Lord Evolution: Starting With SS-rank Skills

Gentle mana drifted across the room.

Riela was in the midst of her major breakthrough, and to Dragun, things were proceeding at an abnormally gentle pace.

Major breakthroughs, especially the first, were always tense. Even with soothing potions, the process was never easy.

Dragun stood behind Riela and watched, unaware that her soul had left her body and traveled to a goddess's pocket world. If he knew, he would surely have coughed up blood.

He hadn't noticed when her soul left a few minutes ago or when it returned barely ten seconds ago, even though his eyes were peeled on her.

As Riela's soul returned, her pace of absorbing mana increased exponentially, causing Dragun's eyes to widen. Was she holding back all this time? he wondered.

At the same time, Riela entered the most tense part of her breakthrough as the mana pouring into her mana core filled it up rapidly. She could feel her mana core threatening to expand, a sensation akin to drinking more water when one was already full. The gentle sensation of her stomach expanding was what she felt with her mana core.

This continued for a short time, about two minutes, before it happened.

A soft popping sound erupted within her, one only she could hear. It was the sound of her mana core breaking free from its beginner level and entering the stage of a true mage.

Following the mana core upgrade, plenty of new mana vessels were unlocked. Riela could feel the rate at which she absorbed mana increase—it was a gentle but powerful sensation.

Dragun realized she had just broken through. His eyes widened.

"No sign of pain. She didn't even struggle, and this is her first attempt, and she succeeded! What level of genius is she?" He muttered to himself.

Riela absorbed mana from the mana stone for a few minutes to stabilize her growth before her eyes fluttered open.

As they opened, her perception of her surroundings changed. Her vision was clearer, sharper; she could see many details she would usually miss. Her hearing and smell had also improved drastically, as had her ability to perceive mana in her environment, though it was faint and only covered a small area.

"You're really something else, Riela," Dragun said with a smile. "Your talent is improving every single day."

Riela turned to him and smiled. She thanked him, but afterward, her face became serious.

"Is anything wrong?" Dragun questioned.

"Can I trust you with something?" Riela asked.

"Of course, you can. What is it? Is there anything troubling you? You can always share it with me, and I promise no other ear will hear about it."

Riela nodded subtly. Then she opened up and told Dragun about a war that would happen soon.

"Where did you get this information?" Dragun asked quickly.

"I cannot tell you that," Riela replied. "But you have to believe what I said. I need you to assist me in commanding the soldiers."

Dragun did not respond for a few seconds. He wondered where she had actually gotten such information.

Had she awakened the ability to see the future? Although such an ability was divine and almost impossible to awaken, there were a few people in the world with such an ability.

Or had she probably spoken with some divine being? Dragun shook his head at his second speculation; it was simply impossible.

He heaved a sigh.

"Alright then, I will assist you," Dragun nodded.

Riela smiled brightly and thanked him. "We should join the feast."

"Of course, hehe."

Both of them strolled outside the house to join the celebration. The crowd quickly welcomed them and served them a variety of food.

Unbeknownst to them, chaos was brewing for them elsewhere.

====

Nighttime, Sanosa Village

The moon hung low in the dark sky and bled its crescent light upon the quiet but restless village.

A few villagers could still be seen strolling across the streets with no sign of fear in their eyes. Even children hadn't slept yet; a few could still be seen chasing each other. Women were even spotted, seated in groups, discussing.

The villagers were aware that this peace wouldn't be possible if their beloved village head, Banza, and his two brothers hadn't strolled past their village about two years ago.

At that time, the village was in literal ruins following a conflict with another village. Houses were in ruin, the villagers were in turmoil, and sleeping with both eyes closed was dangerous as no one could tell when their enemies would attack.

But then the three brothers appeared. They gathered a few men from the village, equipped them with weapons and military skills, and then they attacked the opposing village, slaughtering its army and claiming its land.

Snce then, the people had learned to live a genuinely carefree life. With the three brothers around, they knew no one could disrupt their peace.

Presently, there were even rumors flying around that the three brothers were preparing the army for a large-scale war. A group of men sitting and drinking together currently discussed the issue.

"My son told me this evening that their training had become very serious and intense for the past month. I am forced to believe that they are indeed planning a war," one of the men spoke.

"Haha, which village is it this time? I can't help but pity them; there's no way they could defeat our army."

"Yeah, our army is definitely the strongest in the world, and they only grow stronger every day thanks to Lord Banza's guidance."

"Honestly, we are not thanking Lord Banza enough. My son used to be a scrawny brat who ran away from simple chores. In less than two years of training with Lord Banza, not only has his physique improved, but his strength has grown manifold, and he has become very manly. I am very proud."

The three men discussed further. At the same time, inside one of the biggest wooden houses, the three brothers could be seen sitting inside a well-lit hall with serious expressions on their faces. If one entered the room at this moment, they would think the three were going crazy as they seemed to be staring at empty air.

[ Your villagers appreciate your hard work. ]

[ A soldier is kneeling, wishing for heavens to bless you ]

[ +75 Evolution Points ]

As these notifications popped up, their serious expressions softened gradually.

"Ju

st how many evolution points could we farm from taking down that village?" One of them muttered.