The silence after the juggernaut's fall stretched long. Zeke pulsed steady, vessel trembling but whole. Sparks bled inward, Compress folding the damage tight until it steadied. The furnace beast had fallen. He had reached Level 20. The Evolution Threshold. He felt it in every filament of his vessel—an invitation, a pull. The System waited, silent but undeniable. He could evolve now.
He did not.
Zeke steadied, filaments curling inward. "Not yet," he thought. "I am not at my limit."
The voices pressed immediately.
"Correct," Logos answered first, calm and certain. "Refinement unfinished. Evolution now would waste potential."
Maw snarled. Waste? Evolution means more feeding! Stronger prey, greater feast—what are you waiting for?
"Restraint," Neris whispered. Push too soon and you will collapse under weight unmastered.
Kael laughed loud, delighted. Or gamble and win! Who cares about waiting? Throw yourself in, see what happens! If it kills you, at least it's fun!
Zeke pulsed sharply, cutting across them. "I will not evolve yet." His will pressed hard, denser than before, and for a moment even Maw went quiet. He had decided. He would push further, raise his skills, his affinities, his vessel. Only when true collapse threatened would he allow evolution. The pressure strengthened him.
[Stat Increased: WIL +1]
Predators gathered again. The ashlands had learned to sense him—sparks stirred at his approach, drawn as much as driven. They came in hordes now, packs swelling together, sparks burning as one. Ash split beneath claw and fang as the swarm rose. Dozens, maybe hundreds, lesser beasts, mid-tier predators, all pressed toward him. Once, they might have been overwhelming. Now, they were only fuel.
He spread Core Division nets wide, filaments threading deep into ash. Not the loose lattices of before—these were dense, layered, woven. Fire laced through threads, burning hot, igniting the air as nets spread. Darkness wrapped over them, binding, suffocating, pulling sparks inward. Light ran sharp through filaments, edges keen enough to slice shells apart. Three affinities, layered, fused, woven into Core Division's web.
The horde surged. Nets snapped tight. Fire seared, Darkness bound, Light cut. Predators shrieked as bodies burned and split, sparks ripped free. Zeke devoured in rhythm, Essence Feast pulling torrents into Vessel Chambers. Compress folded it tighter, denser, feeding strength into every strike.
[Skill Advanced: Core Division → Lv.5][Skill Advanced: Essence Feast → Lv.6]
Morphic Arms lashed through burning nets, whips tipped with fire, blades cutting in arcs of light. Darkness dragged at wounded prey, pinning them for the finishing blow. Every strike tore apart another predator. Every lash added to the grave rising behind him. He did not hesitate. He did not falter. He did not defend. He dominated.
The horde broke against him like waves on stone. Zeke crushed them one after another, sparks pouring into him faster than he could burn them. Vessel Chambers brimmed, Compress howled with pressure, and still he devoured. There was no risk, no fear, no restraint. Only power. He stood emperor of the wastes, and all before him were nothing but prey.
Maw howled with glee. Yes! Finally! Tear them all! Make the wastes ours!
Kael laughed wild. This! This is what I meant—reckless, unstoppable, glorious!
"Dangerous," Neris warned, faint. Hubris blinds. Do not mistake prey for victory.
But Zeke heard another voice stir. Not hunger, not caution, not chaos. Something else. A deep pulse of certainty, a whisper that felt like a crown settling on his core.
They are nothing before you.
The voice was calm, smooth, and yet heavy with superiority. It pressed like weight made glory. You are no longer prey. You are ruler. Emperor of ash. Look at them. Look how they fall. This is your throne.
Logos noted, clipped. "Sub-core emergence. Pride. Vael."
[New Sub-Core Personality Awakened: Vael]
Vael's voice spread warm, arrogant, certain. Yes. This is as it should be. You do not crawl—you command. You do not endure—you rule. They fall, because you are greater. Remember it.
Zeke pulsed faint, shaken but not denying. Pride filled him, swelling sharp. The horde was nothing. He was predator ascendant. The wastes bent beneath his weight. He lashed again, fire blazing brighter, darkness pulling harder, light cutting sharper. His nets spread wider, his arms struck faster. Every moment fed the arrogance swelling inside. He could not fall. He would not.
"Restrain," Logos cut. "Hubris blinds as surely as hunger."
Neris whispered, Pride will shatter you if you lean too far.
Maw laughed, Pride, hunger, same thing. Feed because you can. Tear because you want. More, more, more!
Kael barked laughter. No, no, let him feel it! Pride is freedom too—live like a king, burn like a god!
Vael pressed heavier, smoother, calmer, but stronger than them all. No. Not freedom. Rule. They fall because you are greater. That is all. Do not forget it.
The swarm ended in silence. Ash drifted, glowing faint with molten sparks. Zeke pulsed low, vessel dense, whole, triumphant. The graves of his prey stretched wide, a carpet of corpses marking his passage. He stood alone in the ash, and for the first time, he felt it not as burden, but as throne.
Five voices pressed within him now. Logos's clarity. Maw's hunger. Neris's restraint. Kael's recklessness. Vael's pride. Each pulled different, each demanded path. Together they warred, yet together they sharpened him. He pulsed faint, considering. The threshold had been crossed, but not the limit. He would push further still. He would master them all.
The System stirred.
System Update
Name: Ezekiel AshbourneRace: Prime Slime (Unevolved)Level: 20
Affinity: Fire (Intermediate), Darkness (Intermediate), Light (Intermediate)
Stats
STR: 14 → 15
AGI: 13 → 14
VIT: 18 → 19
WIL: 12 → 13
RES: 26
MNA: 72
CTL: 32 → 33
Skills
Core Division (Lv.5): Divide essence into sub-cores. Fragments act with independent will under Logos's guidance. Nets hold stable under pressure.
Essence Feast (Lv.6): Devour prey essence directly. Converts sparks smoothly into stable fuel.
Morphic Arms (Lv.9): Limbs shift faster and strike heavier with Compress.
Compress (Lv.6): Condense essence into denser form. STR, AGI, VIT rise sharply while active. Instability risk increased.
Passive Skills
Vessel Chambers: Internal reservoirs stabilize essence, prevent overflow, and channel affinities.
Personalities
Logos (Sub-Core): Rational, calm, precise. Guides efficiency and stability.
Maw (Sub-Core): Hunger externalized. Demands endless growth and feeding. Venomous, relentless, always urging to feed.
Neris (Sub-Core): Caution given voice. Patient, measured, anchoring restraint against recklessness.
Kael (Sub-Core): Recklessness given voice. Thrives on chaos, impulse, and risk, urging abandon and thrill.
Vael (Sub-Core): Pride given voice. Arrogant, certain, pressing supremacy and dominance.