Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

The illusion cast by the system gradually faded away, revealing the true form of Mikmik. His body, once woven from special grasses, was now exposed, with a faint green glow emanating from within him.

The gentle green light radiated with vibrant life energy, glowing brilliantly. From within Mikmik's form, flesh and blood began to rapidly grow, replacing the original strands of grass.

From the inside out, his body underwent a remarkable transformation. The green light gathered into a single point, slowly forming a heart. Its rhythm, once imperceptible, grew stronger and more powerful with each beat.

As the heartbeat reverberated, the green light continued to weave through Mikmik's body, growing new flesh and fur. His appearance remained largely unchanged from before.

When the glow finally receded, he landed gently on the ground.

His fur, now as black as obsidian, shimmered with a dark lustre. It appeared as smooth as silk, soft and sleek. His emerald eyes, like precious jewels, sparkled with an enchanting brilliance.

The entire cat exuded an indescribable sense of elegance and mystery. If before he was merely an ordinary black cat, now, with just a glance, he emanated an unattainable aura of nobility.

[Grassy Creature—Cat, Evolution Complete!]

[Shadow Panther]

Level 8

Strength: 11

Defence: 8

Skills:

Shadow Shift

[Shadow Shift, Advanced]

A unique skill of the Shadow Panther.

Grade: Excellent

Description: A stealthy prowler of the night, capable of blending into shadows even in broad daylight. Stealth value: 35.

[Would you like to draw an evolutionary skill?]

"Yes."

[Drawing...]

[Success! Please choose one of the Shadow Panther’s skills.]

1. Mesmerize (Grade: Refined)

2. Night Prowler (Grade: Excellent)

3. Claw Strike (Grade: Common)

[You have selected Night Prowler!]

[Night Prowler]

A unique skill of the Shadow Panther.

Grade: Excellent

Description: Allows for swift movement in darkness. Speed: 10. Agility: 10. Stealth value: 5.

At this point, Mikmik had evolved far beyond Athena’s expectations. With his current abilities, was there anywhere he couldn’t go?

Among the enemies they were likely to face, there wasn’t a single one who could detect Mikmik before, and now it had become utterly impossible.

Mikmik let out a gleeful purr but quickly composed himself, elegantly flicking his tail. Despite his best efforts to maintain a composed exterior, he couldn’t help the instinct to puff it out in excitement.

Athena, gazing down at the now exquisite creature, placed her hand atop his head, playfully ruffling his once sleek fur. Watching Mikmik’s frantic attempt to smooth it back down, she chuckled softly.

[Regional Chat is now available!]

Athena hadn’t noticed that the regional chat had been restored. Upon opening it, she found the familiar interface, unchanged from before.

The number of survivors remained pitifully low, yet in these later stages, the daily fluctuation of deaths had become minimal. By now, most had learned how to survive.

“Good heavens! Just a few hours, and I already felt like I’d been locked away in a dark room! Without the regional chat, without you lot to keep me entertained, I was on the verge of losing it!”

“For the first time, I realize how much I need you all. Normally, I find you lot infuriating, but now? Now I’m grateful for the company.”

“Here we go again... Decay? If this keeps up, we players are going to decay before the corpses do!”

“At last, it’s back! Could the system at least give us a bit of warning next time? I nearly had a heart attack!”

“What’s that writing in the top right corner? Did the system scribble it out? I can barely make it out.”

“Oh, thank goodness! I thought this would take days. The system's never been one for reliability, though.”

Amidst the continuous stream of comments, Athena quickly caught onto something—right, the writing in the top corner?

She stared intently at her system interface, scanning the upper right corner repeatedly, yet no such writing appeared. She couldn't help but feel she’d been pranked from behind the screen.

“So what exactly did the system improve?”

“Honestly? Nothing. I’m done. Completely done.”

[World Chat is now open!]

“Wait a moment... Did a system sneak in amongst us? A living, breathing system?”

“Oh my god, it’s real. It’s actually real—look, up there!”

Watching the comments flow rapidly, Athena noticed the glaringly obvious system announcement. So, that was the improvement. Alongside the regional chat, a new button appeared—a world chat channel.

The button, once translucent, solidified—World Chat Channel.

 

[World Chat Channel]

003: “Anyone here?”

007: “Anyone?”

“Person.”

081: “Person.”

…

 

The newly introduced feature had everyone treading carefully, leading to a flood of repetitive messages.

Athena, not wanting to be left out, sent her own comment.

[Would you like to reveal your region?]

[Yes.]

004: “.”

That single full stop—hers. Players could choose to reveal their region number or post anonymously. If they chose to reveal, the number would appear alongside the comment. If not, only the comment itself would display.

Because it was now a world chat, the volume of comments far exceeded the norm. The screen scrolled at dizzying speeds, making it hard to follow unless manually paused.

Athena intended to observe the chat further when an unsettling sound from outside the shelter caught her attention.

'I hate this...'

Despite the protective barrier, the fierce winds battering against it created a cacophony of rattles and clangs.

The intense wind also stirred the air, creating gusts that resembled eerie howls—ghostly wails that sent shivers down one’s spine.

Through the window, she glanced outside—clear blue skies, and sunshine as bright as ever.

Even Mikmik, who had been circling the room excitedly, was distracted by the strange sounds outside. Together, they decided to investigate.

Athena opened the door and stepped onto the porch.

The scene outside was nothing short of apocalyptic. The once serene sky, now devoid of clouds, seemed to glow unnaturally. The sun burned a deep crimson, like fresh blood, with temperatures continuing to rise.

The gale-force winds, though lacking any ominous darkness, were ferocious. They swept away leaves that would usually remain undisturbed. Every leaf, every tree, was stripped bare with ease.

The wind spiralled into small tornadoes, formed entirely of leaves, wreaking havoc as they whipped through the landscape. The ground itself cracked open, forming fissures from which plumes of yellow dust spewed forth.

The trees, their moisture seemingly stolen by the wind, withered and shrivelled. What remained were brittle, lifeless husks. The vegetation beneath fared even worse, as if centuries had passed in the blink of an eye—dried up, decayed, gone.