Caelum checked his Evolution Points.

[Evolution Points: 725]

In just that short time, he had harvested another 725 Evolution Points.

"Wonder if it’s enough."

He opened the evolution interface and selected the transplant option.

[Spend 500 Evolution Points to transplant Beetle Wings?]

A surge of excitement hit him.

"Yes."

With wings, he could truly take to the skies.

[Consumed: 500 Evolution Points]

[Hundredfold Enhancement Triggered]

[Beetle Wings upgraded to Steel Wings]

In an instant, a pair of beetle wings sprouted from his back. But unlike normal wings, these were as hard as steel while remaining incredibly light.

When folded and pressed close to the ground, they functioned almost like a steel shell, giving him a solid defensive option.

That said, a mouse with beetle wings looked completely unnatural. No creature in the real world would ever evolve into something like this.

But in Evolution Battle Royale, this was perfectly normal.

Buzz—

Caelum spread his wings and beat them rapidly. His body shot forward like an arrow, weaving between trees as a blur, the air humming with vibration.

Then he shot straight into the sky.

The open sky stretched endlessly.

It was his first time seeing such a vast world from above. Excitement surged through him as he let out a wild shout and darted through the air, taking in the forest below.

"Hm?"

Not long after, he focused his gaze.

Several kilometers away, a wolf, a snake, and a monkey were locked in a standoff. None of them dared to move, each wary of being the first to be attacked.

Strangely enough, Caelum hadn’t encountered a single player before this. Yet these three had run into each other right away. Lucky them.

The snake spoke first.

"This stalemate helps no one. I’ll count to three, and we all back off. No one makes a move."

The monkey nodded. "Agreed."

The wolf followed. "Fine."

The snake began counting.

"One... Two..."

Before it could finish—

A blur tore through the sky with a thunderous rush of wind. Caelum’s claws, enhanced to +100, were sharper than blades as his afterimage carved a Z-shaped path through the air.

Almost at the same instant, blood sprayed.

All three players were gravely wounded.

The monkey clutched its slashed throat, eyes wide with shock.

"What just happened?!"

Caelum came to a stop and glanced at his claws, letting out a small sigh.

"What a shame. If my claws were just a bit longer, I could’ve taken all three heads in one go."

The snake’s pupils shrank.

Looking at the winged mouse before them, it instantly understood that even combined, the three of them stood no chance.

It roared immediately.

"Run!"

Even before the word finished, the monkey and wolf had already turned and fled. Injured or not, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Caelum’s speed reached Mach 5.

Whoosh!

A flash of motion.

The snake’s head hit the ground first, followed by the monkey, then the wolf. Each died in a brutal manner, all becoming Evolution Points for Caelum.

[Evolution Points +120]

[Evolution Points +160]

[Evolution Points +140]

Compared to normal animals, enhanced players clearly yielded more Evolution Points. The wolf had been the strongest among them, but to Caelum, it made no difference.

A few swipes were all it took.

[Evolution Points: 645]

He continued upgrading.

[Consumed: 100 Evolution Points]

[Fur Enhancement +1]

[Hundredfold Enhancement Triggered]

[Fur Enhancement +100]

[Consumed: 100 Evolution Points]

[Regeneration Enhancement +100] 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

[Consumed: 100 Evolution Points]

[Skeletal Enhancement +100]

[Consumed: 100 Evolution Points]

[Size Enhancement +1]

[Hundredfold Enhancement Triggered]

[Size Enhancement +100]

Boom!

The moment the size upgrade completed, Caelum’s body expanded at a visible rate. He slammed onto the ground, sending tremors through the earth.

In the blink of an eye, he had grown to 30 meters tall, becoming a towering giant. From afar, he looked like an enormous mouse looming over the forest.

Caelum was stunned.

"Damn, I got huge!"

He patted his belly with his short forelimbs, still trying to process it. Then excitement surged through him. Lowering his head, he locked eyes with a large, sneaky-looking tiger.

The tiger was also a player.

It had been hunting nearby and picked up the scent of blood, tracking it here. It had been confident that with its start and upgrades, no one would be its match.

But now—

Staring at the 30-meter-tall mouse, it was completely dumbfounded.

"What is this?"

An overwhelming sense of pressure crashed down on it. The tiger swallowed hard, unable to comprehend how something this absurd had suddenly appeared.

Was this even a mouse?

Or some kind of mole?

That was its final thought.

Caelum didn’t give it a chance to run. One step down, and the tiger was crushed out of the game.

[Evolution Points +260]

[Evolution Points: 505]

Caelum nodded in satisfaction.

"King of the jungle, huh. Not bad drops."

He looked around.

His massive body stood tall in the forest, radiating dominance.

"Time to start a full sweep."

One day later.

Caelum had completely cleared out the surrounding area. Only then did he realize he was on a massive island, with endless ocean stretching beyond it.

Putting everything else aside, after the sweep, his Evolution Points had skyrocketed to 44,500, an unbelievable number for the early game.

He tried transplanting parts from other creatures again, only to find that as his strength increased, the cost of transplantation also rose sharply.

Still, necessary upgrades had to be made.

[Consumed: 2000 Evolution Points]

[Transplant: Python Scales]

[Hundredfold Enhancement Triggered]

[Python Scales upgraded to Steel Scales]

Next, he made his way to the shore and dropped straight into the ocean, sending up massive waves. Soon, fish began floating to the surface belly-up.

[Evolution Points +5]

[Evolution Points +5]

He scooped up a fish.

[Consumed: 2000 Evolution Points]

[Transplant: Fish Gills]

[Hundredfold Enhancement Triggered]

[Ability Gained: Deep Diver]

[Deep Diver: Grants permanent underwater breathing and movement. Water jets expelled from the gills enable high-speed underwater propulsion.]

Compared to a mere island, the ocean clearly held far more life. For Caelum, it was simply a much larger hunting ground.

With his new underwater capability, he dove straight into the sea.

Once submerged, gill slits opened along his neck. High-pressure water jets burst out, propelling him into the depths like a living torpedo.

His Speed Enhancement still applied underwater. While it couldn’t reach Mach 5 like on land or in the air, it was still terrifyingly fast.

With the propulsion from his gills, his underwater speed easily reached 200 meters per second.

Calling him the fastest creature in the ocean right now wouldn’t be an exaggeration.