Chapter 282

Defense Specialization and the Ruins

They rode on Sallys horse until they arrived at the ruins . While there were stone paving and the remains of houses, nearly everything had been swallowed up by nature . It was closer to a forest than a ruin .

Well, I suppose we should start by searching through the place .

Okay! I hope we find it soon .

They decided to split up and walk around the area where anything manmade remained . Ultimately, it did not take them long to find what they were looking for .

Sally! Over here!

Maple was standing in an area where stone fragments were scattered everywhere, and there was a single altar standing there .

There were three dents in it, and they quickly understood what that meant .

Should I put them in?

Yeah, I think thats fine .

After Maple put the gems into all three dents, the alter was enveloped in light . At the same time, Syrup and Oboro jumped out of the rings without warning .

Syrup?

Oboro?

As they watched uncomprehendingly, red, green, and white lights spread out at their feet . And then they felt the familiar sensation of being teleported .

When the lights died down, and they opened their eyes, they saw a town that was overflowing with animals .

However, there were no people to be seen . It seemed like a place where only monsters and animals lived together .

As the two of them watched, Oboro and Syrup started to walk away on their own .

Wh-what happened?

I guess we should follow them .

While they had managed to reach this place, they had no idea what they were supposed to do . In that case, it seemed best to follow Syrup and Oboro, who were acting irregularly .

As they kept walking, they started to move away from the town . Syrup and Oboro then stopped at a watering-place made of stone .

I dont know . But it seems important?

Maybe? It doesnt seem like ordinary water

Then Syrup and Oboro turned around to look at them . It looked like they wanted to go inside the water . Maple and Sally had no intention of stopping them . And so they picked them up and slowly let them down into the water .

It seems fine? Are you okay?

Im going to let you go now . It looks shallow enough .

The two of them let go so the monsters could play in the glowing water . Then the light enveloped them until their bodies were no longer visible .

Waa! Was that a bad idea!?

Maple frantically picked up Syrup again . Sally also moved Oboro away from the shining water .

They began to panic when it seemed that the light would not fade away, and then there was a sudden flash . And Syrup and Oboro returned to normal .

What a relief Hmm? Syrup?

Oboro?

The pattern on Syrups shell was a little different, and grass and flowers were growing on the ground underneath them .

Oboros accessories were now fancier, and more than anything, there were now two tails instead of one .

What?

What?

But Syrup and Oboro were rubbing up against them like they always did . Maple and Sally picked them up and stared into their faces .

After a while, their brains started working again, and they carefully went over the changes .

Syrup looks a little fancier now! Andmaybe bigger?

I see . Theres a new tailwill they keep increasing?

They hugged their monsters that had become even cuter . Just then, a message arrived .

Evolution I see . It looks like they can acquire new skills now .

Ohh! Evolution . Evolution Well, they did fight with us a lot .

They started during the second event . So thats quite a long time .

Theyve grown so much Ehehe . Im so happy .

Well, theres still a long road ahead .

Really?

Yes . The message said that monsters who gain a lot of experience can evolve . But it didnt say that it was a one-time thing .

And then Sally continued . She apparently had an idea about how many tails a fox monster could gain .

Though, I doubt its one at a time until you reach nine Oboro . Do you want to evolve to that point?

Its something to look forward to! I know, we should tell the others! If we help them, they can get the gemstones really easily!

That sounds good . Lets do that . As they say, strike while the iron is hot .

And so the two proud owners picked up their monsters and returned to the guild home .