I also made a few calls. That caused me to give Free Chains millions of the credits rotting in my "wallet" and told him to buy me some real estate. Then purchase more real estate in my beast's name.

He'll have to go through some legal procedures and register my beasts as citizens of the Prime Territories, but it shouldn't be an issue.

Free Chains noticed an issue and politely asked for more money. Since we are in the capital, land prices are through the roof, and I will need to fork over more cash. I contemplated and decided to give him the additional funds.

If Free Chains tries to run off with the money, I can make more with my skills. Then I'll brutally hunt Free Chains down and sell whatever parts remain.

I'm 98 million credits poorer, but fuck it. A chunk of the money is being paid off since legal fees should be already covered, but setting up the appropriate commendations, enchantments, or even employees costs more than one would think.

A house for my family to live in, a graveyard with an abandoned temple, an apartment building because I want Flash Gordon to be a landlord, a business or two, and a workshop.

I don't have plans for the workshop yet, but I'll give it to Prometheus. He's from a species of creatures that inhabited the forge or a god. I'm sure it's a good synergy.

One of the businesses (although the permits won't be ready by the holidays) will be for my foster father.

He's been away from his company to support Val and me in the capital and couldn't return since the institute is wary of the death cult.

They went off the radar and haven't stuck their heads up yet.

He planned to move his business to this city, but I haven't heard much. If I'm too late and he already has things in motion that can't be stopped or are even better than what I can provide, I'll just take the loss.

Technically if I wanted to resell the properties, I'd be taking a loss on these investments anyways... The buildings should be reinforced as much as possible. I want them to be fortresses.

My last house was blown up by a Strickland... I don't want a repeat of that.

The money was transferred. My two "employees," my lawyer and PR manager, will work overtime. I don't need to pay either of them. I'm chilling.

I'm a benevolent boss. They can have the holidays off if they finish before the holidays.

...I should give them a bonus. Speaking of...

Unfortunately, Khan doesn't get 100+ separate paychecks from this hazard job. If it wasn't for the fact that my beasts are getting paid, I wouldn't do this job.

Since they don't have a digital wallet from Mertias, I'll be holding onto their cash. I pay for everything anyways.

I reenter the fracture with my beasts and examine the sky. I still have a few hours before it gets dark. I look down at Duchess, and she looks up at me.

"..."

[...]

"Not going to do it?"

[No.]

She isn't keen on changing forms and being my mount, so I hop on Khan's "alpha" shark.

I already have a direction I want to head towards. The only outlier I've seen in my time previously is the large, crowded tree far off in the distance.

I estimate that I'll be able to get there by nightfall. If Kahn goes as fast as he can. It'll be harder to fight at nighttime, so I might as well take my time to scout t along the way, arriving at the tree in the morning.

