Prime Evolver System - Chapter 56

The thick, powerful presence rapidly drawn closer and closer. It was clearly coming towards the very same cave, the very creek Lucien was currently exploring, meditating in.

She could feel the slight change in the air, she could almost feel the swirl as the black-haired boy, his new master, finally began its first real step and was now rapidly absorbing the essences in the air around him.

Seeing how he had just begun cultivating, Sera steeled her resolve. She needs to step up and guard the entrance. Even though the creature that was approaching was powerful, too powerful, she should be able to at the very least hold off and protect her young master for the time being.

With her decision made, her figure flashed, vanishing from its spot, reappearing in front of the cave. Her legs were spread out, her sword held tightly in her stronger, right hand. She looked sternly towards the north where she could now feel the incoming creature.

‘Be swift… Lucien!’ She muttered, getting ready for the battle.

—-

As the oxygen entered his diaphragm and filled his lungs, Lucien’s mind slowly, gradually began to clear out. All the unnecessary thoughts, all the disturbances slowly vanished, leaving nothing but clarity behind.

A couple of seconds passed as he subconsciously stored the energy-rich air inside just for a couple of moments longer, stabilizing his heart rate and letting all the spiritual essence seep into his spiritual vessel, or in other words, his meridians.

For the first time, since he began gathering power, and assimilating his defeated opponents, he subconsciously stepped on the path of true power. Albeit his knowledge was shallow, to say the least, but he wasn’t alone. There were others with him, silently assisting him, guiding him towards the right path.

His system, as well as the ‘other one’ was with him, due to the twist of fate, these rather peculiar duo of entities were now working in tandem, behind the scenes, assisting and guiding their youthful host towards success.

Lucien could feel the intent, the guiding thoughts of the other one, the monstrous side of him. Whilst they were unable to communicate directly, he could feel the guiding hand as it was slowly pointing him towards the right direction, the right method.

At first he was hesitant to let go of his doubts and concerns, but after he felt the same warmth enter his body with the air he inhaled and transform into this intangible form… this strange, but at the same time familiar source of the essence, he decided to let go of all his worries and follow his guidance.

He finally decided to place his trust in this other creature and accept him. No matter how much a monster he truly is, in the end, their fates are now fused together, they need each other, they can’t exist without the other side.

‘Light needs its Darkness to shine.’ He muttered mentally, as he returned his focus to the process he was being instructed on.

As instructed, he slowly exhaled, removing all the used up, empty air from his body, before inhaling another large gasp, and just like previously, kept it inside, slowly focusing on the unique transformation of his own body as the process repeated itself.

Now, that he was focusing on, he noticed that the transformation wasn’t being done by him, nor by his other side, but instead the third participant of the party, the System itself. Rapidly, the rich energy was sucked away, merged into his body leaving behind nothing but the ‘used up’ air once more.

Drops of this energy have begun to gather inside this previously unknown spiritual veinous system of his, filling it up, slowly and steadily. Slowly, a pathway, a channel formed, as if a reservoir, a circulation has started. Whilst there was currently no origin, no core, it was what one would call an Incomplete Vessel.

Still, it was something. A start, a beginning. Something that Lucien could now build upon.

Still, the process wasn’t finished. The energy was still abundant, Lucien could feel the agitation, the nervous urging of his other side, to continue on, but this time try concentrating on this vessel and try gathering the energy to a single point, the center of this newly formed system.

Although Lucien wasn’t sure what the other one meant, he still followed the guidance and focused his will on the newly formed, single circulative spiritual vessel. He could feel the incorporeal substance, coursing through it slowly, but steadily, acting as a thin stream of the river, was flowing endlessly.

‘Gather the energy to a single point? What does that mean?’ He pondered, not sure how to follow.

He was confused, not sure what to do. How should he do what was required of him? What did he mean by ‘concentrate it in a single point’?

Unfortunately, this confusion caused him to fall out of the serene state he somehow managed to enter, his presence slowly returned to reality, ending his first-ever cultivation abruptly.

