I Level Up Dragons with My Evolution System-Chapter 98: Aurora’s Evolution (2)

A Beastmaster’s evolution is defined by the advancement of their summoned beast. When the beast reaches certain stages in its evolution, it allows its Master, through the Connection Crystal, to reach new heights.

It is a joint effort between the two.

But it is all thanks to the Connection Crystal and the beast’s evolution.

People with beasts that start at advanced evolution stages have a better chance of reaching higher evolutions, especially if their evolution talents are Level 3, 4, or higher.

An example of this is Aurora.

When her Poison Spider awoke, it was in its third evolution. Slowly, its body adapted to that advanced evolution, and when it reached its peak, she managed to evolve it again.

In the fourth evolution, it was enough to fill 10 Connection Crystals, and that took Aurora to a new level.

There are cases where the beast awakens during the fourth or fifth stage of evolution, or even at a later stage, and Robert is an example of this. These are the people who undergo drastic changes when they awaken.

Their eyes, height, musculature, and practically everything about their bodies changes because they’re adapting to such a high level of power. That’s why, every time Edward sees Robert, he’ll be different from the last time, until his body fully adapts and his evolution is complete.

This usually doesn’t take long; two to three months tends to be enough.

’Starting out as an Experienced Human must be impressive.’ Edward sighed as he thought of Robert.

There are 7 levels of human evolution.

Human > Experienced Human > Beast Master Human > Transcended Human > Lord of Beasts and Saint of Beasts.

Some claim that there is a level above Saint, called "God," but it is unknown; there is no proof of its existence.

With the exception of the first level—which you awaken to in most cases—to reach each level, you need to fill or create 10 Connection Crystals. So currently, Aurora has 10 of those within her.

As for the strength, capacity, or ability gained, that remains to be seen. She generally receives new abilities that grant her greater versatility in combat.

’Will she receive abilities to share with her beast, or will she be given abilities on her own?’ Edward was curious, so he watched her closely.

Aurora’s figure was enveloped by the greenish energy of the Poison Spider. It wrapped around her slowly and deliberately, and for several minutes they disappeared from view.

No one knew what was happening on the other side, but Edward and Arnold knew one thing: she was growing stronger. And not just a little.

They both felt the air pressure rising. It wasn’t just a simple ascent.

The minutes passed slowly.

Soon, 30 minutes had gone by.

"A 30-minute ascent... it’s been a while since I’ve seen that," Arnold said.

"Does that mean anything?" Edward asked, interested.

"Sometimes it can be a sign of difficulty adapting, but if that were the case, the air would be hitting us fiercely. That’s not happening this time. The increase is smooth, which means it’s going without a hitch. That means it’s because the improvement will be substantial."

Edward nodded. "She’s only been at Central Academy for a year, but it looks like she’ll reach the level of a 5-star student. That should be a record, right? At least a local one."

"It’s a historic national record," Arnold said. That’s why he was taking it so seriously. "In the last 100 years, no one has ever reached 5 Stars in just one year. The best anyone has done was 60 years ago, and it took him two years."

Edward smiled, proud. "Before those 100 years, I heard that, right after the Academy was established and Línnava was founded as a kingdom, there was someone who achieved it in less than a year, about 200 or 300 years ago."

"The Adventurer, right?" Arnold looked at him. "I heard that story too. The difference is that he awoke with a beast in its fourth evolution."

"Yes, him." Edward frowned. "But in our generation, someone appeared who could surpass him. He’s improving drastically."

Arnold laughed. "I’m still stronger than him, though." He reminded him, referring to Robert.

They both agreed on that. Edward had seen Arnold’s strength lately, and it was hard to match; he was possibly even stronger than Edward himself, which was already a tall order, since Edward’s own level had done nothing but rise, and he firmly believed he could reach four stars with only strength.

That’s why he was certain Arnold was already at the level of an Experienced Human, possibly even at the level of a 5-star student.

