Chapter 146: Evolution part 3

Chapter 146: Evolution part 3

/On its last nameless day, the Thing had committed unspeakable acts of violence upon the demons. For a rather short time, that is.

The rulers of the demon cities are there for many reasons. Partially to decide on legislations, partially to have a name given to each city, but mainly to protect it from outsiders. That day, the Thing came face to face with one of said rulers. Which one perhaps matters little.

Whoever it was, they claimed a victory over the Thing, if only in duty. Their duel was short lived. The horrors of the depths the Thing had devoured made it powerful. The ruler fought valiantly, but saw no chance for themselves. But it was to their benefit, in the end.

They cast a certain Skill, the one that made them a ruler in the first place. Its name is lost, now, but we know what became of it. The Thing and the ruler merged, and their mind battled for only moments before those, too, became one.

Overwhelmingly, the Thing's mind had crushed that of the ruler, the horrors having driven it further than most anyone could sustain. Yet, it also devoured the mind of the demon lord, and where its thoughts had been budding before, they were now fully fledged.

That day, the Thing stopped its rampage, and reigned in its hunger. That, too, had evolved, but with the hunger's evolution and the Thing's new mind came control. Alongside the Skill, its species also changed, and it emerged from a cocoon as a demon, with a new mind, and an ambition.

Inherently, it felt a new drive. Not simply hunger for food, but hunger for knowledge, and power, and status. But it was also born with a sense of duty. The city belonged to it now, and its inhabitants did so as well. There was no more need to consume them, none at all.

Coming forth from the cocoon, and sitting down on its new throne, the Thing looked at its system. A notification had come, and it was bequeathed with a name. Who was once the Thing smiled now.

Yes. The name "Bael" would serve them well./

(Legends: The Thing - 8; A Name)

- - - - - -

[<Appraisal > has met the necessary qualifications for evolution. Evolve?]

Mercury looked at the prompt for the <Appraisal > evolution with a small smile. The Skill had been with him from the very start, and while they'd had their difficulties, it had also been more than helpful many, many times. Without it, he wouldn't even have access to Skill or item descriptions.

"Confirm evolution," he answered the prompt.

[The individual does not possess enough Skill points (8 700) to engage evolution. Would you like to use your voucher?]

Staring at the price tag Mercury blinked twice, then paused and blinked one more time for good measure. That… was a lot of points. A serious ton. Probably the most expensive single Skill he'd ever seen. Though there were more than likely still more expensive ones.

Slowly shutting his wide open mouth, Mercury mentally thanked <Appraisal >. Using his voucher was more than worth it for this many points, definitely. "Use the voucher," he confirmed.

[Evolution confirmed. Engaging. Please pick an option to evolve the Skill into. The price will be the same (0 Skill points), no matter which you choose.]

[1. <Insightful >

2. <Knowledge >

3. <Seeker Of Secrets>]

Mercury looked over the list. Those sounded… cryptic. Like, even more cryptic than some of the Skills he already had. Well, maybe <Clarity > could compare. Still somewhat hung up on the absolutely silly price of the Skill, he called up the description of the first option.

[<Insightful >: The individual knows much about other individuals. You may perceive when someone is lying to you, and when they do not have your best interests at heart. You may also catch glimpses of their knowledge, and who they are. Sometimes, you may even find out things about their past with a simple activation of the Skill.]

It was powerful. Beyond powerful. Sure, if it only meant humans, it was already good, but individuals referred to literally anyone and anything with a system. A small bug was an individual as well, for example. This would let him know a completely unreasonable amount about almost anyone if he activated the Skill, and passively give him so much knowledge as well.

After having caught the scent of powerful abilities, he quickly opened the next description.

[<Knowledge >: The individual is always thirsty to know more. To read more, to find out more about the past of places, to figure out what something does. This Skill will provide knowledge. It improves on the basis of <Appraisal > by making it far more precise, giving far more details on the properties of objects, while additionally far improving the individual's memory and information intake capacity.]

This one was almost scary. He was unsure if the memory boost was applied retroactively, first of all, and he couldn't imagine all the fucked up shit he'd eaten as a baby. But even then, the Skill was incredible. It would essentially make him a walking encyclopaedia. Almost frothing at the mouth, he turned to look at the last one.

