Chapter 91 – Evolution Quest
anwhile, while Kaden was in his inn room about to take the evolution quest, a dear friend—or maybe sothing more—was also undergoing the sa process.
Asterion – Elamin Estate.
Inside a spacious bedroom, ris sat on the edge of her bed, holding the evolution stone in her hand, staring at it with a mix of curiosity and near indifference.
Her room perfectly mirrored the type of girl ris was.
Lively. Obsessed with beautiful things. Fond of collecting anything she liked, from delicate trinkets to bizarre oddities.
But also... it was ssy.
Clothes and jewelry were scattered everywhere in no particular order. The deep blue floor was half-covered by dolls of every shape and size—so animals, so humanoid, and so resembling celestial bodies like the sun and moon.
She had a lot of things.
And she refused, most of the ti, to let Lari clean it up. She liked it that way. To her, the chaos reflected who she truly was.
Weird? Maybe.
But humans are strange creatures anyway, so nothing surprising.
Today, however, it wasn’t ris’s room that was the center of attention.
It was the fact that she was finally going to undergo her evolution quest, though you wouldn’t think it by the look on her face.
"Ah... Lari, can’t we just push it off a little more? I an, it’s so enjoyable here. I get to learn alchemy, I talked with Kaden, and I even had a date with him. And he even told ... I interest him."
ris’s cheeks turned a little red at the end, her fingers tightening slightly around the stone.
It was, by far, her best day ever.
"And now you want to drop all this and go back to that suffocating house? Where Mother barely lets outside the training room for more than an hour?"
She groaned.
It wasn’t that she hated her mother or her ho, for that matter.
Just... they were too serious.
Everyone there was either training like their life depended on it or planning for so future war. Every hour, every second, felt like it was spent sharpening a blade.
And for what?
ris understood the world was dangerous. She knew strength was important. But pursuing it so hard that you neglected life?
That didn’t sit right with her.
Never going out. Never exploring. Never laughing for the sake of it.
What was the point of that kind of life?
A boring life was the worst kind.
And ris hated boring stuff.
She let out another sigh and dropped flat onto her bed, still holding the evolution stone.
Lari, standing beside her, simply observed.
She knew ris better than anyone. She knew how her mistress viewed the world and life itself.
And it’s not like she disagreed with her. But..
"It’s not that easy, my lady," Lari said, voice gentle. "The freedom and privilege you enjoy weren’t born from people enjoying life, you know?"
"Your ancestors... your mother, they worked endlessly to give you a life where you could afford to ignore training. Where you could afford to complain. So don’t you think, at the very least, you could do the one thing they ask of you?"
"To be strong. And even that request... is for your own good."
Then silence.
Lari didn’t want to ddle too much. She could advise, but the decision wasn’t hers to make.
Whatever her mistress chose, even if it went against her beliefs, she would follow her until the end.
That was her loyalty. Her devotion.
"...Ah," ris sighed again, softer this ti.
"Nothing’s ever free, huh?" she whispered under her breath before slowly pushing herself up, sitting back on the edge of the bed.
"Sotis I wonder... would life have been simpler if I were born a commoner?"
But even as she said that, a smirk curled her lips.
"Nope. Can’t imagine a world where I can’t buy whatever I want, whenever I want."
She chuckled.
"You love money too much," Lari said, smiling.
ris shrugged.
"Who doesn’t? But for , money isn’t really that important. I’ve been swimming in it since I was born. It’s not a goal. It’s a tool—sothing I use to please myself."
She paused, then added inwardly, ’but I can only say that because I was born with it.’
Would she think the sa if she had nothing?
Maybe. But probably not.
"Anyway, we’re getting off track." ris huffed.
An ice shard suddenly appeared and slashed her fingertip, letting a droplet of blood fall onto the evolution stone.
Instantly, the stone lit up with brilliant white light, swirling with subtle hues of countless colors before finally dimming. A soft chi echoed in her mind.
DING!
{You have activated a Unique-rank Evolution Stone.}
{ris Elamin, heir of the illustrious Elamin Family of Darklore.}
{You are a prodigy of Legendary-rank origin in Ice and Water, and your affinity for Alchemy is exceptional.}
{You are lively. You are obsessed. You are laid-back. You are mischievous—but above all, you are sincere and true to your nature.}
{You are... authentic.}
A short pause.
Then—
{You have received your Evolution Quest.}
{Evolution Quest: Travel to the Glacier of the Moon, at the northernmost edge of Fokay, and create an Ice Technique unique to you.}
{Ti Limit: 2 months.}
ris stared at the panel for a long mont. Then, without blinking, she spoke:
"Lari... I have a question."
"Yes, my lady?" Lari answered attentively.
Then—
"...What the hell is the Glacier of the Moon?"
...
ris wasn’t the only one.
Kaden too was about to take his evolution quest.
And oh—
{You have activated a Legendary rank Evolution Stone.}
{Kaden Warborn, youngest child of the Warborns.}
{Also known as: The Child of Blood. The Crimson Sword. The LimitBreaker.}
{You are fearless. Strong-willed. Devoted to your family. But ruthless to your enemies.}
{You are a being of rare potential, one whose kind appears only once every few ages—especially since you have surpassed all your stat limits at the Awakening rank.}
{You are a being of blood. But also... a being who reeks of death.}
Another pause.
{You have received your Evolution Quest.}
{Evolution Quest: You are blood. You are death. Slaughter all the beasts in the Outer and Middle Zones of the Forest of Asterion and drink their blood.}
{As the Child of Blood, make everything in your path bleed.}
{Ti Limit: Two weeks.}
Kaden stared blankly at the glowing quest window.
Then slowly, muttered,
"...Fucking hell."
—End of Chapter 91—
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