PenguinKills
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Chapter 120 - Evolution
🕑 Added 2024-08-28 20:00:07 +0000 UTC"Is that him?" I asked.
"Yeah, they say he's already in the E-rank with a powerful class. We aren't sure what rarity but it's Rare at the bare minimum." Abigail answered.
When we heard that a merge with the last standing faction was a possibility Abigail worked to get all the information she could about the faction's strength. Their numbers, average level, level of the Leader, things like that.
She couldn't find out everything but she managed to get a decent amount. We knew the leader, Kurt, was evolved but not how far into the E-Rank he was.
I didn't think that he would agree to Tracy's terms. I wasn't privy to the exact wording of the agreement but I figured it was similar to what she and I had.
He spent a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to hold onto his pylon only to give up a wave away.
He didn't look happy about it.
There were a few people close to him saying something to him but I wasn't close enough to hear. They seemed like advisors or something close to that. If I had to guess it was them that made the merge happen.
The man scowled as he walked at the head of his camp. Leading them through the southern gate of Tracy's camp. They numbered around 60 people altogether which was over triple what our faction was.
It was just shy of how many Tracy had which put them at a close second for total number of members. She had over 80 members still alive and kicking.
The man looked in his mid-30s with brown hair extending past his ears and in need of a cut. It was obvious he usually kept it shorter than that but there wasn't a barber to go to around here, nor the time.
His beard was scruffy and in the same disrepair as his hair. He looked like the kind of person to keep it clean-shaven.
At this point, my beard was getting a bit out of hand. I usually kept it cropped tight to my face but that was thoroughly abandoned now. Same with my hair, it was well past where I usually cut it.
We were similar in that respect.
His figure didn't immediately stand out but it radiated power. His armor was light compared to what I usually wore, most likely relying on his Body Refinement to get him through fights. It was mostly light leathers that he wore with cloth here and there. Everything was dyed a sandy brown.
Most likely to blend in with the sandy desert of the south.
Or he could have an armor skill like I did. I couldn't forget the variety of skills and what they can provide.
The sword on his hip glistened in the sunlight and screamed quality. A hefty store-bought weapon no doubt and the shield on his back matched. A few dents and scrapes here and there to show its use but overall well cared for.
It looked freshly polished, his sword the same.
He walked up to Tracy's welcome and spoke tersely for a few moments before moving on with the rest of his camp. He led them to the space that was set aside for them and helped them settle in.
From what we knew, he came here with his coworkers at a Law firm, most of which were now dead. The rest of his camp consisted of others in the area who came to his camp for help.
They didn't know about the increased difficulty at first but then planned around it with the acrobatics they had people do with moving camps and all that. It was unclear whose idea that was, it could have been the man I was looking at now for all I knew.
He gave off a powerful aura and I could feel its robustness. It was near Austin's in strength, almost higher actually. It was hard to get exacts with how it felt. It was hard to evaluate Austin's because I would never fight him like that. It was different than evaluating a potential threat.
He gave me an initial look when he walked in but nothing more than that, too busy with getting everything situated than evaluating me.
Well, he looked like a solid fighter and his aura screamed warrior. It was nice to see I wasn't alone in my amount of strength and other people have reached as high as me.
It didn't spell well for humanity if I was alone in the strength I possessed. I didn't think I was but it was a nice change to feel someone outside my family with an aura that strong.
Achieving what I was after, Abigail and I turned away to do something infinitely more important than eyeing the new members.
It was time to evolve.
~~
"Do you have everything you need?" Austin giddily asked. He was jumping out of his shoes wondering what my evolution would be like.
He spent a not insignificant amount of time pestering me about it. He wanted me to look at the classes I was offered almost a thousand times by now and I refused him at every turn.
I didn't want to know what I was offered just in case it changed the outcome. Maybe it was a childish notion that I would jinx it, or ruin the surprise, but my evolution was important to me.
I didn't want to mess it up somehow.
"Yes." I was as prepared as I could be.
My family surrounded me, already through with the pep talk and explanation even though I heard it not that long ago when Jonathan went through this.
The ground was prepared and sanitized by someone's casting of [Cleanse]. All in the effort to purify anything that could go wrong.
The heart of a Young Frost Giant resided next to my seated form and I was ready.
I wasn't sure how much of a tier differential my body could handle but went with the Frost Giant anyway. As a Frostborn, it was two steps up, a large jump, but I felt like I could take it.
