"Primrose, would you like to become stronger?" - Her God asked out of the blue.
"YES!" - Primrose opened her eyes wide and instantly declared on instinct.
However, looking at her Lord's dumbfounded expression, she realized her reaction was wrong.
Readjusting her expression, Primrose feigned calm and spoke.
"Yes, my Lord, I want to become stronger to serve you better." - She said respectfully.
It wasn't a lie. She wanted to become stronger to serve him better, but that was the non-selfish part. Like anyone who isn't a selfless fool, she also wanted benefits, and after receiving her God's blessing, she knows that things given by her God are good stuff!
"My God is showering me with blessings again! He is so kind!" - Primrose thought excitedly.
She knew she didn't deserve such gifts, yet her God pampered her so much! How can she reject such wonderful gifts?!
"... Alright." - Her God recovered from his shock and nodded.
"Then, I will give you two options. One, I can evolve you into any of the seven evolution paths of the Ascended." - He said.
"Seven evolution paths of the Ascended? What are they?" - Primrose blinked in confusion.
The inherent knowledge she got covered very little about the Ascended, to the point that things she experienced gave more information than the theoretical knowledge in her mind. As for future evolutionary paths? Only theoretical hypothesis. In her memories, it was speculated that the Ascended might have psychic potential and that future evolutions might go in that direction, but that is all.
For her God to suddenly say what he did means that not only does he know about the future evolution of the Ascended, but he can also stably evolve her into any one of these paths through his blessings.
"As expected from my God." - She thought.
At her question, her God answered.
"The seven evolution paths of the Ascended are the following: Psi-Warrior, Shapeshifter, Relicsmith, Biomancer, Technomancer, Pathfinder, and Mindweaver. Each of them will grant affinities to particular psychic disciplines, and you would need to develop from there independently. The first is the Psi-Warrior. They can Strengthen..."
And then, her God went on and explained each of the seven evolutionary paths.
While carefully listening, Primrose only had one thought.
"Amazing..."
To Primrose, what her God was telling her was fantastical and novel. Each evolutionary path had tremendous untapped potential, just waiting to be excavated.
After a while, God finished his narration.
"And those are all the paths you can choose. As I previously explained, they only give you an affinity, not immediate mastery. To master any of them, days, weeks, months, and even years are needed, possibly over a century. Also, a chosen path is a lifelong commitment, unable to change your path for the rest of your life." - God explained seriously.
"Yes, my Lord! I understand!" - Primrose nodded like a pendulum.
"Mm. So, this is your first option. You can choose any of these paths, and I will evolve you immediately, regardless of your choice. This is my gift to you as my Zealot." - God said magnanimously.
"God is so kind!" - Primrose shouted in her mind, almost unable to hold back her excitement.
God gave her the option to evolve and even to decide what path to choose, including the rare Pathfinder and Mindweaver.
She knew that, likely, others would not receive such good treatment! God will likely evolve others according to his needs, not his Zealots wants.
However, she held back her excitement, remembering it was only the first option.
"And, what is the second option, my Lord?" - She cautiously asked.
To her question, God smiled.
"The second option is to take a gamble. I wish to synthesize a new evolutionary path containing all the others. That means you will have an affinity to everything offered by the other routes and maybe more. This is a unique option I am willing to give you, my first Zealot." - God explained.
"I'M WILLING!" - She shouted, her body trembling in excitement.
"Chance! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! I must get it!" - She screamed in her mind.
However, she quickly noticed the strange expression her God gave her and realized she screwed up again.
Forcing herself to calm down, she said.
"My Lord, please, I choose the—"
"Wait." - Her God suddenly stopped her, scaring Primrose senseless.
"Ah, I displeased God. He will probably not give me this option anymore." - She mourned.
Luckily, she misunderstood him.
"Before you choose this option, I must warn you of three things. First, I won't be able to evolve you immediately. I need more energy for that. Second, I do not know what the final result would be. It might be better, and it might be worse. However, I also plan to evolve into it, so rest assured. And third, it will be more energy intensive, meaning I might not prioritize developing you first over others. So, you should choose carefully." - God warned.
"How are these things demerits?!" - Primrose retorted in her mind.
She was almost deceived into thinking there was something. It turned out it was just some waiting time and risk-taking.
Those things were far from what she would call downsides.
For fuck sake, she barely lived for less than two days and has a thousand years to live. What is a month of wait?
