A certain entity flew beneath the bright sun as it shone through the wilderness of Red Island, waving his wings as he flew so fast in the air. The war between the peasants and the river dwellers had ended, with the river dwellers victorious due to the Warden of the Hell's Gates' overwhelming destructive capabilities. The location where the war took place was already cleared when Eon left, with no signs of the supposed participants.
Eon arrived at a familiar location after several minutes of flying, located in the eastern part of the Red Island, across the Kanundra Hell's Gate. He returned to the raging river where he was used to moving across for the first time since being trapped on the island.
Even from across the river, he could see the familiar trees dancing in unison, as if welcoming his return. Eon soared above Kanundra Hell's Gate, taking in the scenery of the raging river below. Nothing could stop him this time, and the Gerolak Tadpoles could be seen looking up as they watched him pass. Eon growled as he looked down at his onlookers. He was on the other side of the river in a matter of seconds.
Eon flew into a familiar path he'd taken before, straight to the location of a familiar tree hidden in the wilderness. His flight slowed as he approached the ground.
[Deceitful Shapeshifter has been activated.]
What remained of his body when he reached the ground was his long slimy Slug form. All of the other monsters' body parts had vanished. Eon's gooey eyes darted to the tree's root, which was covered in stones that served as barricades against any dangerous monsters.
For Eon, this was the safest place inside Kegali's dangerous forest.
Eon crawled into the chamber hidden among the roots and stones, easily navigating its path because he remembered it so well. He slammed his slimy body to the ground as he entered the dark and humid chamber hidden inside. He hid his head inside his head for a few minutes, finally letting his guard down.
He pushed his eyes out of his head and stared at his status board when he finally felt at ease. He spent his skill points first before moving on to bigger things.
[Lethal Augmentation has received one skill point.]
[The damage output of Lethal Augmentation has increased from level 19 (955%) to level 20 (1000%).]
[The damage output of [Imitation] Fire Blast has increased from level 19 (1050% of intelligence stats) to level 20 (1100%).]
Lethal Augmentation had reached its maximum level and could no longer be upgraded.
The difference in damage output between Lethal Augmentation and Fire Blast demonstrated that skills obtained by evolving into higher species had higher overall damage output. As units evolved, they gained skills with increased damage output.
[The necessary level for evolution has been reached. You may now evolve into a superior species.]
Eon growled, his gaze darting to the other board floating next to his status board. There were two boards in front of him, one of which was a list of his available evolution paths.
***
Geo Teplonide:
Race Description:
[The Teplonide species that governs the element of earth. They destroy everything in their path while withstanding attacks from those who are brave enough to attack them. They will crush everything while shaking the ground.]
Skill: Boulder Hurl
Strength: +9
***
Aero Teplonide:
Race Description:
[The Teplonide species that governs the wind element. They can summon destructive tempests to help them fight and use them to bolster their physical attacks. They can move as quickly as the wind and unleash devastating attacks as violent as a tornado.]
Skill: Tempest Coat.
Agility: +9
***
Hydro Teplonide:
Race Description:
[The Teplonide species that governs the element of water. To destroy its enemies, this species can summon the destructive element of water. They can use the monstrous force of the tide to destroy their enemies or use the gentle touch of water to aid their allies.]
Skill: Water Blade.
Intelligence: +9
***
Pyro Teplonide:
Race Description:
[The Teplonide species that possesses the wrathful element of fire. A species whose sole goal is to destroy. Having the ability to burn anything in their path. The element of destruction itself.]
Skill: Fire Blast
Strength: +3
Agility: +3
Intelligence: +3
***
Cryo Teplonide.
Race Description:
[The Teplonide species that possesses the stagnant element of Ice. The element of preservation, cold, and harsh snow storm. They have the ability to turn their opponents into ice statues simply by touching them. They can withstand powerful attacks and retaliate as unforgiving winter warriors.]
Skill: Icy Touch.
Strength: +9
***
Electro Teplonide:
Race Description:
[The Teplonide species that governs the element of thunder. They can imbue their bodies with a destructive spark of thunder to aid in combat and to empower their attacks. They can move as quickly as a raging electrical current and unleash devastating attacks that can obliterate their opponents.]
Skill: Electro Assault.
Agility: +9
***
Chloro Teplonide:
Race Description:
[The Teplonide species that governs the plant element. To destroy its enemies, this species can summon the fury of the forest. They can destroy their enemies with the destructive force of nature, whether it's destructive plants or summoned units fighting on their side. They can also help their allies by healing and supporting them.]
Skill: Leaf Blades.
Intelligence: +9
***
The evolution lines, the skill that would be acquired as a result of the evolution, and the bonus stats were all listed. Every evolution line had its own stat path, which would play a significant role in Eon's future growth.
