Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 2: Eclipse

In Citadel F1, every citizen believed there was only a single path to becoming a Phantom—a superior existence far beyond ordinary humanity. That path required one to awaken a natural talent known as a Spark.

In truth, a second method existed, though it was a closely guarded secret. If the public knew, the resulting chaos would destroy the Citadel, as thousands would throw away their lives in a desperate gamble to join the ranks of the Phantoms.

This hidden path involved slaying a monster, but the conditions were absolute: it had to be a solo duel. If any assistance was provided or if others were nearby, the creature's initial gene would destabilize. Without that stability, it would be impossible to awaken a person's Evolution Tree.

Whether by luck or fate, the death of the man before Adam granted him the chance to become a Phantom, even though Adam had been hovering on the brink of death throughout the brief, violent struggle.

"I... I actually succeeded? The monster is dead...?" Adam’s face twisted into a manic grin as adrenaline flooded his system and a storm of emotions surged through him. "Wait... the Evolution Tree has awakened? Did I possess a Spark all along?"

To every resident of the Citadel, becoming a Phantom was the ultimate dream. It was the only gateway to a prosperous future and the only way to escape the constant terror of the monsters.

[Warning!]

[The monster gene is currently viable as an initial gene. Execute Revolve immediately!]

The system messages acted like a bucket of ice water, snapping Adam out of his daze. He scrambled toward the remains of the Silver Weaver.

Though Adam had never performed Revolve, an instinctual force within him fought to be released. He simply surrendered to the sensation.

A shimmering white vortex manifested before his palm. As it spun, the Silver Weaver’s corpse began to vibrate, and a swarm of glowing runes emerged. They spiraled toward the center of the vortex before flowing directly into Adam’s body.

[Silver Weaver Gene acquired!]

[Initial gene established!]

[The Evolution Tree has commenced its growth!]

Adam’s gaze turned vacant as his consciousness sank into a dark abyss, eventually finding itself within a vast, starlit expanse that seemed to encompass the entire cosmos.

His attention ignored the millions of distant stars, fixing instead on a single point: a white seed that was rapidly germinating. It grew into a sapling, sprouting several young branches.

A torrent of runes rushed past him, coalescing into a sphere of silk that took its place at the heart of the Evolution Tree.

The tree trembled, sending ripples through the fabric of space. A carved ring appeared on the trunk surrounding the silk sphere, radiating a pure, liberated white energy.

[First Circle of Evolution achieved!]

In response to the advancement, a mote of light shot out from the silk sphere and embedded itself into Adam’s forehead. His blue eyes flashed with a brilliant light, and the world suddenly looked entirely different to him.

[Initial Gene Order received: Silver Weaver]

[Weaver’s Needle: Transform thread into a unique tool capable of both slaughter and craftsmanship—it can even stitch the fabric of reality itself.]

As a mere denizen of the slums, Adam was plagued by questions; he knew almost nothing of the Phantoms' true power. With no one to guide him, he would have to uncover these mysteries on his own.

His awareness snapped back to the physical world, surrounded by the wreckage of a metal container and piles of the dead.

'Think... I have to think... How do I survive this...?!' Adam screamed internally, racking his brain for any scrap of knowledge regarding the Dead Lands.

'The caravans... that’s it. The next Eclipse shouldn't happen for a few days, so it should be relatively safe for now, right? There are bound to be Phantoms nearby!' Adam thought with a surge of hope. He moved to the fallen man and began stripping the corpse of its gear.

He took no pleasure in the act, but it was a matter of survival. Without proper equipment, the sandstorms would choke him; the goggles alone were an essential defense.

The Eclipse was a recurring nightmare, occurring roughly once a week. When night fell, the moon would vanish, drowning the world in absolute blackness. For twelve hours, the Citadel’s military and Phantoms would fight for their lives against endless tides of monsters.

These Eclipses had plagued the world since the Fall of the Last Star, an ancient catastrophe that predated modern memory.

