SSS Awakening: I Can Class Change at will - Chapter 340 Cost of Evolution
Chapter 340 Cost of Evolution
The noise echoed from one of the corridors leading to his chamber where the portal sat. It was faint at first, but growing closer.
Moon’s eyes sharpened. He gave Mirage a soft word before placing him back in his beast taming space.
The footsteps continued to approach and Moon stayed close to the portal, his body coiled and ready for any danger that might arise. If anything went wrong, he would step back through without hesitation.
He was stronger than most fresh Evolvers. But that didn’t make him confident enough to fight anyone in the Second Sanctuary.
He was still a new fish in a sea where sharks thrived.
~CLUNK~ ~CLUNK~
The noise grew louder until its source stepped into view.
A man appeared at the end of the corridor. He was tall, lean, and carried a long wooden staff across his back. He wore a light Armour which was well-maintained given the shine .
He stopped a comfortable distance from Moon and raised both hands, palms open.
“Hello, I know you must be on guard right now, so let me introduce myself first.” The man offered a calm smile. “I am Joseph. My class is a staff fighter, and I’m one of the Evolvers surviving in this accursed sky.”
‘Sky? Why would he say that..’ Moon thought as he studied the man’s face, his posture, the positioning of his hands relative to his weapon. Nothing about him betrayed hostility. His tone was warm, his body language open. But, none of that made Moon believe the man.
“Moon.” He gave his name and nothing else. His expression remained polite, but his body stayed close to the portal behind him.
Joseph seemed to notice but didn’t say anything, if it bothered him, he didn’t show it.
Moon wasn’t going to drop his guard because a stranger smiled at him and spoke with a friendly voice. That was the kind of thinking that got people killed.
The Winter Realm had taught him that much. “Moon… that name rings a bell, although I don’t remember where exactly.” The man placed his hand on his chin, pondering for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Now that you are here, would you like me to introduce you around the area? It’s quite dangerous around here. There is a spirit pavilion nearby, and if you venture into the wrong place, you can certainly die.”
Moon remained silent for a moment.
‘A spirit pavilion nearby.’
For most fresh Evolvers, spawning near a spirit pavilion would have been terrible news. Spirit pavilions were dangerous zones filled with spirits that could kill new Evolvers before they even realized what was happening. They were intelligent, powerful and cunning.
But Moon wasn’t most Evolvers.
A place densely packed with powerful entities meant a place densely packed with opportunities and rewards. He wouldn’t need to wander aimlessly searching for things to hunt. They were already here, waiting for him to claim.
While Joseph stood there patiently, Moon quietly activated his Eye of Truth.
[Class: Staff Fighter] [Order: Second] [Skills: Staffsmanship <Rare>, Windstep II <Uncommon>]
Moon processed the information without letting his expression change. The man’s status appeared normal. It was nothing outstanding. His Staffsmanship was likely the skill he had evolved in the First Sanctuary. Windstep was Uncommon, but based on the ‘II’ in the name, it was probably his first skill gained after becoming Second Order.
Respectable for an average Evolver. But nothing that posed a threat that he couldn’t escape with the tricks he had up his sleeves.
Moon’s guard dropped slightly. Not entirely, but enough for his muscles to loosen and his expression to soften. The man’s aura wasn’t suppressed either, which told Moon two things. Either Joseph didn’t know how to hide his strength, or he genuinely had nothing to hide.
Both pointed to the same conclusion: he wasn’t a threat.
Moon glanced at the portal behind him. It was right there. If anything went sideways, he could step through and be back on Earth in a heartbeat.
“Lead the way.”
There was no harm in gathering information before heading back. The Second Sanctuary was a new environment with new dangers. Going in blind would be reckless. But if he could learn the layout of the area, understand where the spirit pavilion was, identify the threats and the safe zones, then he could return properly prepared.
‘Once I know what this place looks like, I can plan for whatever it throws at me.’
Joseph smiled and gestured down the corridor. “Follow me then. Stay close, and try not to wander off.”
Moon followed a few steps behind him.
As the man began doing the small talk, Moon was checking out his old skills, and what they needed for evolution.
The first skill Moon decided to check out was [Advanced Elemental Body], this was the creme of his crop. It was a defensive and offensive skill at the same time, allowing him to control various elements and having affinity towards them. It was nothing short of borderline amazing.
[Advanced Elemental Body]
[Rank: Epic] [Order: First]
[Level 10] [Evolve]
[Details: Your entire body has been tempered by the five elements—Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Lightning. You gain strong affinity with the four basic elements, and low affinity with the lightning element. +100% Elemental Control. +100% Elemental Damage. +100% Elemental Resistance to the five elements.] [Level 10 -> 11] [Cost: 64 Lives]
Moon’s eyes immediately rose in interest. The number wasn’t big, but he knew that with the multiplication it would soon become terrifying.
Despite the urge, Moon did not rashly evolve the skill, he decided to checkout the other skills he had.
[Golden Skin] [Rank: Rare] [Order: First]
[Level: 10] [Evolve] [Details: The user’s body becomes vastly more resilient to damage. Non-magical weapons cannot penetrate the skin. Provides 20-30% damage reduction against First Order weapons and beast attacks, with reduction scaling based on the weapon’s quality and the attack’s power.]
[Level 10 -> 11] [Cost: 32 Lives]
‘I thought I had plenty of lives to spend…at this rate It will finish up with two or three skills. Sigh…’ Moon shook his head.
