Monster Heavenly King - Chapter 59
Only Noblemtl
59. Maintenance (3)
I really thought that evolution would be possible at level 31, just like Seol-ah said.
It was ridiculous.
“So this time it’s level 15, so next time it’ll go up by level 20 and evolve to level 51?”
-That’s it.
I don’t know who set it up, but it felt like they just did it hastily because they were too lazy to think about it.
“How did you know…?”
-That’s my feeling. Don’t doubt my words from now on.
If Seol-ah were a human, wouldn’t she be making an extremely arrogant expression?
Hyunseong opened the status window and read the message at the bottom.
[You have reached the level where evolution is possible.]
[Would you like to evolve?]
[Y/N]
This was the evolution we had been longing for, but there was no choice but to not do it here.
Hyunseong immediately presses yes.
Then I tilted my head at the message that came to mind.
“There’s one more thing?”
When evolving previously, there were only two options, but this time, there were three.
[You can choose which race to evolve from the following.]
[Skeleton Lord]
[Rich]
[Lesser Bone Dragon]
In addition to the warrior and wizard forms, a dragon form has also been added.
I never thought that even something like this could be selected through evolution.
Seol-ah, who was looking at the system window with me, noticed something and rang the alarm.
-Is the next evolution the last?
“How do you know?”
-No, I’m not sure, but it’s a lesser bone dragon.
Lesser, a word meaning slightly smaller in size.
If this was the final evolution, such words would not have been attached.
-Then the next evolution is the Bone Dragon, and if it’s a Bone Dragon, it’s the pinnacle of the undead.
“indeed.”
If we speculate that way, we can conclude that the next evolution will be the last.
But that was difficult.
“Then does that mean evolution into a humanoid form is out of the question?”
-This is just a guess. Couldn’t it be possible for evolution to occur under special conditions?
“I guess so.”
Or, perhaps these worries will be put to rest by the next evolution into a humanoid form?
The chances of that happening are very slim though.
Worrying about future evolution here would change nothing.
First, let’s focus on the evolution right before our eyes.
“It’s almost as if there’s only one choice.”
As Hyunseong’s hand went up, a voice of regret was heard.
-Oh, what? You’re not choosing the Lesser Bone Dragon?
“Would you like to choose?”
I’m trying to evolve into a humanoid, but what’s the best way to go?
Seol-ah began to speak passionately at Hyun-seong’s voice that said, “It’s ridiculous.”
-Wouldn’t it be romantic if you turned into a dragon and said “Kwaang!” and scattered everything?
“… … ”
What on earth does this guy think romanticism is?
I did think it might be fun, even if only for a moment.
“But if I evolve into this, there’s no reason to use you anymore?”
-Oh, I see. If you’re a man, you should go to Skeleton Road with determination!
A change of stance faster than turning over your palm.
Hyunseong smirked and chose the Skeleton Road.
Then the system window popped up.
[Evolution begins.]
As before, light flowed out from his body and surrounded him.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
The sound of bones cracking throughout my body.
It was such an eerie sound that if someone heard it, they might mistake it for the sound of a person being crushed.
Hyunseong quietly watched the scene unfolding inside him.
‘This is amazing.’
The feeling of my whole body being reconstructed was like being completely transformed.
I felt my bone density increasing.
The skeleton has also changed and has become more suitable for martial arts than before.
The magical power he possessed between life and death as a skeleton swelled.
The stream-like passage of magical power connecting the bones overflowed in an instant and transformed into a river.
and,
[[Skeleton Knight] evolved into [Skeleton Lord].]
[Additional abilities are granted through evolution.]
As soon as the sound stopped, the light dimmed and a system window appeared before my eyes.
Dark red eyes swaying expectantly from inside the skull.
Immediately afterwards, a status window appeared before my eyes.
[Name: Kim Hyun-seong.]
[Race: Skeleton Lord]
[Characteristic: None]
[Level:31]
[Strength: 25 (+6)]
[Stamina: 15 (+3)]
[Endurance: 17(+2)]
[Agility: 15 (+2)]
[Magic Power: 16 (+4)]
[Remaining points: 2]
4 to Strength, 2 to Magic Power, and 3 each to Stamina, Endurance, and Agility.
It was the equivalent of gaining 15 levels in total.
At first, each ability score was only 5, but if you calculate it now, it means that they had higher abilities than the same level awakened people.
“Yeah, if you’re going to be called Lord, you have to be like this.”
Hyunseong cracks his jaw as if he is satisfied.
Seol-ah muttered in surprise at the increase.
-It’s definitely huge.
It was difficult to think of the skeleton before and after evolution as being the same.
If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have thought it was the same skeleton.
“Then, should we start heading back soon?”
Considering how long it would take to get to the Steel Forge, it seemed like it would be a good idea to start off early.
I was about to go, but then I remembered Elena insisting that I take her with me.
Hyunseong had no choice but to return to her house.
and,
“… … ?”
A question mark appeared above Elena’s head as she looked at Hyunseong.
The skeleton in front of you is definitely Hyeonseong.
‘There’s no way there’ll be another skeleton on the third floor.’
She tries to make guesses along reasonable lines.
But even if that were true, the vibe I felt from Hyunseong was completely different.
Even her skeleton had changed, so it was natural for her to be so flustered.
“What happened?”
Eventually, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked questions.
Hyunseong answered, gritting his teeth as if it was nothing.
“It evolved.”
“what!?”
Elena glared at his answer and came closer.
I felt like I was sensing some unknown magical force outside, but I couldn’t believe it was evolving.
