Genetic Ascension

Chapter 623: Aki [Bonus]

When Sylas first saw the creature, his first thought was that it was another Rotting Wolf. But the more he looked at it, the more he felt the creature warp, shift, and change in his vision. It was only after he focused his Will that the changes to the creature came to a stop and he could finally see what it was he was looking at.

It was a chimera.

—

[Rotten Chimera]

[Level: 42]

—

The creature was almost a dense ball of black, and the only regions it wasn’t were thick droplets of a foul green liquid that could have either been pus or venom. It was impossible to tell when this liquid both dripped down from the several maws of the beast and out from its gaping, open wounds.

The Rotten Chimera had three heads, all of which were malformed and not properly attached to its neck. Two of them seemed to be fighting for supremacy over which would become the main head, and the last was practically attached to its back rather than its neck.

It had the heads of a lion and turtle for the first two, and on its back, there was the proud head of a deer with horns that pierced toward the high ceilings above.

On either side of the deer head, there were a pair of large black bat wings littered with holes. They, on one hand, looked so fragile and paper-thin that anyone could rip through them with ease. But sometimes, when they moved, they would reflect the light just right, showing off their true mass…

A pair of sharp, lethal weapons that could shred through the air as easily as they could stone or metal.

This time when Sylas scanned this creature, he felt his Will telling him one thing and one thing only…

He was absolutely no match for it.

Whether that was because of Level or because of its Grade, he had no way of telling.

However, Sylas didn’t feel like he was spiraling. In fact, when he finally laid eyes on the enemy making him feel so uneasy, it was like the weight on his shoulders had completely vanished.

He stood straighter, his eyes blazing brighter, and he looked straight up, ignoring the chimera and locking eyes with the Geisha man.

—

[Aki Purvon]

[Level: ???]

—

He couldn’t see his Level. In fact, even his Will passed through the young man as though he wasn’t even there, as though he was far too beyond Sylas to even think of measuring in such a way.

Aki’s smile deepened. “You must be the kingly boy, right? A clever plan you had here, I must say. What do you say to becoming my new priesty boy? It would be a good deal for the both of us. I get what I want, and you get to not die.”

“How do I become your priest, and what are my duties?” Sylas asked in a calm voice.

“Ah, a man of purpose. It is too bad that my fondness for little girls is too great; otherwise, I would snatch up a handsome boy like you.”

Sylas didn’t flinch at the man’s words. It was hard to tell if he meant little girls literally or not when he went around calling everyone boy. But the disgust he had for the man was already long since ingrained long before this.

It wasn’t his mannerisms… Sylas could just feel something particularly evil about him.

“But I do not like to answer questions, you know? You would be serving me, kingly boy. Have you ever heard a servant question their master so?”

Aki blinked innocently as though he was truly waiting for Sylas to respond. However, Sylas didn’t. Instead, he looked toward the platform again.

The Runes were simply too complicated and far above his paygrade. But he could feel something subtly calling out to him.

Ever since he stepped into this Dungeon, he had realized something quite important…

There was cancer to the Runes still there, but it wasn’t nearly as severe as it had been back on Earth.

Why was that?

Regardless of the answer, it allowed Sylas to feel the situation around him much more clearly, and his Rune Essence Mastery, along with the help of his Ithkuil, made him feel as though the Runes were almost taking the initiative to speak to him.

“You are not here,” Sylas suddenly said.

Aki’s eyes narrowed, but his wide smile was still there. The contrast made for a particularly eerie dichotomy, one that emphasized the darkness hidden within the young man all the more.

“You are not the first smart person I’ve run into, kingly boy.”

Sylas didn’t need an explanation to understand what Aki meant. The white-faced man simply didn’t care whether Sylas knew or not. The situation would be much the same in the end of it all.

The only way for Sylas to forcefully end this connection was by destroying the platform’s Runes… and how could he do that if they were inlaid with diamond?

Suddenly, the gaudiness of the region seemed to be much less laughable.

He couldn’t even guarantee that he could destroy a thick slab of marble; how was he going to destroy a stone that was several times harder and denser?

And yet, he was still calm when he turned his gaze back to Aki.

—

[What are the details of the Race of the man before me?]

[This man is a descendant of the Thryskai Race. The Race is separated into three tiers of existence with further striations within every tier. There is their Mortal Tier, their Demi-God Tier, and their God Tier.

[This man has horns but lacks the feathered wings signature to the Demi-God Tier. It can be said that he is among the best of the Mortal Tier, but still leagues from the Demi-God Tier.

[The Thryskai Race’s most known feature is their Third Eye, also known as the Skai Eye. This feature allows them to concentrate their Wills into a tangible form from birth. Depending on additional talents, this ability can mutate in a great number of ways…]