Complete and utter turmoil.

Sammuel had just finally slain one last foe. He finished the condition to finally break through to a 50% Card Drop Rate. In essence, this meant that Sammuel would be gaining an [Ego] for every two creatures he slayed. This was a positive feedback loop. The more [Ego] he gained, the faster he could strengthen them and would let him kill his enemies faster. His starting point might've been abysmally low but now that he felt himself increasingly getting stronger even faster, he realized that [Ego] was now showing its true value.

[Evolution Condition Cleared: Reach 50% Card Drop Rate | Reward: Bronze to Silver and Level Reset]

[Name: Sammuel Arthus

Ego: Base

Card Quality: Silver

Star Quality: 2 | 1/50 | EXP: 0/100%

Affinity Level: 14.85%

Combat Power: 5.20]

The first milestone that cemented his place as a formidable being. Reaching Silver Card Quality meant that Sammuel was essentially as talented as those that were capable of dictating the current battlefield. It had been a long road but Sammuel managed to persevere. From being an extremely weak person with nothing to his name, nearly dying to goblins, he had clawed himself up to his current spot.

He may have lost the majority of his combat strength right now, there was something else he was looking forward to. This was going to be his ticket to reaching his previous point even faster.

[Condition Cleared: Reach Silver Card Quality for [Ego: Base] | Reward: Gain an Ego Slot]

He had finally gotten an [Ego Slot]. Sammuel couldn’t help but wonder what his previous old self would’ve thought if he saw himself now. “Pushing myself for someone else’s sake. I didn’t think I had it in me.”

[Switch Ego: Naga | Ego: Black Winged Albatross]

Power surged within himself. The strength of two monsters within one body was burdensome. It was burdensome not in the say that it strained his body but it was bothersome in the sense that he had gained far too much power that his body has not felt before. His vitality was overwhelming, his senses could reach out even further than before.

I still need to get used to this.

Their expected combined total Combat Power has resulted in 2,343.04, it had both combined all their aspects. Yet this number didn’t show up at all, as it turned out, [Ego: Naga] and [Ego: Black Winged Albatross] were both simply far too similar in their abilities that they had only reached the total Combat Power of [1953.53].

“It only took the strongest properties from both [Ego]. It’s not as simple as addition. I have to think this through then.” Sammuel played around with his understanding of his current skill set. As it turned out, he could fully use [Flowing Swordsmanship: First Form] during this phase while fully utilizing his speed to the utmost. Combining their physical attributes merely meant that Sammuel was now freely able to use his [Skills] to their highest efficiency.

Setting his sights on another naga, Sammuel quickly disposed of it. It didn’t even manage to understand what had happened before Sammuel struck his blade through its heart.

[Earned 9.53% EXP | [Ego: Naga] Star Quality: 58.43/100%]

[Earned 18.89% EXP | [Ego: Black Winged Albatross] Star Quality EXP: 92.62/100%]

His EXP gains were diminished but it seemed to have been cut in half. It had only been appropriately given based on the current strengths of the respective [Ego]. He was essentially gaining the exact same amount of EXP but he could give it to a weaker [Ego].

“This is great. I can easily level up any [Ego] I need to without being afraid of being so weak!”

That wasn’t the only benefit of such a powerful increase in his strength.

[Switch Ego: Runic Bear | Ego: Naga]

The expected Combat Power should only be 2,275.9 but the true result was shocking. It had reached the monstrous number of 2469.34 Combat Power. It had mended the weakness of both [Ego], essentially making a monster that was both unbelievably fast and extremely tanky. Sammuel was essentially a nearly perfect monster in the making. He was looking forward to the day when he could finally reach his full potential.

Despite such a high Combat Power, Sammuel still didn’t have the confidence to fight against those in the Revelation Stage. It was truly an amazing ability. Sammuel had shed his weakness and was taking his steps towards immense power. In a world where [Skills] reigned supreme, he would be foolish to fully rely on what he could see. The battlefield was constantly changing, he needed to analyze everything so that he could choose the proper [Ego] for the situation.

I might not need to worry about it this early but I have a feeling that the more I rise up the ranks, the more complicated battles will be.