Up until now, the Awakened have seen countless monsters, but there has never been a single confirmed scene of a monster evolving.
Moreover, if we consider special cases like Hyunseongㅡ
‘You’re missing out on a chance that you’ll never see again!!’
It was not an easy thing to feel wronged.
But, there’s nothing we can do about what’s already in the past.
She asked Hyunseong in a voice filled with regret.
“Then did you keep a bone?”
“… …What are you talking about?”
“They say that if you evolve, all your bones will be restored.”
“huh.”
“Then, even if I evolve by removing one bone, I will recover, so give me one…”
It certainly sounded plausible.
If that was the case, giving her a bone wouldn’t have been a bad choice.
But the problem is…
“Seo, you can’t possibly say that?”
“… … ”
“Tell me no? Please?!”
-You’re right.
It was said that there were no bones or anything like that.
She collapses in despair.
“My bones…”
“No, not your bones.”
It wasn’t my fault, but I felt sorry for some reason.
Hyunseong patted her on the back and chattered his teeth.
“Next time I evolve, I’ll save a bone for you.”
“When is the next evolution?”
“……well?”
I’m guessing it’s level 51, but I’m not sure.
She seemed to be thinking deeply about something, then opened her mouth.
“Then, can you come here at the next evolution timing?”
“hmm?”
“Because I wanted to study evolution a bit at that time.”
“… Hmm.”
Hyunseong is lost in thought, stroking his chin at Elena’s words.
Then, as if he was finished thinking, he clenched his teeth.
“I can’t give you a definite answer that I will definitely do it, but if possible, I will come here and evolve.”
“okay.”
Elena also knew that it was impossible to give a definitive answer as no one knew what would happen in the labyrinth.
If Hyunseong had just said that, it would have been enough of a concession.
“So, are you going to the blacksmith shop now?”
“Oh, I think it’s almost time.”
“okay.”
She started to gather up her things one by one and put them into her subspace bag.
Empty test tubes going in one by one.
“No, why are you so concerned about that?”
“There are so many samples to take, like hair, fingernails, and toenails! I have to take as many as I can!”
“… … ”
Looking at her eyes, which were even mixed with madness, Hyunseong somehow felt sorry for his disciples.
So, Hyunseong headed to the steel forge with Elena.
.
.
.
Kaang! Chaeng!
A sound coming from not far from the blacksmith shop.
I thought someone was fighting, but when I got closer, I saw Brin and Rash sparring with Steel.
The two disciples were holding weapons that looked quite impressive at first glance.
“The bottom is empty.”
With those words, the steel trips Brin and Rashi’s legs.
He looked at the two fallen monsters and said.
“When dealing with Awakened beings or humanoid monsters, it is easy to be attacked by other attacks if you only focus on your weapon. Weapons are the most threatening, but always be mindful of other attack methods.”
“Keruk.”
“Profit.”
Hyunseong, who was looking at the sight, chuckled and clicked his teeth.
“If you say something like that without any leeway, it’s not convincing.”
Steel’s words were not wrong.
However, from the perspective of the weak Brin and Rash, it would have been difficult to just block the sword swinging by Steel, let alone worry about the lower ranks.
At his appearance, Kangcheol put away his sword and opened his mouth.
“Well, someone taught me quite well.”
Because if you don’t push them like this, there’s nothing left to teach them.
Since what Brin and Rash taught was literacy, the fundamentals were quite solid.
If the two monsters in front of me were Awakened, I would have invited them to join my guild.
“however…”
Kangcheol looked Hyunseong up and down.
There couldn’t be two talking skeletons, and the feeling was the same.
But something was crucially different.
“The atmosphere has changed. What’s going on?”
“Well, a little bit. So, did the weapon turn out well?”
Steel pointing to Rashi’s path as if telling him to look without saying anything.
Hyunseong observed Rashi’s path.
[The Way of the Great Warrior]
[Rank: Hero]
[Description: A sword once used by the greatest warrior of the Orcs, with his molars embedded in it. Permanently increases Strength by 6.]
“oh?”
It was an incredible thing just to look at.
+6 with a single piece of equipment? It was a number I had never seen before.
Even if you only look at the level, it was exactly the same as Seol-ah.
“Hahaha, what do you think? This is my masterpiece!”
Kangcheol smiled heartily and spoke proudly.
Hero grade is the highest grade equipment that Awakened players can obtain.
He made it with his own hands.
Hyunseong couldn’t help but be purely impressed.
and,
“This is really huge.”
Elena, who was behind him, also shed tears of admiration.
“Huh? What? You came out of the forest?”
“Well, I just came out for a bit. So…”
She approached Brin and Rashi, half-answering the steel horse.
“Are these two people Hyunseong’s disciples? I’m Hyunseong’s friend Elena. Nice to meet you.”
“Keruk?”
“Profit?”
He approached me with a friendly smile, but his eyes were not like that at all.
Because it was shining sharply like a wild beast hunting its prey.
“Is this a subspecies? It looks like a fairy. If I had seen it in the forest, I would have mistaken it for a new type of monster.”
“Keruk?!”
Elena touches Brin’s face here and there as soon as they meet.
Brin tried to escape somehow, but with his current strength, it was impossible to escape her grasp.
The next target is Rashi.
“Chwi, chwiik?!”
“This one seems a bit different from other orcs. Is it a superior entity? My, even the muscle strength is different.”
She feels and pats his rock-like muscles.
Kangcheol, who was watching that scene, smiled bitterly.
“It’s still the same.”
Eventually, Elena’s rampage continued until Hyunseong and Kangcheol stopped her.