The Glorious Evolution

Chapter 237: Nocturn’s Testing Facility

”Terraforge Laws...” Levi murmured, sizing up the two-meter Titan, whose body was mixed in almost all types of rocks, metal, and crystal.

A fitting name for such laws... he had already anticipated for him to be the Origin seed for such laws based on his appearance.

He just didn’t know the name.

”How exactly are you going to help my little brother? Will your inhabitance of the Shadowlife transform it into an Origin seed? Is that even possible?” Levi asked.

”I will let you know when the time comes.” The Titan smiled, ”Your little brother needs to access his Spiritual Leywell first... with his spiritual prowess, he can’t do it on his own, which means, I can only make my move when he reaches Warden rank.”

”Ah... I understand.”

Warden Daywalkers, Tier 4 nightcrawler, and anyone helping the tree grow to its Pre-Mature State were rewarded with access to their Spiritual Leywell... unlike Levi, who was brute-forcing his subconsciousness barrier each time.

If it were possible to brute-force Arthur’s subconscious barrier for him, he would have done it... But in this matter, each was on his own. Otherwise, Levi might end up shattering Arthur’s subconsciousness barrier, killing him instantly.

”What about his Half-Radian bloodline?” Levi wondered, ”If you inhabited his Shadowlife seed, would it be possible to help him awaken some of its traits? At least the divine light absorption?”

”If he truly had Radian bloodline in him, I can achieve it... It won’t be easy since my Laws aren’t directly connected to Sun Laws.” The Titan answered.

”As long as there is a chance, I am more than satisfied.” Levi smiled.

Although he wasn’t told about the method, Levi was optimistic... if the process was painful, he knew his brother could handle it... If it were something else, he would think it over when the time comes.

For now, he refused to let go of the Titan until most of his questions were answered.

”Also, the Titan’s Crown... Ash’Kral told me you used to wear it before it became an artifact... Is it possible to fix it up a bit to start using it?” Levi asked.

Knowing that it was a triple-S broken Artifact made him understand that even the Titan could not restore it to its perfect form right away... appropriate materials were needed.

”Well, if you obtained three Gemhearts from your brother, I can reinhabit the Crown to wield their powers at a limited capacity.” The Titan said kindly, ”It won’t be a Triple S artifact... but still, usable.”

Just as Levi was about to get excited, he recalled that the Titan’s wisp was so faint they barely restored it through countless treasures... he clearly didn’t have enough of his soul to be split into another wisp that could remain in his Spiritual Leywell, and at the same time, wield the Crown’s Powers.

As much as the Titan agreed, Levi wasn’t that heartless to make him operate an artifact while knowing that he was the wisp of an Ancestral Tree... Compared to the three divas in his body and the asshole Ash’kral, the Titan was too kind, and he preferred keeping it that way.

”Ah, it’s okay, maybe later, after I collect more treasures to empower your wisp... I don’t really need it right now.” Levi thanked him for the offer and changed the subject. ”I should probably return to the Main Hub and get an accurate reading of my attributes... With major enhancements from two evolutions, I have to know exactly what base power level I am at.”

Levi could no longer delay going to the Nocturn’s Testing Facility, understanding that his strength had been increased explosively with these two mutations.

He needed clear data to understand what his current Nocturn’s Power Level was to avoid getting blindsided by the system that decided his opponents in the Nocturnal Ring.

***

Three Boundless Days later... (One and a half a day in the real world)

Levi was seen standing before Nocturn’s Testing Facility... it was also situated in the main hub and quite close to his studio.

It was one of the many tall buildings surrounding the main hub in a circle, separating it from the rest of the city... a tower with a wide base crafted out of white stone, giving it a sturdy foundation... in the center of the foundation, the tower pierced through the clouds, a mixture of stone interspersed with tall panes of translucent glass... It looked clean and neat, giving it a governmental building vibe.

Many Rifters were entering or exiting the massive, wide-open gate... some were weak, many average, and a few that left Levi feeling a tint of dread.

Levi kept his interest to himself and walked inside, facing straight. Once he was in, one of the many receptionists greeted him.

”Welcome, sir. How can we help you?” He said, smiling... he was a humanoid sheep with fluffy white wool that was tucked inside a dark green professional outfit.

”I want clear data of my attributes... first floor, please,” Levi requested politely.

”How long will you be renting the room?”

”About an hour or less.”

”Follow me this way.”

The receptionist took Levi to a wall with tens of doors... many of them were either closed or had a short queue of Rifters waiting behind them.

The guide took Levi to a room with no queue and handed him a key... then, he showed up a dimensional screen with the payment plan based on the duration of the room’s rent.