But scouting at night isn't easy either... It's easier than fighting, at least.

~~~

One hour passes when Rob senses something worth mentioning with [Sense Life]. He hops off a Khan clone and starts effortlessly digging the ground.

Suddenly, hundreds of sapphire blue scarabs start spilling out of the hole.

I don't need [Scientific Insight+] to tell me that those are [Sapphire Scarabs] and aren't worth anything besides cosmetic reasons. Maybe I could get one hundred credits per "harvested" scarab. As long as they are in good condition.

They aren't even scarabs on a technicality.

They are at a decent level judging by the shine of their "sapphire" shells...

I drop Prometheus in the coal and listen to the sounds of beetles cooking in their exoskeletons.

Sizzle Sizzle Sizzle. That's the sound of exp. That and the sounds of gas escaping through the beetles' mouths, imitating screams.

Some of them pop from the pressure.

Name / Nickname

Prometheus / Endling

Species

Ancient Magma Ooze E (Unique)

Level

50 (Max)

Evolution Requirements

Not Met ∇

Neat, I check my options.

[Big Ancient Magma Ooze D]

[Forge Ooze D]

[Ancient Forge Ooze D+]

[Ooze Bombardier C]

[Ancient Ooze Bombardier C+]

Not skipping ranks. Nope, I learned my lesson the first four times!

Three options... might as well narrow it down to two by removing [Big Ancient Magma Ooze D]. It gives me bad feelings, the feeling that the only thing it will do with make Prometheus "big."

...From previous examinations, a "+" next to a rank doesn't mean anything "special."

Not all creatures, items, skills, etc, of the same rank, are equal. I shouldn't be able to pick and choose the evolution path of my creatures without my [Scientific Insight+] skill. Which has a "+" in it as well.

Evolution is a science, after all.

That doesn't mean that this is something that is uniquely mine. If it was, it would be a unique skill, no?

Wait, going back to "+." It will be better than the non "+" equivalent, but it's not better because it has a "+," but because it's better, it has a "+."

Maybe.

[Evolution to Ancient Forge Ooze D+

Be considered "ancient" for an Ooze (Completed)

Absorb the essence of the "forge" (Completed)

Consume 50,000 pounds of ore/metal in one sitting (Not Completed)

Consume a magic item greater than rank D. (Not Completed)]

Prometheus was an "egg" in the depths of a god's forge for who knows how long. If he didn't meet the first two requirements, I don't think I'd be able to complete them in my lifetime.

Tsk. I guess it's time to raid my mansion.

Creating a wooden door that leads to nothing is more convenient than I thought. Inside my manor grounds, my beasts can rest while I raid the storehouse and the armory.

50,000 pounds of metal is roughly 25 tons, something I have. Hurrah for bulk purchasing.

As for magical items... I have quite a few that surpass rank D. It should be something I should be fine with losing, something I probably won't use or sell.

One thing meets those criteria. However, will I be willing to part with it? The weapon of my first adversary, the man who attempted to steal Flash Gordon from me and blew up my house? A trophy? Proof that I overcame? I conquered?

Sure, fuck it.

[Ivory Magiarm C]

"Eat your dinner first! This is dessert~."

I tease Prometheus, who literally couldn't care less since he has 50,000 fucking pounds of metal for him to consume.

Prometheus eats a lot... but doesn't need to eat a lot. I'm letting him pig out, causing him to be blind to the world around him.

This detour will force me to increase our travel speed. I could leave Prometheus in the mansion and summon him when he's finished, but that feels disingenuous.

I have to make sure he chews his food and won't choke. I want to hand-feed my precious little ooze every pound of metal he needs to consume until he's ready to evolve.

Out of all my beasts, Prometheus is the only one I hatched out of an egg. His previous evolution requirement was just waiting, something we did together.

Hours passed... it should be sunset in the fracture right now. Prometheus is never content and always hungers for a little bit more metal.

But there is no more metal for him to eat. Err... no more out of the 50,000. I still have some in stock. I got to feed this glutton every day until I can resupply.

I hand feed him the [Ivory Magiarm C]. Prometheus' body envelops my hand. It's warm. If I was anybody else, my hand would've been burnt beyond recognition, but luckily Prometheus was born to me. Hatched to me.

I was worried that the Ivory, which is bone, would give Prometheus indigestion or that he would refuse outright. But I had needlessly worried for something with the [Glutton] trait.

Prometheus doesn't immediately evolve. He coos in his little unique way and waits patiently. I nod at him, subtly using [Master's Hand] to let him evoke the evolution himself.

What a good child. My other beasts didn't bother waiting for permission.

Prometheus immediately turns into a puddle, gets hotter, balloons to twice his original size, gets hotter, hardens completely, you guessed it, gets hotter. Then he melts back to his previous consistency.

He's bigger and denser than before.

[Evolution Complete!]

[Gain the Skills: Magmamancy D] and [Pseudopod D].]

[Gain the Trait: [Forge Body D].]

[The Skills [Hardening E], [Heat Metal E], and [Spit Fire E] have upgraded by one rank.]

[The Skills [Heat Metal D] and [Magmamancy D] have combined. [Magmamancy C].]

[The Trait [Forge Body] tempers [Flame Body] and [Malleable Body].]

The Trait [Molten Body] has been created.]

"Fuck, dude. Cool shit."

Name / Nickname

Prometheus / Endling

Species

Ancient Forge Ooze D+ (Unique)

Level

50 (0/1m)

Evolution Requirements

Not Met

~

Health Points

410/410

Mana Points

240/240

Armor Points

0

Might

82 ( 67 > 69 + 20%)

Agility

73 (40 + 20% +25)

Vigor

82 (66 > 69 + 20%)

Mind

48 (40 + 20%)

Spirit

48 (40 + 20%)

Trait

Glutton

The User’s appetite will never be truly satisfied

Forge Body (C)*

The User's body can be used as a makeshift forge. The User's heat can radiate inwards, reaching higher temperatures.

The User can remember consumed metal objects and turn them into them. The User can only remember two* (magic items) at a time, forgetting one if a third is consumed.

Items with ranks higher than Forge Body's rank will be downgraded, and items lower than the rank will be upgraded.

Consumed Magic Items (1/2)

Ivory Magiarm C

Molten Body (D)*

The User’s body can bend, squeeze and shift to the User’s will. The User’s body is hot. Heat radiates to a distance of fifteen feet. ↑

~

~

~

Magmamancy (C)*

The User has limited control over the element Magma. The User can heat metal and earth to their melting point.

Only limited my Mind and Spirit.

Hardening (D) ⬆

The User can Harden parts of their body faster and more efficiently.

Pseudopod (D)*

The User is proficient in ranged “touch” attaches by rapidly stretching their body to make contact. Deals additional (Fire) damage.

Spit Fire (D) ⬆

The User can spit a superheated mucus substance.

Damage: 50% of Vigor. Lingers, dealing additional lesser damage over time.

Superior Heat Resistance (D)

The User gains an increase in resistance to all heat sources.

"My little magma monster, can you turn into that gun for me?"

Prometheus shifts in waves before undramatically turning into the [Ivory Magiarm], err... more like a [Molten Magiarm].

Instead of a sleek, ornate-looking revolver with an ivory handle, a sleek rough-looking revolver appears. The handle looks half melted and hot.

Neat. I'm probably not going to use Prometheus like this, but Prometheus might be able to use it for himself.

With some direction and [Master's Hand], Prometheus can use his newly tempered [Molten Body] in tandem with [Forge Body]. Prometheus has more mass than the magiarm, so now there is a smaller Prometheus with a gun attached to him.

"..."

I inspect the magiarm using [Scientific Insight+]

[Molten Magiarm C]

I guess "Ivory" had only to do with its cosmetics and nothing to do with its craftsmanship or enchantments. Wait, I haven't looked at the stats yet.

[Molten Magiarm C

A molten replica of an Ivory Magiarm. Created by Prometheus. Is Prometheus. Requires ammunition. Ammo turn into (Fire).

Agility +25

Perception +10

Deals additional Magma damage.]

Let's burn down a jungle.

