Apocalypse: Inhuman Ascension

That evening, the first thing Leon did upon returning to the shelter was to consume large amounts of the Godzilla flesh until it could no longer boost his evolution.

'48%, huh…'

He hummed thoughtfully, trying to gauge how many fourth-level monsters would complete his evolution progress. If not for his strength and prowess, which surpassed others of the same level, he would have given up on evolution.

'Such complicated matters…'

Sighing, he turned to the pile of scales that filled two rooms entirely. This was undoubtedly, Leon's greatest personal gain. As a blacksmith, forging materials were incredibly precious. These scales were from the body of a fourth-level creature. No matter what he crafted, there was a chance to create a four-star equipment. Even if the success rate was low, getting three-star equipment was very high.

Leon would have loved to check the dungeon that produced those Kaiju, but unfortunately, it had collapsed. This wasn't a rare occurrence as dungeon collapse was a result of depleted energy. That energy must have been what pushed Godzilla into evolution. As for how the dungeon's energy was absorbed, he had no idea.

He immediately wanted to start crafting some equipment, especially the new blueprints he hadn't tried. However, he needed to see someone.

Climbing to the top floor of the Glass Tower, he opened the door and entered the large living room. It was still clean and spotless, after all, people took care of it daily.

Standing by the glass wall that gave a view of the city, Anna had a lost expression on her beautiful face. Her eyes were red from tears and it seemed she was completely depressed.

Quietly, Leon stepped into the space beside her. He didn't look directly at her, but spoke as he gazed into the distance.

"She'll be fine. I've made sure of it."

The words seemed to stir the brown-eyed girl as she turned to look at him. It seemed she hadn't even noticed when he got there.

She nodded quietly, then sighed.

"I thought I didn't like her that much… yet, seeing her injured actually cut so deep."

She was aware of her own dark feelings toward Cassie and had even confessed them previously. Even then, she felt tremendously pained by what happened to Cassie.

"It's natural. You're both friends."

Leon said matter-of-factly. From what he knew, they were good friends since high school. Although they occasionally quarreled and brought strange requests to him as the reward of their bets, they were still friends.

"Friends, huh…"

Anna smiled bitterly, then cast away her gloom.

"The haul…" She started, "Thirty-seven blue essence crystals, one hundred and sixty-two yellow essence crystals. One green essence crystal."

Leon closed his eyes, his expression serene. That hunt had been vicious, but highly rewarding. The number of yellow essence crystals could produce at least twelve second-level evolved humans. As for the blue essence crystals, Leon had no intention of using them to get evolution potions.

Instead, it was better to use them in getting materials for Miguel. Although it might look like creating a mechanical arm was simple, Leon knew it could take months before Miguel would be able to do it properly. He had no grand illusions of seeing his stepsister complete that quickly.

"Let's go. We need to purchase somethings. And tell me, what happened to those other teams?"

As they moved to the lower floors where the Reward Crucibles were kept, Anna explained the situation to him. Both shelters had been sent back without a single gain. Toji's Saber Fangs shelter even had to surrender all their equipments.

"Hmm, not bad."

Leon hummed with a small smile. He wasn't a saint who would be kind to people. Although both teams had participated in the hunt, they hadn't been able to help in fighting Godzilla. Leon had no intention of giving them anything from that fourth-level creature. He was planning to leave the smaller monsters to them, but that woman's transformation had spoiled any form of cooperation.

"What… exactly was that thing you fought?"

Anna asked hesitantly, her expression tinged with curiosity.

Leon paused, his expression dark. "Those things are called parasites. After the apocalypse began, every living thing has the potential to evolve. Animals, plants, humans, and every other living organism."

"Parasites however, are strange. They quickly develop high, human-like intelligence, then enter into the body of other living organisms. They can't exactly be guarded against, and can only be temporarily suppressed if an evolved is infected."

Hearing his explanation, Anna heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness I locked it up."

Leon's expression changed subtly. "You brought it back?"

The girl nodded. "Even though it isn't an intact corpse anymore, I believe Aunt Elena should be able to do some study about it? And probably a potion to prevent it."

Leon didn't rebuke her. He nodded slightly, then stepped into the room before them.

Four silver machines were positioned in the middle of the room, radiating a neutral aura. Although Leon had lived in the apocalypse before, he still had no idea where these alien machines came from.

Anna moved to a corner of the room, then brought a bag filled with essence crystals.

Leon collected it from her, then turned on the first Crucible.

[Reward Crucible]

[What do you wish to purchase?]

