Chapter 393

Humans are creatures of adaptation. This means that wherever they go, as long as the conditions are right, they can adapt.

At the same time, humans are also slowly evolving creatures. You can prove this logic by the fact that races differ in each region.

However, the speed of adaptation and the speed of evolution are separate matters. Just because adaptation is quick doesn’t mean the race itself is changing.

In that sense, my transformation is exceptionally bizarre. I’ve turned into a different race in just 2 or 3 days due to the environment.

It’s not just that I’m changing races; I’m completely ‘evolving’ to fit the environment. Remember how it was in Frozen.

In Frozen, I wasn’t just human; I had fur all over like some kind of yeti.

“Is it because I’m definitely not human but a demon? No. But demons don’t show this level of adaptability, do they?”

Demons feel heat and cold too; they just cover it up with their extraordinary magical abilities.

But here I am, my colors are fully present, and my body itself is changing.

It doesn’t make sense to say this is happening just because blood from a demon is flowing through me. It’s truly a bizarre case.

“Did this really happen overnight?”

“Yep.”

“That’s some level of change in race, isn’t it?”

“I got burned.”

“······ Did you get burned too much?”

Most people, upon seeing how I changed overnight, displayed similar reactions.

Questions arise: what on earth happened for me to change like this while I was sleeping?

My skin didn’t just tan; it changed color enough for someone to believe I had shifted races entirely.

Originally, my skin was so white it was almost pale, making it odd for it to be almost invisible now.

“Uh… what was it? That animal comes to mind. The one that changes color with the environment.”

“Chameleon?”

“Ah, right. Chameleon. I really look just like a chameleon.”

No wonder that sort of talk came up. By the way, Luna didn’t say that.

“It’s more like an octopus, isn’t it?”

“Does an octopus change its body color?”

“Yeah. I saw a freshwater octopus changing back home. Almost didn’t recognize it.”

“··· ···”

Luna was spouting nonsense like that. By the way, aren’t octopuses sea creatures?

It seems that fantasy worlds can also have freshwater octopuses. I’ll just let that slide.

Anyway, the incident of my skin color change caused a bit of confusion, but it passed without any issues.

Just because my skin color changed doesn’t mean I changed as a person. Especially my red-glowing eyes proved that.

However, from a distance, anyone would mistake me for a local, so it was understandable to be confused.

“For now, wear this.”

“A red turban? Why this?”

“Because it’s hard to find it as it is; if I lose it, it’ll be a headache.”

“··· ···”

In the end, I decided to wear the red turban. I heard it’s a color without much meaning.

No one denied that red was the color symbolizing me. So I just wore it on my head obediently.

“This really makes you look like a local.”

And so, our trek through the desert began again. Kara observed me here and there, murmuring.

She knew I changed to adapt to the environment, but she probably didn’t expect me to change this quickly.

Not caring about anyone’s gaze, she twirled around me, brushing her fingers along the back of my hand.

“It’s not just a tan. It actually looks like your original skin.”

“How do you know?”

“If skin tans, there should be some redness. But there’s none at all.”

That’s true. I’ve heard that even people with darker skin can tan and it wouldn’t show.

The same goes for blushing. Didn’t Kara’s face get flushed every time she felt embarrassed?

“At this point, I’m curious about how I would change in the Matra Empire.”

As Kara was observing me, Grace approached and chimed in.

The Matra Empire is characterized by its mild weather throughout the year. It’s a perfect place for people to live.

Since it’s great for people, it’s also a good place for monsters and bugs.

“I think the Matra Empire might be ordinary. I’m more curious about the Eastern Empire though.”

This time it was Danyerin speaking. Others nodded in agreement with her curiosity.

Easterners are of the yellow race. Their skin has a yellowish hue, and they feature delicate facial features compared to Westerners.

If I went there, would I turn into someone resembling that yellow race? Or would I just stay the same?

Honestly, I’m predicting the latter. I adapt to the environment, it’s not about changing by region.

“More than that, I’m curious about Sivar’s child.”

Here comes Luna dropping a bomb. She spoke with a tone of complete nonchalance.

It was a rather sensitive topic, but Luna didn’t seem to care. Others, however, felt differently.

The gazes of those around began to shift, and the atmosphere grew tense.

“······ What are you talking about? Are you rambling again?”

Kara spoke cautiously, trying to gauge the situation. She called it rambling, but her voice shook a bit.

In response, Luna answered in an indifferent tone.

“I was just wondering what the skin color would be if a child were born in that state. Have any foreigners married a Tartar?”

“Back in the day… there weren’t many, but recently there are quite a few.”

“How are their children’s skin colors?”

“Rather than resembling one side entirely, they usually have a bit of a mix?”

“How interesting.”

It seems this was pure curiosity. The ripple effect exceeded mere innocence.

As this strange atmosphere lingered, Eli quietly approached me and whispered softly.

“I like any color.”

“··· ···”

I was relieved no one heard that whisper. Everyone was too preoccupied with crossing the desert.

I sighed inwardly and looked ahead. The procession for crossing the desert continued.

