Chapter 2: The First Harvest

The Chamber of Evolution was surrounded by living walls, and in the center, a table rose up.

[Available Evolution Points: 1]

[Chitin Blade Stage 1]

-Evolution Points required for evolution: 1,000.

[Chitin Gauntlet Stage 1]

-Evolution Points required for evolution: 1,000.

[Combat Nerve Stage 1]

-Evolution Points required for evolution: 1,000.

[Psionic Stage 1]

-Evolution Points required for evolution: 1,000.

These were the overall stats of Apocalid.

If you evolved these, the abilities of all Apocalid would be enhanced.

Below that, the evolutionary branches for each class were depicted.

[Walker Class]

-Evolution Code: –

[Scout Class]

-Evolution Points required to unlock class: 1,000.

[Warrior Class]

-Evolution Code: –

[Giant Class]

-Evolution Points required to unlock class: 100,000

[Titan Class]

-Evolution Points required to unlock class: 1,000,000

[Supertitan Class]

-Evolution Points required to unlock class: 10,000,000

[Hive Class]

-Evolution Points required to unlock class: 100,000,000

[Colony Class]

-Evolution Points required to unlock class: 1,000,000,000

[Outer Class]

-Evolution Points required to unlock class: 10,000,000,000

Only Walker Class and Warrior Class were unlocked.

For now, that was enough.

However, to easily prey on dimensions inhabited by various races, unlocking Scout Class and Giant Class was necessary.

Especially from Giant Class onwards, they could serve as dimensional ships to sail the sea of dimensions, making them particularly important.

[Evolution Code]

-Trace Concealment: 1%

Trace Concealment was the Goblin’s Evolution Code.

Once that reached 100%, it could be applied to each class’s Evolution Code or used to diversify the classes. For example, applying the Evolution Code for flight to Scout Class would create a flying Scout Class unit.

Choi Kangjoong shuddered.

To be able to actually do what he’d only imagined in reality.

“If I modify a Giant to be a close-combat tank, or turn a Titan into a dimensional warship… it’s all possible, isn’t it?”

To do that, he needed to quickly prey on other races and dimensions, gathering Evolution Points, Evolution Codes, and nutrients.

“Find the Goblin village. It shouldn’t be far.”

The Warrior returned to where it had killed the Goblin, pressed its head to the ground, and followed the Goblin’s scent.

Even with only the Walker remaining, it would be fine.

It was called a worker, but even one could rip apart ten ordinary adult men.

Unlike in games, its power to cut down a one-meter-thick tree and uproot stumps didn’t suddenly weaken during combat.

Choi Gwangjoong left the room.

No one was home.

“What? Did they go out?”

Choi Kangjoong checked his phone.

There was a message from Mother saying they’d gone out since he was sleeping.

Choi Kangjoong took out the leftover braised short ribs from the fridge, heated them up, and ate.

Strangely, it tasted even better than yesterday.

He had three times his usual portion, but finished it all.

“Is this because of my awakening? I can eat a lot more.”

He cleared the table, finished the dishes, and went to his room.

Normally, he would have sat down and immediately started Dimension War on his computer, but observing Apocalid was even more entertaining.

“The Goblin village is already found.”

The Warrior was watching the Goblin village from the bushes.

Young Goblins were running back and forth between houses built on tree trunks.

Adult Goblins were butchering freshly caught prey and hanging up hides to dry.

“There are a little over a hundred.”

Apocalid’s senses could pierce right through the houses.

“What should I do?”

With the organic nutrients the Walker was diligently supplying to the Soil Pit, he’d soon be able to produce another Warrior.

But was there a need to wait?

The Warrior was more than three times the size of a Goblin and was covered in hard Chitin Gauntlet armor.

Its scythe-like claws were sharp enough to slice through three or four Goblins at once.

It was a massacre machine that couldn’t be scratched by the Goblins’ crude weapons.

“No need to waste time. Attack.”

Choi Kangjoong gave the order.

It was like an extension of his will—when he sent his intent, the unit would automatically begin its task.

Various reactions were triggered inside Apocalid’s body.

Blood flowed faster and the concentration of mana throughout the body rose.

Muscles contracted and relaxed repeatedly, preparing for sudden movements.

The brain interpreted incoming sensory information and, following the genetically imprinted combat process, deduced the optimal way to fight.

