The Glorious Evolution

By the time Levi woke up, Arthur had sent him a picture of himself asleep on the throne at the camp table.

His Majesty has retired from public affairs.

’I’ll remember this when it’s your turn.’

Levi deleted it and went to wash his face.

After eating, he returned to his studio, intending to sort through the offers for House Targon’s treasury reserves and settle his company’s budget. However, before approving any sales, he reopened the summary of his Wheel rewards.

Levi couldn’t help but grin widely.

Several of those prizes would save him expenses he had yet to account for... and remembering the last one was enough to make him forget Arthur’s little joke.

Before joining the others for dinner, he had spent his final three Unique Coins on the Jackpot Wheel.

Seven traps and three rewards... with exactly enough safe spins to claim all three. For once, the number of traps hadn’t concerned him in the slightest.

His first spin had stopped on the territorial ward core.

[REWARD ACQUIRED: S-GRADE TERRITORIAL WARD CORE.]

A many-sided core had settled into his hands, its surface covered in interlocking inscriptions. Once installed on a compatible registered territory and connected to a suitable energy supply, it could maintain a defensive barrier capable of resisting even Tier 9 beings!

’Tier 9... does that mean I can finally stop paying those ridiculous protection fees?’

Naturally, his thoughts had gone straight to the former Targon estate... followed by the million credits the Administration charged annually to protect it.

Unfortunately, the workers, visitors, and powerful nobles he intended to welcome into the Leviathan Amusement Park would care about whose authority protected the territory as much as the barrier surrounding it.

A powerful barrier might stop an attack, but having the Administration involved would discourage people from attempting one in the first place.

When it came to Noble Gatherings related to business, safety was of utmost importance.

Levi had reluctantly abandoned the idea of canceling the protection... then considered whether Brahmin might be interested in leasing the core.

’If I can’t save the expense, I might as well have this thing help me pay it.’

Thus, he had placed the inactive core in storage, intending to discuss a monthly lease with Brahmin while keeping his own territory under the Administration’s protection.

The second spin had given him something useful for his evolutionary paths.

[REWARD ACQUIRED: INFINITY SHOP A-GRADE TREASURE SELECTION TOKEN.]

One eligible A-grade treasure, without paying its purchase price... including Sun or Void materials!

Those materials had been troublesome enough to obtain that he had withdrawn from his arrangement with Mr. KM from the Black Slime Syndicate.

Now, he could at least choose one himself.

He had put the token away without redeeming it for now and spent his final coin.

With only one unclaimed reward left, the Joker’s exaggerated gestures had failed to make the last spin suspenseful.

Ting!

[REWARD ACQUIRED: OMNIPOTENCE LEVEL +1.]

[CURRENT OMNIPOTENCE LEVEL: 4.]

[ORDINARY WHEEL COINS: 0.]

[UNIQUE WHEEL COINS: 0.]

Even knowing what was coming hadn’t prepared Levi for the notification at the time... after checking that the increase was permanent, he had broken into wild laughter and rolled across the bed like a happy puppy.

Even a day later, he couldn’t resist opening his profile to confirm it.

’Still four... hehe.’

An entire Omnipotence level, obtained through a mere Wheel!

His noble rank remained Baron, but his Omnipotence granted him the territorial authority normally available to a Viscount. Settlement rights, population limits, tax benefits, and Infinity Shop access still followed his actual rank.

Better yet, the extra level would remain on top of future increases... even after becoming a Count, his authority would be one level above that rank’s normal standard!

This was massive, as Levi knew that the higher one climbed, the harder it became to increase their Omnipotence level. He could already think of several ways the additional territorial authority would help his company and park.

For now, however, neither would build itself while he admired his profile.

Levi returned to the reward summary.

[TOTAL ASSESSED WHEEL REWARD VALUE: 15,000,000 NOCRIX CREDITS.]

The Recovery Totem alone accounted for five million. Together with the twenty Citadel fragments, the A-grade treasure token, and the territorial ward core, the valued prizes came to fifteen million... and that didn’t include the unpriced Omnipotence increase!

Adding the eight million from broadcast and ticket sales brought the combined value to twenty-three million!

”Twenty-three million...”

Levi repeated the number, enjoying how it sounded... then opened his bank account.

He had no intention of selling the treasures or Citadel fragments for now. Fortunately, the Targons had left him plenty of other things he could part with.

He had already separated the materials useful to his evolution and business from their treasury, leaving the rest with licensed brokers... Their offers had finally reached a point he could accept without feeling robbed.

