Chapter 54: Yet another Evolution
Contrary to what most people believe, evolutions and class-ups are far more complex than they seem at first glance. With Status points and Resources split apart by the system, it grows difficult to determine the true worth of an option the system offers.
That problem is only exacerbated by class-up rarities, restrictions, benefits, elemental aspects and inherited skills. From the knowledge of the archives (and my own) I am almost certain that class-ups or evolutions are exponential, not only by grade, but by rarity too. To a certain extent.
This hypothesis explains the wide gap with each rarity and how the difference between Epic and Legendary can be so jarring in practice. For all we know, an Epic evolution doubles the total evolution energy the system allocates to a being while a Legendary evolution might triple it.
And yet, there are the rarities beyond Legendary, both for skills and evolutions. How do they fare? How much of a leg-up do these truly give?
Thanks to the lack of data, Emmerheim, I am unable to come to a conclusion. I thought we all were seekers of knowledge. Not hoarders of it. But somehow you prove me wrong.
Do note, that if you will not give me the data I need, I will gain it through other means. Not through knowledge but through the teachings of the system. If you cannot comprehend that fact, let me paraphrase it; I will become a Legend and then I’ll incinerate your filth-ridden library with you inside.
I hope that you take these words and carve them into your heart,
Kind regards, Sterrin Ceriluran, (C).
***
The usual forces pull me through the dark waters of my soul, reeling me upwards as if I’m a fish stuck on a hook. I fly out of the endless ocean, careen through the air and land on the surface that turns solid beneath my feet.
The familiar aurora pulses above me. Yet again it has lost more colours. The first time I came here, it was filled with possibilities, with every element I could imagine and more. After that, nature grew stronger with each subsequent evolution. Shades of red faded away while others grew dim.
And now? Now the green colour has almost fully taken over. There are still strands of other elements, but they too have grown closer to nature itself. There is the brown of earth, but a thick line of green runs through it, hinting at earthy loam and the smell of the forest.
One thing that stands out amongst everything is a single strand of purple that stretches along the bottom of the pulsing lines of light. My current species makes use of it, and I intend to keep it. Suppose I choose something that deviates a lot from the path I’m on, a lot of my skills that depend on the element will change.
I clap my hands together, beginning the evolution process. Windows of varying colours spring up all around me. As usual, most of them are the verdant green of the forests and my bindweed. There are a few more interesting ones out there, but we’ll get to those as I page through them. I have all the time in the world here, after all.
*Congratulations. You have unlocked 42 evolutions. Pick one.
Hmm, less than I thought there would be. Certain options are already getting cut off from me by the system. I simply am not eligible for them thanks to my choices or my selections in the past. However, I did think that my feats were more than enough to make up for that.
Like all the times before, I snap my hands and the windows come together, forming a neat line for me to page through. I promised Sairal that I will pick an evolution that gives me more Stamina for the walls along with some other smaller concessions. That doesn’t mean that I won’t look at the ones I unlocked through my own means.
In a sense, this entire process is a reflection of what I have done in (G) grade. From all the Cave crawlers I killed, the few humans and back to the strange forest monsters. It all has been for this moment that’ll determine not just my future but who I’ll be as a being.
The window of the most basic evolution springs on in front of me. The thing, a ghostly green. looks as if it is made out of smoke. It seems to barely hold itself together. I bet that if I touch it, the entire thing will dissipate into nothingness.
Grand mandrake (Common)
+25 HP +10 SP +5 Strength +3 Agility +7 Constitution + 2 Perception +3 Endurance +2 Mind +4 Unallocated stat points per level.
A path walked by many.
You have reached the peak of (G) grade and therefore have shown you can advance to the next. This evolution offers stability. No penalties nor gifts will be given.
Oof, this one is really bad. The stats and resources that come along with each level are on another magnitude compared to what I have now. However, that is what I expected right from the beginning. The gap grows wider as you progress through the grades. Most of that is contributed to the required level that grows as you get stronger, along with the amount of stats that are gained at each level. Another part of the equation is the skills that also exponentially increase.
