Beast Evolution Forge

The northern hunting grounds were not what he expected. Instead of the barren wasteland typically associated with a monster-infested area, they found themselves in what appeared to be an ancient, overgrown garden. Massive trees with iridescent leaves towered overhead, their branches intertwining to form natural archways. Flora unlike anything on the first floor bloomed in vibrant clusters, their petals shifting colors as they passed.

"This doesn't look like a hunting ground," Ruby remarked, her tail flicking with curiosity as she examined a flower that seemed to follow her movements.

Luna ran her fingers along the bark of one of the trees, her expression contemplative. "The Tower reorganizes itself constantly. What was once a desolate battlefield has transformed into... this." She gestured at their surroundings. "But don't be fooled by its beauty. The monsters here are just as deadly, if not more so."

As if responding to her warning, a rustling sound emanated from the dense foliage ahead. Everyone tensed, weapons at the ready.

"Formation," he commanded quietly, and his companions moved into position seamlessly—Ruby and Regina at the front flanking him, Ada and Wren providing support from behind, and Jolly and Jia taking up defensive positions to protect their rear.

Luna watched their coordination with approval. "You've trained them well," she murmured.

"We've been through enough together," he replied, flexing his fingers inside the gauntlets. The power thrummed through him like a second heartbeat, familiar yet still not entirely his own.

[Remember, those gauntlets allow you to manipulate space. Think of it as folding reality around your will.]

'I'm starting to recall. It's like muscle memory, but for powers I've forgotten I had.'

The rustling grew louder, and then a creature emerged from the undergrowth. It resembled a deer at first glance, with a graceful frame and nimble legs. But as it fully revealed itself, the resemblance ended—its hide was covered in reflective scales that shimmered with the colors of its surroundings, and where antlers should have been, writhing tentacles sprouted, each tipped with a mouth full of needle-like teeth.

"Mimic Stag," Luna identified it quietly. "They hunt in packs of three to five. Where there's one—"

"There will be more," he finished, scanning the treeline. Sure enough, the vegetation rustled in two more locations as additional creatures emerged.

Ruby's claws extended, her body lowering into a combat stance. "Permission to engage, Master?"

"Granted. Remember, we need one hundred kills. Every one counts."

The battle erupted with startling speed. Ruby and Regina launched themselves at the nearest Mimic Stag, their coordinated attack forcing it to defend rather than counterattack.

Ruby's daggers flashed as she combined her weapons with her natural animalistic instincts, ducking and weaving through the creature's tentacle strikes with preternatural agility.

Regina's sword whistled through the air as she executed a perfect arc, severing one of the writhing appendages. The creature let out a keening wail that echoed through the garden.

"It seems its scales deflect direct attacks" Ada said, her hands glowing with corrupted mana as she analyzed the battle from her position. "Aim for the joints and the base of the tentacles!"

Wren darted forward, her small form allowing her to slip beneath the second Mimic Stag as it charged. She instantly changed back into human form and her mana claws materialized, raking them across the creature's unprotected underbelly. The beast buckled, its camouflaging scales flickering like a disrupted illusion.

"Vell!" Luna shouted, notching a bolt in her forearm crossbow. "Behind you!"

"I know." He said with a smile as he turned around to see the third Mimic Stag leaping directly at him, its tentacle-mouths gnashing hungrily.

"Let's see what these can do," he raised the gauntlets. Power surged through his arms, and reality seemed to fold around his will. The space between him and the monster compressed, then expanded, sending the creature crashing into a nearby tree. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

[The gauntlets respond to intent. You don't need to understand how they work—they're extensions of yourself.]

"Two more coming from the east!" Jia called, her senses detecting movement before the others. She and Jolly moved in tandem, their daggers at the ready as they positioned themselves to intercept.

They worked with fluid coordination, Jolly feinting to draw the attention of an approaching Mimic Stag while Jia circled behind it. Their daggers found gaps between the creature's scales, drawing ichor that glistened with an unnatural blue luminescence.

Vell felt a strange exhilaration as he watched his team work together. There was something familiar about commanding a group in battle, about the strategy and flow of combat. He raised his gauntleted hand again, focusing on the space above the two remaining Mimic Stags that were circling Ada and Wren.

"Everyone back!" he commanded. As his companions leapt away, he clenched his fist. The air above the creatures distorted, compressing into a sphere of intensified gravity that slammed the monsters to the ground with bone-crushing force.

Ada immediately capitalized on the opening, streams of corrupted mana shooting from her fingertips to envelope the downed creatures. The dark energy seeped between their scales, corrupting them from within.

They thrashed briefly before going still.

"Five down," Luna said approvingly, lowering her crossbow. "That's a good start."

Ruby wiped ichor from her daggers, her tail swishing with satisfaction. "These aren't as tough as they look once you know their weakness."

"Don't get overconfident," Luna warned, her eyes scanning. "The Tower has a way of escalating challenges to match your capabilities."

