Novel Full Chapter 780: Evolving the Army
Chapter 780: Evolving the Army
[Evolution Path 1 of 3 — Monolith]
The Maulfiend art above the menu reshaped. Its already-heavy obsidian plating thickened, then thickened again, slabs overlapping in layered sheets down its chest and shoulders. The horns shortened into blunt protrusions. The maul in its right hand stayed the same size, but the creature that held it grew broader, shorter through the legs, planted low and rooted. The system note rendered beside it.
[Monolith — Fortress variant. Extreme durability, drastically reduced mobility.]
’Hell yeah.’
Kaiden’s mind moved on its own as he selected the next one.
[Evolution Path 2 of 3 — Quakelord]
The form reshaped again. The heavy plating stayed, but the maul head reforged in midair, growing denser, the basalt compacting into a striking surface the size of a small wagon. The creature’s posture shifted from standing-guard to wind-up-swing, and a secondary animation layered beneath. Each strike against the ground sent a cone of jagged stone upward, the floor cracking in a radial pattern from the impact point.
[Quakelord — Ruinsmith variant. Impact strikes generate shockwaves and stone spike formations. Sustained striking produces area hazards.]
’Looks like a sturdy damage dealer with cool AoE capabilities...’
Kaiden leaned forward.
He tapped the third.
[Evolution Path 3 of 3 — Basalt Gunner]
The third path cut deeper. The heavy shoulder plating thinned and redistributed across the back. The creature’s lower jaw unhinged wider than a Maulfiend’s should, and the throat behind it lengthened and thickened, the neck muscles layering into dense bundles built to hurl mass at velocity. The legs lengthened slightly, bracing-wide instead of forward-marching.
A demonstration played: the creature planted, chest rising as it drew breath, and the wide throat snapped open to spit a compressed stone slug the size of a melon in a flat arc across a phantom battlefield, the projectile punching through a mock aerial target.
[Basalt Gunner — Ranger variant. Hurls compressed stone projectiles at extended range.]
"A tanker, bruiser, and ranger. Amazing..."
Kaiden’s voice came out more genuine than he’d meant.
Behind him, a soft giggle sounded. Then another, quieter.
Luna had both eyebrows raised at Bastet with an expression that said are you seeing him right now. Calypso, closest to the dais, had her lower lip between her teeth biting back a grin. The rest of the girls wore the same knowing tolerance, Vespera included.
None of them said a word.
They had watched him explore new toys before. They knew the face: lean forward, quiet commentary to himself. The ladies had read the room and let him have it.
Kaiden felt their eyes on him and grinned wider as he selected Monolith.
[Evolution confirmed. Abyssal Maulfiend → Abyssal Monolith. Cost: 0 DMP.]
His brow ticked up. Zero.
A second notification clarified.
[Evolution between variants of the same species is not charged. The cost of a Mid-Tier unit is paid during the progression to Lvl 99. Evolution is a structural redirection, not a new summon.]
’Well, that’s a pleasant surprise.’
The roster rearranged itself with a soft interface pulse. The Maulfiend count ticked down by one. A new subheading bloomed beneath it.
[Abyssal Monolith ×1]
— Lvl 99
[Abyssal Maulfiend ×39]
— 23 at Lvl 99
— 16 at Lvl 40-60
Kaiden tapped the new Monolith entry.
Beneath the portrait, a new line was visible.
[Level Cap: 120]
Kaiden’s attention caught there.
One hundred and twenty.
He let the number sit for a moment. Level 120 was a threshold most awakened humans would never see in their entire careers, and facing a monster of that level meant instant death.
And that was against the benchmark of standard monsters, where one level corresponded to one level’s worth of stat gains.
But not all monsters were made equal.
Abyssal ones were clearly above average. They scaled harder than a simple beast-type monster would, for example, built to be denser, to rip through everything an invading force could throw at them.
[Upgrade 99 → 120. Cost: 800 DMP.]
His grin flattened.
’Ah.’
There it was. He had fed 400 DMP into each Maulfiend on his first buying spree to bring them to Lvl 99. The push from ninety-nine to one twenty cost twice that per unit.
