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Chapter 707: 707

First of all, these stats are insane . Look at these numbers! It wasn’t as if the Juvenile Colony Paragon had bad bonuses to begin with, but this is taking it to another level . It feels like what Granin told me is true, but more than that, I can almost sense the System, the bearded one, urging me to stick to a path and see the evolutions through . I wonder if there’s another Paragon type evolution to follow after this one? If so, how far does it go?

Questions, questions .

Beyond the mandible clacking stat gain, the Vestibule being cashed in is pretty much what I expected . It’s the defining piece of the Paragon evolution and a key element of the species that clearly is going to be built on . The main issue I have is that I don’t know whether or not ‘soul crystal’ is any good, or if I should be holding out for better . It certainly sounds good . Souls are powerful… right? I’ve certainly not heard of anything like it . There’s no obvious demonic link to tie this to the third strata, or the fourth to be honest . Perhaps Granin can fill me in… do I ask?

I’m not sure exactly why I’m as hesitant as I am to reveal information about my species to Granin, Torrina and Corun . I trust them, and after everything that’s happened, they’ve thrown their lot in behind me to a degree that only fanatical cultists could probably justify . On the other hand, there are aspects to the Paragon that I’m not totally comfortable with, like the Will of the Colony seeping into me constantly, a process that will probably only get worse with this new ‘Spirit Nave’, whatever that is .

For now, I won’t ask . Perhaps if I get further into the evolution menu, I’ll be able to sus something out about the crystal .

Come on then Gandalf, tell me something about this Nave . You were awfully quiet about it in the description!

[The Communal Spirit Nave acts as a channel for the energy of the Vestibule, directing and focusing it, concentrating it into a more dense and powerful energy . ]

Huh . Interesting . So it’s like an amplifier for the regenerative energy that the Vestibule already provides? That’s nice, I can handle that . Nothing too… strange… about it . For a moment there I was worried I’d be hearing the voices of my sibling’s spirits as well as their minds, and quite frankly, I think that would just about drive me nuts .

What do you have to say about the Soul Crystal then, oh beardy boy of the bristling brows?

[Soul Crystal: An exceptionally rare material of pure condensed souls . Soul Crystal is the perfect medium through which to move spiritual energy . ]

Alright then . I’m going to assume that the energy gathered by the Vestibule counts as ‘spiritual’ energy, otherwise this upgrade would make little sense . Reading the description, there really doesn’t seem to be any tie to the third or fourth strata that I can detect, which makes me wonder if this is actually a fifth strata material? If so, this is an absolute payday .

[All right, I have decided on my evolution,] I announce .

Granin smiles .

[I’m going to assume it’s the last one then?] he asks .

I nod .

[Right,] he sighs, [I would love to know more about it, but I completely respect your desire for privacy . I hope you can give us some general information so we know what to expect and can offer suggestions before you go into the final phase of the menu?]

I give the triad the general information, such as the stats, and make a few allusions to the choice buffing certain advantages that I already have .

[Also, I don’t want to expose too much here, but I suspect that the reset I’ve been offered might be from the fifth strata…]

All three of their eyes go wide at that and Granin whistles sharply .

[If that’s true, it’s a big deal . The types of matter found in the deeper parts of the Dungeon far outstrip anything you find higher up . Each level down is a real qualitative leap . The amount of evolutionary energy packed into that reset alone will make evolution worth the while, besides the rest of it . ]

That’s good to hear, makes me feel a little more comfortable and secure in my choice .

[Do you have any advice going into the next phase?] I ask .

The three of them confer for a few short minutes before they come back to me .

[Keep in mind the things we talked about and make sure you hit your stat goals . If you make it the values we talked about, you should be able to achieve what you want . The extra stats you get from this evolution help a lot and you can either put in the energy that we planned and push your numbers even higher, or you can spend that energy elsewhere, try and shore up a few weaknesses . ]

[Good advice . Alright, I’m going in . ]

Having confirmed my species, I’m taken deeper into the menu and the vast playground that is the manual evolution screen enfolds me within its embrace . I have quite a few decisions that need to be made at this point, but before I worry about any of that, I take a moment to admire the vast pool of evolutionary energy I have at my disposal . The core of Garralosh is paying dividends to me right now in the form of this enormous wealth, truly the most I could hope to extract from my current tier . With the bonus on top for max mutations, I have a lot of largesse to unload .