My stats were high, I had a Body of Wood, Lesser Law, and a Spirit Anchor. I felt confident in using that high of a tier material without it going wrong.
I had to help Tracy upgrade her pylon for it to become purchasable but it was well worth it.
We could only afford the one heart but that would be more than enough. Being a higher tier than my bloodline could usually handle made it worth more.
Profession evolution available
I started with my profession. It was going to be the less rare of the two. I hadn't had the chance to focus on it much with all the fighting that I did. There were still feats of skill under my belt using it but not as much as my class.
The Wind Chamber was the most difficult thing that I built and that was a hack job at best.
~~
Enchanter Blacksmith(Uncommon)
Ward Smith(Uncommon)
Formation Smith(Uncommon)
Apprentice Runic Blacksmith(Uncommon)
Runesmith(Rare)
~~
The list wasn't a surprise and I knew roughly what would be on it. Information on Professions was a lot easier to get ahold of than it was classes. I had deviated too far from the original five classes for information to be relevant for my class.
My profession, though, was close to by the book. Going from Blacksmith to Runic Blacksmith wasn't that rare and there were detailed steps to the different professions from there.
Runesmith was the one I was going for and I made sure all the boxes were checked a while ago. Gaining experience from both forging and engraving. Forging a weapon of the Common tier and enchanting it to become Uncommon.
Forged what was considered a great work utilizing Runes in some capacity and having a forging style. The great work could have been a few things but I knew that requirement was complete.
I may have cheated and looked at the list to make sure. If I didn't tell anyone, then the secret would die with me and that was what I intended. Austin would never know.
Only my profession list though, my class was important and I didn't want to risk anything.
The stats were just what I needed as well.
+3 Strength, +8 Agility, +5 Perception, +3 Endurance, +8 Intelligence, +10 Wisdom, +6 Acumen, +5 Free Points
The booklet that had the information on how to unlock the Runesmith profession detailed the stats it would give and there was actually a way to influence that. Similar to Merchant in that respect.
You couldn't swing too far away from the baseline but depending on the work you did the stats you would get could change. If you focused more on the smithing side, Strength and Endurance would be higher. The enchanting side would result in more magic stats.
I earned most of my experience from engraving so that was how the stats were skewed. That was on purpose because I expected my class to be heavy on the other stats. It was a great way to even the two out.
I locked in Runesmith(Rare) and moved on to my Class.
I knew that the highest class I would be offered was Legendary. We knew that it could only go up 2 varieties during evolutions. You couldn't jump any higher than that.
The five options stunned me. The lowest was Epic with the other four all being Legendary. Having four that high was a great boon giving me a better choice for which one I wanted.
Wringing every bit of advancement out of my rank was paying off. Not only one, but 4 Legendary classes to choose from.
Class evolution available
~~
Frostborn Warrior Shaman(Epic)
Reach closer toward the spiritual and lead them in battle. Can both fight on the front lines and use magics from afar. Summon and control Frost and Ice elementals for a short period of time to fight by your side in battle.
Requirements: Great Ice affinity, Least Law of Ice, Body Refined using Ice in some manner, Frostborn Bloodline
+8 Strength, +5 Agility, +3 Perception, +4 Fortitude, +3 Endurance, +3 Vitality, +8 Intelligence, +7 Wisdom, +5 Acumen, +10 Free
~~
The first up was the Epic. I didn't spend much time on it but it sounded nice, I guess. I wasn't a big summoner kind of guy and probably wouldn't have taken this class even if it wasn't the lowest rarity.
I did note the stat points though. From the others who evolved, we knew how many stat points the lower rarities gave. Common gave 32, Uncommon gave 40, and Rare gave 48.
None of them were offered anything higher but we were able to guess. It went up by 8 every rarity and that held true. Both Epic and Legendary conformed to that pattern with Epic giving 56 and Legendary giving 64.
Next came the Legendary classes and boy were they a doozy. The four all sounded good and I would only be able to pick one.
~~
Blizzard of the Frost Giant(Legendary)
Harness the powers of the mighty Frost Giant's Breath. Both Wind and Ice leap at your fingertips to direct as you please. Gaining this class necessitates significant permanent racial changes.
Requirements: Strong Ice affinity, Lesser Law of Ice, a trace Frost Giant Bloodline, and Frost Giant material used while evolving.
