Ch-10: Knowledge of Ascendency

A/N: 2700 words, and sorry for the late, was busy. Last chapter of the dungeon, next chapter Marvel.

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A few hours had passed since Ethan completed his Secondary Mission. Sitting on the fur-draped throne that once belonged to the goblin shaman, he scrolled through the [EVOLUTION] tab, meticulously analyzing his potential paths.

For the past hour, he had been absorbed in the numerous evolution paths that appeared, reading their descriptions and assessing their strength.

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Path 1:

Skeleton -> Wraith Skeleton -> Phantom Skeleton -> Spectral Knight -> Spectral Lord -> Ghost King

Path 2:

Skeleton -> Frost Skeleton -> Ice Revenant -> Frost Wight -> Glacial Lich -> Absolute Overlord

Path 3:

Skeleton -> Warrior Skeleton -> Bone Knight -> Death Knight -> Warlord of Bones -> Undead General

Path 4:

Skeleton -> Fire Skeleton -> Blazing Revenant -> Infernal Wight -> Hellfire Lich -> Inferno Overlord

Path 5:

Skeleton -> Skeleton Fighter -> Rune-Bound Skeleton -> Rune Master Skeleton -> Rune Lich -> Rune Overlord

Path 6:

Skeleton -> Poison Skeleton -> Venom Revenant -> Toxic Wight -> Plague Lich -> Pestilence Overlord

.

.

.

Path 96:

Skeleton -> Illusion Skeleton -> Phantom Conjurer -> Mirage Architect -> Genesis Lich -> Creator Overlord

Path 97:

Skeleton -> Shadow Skeleton Mage -> Dark Skeleton Mage -> Skeleton Archmage -> Elder Lich -> Abyssal Overlord

Path 98:

Skeleton -> Shadow Skeleton -> Shadow Revenant -> Shadow Wight -> Night Lich -> Shadow Overlord

Path 99:

Skeleton -> Shadow Skeleton -> Shadow Knight -> Dark Wraith -> Night Lich -> Shadow Overlord

Path 100:

Skeleton -> Shadow Skeleton -> Umbral Skeleton -> Umbral Revenant -> Umbral Wight -> Umbral Lich -> Umbral Overlord

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After an exhaustive review, Ethan reached a few conclusions. The evolution paths were divided into six tiers, with the sixth tier representing the highest level of power.

He noted that these paths were quite linear, which was contrary to the scientific definition of evolution's complexity and branching nature.

'These linear paths are probably a game mechanic,' Ethan mused. 'But my ability to create custom paths might be what sets me apart from the monsters.'

Ethan's attention shifted to the small box in the lower right corner of the screen labeled "Custom."

'Time to see how much customization I can really do,' he thought, feeling a surge of anticipation.

With that thought, he clicked on the button and a new panel appeared in his vision.

The panel was quite simple, displaying five blue boxes and two grayed-out ones.

The first grayed box had "Skeleton" written in it, while the seventh box had a "???" symbol.

Between each box was the "->" symbol, and there was a "+" sign under every box from the second to the sixth.

Ethan could deduce some things from the panel's structure and the prior information he had from his perk, but instead of blindly speculating further, he decided to check things out.

He clicked on the second box, and a drop-down menu appeared, sporting a scroll bar on its right side.

The contents of the menu matched what Ethan had deduced earlier—all the tier 2 evolutions were listed.

He scrolled nearly to the bottom and decided to choose "Shadow Skeleton," a decision he had arrived at after a lot of thought and exploration.

Ethan didn't choose it because it was cool or edgy but because it genuinely suited him. "Shadow Skeleton" was an evolution that attuned him to the element of Darkness, making him very stealthy.

Being an introvert, he appreciated the idea of melding into shadows and doing his own thing undisturbed.

Additionally, this evolution also strengthened his physique as this evolution was similar to the assassin class. It offsetted the initial disadvantage of his next choice—a cherry on top.

After making his selection, the menu disappeared, and the second box was filled in, although it was still changeable and not greyed out like the first and seventh boxes.

Then Ethan clicked on the third box. Again, a drop-down menu appeared, but this time the scrollbar's thumb was noticeably larger than before, indicating that the options had become more limited.

He scrolled through the options and found that only the evolutions related to "Shadow" from tier two were available.

Ethan selected another one that he had planned prior, while selecting the tier two evolution.

The third box was filled with "Dark Skeleton Mage."

This selection came with the thought that only mages were beings with the ultimate knowledge and control over their domains, at least in almost every fantasy setting he had ever read. 'Mages always hold the key to true power,' he mused, affirming his choice.

Then the fourth box was opened. The scroll bar was gone, leaving only four options.

Ethan selected "Demi-Lich."

When he opened the fifth box, only two options were left: "Night Lich" and "Elder Lich."

"Elder Lich" filled the fifth box. This choice solidified his path, one of immense magical prowess and control over all aspects of darkness.

Finally, the last customizable option was opened, revealing only one option.

With some trepidation, Ethan clicked on it, and "Abyssal Overlord" filled the box.

