Evolution

by A R Chen

  Nothing mattered anymore as Tenk fell unconscious.

  ***

  Steve was staring at the listing changes.

  What the fuck? was the only thought going through his mind. How…

  He was back in the village center, with the Elder and his people. They were incredibly noisy, but Steve tuned out the background noise, as he couldn’t be bothered. He just kept on staring at the newest changes to the list in his mind:

  1) ??? - ???

  2) Deity – Cost: 150,000 Energy. End evolution is Undetermined. Evolution starts out extremely high-powered. Will be hunted by all Celestial beings.

  3) Vampire – Cost: 10,000 Energy. End evolutions are the Legendary Vampire or Undetermined. Evolution starts out extremely low-powered. Will receive help from the current Vampire clan.

  4) Dragon – Cost: 65,000 Energy. End evolution is the Dragon God. Evolution starts out medium-powered but gaining energy and consolidating it is difficult. Will receive help from the current Dragon race.

  5) Undead – Cost: 40,000 Energy. End evolution is the Undead Emperor. Evolution starts out low-powered, however amassing undead is easy. Gaining power is easy, however keeping it might prove difficult. Almost all other races will join forces against you if your nature is discovered.

  6) ??? - ???

  7) Elf – Cost: 20,000 Energy. End evolution is the Greater Elven Magister. Evolution starts out low-powered. Gaining energy is medium difficulty while keeping energy is easy. Races will tend to trust you, making interacting with most of them easy.

  It seemed like defending the village had been a bad idea. Most costs went up by a few thousand while Vampire and Undead costs fell a bit. Undead and one of the question-mark entries actually swapped places, becoming fifth and sixth respectively. All that to unlock an evolution that cost way too much.

  Steve thought back on what had happened. As he had seen the area that was being attacked, he suddenly felt a rage build inside of him. He was angry that these lowly humans dared attack his starting village.

  He surveyed the area and decided to surprise attack before the enemy could come up with any countermeasures. Steve had mentally prepared his Blink spell along with three Shock spells. That was the limit of what he could currently do in a single moment.

  He’d Blinked into the fight and Shocked three enemies in the legs. Followed by using his Shock spell twice more to cripple two others before he needed to wait for the cooldown.

  Steve had been in complete mental focus, taking in all the visual information around him. After shocking a few more enemies as they fled, he’d Blinked to dodge a dangerous spell coming at him. Steve hadn’t taken a hit from magic before, and he didn’t plan to, it might’ve been disastrous. Just because he was angry, that didn’t mean he’d become stupid. Steve had hidden behind a building to wait out the danger. After an earth spell burst from the ground where he’d been, the two mages who were trying to run away ran straight into him instead.

  First, he sent one mage tumbling to the ground with a Shock-crippled leg. The other mage had begun to cast something, so he turned up his light to max power to blind everything around him. It took a lot of energy, but it was worth it. With the second mage’s casting disrupted, the fight was over.

  Soon afterward, the Left and Right appeared with their men. They rounded up the stragglers and found Steve draining the two mages in cold blood. They were helpless and incapacitated on the ground, but Steve wouldn’t stop.

  The energy he sucked out of them was delicious. He killed the crippled one first. It felt good, so much better than the other living things he had taken life from. Maybe it was because these two were magicians.

  “Stop! God Steve! We need this one!” Ash had shouted, running towards him. "Please!"

  And now he found himself next to the Elder trying to figure out why his evolution had become that much more difficult now. His rage was simmering down now. Steve found that taking it out on those bandits really helped.

  Then he noticed something: the magician he hadn’t killed was speaking into a Crystal on his wrist. Something about it being okay to send the main force? Maybe he should be paying better attention now. He could mull over the new listings later.