The second point was even more ridiculous. God also wants to evolve into this option, so how could it be bad?!
Only the third point has a bit of a downside, but this is expected! This evolution path should be more powerful. Of course, it needs more energy, and economizing is reasonable.
With that in mind, she calmly replied.
"Thank you for the warning, my Lord, but I still choose the second option." - She gave her decision.
To her words, God nodded with a satisfied smile, likely expecting that decision.
"Good, that is the spirit! Anyways, we need to harvest another 10,000 Minions first. I need this energy to synthesize the new evolution route." - Her God said.
To his words, Primrose pondered a little.
"Hm... If we kill another 10,000 Minions, there will be less than 20,000 left. It should be enough to defend us."
With that in mind, she asked.
"Then, shall I harvest them now?" - Primrose asked.
"Yes, do it." - Her God nodded.
After those words fell, the fate of another 10,000 Minions was sealed.
...
Twenty Minutes later...
After returning from the lobby and offering my harvest, I checked my gains.
{Gained 5,000 Basic Energy}
{Gained 1,000 Evolution Energy A}
{Gained 1,000 Enhancement Energy A}
Basic Energy: 12,617
Evolution Energy A: 2,088
Enhancement Energy A: 1,250
"Hm. Alright. Trod, enhance Synthesize!" - I ordered.
{Enhancement Complete.}
Enhancement Energy A: 1,250 -> 250
Without wasting any time, I checked the new function.
{Power: Evolution has been triggered.}
{Please select the desired option: Body Strengthening, Evolution, Devolve, Synthesize.}
{Synthesize has been selected.}
Please select a root strand:
Human Human Stalker Human Soldier Human Shadow Hunter Minion Soldier Stalker Shadow Hunter Ascended Ascended Psi-Warrior Ascended Shapeshifter Ascended Relicsmith Ascended Biomancer Ascended Technomancer Ascended Pathfinder Ascended Mindweaver
I was given a long list of all the genetic strands I have on hand.
"Trod, what does it mean by root strand?" - I asked.
{It means the race from which to evolve, like how a Minion can evolve into a Stalker.}
"Ah, thanks, Trod. Ascended." - I thanked and selected.
{Ascended has been selected as the root strand.}
Please select a synthesis base:
Ascended Psi-Warrior Ascended Shapeshifter Ascended Relicsmith Ascended Biomancer Ascended Technomancer Ascended Pathfinder Ascended Mindweaver
This time, it showed me all of the evolution routes of the Ascended.
I could see that I needed one stable strand before synthesizing.
And so, I randomly selected the Mindweaver.
{Ascended Mindweaver has been selected as the synthesis base.}
{Screening for compatible combinations...}
{Screening complete.}
Please select your desired combination:
Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Psi-Warrior. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Shapeshifter. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Relicsmith. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Biomancer. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Technomancer. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d ...
A long list was displayed, containing every single one of the possible combinations with the Mindweaver.
However, I found that only the psychic Ascended paths were available, and nothing else could be mixed, including the Soldier, Stalker, and Shadow Hunter.
I also found a consistent rule.
For every new strand added, the price increments by 100 Evolution points, 1,000 Basic Points, and one day.
For example, Mindweaver + Relicsmith + Psi Warrior costs 200 Evolution points and 2,000 Basic Points and takes two days.
And, for the all-in-one combination deluxe, I need 600 Evolution points, 6,000 Basic Points, and six days.
It is a bit pricey, but without a doubt, it is worth it.
Without a second thought, I made my choice.
{Initiating Synthesis: Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Psi-Warrior + Ascended Shapeshifter + Ascended Relicsmith + Ascended Biomancer + Ascended Technomancer + Ascended Pathfinder. ETA: 6 Days.}
Basic Energy: 12,617 -> 6,617
Evolution Energy A: 2,088 -> 1,488
Enhancement Energy A: 250
Seeing this, I nodded to myself and turned to Primrose, who was patiently waiting on the side.
"Primrose, it will take six days before I can deduce it. For now, I need your strategic advice on our next move." - I said.
"My Lord, if I may, I suggest seeking the protection of a nearby Leader, who will then take us to the nearest Kin Lord, who will, in turn, take us to the nearest Kin Ruler." - Primrose said.
"Kin Lord? Kin Ruler? Are these the ranks above a Kin Leader?" - I asked.
