I Am the Weakest Cat, but If I Keep Evolving, Can I Become the Strongest? - Episode 23: A New Evolution Path

Episode 23: A New Evolution Path 

▽ Episode 23: A New Evolution Path

Finally, the [Howl] skill is going to evolve. 

I had been looking forward to this day. 

I’ve completely shriveled up due to the battle with the Dragon. Before, I was all hyped up by the performance of War Cat. But now I’m all… down. 

However, the strength of the roar really hit me. 

If I can obtain that, I should be able to become quite strong. Is there any creature that can take that head-on and stay sane? No, there isn’t. 

Now then, let’s look at the evolution options.

1. 1. [High Howl] 

 A more destructive [Howl] can be unleashed. 

2. 2. [Translation Cry] 

 Can communicate with other species using vocalizations. 

3. 3. [Pressure Howl] 

 Unleashes a [Howl] that intimidates other species. 

4. 4. [Terror Howl] 

 Unleashes a cry that inflicts a fear status. 

5. 5. [Antagonism Howl] 

 A [Howl] that counters other creatures’ howls. If the Rank difference is too big, it becomes invalid. 

So many choices. 

From my experience, I think the evolution paths change depending on “your actions and choices.” 

This time, skills like [Terror Howl] and [Antagonism Howl] probably appeared because I entered a panic state during the Undead Dragon fight, and because I took that tremendous [Roar]. 

Nyan. Nyan. 

This is just my personal taste, but when something is too convenient, it’s not interesting. 

It’s like the heavens are saying, “Please defeat the Undead Dragon with this [Antagonism Howl],” and I don’t like that kind of choice. 

I think it’s entirely coincidence. 

No—rather, it’s probably an option that came because I took the Undead Dragon’s roar. Or maybe [Invite Fortune] is helping. 

But still, it’s just too good of a deal.

There are concerns. 

A skill that counters other creatures’ [Howls]. At a glance, it looks strong…..… but there are some flaws. First, the problem of whether the Undead Dragon’s [Roar] is even a [Howl]. 

Then, the problem of not knowing how much it can actually counter. 

Then, the problem of how big of a Rank difference it can tolerate. 

Also, the subtle problem of “how do I level it up.” I suppose you’d earn experience by canceling out others’ attacks, but there aren’t that many enemies who even use [Howl]. 

……That’s a minus point. 

There are also merits. 

…………. 

To be honest, I wasn’t confident about this choice—but I went with [Terror Howl]. Even I’m surprised. 

I thought it would be a choice between [Pressure Howl] or that [Anta-whatever Howl]… But sometimes, in situations like this, a third option seems like the clever one. 

And usually, you regret it later. 

Well, it can’t be helped. 

Of course, I won’t pick a fight with the Undead Dragon. 

I kept leveling up using the undead—excluding the Meat Slime. By the way, I failed in testing [Terror Howl]. 

The undead don’t go into a [Fear] state… 

Two weeks passed after going through such failures.

[You have reached the level cap.] 

[Please choose your evolution path.] 

Time for evolution. 

 ▽

1. 1. [War Thunder Cat] 

 A cat specialized in direct combat. A variant that handles lightning attribute. Rank IV 

2. 2. [Coward Cat] 

 A cat specialized in escape. Rank II 

3. 3. [Holy Cat] 

 A cat that governs healing. Rank III 

4. 4. [Shrine Maiden Cat] 

 A cat that serves the great cat god. Becomes a female cat. Rank IV 

I was torn between the first and third. 

Sorry, but I don’t intend to become a female cat. I also dislike being a Coward Cat. It may be selfish, but I want to be either a War Thunder Cat or Holy Cat. 

“Becoming a female cat”—I accepted it casually, but that’s actually a huge deal. 

What should I do? 

I kind of feel like the pure evolution, War Thunder Cat, is good. If I can fight directly and also use lightning, that’s great. 

But maybe Holy Cat, which can probably learn healing magic, is also good. 

Because I don’t know any healing magic. In an emergency, having or not having a healing method makes a world of difference. 

Especially in the wild, securing healing means is an urgent matter. 

My concern is, I probably have poor talent for healing magic. In the worst case, I might only learn one halfway-decent attack spell. 

……But it’s hard to throw away a straightforward power-up evolution. 

After some thought, I decided to leave it to chance. I didn’t have something fancy like a coin for a toss, so I picked up a stick and let it fall.

The direction it pointed to was—

Name: [Unset]  Gender: [Male] 

Species: [War Thunder Cat]  Level: [1 (30)] 

Unique Skill: [Choice Link (The Future to be Determined)] 

Species Skill: [Battle Fur], [Scratching], [Physical Enhancement・Small],  

[Lightning Magic・Intermediate],  [Lightning Enhancement・Small]

Inherited Skill: [Charm], [Instinct Detection], [Quick Escape], [Invite Fortune],

[Survival Growth・Slight], [Fire Magic・Beginner], [Water Magic・Beginner], 

[Wind Magic・Beginner], [Earth Magic・Beginner], [White Magic・Beginner], 

[Spatial Magic・Intermediate], [Magic Talent・Small], 

[Wonder Time (A Laugh Without a Cat)], [Battle Fur]

Abilities: [Strong Poison Fang IX], [Acceleration IV], [Thunder Claw VI], [Terror Howl I]

I’m happy with how many species skills there are. 