Levi paid one thousand credits for one hour and fifty credits as a tip to the guide... the guide opened the door with a wide, polite smile and left after wishing Levi good luck on his test.

Levi gazed at the swirling vortex behind the door and stepped inside calmly. Immediately, his feet touched a gentle green grass field.

He was teleported on top of an island in the colorful void that fell under Nocturn’s Administration... though, this island had many testing devices spread across the grass field, each one served to test a specific attribute.

This island was one of the thousands spread across the void, which were linked to the doors inside Nocturn’s Testing Facility... The first floor was for a small island meant for casual training and testing of one’s attributes.

As for the higher floors? They were for customized trainings as the Rifters could request specific environments rich with the chosen type of energy they desired... the rarer the energy, the pricier the room gets.

Levi had read in the network that some of the upper-floor rooms could be rented for a hundred thousand nocrix credits an hour!

’Nocturn’s Administration is really printing money...’ Levi murmured, somewhat enviously.

Knowing that his time was tight, Levi stopped envying what he couldn’t obtain and got to work.

’Let’s start with physical testing.’

He walked to the physical testing area and noticed that it had six devices, each designed to test a specific attribute.

He started with the first device that tested his strength... the device was a floating, polished, silver metal orb with one question: Growth Stage?

”Pre-Mature Tree Stage.”

-Ready?-

Levi cracked his knuckles and warmed up a bit... once he felt ready, he said it out loud and watched as a wooden white dummy manifested before him.

Levi clenched his fist and smashed it in the chest with everything he had in him... shatter! The dummy exploded into pieces; the force of his punch was powerful enough that it left only its legs still affixed to the ground.

-Strength Level...39N-

”I guess my strength now clears average Wardens.”

Levi wasn’t too surprised by this... had gone through four evolutions now in total... although the evolutions didn’t quantify as simply as 1+1, his physical strength was still enhanced to the point it touched evolution stage Wardens... not Enhancement Specialization, just average Wardens.

He did this without receiving a bodily enhancement aspect or mutation like Arthur’s... when it came to Daywalkers, Nightcrawlers, or any other race holding a seed, their strength could never be equal... after all, some had mutations and evolutionary enhancements prioritizing the spirit while others the body exclusively... some even had their elemental prowess empowered, making their abilities hit much harder than the norm.

Hence, the reason for Specializations: Elemental, Enhancement, Psych, Unique, Mystic.

In the case of Levi, his physical strength was now equal to a warden at the third stage or maybe even stronger... if the difference between Solarbound and Wardens wasn’t so massive due to the evolution’s difficulty, Levi might have also cleared Solarbound Daywalkers by being a Junior Daywalker at all of his evolutionary paths.

Just to be sure, Levi tested it again with another punch and a kick... shatter! The results were still the same, though; his kick force was stronger.

Levi made a mental note of the data and moved on to the Lifting Test...

A silver bar with two black disks materialized before him with a weight adjustment screen... Levi put in kilos as a measuring unit, and then he gripped it in a deadlift form.

He took a deep breath and lifted, steadily increasing the load until the device registered his maximum lifting strength.

-Eight hundred and fifty kilograms lifted... N34-

”Decent enough... if Arthur were here, he would turn this place into a gym.” Levi chuckled, knowing his gymrat of a brother wouldn’t hesitate to live here for years.

He understood that although the evolutions could increase one’s strength, they also increased the limits of their body... this meant training one’s body was important to enhance their strength beyond what the seed had offered.

Just like Lord Idriss... he was a Solarbound, yet still, training with his greatsword as a weight... slowly, but gradually growing stronger.

Levi had also decided to take on this path once he reached a wall with his seeds... from the look of it, he was getting closer.

Soon, Levi tested his endurance, running speed, and the rest of his physical attributes... When he finished, he switched to testing his spiritual prowess.

Though this test was just as easy... he was given a spherical spiritual ball and requested to channel everything he got... sparing not an ounce of spiritual energy.

Levi concentrated his will on the sphere and, with a grunt, he released his spiritual wrath on it, causing the sphere to shift colors rapidly while Nocturn’s Measurement Level kept increasing just as fast.

10... 20... 30... 40!

Measurements hitting forty implied edging closer to Solarbound’s entry level... As Ash’Kral predicted, Levi’s spiritual prowess was no joke.

43...45!

Solarbound level achieved! Still, Levi had more spiritual fuel to push inside the sphere after his latest enhancements. However, the increase was slow and deliberate, like each number counted.

47...48...50...56...56.5.

With one final drop in his tank, Levi halted the test, completing it at:

-Spiritual Prowess...N56.5...Solarbound First Stage.-