"Yes, my Lord. A Kin Lord is above a Kin Leader, and a Kin Ruler is above a Kin Lord." - She said respectfully.
"Hm. But why seek protection from them? It is not like they will follow our orders." - I said.
"No, but they will protect us from the Humans that are likely to come soon." - Primrose replied.
"What!? Explain yourself." - I demanded with scrunched eyebrows.
"My Lord, our movements thus far have been conspicuous. The Human Satellites might have picked the abnormal movements of the Minions in this area, and an investigation team might be prepared soon. With all respects, I suggest we leave before they suspect an Ascended was born and either send an elite squad to capture us or, depending on their available resources, drone-strike us." - Primrose said.
"... Well, fudge. Forgot about that." - I cursed in my mind.
I was so self-absorbed in getting points that I forgot it might get caught on a satellite camera.
Although 12 years have passed, the satellites should still function well, sending real-time video to the shelters.
And while they might not have seen my shenanigans, it is wholly possible they noticed the tens of thousands of Minions gathering in one place for seemingly no reason.
"Then, what do you suggest we do?" - I asked.
"I suggest killing 10,000 more Minions for energy and scattering the rest as probes before taking our Soldiers and Stalkers to the North East." - Primrose said.
"Why the North East?" - I asked.
"Through questioning one of the surviving Stalkers, they revealed that the nearest Lord lives 32 miles North East of us." - She explained.
"And what if the animals come?" - I asked.
"They will refrain from attacking us. They will instead eat the bodies we leave." - Primrose replied.
"Fine, do it. But leave 1,000 Minions here first to extract the crystals before letting them go." - I said.
"Yes, My Lord." - Primrose nodded.
And five seconds later...
{Gained 0.5 Basic Energy.}
{Gained 0.5 Basic Energy.}
{Gained 0.5 Basic Energy.}
{Gained 0.5 Basic Energy.}
...
Ignoring the messages, I stood up and walked to the door.
"I will return shortly." - I said.
"Yes, my Lord." - Primrose nodded.
I then walked downstairs to the hotel's dinner, where 17 yellowish cocoons were in place.
Although I didn't know how long it would take to finish this round of evolution naturally, there was no time left.
Walking up to each of them, I gently placed my hand on the cocoon and infused 10 points.
I then went to the lobby and watched the Minions pile the crystals. After they finished, I offered the pile of crystals and returned to our room while checking my energy.
Basic Energy: 6,617 -> 11,617
Evolution Energy A: 1,488 -> 2,318
Enhancement Energy A: 250 -> 1,250
Seeing this energy, I couldn't help but think.
"Why not just leave?" - I asked myself.
Honestly, I completed all my objectives. I accumulated a lot of energy, got the computers, and evolved into an Ascended.
If I so choose, I can return to my world, avoid all this conflict, set up base in my world, start a bullshit world-spanning cult, and then kick back and relax in the Bahamas as the money and points roll in.
For fuck sake, I have 1,000 years to live, 2,000 with me being a Pseudo God, and more as I evolve and integrate more with Trod. What is a few years compared to that?
Then again...
After opening the door and seeing Primrose, this thought extinguished itself.
If I leave now, there is a chance Primrose will get killed by the humans. It could have been avoided before, but I was blinded by greed.
Of course, I could do what many other people in my shoes would do and shirk off responsibility. But doing that didn't sit well in my mind. Great Grandpa Ryan taught me to be better than this.
"Might as well see this through. At worst, I return to my world." - I thought.
"My Lord?" - Primrose suddenly called out.
"Ah, nothing. Anyways, we will leave in an hour. Change to something else and reload these magazines while I take this chance to strengthen myself." - I said, placing the empty magazines from yesterday's fight and bullets on the table.
"Yes, my Lord." - Primrose replied.
I nodded to her and then lay on the bed.
"Trod. Use 100 Evolution Energy and 1,000 Basic Energy to Strengthen me." - I said in my mind.
{It will take 1,000 seconds. Are you sure?}
After becoming an Ascended, the base regeneration rate changed to five times that of a human. And with my immortal body, it is ten times.
"Yes." - I replied.
And then I blacked out.
...
Sometime later...
Inside an Apex Technologies Recon Bunker.
In the Monitor's office.
