Evolution and Job Change (7)

I logged in. In the end, I had logged out right there in the treasury, but now I was alone, with no one else around. A few people, including Ruby and Shio, were logged in, but they seemed to be somewhere else at the moment.

Yesterday, there had simply been too much going on, and I had been overloaded with information, but I had managed to sort things out in my head. The first thing to do after logging in. That was, of course...

"Well, shall we evolve?"

I had reached level 70 during yesterday's boss battle. That meant I could evolve whenever I wanted. Before logging out yesterday, I had decided that evolving would be the first thing I did today, without fail.

At last, I could finally catch up to Jigoro and Genjuro. Now, what evolution options do I have?

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Chaos Abyss Dragon Bone Undead Lord

A new species of Undead Lord that can use all Abyss magic, contains part of a dragon in its body, and has had various additional body parts added through 【Alchemy】.

It is expected to possess strength far surpassing that of an ordinary Undead Lord, but because it is a new species, its exact combat ability cannot be measured.

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Yeah, I knew it. Of course there would be a Race with "Lord" in its name. Since it's an Undead Lord, does that mean I essentially usurped Catherine's position? I came here simply because I wanted to explore, so how did this happen?

There's no point dwelling on the past. For now, I just have to follow the one option available to me. All right, time to evolve.

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Chaos Abyss Dragon Bone Undead Lord selected.

Evolution into Chaos Abyss Dragon Bone Undead Lord will now begin.

Your 【Undead Wisdom】 level has increased through evolution.

Your 【Abyss Dweller】 level has increased through evolution.

Your 【Abyssal Aura】 level has increased through evolution.

Your 【Floating Skull】 level has increased through evolution.

You acquired the 【Chaos Sovereignty】 Skill through evolution.

You acquired the 【Abyssal Guide】 Skill through evolution.

Through evolution, the Staff of Penglai, Skull Mask, and Moon Veil have each advanced by one stage.

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After reading through the wall of text, I checked my increased stats and improved equipment. Yes, everything here seemed to be strengthening normally, just as it always did. The real issue was the new Skills.

I had expected to gain more Skills since I was becoming a king, but 【Chaos Sovereignty】 and 【Abyssal Guide】, huh...? They sound incredibly ominous, but what do they actually do? I should check.

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【Chaos Sovereignty】

Forcibly averages out the stats of enemies within a certain radius centered on you.

The range and duration of the effect are proportional to your Player Level.

Once activated, it cannot be activated again for one full day in real time—that is, 96 hours in game time.

【Abyssal Guide】

Brings clan members, allied-clan members, and friends closer to the Abyss.

Lowers the requirements for learning Abyss magic and evolving into an Abyss monster.

However, that does not mean their available choices are limited.

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Huh? Huhhhhh!? Aren't both of these incredibly powerful!?

The range of 【Chaos Sovereignty】 is Player Level × 0.1 meters. In other words, it affects enemies within a seven-meter radius at my current level. Its duration is Player Level × 1 second, so I can weaken them for 70 seconds.

Forcibly averaging their stats means that, for better or worse, it turns them into jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none types. Therefore, it will have little effect on opponents whose characters are already built as all-rounders. It might even be fair to say it would have almost no effect at all.

However, it would be a devastating blow to players who specialize in a particular stat. Sturdy shield tanks, speedsters, and brilliant mages would all have their specialties taken away from them.

Testing has shown that some combat techniques become unusable when one's stats are lowered. These are techniques that require stats above a certain threshold, and most of them could reasonably be called finishing moves. Heavy weapons would become impossible to swing properly, while precise shots and high-powered magic would also become unusable.

The range is a little narrow, and the cooldown is long. Even taking those drawbacks into account, I can declare this an overwhelmingly powerful Skill. What's more, I have one revival from 【Clinging to Life】, so depending on the situation, I might even be able to launch a suicidal charge into enemy territory.

However, I shouldn't assume it will always be safe. A heavy warrior's speed will increase, an assassin's strength will be enhanced, and a mage will become harder to defeat thanks to increased health and defense. I must remember that it doesn't "lower" stats, but rather "averages" them.

【Abyssal Guide】 has little benefit for me personally, but it will strengthen my companions. If I ever want to accomplish something major, I might be able to use this as bait to recruit their cooperation.

They might betray me after getting all the benefits they can, but if that happens, it will simply mean I failed to judge them properly. They're players with real people behind them, after all. Things like that can happen. And if they become my enemies, I'll just give them my all.

"Next, let's choose a Job. I've mostly decided on the candidates, but..."

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Abyss Mythic Sage

A powerful mage well versed in sinister magic.

Massive bonus to magic power.

Extreme bonus to Abyss magic.

Undead Lord

The king reigning at the pinnacle of undead monsters.

Massive bonus to all stats.

Provides a bonus to the stats of allied undead monsters.

Greatly increases your favorability with undead monsters.

Demon King

A king who leads a wide variety of monsters.

Massive bonus to all stats.