Still, although he wasn’t completely successful, he still gained a lot in this single session. As his mind slowly cleared out, his mind was suddenly assaulted with several notifications.

Surprisingly, he no longer needed to open his eyes to ‘see’ the System’s screen, it seemed to be able to appear in his mind now.

Its strange, ominous style, the dark background filled with blood-dripping characters, however, has not changed.

[…::: Solution found! Initiating Assisted Cultivation… :::…]

[…::: Guidance Mode active: Transforming Energy… :::…]

[…::: Due to your actions, the synchronization rate with ђภгєเєฬ have been strengthened. :::…]

[…::: Checking the state of ђภгєเєฬ… Stabilizing… :::…]

[…::: Current Synchronization rate: 20.00%… Increasing… :::…]

[…::: Current Synchronization rate: 20.50%… Increasing… :::…]

[…::: Current Synchronization rate: 21.00%… Increasing… :::…]

.

.

.

[…::: Current Synchronization rate: 39.50%… Increasing… :::…]

[…::: Current Synchronization rate: 40.0%… Stable! :::…]

[…::: Surpassed 30.00% Synchronization… Current Symbosis State: Mutualism… :::…]

[…::: System Milestone Reached: + 1.00% System Version Awarded. :::…]

[…::: Several New Strains Synthesized, Strengthening Host Body… :::…]

[…::: Host Health and Energy have been updated according to the current entropy formula… :::…]

An endless stream of messages, carrying more and more shocking revelations and surprises was displayed in Lucien’s mind. Just like the message stated, he could feel that unlike before, their relationship with this still strangely named entity inside him has grown considerably closer.

At the same time, he felt incredible! Lucien couldn’t really understand it, but he felt as if he was literally bursting with power as if his energy was barely being able to keep inside this small body of his.

He wasn’t certain, but he felt that all of this was related to that unfinished vessel, his first formed core-less meridian. He had an abundance of newfound power, barely able to contain it inside this small, fragile frame of his.

Opening up his status screen, he was surprised to see that the percentage at his Power Stage Rank was almost complete, hanging at 98.5 percent. He just needed a bit more, maybe another attempt, to calm himself down and focus on the task at hand and he was certain he would be able to cross this first threshold.

He could feel that by crossing this first mark, he would finally overcome the limits of humanity and finally be able to leave this place with a much calmer mind knowing he would be able to protect himself from danger.

Still, this step wasn’t that easy. He would need to understand what he was meant to do, he would need to be able to interact with this intangible flow and guide its flow the way he was instructed and concentrate the energy in a single point.

Suddenly, a ferocious, terrifying roar shook the peace and calm of the serene little meadow, putting an abrupt halt to Lucien’s pondering session and forcing him to wake up.

“Huh? What is tha-”

Before he could finish the thought, a pain-filled scream echoed in the surroundings. A sense of dread washed over him. His eyes snapped wide open, his face contorted into a mixture of dread, worry, and a rising, seething rage.

The painful sorrow, the cry was all too familiar… it sounded like Sera!

Almost instantly, as realization hit him, he jumped up, activated his [Bestial Rush] ability, and dashed out of the cave.

A second later, as his figure appeared his face twisted into a sheer rage. The dark tendrils that crept at the outer edges expanded, swiftly claiming his entire visual organ for themselves. Iris, sclera, and pupils merged into one dark mess of pure void.

The skin over his right arm, his viral appendage trembled, twisting and transforming it back to the viral appendage it really was. As his hand began to transform, his entire limb returned to its original, nightmarish form.

It grew in length, and in size, reaching all the way to Lucien’s knees, growing into a strange form of several coiled and merged convergence of tentacles and tendrils. At its end, a twisted set of claws could be seen, only vaguely resembling that was his hand a few moments ago.

With a contorted, maddened expression he turned towards the scene that expanded in front of him. Sera’s motionless, blood-covered body with torn clothes was lying amidst the grass whilst a huge light purple furred, dotted feline creature was standing over her, with its back turned towards Lucien.

Rage and anger overcame his senses signaling the awakening of the dormant monster inside him, the ‘other one’!