Just a measly 4.5K words this time.
Enjoy!
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—
/Inhale…/
/Exhale…/
Breathing slowly, Philip thought about his choices one last time. He even smiled in a silly way, how many times had he thought this through? Imagined it? Had he ever been this careful with anything in his life?
'There are two things I would like to settle before choosing…'
He opened Dae's diary, skimming through its pages, 'What is the true potential of a Pure Human as he envisioned it? What exactly did he intend for me when he first set me down this path?'
But he was disappointed. He had already read it before, numerous times even… there was no need to go through it all again.
"… Too much miscellaneous stuff to even count."
People he would never see, places he would never step foot on, advice for Skills he did not have, how to get them, develop them, and much, much more…
Just in this city alone, how many pages had been dedicated to it? Amidst it all, Falpurgiana's status only took a paragraph or two at best.
/Poof.../
With a sigh, he stored the book in his inventory, 'Seems like all I can do is wonder.'
'Maybe I can force contact with him, but that's not the kind of thing I can do without consideration.'
"… Time."
Philip stared at his Status screen, the options before him seemed to faintly blink in their own tones, as if urging him to make a choice.
Philip breathed in and out as he raised his head, letting the golden rays of the sunshine on his face.
'Regardless, I have a few other options… The Unnamed race seems interesting, but it's risky.'
'It could be what Im thinking… but it could also be something else completely.'
'Type-Out is the third one on my list of priorities, however, if its truly connected with the being known as the Judicator, what am I supposed to do with this information?'
"A truth too soon for me to understand..." He muttered, only to snicker in dissatisfaction
Philip did not even consider becoming a Lost Dimension creature. The thought came and went with the wind as he brushed past it, for the idea of becoming inhuman wasn't within what he will let go of for power.
That said, what he considered to be just a passing thought still ended up being minutes of pondering within his own mental world…
"That said… I can't be picky."
In a world full of danger, refusing strength to preserve some mortal high ground might seem noble, but Philip saw it as a rather foolish endeavor.
To someone who did not hesitate to cut down another for a payout, how could he hesitate now?
'I would like to believe I have enough prospects to ignore this, that I have enough talent to overcome the gap between species…'
'There are many High Humans that achieved greatness. Not to say of Humans that became legends without having to rely on anything else other than themselves!'
'Do I need to become some higher entity and abandon everything I am in search of higher, cosmic meaning? What's the point of seeking out such shenanigans? It might not even work…'
'Some might say that in the face of eternity, of thousands of years for an Elf, spending a decade or two as human is far too short to be melancholic about… But I spent enough years as a good Human for me to view myself as one.'
'Things might change with time as I mature, but right now…'
He looked at his hands, a heavy gaze as his lips curled up in self-mockery, 'Of course, if I can even call the current me normal. After so many transformations, am I still Human?'
'Don't Humans and orangutans share roughly 96% to 97% of their DNA? I wonder how different mine has become now…'
"I simply don't know…"
'I'm not really keen on drifting off into endless darkness, or whatever exists beyond this world.'
'If I remain as I am or transform into something else… I will not be betting on that slight chance. I have other problems at hand.'
Philip ended up taking a knife from his inventory and throwing at a nearby tree. Pulling it back with telekinesis before throwing it again as his thoughts moved on…
"If I were to classify my options…"
The first was a safe Vanilla tag. In case he feared giving himself away to Fate… in a rather ironic manner.
The second was the smart, but bold bet. To believe in himself and the untold potential that hid within… one that Fate cannot decide.
The third was the mysterious option, the spicy, but equally sketchy choice…
And the fourth one was a foolish endeavor. To jump into a pit of vipers and risk everything he was… Independence.
/Silence…/
Philip waited a few more minutes for Laplabe to find any possible reference to his requests, yet… it found nothing. But so were the limits of a single being before a mountain of documents.
He did not hold it against the mimic. So rather than dwell within such emotions, he raised his hand.
/Shuaa…/
The silent forest churned around him. The quiet world seemed to be waiting for him to make a choice, and it refused to let him progress until he made it.
Almost as if something were observing his reactions, waiting to see what he would choose as well.
Staring down at the blue screen he loved and hated, he just voiced his decision to whoever was listening to him at this moment:
"I have made my choice."
The System replied, already aware of his decision.
