I Can See Evolution Paths

The first-years erupted, and the professors began directing everyone toward the Expedition Hall. Students carried bags. Professors checked teams. Some students argued over seats. Some were already bragging about what they would discover.

Arthur looked around happily. "Everyone’s excited," he said.

Sun adjusted his backpack. "Everyone except the people who are about to discover they packed too much," he said.

Arthur looked at his bag. "Did you?"

Sun froze. "No."

Arthur looked at the bulging bag. "Your bag looks heavy."

"It’s supplies."

"How many?"

"Enough."

Arthur nodded. "That’s suspicious."

Mithra laughed. "Don’t interrogate him before we’ve even left."

Athena adjusted her own bag. "He’s probably carrying too much food."

Sun immediately pointed at her. "It’s called preparation."

Arthur smiled. "Cleo would approve."

Sun sighed. "Why does everyone keep comparing me to people?"

...

The first-years finally reached the departure platforms.

Then they stopped.

Hundreds of Wyvern Carriages were lined up across the enormous platforms.

Not one.

Not five.

Hundreds.

Each carriage was reinforced with metal frames and mana crystals, with powerful Wyverns standing in front of them.

The sight left even the students who had already ridden Wyvern Carriages speechless.

"Wait..."

"Are all of those for us?"

"How many students are going?"

A student looked across the platforms.

"There’s over a hundred of us."

Another pointed at the carriages.

"Then why do we need THIS many?"

A professor passing by answered casually.

"Because you’re going into a Secret Realm."

The students went silent.

Then the excitement exploded.

"We’re really doing this!"

"Our first expedition!"

"We’re actually entering a Secret Realm!"

"I wonder what we’ll find!"

"I heard the Everglades has Beasts nobody has seen outside of it!"

"I’m going to find one!"

"No, I’m going to find one first!"

Another student clenched his fist.

"I’m going to discover something that’ll get my name into the Academy records!"

Arthur looked around at the students.

Their excitement was almost impossible to miss.

He smiled.

"Everyone’s really looking forward to this."

Mithra nodded. "Of course. It’s their first expedition."

Athena looked toward the enormous number of carriages.

"It’s also the first time most of them will enter a Restricted Secret Realm."

Sun adjusted his backpack.

"Which means there’s probably going to be a lot of people making terrible decisions."

Arthur looked at him.

"Like what?"

Sun stared.

"...I don’t know yet."

Arthur nodded seriously.

"Good. Let me know when you think of one."

Sun sighed.

"I already regret answering."

A nearby student suddenly shouted.

"LET’S GO!"

The others immediately joined.

"EVERGLADES!"

"LET’S GO!"

The cheers rolled across the departure platform.

Arthur laughed.

Then he looked toward the enormous fleet of Wyvern Carriages.

For the first time, the scale of the expedition truly sank in.

This wasn’t a small group heading into the wilderness.

The entire first-year class was going.

And they were all about to enter the Everglades together.

Arthur’s eyes brightened. "Now this is an expedition."

...

Once everyone was seated and the carriages were safely prepared for departure, the Beast Tamers were permitted to release their partners into the carriage. It felt like a small pause before everything truly began, everyone taking that last moment to settle in before the ground fell away beneath them.

Vedas appeared beside Arthur. Melo settled comfortably near Mithra. Kong immediately took the largest available space. Athy flew to Athena’s shoulder.

Eden appeared in the air and immediately rushed toward the window, pressing both hands against it. "We’re flying!"

Arthur laughed. "You’ve flown before."

"I know!" Eden turned around, her silver hair bouncing behind her. "But this is different! We’re going somewhere!"

Vedas looked outside. "It is strange seeing the Academy from here."

Mithra smiled. "Everything looks smaller."

Athena glanced down. "That’s because we’re already several hundred meters above the ground."

Arthur looked at her. "You measured it?"

Athena blinked. "Yes."