Damaging skills had specific stats that determined their damage output and effects. A skill that was incompatible with Eon's stats would be less effective than those that scaled with his main stat. With the exception of a few skills that did not rely on stat count, almost all of the damaging type skills scaled based on the user's stats.
This was the most crucial decision. Eon's stat path would be his default stat growth path from here on out, regardless of which evolution he chose to his future evolution choices.
There were four options.
Strength: Vanguard. Units with strength as their primary stat had the most HP and survivability. They were skilled at both dealing and taking damage, as well as using their Defensive and Crowd Control skills to effectively regulate the flow of the battle to their and their allies' advantage.
Agility: Assassin. Units with agility as their primary stat were the quickest. Many of their acquired skills, such as Speed Boost, Stealth, and Blink, were ideal for closing the distance between them and their target. They were extremely agile and could eliminate non-defensive units with swift and fatal attacks while escaping with hit-and-run tactics.
Intelligence: Bombardier/Support. Units with intelligence as their main stat had the most mana and could spontaneously unleash more skills. Because the majority of their acquired skills were Area Of Effect skills, they were adept at supporting and inflicting damage on crowds.
Balanced: All-rounder. Units with no primary stats. All of their stat points would grow at the same rate, giving them a diverse set of roles to play in exchange for balanced stat growth.
All types of skill, such as Crowd Control and Area of Effect, were not restricted to a single stat type. All stat paths could obtain all types of skills; it was just that those who specialized in them were more likely to obtain them.
***
Eon fixed his gaze on the evolution board. Even without anyone explaining the evolution path to him, he intuitively understood what it meant. Not because he was clever enough to figure it out, but because that was how the system worked. That was also the main reason why non-intelligent monsters could fully comprehend it.
Eon growled and focused his attention on his preferred evolutionary path. Although having seven options with varying fighting styles and capabilities was initially overwhelming, he had no trouble deciding which evolution line to choose. After all, it had been predetermined since the day he was born.
He was created to embody this particular evolutionary path... So he would.
Eon used his retractable eyes to finalize his decision, and the evolution board vanished as soon as his eyes pressed the evolution line he had chosen.
[Initiating the evolutionary process.]
Eon growled as his body became heavier, pushing and crawling toward the deeper part of the chamber. He fell to the ground and turned liquid as soon as he reached the cave's edge. His liquid state, however, did not last long as his body formed into a circle and eventually transformed into the form Vaas, his father, created for him... A white crystal ball.
The white crystal ball that was Eon flashed a dim light for a few seconds before turning off, indicating that Eon had fallen asleep. His evolution process began, and he was completely safe inside his hidden haven; additionally, no monster in the vicinity would find a crystal ball appetizing.
***
The evolution process took several days to complete. And Eon did not move at all during that time. Due to his lack of activity, his crystal ball form appeared to be dead. He was just standing there.
While sleeping, Eon was unaware of his surroundings; he had no idea how many days had passed or what monsters had passed through his hideout.
Rain had poured on the land the night before the fourth day, making the already humid chamber Eon was in even wetter. Water flowed through his cave.
Then came the fourth morning. The area was dominated by the sounds of birds singing a beautiful song to welcome the new arrival of the sun. The trees all over the place were dancing in unison with the music of nature. The roars of monsters like wolves, bears, and boars could be heard from afar.
It began with a very faint light that flickered from the inside of the crystal, which was lying inside a safe chamber. Then it flickered again...
[The evolution process is complete.]
The crystal ball flickered like a broken light bulb again and again. It flickered several times before finally remaining illuminated for five seconds. However, the light it produced was too weak to be considered light. It was the brightest light it could produce.
The weak light then gradually faded, indicating that it had been awakened after nearly four days of sleep.
Eon had been awoken...
[You have been awarded one defense point.]
[You have increased your Strength stat by nine.]
He had evolved into a higher species.
RACE: Cryo Teplonide [Level: 10/20] [Exp. Points: 15.425/25].
HP: 190/190
MP: 100/100
Top Speed: 20 km/h
Defense: 1
[STATS.]
Strength: 19
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
[DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]
Lethal Augmentation [MP Cost: 20] [Level: 20/20].
Icy Touch [MP Cost: 1] [Level: 1/20].
[Imitation] Fire Blast [MP Cost: 40] [Level: 20/20].
[NON-DAMAGING ACTIVE SKILLS.]
Deceitful Shapeshifter [MP Cost: 1]
[Passive Skills.]
World Conqueror's Perception.
[Lesser] MP Regeneration.
SKILL POINTS AVAILABLE: 1