Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

Synthesis Formula: Light + Metal + Wood (Elemental Essence).

Promotion Requirements: Holy Radiance Rune 0/8, Spiritual Dust Sand 0/3

.....

’A pure Damage Rune.’

’So it really does have an attached damage property.’

With a thought, a wisp of Holy Light surged in Su Chen’s right palm—a pure, flawless, incandescent white glow. He then channeled a thread of crimson Flame Burst power, slowly infusing it into the light.

A searing, true-red flame immediately ignited within the light. The divine and the fiery blended without conflict. The technique before him was, without a doubt, a pure ’Sun Flame’ composite magic.

However, he wasn’t satisfied. His Telekinesis surged out, instantly enveloping, compressing, and shaping the energy. In the blink of an eye, it condensed into a fist-sized sphere of Sun Flame.

”Huh?”

As everyone watched with rapt attention...

WHOOSH!

Accelerated by his Telekinesis, the sphere of light shot high into the air. A passing cicada, flapping its wings, had no time to dodge. In an instant, it was pulverized by the triple-powered blast.

It was a clear case of using a cannon to kill a mosquito.

Obviously, it wasn’t a worthy test of the spell’s power.

But he had genuinely achieved a triple-combo effect.

”You... can Spiritual Energy perfectly channel Elemental Power like that?” Lin Wanqing’s interest was piqued, her expression animated. She was clearly stunned by the incredible scene that had just unfolded.

She wasn’t the only one who was impressed. Everyone else present was dumbfounded.

Even Yuan Haotian, who had seen some of Su Chen’s abilities before, had his understanding completely overturned in that moment.

’I sold it for way too little...’ the officer who’d made the trade lamented inwardly.

Still, the discovery of this intel had its own value. The question was, just how did one acquire a Rune that allowed for projected Telekinesis?

”That’s right.” Su Chen didn’t try to hide it. ’Someone in another region must have figured this out already; it’s just not public knowledge yet.’

”Incredible. Your damage output is insane. If you got a class change on top of that, you’d be unstoppable.” Lin Wanqing batted her alluring eyes, her admiring gaze seemingly trying to coax him into returning to the city with her.

Su Chen, however, wasn’t falling for it.

Seeing this, Ms. Lin’s smile faded, and her tone became serious. ”Since you’re planning to stay, I have to warn you about something. In my opinion, these Fungal Parasite Bodies are likely capable of self-evolution.”

She mentioned something they had discovered an hour ago. Apparently, they’d received a tip that another wanted criminal was spotted in a guesthouse. A death row inmate, who was supposed to have fled into the forest at noon, had somehow returned to the base.

When the three of them went to investigate, they found one of the rooms had turned into a scene from Hell. The walls and ceiling were completely covered in a layer of writhing fungal growth. Several corpses lay within, shriveled and seemingly drained of all life.

What was even more horrifying was one of the bodies, its face unrecognizable. It had bloated into a tumorous ball of flesh nearly two meters tall. A great maw had split open in its torso, from which dozens of fungal tendrils covered in suckers were extending, preparing to drag one of the desiccated corpses inside.

”It was a flesh-and-blood mutation. It had also absorbed all the Rune Essence from the surrounding dead. It took a great deal of effort for us to finally kill it.”

The Judge, who had been silent until now, chimed in. ”Considering the gravity of the situation, we reported this information to the authorities half an hour ago,” he continued.

’This can’t be an isolated incident.’

But it was certainly shocking enough.

”Holy shit, these fungi are playing for keeps.”

When Yuan Haotian first heard that the wanted criminal at the base had been caught, he couldn’t help but snicker to himself. But as he heard the rest of the story, his face fell. He even had the fleeting thought of abandoning his RV and heading straight back to the city.

Su Chen hadn’t expected the Fungal Parasite Bodies to be capable of flesh-and-blood mutations. Seeing as it was actively absorbing Runes, it was entirely possible this process could successfully nurture and hatch some kind of terrifying behemoth.

In response, he told the Law Enforcement Team about his earlier discovery of multiple figures mysteriously entering the forest.

Connecting the two pieces of information, it sounded like those people had become flesh-and-blood sacrifices. All the Rune Essence they had absorbed was likely being used to feed some unspeakable entity.

”We’re leaving tomorrow morning. According to Manager Shao, they’ll be making a broadcast announcement soon. Considering the severe lack of supplies, a whole group of people will be leaving this borderland. Are you sure you still want to stay?” Lin Wanqing was still trying to persuade him.

’If this handsome guy bites off more than he can chew and gets taken over by a Fungal Parasite Body, who knows what kind of epic-level monster he’ll turn into.’

’That would be a disaster for the city’s security.’

”Don’t worry, I know my limits.” Despite her repeated warnings, Su Chen remained composed, his emotions as stable as ever, as if he were rarely affected by the sentiments of others.

”Alright then.” Lin Wanqing sighed and didn’t press the matter. ”Our business here is pretty much done, and we still need to discuss the details of the mass evacuation with Manager Shao.”

It was worth noting that they had already conducted a preliminary field survey. They were thrilled to find nearly a hundred archery contestants who might still be alive, not to mention the astounding number of RVs.

’It’s hard to say if these RV owners will be willing to evacuate with everyone tomorrow.’

The location of this Qingye Collection campground was too precarious. It was situated in a salient on the border, cut off from the urban center by Cyan Dragon Ridge. After the Fungal Parasite frenzy erupted, traversing the forest became even more difficult.

With all the mounting survival pressures, if a truly devastating disaster were to occur, even the Combat Defense Department—already stretched thin putting out fires everywhere—would find it difficult to provide support.

A mass evacuation was the only option.

Even the usually fearless Yuan Haotian was starting to be swayed. He wasn’t camping alone; his girlfriend was in the RV, and sometimes, he had to think of her.

Still, he had to share one piece of good news.

”Bro, I bet that wanted criminal killed a ton of people from that Mutual Aid Organization.” Yuan Haotian hadn’t said anything earlier to avoid being questioned, but now that they were back in the meeting hall, he couldn’t contain his glee.

Of course, Su Chen had no idea that the man, Qian Bin, had been planning to assassinate him late at night. Instead, he and his group had been wiped out in a bizarre and almost comical fashion.

In a way, if one were to piece together the entire sequence of events, the story could probably be submitted as a rejected entry for the Ig Nobel Prize.

To Su Chen, however, the Mutual Aid Organization was utterly insignificant. He had never given them a second thought. For one, his RV was protected by the camp’s walls. For another, he had Xiaoye’s defensive perimeter set up outside the vehicle at night.

And even in a worst-case scenario, he had the Life Talisman as a final safety net.

Right now, his thoughts were more focused on accelerating his progress toward obtaining the hidden class Authority. Time waits for no one.

He was in a race against time with the Fungal Parasite Bodies.