Reborn As An Evolving Monster

'I'll have to think of a proper name for you. Do you have any Skills I haven't seen?' Mark asked his Underling telepathically.

"Apart from my Dual Forms, Great Lightning Bomb and Lightning Cover, I also possess Lightning Resistance and Passive Skills that allow movement underwater, my Lord." The new Underling answered solemnly.

'Mm.' Mark nodded before turning his gaze towards the Moonlit Feline.

'How many of those Evolution Pills do I have again?'

[You currently possess 4 Underling Evolution Pills.]

'I see.'

Mark's gaze fell on the only Underling he had taken on the Sixth Floor, Fiery.

'I only ever used one. And it was on you, huh?'

Mark sat down.

He raised his gaze to the ceiling.

The new Underling kneeled and stared at the ground, as it did not want to look at its Master from above.

'I only have four of those Evolution Pills. So I should probably keep them for the strongest Monsters I will find in this Dungeon. I'll need their strength once I'm outside. Of course, that's if I manage to make it outside. Two more Floors to go. This underwater floor was a hassle. The Guardian was tough too...'

Rubbing against Mark's thigh, with great affection and tenderness, was the Moonlit Feline.

Mark's eyes were ,then, glued on the tiny creature.

Once again, he found himself perplexed by his own Underling.

An Underling that was not killed nor fought.

One that had joined him of its own accord.

An Underling weaker than most Monsters, and even slower than some.

It was an Underling that was not chosen because of its strength.

Why was it chosen, then?

What was it that made it special enough for Mark to choose it?

What was it that made it worth protecting?

Worth bleeding for?

Even Mark, wasn't sure what the answer to those questions was.

The Moonlit Feline proceeded to walk away from its Master.

It sat down, before licking its right paw and rubbing its face.

The Moonlit Feline's long whiskers waggled, as its ears were folded again and again by its paw.

Mark gazed at his Underling with a facial expression that only seemed to appear when looking at the Moonlit Feline.

The Ex-Guardian briefly looked at his Master, who seemed lost in thought, before turning towards the Moonlit Feline ever so slightly.

As the new Underling lowered his gaze to the ground once more, a slight smile crept across his face.

A second later, the Underling noticed his own smile and a surprised expression appeared.

'What is... This? It seems distant. Foreign even... And yet...' The Ex-Guardian thought.

The only times that the Underling had felt anything close to what it was currently feeling, was either after winning a battle or while devouring a meal.

And yet, the situation it was now in, was vastly different from both those instances.

A puzzled expression remained on its face for a while.

'If I want to boost our chances of survival, the one I should give the Evolution Pills to is definitely a Guardian. The right thing to do now would be to give one to this guy. But-'

[Congratulations!]

[You have cleared 8 Floors out of 10.]

[Your strength has increased considerably!]

'Yeah, well... This guy is still stronger than I am.' Mark said telepathically while pointing at the Ex-Guardian.

"Excuse me, my Lord, but I must disagree. From start to finish, the fight was yours entirely."

'Without my Underlings, I would have died halfway through the battle.'

"That is possible, my Lord. But we, as your Underlings, are nothing but part of your strength."

Mark turned towards his new Underling, before facing the doors that lead to the Second Floor.

'Maybe, but I must be stronger than my Underlings. I have to. Otherwise...' Mark thought as he walked towards the huge doors.

The next second, something climbed up his body and took a seat on his right shoulder.

It was the Moonlit Feline.

Mark chuckled lightly before taking something out of his Inventory.

It was an Underling Evolution Pill.

'This might not the best decision, but...'

The Moonlit Feline jumped back to the ground and stared at the Item with wide eyes.

'Catch.' Mark thought as he threw the Item in the air.

The Underling swiftly jumped up and caught the Item with its mouth.

[Your Underling has consumed an Evolution Pill.]

[Evolution is about to start.]

[Two Evolutions possible.]

'Oh. Having different choices is always better. Which one should I choose-'

[Your Underling has made its choice.]

