Endless Evolution: Last Star

The changes were so great that it was comparable to the creation of a new world where different rules worked and new creatures lived, be they monsters or Phantoms, anomalies, or artifacts.

Last Star was the beginning and at the same time the end of all things. No one knew what the world was like before it, or if there were monsters and Phantoms before Last Star, but one thing was certain - it had happened, and never again would such a bright star appear in the night sky.

"What...? Midnight Crystals are shards from Last Star...? Last Star actually existed?" Adam exclaimed in disbelief.

He had, years ago, heard this story from Leona, his mother, as much as any child in the Citadel.

Now, Adam had a chance to touch something that had enough power to create a new world, even if it was only a tiny fraction less than a drop compared to the ocean.

"We believe that. It\'s impossible to confirm for sure since you\'d have to find the Last Star to know for sure, but it\'s the best explanation we have. Midnight Crystals contain great power within themselves, they are the catalyst for the development of any living thing both monster and Phantom." Silvana said seriously.

Adam nodded as an excited smile appeared on his face.

"So... I have to get the Midnight Crystal, but where is it located? I mean, I\'ve only been to a few areas in Dead Lands, but I haven\'t seen anything like it, not in Salt Village, not in Rusty Ruins, or even near Bastion Radon." Adam asked, puzzled.

"Because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Silvana replied confidently.

"What, the Midnight Crystals are hidden somewhere? Am I going to have to go to some underground location?" Adam suggested a few options, then he nodded and began rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Oh, that would be interesting."

Silvana shook her head.

"I\'m glad you have such enthusiasm, but you\'re wrong. First of all, Midnight Crystals fall from the sky like meteorites. Secondly, as it\'s not hard to guess, it only happens at night, so... this time you\'ll have to go to Dead Lands at this time..." Silvana said protractedly.

Adam nodded understandingly.

Sure, he had been to the Dead Lands a few times before in the late evening or at night.

Once it happened in an Isolated Forest, but then Damien had saved him, Katrin, and the others. Then, it was during Eclipse in Bastion Radon and the last time in the newbie location in Alienated Rocks.

Each time, there were some special conditions and circumstances, thus, for real, Adam had never yet been in Dead Lands specifically at night.

Well, it seemed that Adam had nothing to fear because he had defeated Thunder Demon, and since then he had only gotten stronger. However, that was a misconception.

In the morning, if Adam met Thunder Demon again, Thunder Demon would be his only problem. Most of the monsters around would be too weak and their numbers would be insignificant to make his life harder.

But, things were very different at night. Not only were there more monsters in Dead Lands, but their quality was also increasing.

Also, there could be unique monsters that came out to hunt only at night. Especially for them were created the Night White Book and Night Red Book.

Some monsters showed up only during the day, others only at night, and many at any time. Additionally, the rankings of the monsters were made with all periods taken into account.

Thus, Thunder Demon remained Top-2, neither day nor night, no monster could surpass him. Well, except for one...

"I see... Midnight Crystals fall from the sky and only at night, but there are special places for them, right?" Adam asked.

Silvana nodded quietly.

"Yeah. There are a lot of places like that, they\'re not areas, they\'re just territories where there\'s a lot of energy for some reason. This leads to a lot of monsters, anomalies, resources, and even the terrain itself changing over time. It\'s places like this that attract Midnight Crystals."

Silvana continued:

"Such territories are called quite simply - Midnight Zones. Not only because Midnight Crystals fall there, but also because the deeper into the night, the more dangerous they are. At night, there\'s more energy there than usual, though Midnight Zones surpass the normal territories of the Dead Lands in energy even during the day."

Adam stared thoughtfully ahead, scratching his chin.

"I get it. I\'ll need to go to a place filled with powerful monsters, at night, provided that the place becomes most dangerous at night. Damn, looks like there must be some real fucked up stuff going on there." Adam waved his hand.

Silvana\'s corners of her lips went up slightly as she nodded.

"It\'s like this. Monsters fight each other, and devour each other, the winners take the resources and only get stronger. Phantoms come there for the same purpose, and quite often, given the number and quality of the monsters, are killed by their paws."

Silvana took a deep breath.

"However, none of that matters. It\'s just insignificant compared to the Midnight Crystals that fall there every night. The point is that Midnight Crystal is not only needed by you to become stronger but also by the monsters. It\'s a valuable resource that\'s being hunted for."

Adam nodded understandingly.

"Well, I don\'t have any other choice anyway. I\'m even a little regretful that I\'ll have to put it off for a while because of Katrin\'s request." Adam shook his head.

Once again, his final test before gaining new powers was being delayed.

"It\'s not a problem. Or rather, there\'s nothing wrong with it. As long as you help Katrin, I\'ll be able to choose the right squad for you." Silvana said serenely.

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Adam tilted his head, "Squad?"

Adam didn\'t often fight only 1 on 1, because even in the fight against Thunder Demon he was assisted by Fred, his powerful arrow contributed a lot to the fight in general.

However, the last time Adam had been in a real squad was quite some time ago.

"Yeah, I can put in a request that you\'re going to get Midnight Crystal. That way, the mission department will find the right squad for you to advance and become a K2-Phantom. The other Phantoms will be rewarded properly for this." Silvana explained.

"Oh, and I won\'t have to pay for it? I mean, paying for an entire squad to work would be pretty damn expensive." Adam muttered, tapping the table slightly nervously.

Silvana chuckled with a carefree face.

"Of course not. In fact, I\'ve already gotten several messages from the mission department for you to go after Midnight Crystal, but I decided not to alarm you. They know you\'re ready and are willing to do whatever it takes to make you stronger and kill more monsters as soon as possible."

Silvana smiled brightly.

"Your advancement to K2, in the future, will bring the Citadel a profit of several millions and that\'s just in terms of materials. Obviously, a strong K1-Phantom like you will do even more amazing things being K2."

Adam found himself confused by Silvana\'s innocent smile and her words.

"I hope so."

Then, Adam turned to the side, looking off into the distance.

For some reason, even though there was still Katrin\'s mission before visiting Midnight Zone, he felt an inner anxiety and a strange excitement. It was as if the big day was coming sooner than planned.