And then... nothing happened.

Ethan had expected as much, mainly because of the save button at the bottom. He looked at the save option, intending to click it, but he hesitated. Giving the translucent blue window in front of him another glance, he remembered that he hadn't clicked on the "+" symbols under the boxes.

His ivory white finger reached for the symbol under the tier two box. As soon as he touched it, another box appeared underneath it, separated by the "+" symbol but without any additional symbol underneath.

Similarly, he clicked the "+" underneath all the boxes, and the same thing happened. Each box now had an additional box underneath it and the seventh box had shifted slightly, appearing in the center of the set of boxes with a "+" sign before it.

He then clicked and opened the second box. As before, a long list appeared, but the "Shadow Skeleton" option was greyed out. 'Of course, I can't select the same evolution again,' he thought, scrolling through the list.

Due to there being no explanation and no answer even when he asked questions to the system, Ethan came to a conclusion on his own.

This second set of boxes was an additional path, which could add more abilities to his evolutions, making him far more unique and strong than any other monster species.

Looking at the multitude of options, Ethan thought of something that could add aspects not already available in the first evolutionary path.

Most of the elements didn't provide anything special to his already efficient build, but then his eyes went to "Illusion Skeleton."

Although in the upper-tier evolutions of his custom path he could use darkness to manipulate the psyche of beings and conjure nightmares, it was the end of this "illusion" path that caught his eye—"Creator Overlord."

That meant once he reached that level, he could probably create, at the bare minimum, planets.

That was something not possible within any other element. Earth element-related evolutions could probably be similar, but Ethan had a sneaking suspicion that this option would be vastly different from those just because this one started with illusion.

In the fantasy settings that explored the element of illusion, which was quite rare as illusion was truly underappreciated across media, most of them, at their strongest could make things out of nothing—conjuring things just out of the power of the mind.

That was akin to having the Reality Stone, whose power needed no explanation.

Ethan quickly chose the option and just copy-pasted the path along the other boxes too, without any changes, as there weren't many different paths in illusion to begin with.

With only two options across the tier two and three, "Illusion Skeleton" was a better choice than "Ethereal Skeleton," which evolved into "Phantasm Summoner" and then merged back into "Genesis Lich."

After everything was done, he clicked on the save option, and the window simply closed with a small notification: "Saved." He was back in the evolutionary path menu, except with a single change.

At the top of the screen, beside the "Evolutionary Paths" option, there was another button labeled "Evolve."

Ethan clicked on it, and the view transformed to display another set of boxes. These boxes were marked under "Path 1" and "Path 2." Under "Path 1," the initial option listed was "Shadow Skeleton."

Adjacent to it were three boxes: the first two separated by a "+" symbol, followed by a ":" symbol, another box, and finally another "+" symbol at the end.

Ethan reached out and clicked on the first box. A notification promptly appeared: "No related Evolutionary material available in the inventory."

'Where am I going to find evolutionary materials when I don't even know what to look for?' Ethan pondered. Almost as if in response to his silent plea, a prompt appeared in front of him.

[Do you wish to enable "Minimap"?]

[Yes] [No]

He clicked [Yes], and a small, circular panel appeared in the top right corner of his vision. It was translucent, ensuring it did not hinder his view.

When Ethan focused on it, the panel expanded slightly, becoming more opaque. In the center of the panel was a red triangle, its pointed end indicating the direction he was facing. Just beside it was a blue circle.

In the lower left corner of the circle, there was a yellow dot.

From his experience with video games, Ethan knew that minimaps could be expanded, revealing more detailed information about the symbols used within them.

So, he reached forward and touched the panel, causing it to expand and display in a square format, which he could scroll around.

As he had anticipated, a set of legends appeared, explaining the symbols on the map.

There were numerous symbols, but Ethan focused on the primary ones.

The red triangle at the center indicated his position.

The yellow circle denoted treasure or useful items.

A red circle indicated marked enemies, and a blue circle signified mana stones.

There were other symbols, but they were not necessary at the moment.

After closing the full map, Ethan directed his gaze towards the location of the yellow circle and his eyes fell upon the small door that had once been guarded by the pair of Orcs.

'So, that's where the treasure is hidden. Hopefully, there are items related to my evolution too,' he thought.

Ethan rose from the comfortable throne and made his way towards the small door. He opened it and stepped inside. As he entered the room, a notification appeared in his field of vision:

[Optional mission complete: Discover the hidden treasure room.]

He dismissed the notification and surveyed the room. Inside, he found what could only be described as a treasure hoard—a massive mound of gold coins, necklaces, and assorted valuables.

At the pinnacle of this glittering pile sat a small treasure chest, just large enough to be held in one hand. The mound of treasure nearly reached his head.

Almost instinctively, Ethan felt an inexplicable pull towards the small treasure chest at the top. He knew it wasn't a charm effect—he was immune to such things.

No, this was something more primal, an instinct that seemed to emanate from deep within his bones, from the very desires of his species.

