After an hour of experimenting, Dreu learned a couple of things. First, lesser demon bats didn’t need to consume a lot of mushrooms before they got ill. A nibble was all that was needed to test whether a mushroom was beneficial or harmful to a bat. Secondly, the bats recovered very quickly. Regarding this, the young man had yet to figure out if this was due to low health, high regen or a combination of both. What mattered was that Bartok was ready for the next test after a few minutes, allowing them to test all the mushrooms in the cave. Upon finishing, Bartok simply stayed within a small crevasse within the cave, unwilling to come out.

  I’m sorry, Bartok! If the situation wasn’t dire, I wouldn’t go this route. So many of the others cannot be summoned until tomorrow. I can only rely on you to aid me in defending everyone.

  When Dreu thought that Bartok would remain furious with him and refused to come out, the lesser demon bat poked his head out. He could tell the bat was still displeased and vowed to make up to him in the future. As for their current situation, Bartok did determine that three of the mushrooms were edible to bats. These mushrooms were also grown in clusters so there might be enough for all the bats.

  I’m ready to consume the mushroom and see what happens.

  With Bartok volunteering, Dreu couldn’t turn down the offer. He carefully removed some of the mushrooms from the clusters and fed them to the bat. Upon finishing, nothing happened. Neither the prompt nor the bat exhibited anything out of the ordinary.

  Maybe Bartok needs to consume more? Or maybe these aren't the right mushrooms?

  As the young man got up to get more mushrooms, the prompt popped up, making him trip on a rock. Once he got back up, he checked the prompt.

  < Lv 1 Demon Bat (Bartok):

  Description: This flying creature generally stays within dark caves where it hunts small insects that make the cave their home. If left alone, this creature will happily hunt and sleep. If provoked, it will retaliate with its fangs. Unlike the lesser demon bat, demon bats are naturally stronger with three skills instead of one. They also possess stronger combat ability that, while not making them exceptionally dangerous, makes them less useless in battles

  Recommendations:

  -Don’t expose this creature to light, natural or artificial, as the creature receives a major debuff in illuminated settings.

  -This creature can support in combat depending on what skill it possesses.

  Evolution:

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  -???

  Skill:

  -Dark Sight (Lvl 1): Active. Grants an ally the ability to see in the dark like bats for 15 minutes. Unlimited uses and no cost but ability has a 30 minute cooldown between uses.

  -Dark Embrace (Lvl 1): Passive. Grants the user a buff of up to +30% attack and defense depending on the darkness level of the user’s surroundings. An environment of complete darkness is needed to achieve the max buff.

  -Wing Slash (Lvl 1): Active. The user’s wings are surrounded by the wind element, making them dangerous weapons that can slice through weak foes. Each use consumes the stamina of the user. No cooldown or additional costs.

  Status:

  +10% attack and defense from evolution

  -25% attack and defense from inexperience.>

  Dreu was pretty impressed by the evolution. The two extra abilities were massive even if they were random. He was also shocked by how easy evolution was. Compared to demon worms needing experience as a prerequisite to evolution, consumption of some mushrooms was much easier to achieve. The prompt also confirmed there was a third stage to the bat's evolution but, upon asking Bartok about it, he stated that this was unknown as there was no precedent. Hoping to keep the momentum going, Dreu then asked Loryss to eat the same mushrooms. He was worried that the bats needed different mushrooms but his concern was unfounded as Loryss evolved too.

  < Lv 1 Demon Bat (Loryss):

  Skill:

  -Hibernation Link (Lvl 1): Active. Create a link with an ally 1 meter away. While the user is hibernating and the ally remains within 1 meter, both user and ally gain +1% health regeneration buff. User is defenseless while hibernating.

  -Hibernation Defense (Lvl 1): Passive. Only active when the user is in hibernation. When active, all allies within 2 meters are given +15% defense.

  -Light Adaptability (Lvl 1): Passive. The user’s debuff in illuminated settings is reduced by 10%.

  >

  Does this mean that high level of light adaptability will make Loryss capable of traveling out in the day?

  The young man had learned that all beings and creatures had an ideal time for combat due to various factors. Humans were better during the day as they had terrible night vision compared to other races and creatures. A creature like Loryss who could eventually be as effective in the day as night would make her very versatile. As Bayard had taught him, combat and battles were decided by which side was more versatile. Plans tended to be the first casualty following the first contact so the outcomes were often determined by the more versatile side.

  Good, let’s check what the other two bats have.

  Before he could gather the mushrooms for the remaining two demon bats, a sound caught his attention. He checked his recall list but Azurys wasn’t on there. Unsure if he just heard the wind or there was someone or something approaching the cave mouth, Dreu crawled towards his makeshift wall while remaining in the darkness. He paused beside the wall as he listened.

  Did I fool myself into hearing something? Maybe I’m just too…

  A low growl then got his attention. The young man peaked over the wall but the owner of the growl still hadn’t made an appearance. Because the path to the cave was on an incline, he couldn't see any being or creature approaching until they were nearly at the cave mouth. The seconds ticked by until he could make out a head under the dim light.

  Is that…is that the head of a honey badger…