And with only the stats getting a huge boost and nothing else, it is a really bad evolution. I throw it into the trash pile and move on.
Next up!
Living tree (Common)
+100 HP +50 Constitution per level.
Return to nature.
Settle down in place and become a tree. This-
Nope. This one is worse than the previous tree evolutions that root me in place permanently. Honestly, why is the System still giving me these options? No matter what, I will not become a tree or a highly valuable alchemical ingredient. Plenty of humans are coming for me already. No need to make that worse.
The next evolutions, while interesting, are nothing to gawk at either.
Apparently, fighting the [Chimera’s vestiges] in the way I did, temporarily becoming some tree-like being unlocked quite a few options. Though, all of them remove my Agility stat, making me incapable of moving.
I continue to page through them, only reading the names, stats per level and the most basic information. I skip Pest Exterminator (Rare) and Avenger mandrake (Uncommon), straight to the ones I see some version of myself pick in a distant world.
Mandrake: Nightbloom (Rare)
+20 HP + 100 SP +3 Strength +8 Agility +1 Constitution +8 Perception +5 Endurance +6 Mind +8 Unallocated stat points per level.
The Night comes for us all.
You have delved into the world beneath the surface, weathered through the treks and stepped onto the second layer while being a (G) grade. You have stepped into the deepest shadows in the upper reaches of the Depths and gazed at one of the Abyssal monsters.
This mandrake has chosen to remain in those depths. Bloom in the Night and vanquish those who do not belong.
This evolution grants the following skills: Darkvision (B), Nightblossom (R), Nighttime Hunter (El).
WARNING: By choosing this evolution, you take damage from sunlight and light-related magics or skills.
WARNING: ACCESS TO THE SURFACE WILL BE REMOVED.
Even in here, in some place my and mine alone, my eyes press painfully against my skull when I think back to that monster in those lightless caves. How it folded in over itself, over and over, breaking laws of reality. No wonder the System wants them gone.
Something interesting about this evolution getting offered, is that I never set foot down on the second floor. I only made it a paltry 11 kilometres beneath the surface with Cobalt, and that is far, far above where the second layer should be. Perhaps, when the Cave crawlers destroyed the treks, the system thought I was down there for some reason.
With this evolution, I will be forced to fight those things daily. Don’t get me wrong, Nightblossom is an insanely powerful skill, the strongest that I’ve ever seen the system offer. Absorbing magic and the darkness itself to replenish Resources almost twice my normal regeneration rate is insane. Still, I can see myself needing every point down there.
Without a shred of doubt, that mindbending horror in the upper reaches was weak compared to the true predators that hide in the darkness. Another big problem for me is getting restricted to the depths and all the skill changes that I’ll need to go through.
I throw the evolution into the trash pile along with everything else. As interesting as picking this one is, I would never resign myself to such a fate. Besides, I’d be abandoning Sairal and Cobalt.
Mandrake: Slayer of the unnatural (Elite)
+25 HP +25 SP +5 Strength +5 Agility +6 Constitution +5 Endurance +4 Perception +2 Mind per level.
Constructs, Chimeras, remnants of Segria. Nothing will remain.
You have killed several Constructs, parts of Segria’s curse, and slain a Chimera. This mandrake has taken on the light element to annihilate the unnatural. Take this evolution and restore order. Bring back what once was.
This evolution grants the following skills: Sense of Unnatural (R), Hunter’s Gaze (Un), A Slayer’s Determination (El).
Warning: Less experience will be gained from killing natural monsters.
I cock my head to the side. Is it me, or are the descriptions of these evolutions longer and more fervent? And who was Segria? Did she create the snails?
Anyway, the stats are quite good, though no free stat points for me to allocate. Amazing skills, but the warning rubs me the wrong way. I already dealt once with reduced experience gains and will not go through that for a second time. Thank the gods that the high experience penalty was only for (G) grade.