As if summoned by her words, a deep rumbling emanated from deeper in the garden. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and birds with too many wings erupted from the canopy in panicked flight.

"What was that?" Wren asked, her form tensing as she shifted into a defensive stance, mana claws still manifested.

Luna's expression darkened. "Something that shouldn't be on this floor. The barriers between levels must be weakening faster than I thought."

[She's right. That's a higher-level entity. Its presence here suggests the Tower's containment systems are failing in multiple locations simultaneously.]

"Is it something we can handle?"

"With those," Luna nodded toward his gauntlets, "maybe. But it will be costly in terms of energy expenditure."

"We need those kills to advance," Regina pointed out, readying her sword once more. "And if this thing shouldn't be here, taking it down might help stabilize this section of the Tower."

Jia and Jolly moved to flank the group, their daggers held at the ready. "We've got your back, Master," Jolly said, her voice steady despite the growing vibrations beneath their feet.

The rumbling intensified, and trees ahead of them began to topple. Something massive was coming their way, carving a path of destruction through the once-pristine garden.

"Formation delta," he ordered, and his team immediately shifted positions. Ada and Wren moved to elevated positions on nearby rock formations, while Ruby, Regina, Jia, and Jolly spread out in a loose semicircle. Luna took position at his side, her crossbow raised.

"When it emerges," he said quietly, "aim for visual organs first, then mobility. We'll assess weaknesses and adjust strategy accordingly."

The crashing grew louder, and then the treeline ahead exploded outward as something massive burst into the clearing. What emerged was like nothing they had encountered before—a colossal amalgamation of disparate creature parts, as if someone had taken dozens of Tower monsters and fused them together with no regard for biological compatibility.

Multiple heads sprouted from a body covered in a patchwork of scales, fur, and chitinous plates. Limbs of various shapes and sizes propelled it forward with disturbing speed for something of its size.

"Chimera Lord," Luna breathed, her face pale. "That's a level sixty entity."

[Crap, creatures from higher levels are slipping through the cracks. This is bad, run master, run!]

The Chimera Lord spotted them and let out a deafening roar from at least three different mouths. It charged, the ground shaking beneath its mismatched limbs.

"Scatter!" He commanded. His team dispersed as the monster barreled through their previous position. 'It's been too long since I got a real workout.' He charged at the monster, sword drawn and covered in corrupted mana.

"Let's see how tough you are." He jumped and tried to slice its back but his sword deflected, throwing him off but this just made him more excited.

He rolled as he hit the ground, using the momentum to spring back to his feet. The Chimera Lord wheeled around, its patchwork body surprisingly agile for its size. Multiple eyes—some reptilian, some mammalian, all filled with predatory intelligence—locked onto him.

"Its hide is too tough for conventional weapons!" Luna shouted, firing several bolts in rapid succession. They struck true but merely embedded in the creature's armored hide without penetrating deeply.

Ruby and Regina circled it from opposite sides, looking for any vulnerable spot. "Master, there's a gap in its plating near the junction of the necks!" Ruby called out.

Vell wanted to do it by himself but he knew deep down that this was the right path, all this members getting to fight, for experience and growth.

He nodded. "Ada, suppressive fire! Wren, distraction maneuver!"

Ada's hands glowed brighter as she channeled more corrupted mana, sending arcing bolts of dark energy toward the monster's heads. The creature reared back, several mouths roaring in pain and anger.

Wren darted forward, shifting into her small animal form to zip between its legs before changing back and slashing at its underbelly with her mana claws. The attack barely left a mark, but it drew its attention long enough for her to retreat safely.

[The gauntlets can create localized disruptions in space. Try compressing the air around a vulnerable point to create an implosion.]

'Worth a try.' He raised his gauntlets, focusing on the gap Ruby had identified. The power surged through him more intensely this time, and he felt a momentary resistance—as if reality itself was pushing back against his manipulation.

"Everyone back!" he commanded again as the gauntlets began to glow with an eerie blue light. He brought his hands together in a clapping motion, and the space around the Chimera Lord's neck junction compressed violently.

The monster let out a screech as the implosion created a shockwave that tore through its armored plating, exposing raw flesh beneath. Dark blood sprayed from the wound.

But the attack had taken its toll. Vell staggered, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.

[You're still reacclimatizing to the gauntlets' power draw. Be careful not to overextend.]

"Jolly, Jia, exploit that opening!" He called out, fighting to keep his voice steady despite the sudden fatigue.

But this was cut short as the monster instantly healed and disappeared from view. 'oh no.' He thought, knowing that one of his party members is about to get hurt but who. It reappeared behind Wren, its massive hand coming down on her.

"WREN!!!!" He tried to move but movement stopped him. "Wren?" She tore through the monster's arm and ran up its arm, kicking one of its heads, sending it stumbling back.

"What do you think master, do I look cool?" She smiled at him, showing off her new form that she had been working on.

[She has awakened.]