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" Nev! The hell are you doing here?" Ivy said.
A slim, tall, athletic body stood calm and forward.
"That's Vice-Captain Nev to you, Ivana," Nev chuckled toward Ivy, holding her hand and kissing her fingers.
"You still haven't answered my question, Nev," Ivy said as she retracted her hand.
"Hey, I'm going to assume you both know each other," Alex said as he stood up from the ground.
"Yes, we've known each other since… let me see, our whole life," Nev said with a wide grin. "Isn't that right, Ivana?"
"I hate that annoying voice of his," Ivy muttered under her breath, loud enough for them to hear.
"Well, I can't tell you much, but your one-month mission has ended in the second week because of an emergency. And in two weeks, all you could find is this guy?" Nev said as he walked closer, sizing Alex up.
"Hey, hey, that's a bit rude, don't you think?" Alex said, stepping forward too.
"Coming from someone with no aether? I don't think it's rude," Nev replied.
"Nev, you're wrong. He does have aether. In fact, I've sensed three different kinds from him—and I've seen him use two," Ivy said.
"That's all bullshit—" Nev stopped, his eyes narrowing as he sensed all three. "I sense a demon in you," he said, jumping back and activating his aether.
"Wait, Nev, relax! What are you talking about?!" Ivy screamed as Nev went in for the attack.
"I knew he had more aether control than me, but not enough to notice something even I couldn't sense," Ivy whispered to herself.
Bang!
A tall black silhouette sent Nev flying, though he landed on his feet.
"You're calling beasts on me, huh?" Nev said as his aether flared.
"The hell is wrong with you?! Let's get the fuck out of here—we can't fight this thing!" Alex yelled.
[COMBAT ENCOUNTERED]
Race: Shadow Walker
Status: Calm, Intelligent
Tier: Elite Humanoid
In the blink of an eye, the walker slipped into Alex's shadow. From below, it struck him under the chin, sending him flying upward.
'If its ability is shadow-related, we definitely can't fight him,' Alex thought to Gemi.
'It's a humanoid beast. It only came here because it knows it can win. You have to make it lose that confidence,' Gemi said.
'And how the fuck do I do that when the strongest here just got tossed like paper? Where the hell is he, anyway?' Alex groaned as he crashed back to the ground.
"What the fuck… it's been so long since Nev fought, I didn't realize how much stronger he'd gotten. From the way he's fighting, it looks like he's getting lessons from Captain Cole," Ivy whispered.
Nev gripped the shadow walker by the neck, strangling and pounding it.
"He's stronger than I thought," Alex muttered, dashing toward Ivy.
'From recent developments, we might not need to use my plan,' Gemi said.
"Wait, Nev's hitting it so hard, it looks like the shadow cloak is disappearing," Ivy pointed out.
Nev loosened his grip, and as the walker fell, he kicked its abdomen, sending it flying. A portal tore open midair. A solid grab yanked the walker's head through, another portal spat it out from behind, and Nev clamped down, squeezing hard.
"Sure, his fight's way more entertaining than yours—but are you sure he's mentally stable?" Alex grinned until something clicked. "Wait… something's not right. Look at its face."
"Yeah, I know, it's ugly as hell," Ivy giggled.
"No—I mean it looks like it's… smiling," Alex said.
"Yeah, you're right. Nev, leave it! Let's get out of here!" Ivy screamed.
'Something's off… it seems like it wants to get beaten,' Alex thought.
'It's evolving,' Gemi said.
'What do you mean?' Alex asked.
'To put it simply—just like how weapons and items can be upgraded, beasts and creatures can naturally evolve,' Gemi explained.
'That still doesn't explain why—wait… just like regular animals and humans. The more fights they survive, the stronger they become,' Alex realized.
'Exactly. Meaning the more it gets beaten and survives, the closer it is to evolving,' Gemi confirmed.
"Too late," Alex muttered as the shadow walker's hand pierced Nev's torso.
"I'm losing his aether signature…" Ivy's voice shook as tears welled up. "I'm going to kill you!" she screamed, unsheathing her sword and blitzing toward the walker's back like she'd teleported.
"No! If Nev got killed so easily, there's no hope for you!" Alex yelled.
"It's so funny how you're supposed to be intelligent," the shadow walker spoke in a grim voice, slamming Ivy into the ground and knocking her out instantly.
"Damn… I'll assume you couldn't talk before," Alex said nervously.
"I would've let you go… but you're my bonus," the grim voice said again.
"Goo…good… he hasn't noticed… he's about to fight… a demon," Nev coughed weakly from the ground.
The shadow walker stepped toward Alex slowly.
"Let's see what this guy has," Alex muttered, evaluating the beast.
[EVALUATION RESULT]
Race: Shadow Walker
Status: Thrilled
Tier: Legendary
"Okay… I'm screwed," Alex said as he activated his natural aether.
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