I’ve finally made it to Rank IV, which I longed for. The stats that were already high as a War Cat have shot up thanks to reaching Rank IV. 

Also, I don’t know if it’s a bug or not, but [Battle Fur] appears both in the species skill and inherited skill sections. 

What’s going on? 

It’s beyond what I can do anything about, so I’ll just forget it. 

First, let’s enjoy [Lightning Magic・Intermediate]. 

“Nyaa ([Generator]).” 

This is one of the spells you can learn from [Lightning Magic・Beginner]. 

Its effect is “power generation”. It gradually increases electric power, and the next lightning-type attack you release will have increased power—apparently. 

You can’t move while it’s active. 

My fur crackles with static electricity. After about a minute, it was fully charged. I tried using the [Thunder Claw] I’m familiar with. 

*Zap, zap*—lightning beyond control. 

The rampaging lightning scorched the trees around me. 

It was a disaster, like wildly swinging a lightning whip. 

I hurriedly canceled it. 

Since it can only be used for the next attack, the charge is now gone. It’s not a bad spell, but it feels like it’s hard to handle. 

Next up. 

There are five basic lightning spells in total. I seem to have decent talent, since I was able to obtain three out of five. 

The remaining two are [Stun] and [Enchant Thunder]. 

Maybe I’m good at enchantment. As for [Stun], to put it bluntly, it’s a stun gun. 

I don’t need it. 

If I’m going to use something like that, [Thunder Claw] is better. 

“Nyaon.” 

Let’s move on to intermediate lightning. 

There are five types in total. And—amazingly, I’ve obtained all of them. That said, intermediate lightning magic is pretty unusual. 

All of them are focused purely on dealing damage. 

1. 1. [Thunder Bolt] 

 Shoots a lightning arrow. A cost-efficient and high-powered single-target attack. 

2. 2. [Thunder Rain] 

 A spell that rains lightning over a wide area. 

3. 3. [Thunder Burst] 

 Emits a radial lightning burst within a forward area. 

4. 4. [Thunder Trap] 

 Sets a magic circle in a designated area. 

 When touched, lightning surges. 

 A spell that paralyzes and deals high damage. 

5. 5. [Thunder Cannon] 

 High power, wide-area attack. 30-second chant time and high MP consumption. 

These are the five. 

Finally, the arrival of the high-power spell I’ve wished for. Maybe now I can fight as a magic-user too. 

Let’s test them out. 

▽ 

They’re quite difficult spells. 

First of all, the accuracy is extremely low. Maybe because it’s lightning, it sometimes doesn’t hit the aimed direction. If there’s something that tends to attract lightning, it gets pulled toward that instead. 

But the destructive power is there. 

When I shot it at a Zombie, it exploded it. 

Next, I tried [Thunder Cannon] too. I had Meat Slime-san help me test it. 

First, I raised the power with [Generator]. 

A full minute of charging. 

Static electricity wrapped my whole body, and my cat fur sparked and glowed. Then I started chanting the 30-second-long spell [Thunder Cannon]. 

A magic circle spread at my feet. 

MP got sucked rapidly into the magic circle. Clearly dangerous glowing. The surroundings flickered on and off. And after a full 30 seconds— 

The spell activated. 

“Nyaooooooooon ([Thunder Cannon]).” 

Fire. 

It was a lightning-attribute bombardment. The projectile speed was pretty fast. I could probably dodge it, but even Rank IV monsters probably wouldn’t be able to avoid it. 

By the way, this is the slowest of all [Lightning Magic] spells. 

All the others are lightning-speed. 

Still, Meat Slime made no move to dodge the spell. The spell hit. 

The sound of thunder echoed, and I was so startled I closed my eyes. 

My light body was slightly blown back by the impact. 

When I opened my eyes, there was nothing left. 

“…Nyao.” 

That Meat Slime was killed in one hit. 

I can’t picture using it in real combat. But if it activates and hits… it’s just way too brutal. 

After that, I tried shooting at a different Meat Slime without using [Generator]. 

That one took two shots. 

Even so, there’s no doubt it has high firepower. 

After further experiments, a few things became clear. 

This War Thunder Cat, while its physical capability specs remain the same, also has enhanced magical ability. 

Its magic attack power itself doesn’t seem that high. But it apparently has a relatively large MP pool. 

In exchange, its physical defense seems to have been reduced. 

Also its HP. 

It might be a serious dual-type that sacrifices durability in exchange for increased firepower and magical ability. The high agility stat is good news. 

In case of emergency, there’s still [Wonder Time], after all. 

Well, in the wild, “not getting hit is justice.” In that sense, monsters that specialize in defense must have a hard time. 

If they get hit and go “I couldn’t endure it!” then their life is over. 

Without a way to heal, even a bone fracture could be a fatal wound. 

From here on, I still want to avoid taking damage as much as possible. 

But just running away won’t make me stronger. And eventually, I’ll just run out of lifespan. 

The road to safety and peace is steep.