~~~

The tree that was always on the horizon. A tree that did get closer when you approached... but still hard to comprehend its size, is almost in my grasp.

"How do you feel, Duchess? Any more funky feelings?"

[One feeling is overpowering the rest.]

"Thanks. Just what I was looking for."

Anyways. It's night, and like the first night, a breathtaking meteor shower breaks out and overtakes the dark sky.

I wonder how high I can go before the fracture rejects it? Is there an invisible ceiling, or will I "fall" outside the bounds of the fracture?

Did whatever create the dimensional rift take the sky with it, or is it just an elaborate illusion, a false hologram taking up empty space?

Old tales from before the cataclysms, even before the birth of mana on Iona, spoke that we humans, frail and powerless, managed to break the planet's harness and surpass the skies.

But ever since the cataclysm, going up has been taboo.

Go left and explore the new world. Go right and explore the fractures, but don't go too far up, or else you won't come back down.

Perhaps beyond the "veil" is the home of the gods or worse. The place I stole Khan from. I would feel more reassured if our planet didn't seem so lonely.

We haven't "found" another planet, even if there are reports of celestial bodies hanging in the sky before the cataclysm. Either they have been falsely reported, or they disappeared from sight.

I don't know, but I'm starting to feel melancholy. At least I'm not alone. I have my tamed beasts.

I felt more lonely with my party, surrounded by peers than "alone" with my beasts.