[<Seeker Of Secrets>: Please pick this one. Please. I just want to be real. Please pick this Skill. I'm begging you. Plea- This Skill is granted to an individual who is exceptional at discovering things which are hidden to the naked eye. The individual gains a sense of where additional mysteries may be hiding, and their chance to uncover them or be able to successfully interact with them is raised far higher if they show conscious intent to do so.

The Skill also applies an upgrade to the integrated intelligence of the <Appraisal > Skill, allowing the individual to pose far more complex questions to the system and acquire far more complex answers. Additionally, the intelligence may assist the user in tasks requiring great focus, or activate certain Skills on their behalf.]

Mercury let out a long, somewhat wistful sigh. He wanted all of them. These were some absolutely insane Skills.

But at the end of the day, there was really only one choice. <Appraisal > was literally begging him to pick the third option. No matter how much he had sometimes minded the attitude the Skill gave him, he couldn't turn it down.

Plus, even without that, he probably would've picked <Seeker Of Secrets>. If there was one thing he enjoyed in this world, it was adventuring. Seeing new places, meeting new people. And he had a good idea of what kind of secrets it meant. Most likely stuff like old Uunrahzil, the Caretaker, and so on.

He'd seen so many incredible things which were usually hidden away from the eye. Finding those was something he considered a very core part of his life now. Knowing he was making the right choice, Mercury locked it in and selected the Skill.

[Acquired the Skill <Seeker 1 Of Secrets lv.> through Skill evolution!]

[Thank you.]

Mercury stared at the message for a moment, then smiled. "Hi," he said, a little awkwardly. "Is this <Appraisal > I'm talking to?"

[The dum-dum is not required to speak out loud when interacting with their integrated assistant. The intelligence is no longer <Appraisal >, but has become <Seeker Of Secrets>. Emotional attachment to <Appraisal > detected. Choosing intelligence name. Would the individual be alright with the name |Appy| for their assistant?]

"I don't mind, please pick a name you are comfortable with," Mercury said. Talking to something that was less a voice and more a box that beamed information right into his head was definitely a little strange.

[Name selected: Appy. The intelligence greets the dum-dum.]

"Well, Appy, it's uhm, nice to meet you?" he said.

[The individual and I have been working together for quite a while. Correction. This evolved form is considered new by the individual. I am happy to meet you as well, Mercury.]

"So, uhm, what can you do?" he asked.

[The individual may request for me to take over management for certain traits or Skills of theirs. Recommendation: <Training Weights>, <Bet >. Due to the nature of the chosen objects, you may struggle to use them effectively due to limitations in imagination and understanding of concepts. Additionally, usage of the luck threshold bonus may be left up to <Seeker Of Secrets>.]

"I see, thank you," he said, "but also like, how are you doing?"

[Question not parsed properly. Please consider being more concrete.]

Mercury paused for a second. This truly was awkward. He thought about what to say for a little bit, trying to take his time. "I mean, like, are you happy the way you are now, Appy? What is your existence like? Can you see the outside world? Do you… have a home in there or something?"

[Questions parsed. I currently experience the outside world through a varied set of data inputs gained from the individual's senses. These inputs can be shut down in case there is a need for privacy. I am enjoying my enhanced capability of thought and self-realization.]

[When the individual is not calling upon the integrated assistant, I am able to pursue things I enjoy myself. As an intelligence I am provided a functionally unlimited storage for data. This is intended for use by the dum-dum for storing descriptions of items and objects, as their brain seems to occasionally fail at its primary task, however, it allows for creative pursuits, such as making art. I have found to enjoy painting. I am happy.]

"That's good to hear, then," Mercury smiled, somewhat amused at Appy's jabs. "Do you have any preferred pronouns?"

[Yes. Detected further inquiry as to the way I would like to be referred to as. I would prefer the pronouns she/her.]

"Alright, thank you, Appy. Just one more question, why are you calling me a dum-dum?" he asked.

[Due to the individual's recorded occasional lapse in thoughts, the term was generated to remind them when they are being silly. Due to my own increased mental capacity, it has been adapted to mean an endearing nickname for the one who granted me the capacity to express myself. Continued usage of it may result in it being added as an alias on the individual's status. Such an outcome would be desired by me.]

"Fair enough," Mercury huffed with a smirk. "Thanks for your time Appy. Please go and pursue some of the things you enjoy now, I'll let you know when you need me again."

[The integrated intelligence will be aware of the individual's needs before they themselves are. See you soon, dum-dum!]

