Darkness.
Endless darkness.
My consciousness was immersed in this darkness, yet I could vaguely feel my body undergoing changes.
A warm sensation flowed through my body, like countless tiny streams coursing through my veins.
I could feel something reconstructing.
Bones were extending.
Muscles were growing.
Fur was becoming denser.
And the Cheek Pouch Space... that special space that had always existed within me was also undergoing drastic changes.
It was expanding.
Stabilizing.
Evolving.
The sensation was strange—neither painful nor comfortable, but like...
Like my entire body was boiling.
---
"Gray's body is so hot..." Brownie looked worriedly at my unconscious form.
Waspy circled nearby, compound eyes fixed on me.
It had a suspicion in its mind.
"Should be fine, right? This is normal." Waspy said.
Brownie turned to look at Waspy: "You... do you know something?"
Waspy fell silent for a moment, not answering.
It wasn't sure if its suspicion was correct and didn't want to give Brownie unnecessary expectations.
But it noticed that a faint glow seemed to be flickering around my body.
That was magic power fluctuating.
Waspy had seen this glow before.
In the swarm, when Poison Stinger Wasps evolved into queen wasps, this same glow would appear.
"Is Gray... evolving?" Waspy thought.
Time passed bit by bit.
Brownie and Waspy quietly kept watch beside me, neither leaving.
---
I don't know how long passed.
My consciousness began slowly returning.
That warm sensation gradually faded.
The changes to my body also stopped.
I opened my eyes.
First sensation—
My body had changed.
I sat up and found my perspective was a bit higher than before.
"Gray!" Brownie rushed over delightedly. "You're awake!"
"You got bigger!" Waspy also flew excitedly to my face.
I looked down at my body.
Indeed, I was bigger.
Before, I'd been about the same size as Brownie, but now I was clearly larger by a notch.
My fur had also become more lustrous, feeling softer to the touch.
I could feel more powerful strength surging through my body than before.
I immediately pulled up the system panel.
The information on the panel had completely changed.
[Hoarder Squirrel] [Gray]
[Level 1/25]
[Experience: 0/100]
[HP: 120/120]
[MP: 80/80]
[Strength: 10]
[Defense: 8]
[Speed: 14]
[Luck: 10]
[A rodent-type magic beast with a pocket dimension, loves hoarding various items, possesses brief spatial evasion ability]
[Traits: Dimensional Cheek Pouch, High Sensitivity, Spatial Affinity]
[Skills: Leap (Proficient), Bite (Proficient), Spatial Dodge]
My species had changed from "Cheek Pouch Squirrel" to "Hoarder Squirrel"!
Level cap had increased to 25!
My stats had all improved!
And—
"Dimensional Cheek Pouch..." I carefully looked at this trait.
It had changed from "Cheek Pouch Space" to "Dimensional Cheek Pouch."
I closed my eyes and felt the changes to the space.
Instantly, my consciousness connected to the Dimensional Cheek Pouch.
Completely different!
Before, the space had been cramped and unstable, like a bubble that might burst at any moment.
But now...
The space was much larger!
If before it could only fit 2 Brownie-sized things, now it could fit at least 10 Brownies!
And the interior of the space was very stable.
"I need to test this." I opened my eyes and looked at Brownie and Waspy.
"Brownie, Waspy, are you willing to enter my space together?"
"Together?" Brownie paused.
"Yes, both of you at once."
Brownie and Waspy looked at each other and both nodded.
I took a deep breath and simultaneously put both Brownie and Waspy into the Dimensional Cheek Pouch.
"How does it feel?" I asked.
Waspy's voice came from the space: "So comfortable! Not stuffy at all anymore!"
"Me too!" Brownie said. "So much better than before!"
30 minutes passed...
Brownie and Waspy didn't feel any discomfort.
"Success!" I excitedly released them.
"How was it?"
Brownie jumped around excitedly: "Amazing! It wasn't uncomfortable at all inside!"
Waspy also said: "And the space got so big!"
I nodded with satisfaction.
The evolved Dimensional Cheek Pouch could now keep living things inside for extended periods!
This meant that in the future when encountering danger, I could put Brownie and Waspy in the space to protect them.
They could even treat my space as their home!
And the space could continue growing...
I looked at the new skill on the panel.
[Spatial Dodge]
What was this?
I concentrated and tried using the skill.
Instantly—
My body disappeared!
More accurately, I'd entered the interior of the Dimensional Cheek Pouch!
I could see the things inside the space.
But in less than 1 second—
"Pop!"
I was "ejected" out, reappearing in the tree hollow.
At the same time, a strong sense of weakness washed over me.
I checked the panel—
[MP: 5/80]
What?!
One use consumed 75 magic points?!
"Gray!" Brownie and Waspy were both startled. "You just disappeared!"
I gasped for air: "This is... a new skill..."
"Spatial Dodge..."
Though it could only last less than 1 second and the consumption was huge, this was absolutely a life-saving divine skill!
At a critical moment, this 1 second could be the difference between life and death!
I sat down, letting my magic power slowly recover.
This evolution... was too successful.
The space became larger and more stable, and I gained a life-saving skill.
Though Spatial Dodge's consumption was large, it was enough.
Just then, Waspy suddenly asked: "Gray, did you... evolve?"
I paused.
Waspy knew the concept of "evolution"?
Brownie also looked at us in confusion, clearly not quite understanding what we were talking about.
"You know about evolution?" I asked in surprise.
Waspy nodded: "Our colony's queen wasps are evolved forms."
"Some Poison Stinger Wasps somehow suddenly evolve and become queen wasps, then they can lead a group of Poison Stinger Wasps."
"But I don't know how they evolve..."
I see.
It seemed evolution wasn't some secret in the magic beast world—most magic beasts just didn't know the specific method.
I nodded: "That's right, I evolved."
"And..." I looked at Brownie and Waspy. "I know how to evolve, and I know how to help you evolve."
"Really?!" Brownie and Waspy almost shouted simultaneously.
"Really." I smiled.
Of course I wouldn't tell them about the system's existence—just that I had this ability.
"So we can get stronger too?" Brownie asked excitedly.
"Yes." I said. "But you need to meet some requirements."
"What requirements?"
"First..." I looked at their panels.
[Brownie Level: 8/10]
[Waspy Level: 8/10]
"You need to keep getting stronger until you reach a specific degree."
I didn't directly mention the "level cap" concept—that was too complicated.
"Then, you also need to complete some specific actions. Different actions will lead to different evolution directions."
"But when you reach that degree, I'll tell you about these."
Brownie and Waspy nodded vigorously.
"What do we do now?" Brownie asked.
I looked outside the tree hollow.
"Continue hunting." I said. "You need to get stronger, and I also need to keep improving. I think I should be able to evolve again."
"When you reach the point where you can evolve, I'll help you."
"Okay!" Brownie jumped up excitedly.
Waspy also vibrated its wings, looking very excited.
I looked at them, anticipation welling up inside me.
If we kept evolving like this, how strong would we become?
And my space could clearly continue growing larger, which would let me accommodate more companions!
By then, we wouldn't just be three.
Perhaps five, ten, or even more...
A real team.
No, a portable world!