NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 183. Two paths
Displaying the most advanced possible evolutions. Select one of the paths to display a description. Please take notice of the current evolutionary tier. Unless the tier is maxed out, the evolution can still become stronger.
Two Worlds (Evolutionary tier: 2 out of 3) | The Legacy of Primes (Evolutionary tier: Maximum)
Okay... Now that's new. Where are the good old requirements? Leo blinked, carefully reading the entire thing once more.
The confusion must have shown on his face as Lily poked him with a finger. "What's up? Bad evolutions?"
He shook his head, sparing the woman a glance before his gaze went back to the notification. "Not that. The menu is just completely different from the last time. No requirements, just two choices."
"Huh," Lily hummed. "Are they at least good?"
"No idea yet. Give me a minute to check." With that, he selected the first option, watching as lines of text spread across his vision.
Void Angel (Stage III)
The Heavens know no bounds, and the Void corruption never stops. The dark might have claimed your soul, but it's never too late to balance the scales. Step into the light, young Akirian; shed your darkness and become a beacon of hope for others.
Effects:
Void-borne evolves into Two-Worlder. Low-end Akirian Physiology changes into Nephilim Endurance. True Affinity: Shadow changes into Minor True Affinity: Shadowed Light. Physical evolution involved. All Effectiveness: +15%. Additional Might and Mind effectiveness: +10%. +5 Might, +3 Grace, +3 Vision, +4 Soul, +5 Mind, +2 Free Attribute points per level. Natural Mutations: Unlocked.
Holy fuck. Leo gaped at the sheer amount of stuff written in the effect section. This evolution wanted to change pretty much everything about him. It sounded like it would take away his status as an Akirian and make him into some weird combination of a Voidling and those Emissaries from London.
So, that's pretty much what Lily is now. Why offer me this? I have Nikra's shard in my chest and can already use Void's true affinity. This doesn't make any sense.
Yet, the more he thought about it, the more he realized how wrong he was. One, his sister already walked this path, so the System might have decided to offer something similar. Two, he had already fought the Emissaries twice and devoured one of their corpses. And finally, three, Geron might have interfered again, trying to get him on the Old One's side with this evolution.
All of those points made even more sense once he read the short addition below the description.
To advance this evolution to its final tier, the User must kill and devour Michael Payne.
A message like that should have denied Geron's involvement, but then again, did it really? Even with the little he knew about the Old One's personality, Leo still didn't doubt that the god could want him to take Payne's place, and this was just a test. Once he explained this to Lily and Nyx, they agreed with him right away.
'Geron would do that,' the feline stated without hesitation. 'He was always a manipulative bastard, even before he and Nikra had the fallout. There wasn't much he wouldn't do to reach his goals… Not that the other Old Ones were much better, but the point stands.'
After Leo repeated her thoughts out loud, Lily clicked her tongue. "Payne couldn't kill you on the first try, so Geron decided to let you two battle it out. You live, and he gets an even more powerful minion with a shard of another Old One. Payne kills you, and they still get the shard while eliminating a potential problem. Either way, Geron wins if you go for this evolution."
"Which is why I won't," he growled. "I'm not letting that fucker anywhere near my head."
'There is still a possibility that Geron isn't involved at all, and we're just overreacting,' Nyx pointed out.
"It's still too risky. Maybe if Nikra was still with us she could..." Leo shook his head. "No, not even then. I'm not taking it, and that's the end of the story."
"Fine by me," Lily shrugged before her eyes narrowed. "Is it at least strong? If it's a hybrid evolution, I might get something similar later on."
He frowned and went back to the effects, checking them quickly, one after another. "I mean, it's not bad. The Two-Worlder trait is quite a bit better than my current one when it comes to Limit Break. Though Nephilim Endurance is almost weaker than what I have. And well, Shadowed Light might sound interesting, but it's still a minor affinity."
"Any idea what it does?"
"No. The description might as well be empty," he explained, dismissing all the System messages. "Still, don't get me wrong. The evo is good, just not for me."
