ONE DAY, A THOUSAND AUTUMNS

Azief look at the notification and smiles.

[YOU HAVE ADVANCED TO LEVEL 30. YOU HAVE EARNED 20 STATS POINTS AND 10 SKILL POINTS]

[YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE NOW WHERE TO DISTRIBUTE THE STATS POINTS SINCE YOU ARE FORMING PILLARS NOW]

Then Azief was instantly prompted to distribute stats points right away. No matter what he did he could not force the notification windows to exit.

Sofia is still beside him, gawking at him and she even takes a few distances from him which makes him feel weird.

So he chose 5 to strength, 10 to agility and 3 to stamina and 2 to spirit. The skill points he will wait for other opportunities.

Then another notification appears.

[WORLD ORB SHOP IS UNLOCKED]

[UNLOCKED RACE: NOVUS SAPIEN UNLOCKED]

[HALL OF FAME UNLOCKED]

[PILLARS UNLOCKED]

[LEVEL REPRESSION UNLOCKED]

[RACE SUPERIORITY UNLOCKED]

[FORCE EVOLUTION WAS INITIATED CONSIDERING THE INJURY ON THE USER]

PILLARS HAS BEEN DECIDED

[PILLARS OF STRENGTH AWARDED]

[PILLARS OF AGILITY AWARDED]

[PILLARS OF STAMINA AWARDED]

'Hey, what happen to you? Are you alright?' Sofia asked, looking at the excitement in his face.

Sofia has realized that Azief looks like he is seeing something good.

The manner in which he behaves right now is the same way she behaved when she sees her status window, especially when she is advancing in her level.

She instantly realized that Azief is looking at his status window.

She is curios what change that happened to him that he suddenly become so tall and handsome.

She could also feel an oppressive aura around him, a feeling like he is higher than she is, like he is a superior being than her.

Azief then said.

'Let's move to the tree. We make camp there' he said, still looking at his status window.

'You're not going to tell me about what happen to you?' Sofia asked.

'I'll tell you later. Let go first. Lead the way' he said. Sofia was not satisfied with his answer but she moved forward, her bows raised as she is ready for any beast attack.

His screams before might attract some monster around here.

It is fortunate that the clouds are clear tonight and the moon light is strong, so even without a torch she could see clearly.

He walk slowly behind Sofia is still checking his status windows. Even he could not understand what happens to him so how could he explain it to Sofia.

Then he checks what pillars is. He touches the word pillars on his status window. And then information streamed inside his mind.

Pillars are an accumulation of the stats when the user evolved.

When a user reached the qualification to evolve then a notification will appear whether to repress the evolution or continue with the evolution.

Then information streams inside his mind explaining why there is an option to repress evolution.

The only reason why people would repress their own evolution is if they wanted to accumulate more stats point and then evolve at the most advantageous position.

The reason why he got three pillars is because the accumulation of his stats pointed that these three stats of him are the stats which has many more points than the others.

So he was awarded three pillars.

But if he took time and did not evolve, and accumulate stats points in all of the attribute like stamina, stealth and the other, he maybe could have many more pillars.

These will help him when he evolved to a more advanced being. But then why the option of repressing the evolution did not appear for him?

As he thinks of this question, another information streamed inside his mind.

He found out that if the user was heavily injured during his time of evolution, he will not be given a choice to evolve; instead a force evolution would be triggered.

So kind of like if you got distracted during breakthrough, which will be harmful to the person. He mused.

He got to admit he read a lot of Xianxia novels and influenced by them.

Azief has also got new knowledge. Next time if he want to screw somebody before they evolve he would injured them heavily so that their full potentials will not be realized.

When evolving, the power will be increased by 10 times. So, no matter how stronger a level 29 user, they could not defeat an evolved person of level 30.

Azief could understand this as he felt the coursing energy inside his body.

He also understand that if he is to form pillars, he could form it by eating rare meats, eating bead of life or convert EXP to pillars, or the most easiest way…level up.

Azief then wanted to look at his pillars and then suddenly he is transported into a vast land of white and his mind project the image of his three pillars.

The land of white is like he is standing on white fluffy clouds, standing on the clouds, looking at the large pillars.

