Chereads / ASCENSION: Evolution in the apocalypse / Chapter 2 - Adrian vs Professor Stein

Chapter 2 - Adrian vs Professor Stein

'STATUS'

Adrian shouted in his mind, as his body trembled in excitement.

[ Name: Adrian Turin 

Level: 0

Race: Human

Class: None

Title: None

Vitality: 6/ Mana: 150/ Strength: 13/ Agility: 11/ Stamina: 10/ Intelligence: 120 ]

Due to constant work and training, Adrian's body, though slim, had a nice pack of muscles underneath. 

" Mana...?" He looked at the word with shinning eyes.

Mana! A classic element of fantasy novels. As if to pour cold water on him, the voice of the professor sounded not far from him bring him out his fantasies. Adrian had been so excited that he completely forgot his current situation.

" Interesting... To think you would awaken such a high aptitude of magic, well, it's not that surprising considering you are the most intelligent kid I have met in this world. Such a pity you will have to die before you even experience it. "

Adrian's mood suddenly deflated like a balloon. He looked at the professor with pleading eyes.

" Can't you let me off just this once? I promise I won't say anything about what I saw. I didn't see anything." At this point Adrian was even willing to kneel down and call him ancestor if it meant he would let him off.

Professor Stein blinked a few times thinking this guy is really shameless. 

At this time hurried footsteps and cries of help came from outside. Professor Stein seem to know now was not a good time to chat and immediately pounced at Adrian.

His nails elongated shining with a dark metallic luster as he thrust his right arm aiming at Adrian's head. If they made contact, it would be an instant kill.

Adrian's face changed when he saw the professor pounce towards him. Professor Stein's speed was really fast and in a blink he had shortened the distance between him and Adrian, aiming his right arm at his face in a piercing motion.

Adrian reacted on instinct. His right hand holding the wrench pulled back. He struck forward with all his strength. 

The wrench impacted heavily on the professor's head. Due to the momentum, Adrian's body slanted to the right evading the professor's strike by an inch. The professor slammed on the wall with his right arm first followed by his head.

Due to the adrenaline rush, Adrian's pain had disappeared replaced by the desire to live. Making use of the opening when the professor was stun, he raised the wrench high, holding it with both hands he mustered all his strength and brought it down on his head.

Puchi! Blood flew as the professor went limp.

" Haa...haa...haa..." Adrian stood on top breathing heavily. Professor Stein twitched a few times which immediately caught Adrian's attention causing him to panic.

Seeing the professor still moving, Adrian the wrench above his head and struck the professor a few times before he stopped moving. 

A white and a red energy orbs shot from the professor's body and entered his body.

[ You have gain a devouring demon chimera soul essence. Vitality +6, strength +4, agility +4, stamina +4, intelligence +6, Mana +4.]

[ You have reached level 1. You have acquired 2 free stats points.]

Two messages flashed before Adrian's retina. He was surprised to find the mysterious energy seemed to improve his body making his body more powerful.

" What is this...?" Adrian stretch out his right hand and a red orb materialized.

[ Devour (1 star skill)Level 9: Grants the user power by devouring other beings dead or alive. The higher the level of the being being consumed, the more the power that can be drawn.]

The red orb was in his hand. The orb emanated a strange dark red aura and although it was smooth, it gave off a great sense of danger.

[ Would you like to learn the skill. YES/ NO.]

A message appeared asking if would like to learn the skill. Without hesitation he chose to learn the skill. As far as he was concerned, gaining power just by eating was the best since all he had to was eat, while others struggle killing monsters, he only had to eat to become powerful.

After accepting to learn the skill, the red orb flashed into his body and his mind seemed to receive a flood of information as a strange rune appeared in his mind. 

[ You have learned the active skill Devour.]

By instinct he turned to the body of the professor, thinking that if he could eat his body won't he become stronger, but this thought disappeared as he noticed something bulging slightly on the professor's belly area.

Out of curiosity he bent down and lifted the professor's tattered coat causing a fist size object to roll out on the ground. 

The object was shaped like an egg, gray in colour with mysterious vein like black tattoos that seemed to glow red from time to time as if it was breathing. It was surrounded by a faint fog that seem to absorb the light.

Maybe it was his imagination, but the moment that thing came out, the room seem to dim making it even more mysterious. Shaking his head, Adrian bent down and took the egg like object, studying it carefully. 

[ Seed of ???? ]

Just as Adrian took the egg, a message popped up on his retina which left him stunned.

_ What is '????' ? Is this system broken? If you don't have any helpful information to give, can you not give useless information?!_

Just as he was about to continue berating the system in his mind, another message popped up that again stunned him.

[ Would like to use the seed of ???? to evolve your Devour skill? YES/ NO]

Adrian blinked a few times to make sure he hadn't read wrong.

" E...evolve my devour skill?...Damn, won't that make the skill more powerful?..." His body trembled in excitement imagining how powerful he would become and instantly accepted to evolve the skill.

Unlike when he absorbed the red orb where he didn't feel anything, when he accepted to evolve the skill, the egg like seed flashed into his body causing him feel an excruciating pain as if his soul was being torn apart making his body tremble. 

The sudden pain caught him off guard and almost made him let out a cry. After enduring for a few seconds, the pain receded followed by a soothing warmth through his body.

[ Your skill Devour (1 star skill) Level 9 has evolved to Glutton (unique skill).]