Chapter 238 Evolution (1)

__

You have received 7% Exp by killing a <Lvl 24> Deull.

Current Werewolf Level: 30

Current Exp: 0%

You have successfully fulfilled the conditions to begin the evolutionary process.

__

"About damn time," Ashton mumbled as he opened his eyes.

Sven might have done all the work, but finally reaching the holy grail level, as Ashton had come to call level 30, the teenager could not help but feel thankful.

[Let's see if the fruits of your labour are worth the pain or not.]

While Sven was hard at work, Astaroth had explained everything to Ashton in detail. It was mainly about how the evolutionary system worked and things he need to be keep in mind before randomly choosing a path.

Just like his classes were based on the skills he owned prior to getting a class, his evolutionary path would depend on the type of resistances, classes and the genes he had. The stronger abilities he had, the stronger evolutionary race he would get to pick.

However, it didn't mean that some evolutionary paths were useless. Well, practically speaking some of them were useless, but still just evolving would give a being massive boosts in stats and skills. On top of that, by taking a step into evolution, the ascended being would also get the opportunity to obtain a subclass.

Since Ashton had three sets of genes, the probability of him getting a subclass was quite high. However, it was impossible for someone to start on more than one evolutionary path despite being a hybrid or a tribrid as their body was one and the same. But it would give him more options to choose his next race for.

Which meant... Ashton would have to pick a path where all of his genes would flourish properly. But something like that was easier said than done and Astaroth had no doubts Ashton would mess up the chance of dominating the world and possibly the entire galaxy if he was left alone to make the choice.

That's why he was going to keep a close eye on the brat and make sure Ashton selects the best path he could. It was the least he could do since his life depended on the choice the brat made.

__

Congratulations on taking your first step into becoming a god-like entity.

Please wait while we assess the required information before presenting you with various evolutionary paths.

Current race: Human-based Tribrid.

Current resistances: [Pain Resistance lvl 15], [Heat Resistance lvl 11], [Cold Resistance lvl 9], [Poison Resistance lvl 15], [Paralysis Resistance lvl 10], [Hemorrhage Resistance lvl 15], [Charm Resistance lvl 12], [Fear Resistance lvl 12], [Pertification Resistance lvl 6], [Stun Resistance lvl 12].

Current Classes: [Necromancer] (Newbie), [Revenger] (Newbie), [Blood Mage] (Newbie).

Generating evolutionary paths based on the host's existing genes, resistances and classes.

You can now view and select an evolution tree and obtain a new subclass based on your affinity towards classes and genes of your own.

Note: Once you select an evolution path, you won't be allowed to change it. Please make your choice after careful deliberation.

Please select one of the following paths:

? Carbon-based Space Farer (Tier: 1)

? Xyranian Grunt (Tier: 1)

? Cynthilan Grunt (Tier: 0)

? Primal Warrior Servant (Tier: 0)

__

"I can understand why you thought I would mess this up. Fucker just game me random names, without any information regarding any of the paths!" Ashton scratched his head not knowing which choice to make, "Wanna help me out here?"

It seemed Ashton was waiting for an answer from Astaroth but he didn't get any. For some reason, Astaroth had decided to get intimate with his silence, which only irritated Ashton as he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

[How did you get these options as your first step!? How the fuck did you do it, bastard!?]

Astaroth suddenly yelled at him, but a moment later he began laughing like a mad man. He was happy... for some reason.

"Stop yelling inside my head and tell me which path do I pick?"

[Forget about tier 0 options. Normally those are the best options one could get coming from a low-tier planet of yours, but you have much better options now. Just remember this, tier 0 means shit for you now until I say otherwise.]

"So do I pick Xyranian Grunt? Since Xyranian are pretty dope so that should be the best choice right?"

Astaroth got quite at the mention of his kind. But the silence only lasted momentarily.

[Nope. Normally anyone would jump to become a Xyranian, didn't matter whether they got to be a grunt or an elite. I shouldn't be saying this considering I'm a Xyran too, but there are better galactic and intergalactic races to become a part of other than us.]

Ashton could not believe what Astaroth was saying. Till now, everything he had heard about Xyrans made them seem like an unstoppable space race. But Astaroth was saying there were better races than Xyrans? Was he even serious about this evolution thingy or not?

It wasn't as if Ashton didn't want to believe him, but the limited amount of information in his brain was clouding his judgement. After all, according to what Astaroth informed him some time ago, Xyrans were the rulers and conservationists of the galaxy.

[I can sense conflict in your mind. Let me try my best to resolve it. Choosing Xyranian Grunt might seem like the right choice now, but in the long run, it would be detrimental to your growth as you will no longer be able to freely associate with other races.]

[While other races are lenient towards intermingling of different species, Xyrans love their 'purity' too much and would not allow their people to work with other species so easily.]

[On top of that, your evolution tree would get stuck in one stage or the other as Xyran would not authorise a human to raise their rank too much. It would take you centuries to even reach at the admiral level, which is the lowest level where the upper echelon would even allow you to speak your mind in a meeting or such.]

"So basically, they'll intentionally limit my growth by assigning me next to impossible evolution quests. Is that it?"Ashton nodded while lost in his thoughts, "That would be a pain in the ass to handle."

[That being said, choosing the Xyrans would give you two benefits. Firstly, you will receive the highest stat boost ratio upon choosing this evolution path. And secondly, no Xyran will be able to kill you as genocide is strictly prohibited with my race after the great civil war as our civilization is already on the verge of collapsing.]

"Wait, this doesn't make sense. You said they killed you, right?"

Ashton was genuinely confused, after all, if Xyrans couldn't kill each other, then how the hell was Astaroth killed by them? It was evident from the hate Astaroth had for his kind that they had wronged him. Consequently, it didn't seem as if he was lying to Ashton about his past.

[I was about to point that out. No Xyran can 'directly' kill you. In other words, they can arrange for your death in a way that you will die without anyone getting their blood on their hands. For example, they could start by sabotaging your spaceship, making your life so miserable you end up taking your own life, hiring an assassin, the list goes on and on.]

Ashton nodded. After hearing all that, choosing Xyran's evolution path did not seem all that great. The stat boost was the only nice thing about it.

But since Astaroth was being kind enough to explain everything about the other races, he decided to hear about all of them before making a decision.

After all, this was a decision he was going to be stuck with forever and messing it up could very well mean messing everything up.

"What about Carbon-based Space Farer?"

[I was about to get there. Hmm... in laymen's terms, they are space nomads that can adapt to harsh environments quicker than most of the basic races. That being said, they can also adopt characteristics, abilities, or classes from any race they come in contact with.]

[However, the stat boost you'll receive would only be 20% and not 50% like in the case of Xyrans. Also, once you choose to associate or pair up with a certain race, you won't be able to associate with any other race till you evolve again. Do you want me to explain more about the remaining paths as well?]

"No this is enough." Ashton said while scratching his chin, "How much time do I have before I need to make a decision?"

[There is no time limit, but you won't be able to earn any exp or skills till you choose a path. In short, you'll be stuck at being level 30.]

"Hm... Fine then. Let's go with Carbon-based Space Farer." Ashton was about to select the option but Astaroth stopped him at the last moment.

[What are you doing?]

"Selecting a path?" Ashton could feel Astaroth sighing, "Did I do something wrong?"

[Don't ever try to evolve out in the open. You might be strong, but once the process of physical change begins, you'll be utterly vulnerable. Killing you then would be a piece of cake. Understood?]

"Fine, I'll do it in the bunker."