Three Pillars with runic writing on a helix-like chain that cover the pillars, glowing brightly like a lighthouse.

He also understands that he could upgrade the pillars so that when he reached his next evolution he would be more advantageous.

His eyes glowed, and he breathed deeply, feeling the energy inside his body.

He was a hundred times stronger than the power he could utilize before, like the difference between the sky and the land.

An evolved person could easily wipe the ground with an unevolved person no matter how high their stats are.

The moment he evolved, he understands suddenly about the division of power between those that evolved and those that do not evolved.

He is now a higher life form from Homo sapiens.

His body now has power that normal humans could not understand. He could feel it in his body.

The change that he experienced sent his power leaping upward. It was without comparison!

Azief would compare this like a difference in cultivation levels if this was a Xianxia novel.

He feels that even if he fights the super croc again he would not be so disadvantageous like before.

He feels that if he found the Hamad group again, just by looking at them, Azief could make them shake as if their organs stop working, their strength would lose their ability to function and they would be helpless.

Thinking of this he smirked. The path to being a strong is never easy. He pays his arm for this power. He also risked everything in that fight.

It is already a miracle he survives it.

Each pillar represents 100 stats of the aforementioned pillars. For example, one pillar of strength equal to 100 stats point for strength.

When using energy to fight or defend, the pillars associated with the action will dimmed and decrease.

For example using strength fighting a beast will decrease the pillars height every time the user uses his or her strength

All three of Azief pillars is as high as one story building which means when the pillars is decreasing until the end it will cracked.

If it is not used until it is exhausted it will recover by itself. Stats points before he evolved were fixed and can only increase instead of decreasing.

But the pillars run on a different concept than the stats points. He also understand that the World Orb whatever its intention…..he could feel that one of its objective is to make humans stronger.

What he is uncomfortable with this, is for what purpose? For what purpose the World Orb want them to become stronger?

Then suddenly the notification appears again after he finished understanding the information about pillars.

YOU HAVE ADVANCED TO LEVEL 39. YOU HAVE EARNED 9 SKILL POINTS. 9 PILLARS COULD BE FORMED.

WILL YOU EVOLVE TO NEXT HIGHER LIFE FORM OR WILL YOU REPRESS YOUR LEVEL?

'What!' Azief could not believe what he is seeing right now. Why did he jump to level 39 in one leap?

Sofia who was in front was startled and she almost let out of his arrow. She looked behind her and still seeing Azief looking at something

Still checking? She mused. She then looks in front again and she is nearing the huge tree. Azief on the other hand is stunned and full of disbelief right now.

He never had been lucky before.

Is this luck? He is unfamiliar with the feeling of being lucky. Is Lady Luck beginning to sympathize with his tragedy that she would awarded him with such luck?

'No, no' he said shaking his head. He doesn't believe he is that lucky.

Is it a glitch? No. he mused.

This must be related to the Supercroc. There is no level limit when killing a monster and there is no zone where there is a high level monster of lower leveled monster.

In a way, those that survived all have some luck and chips on their shoulders.

No matter how accomplished you are, if you encountered an Ultimate ranked beast then even if you could kill zombies like ants you will be dead.

What kind of beasts the crocodile is? Azief could finally have a bit of understanding on how he gets so many EXP now.

Could it be that the Supercroc is some powerful beast that exceeds his level? he mused.

And then he was reminded of the hundreds of crocodile that dies fighting with the large croc.

Hundreds of crocodiles dead. One could imagine the power of the supercroc. And then he remembered when the Supercroc died, only two crocs were left.

If the System regarded that fighting together is like a party system…could it be?

And if the Super croc was an existence that he could never beat and then somehow he defeats him wouldn't he be awarded a lot of EXP?

But even if this is true, he would share it with hundreds of crocodile how could one beast have so many EXP to give and then it hit him.

'No' he said. Not a hundred. Only three. The two crocodiles and him. Three of them survived.

Three of them….shared the EXP equally.

OH! MY! GOD! He screamed inwardly. Is that the reason?

The system recognized that since he is the first that fight the crocodiles then the horde came, the system recognized them as allies since he and the horde were fighting the same enemy?