Sun shook his head. "Of course you did."

Athy, perched on Athena’s shoulder, looked down as well. "She’s probably right."

Athena glanced at her. "Probably?"

Athy shrugged. "I didn’t measure it."

Arthur laughed. "So you’re admitting Athena is better at measuring things than you?"

Athy narrowed her eyes. "I didn’t say that."

Mithra giggled.

The Wyverns suddenly spread their massive wings. The students became quiet.

Then, whoom! The entire convoy rose into the sky. Cheers erupted from the carriages.

Eden laughed excitedly. "We’re going up!"

Kong pressed both hands against the window. "The ground is getting smaller!"

Melo moved closer to the glass. "Everything looks tiny."

Vedas smiled. "It really does."

Sun quietly grabbed the side of the carriage.

Arthur noticed. "Are you nervous?"

Sun immediately released it. "No."

Arthur looked at his hand. "You were holding that."

"For balance."

Kong turned toward him. "You’re scared."

Sun stared at him. "You’re supposed to support me!"

Kong shrugged. "I am."

"Then why are you calling me scared?"

"Because you’re scared."

Melo giggled. "Kyu-kya!"

Sun looked at her. "Don’t encourage him."

Melo smiled innocently. "I’m not."

Athy glanced at Sun. "Your face says otherwise."

Sun covered his face. "Why is everyone against me?"

Arthur laughed. "You’ll be fine."

Sun sighed. "That’s easy for you to say."

The convoy continued climbing and soon, the Academy spread beneath them like a miniature city.

After the convoy gained altitude, they encountered an enormous migration of strange flying Beasts. Hundreds of giant manta-like creatures glided through the sky, their wings translucent, mana flowing through their bodies like glowing rivers. The entire convoy adjusted its formation to avoid them.

Eden was amazed. "There are so many!"

Athena immediately began studying them. "Sky Rays," she said.

Arthur looked at her. "You’ve seen them before?"

"Only in records."

Arthur looked back outside. "Then this is your first time seeing them too."

Athena paused. Then quietly smiled. "Yes," she said.

Arthur grinned. "That’s nice."

Athena’s eyes brightened as she watched them.

"Can we ride one?" Arthur asked.

Athena immediately looked at him. "No."

Mithra laughed. "You asked surprisingly quickly."

Arthur shrugged. "They look comfortable."

Sun said, "You can’t tell if something is comfortable from fifty meters away!"

Kong said, "I could."

Sun sighed. "You are not helping."

Eden moved around the carriage constantly. She saw one Sky Ray pass beneath their carriage, its translucent body briefly covering the entire window.

Blue mana pulsed through its wings.

For a moment, the students inside could see the sky through its body.

The entire carriage went quiet.

Even the students who had been arguing over seats stopped talking.

Eden pressed both hands against the glass. "It’s beautiful..."

Arthur nodded. "Yeah."

Athena didn’t answer but she was already memorizing every detail.

Mithra glanced at her and smiled. "You’re going to write all of this down later, aren’t you?"

Athena didn’t look away. "Of course."

Eden’s eyes then lit up at the distant floating flowers.

Then enormous birds. She kept asking questions. Arthur answered when he could. Athena answered when she knew. Vedas sometimes added his own thoughts.

Then something enormous appeared ahead. Hundreds of giant manta-like Beasts glided through the sky, their translucent wings glowing with streams of mana.

Eden’s eyes widened. "Whoa..."

Kong pointed. "Big."

Sun looked at him. "That’s your contribution?"

Kong nodded. "Big."

Sun sighed. "Very insightful."

Kong looked at him. "You couldn’t think of anything better."

"I could!"

Kong waited.

Sun opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Kong grinned. "Big."

"Shut up."

Melo laughed softly. "They are beautiful."

Vedas nodded. "They look peaceful."

Athy leaned toward the window. "They’re moving together."

Athena adjusted her glasses. "They’re following a mana current."

