Re: Evolution Online

"Like I said. I am absolutely clueless. My world is undergoing its evolution and I suddenly found myself here." Liam explained nervously.

"Hmmm?" The elf's gaze turned cold. "You don't respect my goodwill? That is a blatant disrespect in our culture."

Liam gave a rueful smile at this accusation. "Even if you kill me, I really do not have anything else to say."

"He He. Be careful. Don't become too cocky. I might need you for those bastard soul blood beasts but I can make do without you just fine."

Liam swallowed. His expression changed a little and he sighed. "I bonded with the world tree of our world." He explained. "But I couldn't win the fight against the isons. Hence one of the guardians of our world sent me here at a great expense."

The chubby elf looked at Liam with a puzzled gaze.

"Again. I do not know what actually happened. This is just my conjecture."

"Mmmm." Eldrin nodded. "You are probably not wrong. It is highly unlikely that your world tree matured so soon to aid you in anything. Your guardian must have possessed some sort of teleportation ability."

"I am not entirely certain," Liam replied, carefully choosing his words. "I need to return immediately to prevent my world from getting destroyed."

"Ya…. about that… the isons are nasty little things. I wouldn't hold out much hope."

"But hey! On the brighter side, you have come out as a big fish in a little pond. You managed to secure the world tree of your world. It might not be much considering you are probably from a trash grade world, but it's something."

"With this, you can easily settle anywhere in the lower realms peacefully and can even become a king. You can even settle in the middle realms but it won't be that easy."

"Nevertheless, you have got a lot of options. Cooperate with me on this endeavor and I will also provide you with some benefits."

Liam listened to the elf's proposal with a grave expression on his face. "Thank you for your offer, Lord Eldrin," Liam began, but I can't simply abandon my world, regardless of how insignificant it might seem in the grand scheme of things."

"This isn't just about power or status for me. It's about the people who are depending on me. It's about my family, my friends. I can't just leave them there to die."

Hearing him, the elf's chubby face reflected a mix of amusement and surprise. "You lower realm dwellers... you always cling to such strange sentiments."

"It's not strange to value the lives of the ones you care about."

Eldrin's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't seem angered by Liam's defiant response.

"Very well," he finally said, a smirk playing on his lips. "I respect your determination, human. But remember this, your noble intentions won't mean a thing if you don't survive in this realm."

"I'll do whatever it takes to return to my world," Liam answered with evident desperation.

Eldrin chuckled, pleased with his answer. "Good. Then we have an understanding. Now let's focus on the task. We have a big day ahead of us. These soul blood beasts… is there any chance that you can sense them?"

Liam immediately nodded. "I think I can very vaguely sense them if I try hard?"

This was exactly what he was waiting for. He needed the elf to ask this very question to put the rest of his plan into motion.

From what Liam had gathered so far, this elf was not the only one to enter this so-called mystic realm. The elf talked about an Empire but he himself did not seem to belong to royalty.

This made Liam think that there were stronger elves present in this world right now and right here, elves who might not be that cordial to him or even this elf.

And this would provide him with the perfect opportunity to create some conflict and make his escape.

As the two of them set off, Liam closed his eyes and tried to feel for the presence of soul energy.

Unlike in the outside world, the energy within this mystic realm was dense and complex. The sensation was similar to navigating a maze of fluctuating energy streams.

The two of them headed inward in a random direction towards the giant sword scar and soon Liam came across the first signs of soul blood beasts.

Eldrin spotted them too, a glint of determination in his eyes. "Good, we've found our first batch. But remember, these beasts are tricky. Don't underestimate them."

Liam closed his eyes and acted as if he was straining himself to his limit. Inwardly, he was more focused on the brimming soul energy that was gentle and nourishing.

He once again was able to absorb a bit of it before the rest dissipated. Ideally, he would have liked to absorb this energy in his soul bead to research in detail later but he did not want to reveal too much in front of this elf. He first had to get out of his grasp.

This entire place was full of treasure that could potentially catapult his current state and level but for that, he needed to be alive.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that currently, he was standing at the edge of a cliff at the threat of toppling over at any given instant. He had to tread carefully.

After Liam dispatched the three soul blood beasts, heaving and panting, he nodded at the elf. The elf then hurriedly began to search the area, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

They were currently standing in a tall building made of brick with several floors. The soul blood beasts were present on the lowermost floor so the elf started with this floor and began thoroughly searching everywhere.

Liam waited patiently in the same spot and not long after the elf returned to him with a face full of glee. "Mircona rocks! I actually obtained Mircona rocks! Human, you did an amazing job! Here, you deserve a raise!"

The elf tossed something at Liam which he caught. It was another empty crystal like the one he had given before. "This one has a bigger capacity. Use this to collect all the blood essences. They are all yours!"

"Thank you." Liam bowed respectfully and accepted it. The elf had not only announced what haul he obtained, he even gave him something in return.

Liam knew that the elf was being this carefree only because he did not consider him any threat but at the same time, he could see how the damned creature was manipulating him by throwing him bread crumbs.

This was probably to ensure that he would keep continuing in this manner without trying to pull anything funny. But this was exactly what Liam had planned to do!

While the two of them were clearly trying to manipulate each other, who was going to win in the end?

"Let's go. We have more places to cover!" The elf licked his lips greedily and this time dragged Liam by his hand.