"I got the Critical Hit and Monster Hunter Titles. There are also quite a few good resources and materials, along with three Legendary equipment sets, as you can see," Catherine said.
Isaac’s Lord Talent activated already. The three Legendary sets doubled into six, while the duplicate Critical Hit and Monster Hunter Titles were converted into two additional Special Shop Access Tickets since the same Title could not exist twice on one person.
Including the ticket she had received from the Solo Conqueror Title, Catherine now had three Special Shop Access Tickets in total. Isaac glanced over the rewards for a moment before looking back at her.
"Those are the First Clear rewards. What about the Solo Clear reward?" he asked.
Catherine smiled teasingly before answering. Normally, Isaac would try to not ask her a question when she was obviously baiting him to ask it. It was a playful banter they always had. But this time he had asked immediately. It was obvious that he was too curious about what a solo clear of the Fourth Area could offer.
"I had three options again. They’re different this time, though. I can choose between a Soul Evolution Potion, the Solo Boss Executioner Title, or a Beast Egg," she said.
"Yes!" Isaac exclaimed as he pumped his fist. "Those rewards sound incredible. No matter which one you pick, it’ll increase your strength by a lot, so bringing you here for a solo clear was definitely the right decision."
Catherine nodded with a faint smile. Deep down, she was still surprised that Isaac had truly managed to solo the Fourth Area. Even knowing his abilities, that achievement was difficult to believe, but she kept those thoughts to herself.
"What are you thinking of choosing?" Isaac asked.
Catherine looked at the floating reward window again before replying. "I’ve already ruled out the Beast Egg, so it’s really between the Soul Evolution Potion and the Solo Boss Executioner Title."
Isaac frowned slightly as he processed what she had said.
"Wait, did you say Soul Evolution Potion? Not Soul Strengthening Potion?" he asked.
"No. Soul Evolution Potion," she replied.
"What exactly does evolving a soul even do?" he asked.
Catherine smiled as if she had expected that question. "This was actually something I planned to explain much later during our classes. But I suppose this is a good opportunity. Tell me, do you know why Overlords are so much stronger than Champions?"
Isaac thought for several seconds before answering. "Because unlike the earlier rank-ups, becoming an Overlord fundamentally changes an awakener?"
He had always known that the gap between Champions and Overlords was much greater than the gap between Initiates and Champions. But he didn’t know why it was so big.
"You’re right," Catherine said with an approving nod. "But what exactly changes?"
Isaac stayed quiet for another moment before the answer slowly formed in his mind. "Their... soul evolves?"
"Exactly. Overlords receive a considerable increase in their stats after ranking up, but that’s not their greatest improvement. The biggest change is that their soul evolves, and nothing like that happens during any previous rank," Catherine replied.
She continued without rushing her explanation. "Soul Evolution transforms the soul itself, and the soul is what Aura comes from. That’s why Overlords are so different from everyone below them."
Isaac looked confused. "I thought Aura only boosted physical abilities and allowed us to use Elemental Weapon Aura. Additionally, Aura is something only Warrior classes can use most of the times."
"For people below Overlord, that’s mostly true. Unless someone naturally possesses an exceptionally strong soul, Aura is very hard to use outside of Warrior-related abilities. Most awakeners never think much about it," Catherine replied.
She folded her arms before continuing. "But once an Overlord’s soul evolves, Aura changes completely. It can be used to strengthen skills themselves, and that’s only one of the most basic applications. There are many other techniques that become possible after Soul Evolution."
Isaac fell silent as he absorbed her words. Strengthening skills with Aura sounded simple, but the possibilities behind that single sentence were enormous.
It suddenly became obvious why Overlords were considered monsters compared to Champions.
Most awakeners only possessed a handful of important skills, but Isaac was different. He had accumulated dozens of skills through his System. If every one of them could be enhanced by Aura, his combat strength would rise to an entirely different level.
After thinking it through, Isaac looked back at Catherine. "So you’re planning to choose the Soul Evolution Potion?"
Catherine nodded without hesitation. "If I choose the Solo Boss Executioner Title, your Lord Talent won’t duplicate the Title itself. Instead, I’ll receive one additional Special Shop Access Ticket because duplicate Titles aren’t allowed. You can also share my Title with yourself, so only the two of us benefit."
She pointed toward the floating reward window. "If I choose the Soul Evolution Potion instead, your Lord Talent should duplicate it into two potions. I’ll drink one, you can give the other to someone else, and later you can share its effects and evolve your soul. That way, three people become stronger instead of only two."
Isaac slowly nodded. The Solo Boss Executioner Title was probably extremely powerful, but judging from its name, it would likely only be useful against Boss monsters.
Soul Evolution, on the other hand, was a permanent improvement that would strengthen nearly every aspect of an awakener.
For Isaac, the value was even greater. His greatest advantage had always been the sheer number of skills he possessed. If Aura could amplify all of them, his fighting style would become significantly stronger without needing any new abilities.
"I’ll make my choice then," Catherine said.
She reached toward the reward screen and selected the Soul Evolution Potion. A soft silver glow gathered in front of her before a crystal bottle slowly materialized.
A moment later, Isaac’s Lord Talent activated again. A second identical bottle appeared beside the first, each filled with shimmering silver liquid that seemed to swirl with tiny specks of light. Catherine picked up one bottle and handed the other to Isaac.