Being part of the Anomaly group, it was hard to know what stage of evolution his beast was in. Only its bearer knew, and Arnold wasn’t very talkative about it.

As they spoke, something began to change in the room. The air thickened, and they both felt a weight bearing down on their shoulders.

"It’s coming."

A burst of energy surged from where Aurora stood, toward them, and pushed them back. They crossed their arms in front of their bodies to defend themselves.

Then the greenish energy that had surrounded Aurora vanished. Her white skin glowed with a radiant light. Her eyes shone intensely green, and her hands were enveloped in energy.

The spider behind her stood as if it were a bodyguard protecting her from the storms that might lash out at her.

Edward smiled. "Indeed, she’s reached that level."

Aurora studied her new power carefully. Her gaze fell first on her hands, then she looked down at her entire body, and finally looked straight at Edward.

She smiled at him.

Edward stepped closer. "I think you’ve left both of us in the dust. Now I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up with you." He joked.

Aurora smiled faintly and moved her hand gently. A soft whirlwind of erratic movements rose from Edward’s feet, and before he could do anything to stop it, they bound themselves to him.

Suddenly, he couldn’t move.

With a leap, Aurora reached him and grabbed his face. "Eventually, you’ll surpass me. Let me enjoy the moment when I can bind you, then." She kissed him gently, cupping his cheek.

Then she let him go.

"What have you won?"

"You’ll find out soon." Aurora chose to be mysterious.

The three of them agreed and left. A full month had passed since the last time they’d been on a mission...

It was time to return to the public eye.

Although Lander’s shadow still haunted them, there was nothing they couldn’t overcome.

At a restaurant on the academy grounds, they read the scroll Mervan had given them.

There had been many missions lately; the vast majority—more than 80%—had something to do with the undead.

Among all these missions, one stood out.

[The vampires in Count Ashford’s territory have been wreaking havoc in Silver Ash City.] 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

[A team capable of investigating and, if possible, eliminating powerful vampires is requested.]

The detailed explanation revealed just how complicated it was to have a Vampire Cursed Land within a territory and how urgent it was to get rid of them.

The problem with vampires is that they don’t act like normal undead. They act as if they were an ordinary human tribe: they leave their Cursed Land to wreak havoc. They gather intelligence, and once they’re inside the Cursed Land, you need to attack specific locations to find them.

You’re not going to run into a vampire lurking in a forest, unless there’s a castle or some other building in that forest.

"My father told me I shouldn’t worry, but if they’ve already made it as far as Silver Ashes..." Aurora frowned. "It’s getting tricky. There are powerful people in Silver Ashes, but they’re not prepared to fight vampires."

"It looks like a reconnaissance mission. With your family’s help, we could pull it off without much trouble," Edward recalled.

"I vote we do it," Aurora said.

"I’m interested too," Arnold added.

"Then we’ll do it," Edward agreed. "Since Ashford territory is far away, we should leave tonight. Let’s go find Instructor Mervan right away."

They went to Mervan’s office and told him about the mission they wanted to take on.

Mervan laughed. "You seem more confident lately."

"A lot of things have gone well this month, Instructor Mervan. A month of rest has cleared our minds."

"Hahaha, well, I’m glad to hear that. But to accept this mission, you must agree to the elders’ terms. This isn’t a mission that should be undertaken with just three members. Although it wasn’t specified in the mission details, the minimum requirement is five members."

"Five?" Edward frowned and looked at Aurora.

They didn’t have, nor did they plan to have five members anytime soon.

"If you don’t have them, there’s another group that tried to take it on before. It’s a two-member team; they’re men and have experience with this kind of search mission. If you want, you can do a joint mission. They’ve already carried out many in the past, so I can vouch for their reliability."

Although Edward hesitated and didn’t want to agree, he had no choice but to do so.

"All right, Instructor Mervan. But we’d like to leave immediately, so..."

"No problem. I asked them to wait to see if I could pair they with another group, so it’ll be quick." Mervan replied and handed them the documents. He took them to meet their new teammates.