Aeris opened his awareness, feeling… nothing, yet everything at the same time. The Primordial Data Sea stretched infinitely in all directions: glowing streams of raw energy, floating fragments of creatures, magic, and concepts. Every pulse felt like a heartbeat of reality itself.
SYSTEM:
"Welcome, Undefined Soul"
"Initializing…"
"Assigning Evolution Form"
Aeris scanned the options. His instincts screamed at him: the Anomaly Core was the ultimate path. Why settle for a temporary form?
Choice confirmed: Stay as Anomaly Core.
Immediately, his form shimmered. A small crystal of shifting colors hovered in place, absorbing fragments of ambient energy. The sea hummed. Every piece of information, every particle of mana, became his own.
SYSTEM:
"Data Absorption Complete: 42%"
"Skill Node Available"
He touched a nearby fragment a fragment of a fire salamander's aura. His core pulsed.
New Skill Acquired: Fire Manipulation (Lv.1)
Effect: Can control fire, mimic fire-based attacks, and integrate fire into evolving forms.
Next, a shadow fragment drifted close. He absorbed it, and instinctively, a black tendril extended from the core, writhing and splitting into smaller tendrils.
New Skill Acquired: Shadow Extension (Lv.1)
Effect: Can manipulate shadows, extend reach, and ensnare objects or enemies.
A low rumble shook the Data Sea. Fragments of a massive entity appeared in the distance an Outer Sovereign Scout. Its presence alone warped the "laws of reality" around it.
SYSTEM ALERT:
"Entity Detected: High-Rank Outerverse Being"
"Threat Level: Extremely Dangerous"
Aeris pulsed, absorbing nearby fragments and concepts: speed, reflexes, instinct, and time microfragments. His core morphed slightly, stretching into a shape vaguely humanoid yet still alien.
New Skill Acquired: Time Reflexes (Lv.1)
Effect: Can perceive attacks before they fully materialize, giving a reaction advantage beyond normal limits.
The Scout noticed him. With a flicker, it unleashed a beam of black energy.
Most beings would have died instantly.
Not Aeris. He extended his shadow tendrils, absorbed the incoming energy as data, and converted it into… an explosion of energy that multiplied itself.
SYSTEM:
"Passive Evolution Triggered: Combat Experience 1,000,000"
"New Ability Unlocked: Adaptive Energy Projection"
The Scout was thrown back, confused. Aeris pulsed once more, absorbing lingering fragments from the attack, leveling up exponentially in mere seconds.
SYSTEM:
"Current Status: Core Anomaly (Lv. Unknown)"
"Next Evolution Node Available: Reality Manipulation"
Aeris felt the thrill of infinite potential. Everything in the world concepts, energy, emotions, magic was now raw material for his evolution. Nothing could stop him.
He drifted forward. The world of Arcantris stretched endlessly, full of monsters, kingdoms, gods, and Outerverse horrors. And now, Aeris had everything he needed to become unstoppable.