[Second-Level Evolution Potion - 12 Yellow Essence Crystals]

[First-Level Evolution Potion - 9 Colorless Essence Crystals]

[Third-Level Evolution Potion - 15 Blue Essence Crystals]

[Saint Falcon Feathers - 20 Blue Essence Crystals]

[Marine Life Oil - 17 Yellow Essence Crystals]

[Two-Star Rubber-Metal - 14 Blue Essence Crystals]

[Three-Star Spell Book - 30 Blue Essence Crystals]

[One-Star Moon Blade - 11 Colorless Essence Crystals]

[One-Star Rejuvenation Potion - 18 Colorless Essence Crystals]

[Two-Star Stamina Potion - 17 Yellow Essence Crystals]

'Ugh…'

Looking at the outrageous prices of the items displayed, Leon's expression turned ugly. This was what he hated the most from these Reward Crucibles. The price for a specific item was never fixed, but always fluctuating. Take the Third-Level Evolution Potion for example, the last time he bought one, it had been at a cost of 11 Blue Essence Crystals. Now, its price had been increased to 15 Blue Essence Crystals.

Nonetheless, Third-level Evolution Potions weren't his concern right now. There were other items he wanted to buy. Firstly, he chose to buy eight Second-Level Evolution Potions. Although the shelter's strength was already high, having more second-level evolved wouldn't hurt. Also, the world was advancing. Very soon, third-level creatures might not be rare any longer.

Next, he bought two liters of Marine Life Oil, a material that would be extremely useful for Elena Holmes. Then, he bought two kilograms of the Rubber-Metal. This particular material would be especially useful for Miguel if he wanted to create a mechanical arm. Although Leon wasn't sure where it would be used, his instincts as a blacksmith told him that material was very important.

'Well, we'll need a blueprint too, but…'

They hadn't gotten anything like that. And since it wasn't available on the Reward Crucible yet, they could only wait.

"Stamina Potion?"

Behind him, Anna tilted her head. The last item displayed was entirely unfamiliar to her.

Without turning, Leon gave a quick explanation. "It's just as the name says. Boosts your stamina and helps fight for longer periods. Though, its side effect is obvious."

After the potion's effects had worn out, the evolved would be extremely tired. Just like there were Health Potions, there were several other potions in existence.

'Berserk Potion, Strength Potion, Speed Potion, Poison Potions…'

Leon shook his head, refocusing on the items displayed. The Three-Star Spell Book and the Saint Falcon Feathers were intriguing, but unfortunately expensive. Leon had no clue what they were used for, so there was no reason to gamble.

Although he could vaguely guess the Spell Book's uses, he had no Evolved with a neutral Mage Class. Even Simone was an Earth Mage, not a pure Mage.

Holding the remaining essence crystals in his hands, he turned to the second Reward Crucible.

[Reward Crucible]

[What do you wish to purchase?]

[First-Level Berserk Potion - 7 Colorless Essence Crystals]

[Equator Class Card - 3 Blue Essence Crystals]

[Swordsmaster Class Card - 10 Colorless Essence Crystals]

[One-Star Fire Armor Blueprint - 14 Colorless Essence Crystals]

[Fireham Powder - 12 Yellow Essence Crystals]

[Second-Level Evolution Potion - 14 Yellow Essence Crystals]

[Plant Nurturing Soil - 15 Colorless Essence Crystals]

[Two-Star Storage Ring - 6 Yellow Essence Crystals]

[One-Star Attack Card - 13 Colorless Essence Crystals]

[Two-Star Attack Card - 12 Yellow Essence Crystals]

Looking at the options, Leon didn't hesitate and immediately bought the Equator Class Card. Even though he didn't know its exact function, the price already told him it would be something good. Without checking it, he stored it away, then bought the Plant Nurturing Soil, and Storage Ring.

The Plant Nurturing Soil was incredibly important for the Siber Roots he had acquired from the Lucky-Spin Machine a few days ago. Now that the plant was under Elena's care, he believed she should be able to grow it with the Nurturing Soil's help.

As for the Storage Ring, this was the first time Leon saw one, and at a very cheap price. It looked like an ordinary silver ring, but had an internal space large enough to contain twelve trucks in length and width. Although not extremely large, it could save him the problem of transporting large items.

"Well, we're done here…"

Looking at the now-empty sack of essence crystals, Leon clicked his tongue, then turned away.

"Let's go check on Cassie."

Although it was already nighttime, Leon had no intention of sleeping without checking his stepsister.