Connor commanded everyone to rest for the day, reasoning that there might still be some fallen lurking around. He decided to patrol the area at night to ensure their safety before they left the hospital the following morning.
They had enough food to last another day, and Connor figured they could plunder an abandoned store for more supplies later.
As night fell, Connor began his secretive work. He used Soul Eater on each of the corpses. The mana consumption was manageable with only 25 mana points for each activation. He preferred to rest and let his mana recharge naturally rather than using a conversion.
The loot he gained was substantial. In just an hour, he accumulated over a thousand SP. By the time he was halfway done, he had leveled up once and was on the verge of leveling up again.
Connor grinned from ear to ear, feeling himself grow stronger. It was an addicting sensation that he couldn't get enough of.
By dawn, he was done with the corpses. He smiled as he checked his status and the notifications from the system.
[ Name: Connor Lennox
Race: Human
Class: None
Subclass: Necromancer
Rank: Unranked
Level: 25 (2500/2500)
AP: 3
.... ]
[ You have reached the pinnacle level of your Rank. It is time to evolve. As every evolution brings a change within your soul and body with a class being engraved to your core, you must select a class to advance in your path of evolution. These are the classes available for evolution to you now. They are based on your progress so far:
1. Apocalyptic Warrior (Legendary)
2. Cerebral Swordsman (Mythic)
3. Prince of Darkness (Mythic)
...
17. Undead Commander (Divine)
18. Undead Warlock (Unique)
... ]
His level had reached the top of his rank, and he had 22 classes displayed in alphabetical order. Among them, there were 12 Legendary, 7 Mythic, 2 Divine, and 1 Unique rank classes.
Connor didn't realize how rare it was to have such amazing classes offered to him, but he knew that a Unique rank was the pinnacle. Once he achieved this rank, the evolved version would be a class at the top of the universe. He couldn't wait until he reached the ascension rank when he could evolve a Unique rank class.
Normally, when you get a class like a Legendary rank, after reaching the ascension stage, your class has a chance to evolve to the next rank—Mythic—depending on the evolution path. But if you get a Unique rank path at the Mortal ranks, that class could only evolve in one path. By its name, the path is unique with only one evolution option.
Though the choice was limited, it meant his ascension class would be an anomaly. There weren't many Unique rank classes available at the Mortal rank, and those classes could also be gained at ascendent ranks.
Connor was running out of time, so he had to get this Unique rank in his Mortal rank alone. But as the saying goes, with great risks come great benefits. Connor took a deep breath and chose the Undead Warlock class.
[You have chosen the Undead Warlock (Unique) Class. Are you sure?]
"Yes."
[The path of an Undead Warlock requires you to master the darkness, soul, and life elements to a high level of manipulation. The requirements are tough, but Uriel believes you can achieve this.
Requirements(1/4):
--> Have the subclass: Necromancer ( Complete )
--> Have a temporary skill of darkness element of 3rd-order rank
--> Defeat 100 class one evolver or monster with undead-related or darkness type of skills
--> Clear a Dungeon (solo)
]
Connor was satisfied with his progression. He was above the rest of the group and doubted anyone else could be as strong as him. But as soon as he remembered the guy who had knocked him out, he slapped himself to remind himself of the dangers lurking around.
"Focus, Connor. Just a single mistake can still cost me my life."
Connor couldn't afford to die without achieving anything. At least, he wanted to make sure his sisters were safe. While absorbing SP from each of the fallen, he had checked for his sister as well. He was uneasy the entire time and only sighed in relief after not finding her among the dead.
As he was making plans, he was startled by a voice behind him.
"What are you doing here at this time?"
Connor turned to find Elena gazing at him with a worried expression.
"Nothing. I was just checking the territory."
"But still, being so far from the hospital at this time, I was worried when I couldn't find you," Elena said, her expression still worried.
"You were looking for me?" Connor's eyes narrowed.
"I was wondering if you were alright. You fought the hardest and longest after all," she replied with a proud smile, like a mother proud of her son's accomplishment.