Ethan waded through the gold, his eyes fixed on the chest. As soon as he touched it, a prompt appeared before him:

[An item related to "Evolve" found. Do you want to store it in the inventory?]

Realization dawned on Ethan as he understood the nature of his reaction. He promptly selected "Yes," and the treasure chest vanished from his hands, securely stored in his inventory.

'That's a good thing, I guess. With that sort of instinct, I'll know which items are necessary to collect in the future,' he thought.

Turning his attention to the rest of the treasure around him, Ethan decided to take it all. As the gold disappeared from the ground, it was automatically sorted into various icons in his inventory.

There was a coin icon, a jewelry icon, a jewel icon, and a utensils icon—all in gold color, except for the jewel icon, which displayed a small gem of multiple colors.

Satisfied with his haul, Ethan's mind drifted back to his evolution. He opened the Evolutionary Paths panel again. This time, under "Path 1," the first box was filled with the treasure chest icon, but the second and third boxes were still empty, indicating he still couldn't evolve.

With a sigh, Ethan closed the tab and opened [Missions] to check how much longer he had to remain in the dungeon. The tab displayed:

{Primary Mission}: Survive your first dungeon delve.

{Time Limit: 6 days}

'So I just have to lounge around for the next six days. Guess I can come up with some plans to survive in the Marvel world while I'm here,' he thought.

Ethan considered his options. He could venture out and hunt monsters in the different parts of the forest for the next six days, collect experience points, and perhaps his progress wouldn't reset to zero after his evolution, allowing for instant level-ups.

However, he was acutely aware of how unfamiliar this world was and recognized that he wasn't strong enough to explore it blindly. While his luck might aid him, there was always the risk of encountering something so powerful that luck alone wouldn't suffice.

Yes, luck was helpful, but true strength was one's own. With that thought, the introverted skeleton decided to spend the next six days in the dead boss's room, contemplating strategies and honing his skills.

After 6 days...

Ethan watched the time limit count down to zero.

[00:10]

[00:09]

…

[00:00]

[Mission Complete: Survive your first dungeon delve.

Rewards obtained: 50 coins, Newbie Package, 1 Level UP (will automatically be used after evolution), [Initiate Dungeon Delve] — [End Dungeon Delve] skills.]

A grin spread across Ethan's face as he reviewed the notifications. He swiftly opened his inventory and selected the "Newbie Package".

[Do you want to open "Newbie Package"?]

Selecting "Yes," he watched as a small animation played. The package tore open, revealing two images that floated before him, each with a description at the bottom: "Weapon Slime: 1kg" and "Armor Slime: 1kg." The images depicted a pair of translucent black blobs.

Ethan first clicked on "Weapon Slime: 1kg" to read the details.

[Weapon Slime: Created with the experimentations of a teenager with chuunibyou syndrome, these slimes can transform into a variety of preset weapons with a simple injection of mana.

Note: The slimes are dead and therefore not sentient.]

A memory of an anime from his previous life flashed through Ethan's mind, where the protagonist used slimes in a similar manner.

Intrigued, he clicked on "Armor Slime" to confirm his suspicions.

[Armor Slime: Created with the experimentations of a teenager with chuunibyou syndrome, these slimes can transform into a variety of preset armors and clothes with a simple injection of mana.

Note: The slimes are dead and therefore not sentient.]

'Let's try them out,' Ethan thought as he equipped both items from his inventory.

The slimes appeared as translucent blobs—one in his hand and the other flowing over his body, dissolving the tattered leather armor he wore.

Focusing on the slimes, Ethan connected with them intuitively, channeling a small amount of his mana into the pair. The slimes began to shift and morph according to his preferences.

The slime on his body transformed into a sleek black biker jacket, complete with black gloves, pants, and boots. It then extended to cover his head with a hood.

Meanwhile, the slime in his hand reshaped into an arming sword, 30 inches in length, with a sturdy crossguard.

Impressed by their versatility, Ethan experimented further. The weapon slime effortlessly morphed into various forms: a baseball bat, a crowbar, a scythe, a katana, a longsword, a zweihander, a warhammer, a mace, even a pistol and rifles.

Although the firearms couldn't fire, their mere presence underscored the utility of the slimes.

Similarly, the armor slime could be fashioned into any shape, although it was limited to darker tones—perhaps a quirk of its original creator.

After thoroughly testing their capabilities, Ethan finally settled on transforming the weapon slime into a set of hidden knives akin to those in the Assassin's Creed games, while keeping his attire the same as the first time.

Satisfied, he turned his attention to his newly acquired skills and selected:

[End Dungeon Delve]

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A/N: Sorry for the late, I was quite busy. I just wrote this chapter under 200mg caffeine from 11:00 pm to 3:30am. Most of my time was used in brainstorming his power path, which would shape his future power.

You can see what I chose, although it's not completely shown here, you will see it in future. Point out anything I might've missed, any plot holes.

BTW this is not just the end of customisation of evolution. There are more customisations waiting, in the "Evolve" option after ":" this symbol.