[You have chosen to evolve into a Type-2 Unnamed]
[Evolution shall commence]
/Shine…/
Small sparks of light lit up on his skin, startling both Philip, Laplabe, and MT.
He took a deep breath, "Make sure to record everything that's about to happen down to its most minute detail." He exclaimed as he took off his shorts, he was already expecting them to get dirty.
[Understood]
The halo above his head split into countless shards of light, burying him within a curtain of shards like sunlight beaming down on scattered dust.
"… Then I suppose what you asked me to do isn't important anymore."
"I can't wait any longer, but feel free to continue looking for it. You at least need something to do."
Laplabe snickered as Philip put him down, "I already do quite a lot, thank you very much."
And as he took off his clothes, Philip's ears rang with the notifications of the System:
[Your Stats are being remodeled based on your current set of abilities and racial transformation]
He felt his body grow hot, but not hot enough for him to sweat.
[The birth of a new species shall be recorded]
[Remodeling halted]
[Parameters are being taken into account…]
[Calculation — Error]
[Cause: Negative *****]
[Seeking solution… Solution found]
[Recalculating…]
/Silence…/
The seconds passed at an incredibly slow pace. So slow the falling leaves above his head had come to a standstill, and only when they reached the ground did time resume its pace…
Just enough time for him to brush his hair back.
[DING]
[A new race is being born — Yet its characteristics remain a mystery]
[Build the legacy of your Species!]
[Title 0/1]
[Vital Info 0/2]
[Abilities 0/3]
[Skills 0/5]
[Traits 0/2]
[Talents]
[…]
[Host has an hour until evolution commences]
…
Philip expected many things to happen…
He thought he would lose conscience, perhaps only to awaken as a monster…
He expected to experience hellish pain like none other. Ready to scream his lungs out…
But out of all possibilities…
"Build my own legacy?..." He asked with a frown as he checked the notification
'This is quite… game-ish, isn't it?'
He knew he didn't have a lot of time to play around, so instead, he checked his first choice, Title.
"?!"
And immediately after, a long string of words appeared. So long the System window reached all the way to his feet, if not into the ground and beyond.
His lips trembled in surprise, "What is this?..."
He scrolled down, but there was so much to choose from… but there was a pattern.
'I… I think I get it? This is... asking me to choose what aspect of my Titles my race is going to inherit?'
'But there are far more options here than I have Titles. Could these be taking everything I've done into account? Even things that aren't enough to be represented through Titles and such?'
"Urg... What a damn headache!"
Clutching his head in even greater frustration, Philip took a few steps back and started from the first option.
'If I have to build my own race, does it mean I could potentially just build a Human? An Elf?… Perhaps not, since they're limited by my own accomplishments.'
'Even then, it likely wouldn't be quite the same thing… I might end up creating a variant Human, like the Aetherian, Periscius, and the Xerza.'
He laughed drily, 'These things always happen when I'm least prepared. What if something like this happened in a month or two? After I had enough time to settle down and start training?'
'That said…' He thought as he went through other options, 'It seems there are some limits to what I can "build", or put together as I'd say.'
'… When I choose Traits, Dragon Soul is listed, but its grayed out. The same with Greater Thuum… for some reason I can't put it on the Skill list… why?'
'Is it lacking requirements? Dragon Blood isn't grayed out, but my newest Trait, Ancestral Genesis, is.'
'Are these already under consideration, or is it I can't choose them at all because of some compatibility issues?' He thought as his eyes narrowed further, 'Even then, I have a greater question…'
'Where's Gamerverse? It isn't listed at all. Not only those, but all Skills listed as (???) aren't available.'
'Simulation Room, The Incomplete Realm, The Guiding Hand… they aren't even listed.'
He crossed his arms, his body still heating up and shining in a rather bizarre manner, 'Can't I choose it because it is Unique to me, or because it is… that absurd?'
'Perhaps it's all because of their nature… the reason why the System classifies them without a level in the first place... But to be honest, there isn't a speck of normalcy within my damned status.'
Philip raised his hand, it was still glowing slightly… What did this light mean? He wondered in silence as his gaze moved further into his body.
He felt nostalgic as he gazed at it, its warmth made him remember things he would rather desire to forget… Home.
In a sense, he even felt as if the light were mocking him. Reminding him that he was slowly pushing himself further away from what he knew best… Himself.