Provides a slight bonus to the stats of allied monsters.

Raises your favorability with all monsters.

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I knew it! Of course there would be king-type options! I knew it! ...I'll put off running away from reality for now. Since I have options here, I need to choose carefully.

If I want to improve my magic, then 'Abyss Mythic Sage' is the only choice. It strengthens both ordinary magic and Abyss magic, so naturally, that's the option I should take.

As for 'Undead Lord' and 'Demon King,' between the two, I can only choose 'Demon King.' The only Undead in my clan are Kanna and me, so I should choose the one that can strengthen everyone instead.

This is a tough choice! The next evolution and Job change are still a long way off, so even if I choose the option I don't take now, it will take time. Both are extremely appealing, but... all right!

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'Abyss Mythic Sage' selected.

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I agonized over it, but I chose 'Abyss Mythic Sage.' There were two reasons. The first was to increase my own combat power. A Job that could strengthen my companions was appealing, but my main role was still that of a mage. Neglecting that and ending up lacking magical firepower would be a problem.

I had chosen 'Apostle of Death and Chaos' once before in order to secure a means of healing. If I took any more detours, I would fall far behind mages around my level in terms of firepower. I wanted to avoid that.

As for the second reason... I was simply embarrassed to call myself a king. You might be wondering what someone who enjoys role-playing is complaining about now. But calling myself a king was just too embarrassing. I want to find a way to cast off that embarrassment before my next Job change.

Also, I didn't undergo any body modifications this time. I didn't think adding anything else anywhere would be particularly effective, so I hadn't even made any new parts. Two auxiliary arms, a long tail, and a spare head are enough, right?

After finishing my evolution and Job change, I left the treasury. Kal, who had been lying down and resting, rose and ran over to me. Then Kal rubbed its head against me and started begging for attention. Even after growing so big, it's still adorable!

"Hmm, it might be hard to go and join them now. Then shall we go on our own for the first time in a while, Kal?"

"Gwooon!"

And so I set off with Kal, but the monsters had vanished completely from the palace. Was it because we had defeated the boss and taken control of the field itself? Or had Ruby and the others wiped them all out? Either way, it felt as though we were sightseeing among ruins.

"Grrrr..."

"Hm? A Failed Homunculus?"

While we wandered through the palace, Kal turned around and let out a growl. I was curious, so I turned that way too, and there it was: a Failed Homunculus with the same grotesque appearance as ever, walking down the corridor.

It was barefoot, so please stop making that horror-movie slapping sound. It's fine now, but if one suddenly came at me, it would be terrible for my heart!

"GROOOAAAR!"

"Gyaaaah!?"

However, we were no longer the sort to struggle against a single Failed Homunculus. In fact, either Kal or I could have easily swept it aside alone.

As expected, Kal leaped at it, pinned it down, and began devouring it. Every time Kal eats an enemy, I wonder whether it will give Kal a stomachache. Personally, I'm glad it saves me money on Kal's food. All you stray monsters out there, please keep letting yourselves get eaten.

"Gwon."

"Well done. Good boy, Kal... Hmm?"

As I stroked Kal's head while it brought its head close again to be praised, I suddenly began to wonder where that Failed Homunculus had come from.

The reason was that it had appeared in the corridor right after we'd passed through. It definitely hadn't been there when we went by. Had it simply sprung into existence from somewhere during that brief interval?

No, the Failed Homunculus was an "artificial" monster, just as its name indicated. Therefore, the logical assumption was that someone—or something—had manufactured it. In other words, they were probably still being manufactured somewhere in this palace.

"It's creepy to have something beneath a place we're using as our base. Let's find it somehow."

I took Kal and thoroughly searched the area around where the Failed Homunculus had appeared. However, without an exploration Skill, I couldn't find anything resembling a hidden passage.

"Huh?"

"Grr?"

"Ggi?"

"Gehhh?"

Was there nothing to do but have Ruby and the others come here? Just as I was thinking that, I entered a random room—and happened to encounter two Failed Homunculi emerging from behind a rotating wall. I-I see, they come out of there!

While Kal made short work of the Failed Homunculi, I patted the wall where they had appeared. The revolving door they had emerged through had instantly blended into the wall, leaving no gap for me to slip through. There was naturally no doorknob, so I checked to see whether there was a button or something that would let me open it from this side.

But, as expected, I couldn't even find a hint. Even though I had seen it with my own eyes, I was starting to doubt whether there really was a hidden door here at all.

"Then I'll use my last resort. Break Object."

I tried to destroy the wall using 【Void Magic】. If the proper approach didn't work, I could always force it open!

With a clattering sound, only the section containing the hidden door collapsed into rubble. Apparently, it had a separate collision box from the wall. I hadn't wanted to damage the palace needlessly, but I decided to consider it a necessary expense.

"It's a tight fit, but Kal can get through too. Let's go, Kal."

"GROOAR!"

The hidden passage was reasonably high and wide. It was narrow for Kal, but still passable. Without hesitation, we headed toward its far end.