I also really don’t like the path this one puts me on. Every monster in that ‘unnatural’ list was strong or has some really good evolution options according to the bestiary section in the endless book. Each fight will be one to the death.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I skip over a few more evolutions that all are interesting possibilities but aren’t what I am looking for. The window that makes me a valuable alchemical herb, tempting as ever, is torn to shreds by my mind and flung into the stratosphere of this place. With only five more to go, the temptations grow hard to resist.
Tangled Battlefield (Epic)
The name makes me read it twice. It isn’t a class but a rare mandrake variant. From my fights with the Cave crawler Elites, I already know that monster names can grow strange. However, being allowed to pick one of those evolutions makes my heart thrum.
+10 HP +60 SP +11 Strength +7 Agility +3 Constitution +9 Perception +2 Endurance +4 Mind +3 Unallocated stat points per level.
The battlefield has become your second home. Tangle it, ensnare your prey, and control all.
You have spent several days, consecutively, fighting against large groups of beings. You have killed assassins and warriors alike. You have evaded armies and broke them up with tactics and cunning. Long have you raged in your mind, now it is time to bring it out. Show them the rage, show them the fire, and show them despair.
This mandrake has left behind the peace in the groves and has entered the war. They do not need allies, only bindweed. This Evolution grants +5 Skill levels to all bindweed-related skills.
This evolution grants the skill Bindweed Awareness (El).
WARNING: Many of your current skills will change if this evolution is picked.
WARNING: NO DEFENSIVE SKILLS CAN BE PICKED DURING (F) GRADE.
Gods, this is yet another good evolution. Fighting the bugs every day for a dozen hours brings rewards. This one partly fits with what I need. 60 points of Stamina per level is tremendous. If I pick this one, I can probably make half of the walls if not more out of bindweed for the bastion at the end of this evolution.
(F) grade consists of 40 levels, meaning that my Stamina pool increases with 2400 points in this grade. However, this path isn’t one that protects allies. Nor is it one that is without risk. 10 points of Health per level is just painful. I will become a weapon with this evolution. A weapon that will break after hitting a single foe.
Cobalt already has the offensive needs of the fortress covered. We don’t need more in that regard. What we need is a defender, someone who reinforces the walls and makes them unbreakable.
As if thoughts summon it, the next evolution fits like a glove.
Mandrake: Wall bearer (Epic)
+10 HP +80 SP +5 Strength +1 Agility +11 Constitution +2 Perception + 5 Endurance +5 Mind +2 Unallocated Stat points per level.
Hold the walls. Until you die, they will never break.
You have held off hordes of monsters, fought them on the walls you built and triumphed. You shroud yourself in defences, forcing your foes to batter up against the walls.
This mandrake has put their focus on protecting what they love. They have seen war with their eyes and decided that they do not want any part in it. That, however, does not mean that they are scared. No. They stand strong together with their defences.
While this class has its primary focus revolved around defending, the mandrake still retains its offensive capabilities.
This evolution grants the skill Hold the Walls (R).
WARNING: NO OFFENSIVE SKILLS MAY BE PICKED DURING (F) GRADE.
It’s the exact opposite of the Tangled Battlefield. Where one wages war, the other protects. Both of them only give 10 points of Health per level. Though, the Wall Bearer is astronomically safer. No offensive skills is a tough one but the ones I have, I’m still allowed to use and upgrade.
Sairal suspected that something like this would pop up in my choices thanks to how I spent quite a bit of time testing models and building the walls.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a good evolution. Hold the Walls, again, is something we need. The skill improves the strength of any walls I conjure with my bindweed, essentially making them stronger than steel.
It’s great. Exactly what I want and what we need. However, there is one downside. Picking this one will probably reduce the offensive evolutions that the system gives for my (E) grade evolution.
The ten health points will force me to fight from the back of the line. My mind flicks back to how I used the bindweed vines layered onto the walls to kill any invader. With this much Stamina at my fingertips, how many of the insects can I kill?
