Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 41  Crown Type

Adam wanted to reveal his Lock before the next Eclipse, but his plans were not destined to come true. Sometimes, expectations had to be altered to fit reality, or what was expected might never happen.

The first thing Adam did was to find out all the information about Crown Type, with Silvana helping him as always. He had to know what kind of enemy he would fight against.

"Agh... This is not something I could be prepared for..." Adam muttered holding the tablet in his hands.

Prime Type - was assigned to a monster that was the strongest individual of a certain species. In fact, it was a small group of individuals in a species that were significantly stronger than their fellows. More often than not, they were either born that way or slowly grew stronger.

Unlike them, Crown Types were mostly lonely. There was no one weaker or stronger among their kind, as they had moved so far down the evolutionary chain that they were practically a new species. The dinosaurs and the common chicken would be ideal for comparison, for they were the closest relatives, but they were obviously infinitely far apart on all factors except DNA.

That's why no matter what species a particular Crown Monster came from, they were a different species, both in the Citadel directory and the Vault.

Other than that, Crown Monsters almost always traveled alone, they didn't have Nests or large groups. However, this did not mean that hunting them was easy, on the contrary, the Crown Type was much stronger than the Prime Type, with all other things being equal.

Their power had a simple reason - Crown Monsters were undefeated, literally. They had evolved for years and had gone through deadly battles, one after another, every single time. They survived because they never lost and always grew stronger after their fights until they finally became Crown Type.

Their appearance, specifically their anthropomorphic physique was somewhat of a mystery. Scientists supposed that it was due to their evolution being shaped solely for combat. The human physique had no advantages in the form of extra arms or tails, but also had no disadvantages, so everything depended on mastery and skill. Moreover, even though the physique was the same as humans, it didn't mean that Crown Type looked like humans, they could have powerful jaws, long fangs, and sharp claws. Also, their bodies could be covered in scales, plates, or chitin, everything was individual.

Crackle.

The iron gate opened as Adam and Silvana entered the chamber of the virtual zone. Normally, even Naturalborn Phantom would have had trouble gaining access to the chamber within hours of requesting it, but Silvana had sent the request directly to the missions department.

The fact that Adam's Beginning Monster was a Crown Type put him in a unique and difficult position.

If he succeeded, he could make a real breakthrough in the path of power, but the chances of failure were just as great.

Adam and Silvana had to do their best to make the odds stop being 50/50 and shift to 60/40 or even 70/30. The missions department and all other departments had to help them achieve that goal.

"Where do we start?" Adam asked, looking at the wall. Behind the wide one-way glass stood Silvana in front of the computers.

"First, we need to figure out how well you can fight against this type of opponent at all. I'll load the weakest known Crown Type into the simulation." Silvana said before pressing a button.

Unlike last time, the simulation didn't start creating a special desert-like biome. Adam simply found himself in the middle of the arena, in the center of the ancient colosseum. There was more than enough space for maneuvers and direct combat.

Then, a silhouette with a human build appeared out of the darkness.

"This is Granite Ghost, Green Threat Level, Red Book." Silvana explained while the monster emerged from the darkness.

Adam smiled bitterly. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Exactly the same parameters as the Prime Stone Goliath... and you said it's the weakest known Crown Monster?"

Silvana nodded.

"Yes. With a 99% probability, your Beginning Monster will be stronger. Well, it's time to get started, good luck."

Step. Step. Another Step. Granite Ghost approached Adam with a calm gaze.

Granite Ghost's body was covered by a solid dark stone armor with sharp ends on its shoulders and head that covered it like a sinister helmet. Granite Ghost had only three fingers instead of five, but they were long and sharpened. There were flat outgrowths on his elbows and knees - for extra defense and speed.

Granite Ghost's eyes were not human-like, they were black, with three white pupils. Instead of a mouth, there was a tear made of a web of purple crystals, occasionally flashing with bright light.

"Hmm... Perhaps it's all about lack of experience, but you don't look strong at all." Adam muttered as his eyes sparkled and a needle appeared in his hands.

Granite Ghost tilted his head with interest watching Adam, then he lunged forward, shaking the ground beneath him.

Adam's pupils narrowed as he swung the needle, about to pierce his opponent. Adam had almost reached his goal, the tip of the needle was heading towards Granite Ghost's chest, and in a moment it would pierce it.

Crackle. Before Adam could realize anything, a stone fist slammed into his face.

The impact, threw Adam aside, blood spurted from his broken nose, and waves of pain traveled through his entire body.

"Fuck! That was intense!" Adam exclaimed, quickly regaining his balance and stopping.

However, Granite Ghost was already in front of him, delivering the next blow.

Adam took a step to the side, dodging.

"Agh...?"

Adam's eyes went wide as the world in front of him tilted. Only a second later did he realize that Granite Ghost had kicked him in the legs, knocking him off balance.

Then, Granite Ghost stepped forward, grabbed Adam by the arm, and with all his might, slammed him to the ground.

The loud crack of Adam's breaking bones spread through the arena, only to be soon silenced by the Granite Ghost's fingers that went deep into his eyes, piercing his brain.

Whooooooooooooooooooosh.

Granite Ghost disappeared, falling apart into particles just like the arena and Adam's wounds.

He came to his senses, slowly rose from the ground, and looked at Silvana in shock.

"How does it feel?" Silvana asked. She had clearly expected this result. "Very strange... so much so that I even forgot about the pain, though it wasn't real anyway. It felt like I was fighting against a human instead of a monster, a very experienced person who knows how to fight exactly in 1 vs. 1." Adam muttered, staring into the void.

Silvana nodded.

"Crown Type are the perfect warriors, unconquerable and invincible. That's what makes them different from the others. A Desert Lizard or Rat won't throw you over their shoulder or grab you, but a Granite Ghost will." Silvana explained.

Adam nodded with a thoughtful look.

"It's the same as martial arts and what the military teaches... Being able to fight against other monsters means nothing against a Crown Type..."

"I didn't expect you to come to that conclusion so quickly. You're right, but let's not waste time. Next try?"

"Sure." Adam nodded, and Silvana started the simulation.