Chapter 310 – Evolution

Chapter 310 – Evolution

Water dripped from the stalactites in the cavern ceiling. Kai stared at the scroll window before his eyes. Ignoring the icy droplets that ran down his neck, his gaze focused on the words and numbers summarizing his entire life.

Maxing the profession skills wasn’t necessary to evolve his profession, but it was the surest way to improve his options for advancement. General skills and experience also played a part, but the benefits were nebulous to gauge. A single milestone might improve his choices or he might spend years without any gains.

I don’t know if it’s great timing or terrible.

This time, there would be no do-overs or gods exerting their divinity to fit his needs. Whatever he picked would affect the rest of his life.

“What is it?” Rain whispered, scanning their surroundings. “Have they already found us?”

Kai jolted from his thoughts and moved forward to hide his embarrassment. “Hmm… no. Just thinking.”

Hallowed Intuition hummed a somber tune in his mind. They might have evaded their pursuers for the moment, but they weren’t safe. The cultists would soon realize what happened and look for their tracks; by then, they had better be far away.

We can’t stay put.

The safest place was on the move, cloaked in Shadow and inching closer to an exit.

Following Hobbes’ direction, they sneaked past a corridor hosting the sleeping quarters and several warded chambers. This section of the underground was nearly deserted. Hopefully, the cultists were on a wild goose chase away from the escaped prisoners.

I hope they’re okay.

He had done everything he could to help Kea’s group escape, though a knot of anxiety still gnawed at him.

If half the nonsense Derrell spewed about his Luck is true, they’ll already be out…

There was nothing he could do for them except escape himself. His status still hung in the corner of his vision, tempting him with promises of power.

Maybe just a peek…

He had long waited to advance his profession, not wanting to obsess over the options before they were final. In his plans, he’d sift through his options with a notebook and a warm cup of tea instead of the cold and damp underground, but wishes had to bend to practicality.

The lair of a crazy cult will have to do.

Evolving his profession to Orange wouldn’t net him any attributes till he leveled it, but upgraded skills and a potential new boon were immediate benefits. There would also be a feat if he recalled correctly. He couldn’t discard any point in Favor when his life was at stake.

And it’s not like I need to make a decision immediately if I see the options…

Curiosity burned his last shred of hesitation. Kai split his attention to keep track of his surroundings and sent the mental prompt.

*Ding*

Favored Son of the Isles [Red] has reached level 10. You’ve met the requirements to advance your profession to the next grade [Orange]. Do you wish to proceed?

Show me!

In a blink, several windows scrolled through his vision. Kai quickly folded them and increased their transparency to read while walking. He counted over a dozen options, following no particular order.

Do people really struggle to get a couple? This is gonna take a while…

Checking the turn of a corridor to ensure the way was clear, he began reading the first window.

Profession: Blessed Crafter

Main Requirements: Thrice Blessed; Mana Manipulation skill [Yellow]; Crafting skill [Yellow]; Knowledge skill [Yellow]; Enchanting skill [Orange]; Alchemy skill [Orange]; Favor 30+

Description: Blessed by three divinity, you’ve strived down the path of mystical artisanship since a young age. Continue to hone your mana and arcane knowledge. Perfect your creations through blessings and Fate.

Attributes: 1 Dexterity; 1 Mind, 1 Spirit, 1 Perception per level.

Boon: +1

Skill slots: +2

Hmm… not a bad start.

Split Mind wavered as more of his attention was pulled to understand what he was reading.

Blessed Crafter sounded like a general crafting profession with a unique twist: using his blessings and Favor to improve his creations. It was a fascinating idea, made all the more appealing by not being bound exclusively to Enchanting or Alchemy.

Experiments, runes and recipes swirled through his mind. He could spend days theorizing the potential applications. Not that he would ever pick it in the end. Even if he weren’t in a hostile land, he had long resolved that the life of a crafter wasn’t for him.

The window faded with a thought, together with a myriad of possibilities.

No point whining. What’s next?

Profession: Subject of the Spirit Beasts

Main Requirements: Mana Sense skill [Yellow]; Blessing of the god of the Hidden Sanctuary, Zervathi; Familiar skill [Yellow]; Contracting a Spirit Beast

Description: You’ve struck a familiar bond with a spirit beast, a feat requiring equal parts Luck and skill. Travel the land to contract more spirit beasts and share their power.

Attributes: 1 Mind, 2 Spirit, 1 Perception per level.

Boon: +1

Skill slots: +1

Uh…

Another intriguing option. Kai wasn’t certain what a spirit beast was—something to do with elemental magic if he had to guess.

What do you think, Hobbes? Would you like to have some new friends—

A sharp and irked No severed the thought at the root. Hobbes filled the bond with an outrage that bordered on murderous.

Just kidding, bud. It was a joke. No new siblings for you. Let’s focus on getting out of here.

Hobbes sent a last imperious wave before turning to scouting. Clearly, the furball liked being an only child and wasn’t keen on sharing.

Definitely not this one. Spirits, how many more are there?

Profession: Lucky Swordsman

Profession: Mana Scholar

Profession: Elemental Conjurer

…

Oh boy, this is going to be painful…

Kai quickly flipped through a dozen pages. He would have loved to pour his mind over every detail and word in different setting, but circumstances didn’t allow him to dally on options he knew he wouldn’t pick. His academic curiosity must be put on hold.

While the Guide allowed him to push his path in multiple directions—especially in the early grades—the further away he went from his original profession, the weaker the evolutions got. He understood himself enough to know he wouldn’t be happy with a suboptimal pick.

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Whispers of danger lingered at every turn of the underground—it wasn’t the time to hesitate. Hardening his resolve, Kai discarded any profession that wasn’t a direct evolution of Favored Son of the Isles.

I’ve still got four left…

It wasn’t too surprising since the scope of Favored Son of the Isles was quite broad. Skimming through them, their attributes, skills slots and boons were noticeably higher than the other choices.

Let’s see the good stuff.

Profession: Champion of the Isles

Main Requirements: Favored Son of the Isles; Weapon skill [Yellow]; Body Enhancing skill [Yellow]; Danger Skill [Yellow]; Battle 100+ Yellow foes; Defeat 10+ Yellow foes in solo combat; Favor 50+

Description: Recognized by the Great Spirits, Kahali and Yatei, and tempered in Zervathi Hidden Sanctuary, you’ve survived every trial and repeatedly defeated the odds. Test your skills against mortal foes to grow stronger. Balance your life at the edge of a blade, slip through death and triumph.

Attributes: 1 Strength, 1 Dexterity, 2 Constitution, 1 Perception per level.

Boon: +1

Skill slots: +3

Now we’re talking.

Three additional skills and one boon. In addition, he’d likely receive upgrades to those he already had when picking a direct evolution.

It’s a martial profession….

From the requirements and description, Champion of the Isles focused on melee combat and survival over spellcasting. He didn’t overly mind that—it might even be ideal in the situation. A physical profession didn’t prevent him from cultivating elemental magic on his own. The issue was the attributes. The numbers were good, but the lack of Mind and Spirit would affect the growth of his mana skills.

I still can’t exclude it in this situation.

Profession: Favored Scholar of the Isles