  “Yes, we are fine. Mission was a success, though we lost one of our men. The light being killed him with a lightning spell, then ran away,” the magician said as he held up the communication device to his ear, under the careful supervision of the Elder and his men. “Oh, yeah, Tenk is here, but he was exhausted and passed out. To be honest, I’m just about to fall asleep myself. Go ahead with the initial plan, we’ll be expecting you.” When the Crystal blinked out, the magician looked visibly relieved.

  “God Steve, we thank you for aiding the village. Even though we would have repelled this attack ourselves, we may have suffered casualties and the enemy advance party would have gotten away. If that had happened, we wouldn’t have discovered that the Mottor clan are sending their forces to take your Crystals,” Leffer said, facing Steve. “Now that we have this warning, we could defeat Mottor’s forces even without your presence here. We’ll be ready for their attack.”

  They all bowed.

  “You’re welcome,” Steve stated simply. His rage had subsided and he was taking a real liking to the Elder. “What will you do with him?”

  Leffer suddenly looked a bit sheepish. “In exchange for betraying his employer, I offered to let him be your subordinate. He jumped at the chance. I tried to ask, but you seemed preoccupied at that moment,” Leffer explained.

  Everyone in the room suddenly held their breath. They had been shocked to see Ash shouting at god Steve earlier and now Leffer was making bargains on his behalf. Even though they had been around Steve for about a day, they still found such behavior astonishing.

  They all let out a collective sigh at Steve’s response of, “No problem.”

  Steve liked Leffer’s thought process. He could use a capable subordinate, especially if things with Ash didn’t work out. The boy had strong ties to the village and it may be hard to convince him to leave. Though, he had offered to do anything if Steve would teach him…

  But that was getting ahead of himself; he would decide after the kid’s Naming ceremony. For now, he had to decide what to do with the taciturn magician he had found himself in command of.

  ***

  This isn’t fair! Azra thought. Ash was only slightly more talented than her, but she was treated completely different. They wouldn’t let her be Steve’s guide or even go with them. She was fourteen already and Steve didn’t even seem that dangerous!

  “It’s too dangerous,” Azra mockingly mimicked her father. “You could get hurt.”

  She practically spat the last word. It had been the same her entire life. Good girls weren’t supposed to go out to have adventures; they weren’t allowed to spend their time with the gods. Good girls were to stay at home, practice sewing, and learn how to be a good homemaker. There wasn’t even a need for that anymore; they could do it with magic!

  If she could learn to become at least a great Royal Mage, all the village’s troubles would be over. She heard that the Archmages in the capital were so wealthy that even their servants lived in luxury. Good mages were always in high demand in the Empire, as not many humans had the necessary talent. Sure, most could learn magic and practice it. But without talent, it would be a hundred times harder.

  “Now Ash will get even further ahead of me,” Azra hissed bitterly. “God Steve may have already taught him Blink or something.”

  It was common knowledge that five-star mages or higher could relatively easily cast Blink, at least if they knew how. The four-stars and below weren’t counted as good mages.

  While there were always exceptions, the ranking system usually went like this:

  One-star – Able to cast basic attack spells and one defense spell. Spells take a long time to cast but are still effective. Can use basic utility spells.

  Two-star – Able to cast basic attack spells and two de
fense spells. Able to cast one buff spell or the equivalent. Spells are somewhat faster than one-star. Can use basic utility spells.

  Three-star – Able to cast basic attack spells and three defense spells. Able to cast three buff spells and one debuff spell, or the equivalent. Cast times reduced to moderate, unless complex. Can use medium-level utility spells.

  Four-star – Able to cast medium attack spells and four defense spells. Also able to cast five buff spells and three debuff spells, or equivalent. Spell casting should be fast and mana-efficient. Can use medium-level utility spells.

  Azra knew the first four ranks very well. She was already a two-star mage, having learned and trained since childhood. She loved magic, a lot. Girls just rarely had the opportunity to learn it in their patriarchy. Niti Village was a bit too conservative in her opinion; she was only able to learn magic because she was Ash’s sister. He was always seen as the golden child, while she was only able to leech off him.

