Chương 94: An Evolution

The aftermath of the attack was a blur of controlled chaos and whispered, frantic questions. My sudden, timely appearance as 'Jack', conveniently 'awakened' by the commotion, was the anchor in their storm of shock. I moved with a practiced haste that was part of my persona, my hands applying salves and muttering about tinctures, while my true, Legendary-tier healing power flowed in a gentle, undetectable stream. My mind, however, was a maelstrom.

The persona of the "ominous armored man" had been a desperate gambit, a terrifying mask forged in a split second of cold panic. And it had worked far better than I could have ever hoped. An unknown, monstrous variable was still a far better explanation for the events of the night than their unassuming healer suddenly revealing the power to incinerate a pack of Tier 4 predators.

I replayed the fight, not with the adrenaline of combat, but with the cold, detached analysis of a strategist reviewing a battlefield recording. The smaller Creepers were textbook Tier 4 threats — dangerous in a pack, but fragile against overwhelming power. The Matriarch, however… that thing had been an outlier. Its coppery chitin had resisted the full, direct application of my Soulfire, even for a moment.

Its speed, its raw physical power, its venomous payload — it was pushing the absolute upper limits of Tier 4, perhaps even brushing the precipice of Tier 5 in its raw destructive capability. A creature like that didn't just appear in the wild without reason. It was an apex predator tied to a significant source of power. That's why I hadn't just incinerated its corpse. Theatrics had only been a secondary motive. I took off to store it at a location I could easily find again later.

Leoric would have a field day with it. The unique properties of that metallic chitin, the nature of its venom glands, the structure of its soul essence — it was an invaluable treasure trove of biological and arcane data. A prize far too valuable to leave rotting in the wilderness. As I finished applying the last of the bandages to Eliza's arm, a familiar, cool blue light bloomed in the periphery of my mind's eye. [High-Tier Territorial Guardian Defeated: Chitin-Scale Matriarch (Tier 4 Boss Variant).] [You have purged the primary threat from a Latent Sanctum zone.] [Latent Sanctum Detected: The Sanctum of the Chime-Grass Weald.] My breath caught. A Sanctum? Here? My Sanctum was the bedrock of my power and security, the single greatest asset I possessed. The idea that another one was simply… latent… out here in the wilderness was a staggering revelation. [Relocation Protocol Available. Do you wish to transfer the Core of your current Sanctum ('The Veiled Path') to the nexus point of 'The Sanctum of the Chime-Grass Weald'?] [WARNING: Core Transfer is an irreversible process. All structural progress, upgrades, and room installations in 'The Veiled Path' will be lost. The Level 4 Sanctum Core, the Anima Forge, and the Soulfire Forge will be destroyed in the transfer. All personnel and stored items will be safely translocated. Anima will be unaffected.] The offer hit me with the force of a physical blow. A chance to have a base of operations so close to a major Kyorian hub like Nexus Delta-7… the strategic implications were enormous. It could cut travel times, allow for easier surveillance, give me a defensible foothold deep in their territory. But the cost. My mind flashed to Leoric, his face alight with pure ecstasy in his newly upgraded workshop.

The Soulfire Forge wasn't just a structure; it was an extension of my own power, allowing him to work wonders that were impossible before. The Anima Forge was the entire reason Mavia existed. To give all that up, to cast aside the years of work and quintessence I had poured into 'The Veiled Path' and start over from a Level 1 Core, a blank slate… it was unthinkable. We would be set back years. The risk was far too great.

It was the ultimate fool's bargain: trading a functional fortress for the deed to an unknown, undeveloped patch of land. I wasn't going to make that trade. As I dismissed the initial offer, a secondary, smaller notification appeared. [Note: The Sanctum of the Chime-Grass Weald is now unclaimed. If a new Master does not claim the Nexus within approximately three (3) Terran months, the System will allow a new Guardian entity to claim ownership over the zone.] Three months. So the clock was ticking.

It was a tempting, dangling thread — a potential asset for the future, or a potential new monster to be born if I ignored it. For now, it was a problem I couldn't afford to solve. I filed the information away, a seed of a plan for another time.

"There," I said aloud, my voice the steady, reassuring tone of Jack. I tied off the final knot on Eliza's bandage.

"Good as new. Just take it easy for a day or two." She looked at me, her eyes still wide with the shock of what she had seen. The questions were there, churning just behind the surface. But she just nodded, her throat too dry to speak. My secret, for now, was safe. But the world had just shown its hand. The expression on her face was obvious — it wasn't just Kyorians and demons she had to worry about. This world had its own sleeping monsters, its own hidden kingdoms. And we had just accidentally stumbled into one.

Silas was the greater challenge. He was conscious but now struggling to move from the neck down, the venom a grey, stagnant sludge in his life-force.

