Chapter 26: The Encyclopedia and Evolution Paths

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Encyclopedia and Evolution Paths

After ten consecutive days of grueling, sunup-to-sundown hunting in the Tyra Grasslands, Eric finally crossed a monumental milestone: five hundred thousand credits sitting verified in his digital bank account.

MUNICIPAL CITIZEN BANKING

Account Holder: Eric (ID: #247-RD)

Verified Status: Mortal Rank Awakened

Current Available Balance: 502,800 CREDITS

"Yawn..."

Eric collapsed backward onto his straw mattress, burying his face in his hands as he rubbed his bloodshot eyes. "I am completely wiped out..."

Five hundred thousand secured, exactly one hundred thousand remaining. With fifteen full days still left before Vane’s deadline, wiping out the remainder of the debt in a little over a week was practically a foregone conclusion.

The relentless daily loop of tracking, ambushing, and harvesting had also accelerated their personal growth.

Through consistent mana circulation and steady beast feedback, Eric had broken through to *Mortal Stage Level 4*, currently sitting at 17% progression toward Level 5.

Coal hadn’t crossed into the next level yet. To prevent the crow from falling into prolonged, multi-day hibernation trances that would halt their daily hunting income, Eric had strictly rationed his diet to low-grade F-rank stones and minor E-rank cores that could be fully digested within five to seven hours each night. Despite the measured regimen, Coal’s progress had steadily climbed to a formidable *Level 5 (71%)*.

Lounging on his bed with his scuffed boots kicked into the corner, Eric stared at his system interface and paused.

*Wait... since awakening my cheats on day one, I haven’t even opened the Myriad Beast Encyclopedia.*

"System, open the Myriad Beast Encyclopedia," Eric commanded mentally.

*SHIIIING.*

A massive, semi-translucent holographic tome materialized in the dim attic air before his retinas. The heavy cover shimmered with constellations of ancient, starlit runes, and as the pages unspooled, an overwhelming cascade of data filled his field of vision. It contained high-fidelity anatomical blueprints, elemental affinities, behavioral habits, and physiological breakdowns of millions—if not billions—of beast species across the cosmos.

"Woah... this is information overload," Eric muttered, blinking against the sheer density of the archive. "Is there a targeted search filter?"

A delicate runic search field blinked at the upper-right corner of the tome.

Eric focused his thought: *[Bonepecker Crow]*.

*FLASH.*

The pages blurred in a blinding flutter, locking instantly onto a high-definition anatomical rendering of an obsidian crow with an ivory beak and piercing pitch-black eyes.

│ SPECIES COMPENDIUM

│

│ Species: Bonepecker Crow

│ Elemental Affinity: Shadow

│ Classification: Avian Scavenger / Ambush Predator

│ Natural Habitat: Groves and Wetlands

│ Behavioral Habits: Highly intelligent pack tacticians; feed on bones and bone marrow; utilize ambient shadows to mask flight trajectories and ambush blind spots.

│ Innate Potential: Rank F – Rank D

*Innate potential caps out at Rank D... exactly the same rank as Coal, meaning Coal stands at the Peak of most Bonepecker Crows,* Eric thought, scrolling down to the bottom of the entry where three glowing golden branches uncoiled.

│ EVOLUTION PATHWAYS

│

│ Option 1: Bonepecker Raven

│ - Affinity: Shadow

│ - Potential: Rank D – Rank B

│

│ Option 2: Shadow Raven

│ - Affinity: Shadow

│ - Potential: Rank C – Rank A

│

│ Option 3: Necro Raven

│ - Affinity: Dark

│ - Potential: Rank A

Eric’s breath hitched, his pulse quickening in his chest.

"These branches are insane..."

In the outside world, standard beast research institutes had only ever managed to uncover the evolution method for the Bonepecker Raven, believing that was the species’ sole evolutionary method. Yet the *Myriad Beast Encyclopedia* laid out detailed blueprints for entirely undiscovered pathways reaching all the way to Rank A, an elite potential tier typically monopolized by imperial noble houses and sovereign beast-breeding conglomerates.

Curious, Eric expanded the detailed requirements for each branch:

│ EVOLUTION CATALYST

│

│ [1. Bonepecker Raven]

│ - Cultivation Baseline: Soldier Rank

│ - Primary Reagents: Captain-Rank Beast Marrow Bone x1

│ - Auxiliary Reagents: Captain-Rank Mana Stone x1

│

│ [2. Shadow Raven]

│ - Cultivation Baseline: Soldier Rank

│ - Primary Reagents: High-Purity Shadow Crystal x1

│ - Auxiliary Reagents: Captain-Rank Mana Stone x1

│ - Environment: High-concentration Shadow Domain

│

│ [3. Necro Raven]

│ - Cultivation Baseline: Soldier Rank

│ - Catalyst: 10 Living Avian Beasts (Blood Offering)

│ - Primary Reagents: Greater Undead Essence x1

│ - Environment: Ancient Mass Grave / Necrotic Zone

Eric rubbed his temples, letting out a low, appreciative whistle.

"These are some seriously heavy prerequisites..."

The *Bonepecker Raven* was by far the most straightforward and cost-effective path, but its potential hit a hard ceiling at Rank B.

The *Shadow Raven* was the clear, optimal path, a pure Rank A aerial striker with shadow manipulation. The challenge lay in sourcing a *High-Purity Shadow Crystal*, an exotic mineral rarely seen outside high-end auction houses in the imperial capital.

As for the *Necro Raven*...

"Sacrificing ten live birds in a mass graveyard?" Eric scoffed, shaking his head with a slight shudder as he closed the tab. "Live blood sacrifices? That sounds like some deranged cult ritual straight out of a horror novel. Hard pass."

He dismissed the holographic interface, turning his head toward the pine desk where Coal was sleeping peacefully atop his wool blanket, dark wings tucked close against his flanks.

"Every single path requires reaching Soldier Rank first anyway," Eric murmured, pulling the thin linen blanket up to his chin. "One step at a time. Clear the syndicate debt, secure the house, and then we figure out how to hunt down a Shadow Crystal."

Closing his eyes, he let the lingering exhaustion of the ten-day hunt pull him into a deep, dreamless sleep.