The Fifth Evolution (3)
When did Lee Chan-yu and the hellhounds fight so quietly?
I tried to think of an answer but just gave up. The Powered Reaper was strong enough to warrant all my attention to. It was powerful enough to cut off my neck the moment I’m caught off guard. I trusted Lee Chan-yu, so I didn’t have to overthink it.
But he didn’t think about winning against the hellhounds. He’s certainly strong, but the hellhounds are also rare high-leveled species. It would be an achievement to stall not just one but seven of them simultaneously.
But what about now? Four hellhounds died and are on the floor, and the remaining three surrounded Lee Chan-yu from all sides as if protecting him as he evolved.
His howls came out, unlike a voice. It was an evolution all right. He became a little taller, the shape and volume of his muscles were thicker as well as his hide. The most noticeable was the color of his fur, which was charred black.
To be honest, I was a little shocked.
His strength, willingness, and rapid growth were fully recognized. But I didn’t think he’d evolve before I did. Wasn’t he weaker than me?
Of course, evolution doesn’t mean he’ll be stronger than me in just a snap, but the fact that he evolved first was surprising. It felt like I was lagging behind.
I was implicitly putting myself above him, and it was true. I was certainly stronger, and I was convinced that I was ahead of him when hunting monsters, evolving, and delving deeper into dungeons.
But now that he has evolved, it feels like I’m being paid back the price of my arrogance.
I felt that I was fortunate to realize my arrogance before it was too late. When my colleague evolved, I felt only contempt for myself, who was embarrassed and irritated more than happy. Inside me was a desire to hurry. I cannot fool myself, so I decided to admit that I was jealous of him.
Envy is not bad in itself. It is one of the biggest motivations that can incite either positive or negative action. It’s important to manage your behavior by yourself to determine the best course of action by analyzing the object of that envy, yourself, and the environment.
Since Lee Chan-yu is my colleague, I have to utilize my envy to make a positive action.
In other words, I must evolve quickly. If so, there wouldn’t be any problem anymore. Being strong was a goal that I set for myself. It was the most desirable thing for Lee Chan-yu and me.
As I organized my thoughts, I saw that Lee Chan-yu’s evolution had finished. He opened his eyes and inspected every part of his body. Satisfied with the development, he sighed and nodded.
“Woo.”
The three hellhounds lay down with their bellies up. It was standard behavior of dogs, much like those of the lower position prostrating themselves to the alpha.
“Stand up.”
Lee Chan-yu formed the hellhounds with a gesture. But at that moment, the throne of the boss room disappeared and, in its stead, was a wooden box. It was a bonus that a dark passageway leading down appeared on the wall behind it.
There was a way to progress to the next floor without killing all the monsters in the boss room! Although it wasn’t that simple to take control of the monsters in the boss room, just knowing that fact is a good thing.
Lee Chan-yu also confirmed it, with a faint relief portrayed by a dark-furred wolf head.
“I barely survived.”
“You said you’d beat them all.”
“People change their minds all the time, boss.”
After completing his evolution, Lee Chan-yu’s impression was sharper. Though, it seemed like he was envious of himself.
“Is this evolution?” I feel like I’ve become an entirely new being from my previous one. I feel really different.”
“You said you can control only wolves.”
“Looks like it’s expanded across canines, if not beast types. Moreover, it looks like permanent Domination rather than temporary. I think that’s what happened. Is that why my evolution took place?”
He said that while fighting tooth and nail against the seven hellhounds, he succeeded in making three of them his subordinates using his own power. It was previously thought impossible. Moreover, hellhounds are in the top tier among intermediate monsters. In simple terms, they’re monsters with a higher value than Lee Chan-yu, a werewolf. In a way, it was a situation that could only be seen as a miracle.
Immediately after the battle, Lee Chan-yu, after achieved an overwhelming victory against the four hellhounds, evolved. Into a Werewolf Beast Commander that strengthens his power and enhances the entities he has under his command.
