"Ahh,"
A gasp escaped through the room as Ryuk jerked up from his bed, cold white air escaping his lungs. His hand unconsciously moved as he touched his chest, feeling his heart pumping madly.
"That dream..." Ryuk mused with narrowed eyes, his gaze turning to look at the stream of cold air coming from his mouth.
"I’ve had that dream before. Just when I wanted to leave Grade E with Old Jack. Now it feels so...real. Ryuk mused.
He had sensed how cold that world in the dream was, and now his mouth was puffing out white air. He didn’t understand what that was, but somehow, Ryuk felt fear.
A spine-tingling fear, greater than anything he had ever experienced, and while he had simply ignored it the last time as a ’bad dream,’ easily forgetting it—right now, he could no longer do that.
It seemed like whoever was chasing after him in that dream was now closer than ever.
---
"Don’t worry about finding them, Ryuk, because they’ll come to find you themselves."
---
Uncle Bob’s voice suddenly reappeared in Ryuk’s head, and he exhaled loudly, his eyes closing before opening and flashing a dangerous light.
"I can’t relax. I have to keep growing!" Ryuk determined.
He had been told by Uncle Bob that they’d be coming for him. Ryuk knew neither who they were nor how they would look. But if there’s one thing, it would be that they would be overwhelmingly strong.
He had thought that would be far off into the future, but now with the dream reappearing and chilling his heart so cold, he doubted it would take too long from now.
Whatever it might be, it would be better if he kept growing stronger as fast as he could—just like how Uncle Bob had advised.
---
"What you need to do is beat their expectations. Grow beyond what they thought was possible. That is your only chance, Ryuk.
---
"If I’m to accomplish that, then I can’t be relaxing now. Just because the test has ended doesn’t slow those people down."
"I need to grow."
"I need to keep growing"
"I can’t relax, I can’t stop now..." Ryuk said, as a sense of urgency wrapped around his head, and to that extent, he decided.
Looking at his chest, he could see Isha’s long body wrapped around him, seemingly asleep.
But it occasionally twisted lazily, revealing it must be awake, just feeling a little drowsy and not wanting to open its eyes.
"Hey system, I’ve decided to use the Evolutionary Card now," Ryuk muttered, and immediately the notification flashed before his gaze.
[Finally!]
[Host, listen carefully.]
[Firstly, Host should navigate to the Pets tab!]
The system said, and Ryuk quickly arrived before the tabs, and he chose the Pets tab.
Immediately, he chose that, it appeared.
[Pets: 1]
[Space for New Pets: 0]
[Does Host wish to access the stats of the current pets?]
The question came, and he nodded.
[Pets Interface!]
[Name: Isha Knull]
[Race: Ice Serpent.]
[Current Growth Phase: Ice Python.]
[Grade: Grade C (Lower).]
"So Isha’s cultivation stage is Grade C (Lower), huh? That is the peak stage of the Plane of Ascension. Isha is now as strong as each of the top ten Ultima geniuses."
"No wonder it easily blocked Ignatius’s full ability without suffering any wounds at all," Ryuk mused as he looked at the stats. But that wasn’t all.
[Pets Abilities.]
[Ability Name: Ice and Frost Manipulation]
[Description: The ability to manipulate ice and frost with incredible precision and shape them into sharp projectiles. By channeling Apex Energy, Isha can lower the temperature of the surrounding area, causing frost to form on the ground, walls, or even enemies, and even stop attacks by encasing them in ice and reducing their effectiveness. The intensity of the frost can range from light ice to a bone-chilling freeze capable of immobilizing foes.]
[Additional Effects:]
Frostbite Aura: Prolonged exposure to the icy presence can slow enemies, reducing their speed and reaction time.
Ice Weaponry: The ability to craft weapons like icy spikes or blades to attack or defend.
[Ability Name: Size Manipulation]
[Description: The ability of Isha to control its size, expanding its body up to a towering 4 meters for increased physical dominance or shrinking to a compact 1 meter for agility and stealth. This flexibility allows adaptation to various combat scenarios or environments, making it versatile and unpredictable.]
[Additional Effects:]
Enlarged Form: Increased strength and durability when fully expanded.
Contracted Form: Enhanced speed and precision when minimized.
[Ability Name: Frost Veil]
[Description: The ability to envelop itself in a shimmering, frosty mist that obscures its presence and freezes anything that comes too close. The veil acts as both a defensive mechanism and an offensive threat, making it difficult for enemies to land direct hits while gradually weakening them from the cold.]
[Additional Effects:]
Frost Cloak: Reduces visibility for enemies, making it harder to track movements.
Chill Aura: The freezing mist saps the strength of nearby foes, reducing their stamina and energy over time.
[Next Evolutionary Path: Available.]
[Evolutionary Path Model:]
1. Ice Serpent (Superseded).
2. Ice Python (Currently Achieved).
3. Frost Wyvern (Next Evolution).
4. Frost Hydra (Yet to Achieve).
5. Ice Wyrm (Yet to Achieve).
6. Ice Dragon (Peak Evolutionary Model).
[Evolutionary Card Possessed: 1]
[Does Host wish to use the Evolutionary Card to evolve Isha from an Ice Python to Frost Wyvern?]
"Can I see a form of growth that will happen after Isha’s evolution to a Frost Wyvern?" Ryuk suddenly asked.
If he was going to make Isha go through a complete evolutionary change, then he, of course, wanted to see the strength that would happen and gauge if it would be positive or negative.
Although being able to gain one of Isha’s abilities was already a good use of the Evolutionary Card, that wasn’t considered important to Isha’s future state by Ryuk.
[Of course. The system can show Host the description and abilities of Isha’s current Ice Python form and what it would become after evolving into a Frost Wyvern.]
[Would Host like such a guide to be shown now?]
"Yes."