"I'm alright. I just couldn't sleep," Connor looked away. He felt uneasy when she smiled at him like that. It felt unusual, as he had never seen her smile at anyone else besides her friends. He thought of all the college boys who would be jealous of him for getting this special treatment.
Suddenly, he remembered something and asked Elena.
"Hey, I think we forgot to get him."
"Who?"
"Ethan."
Elena was baffled as she remembered that guy. She had totally forgotten him with her mother's condition and everything else.
"Go bring him, then, you fool. How come you only remember now?"
"What? As if you all didn't forget about him."
Connor argued as Elena turned back to the hospital. She left before he could argue further. He sighed and decided to bring Ethan to the hospital.
Connor arrived at the place he had told Ethan to stay, but he was shocked to see the collapsed buildings and the havoc caused to the road. Something had happened here. By the looks of it, it seemed like another giant creature, similar to the Infernal Ape, had attacked the place or Ethan.
"But how? Neither I nor the others could sense any strong presence radiating from here."
Connor felt a sense of impending trouble and decided to return to the hospital. Whatever had happened here, it was pure destruction. The area was devastated, with nothing spared in the vicinity. As he navigated through the rubble and debris, he couldn't shake the feeling that something even more dangerous was on the horizon.
The journey back to the hospital felt longer than usual. Every shadow seemed to move, and every sound made him more alert. He kept a tight grip on his weapon, ready to defend himself at a moment's notice. His mind raced with thoughts about the potential dangers awaiting him and his group.
Finally, Connor reached the hospital. He was greeted by the dim glow of the building, a stark contrast to the chaos he had just witnessed. As he entered, Elena was waiting for him, her expression a mix of relief and curiosity.
"Where is Ethan? Did you not find him?" Elena asked, her voice laced with concern.
Connor shook his head, his face grim. "No, the place was destroyed. I don't know what happened, but it looks like another giant creature has appeared."
"Another?" Elena tilted her head in confusion.
"You know, a creature similar to my undead summon," Connor clarified.
Elena's eyes widened in shock. "That's...." For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She knew the strength of his summon. It was one of the main reasons they were able to hold their ground against the army of fallen. Such a catastrophic existence meant danger for everyone who wasn't Connor.
"No, actually, I think it's stronger than my summon," Connor continued. "At least I was able to sense the infernal ape from afar. Maybe I'm wrong, and the monster is just huge enough to wreak havoc but actually weak. Or maybe it's also smart enough to hide its presence. If that's the case, we're screwed."
Connor's analysis made Elena gulp. She dreaded the thought of a monster with such strength and intelligence. She had seen a few intelligent monsters in the dungeon, and they were hard to kill. She had even lost a few comrades to those dangerous creatures.
"You can still defeat it, right? After all, you have that crazy skill and your summon to assist you... and.. and you also have me," Elena said, seeking reassurance.
Connor grinned at her words. She was scared and looking for comfort. To him, it felt nice to see her like this. "Of course. As long as you're with me, I am undefeatable."
"You don't have to say it like that, you know. I'm only supporting you now so that everyone can survive," Elena said with a hint of blush that didn't escape Connor's notice. It seemed his words affected her in multiple ways.
Connor grinned at her reaction and decided to tease her. "Whatever you say, my babydoll."
"Wh- who are you calling babydoll?!" Elena was completely flustered. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, as this was so out of character for him. Her face turned tomato red.
"Hahahaha!" Connor laughed at her response, finding it amusing to tease her like this.
Elena's face was still red, but now it was due to rising anger rather than embarrassment. "You... Do you think this is funny?"
"Have you relaxed now?" Connor countered her rage with a question, explaining his actions.
After a few seconds, she responded, understanding the purpose behind his words. "Even if you wanted to distract me... That's..."
"I know, and I'm sorry. But it's just so entertaining to make you flustered. Just like with Sylvie."
Elena clicked her tongue at his reply. So, he was also teasing Sylvie like this. She resolved to be different from her and the rest.
'Just you wait' she decided to get back at him for this one day.