Is that it?

Is that why he got so many EXP? Then he could not help but laughed as hard as he could, He almost fall down to the ground laughing.

He did not realize it but he is already beneath the large tree and Sofia at this time could no longer be bothered by his antics.

She sits down and just waits for Azief to tell her what happen to him. She sits beneath the large tree, on a log bench she created before, looking around vigilantly.

Azief on the other hand stand beneath the huge tree, still checking his status window.

He then chooses to repress his level and he could feel that his body undergoing another change like he was a dam but the water exceeds the dam and then it rested inside his body.

RESULT OF THE REPRESSION: 4 PILLARS. 4 SKILL POINTS.

So if he goes that each level was repressed if he were to go with the evolution he would be level 43 now.

Even though he represses his level he still got the skill points. This is wonderful! He mused.

So now, he could form 13 pillars in total. And he has 23 skill points unused. First he advanced from level 20 to 30 giving him 10 skill points.

Then he leveled up to 39 which give him another 9 points. And then repressing his evolution he got another 4 skill points.

He could level up his other skills.

Then as if that is not enough another notification appears.

YOUR SOUL ABSORBING ABILITIES HAVE REACHED THE REQUIREMENT FOR EVOLUTION. CHOOSE YOUR DESIRED SHADOW LORD ITEM TO EVOLVE.

Jackpot! he cheered inwardly and he smiles from ear to ear.

He then chooses Dark Sword of Soul which is transformed into Soul Sword. Then he chooses the sword again and it transformed again.

This time the sword emits a black aura like fire is engulfing the sword and it transformed into Shadow Sword

SHADOW SWORD

ATTACK: 350-380

SNEAK ATTACK: 370-450

DURABILITY: 6720/6720

EMITS A BLACK AURA THAT COULD CONSUME LOWER LEVEL MONSTER. GIVE DOUBLE EXPERIENCE WHEN KILLING A MONSTER AND OTHER LIFE FORM. CAN CHARGE DURABILITY BY ABSORBING SOULS USING THE SWORD.

SOUL SNATCHING ACQUIRED AS THE SWORD ABILITY.

HAVE ABILITY TO SELF TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

Then after that he upgrade the hood two times which it then transform into Hood of Darkness.

HOOD OF DARKNESS

-DECREASE THE CHANCE OF BEING DETECTED BY MONSTROUS BEAST AND MUTATED SAPIENS.

ART OF INVISIBILITY ACQUIRED AS THE HOOD ABILITY. CAN BECOME INVISIBLE FOR 5 MINUTES.

HAVE ABILITY TO SELF TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

Then he also upgraded all of his Shadow Lord special items.

HIDDEN BLADE OF DARKNESS

ATTACK: 85-145

SNEAK ATTACK: 100-235

DURABILITY: 4200/4200

STORE AROUND THE WRIST AREA CONCEALED BY A HIDDEN COMPARTMENT UNDER THE CLOTHES. HAVE ABILITY TO SELF TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

VAMBRACES OF DARKNESS

-INCREASE ENDURANCE. CAN REFLECT ENEMY ATTACK IF IT HIT THE VAMBRACES.

HAVE ABILITY TO SELF TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

ROBE OF MISERY

INCREASE VITALITY AND STRENGHT. INCREASE SUPPRESION TO THOSE WHO HAVE LITTLE RESISTANCE TO MENTAL ATTACK.

STEALTH INCREASED. FEAR AURA ACQUIRED AS THE ROBE ABILITY. INCREASE PRESSURE ON A PERSON OF THE SAME LEVEL AND BELOW. COULD RESIST SOME WEAK MENTAL ATTACK.

YOUR MOVEMENT WHEN HIDING WILL BE HARD TO BE DETECTED.

WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY OR YOUR MOOD IN AN UNSTABLE EMOTIONAL LEVEL, THIS ROBE WILL EMIT A BLACK AURA SHROUDING YOU WHICH WILL GIVE A BOOST OF 5 PERCENT TO STRENGTH AND AGILITY.