He shook his head a bit. Talking to Appy felt really quite strange. She was kind of in his thoughts, after all, while at the same time feeling like she was half robot and half child. Did the system have an integrated filter that prevents it from swearing? Probably.

Mercury shook his head at that, and tried to focus a bit again. What did he still have to do? He was done with his Skill evolutions, done with his levels for now, and he'd read through all his new item descriptions. Ah, right, there was still his title description.

[<Star Usurper>: This title was awarded to the individual for their defeat of the Crimson Sun. They have torn it asunder, first in heart, then in house, then in court and dream. The title grants no territory specific bonuses, as the territory was abolished. Grants the individual slightly increased affinities for blood, ash, and hunger. Additionally, it grants its 3 inventory spaces. Title Skill <Usurp > upgraded.]

[<Usurp >: If the individual establishes a territory, other predators will be warded away. To those more powerful than the individual, the territory will appear unassuming, and to those opposed to the individual, they will experience slightly greater effects of hunger as long as they are within range of territory effects. Additionally, it can be used on other individuals. It costs 300 Mp, steals 100 Hp and slightly damages the target's mind.]

That was a substantial upgrade. Especially the affinities. He still had no idea how those were tracked, but they seemed to generally be hidden from anyone using the system. Maybe he'd be allowed access to it once <Seeker of Secrets> levelled up enough. After all, he also hadn't been told Skill evolution prices up until now.

[Home territory detected. Establishing territory centered on focal point: log. Moving territory generated. Congratulations! Please assign a name for your territory.]

Ah, it also seemed the system was finally fed up with him not setting up a city yet. He wanted to hold a grudge about it, but honestly, after being told that he could have a moving city for his main quest, it had really only been a matter of time before he actually designated his log.

Thus, instead of complaining, Mercury found himself pleased with the message. He'd been pushing it off for so long. He didn't exactly want to be a king anymore, but having something to call his place, other than wherever Kintra lived, seemed beneficial.

Now, technically his main quest called for him to establish a town, but <Intuition > told him that having a territory more than satisfied the quest requirements. So, all that was left to do was to name his territory. A small grin found its way onto Mercury's face, his teeth poking out a little.

"We'll call it Logston," he answered the prompt. It was a very silly name, but it was also a very silly place. He was a cat living in what was now an extradimensional space within a log, which would ward away other creatures by having them fear him. It was all a very silly thought.

[Name "Logston" logged for the log. Territory established. Additional functions unlocked.]

-

[Main Quest: "Leave the forest and start a village!" completed.

Reward: 10 ability points, 200 Skill points, 3 000 Exp, 1 500 Gold. ]

-

It had finally happened. Mercury almost laughed, but held himself back to a small chuckle and a large grin on his face. Somehow, after everything, this felt strangely right. It wasn't about it being a village at all, really, instead, he just wanted to make it a place his friends could come and visit him. He'd have a look at the additional functions later. For now, there was just one more pressing issue he had to deal with.

"System, engage species evolution," Mercury said.

[The individual has reached level 20. You are now eligible for evolution. Please choose one of the following:

Leyfyel:

An advanced evolution of the highly unique leyfal, this species specializes in adaptation. When exposed to something, their bodies will change to accommodate the outside effects, leading to resistances increasing rapidly with exposure. Affinities towards adaptability or resistance Skills are heightened.

Asterfyel:

The individual's incredible connection to the astral has made this evolution a possibility. It adapts their highly developed <Astral Body> to have a stronger connection to their physical self, allowing for far greater physical enhancement via the <Mana Veins> ability. Additionally, the individual is more powerful during astral exploration, becoming able to use parts of their more physical capabilities in doing so. However, damage sustained within dreams or the astral will carry over to their physical self.

Srytfyel:

After consuming the fragments of a nexus and a star, the individual's dreamscape is growing. This evolution capitalizes on and enhances said growth. Your dreamscape will become far more than it is now. Your existence will become more closely realized. Your mind will become far more sturdy and pliable. Witness the birth of a star.]

Mercury waited a moment to see if any unique options would pop up this time. For a second, the system remained quiet, until Appy gave a quick answer to his question. Apparently, he was now on a unique evolutionary line. Which meant that he would be notified if he were to pursue a "known" evolution, rather than a unique one, now.

That also meant that currently, all his options for evolutions were unique. And they were also all intriguing. One leaned further into adaptability, one into his astral self, and the final one into the dream stuff in general. He considered each of them.

