Chapter 122: Evolution Path
The God of Death’s skull somehow managed to convey amusement despite being nothing but bone and shadow.
His eye sockets flickered with that familiar cold fire as he leaned against his counter, skeletal fingers drumming against the obsidian surface.
"Lie to you?" His voice carried the dry rasp of autumn leaves crumbling to dust.
"My dear Soul Warden, I told you exactly what you needed to hear. You couldn’t properly channel my blessing because your mortal flesh would have torn itself apart trying to contain that much divine power."
Jack’s jaw tightened, the memory of searing agony still fresh in his mind. The way his ribs had felt like they were being crushed from the inside, how his vision had gone white with pain.
"So Draven and you have been using me as a conduit," Jack said, his voice carrying an edge that could cut steel.
"Fed your power through me like I was some kind of... divine lightning rod."
"Precisely." Hades gestured toward Jack’s chest, where Draven’s pendant rested beneath his burned clothing.
"That little trinket has been slowly acclimating your body to divine energy for months now. Every time you channeled lightning magic, every surge of power through your veins was preparing you for something greater."
’They’ve been conditioning me this entire time. Draven, Hades... How many gods are pulling my strings?’
"But here’s the beautiful irony," Hades continued, his tone taking on the satisfied purr of a predator explaining its hunt.
"You suffered significant damage channeling Draven’s blessing because your body wasn’t ready. Now? After months of gradual exposure? You barely felt the strain when I poured my power into you."
Jack’s fingers unconsciously moved to his chest, feeling the warm pulse of the pendant against his skin.
How much of his strength was truly his own? How much was borrowed divinity masquerading as personal growth?
"If you want to properly wield dark magic," Hades said, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper, "you’ll need the other pieces. The Chain of the Soul Warden, wrapped around that fool Chiron’s arm. The Lantern of the Soul Warden, lost somewhere in the depths of this cursed realm."
The god’s eye sockets flared brighter, casting dancing shadows across the cluttered shelves of his emporium.
"Only when you possess all three artifacts can you truly claim my blessing. Only then will dark magic bend to your will as naturally as breathing."
Jack’s mind raced, possibilities spiraling through his consciousness like lightning through storm clouds.
’Lightning magic from Draven’s pendant. Dark magic from Death’s artifacts. If gods can grant different magical affinities through their blessings...’
"Could I learn to use every type of magic?" The question tumbled from his lips before he could stop it, raw curiosity overriding caution.
Hades went perfectly still. For a moment, the only sound in the emporium was the distant whisper of wind through the mountain peaks outside.
Then the God of Death threw back his skull and laughed.
The sound was like breaking glass mixed with a wind chime, beautiful and terrible in equal measure.
"Ambitious little mortal," he wheezed between chuckles. "That’s exactly the kind of thinking that got our whole pantheon punished. And exactly why he told me you were worth the investment."
The laughter died abruptly, replaced by something far more serious.
"Draven said to trust our pantheon, didn’t he?"
When Jack nodded, he continued. "There are other lost gods scattered across your realm, boy. Each one carrying fragments of power that could reshape reality itself. If you want enough strength to move mountains, to tear down empires and rebuild them in your image... you’ll need to seek them out."
The God of Death waited a moment before talking again.
"You should either seek out my nephew, he should be somewhere around Tempest Isle, or look for my niece. I do not know where she is currently, but she would like you very much."
The weight of that revelation settled in Jack’s mind.
How many gods in their pantheon were out there, waiting in the shadows?
How many tests and trials lay ahead before he could claim the power he needed?
But before Jack could voice these concerns, Death waved a dismissive hand, the gesture causing several nearby artifacts to rattle on their shelves.
"Philosophical discussions aside," the god said, his tone becoming businesslike, "if you’re planning to survive this journey, you’re going to need better gear. And more importantly..."
His glowing gaze shifted upward, where Corvin perched on a hanging lantern, violet eyes gleaming with predatory intelligence.
"You need to evolve your companion."
’Evolve Corvin?’ The thought hit Jack like a bolt of lightning.
The System had mentioned something similar before, hadn’t it?
During one of their earlier encounters, when Corvin had evolved.
"Multiple evolutionary paths exist for most creatures," Hades explained, apparently reading the confusion on Jack’s face.
"The direction depends entirely on what monster cores you feed them. Soul Warden has a lot of unique benefits you haven’t figured out yet."
The god’s skull somehow managed to convey a predatory grin.
"The results can be spectacular."
Jack felt his pulse quicken. Monster cores. He’d been collecting them without really understanding their full potential, treating them as simple trophies, getting extra skill points or maxing his skills.
"Speaking of which," The God of Death said, leaning forward with renewed interest, "have you actually examined the demon cores you collected today?"
Jack’s hands moved instinctively to his inventory interface, the familiar blue screens flickering to life in his peripheral vision.
He scrolled past the routine items, barely glancing at the ten lesser demon cores that glowed with dull red light.
[Lesser Demon Monster Cores (Dread Rank) x10]
’Dread rank. Probably not worth much,’ he thought dismissively, but then his attention caught on something else entirely.
The Nightmare core pulsed with malevolent energy.
[Cho, Lesser Hellfire Demon Core (Nightmare Rank)]
[Description: Core from the Lesser Hellfire Demon, Cho. Younger brother of Pho, the Mid Rank Deathfrost Demon. A powerful monster core imbued with concentrated hellfire magic and centuries of accumulated hatred.]
[Bindable Core.]
Jack’s breath caught in his throat.
Bindable?
That term was completely new to him, alien and somehow significant in ways he couldn’t yet comprehend.
Death must have seen the expression shift on his face because the god’s eye sockets flared with satisfaction.
"Ah, you found it," he purred. "That particular core can be infused directly into Corvin, assuming you have the right materials. The combination of hellfire magic with his natural dark affinity would create something... extraordinary."
Without fully understanding why, Jack activated Flawed Sight and turned his enhanced perception toward another core in his inventory.
Spiralus’s monster core materialized in his mind’s eye, and the description that appeared made his blood run cold.
[Bindable Core.]
The same designation. The same potential for transformation.
Jack shuddered as possibilities cascaded through his imagination.
What kind of monster could Corvin become with either of those cores burning in his chest?
What new abilities would emerge from such a fusion?
"High-grade cores have other uses as well," Hades continued, apparently enjoying Jack’s fascination.
"They can be fused into armor and weapons by skilled smiths, creating artifacts that would make kings weep with envy. But finding a smith with enough power to work with high grade materials..."
The god made a dismissive gesture.
"That’s a challenge for another day. Monster evolution, however? That just requires the right materials and enough Death Tokens to fuel the process."
Jack’s mind was spinning, trying to process the flood of new information.
Evolution, binding, smithing... the possibilities were staggering.
"Your best option," Death said, his tone becoming practical, "would be to head to the Demon Castle. It’s on your route to Floor 25 anyway, and the place is crawling with demons just waiting to donate their cores to your cause."
The god’s laugh was like grinding stone.
"Kill enough of them, and you’ll have all the materials you need for multiple evolutions. Plus the Death Tokens to make it happen."
Jack nodded slowly, pieces of a larger strategy beginning to form in his mind.
But something in his expression suggested there was more to this conversation.
"In the meantime," the God of Death said, turning toward the deeper shelves of his emporium,
"I have equipment that could help you survive long enough to reach that castle. Consider it an investment in our mutual future."
The promise of new gear sent a thrill of anticipation through Jack’s chest.
But beneath that excitement, a deeper current of unease continued to flow.
How many more secrets were these gods keeping from him?
And what price would they ultimately demand for their assistance?