A haggard middle-aged man was reading the latest report he got six hours ago on his terminal while drinking a cup of recycled water, as coffee ran out a few years ago. He should have read it as soon as it came up, but after a dozen years stationed in a shithole in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere and thousands of false alerts, he gave zero fucks.
Every 24 hours, the satellites would take a picture of the ground, looking for abnormalities through AI calculations. However, there were several problems to tackle.
First, the creep, the moss-fungus greenish-grey biomatter covering almost every inch of the land, causes problems using thermal and SAR imaging when tracking Kin movement, forcing the satellites to use visual imaging during daytime.
However, in Tawheque, it is problematic, as two-thirds of the year is cloudy, if not raining.
For example, the imaging was poor yesterday because of the weather, and little data could be gathered.
It didn't help that in the last two years, some satellites have shown signs of malfunctions and failings, reducing the already low imaging of the area.
And this brings us to the present.
"Why is it Butterpond again?" - The middle-aged man muttered with a deep frown.
A few days ago, a satellite picked up increased activity in that area. He found it strange because it was in the Kin-dominated territory, so he increased monitoring of it. However, seeing as nothing happened for several days, he stopped monitoring, marking it as a false alert while thinking it might be that some desperate surface survivors got found out while trying to scavenge the town.
Yesterday it was cloudy and even raining, so he didn't get any good imaging, but today happened to be sunny during the day, giving a perfect visual.
Around six hours ago, a satellite took a picture of the area and found something weird.
All the Kin in a 5-mile radius congregated inside Butterpond, surrounding a building in what appears to be a barricade made out of cars. There were over 20,000 of them in the image.
"Car barricade? It wasn't there last time... Someone or something built it recently. They need a few dozen evolved people to do something of this scale in such a short time. But why would they do that? And how can a force that size get overwhelmed? Something doesn't add up..." - The man frowned even more.
As the man looked for clues, he suddenly noticed something in the corner of the building.
"Wait... is that a pile of bodies? I see a mixture of the Minion-class Kin and mutated animals there. And who is that near the... Wait... Platinum-green hair? Paper-white skin? And that size... a kid??? Why isn't he attacked? And two Minions are peeling the meat off the body of a mutated dog for the kid to eat? What the..." - The man squinted his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.
However he looked at it, what he saw remained the same.
Slowly, the dots connected in his head as a thought rose. It was the reason he and the others got stationed here in the first place.
"Ascended... Holy shit... It's a fucking Ascended! And a newly born brat! It all makes sense now!" - The man widened his eyes, his breath turning ragged.
The goal of being stationed in this shithole is to locate and capture an Ascended in an intact condition, dead or alive. Once that is done, they can permanently leave this cursed land and go to one of the island retreats, the last safe havens on this planet, where all the elite schmucks are located.
According to the original script, they only needed to wait a few years before the Ascended were born, wait for an opportunity, snatch one, and escape.
But an unexpected variable appeared; Surface survivors.
They thought almost all survivors would die within the first year due to the lack of food and the monsters killing them. But the survivors defied all odds and adapted to the new environment, even taking over abandoned military outposts and forming a powerful resistance.
Thanks to their superior firepower, they started killing evolved monsters in the first few years, slowing the progression of the monster evolution and formation of a Ruler-Class.
And because of that, the monsters became vigilant, not letting the Ascended wander off, staying together with the Ruler-Class monsters, with swarms of Lord-Class and Leader-Class monsters guarding them at all times like mother hens, right inside the protective spheres called the Spore-Spreaders.
And now, the situation split into a three-way struggle. The first side is the Kin side, led by the Ruler-Class Kin and a growing number of Ascended, now numbering several thousand and stationed in Tawheque's capital city, Zeeford. The second group is the tens of thousands of surface survivors stationed in fortress shelters on various military bases. And then there is the third group, the Apex Technology Recon teams, stationed in three different bunkers with 200 elite personnel each.
But after all this time, some teams must have succeeded in other areas to snatch one of the Ascended, right?
Maybe, maybe not. He didn't know anything, and their directive remained the same, so they got stuck there for the last twelve years.
But now, finally, finally!!!
At the thought of finally leaving this horrid place, the man's eyes got wet with emotion.
Without wasting another moment, he reached the intercom, pressed the button, and relayed a long-awaited message as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Code Ascension, I repeat, Code Ascension! We are getting out of this dump!"
"Primrose, would you like to become stronger?" - Her God asked out of the blue.
