There were many different types of animals on the species black market, ranging from endangered animals to common mammals like prohibited dog breeds.
But Ethan wasn't going to be picky from the start. First, he wanted to know the full extent of the System's capabilities, and for that, he needed animals quickly. He knew that ordering something too exotic would only slow down his testing phase. That is why he opted for something more accessible, yet still unique.
The first ones he chose, without a doubt, were five specimens of parasitoid wasps—a type of insect that, unlike common parasites, always ends up killing its host to complete its life cycle.
Another that caught his eye was the platypus, which possessed the ability to use electroreception to hunt. This is the biological capacity of certain animals—mainly aquatic ones like sharks and platypuses—to detect weak electric fields in their environment, allowing them to navigate, hunt, and communicate. They use specialized sensory organs, such as the Ampullae of Lorenzini, to feel the muscle contractions of prey or the Earth's magnetic field.
To Ethan, this was like gaining a sixth sense. Although the System made it clear that abilities were granted randomly, it was worth tempting fate.
He also selected a skin-scale gecko, an immortal jellyfish, and two specimens of dung beetle.
$77,000
That was the total sum for the purchase. The most expensive among them were the skin-scale gecko and the platypus. According to the memories of this body's previous owner, his bank account balance amounted to four million dollars, plus two million in cash stored in the bunker. For now, money was the least of his worries.
Without a second thought, he authorized the purchase. The confirmation stated that his new acquisitions would arrive within two to three days. Until then, he would just have to wait.
Left with nothing else to do, he went back upstairs to the kitchen. It was well-furnished in a French style; both of his parents had been French, which explained the house's overall decor. There was a large, armored window overlooking the backyard, and beyond that, an extensive forest. The house was located in Elkins, a small town in West Virginia.
The location was perfect for his plans. Being surrounded by wooded areas, large nearby rivers, and the Appalachian Mountains meant that keeping large animals wouldn't be a difficult task.
But his drive to test the System didn't fade, even knowing he'd have his specimens in a few days. It was at that moment, as a fly landed on the bread he had just spread with jam, that an idea struck him.
"System, any animal is eligible for evolution, right?"
[THAT IS CORRECT. AS LONG AS IT IS UNDER YOUR CONTROL, IT CAN BE EVOLVED.]
Now all he needed was for his new possessions to arrive, but in the meantime, he might as well use the fly buzzing carelessly in front of him as his first subject.
The System had mentioned before that animals with different base lethality levels required a higher evolution cost. He had inquired about this earlier and reached a conclusion: for example, a rabbit might need $1,500 to evolve once, but for a lion to evolve, it would take at least thirty thousand.
This was because their biological foundations were vastly different. Naturally, the price of evolution scaled accordingly. Therefore, if he used a fly, the price shouldn't be that high. And even if it were expensive, the mere idea of seeing the changes up close made it worth it.
Watching the fly soar effortlessly, he thought about how to catch it. It was common knowledge that a fly's senses were extremely sharp. Generally, to subdue such a creature, one would use flypaper or strike it at high speed. However, that would likely kill it, and the System had been very clear: any animal waiting to be evolved must be alive and in good health.
This made the task much harder. But the insect didn't account for the fact that Ethan had been trained; even his agility and senses had been pushed to their limits.
He waited for the fly to land on the bread again. Ethan immediately curled his fingers into a concave shape and slowly moved his hand toward the insect.
Ten seconds. Forty seconds. One minute.
Ethan didn't get impatient. He was in no rush; he could do this all day. He knew that while the fly was feeding, it was also watching, ready to flee at the first sign of movement. Once his hand was close to the bread—and consequently, the fly—Ethan brought it down with all the speed he could muster.
Thwack.
A loud slap echoed through the silent kitchen. Ethan worried for a moment that he might have hit too hard and killed it, but when he felt soft tapping against his palm, he realized the fly was trapped.
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST. YOU HAVE JUST CAPTURED A MUSCA DOMESTICA, AN ANIMAL SUITABLE TO BECOME A PET.]
"Yes," Ethan replied without hesitation.
[ACTION SUCCESSFUL. PLEASE, PROVIDE A NAME FOR THE PET.]
"A name? Is it a whole ritual?" Ethan was a bit confused but quickly went along with it. He thought for a moment until a smile spread across his face. "System, call the fly 'Thud'."
Thud was a character from the movie A Bug's Life, and although that character was a horsefly, it was still a large winged insect; the name fit well enough. Immediately, a data panel appeared before him, filled with attributes and dense information regarding Thud.
[THUD
NUMBER: 001
AFFILIATION: ETHAN MCGREGOR
COMBAT POWER: 0.01
CAN EVOLVE: ALL BODY ORGANS]
Seeing this, Ethan couldn't help but smirk. As for Thud's low combat power, it didn't matter. It was a fly—what damage could an insect like that do?
"How do I make it evolve?" Ethan asked the million-dollar question.
[THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF EVOLUTION: RANDOM EVOLUTION AND DIRECT EVOLUTION. RANDOM EVOLUTION INVOLVES EVOLVING ANY PART OF THE ANIMAL AT RANDOM FOR A RELATIVELY LOW PRICE. CONVERSELY, DIRECT EVOLUTION IS BASED ON THE HOST'S SPECIFIC DECISION, WHICH IS MORE COSTLY.]
[EVOLUTIONS ARE ALSO DIVIDED INTO TIERS: TIER D IS THE WEAKEST; TIER SSS IS THE STRONGEST. WITH THE LATTER, EVEN A FLY WILL BECOME A TERRIFYING EXISTENCE.]
Ethan nodded involuntarily. "So, how much would it cost for Thud to evolve now?"
[D-LEVEL RANDOM EVOLUTION: $200. DIRECT EVOLUTION: PRICE DOUBLES
C-LEVEL RANDOM EVOLUTION: $360. DIRECT EVOLUTION: PRICE DOUBLES
B-LEVEL RANDOM EVOLUTION: $648. DIRECT EVOLUTION: PRICE DOUBLES
A-LEVEL RANDOM EVOLUTION: $1,167. DIRECT EVOLUTION: PRICE TRIPLES
S-LEVEL RANDOM EVOLUTION: $2,619. DIRECT EVOLUTION: PRICE QUADRUPLES.]
[SS-LEVEL RANDOM EVOLUTION: A SPECIAL TASK MUST BE COMPLETED.]
[SSS-LEVEL RANDOM EVOLUTION: A SPECIAL TASK MUST BE COMPLETED.]
"Damn... and that's just for a simple fly." If he wanted to evolve a rattlesnake, the price would be absurd. He realized then that the money he had been so confident in wouldn't last him very long.