titleeeeeer 15 – Sec.d Evolution
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"Mwondert was a fight....I thought I was going to die." Edem can help but wonder.
"STATUS "
[Current Status]
Name: Edem Qwasi
Race: Vampire (True vampire)
Level: 28
Crimson Evo Points: 500/500
HP: 270/450
Energy: 130/350
Attributes (5 free points available)
Strength: 58
Vitality: 51
Agility: 59
Endurance: 45
Intelligence: 43
Perception: 48
Skills
Passive
Blood Regeneration (Lesser): Rapidly closes wounds using absorbed blood.
Night Vision: Perfect clarity in darkness.
Active
Blood Sense: Trace living blood signatures at short range.
Blood Lust: Temporarily boosts all stats when blood is present.
Creation: Construct weapons, armor, or even mecha. Requires beast cores.
Crimson Detection: Fusion of Blood Sense + Detect.
→ Detects living beings via blood signatures (Range: 30m).
→ Identifies beast cores, basic items, and materials.
---
Edem seated himself a short distance from the dying flame, trying to catch his breath after his thrilling battle.
The crackling of some undead flames in the forest could still be seen and heard. The once chaotic battle noise had now ended, and everything was now calm.
Edem had a beast core in his hand. He had found it beside the Flame Tiger—a core of intermediate tier, gently radiating warmth. Edem wiped his lips with the back of his hand, his eyes fixed intently on the intermediate crystal.
This one is orange in colour
After examining the intermediate rank core, he stands up.
"There wasn't much time for celebration. It's time to start my second evolution process." Edem thought out loud.
With a whoosh, he vanished from his spot, with an agility 6 times that of humans. Leaving the place he had battled his first-ever toughest opponent.
He scouted until he discovered a hidden waterfall, its spray concealing a narrow cave behind the cascade. Inside, the air was filled with the earthy scent of stone and moss, while cool droplets fell softly onto the ground, masking the lingering odors of blood and fire from the outside. He stepped into this sanctuary and settled on the damp rock, placing the core in his hand aside.
"System..." Edem called out, his voice echoing through the cave, filled with a mix of calmness and anticipation.
A chilling echo of the system prompt reverberated in his mind, its cold, mechanical voice unwavering as it had led him through every twist and turn up to this moment.
[Do you wish to evolve?]
→ Yes / No
He stared at the prompt and confidently responded. I will likely experience pain, just like last time.
"Yes."
He had expected blackout-level pain and bone-breaking agony like the last time. He braced himself—and when the evolution started, there was nothing like that, it only felt like his body was on fire.
For five hours, he sat in the cave, immersed in a meditative state. Waves of heat surged over him, followed by periods of quiet. At times, his vision blurred, and a pressure akin to a fist rolled through his ribs. However, the worst part was not the pain; it was the feeling of being remade, piece by piece. Organs twisted and adjusted, while sinews rewove themselves. He tasted iron, followed by the faint sweetness of something ancient. He blacked out twice and regained consciousness, each time sensing a new strength settling into his limbs.
Edem opened his eyes as the system chimed with a notification.
[Evolution Complete — Rank: Noble Blood]
[Level Increased: 28 → 29]
[Crimson Evo Points: 0/2500]
[Talent:Blood Manipulation]
[Skill Linked: Blood Art]
"Wow, my talent is Overpowered. It means I can control blood; most of the living things in this world have blood in them, and I'm controlling that....hehehe." Edem can't help but feel a bit smug.
---
Far from the miles away from Edem, the battlefield had become like a wasteland, because this part of the forest is burnt and will take years to recover.
Captain Luo and Zack approached cautiously, boots crunching on ash. The place was a bit smoky, and the ground still steamed cause there was still heat in the atmosphere. Up close, the scale of destruction sent chills down their bones as they observed the place.
They came to a halt, their eyes scanning the surroundings with curiosity. Conversations ignited, exchanging words with each other.
"Keep your voice down." Luo signals to Zack.
Zack: "Sir… do you see that, holy mother of Jesus !!!!"
Luo: "I see burned earth and trees. Of course, that dead massive tiger-like beast the size of a truck!!"
Zack: "That roar… it rattled me all the way back at camp."
Luo: "We weren't told it would be this—" looking at the devastation caused by Edem's fight.
Zack: "This… what? An apocalypse?"
Luo: "We expected beasts, not… this."
Zack: "I'm not sure my hands have stopped shaking since we left."
Luo: "You're a soldier, Zack."
Zack: "A soldier who hasn't seen real war, sir. Riots in Zahara don't count." Remembering how peaceful the world is now.
Luo: "We were briefed on intermediate-tier core retrieval."
Zack: "And look at this. Just look at its size." He examines the flame tiger's massive paw prints deep in the ground, almost creating a crater.
Luo: "Search it. Slowly. Carefully."
Zack: "If we find a core, the council will—"
Luo: "We will secure it. Don't mention the council yet."
Zack: "Sir—what if whoever fought this is still nearby?". First, when he survived the gene awakening project, he used to act high and mighty, but now, after the alpha wolf battle and this one...