"YES!" - Primrose opened her eyes wide and instantly declared on instinct.
However, looking at her Lord's dumbfounded expression, she realized her reaction was wrong.
Readjusting her expression, Primrose feigned calm and spoke.
"Yes, my Lord, I want to become stronger to serve you better." - She said respectfully.
It wasn't a lie. She wanted to become stronger to serve him better, but that was the non-selfish part. Like anyone who isn't a selfless fool, she also wanted benefits, and after receiving her God's blessing, she knows that things given by her God are good stuff!
"My God is showering me with blessings again! He is so kind!" - Primrose thought excitedly.
She knew she didn't deserve such gifts, yet her God pampered her so much! How can she reject such wonderful gifts?!
"... Alright." - Her God recovered from his shock and nodded.
"Then, I will give you two options. One, I can evolve you into any of the seven evolution paths of the Ascended." - He said.
"Seven evolution paths of the Ascended? What are they?" - Primrose blinked in confusion.
The inherent knowledge she got covered very little about the Ascended, to the point that things she experienced gave more information than the theoretical knowledge in her mind. As for future evolutionary paths? Only theoretical hypothesis. In her memories, it was speculated that the Ascended might have psychic potential and that future evolutions might go in that direction, but that is all.
For her God to suddenly say what he did means that not only does he know about the future evolution of the Ascended, but he can also stably evolve her into any one of these paths through his blessings.
"As expected from my God." - She thought.
At her question, her God answered.
"The seven evolution paths of the Ascended are the following: Psi-Warrior, Shapeshifter, Relicsmith, Biomancer, Technomancer, Pathfinder, and Mindweaver. Each of them will grant affinities to particular psychic disciplines, and you would need to develop from there independently. The first is the Psi-Warrior. They can Strengthen..."
And then, her God went on and explained each of the seven evolutionary paths.
While carefully listening, Primrose only had one thought.
"Amazing..."
To Primrose, what her God was telling her was fantastical and novel. Each evolutionary path had tremendous untapped potential, just waiting to be excavated.
After a while, God finished his narration.
"And those are all the paths you can choose. As I previously explained, they only give you an affinity, not immediate mastery. To master any of them, days, weeks, months, and even years are needed, possibly over a century. Also, a chosen path is a lifelong commitment, unable to change your path for the rest of your life." - God explained seriously.
"Yes, my Lord! I understand!" - Primrose nodded like a pendulum.
"Mm. So, this is your first option. You can choose any of these paths, and I will evolve you immediately, regardless of your choice. This is my gift to you as my Zealot." - God said magnanimously.
"God is so kind!" - Primrose shouted in her mind, almost unable to hold back her excitement.
God gave her the option to evolve and even to decide what path to choose, including the rare Pathfinder and Mindweaver.
She knew that, likely, others would not receive such good treatment! God will likely evolve others according to his needs, not his Zealots wants.
However, she held back her excitement, remembering it was only the first option.
"And, what is the second option, my Lord?" - She cautiously asked.
To her question, God smiled.
"The second option is to take a gamble. I wish to synthesize a new evolutionary path containing all the others. That means you will have an affinity to everything offered by the other routes and maybe more. This is a unique option I am willing to give you, my first Zealot." - God explained.
"I'M WILLING!" - She shouted, her body trembling in excitement.
"Chance! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! I must get it!" - She screamed in her mind.
However, she quickly noticed the strange expression her God gave her and realized she screwed up again.
Forcing herself to calm down, she said.
"My Lord, please, I choose the—"
"Wait." - Her God suddenly stopped her, scaring Primrose senseless.
"Ah, I displeased God. He will probably not give me this option anymore." - She mourned.
Luckily, she misunderstood him.
"Before you choose this option, I must warn you of three things. First, I won't be able to evolve you immediately. I need more energy for that. Second, I do not know what the final result would be. It might be better, and it might be worse. However, I also plan to evolve into it, so rest assured. And third, it will be more energy intensive, meaning I might not prioritize developing you first over others. So, you should choose carefully." - God warned.
"How are these things demerits?!" - Primrose retorted in her mind.
She was almost deceived into thinking there was something. It turned out it was just some waiting time and risk-taking.
Those things were far from what she would call downsides.
For fuck sake, she barely lived for less than two days and has a thousand years to live. What is a month of wait?
