Endless Evolution: Last Star

Regardless of the Phantom's rank, even if it was a Second Rank Phantom, the government always had missions ready for it.

Sure, if it were a K4-Phantom, and even more so a Second Rank one, the government had much less leverage than it did over weaker Phantoms.

If the government needed it, they could force any K0-K3 Phantom to do anything. Some needed only slight pressure, others needed more, but in the end, the result was always the same.

This stopped working on the K4-Phantoms.

Why?

Well, the government simply had nothing to threaten them with, as the K4-Phantoms understood how valuable they were to all of humanity. Moreover, most of them had nothing to lose, because they knew that all they would have left after the World Wipe would be their Operators and friends among other K4-Phantoms.

There was no point in even talking about the Second Rank Phantoms. Many of them were the core of the government, the Citadel, and all of humanity. Only other Second Rank Phantoms or Lords could restrict their actions.

Although... as we know, not all Second Rank Phantoms were equal. The hierarchy was not as broad as that of the Lords, but it existed.

So, Adam found himself in the same situation because he was now a K4-Phantom. Sure, he wasn't the strongest because he had only just reached that level, but he was one of the most promising.

"Hmm? Mission?" Adam asked, puzzled.

In fact, he hadn't even thought about it. He wanted to return to the Dead Lands out of inertia. He had a goal — to find a way to become stronger and understand the secret of the dark orb in his inner space.

"Yes. It's from the mission department." Silvana nodded. "You can refuse if you want, but I think it would be better to go to the Tarnished Lands with a clear goal, rather than just wandering around unfamiliar territory. Especially for the first time."

Thus, she handed him a tablet containing all the information about the mission.

[Purification of the Dark Zone #37

The goal is to kill the main monster carrying the power of the black flash.

Estimated Difficulty: F1-F2 Black Threat Level. Possible 1-2 to two Lesser Elders level monsters.]

Adam continued reading.

There was quite a lot of information, as well as the exact location with an interactive map where all the details of the territory he was going to visit were accurately conveyed.

"The Corrosive Lakes? Doesn't sound very good, you know?"

Silvana shrugged with a slight smile on her face.

"I think Douglas chose this mission for you. You should accept it. I think he knows what you're capable of. It won't be easy, on the contrary, I'm sure it will be very difficult, but it's doable for you."

Adam scratched his cheek, thoughtful. He wasn't afraid of the difficulty of the mission; something else was bothering him.

"What are these Dark Zones? I mean, the Fallen Ring Castle and the Fortress of Lone Serpent also fall into this category, don't they?"

In response, Silvana nodded slightly. "Yes. That's what they call the places where the black flashes appear. I'm still studying this topic. From what I understand, the First Star turns its gaze on some monsters, but this is different from what happened to you."

"Hmm?" Adam raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"The First Star brought you to the Dark Shore so that you could absorb the Twilight Crystal and undergo evolution. I don't know if it was necessary for your path or if it was the First Star's desire, but it happened.

"The situation is different with monsters. The First Star offers them its power, but it is a dangerous and lengthy process. The First Star's energy plunges the chosen monster into a deep sleep as if hibernating. This only happens if the monster decides to accept the call of the First Star."

Adam's eyes widened as he remembered how it happened to him and what Arnoth and even Kyros, the Crimson Monarch, had mentioned between the lines.

"Moreover, it's much more complicated than in your case." Silvana waved her hand. "You see, when a monster enters the 'dark dream,' as it is called in the database, its power is significantly limited."

'This... Arnoth mentioned something about this when I told him about the Crimson Monarch!' Adam exclaimed inwardly.

He said nothing aloud, but Silvana understood everything from his gaze.

"Yes, it's exactly as you thought. During the dark dream, the monster falls asleep and absorbs energy from the First Star. Most often, this is one or more Twilight Crystals or their equivalent in pure, ancient energy.

"To simplify the explanation, any outstanding Awakened Monster has a chance of being noticed by the First Star. As a result, if they agree, they fall into a deep sleep—a dark dream. During their sleep, their power is greatly limited and gradually grows."

Silvana's gaze deepened as the puzzle came together in Adam's mind.

"After fully awakening after a long period, the exact duration varies from case to case, and the monster becomes much stronger than it was originally. In other words, if it was a Red Threat Level monster and it accepted the dark dream, its power would decrease by several levels at first, and in the end, it would awaken as a Black Threat Monster, at least."

Adam took a step back, sitting down on the edge of the bed as he folded his arms, remembering his battles against Arnoth and the Crimson Monarch.

"I see. So these two accepted the call of the First Star and plunged into the dark dream. But Arnoth spoke of the Crimson Monarch in such a way as if the Crimson Monarch was much stronger than him. At the same time. ...I defeated the Crimson Monarch when I was a K2-Phantom."

He stared intently at Silvana.

"Something doesn't add up here."

Silvana nodded in agreement.

"Sure, because very often the dark dream doesn't go according to plan. The monster awakens much earlier than it should. However, the energy of the First Star is still inside it. So, Adam..."

Silvana bit her lip.

"If you had encountered the Crimson Monarch of Arnoth a little later when they had absorbed the energy hidden in their bodies from the dark dream, then... you wouldn't be here."

She clenched her fists.

"You would be dead."