It was odd to explain, and after thinking about it for a long time, the ringing of the system made him awaken from his delusions; he had things to do.
And as he realized he had been lost in thoughts, he smiled helplessly, even with his strange powers, he could still get lost in his own thinking.
To some degree, despite all the powers and experiences he went through, he was still himself deep inside, and that was all he needed to know.
He'd continue to overthink everything in existence, it seemed.
He clenched his hands, determined to get going, "Alright."
'Everything's falling into place. I don't know why this was shown to me the way it was, but if I can have this level of control over what I'll become… then I'll make good use of it.'
He tilted his head, 'It's oddly similar to that damn Title I have… One of a Kind. One of its options was —You have partial control over what sort of attributes your kin shall inherit— wasn't it?'
'I wonder if I was given this opportunity thanks to its effects? I do have several Titles that affect evolutionary options, so perhaps this too is within their scope.'
Philip checked all options one more time, "Hm… There are simply too many possibilities."
'Should I try to view this as making a "Build?", like an RPG?'
'To stack several aspects on top of each other and make a race that is very good towards something, or should I aim for something else?'
But then, what should he aim for?
Physical power?
Mental strength?
Spiritual Attunement?
Magic…? Or perhaps something else…?
'It seems specialization is the key here… But does this affect me at all? If I'm only picking aspects I already possess or achieved, wouldn't it all be inconsequential for the current me?'
'Until I met Fabrin, I was a warrior centered on agility. Powerful, but equally fragile. After receiving his training, acquiring Simulation room, and entering Tower Spire, I progressed significantly towards the goal of fusing my abilities into something more cohesive.'
'Yet I'm also aware that I'm still months, if not years, from accomplishing complete cohesion.'
He crossed his legs as he sat down, "There's still a lot left for me to incorporate and test…"
'Then… what path should I take?'
One Title, Three Abilities, Five Skills, and two Traits… 'But there are also other options, albeit I don't quite understand what some of them mean.' He thought as he spread the notifications around him.
'The first… Vital Attributes. It's definitely talking about the five big numbers I see every time I open my damn Status… so what the hell does this mean?
[Vital Attributes 0/2]
'Why is it like this? Does choosing one increase the overall talent of this Species towards that particular attribute? Does it increase the overall limit? What the hell does this even mean?'
He frowned, holding the bridge of his nose, 'Is this meant to signify what my damn kids will inherit from me? Like my strong body or my acute intellect?… How does that even reflect on genetics?'
'… In fact, if I am to speak of limits, where do they lie now? Do they follow my current presets, or is this a matter of me taking two attributes to have them go above and beyond?'
A dangerous thought formed in his head, 'If I were to have a child, once it reached adulthood, would it have the same Stats as I currently have? Just thinking about that…'
'Still… this is all pissing me off!'
He wanted to scream at the System and demand its user manual, but he knew better than anyone that was a useless venture…
"… Forget it, the future is the future. I should worry about the present instead."
'Let's start with the simple option. What Title do I have to pass? Well, there can only be one…'
He smiled, 'My currently slumbering Title, Apex evolver, the very same Title that has been acting strange recently. Regardless of what it becomes, it is by far my most valuable Title.'
He made his choice, and one option grayed out. It still seemed like he could go back on his option, but for the time being, he left it be… for time was running out rather quickly.
"… One down"
'I have five attributes, but I can only choose four. From the looks of it, Mystique can't be inherited through my balls… so much for that.'
'But this much is within the "expected". Mystique is a complex attribute after all.
As such, the options available to him became clear:
-Mind-
-Physical-
-Energy-
-Spiritual-
Philip tapped his fingers on his arms, 'If I were to say right off the bat, I would go with Mind and Energy…'
'Physical is indeed a good attribute, but muscular growth can only go so far in the face of magical and supernatural abilities. And it's also amidst one of the easiest to make up for without… Systemic interference…'
'As for the Spiritual Attribute, there's little to say on that matter. It's a Stat I don't particularly use, if at all.'
"Hm…"
Philip ended up shaking his head, 'I should jump this for now, even though I have a more or less definite answer in my head.'
He smiled like a small child entering L&go World for the first time, 'Here comes the fun part.'
'Passing my Abilities and Skills. At least for this section, I have quite a few interesting ones left to choose from. And some of them can be potentially quite scary.'
