Free Web NovelChapter 155: The First Evolution
The first confirmed monster evolution occurred seventeen days after the appearance of the Celestial Tower.
Initially, nobody recognized its significance.
Reports of unusual monster behavior had become increasingly common since the Tower’s arrival. Wildlife migrations. Mana fluctuations. Aggressive territorial disputes between magical beasts. Such phenomena were concerning, but not entirely unprecedented. The world contained countless magical creatures, many of which behaved unpredictably even under normal circumstances. Most scholars simply categorized the incidents as secondary consequences of the Tower’s arrival.
Then an entire military outpost vanished.
The report arrived at Imperial Headquarters shortly before dawn.
Aurelion happened to be present when the messenger delivered the document.
The soldier looked pale.
Disturbed.
His hands visibly trembled while presenting the report.
Immediately, the atmosphere inside the chamber changed.
The Empire’s frontier defenses rarely disappeared without explanation.
Never an entire outpost.
The Emperor opened the report personally.
Silence followed.
Then another report arrived.
And another.
And another.
By noon, emergency meetings had been called throughout the capital.
Something was happening.
Something dangerous.
The initial incident occurred near a remote mountain region several hundred kilometers from the Tower. According to surviving witnesses, a monster species known as Ironclaw Wolves had suddenly attacked a fortified military checkpoint.
Under ordinary circumstances, such an attack would have been insignificant.
Ironclaw Wolves were dangerous.
But manageable.
Even experienced adventurers could eliminate entire packs.
A fortified Imperial outpost should have had no difficulty defending itself.
Yet the survivors told a different story.
The wolves had changed.
Dramatically.
Aurelion spent the afternoon reviewing testimony collected from the few surviving soldiers.
Every report described similar observations.
The creatures were larger.
Faster.
Stronger.
Their intelligence had increased.
Most disturbing of all, they displayed abilities never previously associated with their species.
One soldier’s testimony stood out.
"The wolf used magic."
The statement had initially been dismissed.
Then six additional witnesses reported the same thing.
The wolves had used magic.
Not instinctive magical attacks.
Actual spell-like abilities.
The implications were horrifying.
By evening, the Empire’s leading monster researchers had assembled inside a secured conference chamber.
Dozens of reports covered the massive table.
Every document pointed toward the same conclusion.
Monster evolution.
A phenomenon previously considered theoretical.
Now reality.
An elderly scholar adjusted his glasses nervously.
"We’ve confirmed similar incidents elsewhere."
The room became quieter.
Aurelion immediately focused.
"Elsewhere?"
The scholar nodded.
"Not just wolves."
Several additional reports were distributed.
Aurelion examined them carefully.
Mountain trolls.
Forest serpents.
Thunderhawks.
Stone bears.
Different species.
Different locations.
Same pattern.
Evolution.
Every confirmed case occurred after the Tower’s appearance.
Coincidence was no longer a viable explanation.
The Emperor slowly leaned back in his chair.
"The Tower is affecting the entire world."
Nobody disagreed.
The realization had become unavoidable.
The Tower wasn’t merely changing humanity.
It was changing everything.
For several moments, silence dominated the chamber.
Then one Archmage spoke.
"The mana density."
Everyone turned toward him.
The elderly mage pointed toward several magical analysis reports.
"Since the Tower appeared, ambient mana levels have increased steadily."
Aurelion already knew this.
Most powerful individuals could feel the difference personally.
The world’s mana had become richer.
Denser.
More active.
The Archmage continued.
"We assumed the effects primarily benefited human mages."
His expression darkened.
"It appears monsters are adapting as well."
The room immediately understood the problem.
Humanity welcomed increased mana because it improved magical growth.
Monsters would enjoy identical benefits.
Perhaps even greater benefits.
Unlike humans, magical beasts evolved naturally through mana accumulation.
If mana density continued increasing...
The consequences could become catastrophic.
The meeting lasted for hours.
Yet no solutions emerged.
How could there be?
The Tower had rewritten fundamental rules governing the world.
Nobody possessed experience handling such a situation.
