Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 96: Seven Days (Part 4)

Adam jumped forward, dodging the stone sphere flying at him, and found himself right in front of the Prismatic Elemental.

He had already entered another area where he was about to undergo the next challenge, but all his attention was focused only on the Prismatic Elemental.

Bam.

Adam attacked with all his might, using his heightened senses. He acted more calmly, was more attentive, and also operated clearly. Slightly, but it increased the effectiveness of his every action, including his strikes.

Sometimes, a few small steps could equal or even replace the progress of a burst. The key was to find a way to take those small steps without straying from the general path.

From the collision of Adamʼs fist with the Prismatic Elemental, light vibrations traveled across the stone slab on the monsterʼs chest. Blood flowed from Adamʼs knuckles, but... The Prismatic Elemental wasnʼt injured.

”Hah, possess strong armor, right? Well, I can easily deal with it!” Adam vigorously uttered as he extended his arm in his usual motion.

However, at the last moment, he stopped as his eyes went wide.

The Stone Elementalʼs massive arm, crashed into Adam, swiping him aside.

ʼAdam!ʼ Silvana exclaimed alarmed. She didnʼt understand why Adam stopped and didnʼt react to the monsterʼs attack.

The Stone Elemental was strong but slow, Adam had enough time to dodge.

Bam.

Adam crashed into the rock, slowly rising with a dust cloud. He held his head with a slight frown while trickles of blood poured from his forehead.

”Donʼt yell like that, it makes my head hurt even worse.” Adam sighed heavily as he glanced at his hand.

”I wanted to summon the needle. Iʼm too used to the fact that if the enemyʼs armor is strong, the needle can easily handle it. However... While I can, I plan to follow Bethʼs advice. I think Iʼm slowly beginning to see the point of making it harder on myself this way.” Adam uttered as he got into a fighting stance, keeping his fists clenched.

Fighting using only the strength of his body was something new to Adam, but it was better to understand his limits.

After all, neither needles, gloves, nor silver claws increased his physique or reaction speed. It was a weapon whose effectiveness depended on the initial performance of the owner.

The Stone Elemental stepped forward, then around their arena, towered several dozen shadows as large as the Stone Elemental.

Adam gulped. He realized that without using his abilities, he wouldnʼt be able to handle them all.

ʼShit... Am I really going to have to break Bethʼs advice? Moreover, I still have to figure out how to get Stone Sprout...ʼ Adam pondered, looking around.

Soon, he noticed that the other Stone Elementals did not move. Instead, they raised their massive legs, collapsing to the ground in a certain rhythm.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The shaking caused powerful vibrations, making Adam lose his balance and crack the stone slabs of the arena.

”ʼWhat the fuck...?!ʼ Adam inwardly exclaimed, trying to keep his balance and not fall over.

Bam.

While Adam was distracted, the Stone Elemental had already reached him, plunging its fist into Adamʼs stomach and tossing him aside.

ʼAdam! Are you okay?ʼ Silvana asked, realizing that the monsterʼs blow was powerful. She could clearly hear Adamʼs bones crunching, perhaps his lower ribs cracked.

”Yeah... For I seem to have figured out what is required of me.” Adam smirked, touching his fingers to the ground.

He felt a shiver, it was constant and seemed natural. All Adam had to do was adapt to keep his balance.

”Alright, letʼs see how long it takes me!” Adam exclaimed excitedly, preparing for battle.

...

Five hours later, Adam spat out a clot of blood while everything in front of his eyes was blurred.

The Stone Elemental was badly wounded, Adamʼs hundreds of blows had almost shattered the monsterʼs armor, but that didnʼt mean Adam was close to victory.

With each passing hour, he felt worse, as the constant shaking he couldnʼt escape from made him dizzy and gagging.

It seemed the Stone Elementals werenʼt going to help their brother, only one of them had to leave here alive.

ʼFuck... A little more, and I wonʼt be able to stand up straight...ʼ Adam muttered internally, swaying from side to side.

Then, his eyes went wide when he realized he didnʼt want to stand anymore.

”Hah... I tried to catch the rhythm like Wind Elemental, but thatʼs a different challenge, isnʼt it? To understand the land, you have to get closer to it!”

Whoooooooooooooooooosh.

At the same moment, the Prismatic Elemental threw a stone sphere with sharp spikes at Adam. Normally, he would have chosen to dodge or repel the attack, but this time... Adam simply fell to the ground.

The sphere flew over him, but that was the last thing on his mind because, for the first time in a long time, he didnʼt have a headache. All he felt was a slight vibration going through his entire body, like a massage, rather than a hard shaking that was absolutely unbearable.

”Fine, whatʼs next?” Adam smiled bitterly, realizing that he was trapped, for he could not stand up.

The Stone Elemental was closing in on him, about to finish off his opponent.

Then, a fire lit up in Adamʼs eyes, and a devious smirk appeared on his face.

ʼRight, if I canʼt adapt, then I should just change the location to suit me!ʼ

The Stone Elemental attacked, unleashing its massive fist that could surely blow Adamʼs head off.

Adam somersaulted forward, whizzing underneath the Stone Elemental and pouncing on the monsterʼs leg. His physical strength was enough for the Stone Elemental to lose its balance and gradually fall to the ground with its broad back. A cloud of dust rose upwards, covering the two silhouettes.

”Hah, that actually worked. Standing on you, I can practically feel no shaking at all! Well, in that case, letʼs get started!” Adam smirked before attacking, driving his fist into the Stone Elementalʼs head.

Adam didnʼt notice it, but after a few hundred blows, he began to beat with a certain frequency, like a metronome. In fact, he was naturally accustomed to the stomping of Stone Elementals when he started doing something similar himself.

Yeah... stomping on the ground and hitting the monsterʼs head was not the same thing, but there was something similar because Adam was returning some of the energy into the ground, through the monster.

At the same time, a new fourth elemental sprout with a triangular stone leaf and a zigzag shape began to grow in his inner space.

[You have received your fourth Elemental Sprout!]

Adam took a deep breath as he looked at the Stone Elementals around him. Gradually, each of them stopped stomping, as they recognized that Adam was no longer affected by it.

Then, the monsters knelt on one knee as a sign of sorrow for their fallen mate and as a sign of respect for Adam, who won in a fair fight, before turning around and walking away, leaving Adam alone.

ʼCongratulations, it looks like you almost made it through Elemental Circle, much faster than I expected.ʼ Silvana praised him.

ʼHmm? Almost? I mean, four out of seven is more than half, but thereʼs still a long way to go.ʼ

ʼWell... Look to the east, and youʼll figure it out. Thatʼs your next zone.

Adam did as she said, and his eyes went wide.

In the distance, there was a zone where menacing purple lightning raged along with the flaming streams, and Prismatic Elementals fought each other.