The second point was even more ridiculous. God also wants to evolve into this option, so how could it be bad?!
Only the third point has a bit of a downside, but this is expected! This evolution path should be more powerful. Of course, it needs more energy, and economizing is reasonable.
With that in mind, she calmly replied.
"Thank you for the warning, my Lord, but I still choose the second option." - She gave her decision.
To her words, God nodded with a satisfied smile, likely expecting that decision.
"Good, that is the spirit! Anyways, we need to harvest another 10,000 Minions first. I need this energy to synthesize the new evolution route." - Her God said.
To his words, Primrose pondered a little.
"Hm... If we kill another 10,000 Minions, there will be less than 20,000 left. It should be enough to defend us."
With that in mind, she asked.
"Then, shall I harvest them now?" - Primrose asked.
"Yes, do it." - Her God nodded.
After those words fell, the fate of another 10,000 Minions was sealed.
...
Twenty Minutes later...
After returning from the lobby and offering my harvest, I checked my gains.
{Gained 5,000 Basic Energy}
{Gained 1,000 Evolution Energy A}
{Gained 1,000 Enhancement Energy A}
Basic Energy: 12,617
Evolution Energy A: 2,088
Enhancement Energy A: 1,250
"Hm. Alright. Trod, enhance Synthesize!" - I ordered.
{Enhancement Complete.}
Enhancement Energy A: 1,250 -> 250
Without wasting any time, I checked the new function.
{Power: Evolution has been triggered.}
{Please select the desired option: Body Strengthening, Evolution, Devolve, Synthesize.}
{Synthesize has been selected.}
Please select a root strand:
Human Human Stalker Human Soldier Human Shadow Hunter Minion Soldier Stalker Shadow Hunter Ascended Ascended Psi-Warrior Ascended Shapeshifter Ascended Relicsmith Ascended Biomancer Ascended Technomancer Ascended Pathfinder Ascended Mindweaver
I was given a long list of all the genetic strands I have on hand.
"Trod, what does it mean by root strand?" - I asked.
{It means the race from which to evolve, like how a Minion can evolve into a Stalker.}
"Ah, thanks, Trod. Ascended." - I thanked and selected.
{Ascended has been selected as the root strand.}
Please select a synthesis base:
Ascended Psi-Warrior Ascended Shapeshifter Ascended Relicsmith Ascended Biomancer Ascended Technomancer Ascended Pathfinder Ascended Mindweaver
This time, it showed me all of the evolution routes of the Ascended.
I could see that I needed one stable strand before synthesizing.
And so, I randomly selected the Mindweaver.
{Ascended Mindweaver has been selected as the synthesis base.}
{Screening for compatible combinations...}
{Screening complete.}
Please select your desired combination:
Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Psi-Warrior. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Shapeshifter. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Relicsmith. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Biomancer. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Technomancer. Cost: 100 Evolution Energy A, 1,000 Basic Energy. Time: 1d ...
A long list was displayed, containing every single one of the possible combinations with the Mindweaver.
However, I found that only the psychic Ascended paths were available, and nothing else could be mixed, including the Soldier, Stalker, and Shadow Hunter.
I also found a consistent rule.
For every new strand added, the price increments by 100 Evolution points, 1,000 Basic Points, and one day.
For example, Mindweaver + Relicsmith + Psi Warrior costs 200 Evolution points and 2,000 Basic Points and takes two days.
And, for the all-in-one combination deluxe, I need 600 Evolution points, 6,000 Basic Points, and six days.
It is a bit pricey, but without a doubt, it is worth it.
Without a second thought, I made my choice.
{Initiating Synthesis: Ascended Mindweaver + Ascended Psi-Warrior + Ascended Shapeshifter + Ascended Relicsmith + Ascended Biomancer + Ascended Technomancer + Ascended Pathfinder. ETA: 6 Days.}
Basic Energy: 12,617 -> 6,617
Evolution Energy A: 2,088 -> 1,488
Enhancement Energy A: 250
Seeing this, I nodded to myself and turned to Primrose, who was patiently waiting on the side.
"Primrose, it will take six days before I can deduce it. For now, I need your strategic advice on our next move." - I said.
"My Lord, if I may, I suggest seeking the protection of a nearby Leader, who will then take us to the nearest Kin Lord, who will, in turn, take us to the nearest Kin Ruler." - Primrose said.