Arthur looked at her. "You can tell that?"

Athena nodded. "Yes."

Arthur smiled. "Then we should follow them."

Athena stared at him. "Why?"

Arthur pointed outside. "Because they probably know where they’re going."

Mithra laughed. "That’s actually a surprisingly good reason."

Sun sighed. "Don’t encourage him."

...

Later they flew over a massive forest.

At first it seemed ordinary. Then the entire carriage heard a low humming sound. The trees were vibrating. Leaves moved in perfect patterns. Different sections of the forest produced different notes.

Athena became completely absorbed. "Incredible," she said.

Arthur looked at her. "You know what it is?"

"No."

Arthur blinked. "You don’t?"

Athena shook her head. "I’ve read about it, but nobody knows why the forest produces the sound."

Arthur smiled. "Then we’ll have to find out someday."

Athena looked at him. "You say that like we’re definitely going," she said.

"Why wouldn’t we?"

Mithra laughed. "That’s Arthur."

Sun groaned. "I can already see our future."

As they traveled farther from Pathfinder, civilization slowly disappeared. Roads became rare. Villages disappeared. The forests became larger and the rivers became wider. The students gradually became quieter as they saw even the roads disappearing.

Arthur looked down through the window. "There’s nothing here."

Athena shook her head. "There is."

She pointed toward a distant tower. "People."

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

Tiny figures stood along its walls and the Hunters that were watching the wilderness.

Sun crossed his arms. "So this really is the last safe place."

Mithra nodded. "Pretty much."

Arthur smiled. "Then we’re close."

Athena pointed toward distant towers. "You can even see frontier watchtowers," she said.

Arthur looked at them. "Why so many?"

"Emergency markers."

Sun’s expression changed. "Emergency?"

Athena nodded. "Explorers who get lost can activate them."

Arthur looked outside again. The excitement remained. But now there was something more serious behind it. They were getting close.

Finally, Greenroot appeared, and for a moment nobody in the carriage said anything at all, the sheer size of it pulling every eye toward the window at once.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

The city was enormous.

Massive walls surrounded it from every direction, reinforced with layers of metal and stone. Watchtowers rose above them, each covered in weapons and mana crystals.

Thousands of Hunters moved through the streets below.

Wyverns landed on platforms.

Merchants shouted over piles of monster materials.

Blacksmiths worked beside open furnaces.

Healers hurried between buildings.

Expedition teams returned through the gates covered in mud, blood, and scratches.

Mithra looked outside. "Different from Pathfinder."

Athena nodded. "Much."

Sun stared at the walls. "This place looks like it expects something to attack it."

Athena nodded. "It does."

Sun slowly turned. "Wonderful."

Arthur smiled. "I like it."

Sun looked at him. "Of course you do."

As the carriages descended, Arthur heard conversations from below. "The southern route collapsed again!" "Then use the eastern path!" "The eastern path has a Beast Chief!" "Then don’t use the eastern path!"

Another group was unloading enormous monster materials. A Hunter laughed while telling someone, "I’m telling you, it was twice the size of the carriage!"

His partner replied, "You said that last time."

"This time I’m serious!"

Melo looked amused.

Eden whispered, "I like this place."

Vedas nodded. "It feels like everyone here has a story."

Arthur smiled. "Then we’re going to hear a lot of stories."

The carriages landed.

All Beast Partners immediately returned to the Mana Realm because the entire first-year group needed to gather. The students began assembling.

Arthur looked toward the enormous walls and his smile slowly widened.

Mithra noticed. "You’re excited again," she said.

Arthur nodded. "We’re finally here."

Sun looked toward the wilderness. "I have a feeling the dangerous part hasn’t even started," he said.

Athena adjusted her glasses. "It hasn’t."

Arthur looked at both of them. "That’s the exciting part," he said.

Mithra laughed.

The gates leading deeper toward the Everglades stood in the distance.