Frontal assault.

The best way to slaughter an enemy with extremely low threat.

Encirclement and annihilation would be better, but there was only one attacking unit.

The Warrior walked forward.

Its pitch-black eyes showed no emotion.

It felt nothing for the imminent deaths, nor for its own possible demise.

It was merely a terminal organism for the species’ predation and proliferation.

The Goblins spotted the Warrior.

The adults were on guard, while the younglings were curious.

There was no fear.

Even though the thing was several times their size, their own numbers outnumbered it a hundred to one.

They’d driven off monsters that had strayed in during territory disputes many times.

Poisons and tactics always turned those who were merely big and dull-witted into nothing more than hunks of meat.

A few Goblins flanked the Warrior from behind.

Their movements were stealthy, befitting seasoned hunters, but the Warrior Class was aware of them.

Still, it ignored them.

Because it sensed no danger whatsoever.

The Goblins ahead tried to lure the Warrior into a trap, holding spears.

It was a simple pit dug into the ground, with poison-tipped wooden stakes, especially effective against heavy creatures.

The Warrior detected the trap.

The crude cover of rotting wood and leaves couldn’t fool Apocalid’s eyes.

To minimize nutrient loss, it intended to bypass it, but Choi Kangjoong ordered it to deliberately fall in.

He wanted to draw out the Goblins’ arrogance and delay their retreat even a little.

It was to catch as many Goblins as possible.

Crunch.

The cover broke and the Apocalid Warrior fell into the trap.

The Goblins cackled and jeered.

They shot poisoned darts and threw stones.

In a situation where a human would have been embarrassed, the Apocalid Warrior felt nothing.

It simply drove its scythe-claws into the ground and pulled itself up.

The poison-tipped wooden stakes snapped against the Chitin Gauntlet, causing no damage at all.

The Goblins leapt.

The Warrior flattened its scythe-claws and swung.

The slaughter began.

Slash, slash, slash!

Screams and green blood exploded everywhere.

The Warrior was faster than any monster the Goblins had faced.

Three or four Goblins were cleaved at once by the scythe-claws.

Quick ones were seized by the middle legs and had their necks snapped.

“Kiiik! Kaak! Kiiiiiik!”

“Kaak! Kak! Kakkakkak!”

Goblins clung to the Warrior’s back, pounding on its shell.

Spear blades that could pierce monster hides bounced off uselessly.

The Warrior brushed its back with its tail.

Goblins flew off en masse, and the one impaled through the chest died instantly.

It only took a moment for thirty to die.

Fear rose among the Goblins.

Only after sixty more died did they realize they had misjudged their foe.

“Kiiiiiiik! Kiiiiiiik!”

With shrill cries, the rout began.

They fled in every direction, and even though the Warrior chased after them quickly, a few managed to escape.

“Even so, this is more than I’d hoped for. Well done.”

[Potential for evolution detected in Apocalid Warrior unit.]

[Choose an evolution path.]

[1. Brutal Lord: A powerful combatant and outstanding commander. Possesses a faint ego and can develop its own strategies and tactics to achieve objectives.]

[Enhanced physical abilities, acquisition of advanced combat techniques, utilization of Outer Mind’s knowledge, evolves into Central Unit.]

[2. Stealth Predator: Optimized for sabotage, terror, and assassination. A city infiltrated by a Stealth Predator cannot escape chaos.]

[Enhanced physical abilities, acquisition of concealment techniques, utilization of Outer Mind’s knowledge, evolves into Central Unit.]

[3. All-Seeing Eye: Sensory organs are maximized and can control numerous Apocalid. The All-Seeing Eye observes everything, leading Apocalid to destroy and absorb all enemies.]

[Evolves into Giant Class, enhances sensory organs, utilizes Outer Mind’s knowledge, evolves into Central Unit.]

The Central Unit could be called the spinal cord of Apocalid.

It processed commands from the brain—the Outer Mind—and reacted autonomously in emergencies.

Only with these could the increasing numbers of Apocalid be properly controlled.

And the three types that had just appeared for selection were special units, with powerful abilities fused into the Central Unit.

“This popped up already? Sometimes you’re lucky to get even one in the midgame. Guess I’m lucky.”

Choi Kangjoong decided to make good use of this and checked the evolution directions.

Brutal Lord was the general of Apocalid.

