The essence didn't simply disappear. It still worked. Just differently. The system no longer conveniently converted everything into a direct racial advancement.
Instead, the creature absorbed the raw evolutionary essence itself. How useful that essence became depended entirely on the creature.
For something already far beyond the crystal's grade, a single Extraordinary Evolution Essence Crystal obviously wouldn't acplish much. It was like pouring a cup of water into a lake. The water still entered the lake. There simply wasn't enough of it to noticeably raise the water level.
And that was exactly what Michael wanted. He wasn't trying to evolve the ghost with an Extraordinary-grade crystal.
That would be ridiculous. He only wanted her to experience what was inside it.
Michael's gaze shifted from the crystal to the ghost. Her silver eyes remained fixed upon his hand. Michael's heartbeat accelerated slightly.
This was probably one of the most reckless experiments he had ever attempted. He was about to introduce an energy provided by his talent into the body of a Demigod he had met less than an hour ago.
However, as crazy as it sounded, Michael trusted undead more than he trusted other intelligent beings.
At least they wouldn't scheme against him in secret. If they had malice toward him, it would be pure and open.
Michael's connection with the surrounding space tightened. His hand remained on Isabella. One wrong reaction, or one fluctuation of hostility, and he was gone.
Michael looked directly into the ghost's silver eyes.
"Don't resist."
"Why?"
"I promise you, you'll like this."
The ghost stared at him for a moment. Then nodded.
"Okay."
Michael almost questioned whether she should really trust someone that easily. Then he remembered Death's Heir.
Right. Probably my fault.
Michael slowly tightened his fingers.
Crack.
A fracture appeared across the Evolution Essence Crystal. The ghost's eyes immediately moved toward it.
Crack!
More fractures spread. The light trapped within the crystal intensified until the entire thing resembled a tiny star resting within Michael's palm.
Then Michael crushed it.
Shatter!
The crystal collapsed into countless fragments. But before they could fall, the fragments dissolved. A strange translucent essence emerged from them.
It didn't resemble ordinary mana. The energy was almost colorless, possessing only a faint silver-white tint, yet Michael could feel the peculiar vitality contained within it. That was the closest description Michael could give it.
Unfortunately, perhaps only when he ascended to a higher rank could he understand what this energy truly was.
Michael controlled the essence carefully.
"Here."
The stream of evolutionary energy floated toward the ghost.
Michael watched her expression. The ghost watched the energy. For the first time, she seemed slightly cautious. Her silver eyes narrowed as the essence approached her translucent fingers.
Michael's eyes brightened. The evolutionary essence flowed through her hand. Then her arm. Then gradually spread throughout her spiritual body.
The effect was immediate. The ghost froze. Her silver eyes widened.
"…"
Michael's heartbeat accelerated. He could sense it. The Extraordinary-grade essence was laughably small pared to the terrifying amount of energy contained within her.
It entered her existence and practically disappeared. There was no advancement or visible strengthening. Not even a measurable increase in her aura.
Exactly as Michael expected.
if she isn't stupid, she should have felt it by now.
The ghost remained frozen for several seconds. Then her expression drastically changed. Though ghosts, as part of the undead family, were even more expressive than a race like vampires, Michael hadn't expected to see this level of expressiveness from her.
Greed.
It was raw. Almost frighteningly pure.
Michael's heart skipped. At the same time, the ghost's aura surged out of control.
BOOM!
The ravine shook violently. Countless cracks spread through the surrounding cliffs. The air distorted beneath the weight of Demigod-level pressure. It wasn't directed at Michael.
It was simply the ghost losing control for a brief moment under the sudden force of what she had felt.
Unfortunately, that distinction meant absolutely nothing to Michael.
The moment her aura erupted, he disappeared. Space folded. Michael and Isabella vanished from the ravine.
The next instant, they appeared several kilometres away in the air. Michael didn't stop. His Law surged again. He was already preparing another teleportation.
But just before space folded again, an intention reached him from behind.
"Please don't run."
Michael froze in midair. His expression became extremely cautious.
Isabella remained clutched beside him. Neither turned around immediately.
Michael's perception expanded. The ghost was approaching. Fast.
Michael's mana gathered again. Then she stopped, a hundred metres away.
Michael finally turned. The ghost floated there almost as if she had somehow understood that approaching too closely might send him running again.
Her silver eyes were still unusually bright. The excitement had not disappeared. But her aura was now pletely restrained.
Michael narrowed his eyes.
"What do you want?"
The ghost's expression became slightly troubled. Then her gaze dropped toward Michael's hands.
"That thing."
Michael immediately understood.
"The crystal?"
She nodded rapidly.
"I want more."
Michael didn't respond.
The ghost seemed to think. Then she raised both hands and began gesturing awkwardly.
"A lot."
Michael's eyebrow rose.
"How much?"
The ghost paused. Clearly, numbers were not something she used often. She spread her fingers. Then repeated the gesture.
Again. Again. Again.
Michael stared blankly.
The ghost frowned. Then tried municating through intent instead. The meaning that reached Michael was extremely crude.
Michael's expression slowly became strange.
"Are you asking for…"
He mentally translated the vague quantity.
"…tens of thousands?"
The ghost's eyes brightened.
"Yes."
Michael nearly choked.
Why doesn't she just say she wants to rob me instead?
A single crystal of the level he had given her cost 30,000 Evolution Points to make. Don't even talk about 10,000; he couldn't even afford a thousand, which would be about 30 million Evolution Points.
With that much, he could evolve thirty of her to Legendary grade.
However, it wasn't like Michael couldn't understand her. He had expected this.
pared to intelligent races, monsters, regardless of kind, craved evolution more purely than anything else.
Months ago, Michael had experimented with a Rare-grade monster using a mon-grade Evolution Essence Crystal, and the result was no different from what he was seeing now.
Yes.
If used right, Michael could make his Evolution Essence Crystals no different from an addictive drug for supernatural creatures.
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