"Kin Lord? Kin Ruler? Are these the ranks above a Kin Leader?" - I asked.
"Yes, my Lord. A Kin Lord is above a Kin Leader, and a Kin Ruler is above a Kin Lord." - She said respectfully.
"Hm. But why seek protection from them? It is not like they will follow our orders." - I said.
"No, but they will protect us from the Humans that are likely to come soon." - Primrose replied.
"What!? Explain yourself." - I demanded with scrunched eyebrows.
"My Lord, our movements thus far have been conspicuous. The Human Satellites might have picked the abnormal movements of the Minions in this area, and an investigation team might be prepared soon. With all respects, I suggest we leave before they suspect an Ascended was born and either send an elite squad to capture us or, depending on their available resources, drone-strike us." - Primrose said.
"... Well, fudge. Forgot about that." - I cursed in my mind.
I was so self-absorbed in getting points that I forgot it might get caught on a satellite camera.
Although 12 years have passed, the satellites should still function well, sending real-time video to the shelters.
And while they might not have seen my shenanigans, it is wholly possible they noticed the tens of thousands of Minions gathering in one place for seemingly no reason.
"Then, what do you suggest we do?" - I asked.
"I suggest killing 10,000 more Minions for energy and scattering the rest as probes before taking our Soldiers and Stalkers to the North East." - Primrose said.
"Why the North East?" - I asked.
"Through questioning one of the surviving Stalkers, they revealed that the nearest Lord lives 32 miles North East of us." - She explained.
"And what if the animals come?" - I asked.
"They will refrain from attacking us. They will instead eat the bodies we leave." - Primrose replied.
"Fine, do it. But leave 1,000 Minions here first to extract the crystals before letting them go." - I said.
"Yes, My Lord." - Primrose nodded.
And five seconds later...
{Gained 0.5 Basic Energy.}
{Gained 0.5 Basic Energy.}
{Gained 0.5 Basic Energy.}
{Gained 0.5 Basic Energy.}
...
Ignoring the messages, I stood up and walked to the door.
"I will return shortly." - I said.
"Yes, my Lord." - Primrose nodded.
I then walked downstairs to the hotel's dinner, where 17 yellowish cocoons were in place.
Although I didn't know how long it would take to finish this round of evolution naturally, there was no time left.
Walking up to each of them, I gently placed my hand on the cocoon and infused 10 points.
I then went to the lobby and watched the Minions pile the crystals. After they finished, I offered the pile of crystals and returned to our room while checking my energy.
Basic Energy: 6,617 -> 11,617
Evolution Energy A: 1,488 -> 2,318
Enhancement Energy A: 250 -> 1,250
Seeing this energy, I couldn't help but think.
"Why not just leave?" - I asked myself.
Honestly, I completed all my objectives. I accumulated a lot of energy, got the computers, and evolved into an Ascended.
If I so choose, I can return to my world, avoid all this conflict, set up base in my world, start a bullshit world-spanning cult, and then kick back and relax in the Bahamas as the money and points roll in.
For fuck sake, I have 1,000 years to live, 2,000 with me being a Pseudo God, and more as I evolve and integrate more with Trod. What is a few years compared to that?
Then again...
After opening the door and seeing Primrose, this thought extinguished itself.
If I leave now, there is a chance Primrose will get killed by the humans. It could have been avoided before, but I was blinded by greed.
Of course, I could do what many other people in my shoes would do and shirk off responsibility. But doing that didn't sit well in my mind. Great Grandpa Ryan taught me to be better than this.
"Might as well see this through. At worst, I return to my world." - I thought.
"My Lord?" - Primrose suddenly called out.
"Ah, nothing. Anyways, we will leave in an hour. Change to something else and reload these magazines while I take this chance to strengthen myself." - I said, placing the empty magazines from yesterday's fight and bullets on the table.
"Yes, my Lord." - Primrose replied.
I nodded to her and then lay on the bed.
"Trod. Use 100 Evolution Energy and 1,000 Basic Energy to Strengthen me." - I said in my mind.
{It will take 1,000 seconds. Are you sure?}
After becoming an Ascended, the base regeneration rate changed to five times that of a human. And with my immortal body, it is ten times.
"Yes." - I replied.
And then I blacked out.
...
Sometime later...
Inside an Apex Technologies Recon Bunker.
In the Monitor's office.