There weren’t any immediate dangers, but there was one issue.

The heat. And…

“I’m hungry…”

“We just ate earlier; why am I so hungry?”

“Right? That’s weird.”

It’s hunger. Even though we just had lunch, the students were complaining of hunger.

This made sense, as crossing a desert is no different from marching. Marching is a military operation that can be called the highlight of the army.

In the academy so far, while taking exams, even with high calorie consumption, food was easily available.

But the desert is different. Everything around is just sand, making it hard to find food.

Even if we do find something, we can’t hope for large animals.

“The only thing we can rely on is camels…”

Killing a camel, the ship of the desert, is equivalent to killing a horse. It means insanity.

Have academy students ever really faced starvation? Nobles, at least, probably haven’t.

That’s the very purpose of hands-on experiential learning. To experience things that can happen in real situations.

– Growl

The problem is that I’m also hungry. Hearing the alarm from my stomach, I frowned.

Even in a country where you can eat anything, it’s meaningless if there’s nothing to eat. I’d rather be in the Chaos Forest at times like this.

In the Chaos Forest, there are poison-carrying creatures everywhere if you do anything. But in the desert, there’s nothing to find.

“Everyone, let’s take a 10-minute break!”

As we aimlessly walked, we suddenly reached a rest stop. It was a shelter built by the Tartars for smoother crossings.

There’s shade and water, and the best part is that they can stock up on emergency rations. But that’s up to the locals.

The supply for the students was unbelievably short. Naturally, some grumbling began, but I thought of enduring it just this once.

“Sivar student! Don’t act like a local and go in!”

“Ah.”

That wasn’t me. I got caught while trying to feign being a local to get emergency food.

Even though I changed my outfit thinking I’d be wise, how did they know? Feeling awkward, I scratched my head.

“I’m so hungry.”

I wandered around the shelter, looking for something to eat. Snakes or scorpions, I didn’t care.

As long as there’s something to chew on, it’s all good.

“······ Nothing here.”

There’s really nothing. It seems like it’s meticulously managed since it’s a shelter.

In the end, as the crossing began again, I had no choice but to return to my spot.

As time passed, my hunger only grew stronger. If it continues like this, I might just go mad… not starve.

“··· ···”

Then something caught my eye. But if eating that goes wrong? Then…

“No. Let’s not think about that now.”

Filling my stomach comes first. Most importantly…

– Nom, Nom

Isn’t that camel munching on something delicious? If a camel can eat it, so can I.

So, I cautiously approached that ‘plant.’ It’s nothing short of litter in the desert.

“What would it taste like? Olive flavor?”

I was a little excited.

*****

After the 10 minutes of rest at the shelter ended, the crossing of the desert was temporarily halted.

The reason for the stoppage was nothing special. Out of the blue, an injured student appeared.

No, it wasn’t from heatstroke or a snake bite or anything from a scorpion.

In a truly ridiculous turn of events, one student had brought disaster upon himself by eating something.

No, he hadn’t just eaten; he committed an act even a child wouldn’t do.

“All right. Now say ‘ah’ really big.”

“Ah~”

Following the local doctor’s instructions, the local with brown skin opened wide. At first glance, it looked like a local was treating another local.

But the one being treated wasn’t a local. It was Sivar, whose skin had turned bronze overnight.

As Sivar opened his mouth, the doctor began to carefully inspect his mouth with a small magnifying glass.

“Unbelievable. I suspected it, but wow, it really turned out like that.”

Kara, watching the situation unfold, muttered in disbelief.

In response to her murmur, Sivar glanced at her but remained silent while the doctor examined him.

Eli, who had been standing as an assistant to the local doctor, asked in a puzzled voice.

“Don’t Tartars eat cacti?”

“Why would they? They don’t digest it well.”

Right. What Sivar had just committed was nothing less than a dining disaster.

In a situation where there weren’t snakes or bugs, he’d recklessly bitten into a cactus.

What kind of plant is a cactus? It’s a plant that has spikes to defend itself like a porcupine.

Even though Sivar’s body is sturdy, it couldn’t prevent small spines from getting stuck in his throat.

While the tail of a scorpion didn’t get caught in his throat, cacti spines got lodged, creating a once-in-a-lifetime situation.

“Hmm. This is fascinating. Since the spines didn’t pierce the esophagus, it should be okay if we can just break them. Or we could just dissolve the spines.”

The doctor finished his examination and made a diagnosis. Instead of removing them directly, they decided to dissolve the spines.

As Sivar, who had his mouth wide open, fiddled with his neck, he glanced around, seemingly aware of the mess he’d created.

The doctor then asked Eli for a suitable potion and chuckled as he advised Sivar.

“No matter how hungry you are, you can’t eat it raw.”

“Is it okay to eat?”

To that question, the doctor replied.

“If you do eat it, at least peel off the spines. That’d be better.”

“Oh.”

“What do you mean ‘oh’? Just don’t eat it!”

Kara yelled out in exasperation.

[Faith is increasing!]

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