+10 Strength, +6 Agility, +4 Perception, +8 Fortitude, +6 Endurance, +5 Vitality, +8 Intelligence, +7 Wisdom, +10 Free
~~
Captain of the Boreads(Legendary)
The boreads were an elite guard to the once King Boreas. They excelled at combat and were unmatched in the winter cold of their home planet. While mostly warriors and weapon skills were their forte, that didn't mean they were incapable of great magics as well. Captains were a step above the rest and also held stout commanding abilities to bolster their company.
Requirements: Strong Ice affinity, Lesser Law of Ice, Body Refined using Ice and Wind in some manner, Anchor Formed, Leader Title.
+13 Strength, +5 Agility, +4 Perception, +8 Fortitude, +7 Endurance, +5 Vitality, +7 Intelligence, +5 Wisdom, +10 Free
~~
Hammer of the Jotnar(Legendary)
The strength of a once mighty race placed in the form of a hammer. The Jotnar were famed warriors who specialized in heavy weapons and armor. Wielding both to a masterful degree. Focuses on weapon and Armor skills above all else. They stood alone at the peak of Warriors for a time before their fall.
Requirements: Strong Ice affinity, Lesser Law of Ice, Body Refined using Ice in some manner, Jotun Bloodline, Warrior's Spirit.
+16 Strength, +6 Agility, +4 Perception, +10 Fortitude, +10 Endurance, +8 Vitality, +10 Free
~~
Chilling Death of Helheim(Legendary)
The dead give you strength. Grow in power the more death there is around you, snuffing out the heat of the living. Not focused on one style of combat in specific, but any that get the job done. Born from the blood of thousands and will grow with the blood of thousands more.
Requirements: Ice affinity, Lesser Law of Ice, Body Refined, the Blood of Thousands reaped by your hand.
+5 Strength, +5 Agility, +5 Perception, +5 Fortitude, +5 Endurance, +5 Vitality, +5 Intelligence, +5 Wisdom, +5 Acumen, +19 Free
~~
I had to go back and re-read a few but they all sounded like powerful classes. Two gave me pause while reading them and I wasn't sure I liked what they implied.
Blizzard of the Frost Giant sounded like it required permanent alterations to my body and I wasn't sure I liked that. My initial displeasure at the idea had abided somewhat but that didn't mean I wanted to jump into a class like that head first.
The other was Chilling Death of Helheim. What did it say about me that I was offered a class like that? It required the blood of thousands just to become an option.
It would make fighting the waves a breeze if it worked like I thought it did. Giving me a boost for every monster I killed. It would turn me into an army killer. Numbers would be meaningless if I could gain strength with every kill.
I didn't know if I was comfortable with the last line though. ''Born from the blood of thousands and will grow with the blood of thousands more."
It was wishful thinking to say my days of carnage and slaughter would be over when the tutorial ended but I would surely be turning it down. I didn't know if I wanted a class that demanded blood.
It sounded sinister.
Still, I had to make a decision and I wasn't sure which. I was leaning hard on one of them after reading the list initially but I didn't want to be hasty.
This would be my class for the foreseeable future. Most likely a year or so if the store was to be believed. It all depended on how quickly we got our feet under us after we returned.
Ugh, these decisions are killing me.
Comments
James Faulkner
NVM YOU’RE THE BEST
Demonlord
Thanks for the amazing chapter 😊 I wouldn't know which one to choose either 😅 all sounds great 😁
James Faulkner
Goddamnit. BLUEBALLED
PenguinKills
Frost Giant is a further evolution of Jotun.
Alexander C Hyde
Is there a difference between Jotun and Frost Giant?
Aaron Weingrad
The only thing that argues against the Cpt of the Boreads class is that he has been almost without let up fighting solo or only with Austin. He really doesn’t like being leader and this seems like it will have at least some buffing of subordinates aspect. And it wastes the use of the frost giant heart. His spirit is warrior focused. His magic is all basically melee oriented. And if he picked his profession to balance out his stats then a warrior focused class that skips Int and Wis might make more sense. I lean slightly towards Boreas but I think this is mostly because Frost Giants don’t have decent reputations. If Giants got as much love as dragons, phoenixes etc I’d be more keen on it. The other thing that makes Hammer a possibility is the title and cover of the story itself. It is frostbound. Not north wind bound. There. Did my best to play devils advocate.
Andreas
Ye the boreads seem to be most likely
Baconwargod
It also seems to support the most aspects of his fighting style. Weapons and armor as well as spell casting. The only other one he would consider is the Hammer one and that doesn't mention magic at all.
Frardowin
Captain of the breads for sure, it is the only one that covers all his advancements
