Endless Evolution: Last Star

The Frozen Krugo stared at Adam with wide eyes full of surprise. Silvana had a similar reaction, but not out of fear like the Frozen Krugo, but out of concern.

"How is this possible? He made only one attack and is already wounded?" Silvana covered her mouth.

Wilfred shrugged carelessly. "It's nothing more than recoil, girl. Most likely, he won't even be able to use more than two rings of his Nexus now. However, even two rings will cause serious injuries. I think his maximum now is one ring and a few attacks."

It was easy for Wilfred to understand what Adam's Nexus was capable of. The essence of Adam's weapon became clear to him even before Adam struck.

"This monster... The Frozen Krugo. How strong is it compared to a normal K4-Phantom?" Silvana asked.

"I won't lie. The Frozen Krugo isn't the weakest, but it's still at the bottom of the food chain. Earlier, I said it was the First Black Threat Level, right?"

Silvana nodded slightly. She was an Operator, but only now did she learn what the next Threat Level was after the Red Threat Level. Also, it was the last Threat Level that the First Rank Phantom would face.

If the Phantom was destined to rise higher and become a Second Rank Phantom, then the Lords awaited it, whose power was divided into many ranks in a strict hierarchy.

"In some ways, the Black Threat Level is similar to the system used at the Lower Ring for the Red Threat Level."

"Hmm?" Silvana blinked, puzzled. "Does it also use the star system?"

Wilfred shook his head. "No, there are also five ranks. From first to fifth. Thus, there are Fifth Black Threat Level monsters, most often referred to by abbreviations like F3 Black Threat Monster and so on."

Silvana's eyes widened for a moment. This was a little different from what they had dealt with before.

"Mr. Wilfred, there's something I don't understand."

"What is it?"

"Five ranks for the Black Threat Monsters?" Silvana raised an eyebrow. "I understand that they're not the very top, there are still the Lords, but they're the strongest enemies for the First Rank Phantoms. Isn't five ranks too many, considering how few Black Threat Monsters there should be?"

With a cold look in his eyes, Wilfred exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"What makes you think there are few of them?"

"Agh?"

Silvana was confused.

"This… It's just logical, isn't it? To become strong, you must go through a long and challenging path that not everyone can handle. The stronger the creature, the fewer there are!"

Wilfred smiled faintly.

"Well, that's true, up to a point, and that point is the strongest monsters of the Red Threat Level and the monsters of the Black Threat Level. Of course, the same applies to monsters above that, but it's too early for you and Adam to think about that."

Silvana blinked several times. She didn't want to say it out loud to avoid trouble, but she thought what she heard was complete nonsense.

"What?! How can that be? From the White Threat Level to the Red Threat Level, there were fewer and fewer monsters of that level of strength, which is logical, but suddenly with the stronger monsters of the Black Threat Level, it doesn't work. How can there be more of them?!"

It was hard to blame Silvana for her thoughts.

Anyone in her position would think the same way she did, as both she and Adam were limited in their knowledge of K3-Phantom access.

She simply didn't know what stage she and Adam had reached.

"Hahaha, you're a smart girl for deciding to keep quiet." Wilfred chuckled maliciously. "But I can see everything in your expression."

Silvana gasped in disbelief.

"Whether you like it or not, I'm telling the truth. There are two main reasons for this. The first is people and monsters."

"Hmm? What does that mean?"

Wilfred brought the cigarette to his mouth as Adam's frame shook. While they were talking, his battle against the Frozen Krugo continued.

"The Black Threat Monsters inhabit the far reaches of the Wild Lands, basically the borders of all the Dead Lands, as well as the deepest levels of the Cave Grid, one of which we are currently in, as you can see.

"Since the Black Threat Monsters are very far away and very strong, few people hunt them because the K4-Phantoms are much smaller than the K0-K3 Phantoms. Another important factor is that other monsters are quite close to the Citadel, which means they are constantly being exterminated."

With a short sigh, Wilfred continued.

"Also, many of the Black Threat Monsters live at the Dark Shore in the lands of the Lords. Recently, you and Adam had to deal with this. Another factor is the number of monsters present at the moment. There are tens of millions of us humans, but there are billions of them."

After a few moments, Silvana nodded deeply. Her eyes slowly filled with understanding.

"I see... The small number of K4-Phantoms, their location in distant lands, which makes hunting less active, and the total number of monsters have led to fewer monsters dying at the Black Threat Level than appearing, unlike other Threat Levels.

"From what I understand, even the Red Threat Monsters die a little more often than others manage to evolve to that level."

Wilfred's eyes widened for a moment.

"Hah, so you're a clever one? Although..." Wilfred looked at Adam, who was tearing the Frozen Krugo apart with his new Nexus. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to work together."

When Adam was about to defeat his opponent, Silvana clenched her fists tightly and looked at Wilfred. Her gaze was full of determination.

"Everything you said was only one of two reasons, right?"

Wilfred nodded slightly. "Yes. Everything you listed has a minor effect on the situation with the high number of powerful monsters like the Black Threat ones. The second reason has a major effect, but I'm not going to tell you about it here."

Crack.

Adam's fist slammed into the monster's head, ending their battle.

"You've already reached the K4 level, so you have access. Soon there will be one less secret for you."