Chapter 38: Epic evolution
He raised his hand toward the Spider Queen, fed in the first hundred points, and let the mana gather.
"...Evolve."
It wrapped around her differently than it had around Fenrir — thicker from the start, spreading wider to accommodate a body that was already several times the size of any wolf in his army. She didn’t howl the way Fenrir had. Whatever pain came with the process, spiders apparently expressed it in their own way — her legs curled inward against her body, mandibles clicking rapidly together in a rhythm that sounded uncomfortably close to grinding teeth.
Sorry. This part doesn’t seem to have a version that doesn’t hurt.
He watched the light hold steady, then slowly begin to thin.
She rose taller than before — not dramatically, but enough to register, her carapace shifting from its original mottled brown-green into something closer to deep obsidian, threaded through with faint green veins pulsing in time with some rhythm he couldn’t identify from the outside.
[Your Rare★ soul Spider Queen has evolved to Rare★★★ Death Venom Spider.]
[Death Venom Spider soul has gained the skill "Deadly Injection".]
[ Skill: Deadly Injection ]
[The user’s fangs inject an extremely concentrated venom directly into the target. The venom continuously deals damage for 20 seconds and reduces the target’s natural regeneration by 50%. If the target is already affected by poison, the duration is refreshed and the poison’s potency increases by 20%.]
Malrik read it and immediately thought back to last night — the ten seconds Lilith had bought him, the desperate math of trying to end the fight before her illusion broke.
This alone would have cut that fight in half.
He checked the next requirement, bracing for the number this time instead of being surprised by it.
[ Evolution Required Points: 0 / 300 ]
Consistent with Fenrir’s pattern. Good. At least I’m not guessing blind anymore.
Consistency meant he could actually plan instead of gambling every time he pressed forward. That, more than anything tonight, felt like real progress — not just stronger souls, but an actual understanding of what he was working with.
He fed in the three hundred points without hesitating this time.
"...Evolve."
The pull hit harder than it had with Fenrir’s second tier — considerably harder, enough that a dull ache settled behind his eyes almost immediately, distinct from ordinary fatigue in a way that worried him slightly.
She’s bigger. Of course it costs more. Should have expected that.
He gritted his teeth and kept his hand raised anyway.
Her body expanded visibly under the light this time, the growth obvious even through the glow. When it finally cleared, she stood a full meter taller than before — six meters now, easily, her legs thickened into something that looked less like a spider’s natural anatomy and more like it had been purpose-built for siege work. Her fangs had curved further and taken on a faint sheen that hadn’t been there a minute earlier.
[Your Rare★★★ soul Death Venom Spider has evolved to Rare★★★★★ Corrosive Spider.]
[Corrosive Spider soul has gained the skill "Acid Web".]
[ Skill: Acid Web ]
[The user’s web is infused with corrosive acid. Enemies trapped within the web continuously take Corrosion damage. The web gradually dissolves armor and weapons.]
He took a slow breath, trying to fully absorb what stood in front of him now.
If this keeps climbing — not just power, but shape — something’s going to actually change. Not stronger. Different.
Chapter: Before the Final Push
He checked the next tier out of a habit , and the number waiting there made him stop entirely and do the math out loud.
[ Evolution Required Points: 0 / 900 ]
Nine hundred.
triple as expected. Closer to it, sure, but the gap’s widening faster than I expected.
He ran the numbers again, just to be certain he hadn’t miscounted somewhere. One hundred. Three hundred. Now nine hundred. If the multiplier kept creeping upward instead of holding steady, whatever came after this tier could easily run into the thousands.
I should think about this more carefully before—
He stopped the thought halfway through, mildly annoyed at himself.
Think about what, exactly? I’ve got the points sitting right here doing nothing. She’d be the first Epic-Rank soul in the entire army. First one that isn’t Lilith. What exactly am I saving these points for, if not this?
He checked his balance.
13,650 left, even after this.
More than enough. He wasn’t gambling anything he couldn’t afford to lose.
The decision made itself the second time he asked the question.
"But before anything else..."
"I need to redistribute my Free Attribute Points."
Malrik’s gaze lingered on the status screen.
He still had no idea how much mana an Epic evolution would consume.
The previous evolutions had already drained his reserves to dangerous levels.
An Epic evolution...
He wasn’t arrogant enough to assume things would unfold in the same way as before.
If I underestimate it...
It might kill me before the evolution even finishes.
The blue screen floated silently before him.
────────────────────
Name: Malrik Vesperion
Rank: Mortal
Level: 43
Class: Soul Binder
Class Rank: Epic ★
Talent: SSS-Rank — Infinite Evolution
Strength: 51 (34↑)
Agility: 52 (34↑)
Constitution: 56 (34↑)
Intelligence: 134 (34↑)
Free Attribute Points: 200
Soul Contracts: 41 / 50
────────────────────
Malrik studied every line carefully.