  Finally, they had found a good enough excuse to keep her away. Ash was the guide to a god, descended from the sky itself. What if Steve really didn’t accept her being there? She wasn’t sure if she could handle it. That was the only reason she didn’t complain too much about this.

  If a god directly told her she was unnecessary, she would probably break down. The only man who ever supported her drive for power was the village Elder. Not even the village Left, Amon—her own father—did. Even then, the Elder probably just wanted more mages for the power of the village.

  As for Ash, she got the sense that he had mixed feelings about his sister learning magic. For one, magic was a dangerous path. It was somewhat safer if you trained in it from childhood, but still, the backlash of a failed spell could make one an idiot for life. Even if you had the talent, this was still a very real risk with potentially terrible consequences. Also, being a mage was miserable for those who didn’t truly love and thrive on magic.

  Spending hours and hours on anything that one hated was torture. Practicing magic was like school for some of the village children. They despised going and would much rather help on their parents’ farms or learn to be a warrior. These children would never excel in magic, but that was completely fine. Not everyone could be a great scholar or mage; that much was obvious.

  Azra walked aimlessly around the village, the dusk suiting her dark mood. Then, she heard the screams. She ran as quickly as possible toward the sounds and there, she saw her god.

  Shining brightly in the twilight sky, he used his divine lightning to strike down the bandits that had attacked. Then she noticed the rogue mage conjuring up a powerful spell, just as he finished. She wanted to shout out to god Steve, to warn him of the incoming danger, but the spell was too fast. Just as the spell was about to strike him, she gasped. He was no longer there.

  It was a Blink! He instantly cast Blink! Azra was shocked. This meant that Steve’s status was higher than a six-star mage. She had seen him cast the spell once before, but she assumed it was prepared beforehand. Auto-casting, or casting instantly, was extremely difficult.

  She watched in silent fascination as Steve took down those one-star magicians like it was nothing. Luckily, she had heard the Left arrive on the scene and when she’d looked his way, she was spared the blinding that her father and his men received along with the mages. Azra turned back to watch as Steve drained one of the magicians of all mana and energy. She was enthralled.

  She found her god early the next morning at his residence. Ash was inseparable from Steve since yesterday but was thankfully still asleep inside on the bed, since the god had no use for it. The mage from yesterday was there, too. The guy was sleeping on a mattress they had brought in for him.

  While she poked around, the god Steve seemed to take no notice of her. He was currently consuming a Crystal and practicing his magic. He seemed completely engrossed in what he was doing; she wouldn’t disturb his practice. Azra knew how hard it was for great mages to find peace and quiet long enough to train. The greater one’s power became, the more people would start asking for favors or help.

  Magic was a double-edged sword. The more you practiced it, the stronger you became. You would think that because you were stronger, you would be safer. But the stronger you became, the more dangers you had to brave—it never got easier. This was the saying taught to every child who aspired to become a mage in Niti. Some immediately gave up after hearing it, choosing instead to pursue a more mundane path in their life. Others, like Ash and Azra, felt that this was the challenge of their lifetime.

  The world of magic she’d dreamed of was sitting right there. Floating right there! Sitting on a rock to wait was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

  ***

  Steve noticed a girl approach as he worked to expand his energy pool. She poked around his residence, then sat on a rock. He remembered that she was Ash’s sister, Azra. Other than that, the girl hadn’t really made an impression on him.

  But she was staring at him. Well, nobody really stared straight at him, since he was made of light, but her gaze was locked on the space below him. He tried to ignore it, but that was one of the negative aspects to having omnidirectional vision. No matter what he focused on, he still noticed her staring in his peripherals. It was more than a little bit annoying.

