Vesha looked at the creature. She thought for a moment before answering, "I'm not completely sure, but judging by its physical traits, you'd probably gain its wings. ''
Adyr also examined the Dawn Raven. If he had to name its most striking physical trait, it would be the bright, eye-catching white feathers.
What if I gain those feathers? Wouldn't that just make me a chicken? He thought, mildly amused.
Vesha continued, "As for the innate talent..."
She paused, a faint tremble running through her as the memory of the Raven turning her guard into a skeleton flashed in her mind. The trauma was still there, buried but not forgotten.
Her voice shook slightly as she continued. "From what I understand, its power seems tied to life energy... or something like that. If you inherited this ability, it would probably let you control life force in some way. But it wouldn't be strong enough to raise the dead like it did. The power you receive would be diluted. Maybe just enough to heal yourself or others."
"Is that so?"
Adyr looked somewhat pleased with the answer. Gaining wings and a healing ability didn't sound like a bad deal. Dawn Raven didn't seem like such a bad choice for his evolution after all.
He asked a few more questions, but Vesha advised him not to rush the decision. She suggested waiting until they reached the Kingdom, where he could speak with other practitioners first.
Even a rank 1 spark wasn't easy to catch, she explained. But with some luck, a practitioner in the Kingdom might have one they'd be willing to part with.
With this, Adyr learned another crucial piece of information. Sparks weren't just essential for evolution—they could also be captured and used even after evolving. Practitioners were able to wield their powers directly.
That meant, just as Vesha had said, other practitioners likely had additional sparks in their possession, ones they actively used in combat or daily life.
While preparing the meal and later as they ate, Adyr kept the conversation going with Vesha, slipping in questions between casual remarks. By the time they were done, he had learned a great deal and gained a clearer picture of this world, at least through her eyes.
Afterwards, Vesha went back to the carriage to rest. Adyr wandered through the forest for a while, hoping to stumble upon something useful or worth noting, but when he found nothing of value, he returned as well.
He was completely done with this place and wanted to take the carriage and head back to the Kingdom, but his current situation didn't allow for it.
From what he had learned, the return trip would take about half a day without rest. However, Adyr's time in the game was limited. If they set off and the game helmet's battery died mid-journey, his body would lose consciousness, and Vesha still wasn't well enough to drive the carriage on her own.
On top of that, the road ahead might be more dangerous than where they were now. There was always a chance they could be attacked while he was offline.
That left him with two possible options. Either Vesha would recover enough to handle the carriage alone, which still carried the risk of bandits or wild beasts, or Adyr had to find a solution to extend his in-game time.
"Looks like it's time to talk to Victor," Adyr muttered to himself as he climbed into the carriage and logged out.
—
The next day, Adyr skipped his first class again and stepped into a phone booth on campus, willing to pay one credit per minute to dial Victor's number. He could've called from home, but the landline charged twice as much, and given his financial situation, he couldn't afford that kind of waste.
That last delivery fee, forty-five credits, still lingered like a fresh wound.
The call connected and rang a few times. Just as Adyr was about to hang up, thinking Victor was busy, the line picked up.
"Who are you?" Victor's voice came through, sharp and suspicious.
"Call this number back," Adyr said, then hung up without reacting to Victor's confused, "Wait, who are you?"
He had no intention of burning credits by the minute—Victor had more than enough money for this kind of thing.
Seconds later, the phone rang. Adyr picked up.
"Hey, who the fuck are you, hanging up on me?" Victor's irritated voice barked through the receiver.
"Relax, it's me. Adyr."
"Adyr? Oh, damn. I thought some hot girl got my number and was trying to hit on me," Victor said, his tone shifting to amused laziness.
"The only thing hitting you would be their boyfriends' punches, Victor," Adyr said with a dry chuckle.
"Adds spice to the fun, if you ask me," Victor laughed, then shifted to a more curious tone. "But you calling me? That's not normal. What's up?"
"It's about the division you mentioned," Adyr replied.
"So you decided to join? Dude, trust me—you won't regret it. The place already looks amazing. Not to brag, but I helped design most of it. Actually, screw it—I am bragging. Haha!" Victor sounded clearly excited.
"Yeah, I can already picture the urinals and sinks shaped like women's asses," Adyr muttered, exhaling slowly.
"Wait... how the hell do you know that?" Victor asked, genuinely caught off guard.
"You know what, don't answer that," Victor cut in quickly, clearly certain that whatever Adyr might say would bruise his ego. ''Are you on campus? I can send someone to pick you up, give you a proper look at the place.''
Adyr thought it over for a moment. It wasn't a bad offer and definitely better than sitting through another boring class.
''Sure. I'll wait at the bus stop,'' he said.
Risking his scholarship was a concern, but if it came to that, he'd figure something out.
After hanging up, he made his way to the bus stop. When he arrived, someone was already waiting for him.
"Mr. Adyr?" A large man in a black suit approached. Unlike Adyr, he wasn't wearing a mask or protective goggles.
"Yes, that's me," Adyr replied.
The man gave him a sharp, almost irritated look, sizing him up from head to toe before stepping aside and opening the passenger door of a large black SUV. "Please get in."
Adyr smiled inwardly. The man looked torn between politeness and annoyance. Serving someone like him probably felt like an insult to his pride, but orders were orders.
Without a word, Adyr stepped in and let the man shut the door behind him.
Half an hour passed in silence before the driver finally spoke. "We've arrived."
Adyr glanced out the window. One look at the newly built facility was enough to catch him off guard.
They really went all in on this.