Today’s hunt hadn’t increased his level even once.
That wasn’t surprising.
The Morveth he had killed were all below his current level, greatly reducing the experience they provided.
On top of that...
Every bit of experience was divided among his entire army of bound souls.
He slowly shifted his attention toward the final line.
Free Attribute Points: 200
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Compared to his previous life...
His current mana reserves were already beyond anything he had ever imagined.
Even so...
It wasn’t enough.
Every time he gained a level, all four attributes increased naturally.
In addition, he received five Free Attribute Points to distribute however he wished.
Normally...
Most Awakened would spread those points between Strength, Agility, and Constitution.
But Malrik wasn’t like them.
He wasn’t a swordsman.
Nor was he a knight.
He was a Soul Binder.
A class that commanded an ever-growing army of souls.
The stronger his army became...
The greater the burden on his mana.
And evolution itself consumed enormous amounts of mana.
If his reserves weren’t large enough...
There was a very real possibility that the process would fail before it ever reached the end.
And I’m about to find out exactly how much an Epic evolution costs, whether I’m ready for it or not.
He remained silent for several long seconds.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Finally...
He made his decision.
"One hundred points..."
"...into Intelligence."
The number on the screen immediately changed.
Without stopping—
"Forty into Agility."
"Thirty into Strength."
"And the remaining thirty..."
"...Constitution."
The status window flickered once before updating.
At that very moment—
A powerful surge spread through his entire body.
His muscles tightened.
His senses sharpened.
Every breath felt lighter.
His body had nearly doubled in strength.
But what changed the most...
Was his mana.
A vast current of emerald mana flooded through every mana pathway inside his body.
His core expanded.
The empty feeling that had lingered there disappeared completely.
Instead...
He felt as though his mana was overflowing.
As if there was more energy inside him than his body had ever held before.
Malrik slowly exhaled.
────────────────────
Name: Malrik Vesperion
Rank: Mortal
Level: 43
Class: Soul Binder
Class Rank: Epic ★
Talent: SSS-Rank — Infinite Evolution
Strength: 81 (30↑)
Agility: 92 (40↑)
Constitution: 86 (30↑)
Intelligence: 234 (100↑)
Free Attribute Points: 0
Soul Contracts: 41/ 50
────────────────────
"...Much better."
A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he looked toward his newly updated status.
Now...
I’m ready.
He looked back at the Spider Queen, waiting patiently at the center of the chamber, her carapace still catching faint light along the deep obsidian curve of her new shell.
Full reserves. Whatever this costs, I can afford it now.
He fed in the nine hundred points.
"...Evolve."
This time the mana didn’t just leave him — it surged out in a controlled, powerful stream, the kind of outflow that would have staggered him an hour ago and now merely registered as effort, nothing close to the violent tear he’d braced for.
The redistribution actually worked. I can feel the difference.
The mana didn’t wrap around her the way it had the previous two times. It spun instead, gathering density rather than spreading outward, weaving layer over layer into something solid and opaque until the shape underneath vanished completely — replaced by a cocoon the size of a small cottage, its surface rippling faintly, like something inside it was still rearranging itself into a form it hadn’t decided on yet.
There was no sound of pain this time.
There was no sound at all.
Malrik lowered his hand slowly — steadier this time, breathing easier than he expected — and stared at the cocoon like it might explain itself if he looked long enough.
What is she turning into?
One minute passed.
Then ten.
Malrik remained seated, his eyes fixed on the floating evolution window.
Nothing.
No notification.
No reaction.
Only silence.
Half an hour slipped by.
Then another.
The chamber stayed as quiet as it had been from the start.
Normally, the system responded almost immediately once an evolution completed. This time...
It was different.
An hour became two.
Two slowly became three.
Malrik never once lowered his guard. His mana continued circulating through his body on its own, keeping him in the best condition he could manage for whatever came next.
"...Three hours."
He frowned slightly.
No previous evolution had taken anywhere near this long. Which could only mean one thing.
The system isn’t simply preparing another evolution.
It’s preparing something far beyond the ones before it.
His gaze lingered on the still-silent window.
Every evolution until now had drastically increased his army’s strength. But the next one, if it actually completed, wouldn’t just be another tier.
It would be Epic.
A realm entirely separate from Rare — not a bigger number tacked onto the same category, but a different category altogether.
The thought alone made his pulse pick up.
If even the preparation takes this long, the evolution itself is probably operating on a completely different level.
He exhaled slowly.
"...This won’t be a simple upgrade."
Just as the thought settled—
The notification finally appeared.
[Your Rare★★★★★ soul Corrosive Spider has evolved to Epic★ Plague Spider.]
Malrik stared at the corrected line until the words stopped rearranging themselves in his head.
Epic.
He sat forward, headache forgotten entirely, and watched the cocoon in front of him begin to split.
******
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