Free Web NovelChapter 7: Information On How To Evolve Species
Alex noticed the woman staring at him while they rested. His brows furrowed slightly as he looked down at himself. His clothes were torn, blood covered most of his body, and monster gore still stained his hands and arms.
’She must think I’m a murderhobo,’ he thought. The idea made him frown because, from her perspective, it wasn’t an unreasonable conclusion. Normal people didn’t fight giant monsters with stones, and they certainly didn’t crush skulls while covered in blood.
Alex quickly pushed those thoughts aside and focused on more important matters. The immediate danger had passed, but there would be more monsters sooner or later. He needed a safe place to sleep, someone to help keep watch, and any information that could improve his chances of survival.
The woman could help with all three.
There was also a good chance she had asked the Guide questions that he hadn’t the chance to ask. Information was always valuable, sometimes even more valuable than strength. That alone made her worth talking to.
"Are you okay? I moved as soon as I saw another human, but I was still a little too slow," Alex said as he climbed to his feet.
The lie came naturally. Alex considered himself an ordinary person, and ordinary people understood that complete honesty wasn’t always the smartest choice. To survive, lying was a must.
"Thank you for helping me. If you hadn’t stepped in, I would have died," she said sincerely as she stood up.
She wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve before looking directly at him. Only now did Alex get a proper look at her features.
She was a striking beauty. She stood tall, nearly a head taller than many women, with long blonde hair that fell over her shoulders like liquid gold. Her clear blue eyes were bright and captivating, carrying a calm confidence that naturally drew attention.
Her figure was equally impressive. She possessed a curvaceous body with long legs, a slender waist, and graceful proportions that seemed sculpted to perfection. Even the loose clothing she wore couldn’t completely hide her attractive curves.
However, what stood out most wasn’t her appearance. Despite everything that had happened and how close she had come to death, she remained remarkably composed. There was no panic in her eyes, only caution and determination.
More importantly, Alex recognized that face.
"Emma Carter," he said.
"You have the same name as me?" She blinked in surprise.
"...."
"Haha, sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood. Yes, I’m Emma Carter," she said with a chuckle.
It was surprising that she could remain so calm after nearly dying. Then again, Alex wasn’t much different. Less than an hour ago, he had been fighting for his life against a monster that had nearly torn his arm off, yet here he was having a conversation as if any of this was normal.
Maybe people adapted faster than they realized when survival was on the line. Or maybe neither of them had fully processed what had happened yet. Either way, Emma’s composure no longer seemed quite so unusual.
Alex looked at her, and confirmed once again she was Emma Carter. Obviously, he knew her. Almost everyone on Earth knew her.
Emma Carter was the leader of Pink Wave, one of the most famous idol groups at the moment. Her popularity had become so massive that she recently started receiving offers for major Hollywood films. Alex was surprised by meeting her, but that was about it.
Unlike many people his age, he had never paid much attention to celebrities. Most of his time had gone into studying, work, and trying to build a future for himself. While millions of people might have considered this a dream encounter, Alex mainly saw another survivor trapped in the same nightmare.
"We should get moving. The blood might attract more monsters. We can talk while we walk," Alex said after a moment.
Emma immediately nodded. Alex picked up the two Gene Potentials dropped by the monsters, while Emma retrieved her spear and removed the trap from the injured prowler’s leg. Once they finished, they began moving through the ruins.
The two walked in silence for several minutes. Both remained alert as they scanned their surroundings, unwilling to let their guard down after what had just happened. The castle looked peaceful on the surface, but neither of them trusted appearances anymore.
Alex was secretly relieved that she hadn’t run away. She seemed intelligent, calm, and capable of thinking clearly under pressure. Those qualities were rare and valuable.
"Are you planning to absorb those?" Emma asked suddenly, breaking the silence while pointing at the Gene Potentials wrapped in his shirt.
"Yes. Why?" Alex asked.
"Are you sure that’s the best idea?" Emma asked after some hesitation.
Alex glanced at her in confusion, and she quickly realized he did not know about them.
"The Guide told me that Gene Potentials can influence your future development. Depending on what monster’s Gene Potential you absorb, you can gain different abilities. If you absorb Gene Potentials from higher-ranked species, you can even improve your future species evolution options," she said.
"Wait, we can evolve our species?" Alex asked.
"Yes," she nodded.
Alex’s expression immediately became serious. He lowered his gaze toward the Gene Potentials and thought about her words. Originally, he had intended to absorb them immediately for the extra species experience and stat points.
Now, however, he wasn’t so certain.
If stronger Gene Potentials could influence future evolutions, then consuming weak ones without thinking might be a mistake. The immediate benefits were useful, but future Species Evolutions sounded far more important.
Alex didn’t regret using the first Gene Potential. It had allowed him to increase his Mana, and without that extra Mana, he wouldn’t have been able to fight the two Netherclaw Prowlers.
However, now that he had enough Mana to use his spell comfortably, he wasn’t eager to consume more Low-Rank Gene Potentials. They could provide additional stats, but they might also negatively affect his future evolutions.
In the end, the decision came down to a simple choice: immediate power or long-term potential.
Of course, there was one more problem.
Fighting stronger species wouldn’t be easy. He had nearly died against a Low-Rank monster. Thinking about opponents ranked even higher than the Netherclaw Prowler made his stomach tighten.
Alex organized his thoughts before asking his next question.
"How do species evolve?"
Emma smiled faintly. It was the expression of someone who had been waiting for exactly that question.
"Let’s exchange information. I answer one question, and then you answer one of mine," she said.
Alex frowned slightly.
Emma immediately raised her hands in a placating gesture. "That’s fair, isn’t it? I already gave you one free answer, and it was a pretty important one."
Alex considered her proposal carefully. If he were being completely honest, he didn’t particularly like negotiating right after saving her life. At the same time, he understood exactly why she was doing it.
Information was power in this place. If their positions were reversed, he would probably be doing the same thing.
’Smart,’ Alex thought as he studied her. Most importantly, the information he possessed wasn’t especially secret. Much of it could probably be learned through experimentation or levelling up.
"Alright," Alex said with a nod.
Emma seemed pleased by the agreement. "Species evolve when they reach Level 10. Once that happens, you’ll receive different evolution options based on your species, development, and Gene Potentials. You’ll have to choose one of those options."
Alex absorbed the information carefully. A species evolution sounded significantly more important than he had initially assumed. The fact that Gene Potentials could influence it made his decision regarding the ones in his hand much more complicated.
’Given what she said, I need to absorb Gene Potentials of higher-ranked Species to evolve into a higher-rank Species. Otherwise, even if my species evolve to beyond Level 10, it will stay Low-rank,’ he theorized
Emma looked at him expectantly. "My turn. How did you move so fast?"
"It was due to mana," Alex answered before immediately asking his own question. "What were the Tutorial Quests you got?"
Emma noticed that he had given a very vague answer, but she decided not to push the issue. He had saved her life only minutes ago, and she didn’t mind conceding a little. Besides, she doubted he would reveal everything after knowing her for less than half an hour.
"My first quest was to choose a class. The second one was choosing a difficulty. According to the Guide, the difficulty determines how dangerous the region you appear in is," she replied.
Alex listened carefully as she explained. Every piece of information she gave was more valuable than the last.
"Why are you asking about that, though? Everyone I know received those same Tutorial Quests," Emma said.
..
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