Luo: "Use your head. Check for signs, traces of blood, or beast tracks... Anything."
Zack: "The tracks are half-melted. The ground buckled. It's like something walking through fire." He examines the ground.
Luo: "Then whoever or whatever did this must be real... really dangerous."
Zack: "Do you think it was human?"
Luo: "Could be. But not one like us." Remembering the basic tier Alpha wolf. "If it's really someone, then he or she is getting stronger every second".
Zack: "A superhuman? A monster with a mind?"
Luo: "Either way, let's proceed with caution."
Zack: "I'm not afraid… but my gut is telling me otherwise."
Luo: "Fear is useful if it keeps you sharp."
Zack: "My hands are numb. I keep expecting—"
Luo: "What—the ground to open? The sky to bleed?" Captain Luo can't help but mock Zack.
Zack: "Exactly that."
Luo: "Find the core. If nothing else, bring back samples. Burn the rest."
Zack: "Burn them? But the council wanted the cores."
Luo: "They asked for a core, not for hazards."
Zack: "What if we miss something?"
Luo: "Then we die, and someone else learns. We will not be that someone."
Zack: "Sir—"
Luo: "What, Hurry don't hesitate?"
Zack: "Yes, sir."
Luo: "And Zack…" he called out
Zack: "Yes?"
Luo: "Please ensure that you maintain your readiness and remain vigilant in monitoring my surroundings.
Zack: "Certainly, Captain.."
Luo: "Stay close to me and. Don't wander."
Zack: "Yes, sir."
Luo: "If you see signs of human presence—retreat and report."
Zack: "What if it's one of those… bloodsucking beast they whisper about?"
Luo: "Then we shoot until the barrel melts." He said it like a matter of fact.
Zack: "Indeed."He agreed solemnly.
Luo: "Are you feeling anxious?"
Zack: "Not that much."
Luo: "That's okay. Let us conclude this matter."
Zack: "For the council."
Luo: "And for our comrades."
Zack: "And for what remains of the forest."
Luo: "Move."
Upon conducting a search in the area, they discovered only a few random deceased ordinary beasts, rather than the anticipated intermediate beast core.
They were disappointed not to find it, so they went back to camp.
The captain gave orders to the rest of the soldiers to go and bring back the dead beast's carcass.
--
Back at the makeshift staging area, soldiers set to work hauling corpses and salvaging parts. The camp was filled with the heavy stench of iron and sweat. The men worked with mechanical efficiency, due to the use of enhanced potions, they were working like machines.
A 18 years young female recruit, Marceline Silverstin, was assigned to the butchering detail. She is a new recruit, a beauty with a graceful figure. She has long black hair, black eyes, and her height is around 1.70 meters. Even in these grim tasks, she looks graceful. A slit opened on a corpse, and she leaned in to examine it.
"Who's so strong to kill this....." She thought to herself.
A small piece of beast meat, slick with congealed blood, fell into her hand when she was about to touch a certain part of the flame tiger beast. Without thinking, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
She turned away, her face a mask of disdain. "This is absolutely vile," she asserted, the firmness in her voice ringing out clearly, even as a slight quiver betrayed her annoyance.
She was not aware of the moment the crimson blood touched the inside of her mouth. Unknown to her, in her body, her genes started to mutate.
Marceline was an orphan taken in by the Silverstin family and sent into this project—her presence here was the result of harsh family politics and the council's hunger for test subjects. She would never guess that the sip she'd spat out came from Edem's wounds. She would never guess the cascade about to unfold inside her.
As time goes on, the soldiers finish, stacking carcasses. They found a lucky prize at the end of the day: a basic-tier snake core, slick and iridescent. It was wrapped and secured for the council.
"Those councils and scientists will be really pleased with this," Captain Luo said with a broad smile on his face.
---
Inside the waterfall cave, Edem is trying out his talent Blood Manipulation. Small blood ball flow in the air at his fingertips—small, he can mold it into anything he wishes.
. The system chimed.
[New Active Skill: Blood Manipulation]
→ Control and shape blood within range. Can manipulate blood flows in the body.
[Linked Skill: , Blood Art],
→ An advanced technique that sculpts blood into weaponry and sigils. Requires mastery of Blood Manipulation. After playing around for some time with his new skill.
He stood there, surrounded by the cave's echoes of dripping water.
Meanwhile, outside, the soldiers carefully tucked away their treasures and departed. Marceline made her way back to the camp, guided by the soft glow of her lantern, unaware of the subtle change beginning to take hold within her.
Edem stepped out from beneath the waterfall, a wave of homesickness washing over him. He found himself counting down the days until he could return home..
> [Quest]
Agent Mission: Survive the Primordial Trial.
Requirement: Enter the nearest Portal Gate.
Objective: Survive for one month inside a Primordial Planet.
Warning: In this world, although you are at the peak of human, over here you are the weakest.
Reward: ???
Failure: Death
Current progress: 25/30 days
Humm...I guess I'll be going back home soon.
Troy just wait.
I'll be coming soon, I have a lot of interesting adventure tales for you.
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To be continued