My eyes move to the panels hovering behind this one, each is as solid as stone. I’ll need to give those two up. Especially the last one will be a blow to the gut. Seeing the streaks of purple run through it, I already have some suspicions about what it might be.
The thought of going with Wall Bearer without looking crosses my mind. Though, I will never forgive myself. Always that desire to know in the back of my mind.
I put Mandrake: Wall bearer into the ‘yes’ pile and focus on the second to last evolution.
The next panel trembles in the air, vibrating as a low-pitched scream rumbles out of it.
Song Screamer (Epic)
+30 HP +35 SP +3 Strength +3 Agility +7 Constitution +3 Perception +12 Endurance +5 Mind + 3 Unallocated Stat points per level.
Sing your song, and make your foes tremble to the beat.
You have several sound-related skills and have used them to control the battlefield. The songs you sang brought fear to your enemies' hearts. You have screamed your lungs out and more.
The Song screamer takes it one step further, not only bringing fear but a multitude of ailments to any enemy that hears them sing. Scream to your heart's content. Scream at your foes until they topple over.
This evolution grants the following skills: The Mandrake’s song (R) and Deep Lungs (Un).
Compared to the Tangled Battlefield and the Wall Bearer this one is relatively tame. Nothing extreme, outside of the ability to melt Cave crawler brains with my voice. But it is lacking compared to the others. I don’t know why the System thinks this one fits me so well that it put this one as the second to last.
Uh, how many times have I used Mandrake Scream to gain a few spare seconds to end a battle? How many times have I frozen the monsters around me with it? This evolution makes that all more potent. Perhaps with a few upgrades, I can not only give ailments to opponents but buffs to my allies?
Reading the fine print, it does say something like that. If not in this evolution, surely it would be in the next of this line. If I take this path, I’ll end up as a general, leading an army while I break any groups of invaders with my voice.
Tempting, but it isn’t who I am.
I take in a deep breath and slide the Song screamer away and stare at the last window. The purple in it has grown and ballooned into an open sky that I can fly in. On the ground, vines of bindweed rise like trees, ascending like leviathans of the forest in my wake. Their eyes are focused on prey, mouths filled with thorns snapping at the air.
Surely, if I pick this one, I will become that mandrake. Not today but in the future.
Mandrake: Bindweed mentalist (Epic)
I sigh after reading the name, I already know that this will be the best out of all of them. Already images of flying through the air, controlling the world, or at least my bindweed, come to my mind. And I will give this up.
Bend the world like you bend Bindweed
+20 HP +45 SP +2 Strength +2 Agility +4 Constitution +5 Perception +4 Endurance +10 Mind +5 Unallocated Stat points per level.
You have used your mind to manipulate bindweed to your will, defeating opponents and creating structures. You have reached level 30 in both Bindweed- Manipulation and Conjuration. You have bent your skills to your will, going as far as to suffer soul damage from it.
The Bindweed mentalist is another step on your current path. This evolution grants the skill Reinforced Mind (Un). This evolution will upgrade the skill Bindweed Manipulation (R) to Bindweed Control (El). This evolution will upgrade the skill Bindweed Conjuration (R) to Bindweed Creation (El).
I open the skill descriptions and breathe in through my lips. As the skill implies, it is a general improvement, allowing me to control it as if it is my right arm. I wave the skill away and select Mandrake: Wall bearer. As tempting as the other evolutions are, I just can't afford to pick them. Everyone needs some kind of fallback point or a safe haven to rest and regenerate Resources. If we don’t have that, we won’t last, slowly getting whittled down by the Cave crawlers and the humans.
*Mandrake: Wall bearer chosen.
*Mandrake: Bindweed force lvl 20/20 (G) -> Mandrake: Wall bearer lvl 0/40 (F).
*Hold the Walls lvl 1/20 (R) gained.