- HAVE ABILITY TO SELF-TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

TROUSER OF MISERY

INCREASE AGILITY AND SPEED. YOUR MOVEMENT WILL BE FASTER LIKE LIGHNING AND MOVES LIKE THE SHADOW. WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY OR YOUR MOOD IN AN UNSTABLE EMOTIONAL LEVEL, THIS TROUSER WILL EMIT A BLACK AURA SHROUDING YOU WHICH WILL GIVE A BOOST OF 5 PERCENT TO AGILITY.

- HAVE ABILITY TO SELF TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

BOOTS OF DARKNESS

INCREASE AGILITY. GAIN THE ABILITY TO INFLICT DOUBLE DAMAGE WHEN USING IT TO KICK THE ENEMY IN VITAL PLACES.

HAVE ABILITY TO SELF TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

BLACK SASH

INCREASE VITALITY AND LIFEFORCE.

HAVE ABILITY TO SELF TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

BLACK GLOVES

INCREASE STRENGTH. WEARING THE SAME PAIR WILL INCREASE STRENGTH. INCREASE GIPPING POWER AND LIFTING POWER.

HAVE ABILITY TO SELF TRANSFORM WHEN IT REACHED THE SOUL REQUIREMENT

Sofia who was looking at Azief was once again stunned when she sees what happens.

The attire that he wears transform in front of her eyes. There is runic design in the vambraces and symbols on the robes.

There is also something like an aura enveloping the sword in Azief hands. Even his trouser is full of the runic symbols.

Upgrading his items? Sofia knows that Chosen could upgrade their items different than the normal class.

But the normal class doesn't have super hard quest or many restrictions like the Chosen.

And people who chose normal class is also given the fastest rate to gain levels. If not how could she in a matter of a few days almost reached Azief level.

Their offensive power and defense might not compare to the Chosen but their rate of EXP gathering and drop item is higher.

Azief level is gotten by killing may zombies and his kill count compared to Sofia, he would win by a large margin but their level before he defeated the Supercroc is almost the same.

The Normal Class has a higher rate of EXP gaining and items compare to Chosen. This just the way it was.

Then finishing upgrading his items he sits down under the tree, just beside Sofia.

Sofia moved away a bit, unfamiliar with his new heights and feeling the pressure bearing down on her like a mountain on top of her.

'Tell me now?' Sofia asks almost like a whisper. He just smirked and replies.

'Not yet' Azief said and then he returns back looking at his status window.

[PLEASE CHOOSE THE ATTRIBUTE OF THE PILLARS OR UPGRADING THE EXISTING PILLARS]

Choosing pillars. He then looked at the pillars available and it has many to choose from the dropdown menu.

So first he chooses pillar of endurance. Then he upgrades all the four pillars to Apprentice Pillar.

All of his pillar is now as high as two story building. So now he has 8 pillars left to form.

Each time when he forms a pillar he could feel the corresponding attribute of the pillars coursing through his veins.

When he chooses endurance, energy washes over him, like a cold breeze of the sea, as he felt a rejuvenating coolness channeling inside his veins.

Then he chooses Pillar of Stealth and Spirit.

Choosing the Stealth Pillar, information streamed inside his mind on how to be stealthy, to watch the exits, to determine the best escape route if discovered and many other information that just keep coming inside his mind, like he has known how to be stealth all of his life.

When he chooses spirit he could feel his determination grown stronger, his soul feel like it expanded everything.

Then he upgraded agility three times. His agility pillar becomes as tall as a four story buildings and he could feel his feet as light as a feather, that he could run even on water.

He feels that if he jumps now people would mistake him as flying.

He could understand the power of his legs, the limits of his legs; he could estimate how far he could go and how fast his feet could reach in a second.

He feels that if he could jump through roof like he was playing jumping jack

He still has 3 more pillars to form.

So deliberating for a while, with Sofia beside him, eating a snack bar and tending to the fire, he form pillar of darkness which gave him an inherent skill Shadow teleportation.

Since he is Lord Shadow, he just wants to be consistent with his character.

He didn't know he would get an inherent skill. Inherent skill only appears when you reached a certain requirements of the Pillars.

It gives the user the ability to teleport in a one mile radius and uses about 90 percent of the pillars of darkness energy.