Combining the natural aptitude of humans with increasing their power through the use of [Skills] and Sammuel’s inhuman ability of [Ego], using the power of a beast to empower himself, he was combining the best of both worlds.

“It’s been a while. I need to level up [Ego: Runic Bear]. I need to turn it from having a Bronze Card Quality into a Silver Card Quality. Then I should be able to gain Alyur’s respect.” Sammuel clenched his fists. “This will be over soon enough.”

It had already been hours since the beginning of the battle. The streets have started to be devoid of any life as corpses littered the streets. The previously prosperous city of Aganth has now become a wasteland. The weaklings in the city have been long culled.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Some near the north side of the city were saved but it wasn’t the same for everywhere else. As the Monster Faction took severe losses, their one singular goal of finding out where the Hatchling was completely failed. This caused the 12 leaders of the Monster Faction to start confronting each other.

“Rhayic, you’ve forced our people out to their own deaths. What will you do to fix the situation? The four factions are out for our blood. Countless of our men have lost it, do you know how many people in the Revelation Stage have died?” Bargom, the minotaur, raged on. No one dared say anything except for this brave fool.

“Calm down, Bargom. It’s not… completely over yet.” Svern remedied the situation. His body was still stuck in position right above everyone here.

Bargom snorted. “Have we found the Hatchling yet? No? That’s what I thought! We killed over half the people in Aganth for nothing! We haven’t even managed to get a single hint of its whereabouts!”

“There’s still one more deal we can take.” Svern breathed in through his roots. “I’ve been contacted by the Genesis Foundation. If we gain their help then-”

“The Genesis Foundation? Are you crazy? There’s no way the Conservation Faction would ever reach out for us, that must mean that it’s the Radical Faction. Do you want to die?” The naga keeping to herself this entire time shouted out. “Have you forgotten their motto? Peace through death! If the human race and Alyur won’t kill us, the Genesis Foundation will!”

“Do you have any other ideas, girl?” Svern didn’t back down at all.

The naga gritted her teeth and took out a spear from her side. It had been carved out from her own scales, a blood weapon forged with her own flesh. She unhesitatingly stabbed Svern.

With such an overwhelming attack coming towards the ent’s way, it merely grew roots from within the ceiling to fall down and block her attack. His roots might’ve been reduced to dust but it had fully nullified the naga’s attacks.

“Yeah, send Rhayic to the guillotine! They just might let one of us out alive.”

Tension within the group was rising. It had turned out that everything was reaching the worst-case scenario. There needed to be someone who brought back the civility in such a desperate situation.

“Stop it. Fighting amongst ourselves will only weaken us. We all agreed with Rhayic’s plan so we’re all taking responsibility.” The lizardman finally spoke out.

“Finally talking old man?” Bargom snickered.

“As Svern has said, It’s not entirely over yet. We will accept the Genesis Foundation’s help to find the Hatchling. After that, we will go out and slay the Hatchling using all of our capabilities. Rhayic will pay the price and hold Weston back as we execute our plan. For the time being, we will continue pushing our troops forward, making time for the Genesis Foundation to do its job. Any questions?”

The naga wanted nothing more than to object to this proposition but if Malach proposed it then she had no other choice but to accept. A few other silent leaders also gave their consent. As for the mysterious hooded monster, he was the odd one out.

“What are we going to do with the Vis Empire’s reinforcements?”

“They shouldn’t have arrived yet. We have an entire week ahead of us.” Malach replied.

“Then that’s a problem, they’re already here.” The hooded monster had spoken. Indeed, Sadin had already arrived. “It’s only one person but they seemed competent. I’ll be taking my leave first. Inform me once you have found the Hatchling.”

Malach narrowed his reptilian eyes. This person had always been mysterious but everything he had always spoken about outside the matters regarding the Hatchling were scarily accurate. Malach followed his words and changed his plans accordingly.

“As for the Vis Empire’s reinforcement, we might need to delegate a few more of our people. This is turning out to be a more deadly situation than I would’ve hoped.” Malach sighed, the pressure of their survival was at stake.

