"Hidden evolution paths require double the evolution points. Confirm evolution?"
"Double?" Ethan clenched his fists slightly.
It was a habitual gesture he used when deep in thought. Back when he was still human in his previous life, he would rotate his wrists to ease fatigue.
But now, with only a transparent soul left as his body, the action seemed a bit eerie.
He stayed silent for a moment before finally making up his mind.
"I have to choose the hidden evolution path," he said firmly, as if some invisible fire ignited in his hollow eye sockets.
Evolution points could be earned again, but a hidden evolution path? Miss it once, and it might never appear again.
The game had only been live for three and a half hours. Most players were still wandering around the outskirts of the starter village, busy hunting low-level monsters.
But this calm wouldn't last long.
As players leveled up, they'd inevitably catch up. And when that happened, conflict would be unavoidable. His only advantage would be absolute strength.
"Power is the foundation of survival," Ethan muttered under his breath, as if trying to motivate himself.
Maybe, just maybe, if he became strong enough—strong enough to even break the rules of the game—he'd have a chance to return to the real world.
Who knows?
Anything was possible.
"Choose evolution!"
The system notification immediately followed: "2000 evolution points consumed. Evolving into Bone Vanguard! Evolution in progress. Estimated time: one minute."
A burst of purple light erupted from Ethan's skeletal frame, so dazzling it was impossible to look directly at it.
Lily's eyes widened in shock, her face full of disbelief.
"No way! My summon is evolving again?" she exclaimed, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.
This speed was insane!
How long had it been since the last evolution? Just a few hours, and Ethan was already undergoing his second transformation.
After his last evolution, Ethan's weapon had transformed into an incredibly sharp scythe, almost like the Grim Reaper's own. It even shimmered faintly with a metallic glow, and its power had increased to a jaw-dropping degree. As it turned out, his attack strength was practically overwhelming, capable of crushing monsters of the same level with ease.
Those Rotting Grizzlies, with their 100 health points, were nothing more than paper targets in front of him. A few swings of his scythe, and they were reduced to dust.
But now, with this new evolution, what kind of changes would it bring?
The purple glow surrounding him slowly faded, and Ethan's body began to undergo a stunning transformation.
His Wraith form, which had previously stood at just 4 feet tall, was now engulfed in a dazzling white light. When the light subsided, he had grown into a towering skeleton, standing around 6 feet tall.
His bones now glimmered faintly with a purple sheen, as if they had been reinforced by some mysterious, otherworldly power.
But the most striking change was in his eye sockets—once empty and hollow, they now burned with two flickering purple soul flames, alive and full of energy.
"This is so badass!" Lily gasped, her jaw practically hitting the floor. She couldn't help but swallow hard.
A flood of thoughts raced through her mind.
Ethan's first evolution had already catapulted her to the top of the leaderboard, making her monster-slaying efficiency absurdly high. It was like slicing through fruit with a sharp knife.
If this evolution brought another massive leap in power, then her summon would be unstoppable.
"At this point, I bet no one in the entire game has a summon that can compare to mine," Lily thought smugly, a satisfied grin creeping onto her face.
But she quickly reined in her emotions, gripping her staff tightly as she scanned the surroundings with a wary eye.
The evolution process couldn't be interrupted. She had to ensure Ethan's safety.
Though, deep down, she couldn't help but feel a little awkward—after all, she was the player, and Ethan was just her summon. Technically, he should be the one protecting her.
Yet here she was, standing guard over him.
"Who's the summon here, really…" she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes internally.
The minute passed in the blink of an eye, and the system notification chimed again: [Evolution complete! Congratulations, you have evolved into Bone Vanguard!]
[HP increased by 300 points, MP increased by 100 points, Attack increased by 50 points, Defense increased by 50 points, Agility increased by 20 points.]
[New evolution skills acquired: Morph Armor, Pillage.]
As the system notification faded, Ethan slowly "opened" his eyes—or rather, the flames of his soul flickered faintly.