First things first, I need to spend my bonus stat points . I’ve spent a lot of my Might on increasing my size, getting as many stats as I could at the expense of getting larger . This time I feel comfortable concentrating more on increasing the density of my musculature . As I spend the free points, I can tell that my size is still going to increase significantly, but the overall strength I can exert skyrockets and my muscles compact and become more dense .

The Toughness I spread around fairly evenly, hardening my body overall and increasing the amount of punishment I can take . The exoskeleton thickens and hardens, the chitin on my legs grows tougher and my internal body grows ever so slightly more durable . Next is time for a big spend . The first thing I do is make all of my brains mutable, all four of them . It takes more energy to do that than I expected, I think just because brain matter and neurons are so much more complex than something like muscle fibre or chitin .

With that job done, I get to the more difficult task of allocating my bonus stats . The aim of the game here isn’t to create more sub-brains, absolutely not . After chatting with Granin, I’ve come to understand that my earlier strategy to increase my brain power isn’t the most efficient way, but with further investment, will pay off . I need each of my brains to be capable of weaving and handling mind magic constructs . This is going to take a ton of energy to achieve, even after the generous bonus stats from my evolution .

I get to work, beefing up each of my brains with additional brain matter and pumping up the Will investment in each . I decide not to hold back and push harder in this department, raising my mental power to the point where my suffering when trying to use the omni-elemental construct will be utterly scrubbed from my mind . It’s not a s . e . xy spend, but I’m satisfied with it . All in all, it costs me almost half of my available energy to achieve, but with this, my days of magical dominance are just beginning .

With what remains, I need to start shopping for my cash in option . There’s so much to choose from here, but after I take the mandibles and carapace off the table, there are only a few main body parts for me to play with . In the end, I decide to focus on my antennae . It might seem like nothing, but my antennae have evolved to become a key component of my build . The future sight alone pulls its weight and is something I will absolutely reinvest in once I can . I’m a bit disappointed to see that the Spectrum crystal is outside of my budget . That would have been a real nice pickup, but sadly, it isn’t to be . Instead, I look through the many possible options that are within my limits, and there are many .

Most of the shiny new antennae I have available to me are clearly from the third strata, with titles like ‘Infernal Lattice Antennae’, or ‘Weave of Greed Antennae’ . As little as I like the idea of these demonic sounding names being attached to me, I’m sure there’s something I can find in here that is going to serve my purpose . I’m pretty open to the benefits I get, I don’t mind if it’s something that helps my future sight, or something that helps my spellcasting, or even something that just improves my sense of smell to a high degree . There’s a heap of options that give weird stuff, like giving my antennae the ability to blast enemies with fire, to turn any fire spell channelled through them into a more powerful infernal flame variant, even one that allows me to sense, of all things, people’s inner desires . What the heck do I care about people’s inner desires?! I already get the wants of my family seeping into my head through the Vestibule! People outside of the family don’t matter to the point I need to peek inside their head!

Bah . There has to be something I can find in here…

Aha! What have we here?

[Twilight Filament . A material with extreme sensitivity to vibrations and reacts to sensory input of all kinds . ]

All kinds, eh? Including THE ECHOES OF THE FUTURE? I’m getting the sense (heh) that it will based on that vague, all-encompassing description . I feel good about it, and I’m happy to dodge some of the more bizarre and evil sounding options . What’s up with these demons?! Lock that in .

Huh, what do you know? A little more energy left over after that one, which is a happy surprise . I think I’ll make use of that and bulk up my physical stats a little more . This will be the evolution where I finally stamp my authority as a physical and mental powerhouse! Muahahahahaaaa! No longer a weak little hatchling, I’m going to be so mighty!

I eagerly look over my selections . I cannot wait to evolve!