'For example, if I were to choose Command Magic… would I create a race with Innate Magic control? What if I coupled it with other Skills, such as Arcane Override and Greater Thuum?'
'As for Abilities, I can pick three of them, but its not like I have that many solid options…'
'It's pretty much Armament, Command Magic, and the abilities tied to the Mental Domain and, of course, my newly created Spiritual Domain.'
The heat around his body, or perhaps his excitement, caused the air around him to tremble… 'Imagine… A race that is born with innate Spiritual and Mental Domains… growing stronger as they age.'
'Or perhaps, rather than a blessing, it would become their undoing? There's not much to think about here. I'll go with Armament, Command Magic, and the Mental Domain.'
"Two down… Phew…"
Laughing drily, he continued, 'Skills…'
'There are some great options here, some fun, others wasteful. Would my children be born with the ability to understand all languages if I picked Western Continent Language?'
'That said, I don't have that many options… if I remove all the Skills I can't get my hands on, that leaves me Limitless, Ignition Strike, Invisible Blade, Flow, Origin of a Desire, Pinnacle Skill Fusion, Western Continent Language, Phantom Sword, Great Scholar Vision, Combat Genius, Predator's Presence, and Eyes of Premonition, for a total of twelve options…'
Those were only the Skills he cared about, of course. Philip still had quite a few more stashed aside, meant solely to serve as potential fusion material for new Skills in the future.
'Several of these… are somewhat inconsequential. I can teach several of them with time, I guess, or find a way to impart them to others. So instead, I should think about which of those would better serve…'
He tapped his forehead, 'The thought of the future is interfering too much with my thinking process.'
He exhaled loudly, startling Laplabe who was still baffled at his glowing body.
'Truly, something must be wrong with me. Back on Earth, I didn't even bother to think about a girlfriend, much less having a damn toddler. But now, for some reason, it's all over my head.'
He had a lingering suspicion it was all due to his most recent Titles… Perhaps they were indeed affecting his psyche beyond what he identified.
'At the same time, my Skills will continue to grow and transform. Will this be applicable to what my descendants will inherit? Or will they only receive what I mark here now?'
'And in the first place… what about natural genetics? Many Noble households possess the blood of past Heroes, carrying within as aspect of their great powers. How will those interact, I wonder?'
'… I think I know what I'll pick.'
'The first Skill… will be Limitless. It's a Skill with far too much application to be left aside.'
'The second Skill… shall be Pinnacle Skill Fusion. Despite how easy it is to awaken within Heroes, to get it this far is another story. It alone can become a cheap power in the hands of the wise and hardworking.'
'The third Skill… I'd go with Combat Genius… for despite everything, its been helping me considerably.'
'However, talent isn't exactly something that can be quantified, so its hard to say just how much it truly affects me. So instead, I think something like Great Scholar Vision is far greater.'
Philip tilted his head left and right in pondering. Laplabe and MT watched his expression twist and turn in utter silence, not interrupting him for even a moment.
MT was already aware, especially through Laplabe, that Philip had these… "events"… quite often.
Even though both could envision the reasons why, neither could truly picture the scene he witnessed from his mumblings alone.
'The fourth Skill… there are some options, but I was thinking about Eyes of Premonition. A Skill that can momentarily witness the future sounds quite cool. Exactly the kind of thing a wise Dragon would have.
As he thought of that, his eyes shone with golden light. Only to dissipate moments after…
'The last Skill slot leaves me pondering between one of my combat Skills. Any of them, be it Ignition Strike, Invisible Blade, Flow, or Phantom Sword would do. But those feel rather cheap.'
'So instead… I'll just go with Combat Genius. Why not? It's not like I can't teach someone else my Skills. I just need to learn how sharing Skills work and it'll be fine… mostly.'
"That makes three…"
So, it was time for him to choose his Traits. And he picked one with little to no hesitation:
'Castle Town is my first pick, it's simply too essential to me that regardless of what it means, I'd like it to be connected to my new race on an intrinsic level.'
So like that, it becomes a matter of choosing the best out of the remaining options:
-Hardworking-
-Unyielding-
-Incorruptible-
-Sword Heart-
-Spiritual Ascension-
'Any of these would be good options. But I do think the fourth one carries greater potential akin to Mind Castle Town… It's just representative of another path.'
