Chapter 272: The Final Evolution
’That can’t be the case... there is no way the cosmos would place a tier 5 monster in such a dungeon.’ Even though he thought it shouldn’t be the case, there was still a hint of doubt inside him.
With trembling legs, Dhruv moved forward, continuing his journey. This time, the duo wasn’t extensively following the mana trail and instead wandered around aimlessly.
Just to be extra cautious, they kept the mana trail within the range of their vision. In just a matter of minutes, the silence began to bore him.
Not having anything better to do, Dhruv began to ask Azarex some questions he was curious about.
"So, Azarex, what is your current level?" he asked.
Opening his status, Azarex quickly looked it up and replied, "I’m at level 20, master."
Smiling, Dhruv muttered, "Good... good. By the end of the dungeon, you should be close enough to evolve..."
Azarex nodded with a smile.
’How much stronger will he get after evolving to tier 4?’ Dhruv thought, getting excited at the prospect of his guardian evolving once again. Every time they evolved, their strength went off the charts, which was a treat for his eyes.
"Huh! Tell me, what will you focus on in your next evolution? I mean, will you continue strengthening Death magic, or would you like to focus on Darkness more?" Dhruv asked with genuine curiosity.
To him, both of these affinities were badass... or so he had read in various novels. Often in these novels, the protagonist or any cool character had one of these two affinities.
As a vivid novel enjoyer, there was a time he also yearned for these powers.
"If there isn’t really... I mean, really good reason to choose Darkness, then I will surely focus on Death magic. After all, I like death more," Azarex replied without overthinking.
Azarex knew very well that he truly shone in using Death magic, which showed in his status as well. His affinity with Death was [S] while only [C] for Darkness.
He seriously wanted to evolve his Death magic to the next level and snatch even the luxury of eternal sleep from his master’s enemies. Death wasn’t the end for someone who dared to cross paths with his master.
"Good... I also think Death suits you more," Dhruv nodded, adding his approval.
"If it isn’t too much... Master, can I ask what you would choose in your next evolution? Will you focus more on magic, go the warrior route or a hybrid of some sort?" Azarex asked.
Instead of answering immediately, Dhruv thought for a moment. He had been pondering this same question over and over but hadn’t come up with a definite answer.
About progressing as a [Magic Warrior], although it was good to use both magic and melee weapons, it quickly gets overwhelming to keep everything in control and maintain synergy.
Noticing the silence, Azarex spoke once again, "There is no need to answer if you don’t want to, my lord."
"N-No, it’s not that... it’s just that I’m not so sure about it either. If I really have to give an answer, I will probably favor the magic route more, but... then again, nobody can predict the Cosmos." Dhruv answered with an awkward smile.
"I think you will ultimately choose the right option, Master," Azarex said, though he couldn’t understand how one could be uncertain about their own future. He trusted his master to choose the best path for himself.
"I hope so too," Dhruv replied with an awkward smile.
Having nothing better to do, they continued to chat about all sorts of things. The chatting only stopped when Dhruv noticed a change in his surroundings.
"I think the snowfall has gotten even thinner," Dhruv announced with relief.
"So, I suppose the illusion is about to break, right Master?" Azarex asked, though he couldn’t see any change himself.
"Yes, I think one more evolution and we would be out of this damn thing," Dhruv replied as he observed the level of snowfall.
After this evolution, the snowfall looked as if it could stop at any moment. The visibility of the mana trail increased instead of decreasing, and the level of snow on the ground seemed to decrease as well.
"It would be better to follow the trail now... the illusion is operating at bare minimum, and we could get out of here before the next evolution," Dhruv suggested after thinking for a while.
"I agree, Master." Azarex had no problem with the suggestion and agreed readily.
Soon, they began their boring, repetitive journey through the snow. The boredom didn’t last long as Dhruv noticed something lying on the snow a few meters ahead.
Although he couldn’t see it clearly, he had eliminated a few options.
’It didn’t have any mana source, so it couldn’t be a monster... or at least not a living one.’
Slowly but surely, the silhouette of the thing began to get clearer as Dhruv moved closer to it. After a moment, he could clearly see what it was.
’A rabbit... not just any rabbit... is this the Frostburrow?’
He was right.
Approaching the creature, he looked at its head... and sure enough, the head of the rabbit was blackened, which was caused by Azarex’s spell. Indeed, he was looking at the same creature he had killed an hour ago.
The signs of someone taking its mana core were there as well.
"Master, is something wrong?" Azarex was startled when he noticed Dhruv had stopped in the middle out of nowhere and was staring at the snow.
’Ah! He still can’t see it.’
Pointing towards a certain location, Dhruv explained, "Here is the corpse of the monster we had killed. Can you see it?"
Looking toward the indicated spot, Azarex shook his head, "No, Master, I can’t see it."
’So, even after realizing that it is here... he couldn’t see it. Could this illusion be a hybrid that affects the mind and nature as well?’ Dhruv thought.
After confirming that the previous hypothesis he had formed proved to be correct, now he just needed to follow the trail and let evolution do its wonders.
As if agreeing with him, the evolution didn’t make him wait for long.
Looking at the surrounding area, Dhruv whispered with a smile, "Shall we leave, Azarex?"
