Evolution from Carp to Divine Dragon - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Reborn as a Carp

TL: Etude

“Have you heard? Another strange incident happened!”

“The area near Lin Tian Ancient City was leveled overnight. Someone used a drone to capture footage of the place turned into a scorched wasteland…”

“Strange things are becoming more frequent. Let’s hurry, or we won’t be able to get in for the blessing ceremony because of the crowd.”

“…”

Amid the chatter and the sound of many footsteps, Lin Hao slowly regained consciousness.

Blub, blub—

Huh!?

As his vision cleared, he distinctly realized he seemed to be underwater!

Was he drowning!?

After blowing a few bubbles, he tried to struggle but immediately noticed something unusual.

He could breathe underwater, and his eyes didn’t feel any discomfort at all.

“I’ve become… a fish?”

Coming to his senses, he clearly noticed he had no arms or legs, only… fins.

It wasn’t a dream or an illusion; he had indeed turned into a fish, a small black carp!

As he was in shock, memories from before his death slowly surfaced in his mind.

He was a photographer who had come to Lin Tian Ancient City for work.

That evening, he saw a golden figure appear in the sky.

It looked like a blazing angel descending. The next moment, golden light covered the entire ancient city.

The surrounding buildings crumbled in an instant, and his entire body was scorched and shattered.

Before he could even feel the pain, he had completely lost consciousness.

When he came to, he found himself here, transformed into a fish.

“What on earth was that monster…”

Recalling the scene before his death, Lin Hao felt a bit creeped out.

But soon, a feeling of anger welled up inside him.

“I only ever had one girlfriend, and I died a virgin!”

Although he was a photographer, he was a serious one!

Dying so mysteriously and unjustly was simply too tragic.

Ding!

Invincible Leveling System successfully bound.

At that moment, a clear sound echoed in his mind.

“Huh!?”

What the hell!?

In an instant, a system panel appeared before his eyes!

Host: Lin Hao
Level: 1
Species: Black Carp
Body Length: 3 cm
Weight: 0.4 g
Combat Power: 0.1
Skills: None
Divine Abilities: None
Evolution Points: 0/50

“Whoa, I really awakened a cheat!”

As a heavy reader of online novels, he naturally knew this was the legendary system cheat!

A comeback, rising to the top!?

“But I’m really this short and small…”

Looking at the stats on the system panel, Lin Hao muttered to himself.

“Strange things are becoming more frequent. Last night, I was drunk and saw a rat as big as a small dog. Damn, it scared the hell out of me.”

“Maybe you were just hallucinating from drinking!”

“…”

At this moment, people continued to walk across a stone bridge above the water. Some children were throwing pieces of bread into the pond.

A school of large koi carp surged forward at that moment, quickly devouring the bread crumbs.

Feeling a bit hungry himself, Lin Hao thought for a moment and swam over as well.

His speed wasn’t fast, but he managed to grab a few crumbs.

Swallowed bread crumbs, gained 0.1 evolution points.

“Just as I thought, eating increases evolution points.”

“As long as I reach fifty points, I should be able to level up and evolve!”

He started to feel a sense of anticipation.

Listening to the conversations of people passing by, he roughly understood his current environment.

It was likely around the third day after his death.

He had been reborn in Longyin City, within the Dragon King Temple!

The Dragon King Temple was built around a large central pond called Hualong Pond.

Originally, not many people visited the temple, but with recent strange incidents and frequent natural disasters, more people were coming to pray for blessings.

Not far from the temple was a research center.

The Longyin Research Center.

Armed soldiers guarded the perimeter of the research center, which was surrounded by signs declaring it a military area and prohibiting entry.

Inside the research center, many large, oval glass tanks contained the bodies of various animals immersed in liquid.

In a brightly lit dissection room, a group of men and women in white protective suits, wearing surgical caps and goggles, were gathered around a corpse.

“The skin of this creature is very thick; only specially made blades can cut through it.”

“The skeletal structure is similar to that of humans, standing on two legs with a distinct spine and ribcage.”

“The bones of the hands and feet are twelve times thicker than those of an average person, with sixteen pairs of ribs.”

“The total number of bones in the body reaches two hundred eighty-six.”

A young woman spoke as she dissected the corpse with a scalpel.

The people around her watched, seemingly holding their breath.

Some couldn’t help but feel nauseated at the sight of the body.

The blood of the corpse appeared extremely viscous, and the skin had a rubbery texture like tire rubber.

Seeing this kind of body for the first time was a shock to their minds.

Recollections of previously dismissed news stories filled their thoughts, making them feel even more uneasy.

In 1934, a dragon’s corpse fell from the sky in Dongchuan North Sea, crushing moored fishing boats. The corpse disappeared mysteriously after a day.

In 1947, a giant crab-shaped creature was sighted on the west coast of America, with over a hundred witnesses.

In 1957, the Wiegland sea monster incident resulted in fifteen deaths, later dismissed as human-caused.

In 2020, a giant creature’s corpse was found in the southeast of the Dragon Nation.
Before long, as the group left the dissection room, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Luo Xue, good work.”

An older man in protective gear smiled at the young woman who had led the dissection as she walked out.

The woman shook her head.

She removed her goggles and cap, tossing them into a nearby special disinfecting area, revealing her cold, beautiful face.

“Any news from over there?”

She took a bottle of mineral water, opened it, and took a large sip.

“Not yet.”

“Lin Tian Ancient City turned into scorched earth overnight. There might be an incredible creature involved.”

The old man’s face grew serious.

“He died.”

Luo Xue said solemnly, her hands unconsciously clenching.

“I know. We will have our people investigate thoroughly. This was an unexpected event; all our people are dead too…”

The old man spoke instinctively, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

No one could have anticipated what happened in Lin Tian Ancient City.

“Remember your promise.”

Luo Xue was silent for a moment, then left the area.

Returning to the changing room, she removed her protective suit and put on a black dress.

Taking out a pocket watch, she revealed a photo inside.

The photo showed a boy and a girl smiling happily.

Seeing this, her eyes turned red.

“You said you would wait for me to come back.”

…

Hi everyone! This is a new translation, so please show some love!

There is a manhua version of this, so feel free to read it. I think the manhua version is at novel chapter 20 atm.

Thank you~~