'However, Im not pursuing the path of Spiritualism, so I might as well go with Sword Heart as Armament takes greatly from it.'
He raised an eyebrow at his thoughts, It does seem enticing to think of a race of hardworking, unyielding, and incorruptible people… But at that point, I have to give the people of the future a chance to compete with my genes, otherwise it's just unfair.'
'If I just combine it all, won't that just make me the father of a wuxia novel protagonist?'
/Chuckle…/
Laplabe could only stare in silence as Philip laughed and giggled to himself from time to time, he was numb to his strange behaviors at this point.
He wondered if Philip did that to bother him, or if he truly forgot about him being there, as it wasn't the first time such a thing happened. Either way, he was offended.
…
'Either case, I think Sword Heart is the correct option.' Philip thought as he stretched his back, 'And that makes four.'
'This leaves two things, Attributes and Talent… And considering how things went, I think I know what to choose now.'
'For Attributes, I'll go with what I considered before, Mental and Energy. If I could, I would get ahold of Physical as well, but that would be greedy of me. Might as well get it all then.'
'It's way easier to increase my Physical Stat as compared to my Mental and Energy Stats. If I'm seeing this correctly, of course.'
"So there is only one option left…"
By opening the Talent section, he saw a lengthy selection of options, some good, some bad!
Out of this massive line of words, he had to choose what was supposed to be inherited, be it good or bad, even if the bad wasn't that terrible.
However many he deemed fit.
'It's a bit complicated, but it doesn't seem that hard… I think I'll just go with everything I want!'
'I'll continue to improve, I'll continue to evolve, so why should I leave any of these behind?'
'The Golden Body will accept it all. Mind Castle Town will broaden my understanding… so leaving any behind seems counterintuitive to me.'
'I may lose on possibly correcting some of my mistakes, but hey, what can I do?'
He kept selecting it all at high speed like a gambling addict before a slot machine, 'Talent for Magic, Swordsmanship, Martial Arts, Craftsmanship…'
He went on and on, '… I've indeed done quite a lot of things for these to be here. I feel like I'm picking starting traits in a game but with infinite funds… it is indeed quite the cheat.'
'… Hm? Is being handsome a Talent? Well… don't mind me! But… what is being handsome by the System's standards, anyway?'
Philip checked his timer, he had about half an hour left, 'I have plenty of time, but I don't think there's any need to ponder this any further. I have places to be after all.'
'Sometimes, just doing it is better than thinking it through.'
"So?... I think Im set."
'Do I… press on the screen like always? Voice command?... Evolve!'
[Inheritance complete]
[A new bloodline has been stabilised]
[Evolution shall commence]
The weak light around his body receded, but Philip felt discomfort rise to his throat…
'Something's…'
Amidst his ever-increasing pain, the System decided to talk some more:
[Please, name this new Species]
"Grr…"
But Philip was too occupied trying to breathe than anything else… he clenched his throat with such strength his skin grew purple.
Inside his body, his flesh twisted and turned, tissue ripping and recombining under the guidance of the almighty force, something his cells couldn't even begin to understand.
Under its push, his body transformed into something… Greater.
Evolution had commenced!
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Notes
Like?
And so, Philip's ascension begins. The first step towards claiming a future in an otherwise bleak destiny.
A new species is born. But is it through hard work and blood, or is Philip truly free from the shackles of fate and consequence? Could it be that he was indeed pushed along this path, from the very beginning?
That he was meant to be the first of a new species that challenges order itself?
And if so, why?
Really now, we've slowly sorted everything that was pending, and out of everything that is left for Philip to get resolved… would be his actual skills.
Once he can sit down to train and get all his memories transferred into his Status, there will likely be another minor change… or so it's expected.
He has decades, if not centuries' worth of knowledge inherited from the Complex, waiting to be passed along to his Skills. He has done it partially before, updating his Skills into their greater forms, but he still needs time to sit still and ponder over it all.
And I believe that time is fast approaching. Though I wonder what will happen between now and the end of his venture outside of the Human Empire…
That's about it for today, peace!
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PS: This chapter was originally smaller then usual since it was part of the previous chapter... when I wrote both a long time ago.
I kept it this way, but ended up making so many small changes that the size... became just about the same.
Things would've flowed a bit better had it been side by side, so it is how it is.
Bye!