 'Troll Hide.' It was originally a material to be processed into leather and made into leather armor. Its quality was 'Good,' so it wasn't bad, and the level of the monster it came from was the highest. Its success rate was also extremely high at 93%. As Sei said, if he was choosing from the materials he had, 'Troll Hide' was the only choice.

"I see. Oh, right. What about your familiars? It looks like they can become Chimeras, too."

Although Sei's familiars hadn't yet reached level 20, the level at which they could evolve, they were apparently valid targets for Chimera Creation. If he wanted to strengthen them immediately, he could do so.

"I can do it? Then let's do it."

"In that case, choose the items, too. The wolf can choose one animal-type item, and the fairy can choose two from insect-type items and magic stones."

"Tess can choose two? Then Phil can have this 'Blade Reindeer Horn,' and Tess can have 'Big Swallowtail Wing' and a normal magic stone."

Hmm, I see. So you're giving Phil the wolf a new means of attack, while giving Tess the fairy beautiful wings and a magic stone. Ah, in that case, before that...

"Sei, my staff can create magic stones. If you'd like, is there an attribute you want for a magic stone?"

"Your staff can make magic stones? That's amazing. Then I'd like a light-attribute magic stone. I'll give you several magic stones in exchange."

"You don't have to pay me. All right."

Using the staff's 【Attribute Magic Stone Ejection】, I created a single light-attribute magic stone. Perhaps because my level had increased, the quality of the magic stones produced by 【Attribute Magic Stone Ejection】—despite the Skill having no level—had become 'Fair' across the board. The magic stones Sei had were the same quality, so there shouldn't be a problem.

"All right. Then let's do this one at a time. Who should go first?"

"Obviously, me."

Now that's gutsy. He wanted to test it on his own body first, rather than on his familiars.

"I see. Then let's get started. Magic circle, deploy... Now stand on this with the material."

"O-okay!"

Despite his manly reply, he seemed at least a little nervous. He must have been hesitant to step into the faintly glowing, suspicious magic circle I'd deployed. I understood how he felt.

"...You've stepped in. Then, Chimera Creation!"

"Oh! Ooooooh?!"

I cast the spell on Sei, who had entered the magic circle carrying 'Troll Hide.' The item in his hands transformed into bluish-white particles and was sucked into his body. Though the original item was monster hide, the effect was incredibly fantastical and beautiful.

At the same time, Sei's body began to change. Still enveloped in the effect, he grew taller with a series of cracking sounds. Until just now, he had been only a little larger than a Japanese macaque, but he had grown to human size.

Actually, judging by the silhouette alone, he looked exactly like a large, muscular human. His entire body was covered in fur, of course, and his face was unmistakably that of a monkey, so no one would mistake him in a well-lit place.

When his transformation ended, the white particle effect vanished. I thought it had succeeded, but how did it look?

"What do you think? Has your Race changed?"

"...Yeah. It evolved on its own. Apparently I'm an Enkou. That's a Race that wasn't among the options I saw earlier."

Apparently, the Race is treated as having evolved automatically. And it can reach evolution options that don't appear during normal evolution. Nice. Then let's try one thing.

"It looks like I can't use Chimera Creation again. I don't know whether I'll never be able to use it again or whether I just have to wait a while."

"Really? Well, I wasn't planning to rely on Chimera Creation again right away."

The conditions were unclear, but it seemed impossible to use Chimera Creation consecutively. Figuring out the details of the system would be a hassle, but we could observe how things progressed from here on.

"Let's move on. We'll do the wolf and fairy in order."

As a result of Chimera Creation, Phil's Race changed from Gray Wolf to Horn Wolf, which had a horn growing from its head, while Tess's changed from Light Pixie to Fairy. So a Race could change even when it wasn't right before evolution. That was completely different from me, whom I'd modified through Fusion.

"Are you done over there? Then it's my turn, right?"

"Is this what you want to use?"

What Shiitake had brought was a 'Lesser Calamity Knight Ant's Poison Stinger.' A poisonous mushroom like Shiitake was going to mix with a poison stinger? Its success rate was 75%, so it would probably succeed without issue.

"The success rate is apparently 75%. Is that all right?"

"Sure~. Even if it fails, we'll know what happens, so..."

"I see. Then step into the magic circle."

"Sure thing."

She was just as bold in her own way. Shiitake entered the magic circle full of enthusiasm and waited excitedly for it to activate. So I immediately cast the spell.

"Oh-hooo~! Here it comes~! ...Hmm, hmm, it says I'm a Poison Walk Needle Mushroom! It worked!"

Shiitake's evolved form was a mushroom with a single thick, poisonous-looking needle growing from the center of its cap. Other than the needle, nothing had changed, but there was no doubt it had succeeded.

Now that evolution was over, I would thoroughly investigate the inside of the nest!