Chapter 48: Evolution

Zaos made his way out of the room, he went straight to his office in the large tower situated in the Rogue's division's territory.

"Boss!" Almost simultaneously, both Darfin and Goren greeted Zaos.

Zaos nodded and walked to the seat behind the wooden desk. Once seated, he addressed the elves standing before him.

"I will be secluding myself to train for a certain period, during this time, I trust that you can both handle the matters concerning the legion?" Zaos asked in a neutral tone.

His words struck the two division leaders by surprise. It took a while for them to fully comprehend it and offer a reply.

"You can count on me, boss! The crimson division will make sure to live up to your expectations!" Darfin struck his chest as he declared.

"I will do my best to fulfill your orders, boss!" Goren hurriedly replied.

Zaos nodded and continued, "Also, during this period, I want you both to expand the influence of the legion in the mercenary city. We are already the greatest force in the underworld, it's time to expand our reach. Use any means necessary, force or negotiation."

The two elves visibly shook at Zaos' announcement. Soon, expressions of excitement surfaced on their faces as they responded eagerly.

"Understood, boss!" They both saluted.

Zaos nodded with a smile etched on his face. Since he was done with the briefing, he dismissed the elves.

After they left, Zaos got up from his chair and exited the office. He left the territory, heading to a remote location in the forest surrounding his mansion.

He utilized the different landmarks on the way to swiftly locate the spot he was heading. Once there, Zaos opened a disguised trap door and headed down the path it revealed.

A few seconds later, Zaos arrived at a narrow tunnel. He continued down the path before arriving at a large metal door.

He retrieved a key from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole on the door. With a click, the massive door swung open.

Behind the door was a spacious chamber fortified by sturdy stone walls. Inside the chamber were multiple large barrels, chests, and some elf-like sculptures made from wood.

[They did a pretty good job,] Zaos nodded as he surveyed the room.

This room, alongside the tunnel, was a recent construct that he had ordered the members of his gang to create.

He planned to train here until he advanced to the high elf rank.

[With the food and water stored here, I should be able to last several months here! That's enough time for me to advance!] Zaos steeled his resolve for the long monotonous training session he was about to embark on.

[Once I become a high elf, I will possess the power to protect myself and begin my conquest… ] With those thoughts, Zaos shut the large metal door behind him and began his training with strong determination to advance.

***

Five months later.

In a dark chamber somewhere underground, a figure stood unmoving.

The figure had shoulder-length dark hair, deep dark eyes, and handsome facial features instilled with youthfulness.

The figure was naturally Zaos.

He had been training like usual until his Edict Rune started buzzing causing him to halt his actions.

[What's going on?] Zaos' consciousness delved deep into his soul where his Edict Rune resided.

Zaos observed the purple-black rune in his soul. He watched as the rudimentary circular shape of the rune slowly became more refined. Following this, the inscriptions etched on it grew more complex.

[Is my Edit Rune evolving?] Excitement washed over Zaos as he observed his rune. His five months of effort had finally paid off!

[Will I also evolve now?] Zaos withdrew his consciousness from his soul and observed his surroundings.

At some point, his stationary body had been engulfed by a purple-black whirlpool of mana. It swirled around him, gathering into a thick cocoon that separated him from the outside world.

Zaos was shocked by the sight before him.

[The Mana is acting on its own?] Zaos wasn't entirely sure on how the evolution process worked. Although the Qildor clan had a library detailing a lot of information on the world, information about evolutions was inaccessible to normal members until they needed it.

The dark-purple mana soon stopped gathering, yet before Zaos could understand what was occurring, the void mana rushed into Zaos' body.

"Argh!!" Zaos grunted as intense heat began to spread from his core to the rest of his body. He dropped to the ground, clenching his chest.

As the heat spread throughout his body, Zaos felt as if his body was slowly melting. He weakly shifted his body, only to realize that it was indeed melting!

[Wha–] Zaos watched as his body slowly melted away, turning into a pile of liquid on the floor. Strangely enough, Zaos watched this happen in a third-person perspective as if his consciousness had been detached from his body.

[What's going on? Did I fail my evolution? Did a problem occur since I don't use dark mana?] Questions swirled in Zaos' mind as he watched his liquefied body continue to absorb void mana. The intense pain he had originally felt had all disappeared with the detachment of his consciousness.

As Zaos tried to think of a solution, his liquefied body finished absorbing the void mana in the surroundings. It began to slowly spread out, taking the form of a humanoid creature. In a few seconds, it started solidifying, reshaping into the visage of an elf.

Zaos, who was watching the process in anticipation and fear, noticed that his consciousness was slowly being pulled towards the reshaping body.

*Phew!*

He sighed in relief as he began experiencing physical sensation once more.

[It seems it was just part of the process… ] Before long, Zaos regained control over his body.

He hastily sprung to his feet, feeling lighter than ever before.

He moved to the wooden sculptures in the room. The sculpture had some damaged spots from sharp objects and depression from blunt blows, but its overall structure remained intact.

Zaos stood in front of one of the sculptures, clenched his fist, and delivered a punch to the wooden test dummy.

*Boom!*

Immediately Zaos' fist connected with the wooden sculpture, and it exploded into multiple pieces.

Zaos stared dumbfounded at the pieces in front of him.

[My strength has increased that much?] Zaos shifted his gaze to his slender pale arm. It was important to note that the wooden test dummy was made from the trucks of a very resilient tree. Other than powerful earth elves, no other race could easily shatter a construct made from the tree.

With his curiosity piqued, Zaos made his way to one of the barrels of water in the chamber, yet the reflection on the surface of the water was not something he was prepared to witness.

"Who… who is that?"