Chapter 42 | Another Evolution Points Source [2]
After a few hours of killing monsters in the dark forest, Alicar had managed to gain several Evolution Points, and also make several important discoveries about how his talent truly worked.
First of all, he always needed to consume 5 E-Rank cores to gain 1 Evolution Point, no matter what, the number remained consistent throughout his testing.
As for F-Rank cores, the ones you obtained from enemies of the common rank, they did absolutely nothing, no matter how many he consumed.
Alicar mainly killed common-rank monsters during his grinding sessions, but even after absorbing every core he found, it did nothing to increase his Evolution Points.
That meant F-Rank cores were completely useless to him, at least the Tier-0 ones, and he would be better off leaving them behind.
As for D-Rank cores, the only other ones he found in the Initial Stage, he needed exactly three to gain 1 Evolution Point, a much better ratio than the E-Rank ones.
Once Alicar felt like he had done enough for the day, his body aching from the constant fighting, he took a deep breath and checked his panel.
[Evolution Points: 12]
"Another 9 Evolution Points," he nodded, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. "Pretty good for a single day, though I’ll need to find more monsters to keep up this pace."
With this, Alicar didn’t need to worry about waiting half a year just to evolve his skill, he could simply do it by absorbing cores from the monsters he killed.
He opened his skill’s panel at that moment and decided to evolve it, his finger hovering over the option.
[Evolve for 8 Evolution Points?]
"Yes!"
[Level 4 → 5]
Once again, the skill grew much stronger, making each of Alicar’s attacks even more deadly and devastating against his enemies.
[Skill: Elemental Attack]
[Rank: Rare]
[Level: 5 (+)]
[Description: Make use of the power of your affinities to conjure different attacks. Your proficiency with this skill will determine your attacks’ power. +80% Damage.]
[Insufficient Evolution Points. Cost: 16]
And once that was done, Alicar returned to the human base and phased through the exit portal, returning to the real world with a sense of accomplishment.
He came out of the gate he had entered the Initial Stage through, his expression neutral as he adjusted to the bright lights.
And as he left the plaza, he simply gazed back one more time at the shimmering portal.
’I guess I got nothing to do but spend every day grinding for Evolution Points now, huh,’ he thought, a sigh escaping his lips.
He decided to head back to the Awakener Association to sell the F-Rank cores he had acquired, pocketing him a modest $1,200 for his efforts.
But as Alicar returned home and sat on his bed, the familiar creak of the old mattress beneath him, he closed his eyes, and found himself wondering what Iris and Leon were doing at that very moment.
...
Meanwhile, at the Center of Tempest, Crowford Estate.
"What great news this is," Theodore Crowford laughed loudly at the return party they had made for Iris, his voice booming across the grand hall. "We believed that you were gone, but thankfully, something incredible happened instead!"
All over the table were several members of the Crowford family, including Iris, Theodore, Lucius, their mother, Angela, and many more distant relatives who had gathered to celebrate.
"Indeed~" Angela smiled warmly, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "I mean, being lost in a Secret Realm and returning with new powers, that is indeed incredible for our family’s standing!"
"Glory to the Eternal Realm," Theodore lifted his cup of wine, and everyone cheered, their voices echoing through the opulent dining hall. "With this class, Iris shall elevate our family even further above the other houses!"
"And those pesky other families won’t have anything to say about her being a farmer," Angela sighed in relief, her shoulders relaxing. "I truly believed our daughter was a lost cause for a while there~"
"The heavens smiled at us!" another family member added, raising their glass.
Everyone cheered, their faces alight with joy and celebration, but upon hearing this, Iris’ expression tightened and darkened, her fists clenched beneath the table.
She had told them about the fact the Secret Realm had taken many lives, and the fact that everyone she had entered with was dead, their bodies left behind.
She had told them that she almost lost her life repeatedly but escaped by a hair’s length, surviving through sheer luck and determination.
And yet... they didn’t seem to care, all they needed was for her to have a good class, everything else was irrelevant to their ambitions.
The only other person who seemed mad at all this was Lucius, though he didn’t say anything here, his jaw tight with silent frustration.
Of course, though Iris told them about the Secret Realm, she didn’t say anything about Alicar’s powers, or what they did inside the temple.
She simply told them that she escaped, not even describing the Sun Beast, and that she gained this class from the reward, exactly as Alicar had advised.
As Alicar had said, they bought it almost instantly, not caring where the power came from as long as it benefited them and their family name.
Iris gazed at her plate of high-level monster food, the exquisite meal that would have cost a fortune to anyone outside the family, then she pondered to herself, ’I wonder what you’re doing, Alicar.’
Ding!
[Your skill "Elemental Attack" has levelled up to Level 5.]
’Hah, I guess you’re doing fine,’ she smiled to herself as she saw the panel, feeling herself grow stronger in sync with him.
...
At the same time, at the Awakener Association.
After returning to Earth, Leon had an extremely hard time adjusting to his new reality.
First, he appeared in the middle of his old living room, but since he had been gone for 2 years, it had already been replaced by new tenants who had no idea who he was.
He tried as hard as he could to calm them down, explaining his situation, but seeing the person’s fear and confusion, he simply rushed away, not wanting to cause more trouble.
He was now homeless, the world had already considered him dead long before he came back, his belongings sold and his name forgotten.
He had to make his way to the Awakener Association to register, and after all the formalities and having to answer dozens of questions from skeptical officials, they allowed him to register.
"How strange," Godrick groaned as he looked at Leon, his brow furrowed. "It’s the second time someone tells me they were in a Secret Realm in a day, oh well."
Just like that, Leon was able to sign up with his initial class, which was Power Fighter, and thus didn’t have to worry about revealing his Demonic Arts skill to anyone.
But still, he needed to complete his Advancement Task fast, since, for some strange reason, he didn’t want to fall behind Alicar, a competitive fire burning within him.
Of course, Alicar was the one and only reason he was alive, and much stronger than before, a debt he could never fully repay.
But still, Leon knew he needed to grow much stronger to face whatever was in the First Layer, to prove himself worthy of the power he had been given.
...
As Alicar opened his eyes once more, he simply sighed, a faint smile on his face.
’Well, think they’re doing just fine,’ he thought, a sense of peace washing over him.