The silence in the Molten Deeps was no longer oppressive, but peaceful, earned. Adam immediately set to work, consuming the remains of the Magma Lord. The energy was immense, and as he absorbed its fiery essence, a new fragment completed.

[ You have consumed The Magma Lord. ]

[ Vitality +3 ]

[ Heat Resistance has reached Level 3! ]

[ Skill Fragment Acquired: Fire Breath (0.5/1.0) ]

"Fire Breath?" Adam mused, a wry thought forming. "At this rate, I'm going to end up as a proper dragon. Not that I'm complaining."

His body ached, and his mana and stamina were critically low. He could feel his Rapid Regeneration slowly knitting his flesh back together, but it would take time. His first priority was Alice. Her breathing was steadier, but the burn on her flank was severe.

"The health potion is gone. Here, drink this," he said, having Alice retrieve the yellow Mana Potion. He wasn't sure if it would help her directly, but the concentrated magical energy might stimulate her own innate healing.

She lapped it up dutifully. Next, he had her bring out the various glowing herbs and mosses they had stored from the forest. "Eat these. They should help you heal."

While she rested and consumed the medicinal flora, Adam focused inward. The golden prompt was waiting, more intricate and demanding than ever before.

[ Evolution Available! ]

[ Accumulated EP: 2807/2500 ]

[ Select your Path: ]

Three new, distinct evolutionary trees materialized in his mind, each representing a pinnacle of a different aspect of his power.

Path 1: Venomous Abyssal Serpent

"Refine your nature as a bringer of swift, toxic death. Your venom becomes your ultimate authority."

◇Evolved Form: Venomous Abyssal Serpent

◇Primary Boosts: Extreme Agility & Intelligence, High Strength.

◇New Trait: Neurotoxic Aura (Passive): Your very presence exudes a subtle, paralytic mist, weakening foes in close proximity.

◇New Skill: Venom Cascade (Active): Your next venomous attack chains to nearby targets, spreading paralysis and damage among groups.

Path 2: Stormdrake Serpent

"Embrace the untamed power of the storm. Your wings command the wind and your strikes carry the crackle of lightning."

◇Evolved Form: Stormdrake Serpent

◇Primary Boosts: Extreme Agility & Strength, High Vitality.

◇New Trait: Storm-Ridden Wings (Passive): Your flight generates localized electrical disturbances, and your Gale-based skills are infused with shocking power.

♡New Skill: Lightning Lash (Active): Fire a whip-like bolt of lightning from your tail that can stun and damage multiple enemies in a line.

Path 3: Magma-Forged Serpent

"Become one with the destructive power of the earth's core. Your scales turn to obsidian and your breath to fire."

◇Evolved Form: Obsidian Monarch Serpent

◇Primary Boosts: Extreme Strength & Vitality, High Agility.

◇New Trait: Volcanic Hide (Passive): Your Scale Fortification evolves, granting immense fire immunity and reflecting a portion of melee damage back as fire.

♡New Skill: Magma Maw (Active): Unleash a cone of superheated magma and rock, devastating everything in front of you.

Adam stared at the choices, his mind racing. Each path was a dramatic leap in power, fundamentally altering his combat style.

The Venomous Abyssal path was the ultimate assassin, perfect for the silent, single-target kills he was accustomed to.

The Stormdrake path amplified his aerial dominance and added a devastating new element of crowd control with lightning.

Obsidian Monarch path was the brute force option, making him an unstoppable, fiery juggernaut, a true lord of the deep, hot realms.

He looked at the still-recovering Alice, then at the charred hole in the cavern wall left by his Cyclone Cutter. He had unlocked a power born of wind and force. He had just survived a battle against overwhelming fire.

Adam's gaze swept over the three paths once more, but his mind was already made up. The memory of the Arachnowyrm's suffocating web and the chilling touch of its Rime-Tail was a brand on his soul. Caution and subtlety had their place, but against such primordial horrors, what he needed was not to be a better assassin, but an unstoppable force.

"The Obsidian Monarch path," he decided, his mental voice firm and resolute. "Against that spider, speed and venom won't be enough. I need to be able to walk through its frost and break its legs. I need to become something it cannot hope to entangle or freeze."

He focused his will on the third option.

[ You have selected: Obsidian Monarch Serpent]

[ Proceed with Evolution? Y/N ]

Y.

The energy that consumed him was not a gentle wave but a volcanic eruption from within. It was a feeling of being tempered, forged in a star's heart. His scales screamed as they thickened, darkened, and took on the glossy, unyielding sheen of polished obsidian.

He felt his body expanding, his muscles swelling with raw, tectonic power. His bones creaked and groaned as they reinforced, becoming pillars capable of supporting his new, denser form.

The most dramatic change came to his head and wings. From his brow, two massive, backward-curving horns erupted, their points as sharp as spearheads, making his visage truly intimidating.

His Glidewings, once sleek membranes, thickened and strengthened, the supporting bones becoming robust and leathery, more like the wings of a demonic gargoyle than a serpent. They were now shields as much as they were tools of flight.

When the cataclysmic process ended, Adam was a leviathan of black stone and latent fire. He was the Obsidian Monarch Serpent. He uncoiled, his movements slower, more deliberate, but each one carried the weight of a landslide. He flexed his new wings, the downstroke creating a gust of hot wind that scattered the cooled rock dust around him.

[ Status ]

Name:Adam Smith

Species:Obsidian Monarch Serpent

Level:32

Next Level:15/165

Evolution Points:307/3000

Skill Points:5

[ New Traits ]

Volcanic Hide (Passive):Near-total immunity to fire and extreme heat. Reflects a portion of melee physical damage back as fire.

Magma Maw (Active):Unleash a cone of superheated magma.

He looked at Alice, who was staring at him with wide, awestruck eyes. "You look… like a king," she whispered through their bond.

"A king of the deep dark," Adam replied, his voice a deeper, more resonant rumble in her mind. He felt it too. This was not just another step up, this was a change in caste.

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