Eventually, the summit concluded.
The Empire immediately dispatched additional reconnaissance teams while military forces throughout frontier regions entered heightened alert status.
Unfortunately, the problem escalated faster than anticipated.
Over the following week, reports multiplied exponentially.
Entire monster populations displayed signs of unusual growth.
Species previously considered harmless became dangerous.
Dangerous species became terrifying.
Several isolated villages suffered attacks from creatures never before seen in recorded history.
One particular report attracted enormous attention.
A merchant caravan traveling through western territories encountered a creature identified as an Emerald Fang Serpent.
The species normally measured approximately five meters.
The creature that attacked the caravan measured nearly twenty.
More concerningly, it possessed wings.
Wings.
No historical records described winged Emerald Fang Serpents.
The mutation should have been impossible.
Yet dozens of witnesses confirmed the sighting.
The world was changing.
Rapidly.
Unpredictably.
Relentlessly.
Meanwhile, Tower City continued expanding.
If anything, the growing monster threat accelerated migration toward the settlement. Adventurers flocked to the city seeking opportunities. Mercenary companies expanded recruitment. Military organizations increased training programs.
The relationship between the Tower and evolving monsters remained unclear.
Yet public perception increasingly connected the two phenomena.
Aurelion spent much of this period gathering information personally.
One afternoon, he traveled alongside a small escort toward a nearby forest where unusual monster activity had recently been reported.
The objective wasn’t combat.
Observation.
The Crown Prince wanted firsthand evidence.
Several hours into the journey, they found it.
The forest itself appeared normal.
At first.
Then Aurelion noticed the silence.
No birds. freewebnovёl.ƈom
No small animals.
No ordinary sounds.
Only stillness.
The escort commander clearly noticed as well.
His hand immediately moved toward his weapon.
"Your Highness."
Aurelion nodded slightly.
"I know."
Something was nearby.
The sensation felt unmistakable.
Several moments later, movement appeared among distant trees.
A large creature emerged.
The escort immediately tensed.
The beast resembled a wolf.
At least superficially.
Its body stood nearly twice as tall as an ordinary horse. Dark silver fur covered powerful muscles while faint blue energy occasionally crackled across its claws. Most striking were its eyes.
Intelligence.
Clear intelligence.
The creature observed them carefully.
Studied them.
Evaluated them.
The escort commander slowly unsheathed his sword.
The wolf watched.
Then, unexpectedly...
It retreated.
Not fled.
Retreated.
Deliberately.
Like a predator deciding the risk wasn’t worthwhile.
The soldiers remained frozen.
Aurelion’s expression hardened.
Normal monsters didn’t behave like that.
Animals behaved according to instinct.
Predators attacked.
Or fled.
They didn’t evaluate military formations and make strategic decisions.
The encounter lasted less than a minute.
Yet it confirmed everything.
Monster evolution wasn’t limited to physical changes.
Their minds were changing too.
That realization disturbed him more than any increase in strength.
Powerful monsters could be killed.
Intelligent monsters created entirely different problems.
Upon returning to Tower City, Aurelion discovered the atmosphere had shifted noticeably.
People were talking.
Everywhere.
Monster attacks.
Evolution reports.
New species.
Dangerous sightings.
The excitement surrounding the Tower remained.
Now anxiety accompanied it.
For the first time since the Tower’s arrival, ordinary citizens began realizing that the world itself was changing.
Not someday.
Now.
Today.
A tavern conversation perfectly summarized public sentiment.
"The Tower makes people stronger."
"Yes."
"It also makes monsters stronger."
"...yes."
Neither speaker appeared particularly happy about that realization.
As evening descended, Aurelion stood atop one of Tower City’s highest observation platforms.
Below, thousands of lights illuminated streets overflowing with activity.
Construction continued.
Trade continued.
Life continued.
Yet an undercurrent of tension now existed beneath everything.
Humanity had received rewards.
The monsters had received rewards too.
Balance rarely remained unchanged.
A familiar figure approached.
Grand Duke Caelion.
Again.
At this point, Aurelion almost expected the man to appear whenever important observations needed making.