Its own combat ability was monstrous, and any Apocalid within its command range became even craftier and stronger.

Stealth Predator was, as the name implied, an assassin.

If it got into the enemy’s rear lines, it could thoroughly unnerve players.

All-Seeing Eye was like a radar unit, able to detect and analyze enemies even hundreds of kilometers away.

It would then command the Apocalid to crush the enemy, toss them into the Soil Pit, and turn them into nutrients.

All three were attractive options.

But Choi Kangjoong’s hesitation didn’t last long.

The Stealth Predator was most useful for infiltrating large bases.

The All-Seeing Eye grew stronger the more Apocalid he had.

And right now, he had only two Apocalid.

The best choice was the strongest in combat—Brutal Lord.

[Brutal Lord selected.]

[Apocalid Warrior is evolving.]

The Warrior began to grow rapidly.

It got bigger, and now had scythe-claws that could be stored in its middle legs, for a total of four scythe-claws.

Spines sprouted from its shoulders, and purple smoke rose up.

Its brain enlarged, acquiring even more combat methods.

Finally, as it became a Central Unit, it gained an ego and could command other Apocalid.

“Kruruk.”

Choi Kangjoong could feel the emotions of the one that had become the Brutal Lord.

Endless gratitude.

And hunger.

Even if gratitude gave way to hunger, it didn’t feel like it would ever turn on him.

“Fill up on Goblins and put the Walker and corpses into the Soil Pit.”

“Krrng.”

The Brutal Lord gorged itself on Goblin corpses.

The Walker scurried over and moved the Goblin bodies to the Soil Pit.

“Ruutal.”

When playing Dimension War, Choi Kangjoong called the Brutal Lord ‘Ruutal’ for short.

So he decided to call the real Brutal Lord Ruutal too.

“Krrng?”

“You’re Ruutal from now on, understand?”

“Krrk.”

“Hunt down everything as you roam around.”

Ruutal thudded away.

Its weight had doubled, so its footsteps were even louder.

Hearing that, large monsters gathered, but all were sliced in two with a single swing.

Even those bigger than Ruutal were no exception.

[Evolution Points acquired.]

[Evolution Points acquired.]

[Evolution Points acquired.]

[Evolution Points acquired.]

[Evolution Points acquired.]

As the Goblin corpses were digested, Evolution Points increased.

The trees the Walker added helped a little, too.

[Available Evolution Points: 102]

[Goblin Evolution Code Analysis Rate: 78%]

Although Ruutal had devoured nearly thirty Goblin corpses, the Evolution Code analysis had not yet reached 100%.

Still, Choi Kangjoong was relaxed.

He could simply raid another Goblin village.

Goblins weren’t a strong enough race to live isolated in groups of a hundred in a forest like this.

There could be a larger village nearby, or perhaps Orcs with whom they had a symbiotic relationship.

It was well-known that Goblins served as the lower class in Orc society.

As Ruutal roamed the forest, it hunted every animal and monster in sight.

It even raided Goblin villages during the day while the nocturnal Goblins slept.

Moving non-stop, in just three days he’d amassed 1,000 Evolution Points.

The Goblin Evolution Code analysis was also complete.

“Let’s create a Scout first. Having Ruutal—who’s not fuel efficient—do all the scouting and fighting is a waste. I’ll apply Trace Concealment to the Scout, too.”

[Scout Class unlocked.]

[Scout Class is evolving.]

[Apocalid Scout is being created.]

A Scout was born.

The Scout looked similar to the Warrior, but was smaller and slimmer.

As soon as it emerged from the Soil Pit, it instinctively headed off somewhere to scout for prey.

Running swiftly on six legs, it resembled a large squirrel.

It also had Trace Concealment, so unless you encountered it head-on, it was almost impossible to even notice its existence.

“Nutrients are almost depleted.”

The rate at which Evolution Points and nutrients for production were gathered was about the same.

Choi Kangjoong decided to wait patiently.

With Ruutal around, he had nothing to worry about.

Ruutal’s combat power was on par with a transcendent, one rank above an S-Class Hunter.

No matter what appeared, he wouldn’t be afraid.

The Scout would bring back information, and Ruutal would handle the rest.

It’d be great if they found a nutrient-rich area.”

Choi Kangjoong muttered, thinking like an Apocalid.