He instinctively tried to blink, only to realize he didn't have eyelids anymore. Instead, there was a strange sensation, as if something within his eye sockets could shift up and down.
Just as he was about to raise a hand to touch his eye sockets, his movement was interrupted by a face suddenly appearing in front of him.
Her features were sharp and symmetrical, almost unnaturally perfect. Her pale skin seemed to catch the light, radiating a faint, rosy glow.
Her expression carried a childlike innocence, softening her overly flawless appearance and adding a charm that made her seem approachable.
Her large, bright eyes sparkled like the most brilliant stars in the night sky, brimming with curiosity and excitement, as if she were eagerly awaiting the reveal of some grand secret.
Ethan had to admit to himself: his summoner was stunningly beautiful, almost otherworldly.
Her slightly naive personality might come off as a bit silly to some, but that unintentional purity gave her an irresistible, natural allure.
As for her figure and overall presence? Flawless. She was like a miracle of creation, a rare combination of perfection that was hard to come by.
If he had to rate her, Ethan figured he'd give her a solid 99 out of 100.
Why not 100? Well, he didn't want her to get too full of herself.
That said… her brain wasn't exactly her strongest asset.
For example, earlier, she had tried to mimic his method of slashing a Rotting Grizzly, only to nearly get swatted into oblivion by the monster.
And let's not forget the back of her necromancer robe, which probably still had bloodstains from when she'd been sent flying into a jagged rock after that failed attempt.
If Ethan hadn't stepped in to save her at the last second, this ditzy summoner would've been sent straight to the respawn point.
In the world of Dark Scrolls, player deaths didn't just result in item drops—they also came with a direct level penalty.
What worried Ethan even more was that he wasn't entirely sure if he'd survive if DerpyKitty—her in-game name—died.
After all, his existence was entirely tied to hers.
So every time they fought monsters, Ethan not only had to go all out with his attacks but also constantly keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't get herself killed.
The double responsibility was exhausting.
"You're done evolving?" Lily beamed at him, her voice brimming with excitement. "That's amazing!"
"What new skills did you get this time? Ugh, it's so annoying that this stupid game won't let me see your stats!"
She pouted, her tone carrying a hint of playful frustration.
Hearing this, Ethan couldn't help but feel amused. Of course, as a skeleton, his face was nothing but bare bone, incapable of showing any expression.
Still, the flames in his eye sockets flickered slightly, as if responding to her complaint.
Since he couldn't speak or communicate directly, Ethan decided to ignore her curiosity for now. He lowered his gaze to his own stats screen, eager to see what changes this evolution had brought.
Name: Ethan
Level: 7
Race: Bone Vanguard (Summoner: DerpyKitty)
HP: 520
MP: 200
Attack: 64 (Explosive Reaper's Scythe +30)
Defense: 64
Agility: 30 (Attack Speed: 1 hit every 2.5 seconds; Movement Speed: 1 step every 2 seconds)
Weapon: Explosive Reaper's Scythe (Uncommon)
Skills: Morph Armor, Pillage, Quick Slash (Level 3)
Evolution Points: 0
Enhancement Points: 3
The flames in Ethan's eyes flickered again, clearly reflecting his satisfaction with the new stats.
"Not bad at all."
This evolution had brought a massive boost to his abilities.
His overall stats had nearly tripled, with his HP skyrocketing to 520 and his defense reaching 64.
These numbers meant that even a Rotting Grizzly's attacks would barely scratch him now.
What excited him even more was the improvement in his attack speed—now down to 2.5 seconds per strike. This would significantly increase his damage output.
And to his surprise, his previous skill, Quick Slash, hadn't been replaced by the new evolution skills.
This meant he could still use evolution points to further enhance Quick Slash, making his attacks even faster.
The thought made the flames in his eye sockets flicker more intensely. He was itching to find a couple of Rotting Grizzlies to test out his new abilities and see just how powerful he'd become.
But he forced himself to hold back the urge.
"Let's figure out what this Morph Armor does first."