"Neurotoxin," I announced grimly, playing the part.

"I have an antidote, but it's slow." I administered a vial of colored water, and then, under the guise of checking his pulse, I laid my hand on his neck and unleashed a carefully controlled surge of pure, cleansing energy. To the others, his gradual recovery over the next twenty minutes would seem like the work of a rare and potent medicine. The truth was far more terrifying. No one questioned the impossible coincidence of the armored man appearing and vanishing just as I arrived.

Their minds, reeling from the traumatic assault, simply couldn't process it. They latched onto the only comprehensible narrative: they had been saved by some unknown, wandering powerhouse, a mysterious and terrifying guardian angel. The myth of the 'Roar of Providence' was already a cornerstone of local folklore; the 'Blazing Deathknight' was simply a new, far darker chapter. My secret was still safe, I hoped, buried under a mountain of their shock and awe.

The final day of our journey to Nexus Delta-7 were a study in tension. The easy, if slightly fractious, camaraderie we had built was gone, replaced by a hyper-vigilant, paranoid silence. Every snapped twig, every strange shadow, sent hands flying to weapon hilts. They moved with the twitchy, exhausted awareness of soldiers who had survived an ambush and were waiting for the next one. I felt the weight of my failure in their haunted eyes.

The memory of the Glimpse, of Eliza's failing light and Silas' limp form, was a cold stone in my gut. I had been too far away, indulging in a moment of selfish freedom, and it had nearly cost them their lives. That thought became a new, driving obsession. My [True Sight] failed me. And it almost failed them. Throughout the rest of the journey, I kept the Rare-tier skill active almost constantly, pushing it, straining its limits, forcing myself to analyze every leaf, every rock, every flicker of energy.

The constant mental exertion gave me a legitimate headache, one I didn't have to fake, which only served to reinforce my 'Jack' persona as we finally walked out of the wilderness and saw our destination. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Nexus Delta-7 welcomed us with a cold embrace. Kyorian architecture was a monument to brutalist efficiency, all stark grey lines, perfect geometric shapes, and a complete absence of any warmth or character.

Prefabricated habitation blocks stood in serried, identical rows. Elevated mag-rail lines hummed overhead, shuttling cargo and personnel with silent, unnerving speed. The very air smelled of sterilized metal and the faint, clean tang of ozone from the massive power conduits that snaked along the walls. There were no town squares, no bustling markets, only wide, empty plazas and imposing administrative buildings.

It was a place designed for function, not life, and its purpose was clear: to intimidate, to overwhelm, to make any visitor feel small and insignificant. As Team Bastion, clad in our mix of practical leather and simple gear, walked down the main concourse, we drew more than a few stares. We looked like what we were: backwater homesteaders walking into the heart of an Imperial machine. Our destination was the largest building, the Gauntlet Proctor's Office. Amos was waiting for us.

The Kyorian official stood behind a gleaming chrome desk, his smile as polished and insincere as the floor.

"Ah, Leader Montgomery. And the rustic champions of Bastion. Welcome." His eyes, the color of chips of ice, swept over us, cataloging, assessing, dismissing.

"I am pleased to see you formed a full contingent. Cooperation is, after all, the first step toward true enlightenment." The registration was a swift, impersonal process. We were each handed a data-slate and told to input our vitals and declared skill sets. Lucas' jaw was tight, Silas' expression was thunderous, but they complied. When it was my turn, I made a show of staring at the glowing screen taking my time to read. Using the time as an excuse to stand close, to observe.

Under the steady, active strain of my [True Sight], I could see the faint, silvery shimmer of a personal shield generator integrated into the lining of his robes and the thrumming energy of a Tier 4 mana signature, far more potent than his bureaucratic role suggested. This man was no simple administrator. He was a power, hiding in plain sight, just as I was.

"There," he said, reaching to retrieve the slate back from me.

"Jack. Healer. A noble, if limited, profession." He handed us five metallic wristbands.

"Your team credentials and biometric monitors. Do not lose them. Lodging has been assigned for you at the 'Wayfarer's Respite,' Block G4. Registration closes in a day then the opening ceremony is two days after. Do try to stay out of trouble until then." The 'Wayfarer's Respite' was as soulless as the rest of the station, a block of identical, cell-like rooms connected by sterile white hallways.

But it was private, and after a short, tense team meeting where Lucas laid down the rules — stick together, trust no one, keep your head down — we finally had a moment to breathe. The common room of the inn was a noisy, chaotic place, filled with dozens of other Gauntlet hopefuls. It was an anthropological goldmine. My team, a little overwhelmed, found a table in a quiet corner. I, however, saw an opportunity.

"I'll get us a round of drinks," I announced, rising slowly.