'Huh?'

It wasn't clear whether the energy that burst forth from the Moonlit Feline was Aura or Mana.

Nevertheless, the emanating energy was cold.

Extremely cold.

It seemed like the temperature inside the room had dropped by a handful of degrees.

A freezing mist appeared around the Underling.

Mark, Light, Fiery, Calamity and the Ex-Guardian took a step back and away from the Moonlit Feline.

Through the dense mist, blue eyes shone through.

All, stared at the shrouded Underling.

All eyes were glued on the veiled Moonlit Feline.

All eyes, except those of the Ex-Guardian, who, instead, stared at Mark.

The Underling discreetly monitored his Master's facial expression.

Only the Ex-Guardian had, therefore, noticed that his Master's heartbeat had increased after the Moonlit Feline was shrouded in the cold mist.

Feeling like he was prying, the Ex-Guardian turned back towards the mist.

The blue shining eyes disappeared.

A thick layer of ice spread under the shrouded Moonlit Feline.

The next second, originating from that mist,

ROAR-

Slowly but surely, the mist dissipated.

And right where it had previously been, the Moonlit Feline was still standing.

Mark let out a sigh.

The Moonlit Feline, immediately, took lazy steps towards its Master.

'Mm. That's upsetting. A wasted Evolution Pill-'

The Moonlit Feline started running towards Mark with great speed, before jumping up.

Mark raised his arms up.

But just as the Moonlit Feline was about to land on Mark's hands, a blinding light was emitted from its body.

Instantly, Mark's heartbeat increased.

Aura immediately covered his body, as the light had blinded him.

Slam-

Mark's back hit the ground.

His body was stuck under the weight of something heavy.

Mark was blinded, but the weight alongside the sharp claws that were gently resting on his body allowed him to imagine what the situation looked like.

He laughed out loud, making monstrous sounds, as something wet brushed against his cheek repeatedly.

Even the old Third Floor's Guardian chuckled lightly, before covering his mouth with his right hand.

Once the light faded, Mark saw the Moonlit Feline's new form.

[Your Underling has evolved into a "Moonlit Feline[B+]".]

It was that of a great Lioness.

Mark's laughter became even louder, as he started petting his Underling's head.

'Your rank went from [B-] to [B+]. You developed the Dual Forms Skill, right? Oh, you don't have a lion's mane.'

The Moonlit Feline's fur was still white as snow.

Its blue eyes shone as brightly as ever.

The next second, the Underling lowered its body and Mark felt an increase in weight.

'Oho... You want to play, huh? Just because you grew a bit, you think you can now pin me down?'

Mark's arms stretched towards the lioness' sides.

Contrary to the Moonlit Feline's expectations, its body was lifted with ease.

'This level of strength is... Not enough!' Mark thought as he threw the Moonlit Feline into the air.

The Moonlit Feline spun, trying to balance itself.

Approaching the ground, its body started shrinking.

Once the Moonlit Feline touched the ground, its body was that of a cat once more, enabling a safe and nimble landing.

The Master and the Underling stared at one another for a couple of seconds.

The Moonlit Feline broke the stare-down, as it opened its mouth.

A long yawn.

Mark chuckled.

Seemingly in dire need of a nap, the Moonlit Feline climbed onto Fiery's back and curled its body up.

'Show me the Moonlit Feline's Status.'

[Your Underling is debating.]

'Huh?'

[Your Underling has denied you access to its Status.]

'For real? You mean I can't even check-'

"It seems like she won't need protecting anymore, my Lord." The Ex-Guardian commented.

'She...? Oh... Right. Protecting? I haven't protected... Her... In a while.'

"Is that so, my Lord?"

'Yes. What made you think otherwise?'

"It's just that... Well... During our... Previous encounter-"

'During our fight.'

"Yes, my Lord. While I do not know how many Underlings you possess, she was the only one, out of those I have seen so far, that you hadn't called out."