Neraxis stood before his newly summoned monster, Lilian. He had been given a single soldier to start his new life, and she was, by all accounts, useless for a fight. He felt like a general who had been sent to war with only a flag bearer.
He looked at her more closely. She stood perfectly still, her hands clasped in front of her, her head slightly bowed as if expecting a harsh word or a dismissal. She was waiting for an order, but what order could he possibly give? "Go stand in the corner and look sad"? That seemed to be her only real skill. The single, large black wing on her left side was admittedly impressive, a cloak of midnight feathers that absorbed the faint light in the room. But the other wing, the shriveled white one on her right, was pathetic. It looked like a sick chick's wing, weak and malformed, twitching now and then.
"Lilian, What can you do? What are your abilities?"
She looked up, her violet eyes meeting his.
"My Lord," she said, her voice a soft murmur that was barely audible. "I can tend to the Territory. I can keep this room clean. My angelic heritage gives me a small sense of comfort, which may ease your mind. But for combat… I have no real power. I am not a warrior."
Her words were exactly what he expected, and exactly what he feared. They were a hammer blow to his already fragile hope. He would have to face the dangers of this world alone. The seven-day protection period felt less like a gift and more like a cruel joke, a week-long wait for his own execution. He slumped down onto the edge of the simple wooden cot, burying his face in his hands. The rough wood of the frame felt cold and unforgiving against his skin.
What could he do? He had no combat skills himself. He was a history student, not a soldier. His knowledge was of books and old maps, of long-dead generals and their forgotten strategies, not of swords and monsters. He had a pickaxe and an axe, but using them against whatever lurked in the mist seemed like a very quick way to get himself killed.
He focused his thoughts, and the familiar blue System screen appeared before his eyes, its calm light a stark contrast to his inner turmoil.
[Lord: Neraxis]
[Level: 1]
[Territory: Unnamed]
[Resources: Genetic Energy (90), Rations (3 Days), Water (3 Days)...]
[Units: Halfling Fallen Angel (Bronze) x1]
It was all just as he remembered. Pathetic. He scanned the screen, his eyes darting over every word, every icon. It was a simple layout, with tabs for Inventory, Territory, and a World Chat that he was still too afraid to look at right now. But then he saw it. Tucked away at the very bottom of the main screen, almost hidden beneath the other information, was a small, unassuming tab labeled [Innate Talents]. He hadn't noticed it before. His heart gave a little jump, a nervous flutter in his chest.
With a surge of nervous energy, he willed the tab to open.
A new window expanded, and on it, there was a single line of text. But this text was different from the plain blue writing of the rest of the interface. This text was on fire. It glowed with a brilliant, majestic gold light that pulsed softly, like a sleeping heart. The letters themselves seemed to be forged from pure power, radiating a warmth he could almost feel on his face.
[SSS-Skill: Ultimate Evolution]
"W-what?"
Neraxis's breath caught in his throat. His eyes went wide. SSS-rank? In all the games he had ever played, SSS-rank was something of a legend! Something no plate has ever gotten their hands on!
It was a tier so rare that most players never even dream of it.
His hands began to shake as he read the description below the glowing title, his lips moving silently as he checked their words!
[Skill: Ultimate Evolution (SSS-Rank)]
[Description: You possess the ultimate authority over the nature of evolution. You can expend Genetic Energy and other catalysts to forcibly evolve your units, breaking the known limits of rank and lineage. This skill allows your followers to achieve forms and powers thought to be impossible. The potential for evolution is limitless, bound only by your imagination and the resources you can gather.]
"Hahahaha!"
A wild, hysterical laugh escaped his lips. It was a strange, choked sound that echoed loudly in the small room. Lilian jumped, startled by the sudden noise, her sad eyes wide with confusion and a hint of fear.
He wasn't laughing out of madness. He was laughing with pure, unadulterated relief. It was the laugh of a man who had been drowning and had just found a life raft. It was the laugh of a condemned prisoner who had just been handed the key to his own cell.
Impossible. The System itself said this skill made the impossible, possible.
Neraxis's eyes snapped to Lilian. Could he maybe evolve her into something even more powerful as his talent as stated?
He immediately stood up and walked towards her, a wide, slightly manic grin on his face. She took a half-step back, wary of his sudden, intense energy.
"Don't be scared," he said in a calm voice which contained a bit of excitement. "Lilian, I think… I think I can make you stronger."
He didn't wait for her to respond. He focused his mind on the SSS-skill and willed it to activate. A new interface appeared, this one tinged with the same brilliant gold as the skill's description.
[Ultimate Evolution is ready. Please select a target.]
A faint golden aura now surrounded Neraxis, and he could feel a strange power humming within him. He reached out a hand, not quite touching Lilian, but pointing directly at her.
"Target: Lilian," he commanded.
The System responded instantly.
[Target selected: Bronze-rank Halfling Fallen Angel. Analyzing potential evolutionary paths...]
[Path Found: Iron-rank Fallen Angel.]
[Requirements: 50 Genetic Energy.]
[Warning: The evolutionary process is intensely painful for the subject. Furthermore, the Genetic Energy discharge from the evolution will be significant and may attract nearby predators.]
[Proceed with Evolution? Y/N]
Neraxis froze. The word "painful" made him freeze slightly. He looked at Lilian's sad, trusting eyes. Could he willingly inflict intense pain on her, even for the sake of power? For a moment, he hesitated.
But then his gaze drifted to the heavy wooden door, and he imagined the monstrous things that might be clawing at it in seven days. His survival, and hers, depended on this. There was no other choice.
"I'm sorry,"
"Proceed."
As soon as he gave the command, 50 points of Genetic Energy vanished from his status. A powerful torrent of golden energy shot from his hand and engulfed Lilian.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
A deep piercing scream of pain tore through Lilian's throat as she screamed as though she was been flared alive.
The energy lifted her body slightly off the ground, convulsing as black and gold light warred around her.
The most dramatic change was her wings. The small, shriveled white wing began to smoke and twist. It tore apart in a flash of light, only to be reborn from the swirling shadows.
Black feathers erupted from her back, growing with impossible speed until a second, perfect black wing unfolded, matching its twin.
She now had two magnificent, symmetrical wings of raven-black feathers.
Her body shook as the power settled within her.
Her figure increases as she grew a few inches taller, her form becoming less frail and more defined, radiating a quiet strength she hadn't possessed before.
When the light finally faded, she fell to her knees, panting heavily.
The pitiful eyes was still there, but now it was different as the radiating through her body changed her.
[Evolution Complete!]
[Name: Lilian]
[Rank: Iron]
[Type: Fallen Angel]
[Abilities: Dark Bolt - Gathers ambient dark energy into a projectile.]
"Hahaha!"
It actually worked!
His Bronze-rank summon was now an Iron-rank warrior.
Lilian slowly stood up, flexing her new pair of wings. She looked at her hands, then at Neraxis. "My Lord," she said, and her voice was different.
The sadness was still the foundation, but now there was a new layer of confidence about her strength. "I… I can feel it. The darkness. I can command it."
Neraxis smiled widely.
With his talent, he might actually be able to survive even longer.
"SCREEEEECH!"
An horrible, grating noise, like metal scraping on stone, resounded from just outside their door.
It was followed by another, and then another, massive voices of high-pitched, terrifying cries sounded out as they headed towards this direction!