A haggard middle-aged man was reading the latest report he got six hours ago on his terminal while drinking a cup of recycled water, as coffee ran out a few years ago. He should have read it as soon as it came up, but after a dozen years stationed in a shithole in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere and thousands of false alerts, he gave zero fucks.
Every 24 hours, the satellites would take a picture of the ground, looking for abnormalities through AI calculations. However, there were several problems to tackle.
First, the creep, the moss-fungus greenish-grey biomatter covering almost every inch of the land, causes problems using thermal and SAR imaging when tracking Kin movement, forcing the satellites to use visual imaging during daytime.
However, in Tawheque, it is problematic, as two-thirds of the year is cloudy, if not raining.
For example, the imaging was poor yesterday because of the weather, and little data could be gathered.
It didn't help that in the last two years, some satellites have shown signs of malfunctions and failings, reducing the already low imaging of the area.
And this brings us to the present.
"Why is it Butterpond again?" - The middle-aged man muttered with a deep frown.
A few days ago, a satellite picked up increased activity in that area. He found it strange because it was in the Kin-dominated territory, so he increased monitoring of it. However, seeing as nothing happened for several days, he stopped monitoring, marking it as a false alert while thinking it might be that some desperate surface survivors got found out while trying to scavenge the town.
Yesterday it was cloudy and even raining, so he didn't get any good imaging, but today happened to be sunny during the day, giving a perfect visual.
Around six hours ago, a satellite took a picture of the area and found something weird.
All the Kin in a 5-mile radius congregated inside Butterpond, surrounding a building in what appears to be a barricade made out of cars. There were over 20,000 of them in the image.
"Car barricade? It wasn't there last time... Someone or something built it recently. They need a few dozen evolved people to do something of this scale in such a short time. But why would they do that? And how can a force that size get overwhelmed? Something doesn't add up..." - The man frowned even more.
As the man looked for clues, he suddenly noticed something in the corner of the building.
"Wait... is that a pile of bodies? I see a mixture of the Minion-class Kin and mutated animals there. And who is that near the... Wait... Platinum-green hair? Paper-white skin? And that size... a kid??? Why isn't he attacked? And two Minions are peeling the meat off the body of a mutated dog for the kid to eat? What the..." - The man squinted his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.
However he looked at it, what he saw remained the same.
Slowly, the dots connected in his head as a thought rose. It was the reason he and the others got stationed here in the first place.
"Ascended... Holy shit... It's a fucking Ascended! And a newly born brat! It all makes sense now!" - The man widened his eyes, his breath turning ragged.
The goal of being stationed in this shithole is to locate and capture an Ascended in an intact condition, dead or alive. Once that is done, they can permanently leave this cursed land and go to one of the island retreats, the last safe havens on this planet, where all the elite schmucks are located.
According to the original script, they only needed to wait a few years before the Ascended were born, wait for an opportunity, snatch one, and escape.
But an unexpected variable appeared; Surface survivors.
They thought almost all survivors would die within the first year due to the lack of food and the monsters killing them. But the survivors defied all odds and adapted to the new environment, even taking over abandoned military outposts and forming a powerful resistance.
Thanks to their superior firepower, they started killing evolved monsters in the first few years, slowing the progression of the monster evolution and formation of a Ruler-Class.
And because of that, the monsters became vigilant, not letting the Ascended wander off, staying together with the Ruler-Class monsters, with swarms of Lord-Class and Leader-Class monsters guarding them at all times like mother hens, right inside the protective spheres called the Spore-Spreaders.
And now, the situation split into a three-way struggle. The first side is the Kin side, led by the Ruler-Class Kin and a growing number of Ascended, now numbering several thousand and stationed in Tawheque's capital city, Zeeford. The second group is the tens of thousands of surface survivors stationed in fortress shelters on various military bases. And then there is the third group, the Apex Technology Recon teams, stationed in three different bunkers with 200 elite personnel each.
But after all this time, some teams must have succeeded in other areas to snatch one of the Ascended, right?
Maybe, maybe not. He didn't know anything, and their directive remained the same, so they got stuck there for the last twelve years.
But now, finally, finally!!!
At the thought of finally leaving this horrid place, the man's eyes got wet with emotion.
Without wasting another moment, he reached the intercom, pressed the button, and relayed a long-awaited message as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Code Ascension, I repeat, Code Ascension! We are getting out of this dump!"
