Twilight Ravine
Ethan leaned against a massive boulder, catching his breath as he tried to steady himself.
His eyes scanned the area. The ravine was eerily silent, the faint smell of smoke from the recent battle still lingering in the air.
The cooldown on his skills forced him to pause, giving him a rare moment to reflect on the fight he'd just endured.
Quick Slash only lasted a brief eighty minutes, and Morph Armor even less—just thirty minutes.
When the effect of Morph Armor wore off during the battle, he had no choice but to rely on precise movement and clever kiting to finish off the enemies. It wasn't as efficient as pulling mobs from a distance with a bow, but with his skills on cooldown, he didn't have much of a choice.
To make matters worse, both Morph Armor and Quick Slash had a grueling two-hour cooldown.
In the world of Dark Scrolls, the stronger the skill, the longer the cooldown. It was a design choice that added layers of strategy to combat, but it also left Ethan feeling a little frustrated at times.
He glanced down at his hands, still tingling from the intensity of the fight.
The entire Twilight Ravine had been cleared out three times over, the ground littered with the shattered remains of Stone Golems. Not a single living enemy remained in the canyon.
Still, the battle had been worth it.
After over an hour of relentless fighting—and waiting for the mobs to respawn—his efficiency had reached its peak: an average of one Stone Golem killed every six seconds.
The results were satisfying, and the loot was even better.
Among the spoils was a skill book: Summon Skeleton Warrior.
Without hesitation, Ethan handed the book over to Lily, who immediately learned the skill. Her summoned creature evolved from a lowly slime into the far more formidable Skeleton Warrior.
Watching Lily summon her new Skeleton Warrior, Ethan couldn't help but smile. It gave him a renewed sense of excitement for the adventures ahead.
On top of that, he'd earned 130,000 experience points and an equal amount of evolution points. The sheer numbers left him feeling exhilarated.
Character Status
Name: Ethan
Level: 14 (EXP: 31,588/40,000)
Race: Bone Vanguard
HP: 1,030
MP: 730
Attack: 115 (Equipped: Boneblade of Devastation and Pierce +60)
Defense: 90
Agility: 30 (Attack Speed: 1 hit every 2.5 seconds; Movement Speed: 1 step every 1.75 seconds)
Skills:
Morph Armor (Level 2)
Pillage (Passive)
Quick Slash (Level 8)
Cleave Attack (Passive, Level 4)
Evolution Points: 131,589
Enhancement Points: 0
The battle had pushed Ethan up by a full four levels.
His HP and MP had each increased by 400 points, his attack power had gone up by 40, and his defense had risen by 20. While his agility and other stats hadn't changed much, the improvements were more than enough to leave him feeling satisfied.
Still, there was a tinge of disappointment. Despite clearing the ravine multiple times, he hadn't managed to acquire the Petrified Skin skill he'd been hoping for through his Pillage ability.
Even so, he didn't let it slow him down.
When the cooldown for Quick Slash finally ended and the Twilight Ravine stopped spawning enemies altogether, Ethan paused to consider his next move.
He glanced at his status screen, his eyes drawn to the massive pool of 131,589 evolution points.
Every evolution was a leap into the unknown—a journey filled with both risk and excitement.
The unknown always had a way of pulling him in.
There was something intoxicating about the mystery of what lay ahead, and the thrill of growing stronger was a feeling Ethan couldn't resist. He knew it all too well.
After a brief rest, Ethan headed toward Silverpine Forest, effortlessly taking down a few Rotting Grizzlies.
The decayed bears stood no chance against him, crumbling into piles of bone powder under his strikes.
Without much thought, Ethan scooped up the bone powder and tossed it to Lily, who stood beside him. She caught it with a blank expression, clearly still trying to process what had just happened.
Ethan sighed, watching her struggle to understand. He gestured with his hands, attempting to explain his intentions.
This time, Lily seemed to get it. A flicker of realization crossed her face, and she looked at Ethan with a mix of awe and admiration. Meanwhile, her hands busily worked to grind the bone powder into finer pieces.
Bone powder could be stored in Lily's inventory, but Ethan didn't have that luxury. He had to use it as he went, which made the repetitive task of grinding and storing it a perfect job for Lily.
"I need to evolve," Ethan thought to himself. He tried to say it aloud, but only the crisp sound of his bones cracking echoed in the air. Instead, he gestured toward Lily again. "This time, it might take a while. Summon a few Skeleton Warriors to guard me."
"Oh, oh, I… I got it!" Lily nodded quickly, her voice full of enthusiasm. But deep down, she couldn't help but grumble to herself: Did I really get it, though?
Her expression stiffened, and a faint blush of frustration crept across her pale cheeks. The truth was, she didn't fully understand what Ethan wanted, but she was too afraid of being seen as useless to admit it. So, she nodded along, pretending to know exactly what to do.
Ethan could see right through her. He sighed again, shaking his head.
Of course, he knew this clueless girl hadn't understood a thing. She was just too scared of disappointing him to admit it. Resigned, he gestured once more, this time more deliberately.
Finally, he took Lily's staff from her hands and demonstrated the summoning motion himself. His skeletal jaw clicked slightly as he raised the staff high, making a precise upward sweep—a textbook summoning gesture.
When he finished, Ethan shrugged and looked at Lily, silently asking if she understood now.
"Oh, I get it, Mr. Bones!" Lily's face lit up with excitement, as if she'd just uncovered some great secret. "You want me to summon Skeleton Warriors to help grind the bone powder, right?"
She eagerly reached for her staff, ready to summon, but froze when she noticed Ethan's expression darken. Her enthusiasm quickly faded, and she shrank back, nervously watching him, afraid she'd misunderstood again.
Ethan groaned, covering his face with one hand.
Why is this so hard? he thought to himself.
In the end, he handed the staff back to Lily and patiently guided her through the process of summoning several Skeleton Warriors. Then, he led her to a secluded cave nestled in the rocky peaks nearby. There, he painstakingly taught her how to position the skeletons in a defensive semicircle around him.
Even such a simple tactic took Lily a full ten minutes to grasp. When she finally managed to set up the formation, her face lit up with astonishment, as if she'd just discovered an entirely new way to play as a summoner.
"Wait… summoners can do this?" she exclaimed, her expression filled with disbelief.
Ethan had no words. He simply stared at her, his empty eye sockets conveying a silent mix of exasperation and resignation.
Ethan's caution wasn't without reason. While in Silverpine Forest, he'd noticed a few undead players hunting nearby. Unlike monsters, players didn't follow predictable patterns. They could show up anywhere, even in Twilight Ravine.
Although these players weren't particularly high-level, there were always a few bold ones who liked to test their luck in dangerous areas.
Evolution was a critical process—one that couldn't be interrupted. Any disturbance could lead to failure, so Ethan needed to ensure his safety before starting.
Once everything was in place, Ethan finally retreated to the depths of the cave. Sitting cross-legged, he opened his status screen and stared at the massive pool of 131,589 evolution points. A wave of anticipation surged through him.
System Notification:
[This evolution will consume 10,000 evolution points.
Evolution Paths Available:
Skeleton Guard Captain
Skeleton Spear Captain
Hidden Evolution Path: Scarlet Skeleton Vanguard]