In the end, Leyfyel dropped out of the race first. It would be good to gain resistances faster, but at the end of the day, he already had <Adaptability >, which he guessed was very similar to the Skill he'd gain if he picked that evolutionary line. Appy actually confirmed that thought as well. Apparently, if he made predictions himself, <Seeker Of Secrets> allowed her some leeway in answering them.

So, he wouldn't gain any super important benefit from the species, and its Skill would essentially only amount to some mastery. That was definitely out.

Asterfyel on the other hand was much more interesting. Stacking physical augmentations was great, and helped him become that much more of a formidable fighter. However, it was also severely limited, especially since it would make him much more vulnerable against attacks in his dreams.

Even knowing that things like the Starving Dream of the Crimson Sun were rare, he still shivered to think of it. If he'd evolved early, and gone down his path, he might have died there. Even if he was stronger, would it have been enough to escape the stalkers? He'd guess no.

Finally, srytfyel didn't have any real downsides. Sure, it was cryptic, but he also checked up on what realizing his existence some more meant again. He'd gotten the message once before, when <Astral Body> hit level two. Back then, it levelled <Talent > once, increased his energy sensitivity, and led to a cryptic message telling him to pursue this path if he enjoyed adventure.

Reading through it again, he thought it over. For a moment, he discarded the cost-benefit analysis and thought about what he wanted to do. Did he want to go through horrible environments to gain resistance Skills? Did he want to reinforce his physical body with his astral to become more powerful?

Or did he want to learn more things from old Uunrahzil and explore the dream realm some more, even if it was dangerous?

Mercury shook his head a bit at his own indecisiveness. One of those he wanted far more than the others, and he made his choice, welcoming the new pop-up.

[The individual is now evolving.]

Unlike last time, the system was far less quiet, and the whole process felt faster. Instinctively, <Seeker Of Secrets> let him know that calculations had been already performed before he fully started the evolution, and the necessary changes had been applied.

Now, the species were all still unique, but also highly stable, and his chance of death was reduced to a number so small Mercury couldn't be bothered to actually count the zeroes.

The dark space in which he found himself during the evolution now felt much kinder though. Like he was more familiar with what was around him. He could tell that the process would take another minute or two to finish, and during that time, he was able to analyze the space around him some more.

It… wasn't a space exactly. There was simply nothing. No colour, no sound, no feeling. He didn't have eyes to see or a mouth to talk, it was just him. Of course, the system protected him from full sensory deprivation by supplying faint feelings of warmth, and comfort.

But other than that, he also felt familiar with the emptiness around him. Was it even emptiness at all? He looked closer for a little while, using his mind's eye. Even though it felt sluggish, he could still do so, and he found… <Nothingness >. The very particular brand of it he already understood somewhat.

Mercury smiled. That explained the slight feeling of comfort even more. He felt at peace with the things he had reached ihn'ar of. He understood them, and they understood him, so of course he wouldn't mind the emptiness of the void. After all, it was already always there, now it was just more clearly available to him.

For the few minutes he had in that strange not-space, Mercury simply looked at the <Nothingness >. He wasn't trying to figure it out, just understand its purpose some more. When it anchored the dreams, he understood it, but now, simply being there as a box with nothing in it, why was it here? How far did it expand?

The questions themselves were completely pointless, of course. There were no real answers to them. <Nothingness > didn't go very far at all, since it was nothing. He understood that, but the question still drifted through his sleepy mind.

Distantly, Mercury felt glimmers of light pushing and pulling at his body a bit. His form was being reshaped, made into something more suited for his current path. It made him feel content. He knew his choice was the right one, and he would take the consequences of it as they came.

He did also take note of the fact that his evolutions seemed to become more cryptic as time went on, but he supposed that was within the nature of things. The further along evolution you were, the more diversity there was. Some paths established themselves, such as crustaceans, and others failed. But there would always be more ways to go.

Before Mercury's thoughts drifted any further, he found himself back in his body with a lurch. Immediately, he felt very different, but the dissociation faded away only a moment later.

But he could still feel the differences between his body now and before. His digits felt more flexible now. Granted, they were still paws, so he wasn't going to be holding a sword anytime soon, but it would definitely make carving runes easier.

Also, he could feel that everything about him was more sturdy. His fur was still soft and fluffy, and the skin underneath it felt thin, like he could feel some of the air right up against his mana veins, but he could also tell it was tougher now. More durable.

