Chapter 10: Spirit Stone
[ Material Suitable for Absorption Detected ]
[ This Material Can Be Absorbed to Obtain Evolution Points ]
Malrik’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
The Treasury drowned in silence once more. Just moments ago, his entire world had revolved around the Blackstar Spear resting proudly upon its pedestal. Its elegant design, flawless balance, and ridiculous mana conductivity made it, without question, the most sensible weapon he had encountered.
Yet now... he wasn’t even looking at it.
His gaze slowly drifted toward a small emerald gem resting quietly on a nearby shelf.
Compared to the glittering, legendary treasures surrounding it, this pebble looked painfully ordinary. Pathetic, even. No brilliant aura, no terrifying mana fluctuations, no ancient runes etched across its surface. It wasn’t even granted a decent display—just tossed between a cracked monster horn and a dull gray metal ingot, like something someone forgot to throw away a century ago.
If not for the system... he would have walked right past it without a second thought.
His heartbeat gradually accelerated.
Evolution Points
Ever since the system revealed the requirements to evolve his Class, those two words had been haunting him. The system, in its usual helpful fashion, had explained absolutely nothing. It hadn’t told him where Evolution Points came from, or how to get them. It had simply thrown an impossible requirement in his face and gone radio silent.
And now, for the first time... the damn thing had finally reacted.
Malrik slowly extended his hand. The moment his fingertips brushed the emerald gem, the familiar translucent prompt manifested.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[ Name: Spirit Stone ]
[ Grade: Fallen ]
[ Status: Absorbable ]
[ Can be absorbed by Infinite Evolution ]
[ Estimated Evolution Points: ??? ]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Malrik’s pupils contracted.
"Spirit Stone..." he muttered under his breath.
The crystal was cold. Far colder than any regular gemstone had a right to be. Turning it beneath the ambient light, he noticed faint emerald wisps drifting deep inside the crystal, moving like living creatures trapped under glass.
It wasn’t mana. At least, it didn’t feel like it. The energy contained within the stone was calmer. Heavier. Almost... alive.
His brows furrowed.
Soul Energy.
Great. The description only brought more questions. Mana, Aura, Soul Energy—three completely different forms of power, according to the system. And of course, it refused to elaborate.
Malrik sighed inwardly.
As always... I’ll have to figure it out myself.
Still, one brutal fact was now painfully obvious: Infinite Evolution didn’t just generate points out of thin air. It fed on specific, rare materials. And this Spirit Stone happened to be on the menu.
His grip around the crystal tightened, his eyes drifting back to the Blackstar Spear.
The sleek, dark weapon stood exactly where it had before. Silent. Patient. Waiting. Starsteel forging, exceptional mana conductivity, armor-piercing capabilities. It was a masterpiece. As a mage expected to survive actual, messy battlefields, having a reliable close-range backup would dramatically increase his lifespan. House Vesperion wasn’t the kind of family that let its mages hide safely in the backline; everyone was expected to fight, to kill, and to survive.
The spear fit that brutal philosophy perfectly.
If anyone else had walked into this Treasury today, the choice would have been a no-brainer: take the spear, walk out armed to the teeth, and enjoy an immediate power boost. That was the logical, human response.
But Malrik wasn’t exactly normal. He had already lived one life. He knew precisely what happened when short-term gains blinded a fool to a true, grand opportunity.
Ten years. He had spent ten grueling years in his previous life chasing strength, desperately hunting for anything that could feed Infinite Evolution. If he had possessed a trigger like this back then... would his story have ended differently?
The thought lingered a moment too long before he shrugged it off. Maybe, maybe not. But one thing was absolute: Infinite Evolution was, and always would be, his greatest asset. Not his Class, not his wits, not his knowledge—his Talent. That absurd, reality-bending Talent capable of evolving anything tied to his very soul.
A weapon, no matter how legendary, would eventually become obsolete. As he grew stronger, he would inevitably discard it for something better. Then discard that one too. It was the tragic fate of all gear.
But Infinite Evolution? If he could actually evolve his Class, today’s choice would redefine his entire existence.
He looked back at the Spirit Stone. A tiny crystal, utterly worthless to the untrained eye, yet the system had ignored countless legendary artifacts just to flag this specific pebble.
His heartbeat settled. The answer had been clear from the start; he just hadn’t wanted to admit it. The Blackstar Spear was an incredible weapon, but he wasn’t choosing between a spear and a rock. He was choosing between immediate comfort and limitless potential.
A faint, self-deprecating smile touched his lips.
"Weapons..." he murmured softly, "...can always be replaced. But a gamble like this might never show up again."
His fingers closed firmly around the Spirit Stone. Without giving the spear another glance, he turned on his heel and walked toward the massive exit. Behind him, the legendary hoard of House Vesperion remained frozen in time, waiting for the next generation, or perhaps the next fool.
As he approached the enormous gateway, the ancient runes carved across its surface flared to life. With a deep, mechanical groan, the black doors ground open.