Levi approved the sales and combined the proceeds with his available funds... ten million went toward the company’s launch, with separate reserves for the park, Leviathans’ materials, territorial protection, and unforeseen expenses.

With the budget settled, he opened the Administration’s registration page and entered Dark Sun Beast Trading.

He linked the licenses registered under his business identity, confirming the approved harvesting, processing, transport, and sales categories.

After checking the details, he paid the fee from the launch budget.

[REGISTRATION AND CHARTER FEE: 10,000 NOCRIX CREDITS.]

[DARK SUN BEAST TRADING: REGISTERED.]

”Finally...”

Levi smiled at the announcement, allowing himself a moment to enjoy it before opening the list of facilities and staff the company still lacked.

The list was much longer than the registration form.

He sent Oracli the details and a proposal setting out their earlier discussion. The hunters would remain independent, while Levi handled the permits, transport, processing, and customers... expenses and the division of proceeds would be agreed upon for the commissions they accepted together.

Until Oracli settled his existing obligations and confirmed the arrangement, Levi couldn’t treat his squad as a guaranteed source of business.

Still, he needed people ready to handle the work when it arrived.

”It’s time to grow the family.”

Levi murmured as he posted his first employment listing, requesting an operations manager experienced with large biological materials. Two more followed for accounts and transport coordination.

By the time he finished the third, the first had received over a hundred applications!

”So eager... did I put an extra zero in the salary?”

He checked. He hadn’t.

The applicants included former department heads, licensed processors, and people who had supervised businesses larger than the one he intended to build. Several had worked in the industry longer than he had been alive.

His amusement faded as he went through their employment histories. Many shared a pattern... years of service, a closure or change of ownership, then a long period without work.

Levi selected one for a preliminary call.

The applicant had gray skin and small ivory horns. She answered his questions carefully, pausing whenever she needed to recall a detail.

”You supervised six storage facilities?”

”For twenty-three years, sir. Preservation, inventory, dispatch, and staff allocation.”

”Why did you leave?”

”The owner sold them... the new company brought its own managers.”

”That was almost a year ago.”

”Yes, sir. Most openings receive applicants with better qualifications than mine.” She hesitated. ”I applied for transport coordination as well. I wouldn’t object to a smaller role.”

Levi checked her qualifications again.

’Better than these?’

After answering his remaining questions, she asked whether the position included accommodation.

”It can be arranged. Is that a deciding factor?”

”My lease ends soon.”

”Would returning to your homeworld be an option?”

”It was lost to the corruption, sir.”

Levi stopped going through his list of questions.

Until then, he had been thinking about how fortunate he was to have so many experienced applicants... She was wondering whether she would still have somewhere to live.

”I’ll give you an answer within two days,” he assured her.

”Thank you, sir.”

After the call ended, Levi marked her application for further review. He wanted to help, but her circumstances couldn’t tell him whether she was the right person to manage his company.

An hour spent reviewing other applications showed him that her situation was far from unusual.

Qualified workers entered the market constantly, but decent positions rarely became vacant. Among races that lived for centuries, one person could occupy a post longer than an entire human career.

For many outsiders, employment also meant keeping their families somewhere safe... they couldn’t afford to leave a job merely because the person above them was unbearable.

Finding experienced workers wouldn’t be difficult... choosing whom to trust would.

Fortunately, he no longer had to handle that part alone.

Nurah joined him later that day and began reviewing the applications, following through on her offer from dinner.

”Have you promised anyone a position?”

”An answer within two days.”

”Good. Let me check their references first.”

Levi gave her access to the recruitment account, keeping all correspondence under the company identity. Nurah would check employment histories and references, while specialists arranged through Brahmin assessed professional competence.

Despite not being a good fighter, Brahmin thrived in business... if his own brother hadn’t betrayed him, the Zen Relic Store would have been on its way to franchising its products.

Shia took the equipment quotations and spending plan. She could compare the terms and identify unclear charges, but marked the technical questions for someone who understood the machinery.

Before long, she sent one of the quotations back to Levi.

”Does this price include installation?”

”It should.”

”Then make them write it.”

Levi opened the quotation again. The equipment specifications went on for several pages... the part about getting it working in his warehouse was less helpful.

He sent an inquiry to the supplier.

Shia was already moving on to the next quotation, while Nurah had begun arranging the first reference checks.

For a while, Levi found himself answering their questions instead of adding more to a list he had no time to finish.

Many expenses still needed clarification, and none of the applicants had been approved yet... but the work was finally moving without requiring him to handle every part of it.

’I should have told them sooner.’ Levi smiled in satisfaction.