Chapter 1273 – An Even (B)etter & Professional Evolution

While a few of the top figures of the multiverse noticed the echoes from Jake’s evolution, the cause of it all was entirely ignorant, instead stuck trying to decide what to do next.

Jake genuinely wasn’t sure what he wanted to do first. Shit, a part of him even wanted to just go for a fly to see how fast he could go now, comparing himself to the speed displayed by Sylphie and Sandy, but he knew how silly doing that would be before he even chose his class.

Reaching out and having a talk with Villy was also super tempting, as Jake had a lot of things to go over. He could already feel Villy observing him right now, and Jake knew that the moment he sent even the slightest mental probe toward the Primordial, it was time for them to have a long discussion.

Though, to be honest, Jake would prefer to have that talk in person over a beer back at the Order of the Malefic Viper. While telepathic communication was very safe, and Jake had a lot of faith in his ability to notice if anyone was observing him or could hear what he was saying, it was still better to be safe rather than sorry when dealing with potentially multiverse-altering things. So, yeah, Jake decided to shelve the Villy talk for now.

Besides, if he finished all his other evolutions too, he’d have more to talk about. Which still left Jake to decide what he wanted to evolve first. Class or profession.

But, before he could even think about that, Jake noticed something else rather odd as he shifted his weight a bit on the bed he was sitting on. Frowning, he stood up and looked at the bed with narrowed eyes, inspecting it closely.

Using Identify, Jake got nothing special in response, and visually, it still looked like the same old bed Jake had stolen from Villy’s Challenge Dungeon way back in the Tutorial. However, when Jake extended some of his energy toward it and poked the piece of furniture, he was certain:

It’s a lot more durable for sure…

While the bed hadn’t turned into a magic item, energy had still clearly seeped into it, altering the bed fundamentally. It had become a lot more durable, not to the level where Jake wouldn’t be able to break it easily, but still strong enough to handle even D and some weaker C-grade attacks, Jake reckoned.

Jake couldn’t help but smile and chuckle a bit to himself at the absurdity of his bed having seemingly also evolved a little alongside him. It was funny, and all he could do was shake his head while already faintly looking forward to seeing what the bed would become after he evolved to A-grade sitting on it.

To do that, Jake would have to level his class and profession first, though, and before that was an option, both would have to evolve.

Thinking back, when Jake evolved to C-grade, he’d chosen to evolve his profession first, with the argument that when he reached D-grade, it had been the class first. With that logic, Jake should evolve his class first this time around. The thing is, Jake wasn’t the most logical person, and he kind of just felt like going for the profession first. He fully expected both evolutions to be awesome, so it didn’t really matter either way.

With that in mind, Jake saw the beautiful system notification sitting right there and promptly opened it.

Profession Evolution Requirements Met

Steadfast in your Path, you have fully embraced your identity as a living paradox, continuing to embody the values and traits of both a heretic and a Chosen, all while truly being neither. The Malefic Viper remains your Patron, not because of a lack of other options, but due to your own personal loyalty towards someone you consider a friend. Your bond grows stronger, becoming more equitable as you benefit one another more and more, though the balance is still far from equal. Perhaps one day it will be. Despite your Path as an alchemist and further embracing the Legacy of the Malefic Viper, you have not shunned away from expanding beyond, seeking power in all places. You have started to embrace the Primeval Origin welling up from within, while even starting on the profound Path of Enlightenment. Your possibilities seem endless, your Path boundless, with one certainty above all: nothing but the very apex will satisfy your primal cravings for power.

Begin evolution now?

Y/N WARNING: Postponing evolution for too long may have adverse effects, and no further profession experience can be earned before the evolution is complete.

So, lots to unpack as usual with these kinds of system messages, but he really didn’t feel like diving excessively into the details. Not before getting to the actual professions, anyway. This system message was mostly just what Jake had expected. So, rather than dwell on it for too long, he focused on the fact that it clearly spoke about him getting his Sacred Meditate skill and that he’d touched the Gate of Enlightenment. That, and its mention of Primeval Origins, were the only two “new” things truly worth noting, with the rest just the usual fluff and the system telling Jake he was a good boy, and that it found his friendship with Villy very perplexing.

With that out of the way, it was finally time for Jake to lay eyes on the first of five options, and honestly? Not a bad start if he said so himself.

Galactic Conqueror of the Malefic Viper – With the power of the Malefic Viper as support, you set out on a mission to conqueror your entire galaxy. Through your leadership and divine presence, victory was achieved, your galaxy falling under you and the Order of the Malefic Viper’s control. Galactic Conqueror is a profession focused on guiding those following you toward victory, leaving the management of the conquered territory to those beneath you. Grants skills related to leadership, control, warfare, and religious teachings to foster morale or suppress dissidents who dare act against the will of the Malefic One. Even in the event of your galaxy falling, or should you merely wish to serve your Patron further by expanding his territory, the Galactic Conqueror is always on the Path of dominion. So go forth. Conquerer. Expand. Claim the glory and power as your own, all in the name of the Malefic One. Stat bonuses per level: +75 Vitality, +75 Wisdom, +75 Willpower, +75 Intelligence, +250 Free Points (550 total).
WARNING: Skills pertaining to Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper may be lost or changed upon becoming a Galactic Conqueror of the Malefic Viper.

Let’s just get it out of the way; that was a cool profession name. If some guy had ever told Jake before the system that he would one day be told by an omnipotent system that he was worthy of being called a Galactic Conqueror, he would have called mental health services to help the poor guy deal with his delusions.

Meanwhile, it was now the worst of the five potential professional evolutions offered. Not to say it was bad in any way, though it evidently didn’t suit Jake that much. Also, it was no mystery how he’d unlocked it, as he had kind of conquered a galaxy, with most believing he’d done so in the name of the Malefic Viper.

Regarding stats – the best way to tell the quality of a profession and one of its most essential aspects – this one provided +550 stats total per level. That was a lot of stats, sure, but with all stats tripling once more with this evolution, the new max one could get from professions was +720 stats per level. With that in mind, this one suddenly wasn’t as impressive.

Unsurprisingly, while the name was cool and all, Jake reckoned there were far better variants of this profession that Jake simply didn’t qualify for. He had no idea how actually to be a leader, and all forms of morale boosting had been done mostly unintentionally.

It barely had to be said, but Jake didn’t truly consider this profession an option. Especially not seeing as his skills as an alchemist would get completely and utterly fucked up if he picked it, so he elegantly moved on to the second one on offer.

This one was a lot better for sure, but he already knew from the name alone that he had no interest in picking it.