That’s another skill slot gone. I only have three more slots remaining.
*Pursua’s hammer has three offers. Pick one.
*Offer one: Gain one skill.
*Offer two: Gain two skills.
*Offer three: Upgrade a skill.
Ouch. I suspected that the offers were random and that I have been quite lucky with always getting the option to fuse skills. Now Pursua’s hammer confirms it. Though, I don’t intend to merge skills this time. All of them are progressing nicely, growing more powerful as they reach higher skill levels. And with most of them close to needing another skill point to increase the cap, I have the feeling that I’ll be upgrading a lot of them.
So that only leaves gaining skills. I have the inclination to pick offer two since more skills are always better. The thought that I’ll only have one more open skill slot after this stops me dead in my tracks. Besides, I have the feeling that the single skill I get from offer one will be more powerful.
*Offer one chosen.
Out of the black depths, something new rises. Come to think of it I never picked this option before. The glass-turned-water bubbles up and a golden anvil the size of a house ascends. Next to it floats an equally large golden hammer, trembling with eagerness to smith a new creation.
Motes of golden light pull together forming a piece of paper and a quill. I frown as I read down the list of... multiple-choice questions?
The quill places itself in my hand, ink the colour of my blood bleeding off the tip. It whispers to me, telling me that I have to circle the letter that I desire or like the most to get the best skill from the anvil and hammer.
I look at the list and raise my eyebrows. It is an interesting option, it allows me to influence what kind of skill that Pursua’s hammer will forge for me. Though, it isn’t entirely up to me. With only four choices for each question, I’m only allowed to choose something in a certain range.
I read the first question.
1) Element?
(A) Earth
(B) Decay
(C) Nature
(D) Bloom
I scratch the side of my head. From the paper, I get the sense that the System didn’t write this. While it isn’t always as lengthy as I want, it’s usually far more verbose.
Anyway, I don’t have any idea what kind of skill I want. Probably something for combat since I’ll be unable to pick any of that kind up during my stay in (F) grade. Bindweed is my forte and I see no reason to change that. That makes Decay fall off the list since I don’t see it match well with the bindweed. Besides, it’s more Sairal’s style.
Earth is the next to go. There’s a bit of combat potential there, but it won’t synergise. Nature is interesting. I’m a being of nature. I even gained Nature Affinity when I came to this world. Though, it doesn’t add anything new to my skillset.
I shrug and pick Bloom as the element. Maybe I’ll get a skill that allows me to create more of those glowing flowers. I pour through the questions, each one stranger than the last.
There isn’t one that asks me if I want a combat skill or along the lines of that. Instead, it seems like the person who wrote this list was having a stroke halfway through coming up with questions.
7) Favorite weather?
(A) Rain
(B) Clouds
(C) Sun
(D) Night
I groan in frustration. Since when is night considered to be weather?
I select (C) and move on to the last few questions, ignoring how deranged they are. When I’m done, the piece of paper flies away, wrapping around the hammer's handle.
The hammer itself floats through the air and begins to smash against the anvil, the sound like the rumbling of mountains. A minute later a coin, the colour of a common rarity skill, flies down towards me and pushes itself into my System menu.
I don’t have the time to read the description before I’m getting pulled towards the aurora above me. Strands of colour fall away as if the beast of light is shedding its skin. A lighter hint of green grows and other strands diminish.
The purple line, large as a river, sputters out to the size of a creek. I gulp, knowing that I’ll have to pull off some truly tremendous feats to get back on the right path. I’m fine with being someone who focuses more on defence than offence. That doesn’t mean that I’ll be defenceless though. Any enemy who’ll step into my domain will suffer from my wrath. Like with the [Chimera’s Vestiges], They’ll end up wrapped up in bindweed, the life squeezed out of them.
I grin at the memory. If I can do that with anyone who will assail the Bindweed Bastion, I’ll be fine on defence. My eyes close and I fall into a deep slumber, eager to test out my new abilities when I wake up.