Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World

It was hard not to notice a tail when it had taken the same turn as you every single time.

One time? That was nothing. Three? It was likely a coincidence. But five? Now that was highly suspicious.

Ark glanced at the plate number on his side mirror, while Cracker sang along to the radio. The plate was concealed, and yet not once had they been stopped by the police, which meant one thing...

The Association.

’It looks like someone has been running their mouth...’

Ark had not been shy about his powers in the tutorial. There was no real point to conceal his abilities, and if he tried to, more of his classmates would likely be dead.

But this also meant his classmates knew just how unnatural his abilities were. And that was not the worst part.

Whenever Ark stole a skill, there was usually a visual change with the skill.

For example, his lightning was blue, while Olivia’s was yellow... the hero’s blade was gold while Darius used it, but black and red when he did.

Because of this, it was possible to avoid suspicion for the first few seconds, but his classmates were not some dumb NPC filler characters.

All they had to do was see his skills a few times. They must have already realised just what he could do, or at least they had their theories.

And now, someone had blabbed everything to the player association.

’Are they putting me under surveillance?’

It was not uncommon to have people with races above the blessed rank under surveillance. But Ark was a skeleton!

’Leave me alone for God’s sake!’

He would have tried to shake them off by driving faster, but his family was in the car, there was no need for unnecessary risks.

Ark glanced at the spot just above his dashboard and whispered.

"Sumo and the rest of you."

The spot turned slightly darker, the dashboard rippling like a blue-black lake. They had answered his call.

Ark mentally gave him orders, and then he glanced at the side mirror, watching the show.

Suddenly, bony hands rose out of the floor and latched onto the car’s tire. The car screeched as it tried to break free, but their grip was like an iron vice.

Stab!

A sword suddenly rose out of the floor underneath the car, slicing through the engine. Smoke oozed out of the bonnet, the car immediately going off.

"What the hell?"

"What happened?

Two men in black suits got out of the car to inspect the damage. Was it a pothole?

"Would a pot hole put a hole through the bonnet, you dunce?"

No, it made no sense. Despite how mundane they looked, their cars were armoured vehicles capable of driving through dense forests.

There was no way a pothole would hold them down, and it sure at hell would not put a hole in their bonnet. .

When they bent down to inspect the car, their eyes went wide. Their engine had been cut in half, and all four tires slashed to pieces...

"Tsk!" The driver hissed and kicked his flat tire, only to recoil in pain.

"Are you okay..."

"Call headquarters, damn it! Tell them we’ve lost him."

Ark smirked as he watched the car vanish in the distance. It was just one damaged car, he was sure the association would have it replaced within hours at most.

The rest of their drive was peaceful, and soon they arrived at the restaurant.

"Woah..." Cracker breathed out in awe as she stared at the two story building. "Is this really where we will be eating?"

Ark smiled wryly. "I guess..."

He had searched for the best places for a family to have dinner on an online forum, and followed the directions here. He had never expected the place to be so grandiose...

Bronya wiped her eyes grudgingly, still feeling sleepy. But the moment they got inside, the sleep wiped away from her eyes.

She frowned bitterly, looking like she was seconds away from vanishing into thin air. "This place looks like it will cost an arm and a leg..."

She was not wrong.

Ark already thought the place looked good from the outside, but the inside had completely blown him away.

The chairs were made out of polished wood, and the lighting overhead was soft and easy on the eyes.

Black tiles lined the floor, reflecting the ceiling and making the room appear larger, and there was a live band playing soft tunes by the side.

Ark’s gaze drifted to the nearest table and he swallowed.

They were giving their customers the menu on the latest tablets in the market.

’Yeah, I’m fucked.’

Ark needed to get out of there and fast. He was not going to spend half of his income on dinner—

"Good evening, sir. Welcome to Convive béni, would you like a table?" The hostess asked.

’F-French??!’

"Of course!"

Ahh...

Ark felt a tear drop slide down his eyes. Social pressure at its finest.

"That is great! What is your reservation so that I can guide you to your seat?"

Throughout the conversation, the hostess had not looked up. She was busy working on her tablet.

"Um, reservation?"

"..."

"Huh?"

Their restaurant was so popular that some people had to reserve their seats days prior, just so that they would be able to eat there.

And yet, this guy had come here without a reservation whatsoever?

’Is he an idiot?’

Completely shocked by his words, the woman raised her head to stare at him, but the moment their eyes met, she froze.

A few seconds passed with her just staring at his face.

"Hey." Cracker gave her a blank stare, then her voice grew cold. "Stop looking at my brother like that..."

The woman’s face immediately blushed pink. "Er- - I apologise, I was lost in thought for a bit!"

"Liar! I know your type." Cracker pointed an accusing finger at her. "You want to hold his hands so that you can get pregnant don’t you—"

"..."

The woman nearly melted. "Hehhhhh?!?! O-of course not. Well, maybe... ahh, what am I even saying??"

Bronya immediately held Cracker’s mouth closed and averted her gaze when Ark glanced at her.

He gave her a deadpan stare. ’Just what did she teach her while I was gone?’

The hostess fumbled with her tablet and accidentally tossed it forward, but in the blink of an eye, Ark caught it and handed it back to her.

"Sorry about that. She clearly has a lot she needs to learn." Ark glanced at Cracker. "Pay attention in biology class..."

Cracker’s strand of hair was waving from side to side. She was still glaring at the woman.

Ark sighed and turned his attention back to her. "Is there anything we can do about the reservation? It would be a shame if we couldn’t eat."

"Oh, y-yeah! Don’t worry about that, I will use my staff privilege to help you out."

She smiled then began scrolling through the tablet. "Instead of two days, there should be a table available in... thirty minutes."

’Thirty minutes even with a staff privilege?’

Normally, Ark would have found another place to eat, but now he was curious to find out if their food tasted as good as the wait.

"C-can I get your name so that I can lock in your reservation?" Then in a lower tone she added, "and your phone number as well if possible."

"Hey!" This time Cracker nearly jumped at her, but Bronya held her back.

"Player Ark Karras."

Although he would have preferred to keep his status hidden, it was illegal to announce yourself without mentioning your status.

The woman typed his name into her tablet, opening the player directory. His profile appeared a few seconds later.

[Name: Ark Karras.]

[Level: Unregistered]

[Rank: Copper]

[Criminal Record: nil]

[Demerits: nil]

[Potential Rating: SSS]

"?!"

Ark could not tell what she was reading, but he noticed an immediate shift in mood.

Now the woman looked really frozen.

"S-Sorry." She bowed. "I didn’t know who you were. We will get a table for you right at this very moment!"

’Huh?’

In less than three minutes, they were led to one of the best seats in the establishment.

It was a table on the third floor balcony. From where they sat, they had an excellent view of the city, and got to experience the cool evening breeze.

Without even ordering, they were served with a bottle of wine placed in a bucket of ice, as well as a glass of freshly made fruit juice for Cracker.

The waitress smiled. "This is on the house. Please just click the call button on the tablet when you’re ready to order, and we will be with you in a second."

Then she bowed.

"Thank you for your service."

Cracker eyed the waitress, watching her leave as she popped her straw in and began to drink. Meanwhile, Ark pulled out the bottle of wine and blinked.

’What the hell just happened?’

And just what did she see on that tablet?