Monkey Evolution

Honestly, if I didn’t have the Pain Resistance skill, I would have died in every single one of my encounters.

But whatever.

Once again, I survived.

Lying on the ground and trying to return to a normal breathing rhythm, Mamadou stared at the frog’s decapitated body. It had given him a tremendous amount of trouble.

He realized that not only did he need to increase his basic stats, but he also needed to find a way to acquire information.

His Evaluation skill might eventually become the key to his survival, but for now it seemed almost useless. Even so, he continued to use it. He told himself that perhaps one day the skill would provide more information, maybe even enemy levels and abilities.

A strange idea suddenly emerged in his mind.

Until now, he had only used the skill on living beings.

What would happen if he used it on something else?

For example, was it possible to evaluate abstract things?

If he could evaluate locations as well, he might finally discover where he was.

He immediately tested his hypothesis by picking up his knife.

[Stone Knife]

It works?

He tried it on other things.

[Tree]

[Vine]

[Soil]

[Leaf]

[Stone]

Mamadou was pleased.

Even though the information was useless because it was obvious, he now had a clearer idea of how Evaluation worked and perhaps how it would evolve in the future.

To use Evaluation, all he had to do was think about what he wanted to evaluate.

And since the information was not limited to living beings, he was certain that whenever he encountered objects, systems, or structures he had never seen before, Evaluation would provide information about them.

Therefore, his goal of evaluating locations was not as crazy as it sounded.

He was convinced that as long as the skill’s level increased, he would eventually gain access to all information about whatever he chose to evaluate.

After all, that was how this type of skill worked in the stories he had read.

Having confirmed those thoughts, he decided to devour what remained of the frog.

He didn’t want to waste that bag of venom.

If his Poison Resistance could increase, all the better.

Mamadou sat at the top of a tree and began eating the frog piece by piece.

Chew

Chew

Contrary to his hopes, Poison Resistance did not level up.

He wasn’t disappointed.

After all, that would have been too easy.

As soon as he finished eating, he used Evaluation on himself again.

[Unnamed Ark

Skills:

[Poison Resistance Level 1], [Pain Resistance Level 3], [Fatigue Resistance Level 1]

[Fangs Level 1], [Claws Level 1], [Evaluation Level 2], [Charge Level 1]]

None of his skills had leveled up.

Still, using Evaluation on himself now gave him this much information.

He had a good feeling about the future of this skill.

"Unnamed Ark Monkey... I wonder why it says unnamed? Is it because the monkey body I transmigrated into didn’t have a name? Or is it because, as an individual, I still don’t have one?"

"Man, I really have a garbage system. I don’t say it enough!"

Not a single day passed without Mamadou cursing the system.

He didn’t even receive the monkey’s memories—not that they would necessarily have been useful—and he had to learn how to use his cheat entirely by himself.

He honestly believed that if he was still alive, it was thanks to luck and stubbornness.

"Normally it would tell me what skills I possess as an Ark Monkey, but no. I have to discover them myself. If by pure luck they reach the required threshold, they unlock at Level 1 and become usable. It’s so counterintuitive."

"Whatever. As long as I keep fighting and surviving, they’ll appear on their own."

"It’s getting late. I should head back."

Then another thought crossed his mind.

"Now that I think about it, there’s also the matter of the Lesser Mouse."

Mamadou began retracing his steps.

He found the Lesser Mouse exactly where he had left it.

Originally, he had planned to find a quiet place and skin it to obtain its hide, but he abandoned the idea.

It would take too much time.

His knife was made of stone, and he couldn’t drag the entire carcass around with him.

Instead, he cut the Lesser Mouse into pieces.

It would become his dinner once he got home.

After finishing, he finally started heading back.

What an exhausting day, he thought.

I suppose Fatigue Resistance only keeps me functioning. It doesn’t actually remove fatigue itself. And I’ve accumulated quite a few injuries over time.

I need to find a way to deal with that.

Looking at his body, numerous wounds could be seen here and there, along with several fresh holes left by the frog’s attacks.

Mamadou tied together the portions of the Lesser Mouse he could carry using roots and slung them over his back.

As he began walking, the system’s voice suddenly rang out.

[Required experience threshold reached. Your level has increased.]

[All basic stats have increased.]

[Fatigue Resistance Level 1 has become Fatigue Resistance Level 2.]

[Fangs Level 1 has become Fangs Level 2.]

[Claws Level 1 has become Claws Level 2.]

[Evaluation Level 2 has become Evaluation Level 3.]

For Mamadou, the timing could not have been more perfect.

Even though he had not received any skill points, the skill he truly wanted to test had leveled up.

It was an unexpected gain.

He immediately opened his status window.

"Status."

[Name: ]

[Level: 3]

[Mana: /]

[Race: Ark Monkey]

[Class: Human]

[HP: 100/100]

[SP: 200/200]

[Defense: 10]

[Speed: 12]

[Resistance: 14]

[Agility: 15]

[Points: 250]

[Ability: Evolution]

My stats really did increase.

I can also confirm that leveling up restores both my health and skill points.

Even the slight discomfort that Fatigue Resistance couldn’t remove has disappeared.

On the other hand, my points were at 200 before, and now they’ve increased by 50.

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure out which of my actions affect those points.

"There’s no point torturing my brain over it. A good event is a good event. It’s great that my skills leveled up."

"Thank you, beloved system. What would I ever do without you?"

Mamadou was incredibly eager to test his skill, but he restrained himself.

He had stayed in the same area for far too long.

Without causing any further trouble, he headed home.