All of a sudden, an insectoid rushed out from the distance, completely ignoring their meeting, and entered Svern’s roots. He nodded along initially but soon enough, a pleasantly surprised face appeared on it. “Alyur’s ignoring the contract and is fully attacking Aganth. This is exactly what we needed, a small break to reorganize ourselves.”

Malach felt that something was inherently wrong, Alyur wouldn’t suddenly make a move without reason. But at the same time, he couldn’t just let this opportunity unfold like this. “No. We don’t take a break, focus and attack. We’re going all out. Forget the Genesis Foundation, this we’re taking matters into our own hands.”

~~~

Sammuel was slowly making his way toward the Monster Faction when he noticed an explicit sound, a sound he had heard twice before. It was the war horn that signified that a wave was coming. He was completely confused, “Why is Alyur doing this?”

Sammuel then chose one of the weaker [Ego] to bear the burden of Blessing Exhaustion.

[Greater Blessing of Moonlight | …]

Sammuel summoned a small white mist that eventually formed Alyur’s body. He didn’t care about who saw him right now because the current situation was far too critical.

“Alyur? What are you doing? What about the deal we made?”

“You cannot protect the Hatchling from the monster that had just breached Aganth. Give her to me now.” Alyur’s voice was grim. She was completely serious in her attack.

“Monster? What monster?” Sammuel was completely confused. This wasn’t making any sense at all.

“A being that can control the Great Spirits has entered Aganth. No matter how strong you are, you cannot beat such a monster. There’s no point in conversing with you any longer. Unless you’re willing to give me the Hatchling, do not try to summon me.” Alyur had willingly left Sammuel disoriented. Things were once again changing and he had no idea why.

Sammuel had already made immense progress but once again he was brought back to reality. He was still far too weak to make any meaningful changes. “A being that can control the Great Beings? Just who could… no…”

As Sammuel’s mind continued to perceive information, he immediately connected the dots. There were reinforcements set to come to Aganth in a few months but there came another aspect that Sammuel felt that people missed out on. Information he clearly understood.

The Summoning of the Two Great Heroes. The ritual that had summoned him, Elias, and Sadin towards this world. If humanity was already a dominant force then losing Aganth was essentially not even worth mentioning. They might even be confident enough to ignore a Supreme Dragon’s wrath.

But to land a stage specifically for their own heroes to come and be known, what better stage than defending Aganth? At the cusp of defeat, when all hope seems lost, a hero will come about and save everyone. Sammuel understood this mindset clearly.

Recalling a specific scene back then when Vzella used his overwhelmingly powerful attack, Sadin had managed to somehow turn the cinders all around him into a formidable enough barrier to protect himself from certain death.

If that was the case, and adding on what Sammuel knew about Affinity Levels, it had only made sense for a certain person to finally arrive here. A person who could earn favor with the world itself. Someone who had been blessed by [Perfect Affinity].

“Sadin’s here. That psychopath’s finally here. But what is he doing here?” Sammuel turned and looked well beyond the barrier that was barely hanging on from Alyur’s strikes. The dome shimmered as it tried to bear the full force of a Great Dragon.

[Annihilation Nova]

Alyur struck with a power move, completely aiming to destroy this barrier. Countless terrifying monsters finally arrived, all of which had [Blessing of Moonlight]. Sammuel understood that this came at a price for Alyur which then led him to guess another part of the missing puzzle.

“Alyur wouldn’t have been so terrified if… if… she said that I cannot protect the Hatchling any longer. Don’t tell me… Sadin’s after Marie? He’s going to try and… kill Marie?” Sammuel’s mental state took a giant hit. He fully understood that despite not seeing him for over two months, Sadin was still much stronger than him.

Sammuel wasn’t cocky enough to believe that he can do this alone. He had summoned Alyur once again, she seemed irritated initially but observing Sammuel’s expression she tried to confirm his decision. “Are you willing to give up the Hatchling?”

“He’s after Marie, isn’t he?” Sammuel saw Alyur nod. “I’ll help you take Marie away. What do I need to do?”

“Steel yourself, Sammuel. You need to betray Aganth.”