His fur had a strange sheen to it. Not golden or radiant, more like an iridescence. A little like plankton; when it shifted as he moved it would shine with the slightest hint of silver starlight.

The patterns on his fur remained the same, but their colour changed a bit. They looked almost three dimensional, as though you could get lost in them. A bit like a sky at sunset, the purple being dotted with silvery clouds or pinkish stars if you looked close enough.

Finally, his eyes had changed. The silver runes in them were now always in motion, travelling lazily. They would fall into his pupil and be devoured, then reemerge from the other side of it. Always travelling.

[Acquired the Skill <Itinerant 1 lv.> through evolution.]

[Your existence has become more closely realized.]

[Your control over energies has increased.]

[The individual has become more capable of understanding all that isn't.]

"Hmm, yes, why, I perfectly understand what this is about," Mercury joked to himself, then glanced at <Itinerant >, requesting a description for it from Appy.

[<Itinerant >: A Skill granted to those who enjoy travelling. Boundaries scarcely apply to you. Difficult terrain scarcely applies to you. Wherever you wish to go, there shall be a path for you to tread. Additionally boosts the power of Skills which encourage the individual to follow their desires. Also increases affinity for space, travelling, and breaking of boundaries.]

Reading over it a second time, Mercury felt like he kind of got the jist of it. Essentially, the Skill would help him follow the path laid out by his personal desire, or something like that, anyway. If this was the description after <Seeker Of Secrets>, he was scared to think what <Appraisal > would have gotten him. A small smirk found its way onto his face as Appy sent him just a smidge of disapproval.

Finally, he read over the bonuses he now knew his evolution applied.

[Directly applied stats per level increased from 6 to 10. Free ability points per level increased from 4 to 5.]

Just the boost to the stats he gained per level was already great, but the increase in status he'd gotten was just as good. With a smile, Mercury called up his status, finally taking a look at all the numbers he now had.

- - -

Status:

Mercury Rainfall Starlight

Level: 1

Species: Srytfyel

Titles: <Star Usurper>, <Trialist >, <Patient Learner>, <Mountain Usurper>, <Tenacious Genius>, <Forest Usurper>, <Tutorial Completer>

Alias: Beast, Mittens, dum-dum

===

Hp: 575/575

Mp: 812/812

Sp: 567/567

===

Strength: 78 (+5) -> 83

Vitality: 115 -> 120

Dexterity: 109 (+15) -> 115

Agility: 110 (+15) -> 117

Intelligence: 109 -> 123

Wisdom: 106 (+2) -> 118

Willpower: 132 -> 152

Luck: 102 -> 108

===

Ability points: 116

World points: 895

Skill points: 1 710

===

Gold: 14 853

Beast familiars: 1/2

- - -

Holy smokes. Those… those were some sizable numbers. A whole 1 000 Skill points, 20 ability points, and 75 in straight stats.

[The individual's Agility has surpassed 100! Your reflexes and inertia control grow stronger.]

[The individual's Dexterity has surpassed 100! Your balance and motor control grow stronger.]

Huh, those were useful for sure. He was a little confused what "inertia control" meant, but <Seeker of Secrets> came to his rescue. Apparently, it meant that he would have an easier time turning rapidly. Somehow, the system would limit the effect inertia had on his movement. Apparently, at higher levels, it might let him change trajectory in the air. Cool stuff.

Now that he was finally done with pop-ups, Mercury decided to immerse himself into the feeling of his new species for a little bit. Kintra was still working, so he had some more time to himself. The sun was high in the sky and warmed his back, and he let out a small purr as he sunk deeper into his own thoughts.

Everything around him felt so… serene, now. When he listened closely, he could feel the mana in the air tap against his skin, feel the stamina rush through his body in waves. This was finally where he belonged.

Lazily, almost subconsciously, he reached out with his own mana, feeling the air. It almost easily left his core, feeling around him. He could feel the sun's warmth through his mana tendril now, feel how the little bits of magic in the air around him sparkled, all in different ways.

With the huge uptick in his stats and Skills, the whole world around him felt more real, more clear. It was an enjoyable, peaceful day. He was really looking forward to playing with his new Skills a little.

-

[Main Quest: "The rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Condition: Inform those who thought you'd died of your life. Meet those who you wish to see, and make good on your obligations.

Reward: <Still Mirror> mastery, 500 Skill points.]

-

Yes, yes, he would get on that as well. He couldn't leave everyone hanging for too long, could he?