Chapter 43: Unique Evolution
The grueling Eternal Night ended in an unceremonious way as the murky grey-black fog reclaimed the world.
Edgar stood atop the Fortress Wall, his face twisted in disgust as the stench of blood, burnt flesh, and death filled the air.
’I will never get used to this.’
His tired eyes slowly swept across the battlefield.
Thousands upon thousands of corpses lay scattered around the Fortress.
Some had been reduced to black ash by the Flamethrowers, while others had been torn apart by the Ballistas.
The ground itself was no longer visible in many places, buried beneath layers of Nightmare corpses.
"..."
Even after surviving the battle, there wasn’t a trace of joy on his face.
The victory had come at a cost that made his heart bleed.
Three ⟨Watch Towers⟩ had been destroyed and were beyond repair.
Nearly a hundred White Nightmare Stones had been spent repairing the Fortress Wall throughout the night.
Several sections of the patrol path had collapsed after the Lizard Commander’s assault.
His own house had been reduced to rubble.
Even now, broken timber and shattered stone lay scattered across the Fortress.
’I really underestimated that bastard...’
If the Commander had possessed another siege weapon like those acid creatures...
The outcome might have been completely different.
Edgar slowly exhaled, letting go of the lingering thoughts.
"Young Master!"
Andrew’s cheerful voice echoed from below as the young boy hurried out of the warehouse.
The moment he saw the battlefield outside the wall... his footsteps came to a halt.
"...Holy Mother."
Even someone as energetic as Andrew was stunned for quite a while.
His eyes widened as he stared at the sea of corpses stretching as far as he could see.
"I... I can’t even see the ground anymore."
Edgar gave a tired nod.
"Neither can I."
After a brief silence, a small smile appeared on Andrew’s face.
"We won."
"...Yeah."
Edgar looked toward the ⟨Tower of Souls⟩ that had swallowed the Nightmare Commander.
"We did."
But inside, Edgar had a deeply unsettling feeling.
What if this wasn’t the end of it?
What if there were more Nightmares out there who could do what the Lizard Commander couldn’t?
Edgar still remembered the almost human-looking Nightmare who destroyed the Yamhad Clan’s subsidiary Fortress.
’Urgh, why am I overthinking?’
Taking a deep breath, he put those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand.
"Andrew." He said quietly. "Do you know what time it is?"
The young boy blinked innocently.
"I don’t know. Should I as—."
"Just go and collect all the Nightmare Stones." Edgar replied, smacking the young boy on the head. "Make sure to eat your meal first."
Young Andrew rubbed his head and replied, "Aye."
The blonde then walked down the staircase toward the ⟨Tower of Souls⟩.
While walking, Edgar also picked up the three items that the Nightmare Commander had dropped.
One was a Yellow-grade Nightmare Stone, one was a Nightmare Material, and the other was a Shard.
A system panel appeared before his eyes, displaying information about them.
---
⟨Name: Shin-Lizard’s Shard⟩
⟨Grade: Yellow⟩
⟨Ritual: Slay one hundred Nightmare creatures while personally delivering the killing blow.
The ritual must be completed within a single Eternal Night.
Failure resets all progress.⟩
⟨Ability: Eye of the Commander⟩
⟨Warning: Those who inherit the eyes of a commander often begin viewing life as expendable.
Repeated use may gradually erode empathy.⟩
---
"....."
Edgar quietly lowered the shard, which had the texture of clay.
’Another mental side effect...’
He suddenly understood why powerful people didn’t recklessly absorb every Shard they found.
The rituals themselves weren’t always difficult, but the real danger came afterward.
They didn’t have a system to warn them.
Who knew what side effects consuming one would bring?
’Power always comes with a price.’
He slipped the Shard into his pocket before turning his attention toward the Yellow-grade material.
’And why does this monster as such shinny name?’
---
⟨Name: Shin-Lizard’s Core Scale⟩
⟨Grade: Yellow⟩
⟨Ability: Contains exceptional defensive properties.
Compatible with advanced equipment, defensive structures, and Builder blueprints.⟩
---
Edgar’s eyes lit up. ’A structural material...’
Unlike Shards, this wasn’t something he needed to absorb. It could directly strengthen his creations.
His mind immediately began thinking of dozens of possibilities.
’Fortress Wall... Ballista... Wall Cage...’
Edgar suppressed his desire to experiment and looked up.
He finally arrived before the ⟨Tower of Souls⟩.
The towering black monument was quieter than usual.
Its surface pulsed faintly, as if it were slowly digesting the soul of the Nightmare Commander.
’Hm, come to think of it, the tower reacted abnormally last night.’
Keeping aside the fact that it had taken the Commander’s body without permission, there were many other things that didn’t add up.
But the most important was the lack of the required number.
’Do I not need to fill all fifty slots to start the refinement, or is it only possible with intelligent Nightmares?’
Edgar had so many questions, but he knew better than to expect an answer right now.
Looking at the tower, he spoke.
"Collect."
Three items quickly floated out of the archway of eternal darkness.
Another system prompt appeared before his eyes.
---
⟨Name: Soul Essence⟩
⟨Grade: Yellow⟩
⟨Description: A crystallized fragment of refined soul energy that can be used to enhance Soul Structures or as a catalyst for advanced Builder creations.⟩
---
Edgar couldn’t help but smile when he saw a familiar item again.
’I really need to find a way to make use of these.’
He put down the white crystal-like object and shifted his gaze toward the next item.
---
⟨Name: Shin-Lizard’s Leather⟩
⟨Grade: Yellow⟩
⟨Description: An overcoat made from the incredibly tough skin of the Shin-Lizard. Immune to fire and cold.⟩
---
Edgar took a good look at the black overcoat.
The overcoat looked surprisingly ordinary.
It was entirely black with a high collar and a long split at the back.
There wasn’t a single decorative pattern stitched onto it.
If someone saw it in a marketplace, they would probably mistake it for an ordinary traveler’s coat.
’Looks can be deceiving...’
Without much thought, Edgar wrapped the coat around his shoulders. It fit him perfectly.
Despite its appearance, it didn’t feel heavy in the slightest.
Rather, it was lighter than the clothes he was already wearing.
’This will save my life sooner or later.’
He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could dodge every attack forever.
Edgar finally shifted his attention to the last item.
A small black orb floated silently before the Tower of Souls.
Unlike Nightmare Stones, its surface wasn’t solid.
Dark mist constantly flowed beneath its shell, making it look as though countless souls were trapped inside.
---
⟨Name: Soul Seed⟩
⟨Grade: Yellow⟩
⟨Description: The origin of a Soul Structure that can be fused with a compatible structure to awaken a unique evolution.⟩
⟨Warning: The Soul Seed will be consumed upon use.⟩
---
’Unique evolution?’