"My legs could use a stretch." My path to the bar was a slow, deliberate scan of the room, my [True Sight] working overtime. I categorized the various teams by the energy signatures of their gear, the quality of their auras, and the unconscious synergy in their body language. There were mostly hardened survivors, but there were some whose members radiated auras of pragmatic, blood-red violence.

Some were proud, uniformed teams from minor Imperial client-states, their discipline a stark contrast to their weak, Tier 2 energy signatures. My eyes settled on one group in particular. They held court in the center of the room, a team of five humans exuding an aura of arrogant confidence. They were loud, their laughter booming, their gear a mismatch of exotic leathers and beast-bone trophies. A classic party of freelance adventurers.

Using [True Sight] was like looking through a warped, dirty lens — I could see the core of their power, but the finer details were frustratingly blurry. The leader was a hulking brute of a man with a massive, two-handed axe strapped to his back, his Tier 3 aura a boisterous, fiery orange. A lithe woman with a quiver of wicked-looking arrows sat beside him, her energy a cool, calculating blue.

A young man in dark robes sat opposite them, his fingers drumming impatiently on the table, his mana pool a deep, turbulent violet — a mage perhaps, and a powerful one for his level. Two others, a pair of shield-bearing warriors, flanked them. All Mid Tier 3, all competent, but I saw the subtle discord in their energies. The leader's aura was expansive, egotistical, overwhelming the others. The archer's however, was tight and controlled, held in check.

They weren't a cohesive unit; they were five strong individuals fighting for the spotlight.

"— call themselves the Crimson Vultures," the bartender, a weary-looking S'skarr, grumbled to me as I ordered.

"Think they've already won. Been telling everyone who'll listen how they cleared out a Scavenger nest in the Wailing Canyons. Cocky bastards." I paid for the drinks, my mind already dissecting them. Individually stronger than Silas or Eliza, I thought, a familiar cold knot of guilt tightening in my chest. But their synergy is flawed. Lucas leads by inspiring trust; that one leads by demanding attention. We can use that. My analysis was sharp, but the frustration with my own abilities was a growing fire.

I wanted to see more. I wanted to see the specific resonance of the mage's spells, the faint enchantment-trails on the archer's arrows. I needed to see the flaws in their souls, not just the colors of their auras. My current skill was a blunted instrument, and the Creeper attack had proven that a blunt instrument could get people killed. I brought the drinks back to my team, who had been quietly observing the same group.

"They're strong," Silas noted, his voice a low growl of professional assessment.

"They're arrogant," Mavia countered, her grey eyes like chips of flint.

"Arrogance is a weakness. It makes you predictable." It was one of the first strategic insights she had offered freely, and it made Lucas nod in grudging approval. As the evening wore on, the Vultures only grew louder. I nursed my drink, the strain of keeping my [True Sight] at maximum output for so long making the dull ache behind my eyes throb in earnest. My gaze kept flicking back to them, pushing my perception, trying to peel back another layer, to see something, anything, more.

I focused on the threads of their conversations, on the energy they expended with every gesture, on the slight dimming of their auras as the potent alcohol took hold. It was a pointless, obsessive exercise, fueled by the fresh, terrifying memory of my failure. Later that night, I lay on the thin mattress in my small, sterile room. The rest of the block was quiet, the station outside humming its endless, monotonous song of power. My team was safe, for now. But the close call rode me like a phantom.

I could still see Silas' vacant eyes in my Glimpse, still feel the phantom echo of Eliza's terror. A failure of perception. A weakness in my own arsenal that had almost left a permanent, bloody stain on my conscience. The obsession wouldn't let go. Even now, alone in the dark, I pushed my [True Sight] one more time, not to see anything specific, but as a form of self-flagellation.

I strained it, pouring more mana into the Rare-tier skill than it was ever designed to handle, expanding its radius past the walls of the inn, across the cold, sterile plaza, over the identical rooftops of this Imperial machine. I traced the paths of the automated security drones, saw the life-signs of the Kyorian guards in their barracks, felt the immense, throbbing pulse of the station's central reactor.

I held it, forcing the skill to its absolute breaking point, the familiar headache building into a sharp, piercing spike behind my eyes. I kept pushing, fueled by guilt and a desperate, burning need for more. And then, just as the pain became unbearable, just as I was about to let it collapse, a new light bloomed in the darkness of my mind. It wasn't my own power. It was the calm, cool, crystalline blue of the Prime System itself.

[Condition Met: User has consistently pushed a Skill ([True Sight] - Rare) to its maximum operational parameters under sustained, high-stress conditions.] [A Skill Evolution Pathway is now available.] My breath caught in my throat. The pain in my head vanished, replaced by a surge of adrenaline so powerful it felt like a jolt of electricity. I sat bolt upright in the darkness, my heart hammering against my ribs. A new path. A chance.

After all the guilt, all the effort, the System had finally offered me the upgrade.