The older man joined him near the railing.
"You’ve heard."
Aurelion nodded.
"Everyone has."
The Grand Duke sighed.
"The world was already changing."
"Now it’s accelerating."
Neither spoke for several moments.
Far beyond the city.
Far beyond civilization.
The Celestial Tower remained unchanged.
Silent.
Watching.
Its silver runes glowed beneath the night sky while enormous celestial rings rotated endlessly around its impossible structure.
Humanity had focused entirely upon its rewards.
Perhaps that had been a mistake.
Every action created consequences.
Every gift carried a price.
The Tower strengthened climbers.
The Tower strengthened monsters.
The Tower increased mana.
The Tower reshaped ecosystems.
The Tower was transforming the entire world.
And nobody knew where the process would end.
Aurelion folded his arms while observing the distant horizon.
The age of climbers was approaching.
Yet perhaps another age was approaching as well.
An age of stronger monsters.
An age of greater dangers.
An age where humanity would need every advantage it could obtain.
Including the Tower itself.
Because if the world continued evolving at this pace, one uncomfortable possibility became increasingly difficult to ignore.
Humanity might need the Tower’s rewards simply to survive the future it was creating.
And somewhere in the darkness beyond Tower City, unseen by human eyes, countless monsters continued changing beneath the influence of the Tower.
Growing stronger.
Growing smarter.
Growing closer to something entirely new.
The age of climbers was approaching.
Yet perhaps another age was approaching as well.
An age of stronger monsters.
An age of greater dangers.
An age where humanity would need every advantage it could obtain.
Including the Tower itself.
Because if the world continued evolving at this pace, one uncomfortable possibility became increasingly difficult to ignore.
Humanity might need the Tower’s rewards simply to survive the future it was creating.
Aurelion remained standing atop the observation platform long after Grand Duke Caelion had departed. The cold night wind swept across Tower City while thousands of lights illuminated the growing settlement below. Even at this late hour, construction continued. Merchants negotiated contracts. Adventurers sharpened weapons. Scholars argued over theories. Life moved forward beneath the shadow of the impossible.
Yet the atmosphere felt different now.
Subtly.
Uneasily.
The excitement that had once dominated every conversation was slowly evolving into something more complicated. People still desired the Tower. They still dreamed of its rewards. But now another realization had entered the equation.
The world outside the Tower was changing too.
A farmer worried about stronger beasts attacking his village.
A merchant worried about increasingly dangerous trade routes.
A noble worried about defending his territory.
An adventurer worried about surviving monsters that no longer followed familiar rules.
The Tower was no longer merely an opportunity.
It was becoming a necessity.
Aurelion’s golden eyes drifted toward the distant wilderness beyond the city walls. Endless forests stretched across the darkness, silent beneath the moonlight. Yet somewhere within those forests, creatures were changing. Evolving. Growing stronger with every passing day. Creatures that had once occupied fixed places within the world’s hierarchy were now breaking free from old limitations.
And humanity was doing the same.
For the first time, both sides of the equation were evolving simultaneously.
The thought sent a strange chill down his spine.
For centuries, humanity had remained the dominant force of civilization. Kingdoms rose and fell, but the balance remained largely unchanged. Monsters threatened settlements, adventurers hunted monsters, and the cycle continued. Predictable. Stable. Familiar.
Now that stability was disappearing.
The Tower had shattered the old order.
Humanity was racing upward.
The monsters were evolving outward.
And somewhere between those two transformations, an entirely new era was being born.
Far beyond the horizon, the Celestial Tower stood beneath the heavens, its silver runes glowing brighter than ever. The massive rings surrounding its structure continued their eternal rotation while dark storm clouds spiraled around its summit. Silent. Patient. Watching.
It felt almost as though the Tower already knew what was coming.
As though it had seen this future long before humanity took its first step toward it.
Aurelion narrowed his eyes.
The Tower had given humanity a path.
The Tower had given monsters a path.
Sooner or later, those paths would intersect.
And when they did...
The true age of the Tower would finally begin.
[To Be Continued]