“Wouldn’t you normally have to become a Beast Commander to control hellhounds? By the way, I became a Beast Commander by making the impossible happen. I was able to make them my guys and evolve! Why is this happening? I don’t know this was even possible!”
He kept talking as if it didn’t make sense after doing it himself. I denied him on the spot and said my honest thoughts.
“What’s great about doing what you know you can do? What is great is doing the impossible and evolving in return.”
“…I’m not sure, boss. Maybe I don’t deserve this evolution.”
“Are you happy with it? That’s the question.”
Lee Chan-yu stroked the heads of the three hellhounds one after another. They seemed happy to have him as their master. It looked like a very surreal sight.
“Yes, I am.”
With a nod, I returned to my work.
The first I checked was the loot from the Powered Reaper. I put Pelcadia’s jewel with the other ones. The other one, the Cloak of the Lesser Reaper. I thought it was material, but surprisingly, it was a piece of armor.
[Lesser Reaper’s Cloak (278/597) | Defense: 220 | Rarity: Unique | Increases the power of movement skills by 20%, and increases the power of Dark Magic by 10%.]
I felt joy because I got it from a place I never expected. Baptism of Blood, I like for defense, but Increases Movement Skills by 20% is nothing to scoff at.
A 5% difference could mean life or death, so why wouldn’t I be happy?
Best of all, wearing this cloak hides Baptism of Blood. Although, wearing it over the cloth seemed to create its own style.
Fortunately, wearing the cloak does not reduce the abilities of Baptism of Blood, and the light-absorbing effect was still there even if it was obscured by the mantle.
At that time, Lee Chan-yu casually let out a chuckle as he saw me wearing the cloak.
“You’ve got great style!”
“Mother… help me…”
“No, I’m sorry. Don’t clench your fists at me, boss…”
I looked down at the Powered Reaper. It’s naked with the cloak missing. I figured I’d get dark magic if I ate this guy.
“…You gonna eat that?”
“I’ll enjoy this food.”
I ate the skinny guy’s face with my mouth wide open.
[Predation of Powered Reapers 1/1]
[Magic has increased by 5!]
[Intermediate Black Rose has become Lv4!]
[Beginner Shadow Walk has become Lv5!]
I was wrong. That was all I got from eating a really bland Reaper. I didn’t get any dark magic. Instead, weird results came out. It was reasonable for Shadow Walk to level up since the Reaper kept using it. But Black Rose? Of course, he didn’t use any Black Rose. He probably didn’t have it. So was he dealing with lightning magic? Most likely not.
Then there could only be one answer. It is the possibility that Black Rose belongs to dark magic. So, I couldn’t get the dark magic that he had, but instead, it was replaced with a skill used to strengthen Black Rose.
“Why only Black Rose…”
Although it is a skill that I use well now, I thought that I would like to have the mana scythe that the Powered Reaper used as well as that massive scythe. I remembered the past.
Obtaining Black Rose was unique and annoying. The Ebon Heart seemed to be doing something to prevent me from getting any other dark magic.
If that is indeed so, that means that Black Rose is a special skill. So, it’s better to give up early on what you can’t get and invest in the growth of Black Rose.
The second thing to do was Skill Synthesis. During the battle, I remembered that as Beast Rush reached the advanced level, it became possible to synthesize higher skills. The notification window still didn’t disappear entirely and stayed in the corner of my vision.
I called it back before my eyes.
[Congratiolations! You have satisfied the conditions for synthesizing special high-level skills!]
“It wasn’t just an advanced skill.”
“A high-level skill? Are you referring to that one skill that creates traps?”
“No, anything other than that.”
“There’s another high-level skill? You’re a beast, boss.”
“I could say the same to you.”
We laughed then I called the notification window. I was just guessing, but nevertheless, it was because I wanted to check the list of skills that I could use Skill Synthesis on.