Standing outside, Eldric was leaning against the wall, arms crossed in his usual lazy posture. His relaxed expression lasted exactly until his eyes locked onto the object in Malrik’s hand. The Elder’s smirk vanished, one eyebrow creeping upward. Then, a dry, amused chuckle escaped him.
"Out of everything inside that vault..." Eldric shifted his gaze from the green pebble to Malrik’s face. "...you chose that?"
The old man didn’t press for an answer immediately, choosing instead to study the crystal with a mix of genuine amusement and mild skepticism.
"Most people who get let into this place spend half a day pacing around," Eldric said after a brief silence. "They weigh weapons, squint at artifacts, and aggressively argue with themselves over what’s worth more coin." His smirk widened. "You, on the other hand... walked out holding a piece of gravel."
Malrik merely smiled. "I have my reasons."
Eldric stared at him for a long moment before letting out a sharp bark of laughter. "So you’re not going to tell me."
"It’s not that, Uncle Eldric," Malrik replied smoothly, shaking his head. "I simply don’t know enough to properly explain it myself."
That seemed to satisfy the Elder’s sense of humor even more.
"Fair enough."
He didn’t pry further, though he cast one more calculating look at the stone.
"So... did you actually recognize it?"
Malrik looked down at the cold crystal, choosing honesty. "I recognized that it wasn’t ordinary. But what it actually is? No idea."
For the first time since they had met, Eldric’s demeanor shifted, turning noticeably serious.
"The thing you’re holding is called a Spirit Stone." He pointed a weathered finger at the gem. "Unlike regular mana crystals, these things hold incredibly condensed Soul Energy. They can’t be forged, and they can’t be manufactured. The only known source... is a very specific type of Morveth."
Malrik listened intently, keeping his face blank.
"They’re called Soul Wraiths," Eldric continued. "Unlike regular Morveth that run purely on instinct at the lower ranks, Wraiths don’t. Even the weakest among them possess an intellect that puts ordinary monsters to shame. They hunt in packs, lay ambushes, and communicate. And the worst part? They rarely show their faces unless they are absolutely certain they can slaughter you."
Malrik’s eyes narrowed slightly.
*Intelligent monsters...*
That phrase alone was a massive red flag. Back on Earth, humanity had suffered catastrophic casualties whenever monsters showed even a shred of tactical coordination. Now he was dealing with things that actively planned ambushes. Splendid.
Eldric caught the subtle shift in Malrik’s expression and nodded approvingly. "Good. You get it. Never underestimate them. Plenty of veteran Awakeners have ended up as corpses because they assumed a Wraith would behave like a mindless beast." He gestured to the rock. "The Spirit Stone in your hand came from a Fallen-grade Soul Wraith."
Malrik looked down at the stone with renewed interest. "Fallen." That meant the creature had been an entire realm above his current strength. Even in a powerhouse like House Vesperion, such materials weren’t exactly common.
"It’s not priceless," Eldric added, "but it is definitely rare. Especially within the Valorian Empire. Soul Wraiths are rarely sighted within our borders, and a Fallen-grade one? Rarer still."
A brief silence settled between them. Malrik rolled the stone between his fingers, before tossing out the one question that actually mattered.
"If I wanted to find more..." Malrik looked up, meeting the Elder’s gaze, "...where would I look?"
The old man chuckled. "Ah, so that’s what you’re after." Malrik didn’t bother confirming or denying it, and Eldric didn’t seem to care. "You might stumble on ordinary Spirit Stones at major auctions from time to time—Mortal-grade, sometimes Awakened-grade. But Fallen-grade stones? Completely different ballpark. They almost never hit the open market. And on the rare occasion they do, they vanish in seconds. The great families, the royals, the mega-guilds... everyone fights over them. The final price tag is usually offensive."
Malrik absorbed the information quietly. So even if he managed to become filthy rich, tracking them down would still be a bureaucratic nightmare.
He offered a respectful, disciplined bow. "Thank you for the explanation, Uncle Eldric."
The Elder waved his hand dismissively. "Just don’t make me regret letting you walk out with it."
A faint smile crossed Malrik’s face. "I’ll try my best."
With that, he stepped away from the vault as the massive black doors finally sealed shut behind him.
Outside, Eliza was already waiting, standing like an elegant statue. The moment she spotted him, she bowed flawlessly. "Welcome back, Young Master."
Malrik gave a brief nod, and the two began their trek down the quiet, cavernous corridor. For several minutes, neither spoke.
Malrik’s thoughts were entirely consumed by the heavy weight resting in his pocket. A single Fallen-grade stone could grant him Evolution Points. Which meant he needed more. A lot more. Without those points, Infinite Evolution was nothing but a fancy, empty promise.
Finally, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead, he broke the silence.
"Eliza."
"Yes, Young Master?"
"Where can I buy Spirit Stones?"
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