In other words, it would dry him if he ever used it and takes a long time to recover.

Then he forms the pillar of health and upgraded it and all of his pillars are formed. When he created the Pillars of Health, he could feel his body not only getting stronger but also could heal faster.

He doesn't know how he knows this…he just suddenly knows, like the information revealed itself to him, the moment he chooses it.

Azief who was sitting now, is glowing with power, smiling and full of satisfaction.

He doesn't know that while he is not the first to form pillar in the world, he was the only one who has 8 pillars at the moment and one was even upgraded to Artisans Pillar

Even he fights other evolved person he is unlikely to lose….he is probably invincible unless someone reached level 40 before him.

Not to mention people who have not yet evolved. His presence alone could choke the life out of them if he so decided.

Then he checked level repression and race superiority, his race skills.

[LEVEL REPRESSION UNLOCKED]

Represses people and monster below the level of 30. Repression by making their stats decreases by 1/3 of their actual value.

[RACE SUPERIORITY UNLOCKED]

People who have not yet evolved will have their active skills increases in the usage of spirit and their passive skills rendered useless when fighting a higher life form.

He nodded in excitement.

Now, the last one he need to checks is the Hall Of Fame.

He opens it and then a notification appears.

WOULD YOU WANT TO REGISTER IN THE HALL OF FAME? YOUR RECORD WILL BE RECORDED. BY NOW, ONLY 5 USERS HAVE PASSED THE REQUIREMENT TO ENTER THE HALL OF FAME.

'Yes' he said in his mind and his name register itself

LORD SHADOW IS THE FIRST ONE TO KILL A PREHISTORIC BEAST. AWARDED 1000 FAME. A UNIQUE SKILL BOOK HAS DROPPED FROM THE MONSTER. ANNOUNCING TO ALL THE USERS.

SCALE BODY TECHNIQUE IS DROPPED.

TIME UNTIL THE BOOK DISSAPEARED: 1 MONTH

The moment this notification appears notification appears all around the user notification window all over the world and it creates a sensation.

Azief is the one who is the most shocked. Unique skill?

He then asks inside his mind what is Unique skill and information streamed inside his mind.

A unique skill is only one in the world and there is no other skill like that. It also has its own special abilities and it will not drop again.

The only way for it to drop again is to kill whoever learned it and then if you fight other high leveled beast, there will be a chance for the same book to appear again in the world.

It is kind of like a devil fruit. There is also a card of the monster he defeated appears. The Supercroc card.

He will check it later to check what kind of monster gives so many EXP. Then Azief check his ranking. And then another notification window appears with a message.

[ACQUIRED REWARDS FOR RANKING THE FIRST IN THE HALL OF FAME]

[SKILL BOOK: ENERGY FIST]

[GOLD AWARDED: 10000]

[IF YOU SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND YOU RANKING FOR A MONTH YOU WILL BE REWARDED ANOTHER BATCH OF THE REWARDS]

NO NAME FAME

01 LORD SHADOW 1000

02 RAYMOND 750

03 HIKIGAYA 620

04 ROLLO 510

05 OREKI 498

06 - 0

07 - 0

08 - 0

09 - 0

10 - 0

His name was the top of the list and then he also got a reward. A skill book and gold. He quickly learns it in a blink of an eye and look at the effect.

SKILL: ENERGY FIST

RELEASING AN ENERGY SHOT FROM THE USER HAND. INFLICTS PHYSICAL DAMAGE. DEPENDING ON THE USER STRENGTH IT WILL RELEASE AN ENERGY THAT COULD EVEN PENETRATE MENTAL ATTACK.

The only thing he does not check is the World Ob Shop. But this is enough for now. And he could distribute the skill points later.

'Well?' Sofia asks this time she could no longer stifle her curiosity.

Finished making the fire, she sit beside him and ask him, with eyes that are eager to know what changed has happened to him.

He looks at her, cracked a smile and then said.

'Let me start from the beginning' and he told her all about what happened while Sofia huddled up beside him, listening to him, under the stars, beneath a large tree with the breeze of the cold night and the sound of crickets accompanying them.

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