[Special advanced skill ‘Ubiquitous’ can be synthesized!]
[Advanced or higher movement skills 2 (Leap, Beast Rush) acquisition, intermediate or higher special movement type skills (Fly) acquisition, intermediate or higher fantasy magic acquisition.]
[2 Advanced Combat Skills (Martial Arts, Surprise)]
[Holds 2 or more intermediate or higher magic skills (Black Lightning, Flame Magic).]
[More than 3 advanced combat assist skills (Detect, Leap, Beast Rush)]
[Special high-level skills are skills that can be created when you have the skills that meet the requirements and grow specific skills to meet the conditions. Unlike standard skills, it is challenging to grow, but it is powerful even at low levels.]
[Would you like to synthesize Beginner ‘Ubiquitous’ Skill? It will consume Advanced Leap, Beast Rush, Intermediate Flight, and Fantasy Magic.]
No matter what conditions and merits it may have, the backlash from starting back to beginner level could be fatal. Beginner: It is the starting level in the ABCs of skill levels, and Ubiquity wasn’t really a proper skill.
The difference in abilities between beginner and lesser skills was more significant than the difference between the lesser and intermediate skills and between the intermediate and higher skills.
However, no matter how special this skill is, to start from the beginner level was like telling an eagle, that’s used to flying to begin as an eaglet.
However, what if it that eaglet didn’t aim to become just an eagle, instead, become Garuda, flapping its vast wings that block the sky?
There have always been concerns about creating higher-level skills. These worries were particularly intense, as there was no description of the skill called ‘Ubiquitous.’
But I decided to do this. The conditions for creating this skill were harsh. The fact that it was a special high-level skill with a strong power even at that lowest level led to my determination.
First of all, it wasn’t clear that the result won’t be a movement-based skill that I wanted. But I started synthesizing nonetheless.
[Advanced Leap, Beast Rush, Intermediate Fantasy Magic, and Flight have been consumed.]
[You have acquired Beginner ‘Ubiquitous’ Lv1!]
[Moves you to a destination within the field of view. You can leave an alter ego with physical and magical power in place of where you are. The alter ego will disappear if there is no supply of mana. Until it disappears, it will move according to its will.]
“Wow.”
A sigh of relief came out. It was because I got the skills I wanted to acquire.
The tactic I have been using since I gained Fantasy Magic, a tactic I use to move quickly and leave an illusory alter ego in my place. However, it was remade as a new skill. Moreover, this skill is back to beginner level now. If I grow more and more in the lesser, intermediate, and advanced level, I might be able to exist everywhere, like the name of the skill, Ubiquitous, means.
There are also apparent drawbacks. I can no longer use Leap and Beast Rush and Intermediate Fantasy Magic. Leap and Beast Rush have a purpose not only to enhance an attack but also to use Fantasy Magic to create an illusion and a myriad of other uses.
But every choice comes with a cost. I decided not to think more about what I lost. It would be wiser to be happy with the power of my first special high-level skill.
“Did the boss become stronger? Isn’t this a little unfair?”
“Can you make a higher-level skill?”
“Damn… no.”
Only
A skill book came out of the treasure chest. The same skill book as the Trap Creation Skill book that I once bought from the dedicated store! However, that skill book allowed me to learn Stone Skin, a skill that I already have.
“Take this. It’s a skill that will stop you from depending on your hellhounds, shielding you.”
“Oh, come on!”
Lee Chan-yu quickly learned Stone Skin while tingling. Stone Skin is an optimal skill for him, who always prefers to receive attacks with his body.
After eating the four dead hellhounds, there really was nothing more on the third floor.
Lee Chan-yu gulped while looking at the dark passage leading to the fourth floor, but I had no intention of going down for now.
[Conquer the 2nd floor of Jinma’s Tower 0/1]
Evolution. It was the step forward for me too. And now was the time for me to take that step.
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