When the Last Star—the greatest of all celestial bodies—fell, the world was shattered. Most of the planet turned into a desolate wasteland, monsters crawled out of the shadows, and humans with supernatural abilities began to emerge.

Rumors suggested that the Eclipses were a process intended to restore the Last Star’s light, but such tales were largely dismissed as myth.

Adam began to walk, his footsteps heavy as he moved past the Silver Weaver's remains and stepped out of the container. For the first time, he beheld the Dead Lands he had heard stories about since childhood. For ordinary citizens, this place was certain death; only Phantoms could survive such a hellscape.

"What is this...?" Adam gasped, his eyes wide with shock. Hundreds of monster corpses littered the ground, many already partially buried by the shifting sands.

He looked back at the headless man in the container. "Did he kill all of these, or was it that monster? I’ve never even heard of a Silver Weaver... Is it listed in the Red Book?"

The Dead Lands were teeming with diverse monsters, each possessing distinct powers and terrifying forms.

Because monsters were the primary threat to survival, a comprehensive directory had been established. The White Book, which contained data and photos of common monsters, was distributed even to the slums so that everyone knew what they were up against.

However, the Red Book was reserved for rare and extreme threats. Information within it was often incomplete or missing images, and access was strictly limited to the nobility and the Phantoms.

"I shouldn't get my hopes up. I only know a fraction of the White Book, so the odds of this being a rare find are tiny..." Adam whispered, picking his way through the field of carcasses.

Usually, carnage would draw scavengers, but the sheer scale of the slaughter seemed to have frightened other predators away.

Adam hadn't been the one to clear this area, but to any observer, a man walking calmly through a graveyard of monsters was a terrifying sight. No one would dare bother him.

Realizing he had overlooked an opportunity, Adam stopped and pointed his hand at a nearby corpse, invoking Revolve.

The vortex appeared, but it failed to extract any genetic material.

"Damn... I was hoping it would be that easy. What a letdown," Adam sighed, turning his attention toward a towering sand dune.

To harvest genes, one had to be involved in the kill; Revolve required a spiritual connection to the creature's death. While not as demanding as the requirements for a Spark, it was a fundamental law of their world.

Only Phantoms or those wielding high-tech weaponry could gather new genes. Yet, against the strongest monsters, technology was useless. Humanity relied entirely on Phantoms, for without the constant influx of monster genes, their race would have been extinct long ago.

'I'm not looking for a fight. I just need to get back to the Citadel...' Adam thought as he struggled to the top of the dune.

The horizon stretched out before him, a desolate landscape of endless sand and biting winds. There was no sign of life.

Even from his high vantage point, there was no trace of a caravan. He would have spotted the dust clouds easily if one were nearby.

'I'm screwed. I can't reach the Citadel on foot alone. If I don't find a caravan, I'm just monster bait,' Adam mused, rubbing his chin in frustration.

Suddenly, the sky darkened as heavy clouds gathered with unnatural speed. Lightning began to flicker, and within seconds, a massive barrage of bolts slammed into the desert floor.

The lightning ceased, but the storm clouds continued to swell, blanketing the sky. Static discharges began to dance across the sand like erratic ball lightning.

"Is that...?" Adam squinted at a small object resting where the lightning had struck.

It was a spherical blue stone fitted with crystalline rods. The rods were flattened at the tips and didn't touch, yet arcs of electricity leaped between them constantly.

"A False Orb... No way... Can I really be this lucky? Is that an Artifact?"

Adam was stunned. Artifacts were legendary for their unique powers and extreme rarity, but more importantly, they were worth a king's ransom. Selling a single one would be enough to save his family from the slums forever.

Just then, a long, eel-like creature—usually found in deep rivers—erupted from the sand. Thunderous electrical pulses rippled across its skin as it dove back into the dunes, only to resurface elsewhere within the lightning anomaly.

Adam swallowed hard, his face turning pale as fear gripped him.

Yet, the hesitation didn't last long. It was quickly replaced by a cold, unwavering resolve to seize this chance and change his destiny.