Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

[Evolution to Variant class completed]

The message came through from the System, but Alex didn't need that to tell him that the process had completed.

Because he could feel it at the very same moment.

Not only did his vision go from blurred to a microscopic focus in an instant, but he could feel his environment around him much, much more clearly even when he closed his eyes.

But not just that, his spatial perception…

Before, while he was at C- rank and still a Mutant class, the range for his spatial perception was 20 kilometres at maximum, and after he hit C rank, that doubled to 40 kilometres.

But now, as a Variant class, that figure had just breached past 200 kilometres…

200 whole kilometres…

Alex almost didn't believe it himself, but he was forced to, because he could literally FEEL it!

When he activated his spatial perception, he could cover almost half of Tenebrus city in one go!

Not just that, while he wasn't able to quantify it, his increase in strength felt absolutely absurd now…

If he faced off against the King of Evermoor while in his current state, he had no doubts that he might even be able to fight against it like he might've B tier Mutant classes while he was just a C- rank Mutant class.

Alex took a deep breath, his senses still reeling from the sudden influx of power.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to test this new strength out just yet, as Mira would be the one doing all the battling while out looking for beasts to kill.

***

Over 7 days had passed since Alex had evolved to Variant class.

The days seemed to blend into one another as Alex and Mira spent the whole time hunting through the expansive wilderness surrounding Tenebus city, and the Evermoor forest as a whole, systematically seeking out powerful beasts using the Mission hall.

Judging from the fact that the King of Evermoor lended its name to the very forest it inhabited, Alex judged that the Evermoor forest most likely didn't have another King class beast inhabiting it, unless another had moved in during the short time the King of Evermoor had been dead.

This was something he had thought long and hard about before they set off, and he came to the conclusion that King class beasts were probably very territorial, and stuck to their own territories unless going out to seek other beasts to fight. Continue your journey on empire

If it weren't for the System's off hand comment that happened to include the name of the beast, Alex never would have known that it was called the King of Evermoor, and in turn he never would have deduced that King class beasts might have these behaviours.

So although it may not have intended to, the System had actually helped him for once!

During this search for beasts, Mira had been lucky enough to encounter two Variant class beasts that satisfied her criteria for ranking up.

One of them wasn't at or above her soul core rank, so unfortunately she was still 1 Variant class beast of a higher rank than her away from ranking up.

Either she found one more that fit that criteria, or she would have to find another three Variant class beasts below her rank.

However, before the two of them went out hunting, Mira had a very special moment.

Her first time ever using a Soul orb!

Much like Alex's first time, she could tell the difference between using it over beast cores, and she almost felt appalled at how impure the energy from beast cores felt when she absorbed one just to compare.

She understood at that moment why Alex had stopped using beast cores after he could afford to.

Not only that, but she felt her strength slightly increase, which she never in a million years would have expected.

Alex had forgotten to tell her about this attribute the soul orbs had, since he was just so used to it by now and the strength increase was so minimal to him, but to Mira it was an absolute game changer!

'I see now why his strength is so far above mine despite the fact we are so close in rank and classification…'

She almost felt like she had wasted the last year of her life in absorbing beast cores…

But it wasn't like she could have done anything about that anyway.

For one, she didn't even know Alex until she had already completed her first journey into the Primordial Expanse, and for two, Alex had only just obtained enough soul orbs for the both of them to comfortably use.

***

Mira stood crouched atop a tree branch, blending almost seamlessly with the shadows cast by the dense canopy above.

Below her, a massive creature moved through the underbrush — a Variant class beast she had seen posted about on the Mission board just earlier in that day.

It was known for its stealth and earth elemental ability, and she was lucky enough to encounter it within only a few hours of arriving at its suspected location.

But she was even more lucky to find out that this would be the last beast she needed to finally rank up and gain the ability to leave the Primordial Expanse.

Her eyes narrowed as she observed the beast, taking in every movement, every flick of its massive tail as it prowled through the forest.

The creature's body was covered in thick, rock like plates that had a slight shine to them, like they were polished.

Its eyes glowed with a dull crimson, scanning its surroundings for any sign of prey or danger.

'This is the last one… After this I'll be able to leave this damned place whenever I like!'

Mira almost couldn't contain her excitement and relief.

It felt like she had been trapped in this place forever, and now that she was finally just a few swings of her blade away from attaining this goal, she almost felt anxious to go back.

What would the state of the war be like when she went back?

What if Eldaris was lost and now completely overrun by Red Demons?

Wouldn't they be thrown straight into enemy territory after leaving then?

Her concerns were real.