Chapter 7: Class Evolution?
The Awakening Hall remained noisy long after the ceremony had ended.
Groups of knights quietly discussed what they had witnessed. Several Elders exchanged low whispers. Even some of the Grand Elders seemed unusually thoughtful.
The appearance of a Hidden Class was not enough to shock people of their status. However, the strange reaction of the Awakening Stone was another matter entirely. No one seemed capable of explaining what had happened.
As for Malrik... He had no intention of staying.
The moment the ceremony officially concluded, he quietly left the hall. Eliza followed a few steps behind him. Neither of them spoke.
The long corridors of House Vesperion stretched endlessly before them. Servants moved through the estate carrying out their duties. Knights patrolled the halls. Everything appeared normal.
Yet Malrik felt as though his entire world had changed. His footsteps echoed softly against the polished black marble floor.
*Necromancer...*
The familiar word surfaced within his thoughts. A bitter smile appeared on his face.
In his previous life, that class had been both his greatest pride and his greatest regret. A Hidden Class. A class many people could only dream of obtaining.
And yet... It had ultimately brought him nothing.
No matter how powerful Necromancer was in theory, it required mana. A lot of mana. More than he could ever provide.
His summons remained weak. His growth remained slow. His dreams remained incomplete. Eventually, he had died carrying those regrets.
Yet now... Everything was different.
Malrik unconsciously clenched his fist. The dense mana flowing through his body answered immediately.
The sensation still felt strange. New. Unfamiliar. Even after spending several hours inside this body, he still couldn’t fully believe it.
Mana. Actual mana. Not the pitiful amount he possessed in his previous life. Real mana. Powerful mana. Pure mana.
Every time he sensed it flowing through his body, he felt a surge of excitement. This body... It’s unbelievable.
The current Malrik had not even begun cultivating seriously. He had not received combat training. He had not awakened until today.
And yet his mana reserves were already superior to anything Leon had ever possessed. The difference was enough to make him laugh.
No wonder House Vesperion stood among the strongest families in the Empire. Their bloodline alone was monstrous.
Eventually they arrived at his private wing. Eliza opened the door.
"Welcome back, Young Master."
Malrik entered. Then paused.
For a brief moment, he looked around the luxurious room. His room alone was larger than the apartment he had lived in during his previous life. The comparison almost felt ridiculous.
"Leave me alone."
Eliza bowed. "As you wish, Young Master."
The door closed behind her. Silence returned.
Only then did Malrik finally allow himself to relax. He sat beside the large window overlooking the Vesperion estate. Far in the distance, countless towers and training grounds stretched across the horizon.
A second life. A second opportunity. For the first time in two lives... The future no longer seemed hopeless.
Slowly, he focused his thoughts. A translucent screen appeared before him.
[Status]
[ Name : Malrik Vesperion ]
[ Race : Human ]
[ Rank : Mortal ]
[ Level : 1 ]
[ Class : Necromancer (Hidden) ]
[ Talent: Infinite Evolution SSS ]
[ Undead Contracts : 0 / 50 ]
His gaze immediately locked onto the talent. Infinite Evolution. The talent that had followed him beyond death itself.
Without hesitation, he selected it. A new screen appeared.
[ Talent : Infinite Evolution SSS ]
[ Description: ’’You can evolve anything connected to your soul without limits, as long as the evolution requirements are fulfilled.’’ ]
Silence filled the room. Malrik reread the description several times.
*Anything connected to his soul. Anything.*
The wording was absurdly vague. What exactly counts as something connected to my soul? His brows furrowed.
Mana? No. Mana belonged to the body.
Skills? Maybe.
Memories? Possibly.
One possibility after another appeared inside his mind. Yet none of them seemed convincing. Several minutes passed.
Then suddenly—his eyes widened. A ridiculous thought appeared inside his mind.
*Wait... Classes are connected to the soul, aren’t they?*
Every awakened individual possessed a class. And classes were tied directly to the soul. Not the body.
His heartbeat quickened. *Don’t tell me...*
Slowly, he focused on his class.
[ Class : Necromancer (Hidden) ]
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a new screen appeared.
[ Evolution Target ]
[ Class : Necromancer (Hidden) ]
Malrik froze. It worked. His ridiculous idea had actually worked.
For several moments he simply stared at the screen. His mind struggled to process the implications.
Classes were the foundation of every awakened individual. Their potential. Their abilities. Their future. And Infinite Evolution could evolve them.
A chill ran down his spine. This wasn’t merely a powerful talent. It was a talent capable of changing everything.
His breathing became heavier. If classes could evolve... Then what couldn’t?
Before he could continue that line of thought, new information appeared.
[ Evolution Required points : 0 / 1000 ]
The excitement instantly cooled. A thousand. A ridiculous number.
Yet the system offered no explanation. No guidance. No clues. Nothing. Only a requirement.
For a while, Malrik continued examining the screen. But no matter what he tried, nothing changed. Eventually he sighed.
*Looks like I’ll have to figure that out myself.*
His attention shifted toward his class. Immediately another screen appeared.
[ Class Skills ]
[ Raise Undead ]
[ Description: ’’You are capable of reanimating the dead and controlling undead of the same rank as yourself.’’ ]
[ Soul Storage ]
[ Description: ’’You can store contracted undead within your Soul Space and summon them whenever needed.’’ ]
[ Death Bullet ]
[ Description: Condense death mana into a bullet and launch it toward your target. ]
A smile appeared on Malrik’s face. Finally. An actual offensive skill.
While Raise Undead was undoubtedly the core of the Necromancer class, he couldn’t rely entirely on undead in every situation. Death Bullet solved that weakness.
Simple. Direct. Effective.
His eyes drifted downward.
[ Undead Contracts : 0 / 50 ]
Zero. Not a single undead. Not a single summon. Not a single soldier. His army didn’t exist. Yet.
The very existence of fifty contract slots was absurd. Most awakened individuals would be fortunate to command even one summon. Meanwhile, his class offered fifty.
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying Necromancer became.
Then another possibility surfaced. Could Evolution Points be connected to Morveth? Or perhaps to undead? Maybe both...
Unfortunately, there was no way to know. Not yet.
Just as he was lost in thought—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Malrik looked toward the door. "Come in."
The door opened. Eliza entered and bowed respectfully.
"Young Master."
Malrik raised an eyebrow. "I thought I told you to leave me alone."
A faint smile appeared on Eliza’s face. "I apologize, Young Master. But I came because of something important."
That immediately caught his attention. "What is it?"
Eliza straightened. "The Patriarch has sent your awakening gift."
Malrik blinked. For a brief moment, he wondered if he had heard incorrectly. "The Patriarch?"
Eliza nodded. "Every newly awakened Banner Bearer receives one."
Understanding immediately dawned on him. So it wasn’t something special. It was tradition. A reward granted to every successful Banner Bearer.
Even so... A gift from House Vesperion was unlikely to be ordinary. His curiosity was instantly piqued.
"What is it?"
Eliza smiled. "The token has already arrived, Young Master. Tomorrow, you’ll be allowed to enter the Vesperion Treasury. A single item may be chosen."
Malrik’s eyes narrowed.
The Treasury of House Vesperion. One of the greatest powers in the Empire. A place filled with treasures accumulated over countless generations.
And he would be allowed to choose one item.
For the first time since opening the system window... A genuine smile appeared on his face.
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