Lily snorted. "Of course not. You're too ahead of the curve for something like this to be enough. I wouldn't be surprised if your current evolution could match some of the Stage three ones."
"Yeah, I can see it happening," Leo grimaced, thinking of all the survivors that evolved into a stage two form of Awakened Human. "The System really doesn't care to keep stuff balanced."
"Why would it? It rewards those who fight for their survival. Adapt or die, right?"
He quirked a non-existent eyebrow. "I thought you hated that motto."
"Still do," she let out a hollow laugh. "Doesn't change the fact that it's true. Those who bleed for survival will thrive, while the others will fall apart and die alone, forgotten by the world."
Not knowing how to even respond to that, Leo decided to check out his other evolution while his sister calmed down. Sometimes, not saying anything was the best answer.
Let's see. The Legacy of Primes. Looks like I'm not losing my title.
Prime Indomitus Venax (Stage III)
You hunted. You killed. You consumed. The path of an Akirian and a Prime isn't easy, but you prevailed. Now, the next stage of the journey is calling for you. Will you answer? Or will you run?
Effects:
Void-borne evolves into Void's Embrace. Low-end Akirian Physiology advances to the next stage. Physical evolution involved. Connection to the Void strengthened. All Effectiveness: +25%. +5 Might, +6 Grace, +4 Vision, +6 Soul, +4 Mind per level. Beta tier Mutations unlocked.
And we have a winner. Leo grinned. Why bother showing me the other evolution when I have this available? Like holy hell, better overall effectiveness and more attribute points. It isn't even a choice.
Nonetheless, he didn't allow the System to proceed right away. First, he had to check out the new trait and then talk it all through with Nyx and Lily. They were the ones who would have to protect him during the evolution, after all.
Void's Embrace (Epic)
For every Akirian and Voidling, the Void is the silent parent that sees everything. You have earned its attention. Let its embrace fill you with power.
Effects:
Your body grows stronger in areas rich in Void Essence. Pasive Essence absorbtion improved. Limit Break: +2 Soul, Might, Grace, and Vision per level. Devour becomes more efficient.
Much better than the Two-Worlder trait. Who would have thought that a direct improvement of my current evolution would be better than some hybrid shit I got thanks to Geron? Not me, definitely not me. Leo chuckled, waving away the description.
"Well, it's decided. I'm evolving today," he said out loud, earning the others' attention. "No way I'm getting anything better than this."
"The second option?" Lily asked. "That good?"
"Yeah." He nodded and quickly sent Nyx the related memory, as the curiosity in their link was killing him. "Only an idiot wouldn't take it. Twenty-five attribute points per level, get that?"
His sister blinked, then blinked again as her brow furrowed. "How much?"
"Twenty-five," he repeated, still grinning like a loon.
"You're shitting me!" She threw her arms into the air. "That's like five more than what I get now from both class and race! I swear, if my next evolution doesn't give me at least twenty per level, I'm gonna kill someone."
"There, there." He patted her on the head. "I'm sure it will be good. You took part in killing the Myrdrak and are also in quite a unique situation. The System will definitely take that under consideration."
"It better." She huffed. "I refuse to fall behind you even more than I already am. Isn't that right, Nyx?"
The feline nodded resolutely. 'One more level, Leo, and I'm joining you at stage three.'
After he relayed what Nyx said, Lily smiled. "Good! I need three more, but I will get there soon, hopefully..." She looked at him, pouting a bit. "What do you say we hunt some Nightmares once we return to London? If I evolve too, Payne won't stand a chance."
Leo sighed. "We will see about that. For now, just let me evolve first, okay?"
The woman nodded, her expression turning serious once more. "Two hours, right?"
"At worst. It might go faster."
"Go on then," she said, standing up. "Nyx and I will protect you. Don't worry about anything. We got you."
Leo smiled.
"Thanks."
Do it, System. Begin the evolution into Prime Indomitus Venax.
Acknowledged.