He exhaled at that.
Expensive, but the kind of expensive a Dungeon Master was apparently expected to pay. Mid-Tier came with Mid-Tier receipts.
He wasn’t committing to anything yet. He just wanted to know what he was working with across the board before he started making real calls, and he’d also consult his girls for investing advice. As always, this was not a one-man show, and Kaiden would not have it any other way.
He tapped back out of the Monolith entry and pulled up one of the Lvl 99 Nightclaws.
The same evolution panel unfurled. Three variant entries waited beneath it.
He started browsing.
[Evolution Path 1 of 3 — Abyssal Gorefiend]
The Nightclaw above the menu grew. The dog-sized body thickened into something closer to a leopard’s mass, talons lengthening into hooked scythes, the jaw extending into rows of recurved teeth. The chirps in the animation had dropped into a low, wet rasp.
[Abyssal Gorefiend — Apex variant. Fewer, larger, built for single-target kills. Drops from ceiling cover on priority threats.]
’Brutal.’
He tapped the next.
[Evolution Path 2 of 3 — Abyssal Nightshroud]
The image reshaped smaller than the base form, leaner, the wings broadening and going translucent black at the edges. The animation showed it opening its mouth to release a pulse of darkness that swallowed a twenty-meter radius, and a secondary loop layered a high keening wail that bent the space around it visibly.
[Abyssal Nightshroud — Controller variant. Emits darkness fields and disorient screeches. Suppresses invader vision and coordination.]
Kaiden’s eyebrows lifted.
He selected the third.
[Evolution Path 3 of 3 — Abyssal Skyfiend]
The display expanded dramatically, the creature reshaping into a thing that could have carried a warhorse. The talons reinforced for landing weight. A saddle-ready ridge rose along its spine.
[Abyssal Skyfiend — Mount variant. Provides aerial mobility within the dungeon.]
Kaiden sat back against the bone throne and considered the three of them floating side by side.
Killer. Jammer. Mount.
Three completely different jobs. Three tactical uses that barely overlapped. Unlike the Maulfiend paths, which were all variations of hit the enemy in front of you, each of these filled a gap the others could not touch.
He tapped back out without selecting anything.
The Salamawyrms were waiting.
[Evolution Path 1 of 3 — Abyssal Dreadwyrm]
The Salamawyrm’s figure lengthened and thickened, the sleek territorial predator reshaping, turning even meaner. The head broadened, the jaws deepened, and the animation showed the creature breaching the magma surface to spit a condensed lance of molten stone across a phantom battlefield, the impact pulverizing a mock target.
[Abyssal Dreadwyrm — Offensive variant. Aggressive magma predator. Lava lances at range, burst-breath close up.]
’The firepower.’
[Evolution Path 2 of 3 — Abyssal Magmashaper]
The size held steady, but the skin rippled with a different texture, runes and heat-distortion patterns shifting along its flanks. The preview showed the magma around it responding to its will. A geyser erupted on command. Beside it, a molten column rose into a barrier. Further down, the magma drained into sudden cooled stone, trapping a phantom invader’s legs in solidified rock.
[Abyssal Magmashaper — Shaper variant. Manipulates magma as terrain. Spawns geysers, raises barriers, drains sections into cooled stone.]
Kaiden’s thumb paused on the edge of the menu.
’Fascinating...’
[Evolution Path 3 of 3 — Abyssal Pyremother]
The predator shrank. The aggressive form diminished, the aggression dialing down, and in its place the body grew broader through the middle, heavier, a lower matronly posture settling in. The demonstration showed it birthing waves of smaller flame-serpents that poured out into the magma and scattered hunting.
[Abyssal Pyremother — Brood variant. Reduced personal combat ability. Spawns waves of lesser flame minions.]
A striker. A terraformer. A brood queen.
Nine evolution paths across three species. Each carved out a different tactical niche, and each was going to cost him something he didn’t have enough of.
He exhaled and pulled back out to the main roster view.
"Alright, everyone. It’s time we invest."
The preparations were heavily underway, and the Dungeon Master Duel was sneaking closer and closer!