Chapter 106 – Gleaming With Style.

‘All of the stats went up. The difference in ranks is truly staggering. It’s a miracle I managed to win against that monster at my current rank…’

Rusty thought to himself as he examined Gleam’s new stats. She had just evolved into an E-minus monster, and both her health and magic points had increased significantly. Recalling his own stats from the same rank, he noticed that his body started with higher HP but a lower amount of MP than hers. However, not everything could be boiled down to numbers. His durability was far greater than that of most monsters he had encountered. Additionally, size and skills played a crucial role, often enabling bursts of power that surpassed the raw stats on display.

“ ( •̀ᴗ•́ )و “

Gleam had climbed out of his metal body by now and was looking at her reflection in a puddle of water. She had changed slightly, her carapace had become sleeker and seemed to shimmer in the faint light. Her antennae were longer, more finely tapered, and pulsing faintly with a silvery glow. The transformation had left her with a more elegant and agile appearance, retaining her compact size while amplifying her magical prowess. She tested her agility by darting back and forth with sharp, precise movements, chirping happily as she adjusted to her new form.

With her evolution she had also acquired some new skills, one was the previously mentioned body that apparently absorbed the ambient mana in the surroundings.

In short, it was a skill that increased her passive mana regeneration, allowing her to regain MP faster. Unlike a trait, it was a skill, meaning it could be leveled up—likely by casting more spells and continuously regenerating her magical energy. However, this wasn’t the only skill she had acquired; there was another as well.

Besides some new skills, she had also gained two new spells. One allowed her to create a barrier around her body, that could both deflect blows from weapons but also other spells. He had seen her generate it a few moments ago, illuminating the whole cavern with her light.

“ (°〇°) “

Soon, a beam of light erupted from her mouth as she tested the second spell. The spell produced a bright white beam that shot out with incredible speed, traveling far before colliding with a wall and causing moderate damage. It appeared slightly more powerful than a mana bolt spell but consumed more than twice the amount of mana. While it seemed that its only use would be against undead monsters, it could also be charged for a prolonged period giving it some damage potential.

However, this prolonged use had a downside as Gleam’s excitement was short-lived. Moments later, she collapsed to the ground, her mana pool completely drained from using the spell. He chuckled softly and brought over the mana-infused water they had leftover from the goblin shaman.

“I know you’re happy, Gleam, but you really need to learn to conserve your mana”

“( • ᴖ • )”

She looked briefly crestfallen but perked up quickly after sipping the revitalizing water. Rusty watched as Gleam gleefully bounced around after recovering her mana. Her newfound agility and magical prowess would certainly come in handy during their adventures. Her evolution had clearly reinvigorated her, and Rusty couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. He felt like a big brother watching his little sister taking a giant leap in life. Now that both of them were E-ranks they could tackle bigger and badder foes.

The cavern now felt less oppressive with the monster gone and the morning light filtering faintly through the cracks above. Yet, Rusty knew this was just the beginning. Their journey to survive, evolve, and eventually reach the top was just beginning. From what he knew, no one could truly claim that they were strong until they at least reached the B-rank and he wasn’t even close.

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“Alright, Gleam, let’s gather up what we can and get moving. This place might not stay safe for long.”