  He glanced at his current numbers:

  Current Energy – 1,151

  Max Energy – 3,565

  He was getting there. Steve had trained all night long, from after the meeting ended until now. He would cast until his energy was mostly drained; it was difficult training, but it expanded his energy pool quickly. Every now and then he would go absorb a Crystal or take energy from the pigs. They would make loud squeals of protest every time he took from them, but it was a necessity; Steve didn’t feel sorry at all. They were a great energy source since there were so many pigs. Later, as his energy pool grew further, he would require better ones—the fatter the better, it seemed.

  It had been over twenty minutes and she was still sitting on the rock. Isn’t that uncomfortable? Steve wondered. Why is she just sitting there like a statue?

  Steve wanted to use all of today to expand his energy pool and further his ability in magic. Every time he had a training session like this, his abilities increased noticeably. If he didn’t expand his max energy pool significantly, he would have trouble even becoming a Vampire. If no other events occurred by the end of the day, he would risk learning another spell.

  Finally, Ash came out of the residence, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What are we doing today, god Steve?” he asked. Then he saw his sister sitting on the rock. “Azra! What are you doing here?”

  “Same thing as you, Ash. I’m here to serve the god Steve,” Azra replied directly.

  “But that’s my job!” Ash was confused. Who had sent her here? He couldn’t explain everything in front of god Steve.

  “It should be fine if you both serve me. Ash, could you check up on the Workforces and make sure they’re getting ready? I want them sent out again, after breakfast,” Steve tasked Ash. “Also, find Loop and tell him it’s the same deal today.”

  Steve just wanted to train his magic today; he really didn’t have much time left for anything else if he was going to have any hope of a good evolution. Steve checked his countdown again. It read:

  3 Days 13 Hours 30 Minutes 23 Seconds

  In about an hour and a half, he would get another vision from his past; he was hoping to find out more about his old world. He remembered his girlfriend, his best friend, and a bit of his school life so far. None of that was particularly useful in this new world he had been on for the past two days.

  Steve noticed something; Ash hadn’t moved yet. “Ash, what are you doing?” Steve asked.

  “God Steve! I mean no offense when I say this, but I’m not comfortable with my sister being here.” Ash wanted to protect his sister. He knew her temper and her attitude very well. If she lost control of herself here, then Steve might…

  “There’s
no problem. Go check up on Loop and Leeroy’s Workforces,” Steve ordered Ash again.

  This time Ash left. With him gone, there was only Steve, Azra, and the occasional loud snore that drifted out from the residence. The man sure did know how to sleep. Although, to be fair, he did have his mana and part of his energy sucked out of him just last night.

  “What do you want from me?” Steve asked Azra.

  “I-I want to learn magic from you!” Azra had stuttered a little. Maybe he had been too direct. Then again, it was probably better this way.

  “Nope!” Steve answered.

  She looked crushed. But she didn’t give up with just that.

  “W-Why? You’re teaching Ash, right?” she managed. Her eyes looked a bit watery. Steve wished he were able to look away.

  “I’m not. I told him I’ll consider it after his Naming ceremony,” Steve answered back. There was no harm in telling her about the deal he had with Ash.

  A light suddenly flashed in her eyes at this pronouncement. But it faded away as she said, “My Naming ceremony isn’t for another year…” She trailed off at the end.

  “How’s your talent?” Steve suddenly asked. He was curious. “Are you better than Ash?”

  “W-well, um, I guess I’m the same as him,” she answered, not having expected the question.

  “Well, same deal then. I’ll decide if I have need of you as a student, a few days after the ceremony,” Steve said good-naturedly. If the girl had the same talent as Ash but even younger than him, then it seemed promising. Steve just wanted to keep his options open. There was one thing for sure; he wouldn’t be going out into the world alone.

  A sudden thought struck Steve. Where had Bonnie been this whole time? Why was she so silent now? She had been so talkative in the beginning, but hadn’t said anything at all in almost fourteen hours.

  Bonnie? I’ve noticed that you speak up less and less often now. What gives? Steve sent mentally.

  “Can’t say!” Bonnie retorted cheerfully. “Who knows?”