Infinite Evolution: My Idle Evolution System - Chapter 270

Chapter 270: Keep a Close Eye on Him
The reactions of the dozen-plus Nightmare Slayers varied, but when the Captain of Platoon 42 approached Cassius, they ultimately quieted down. Although this Captain was only at the 2nd Stage, 3rd Class Slayer Rank, he was still far stronger than they were.

Patting Cassius’s shoulder, the Captain smiled heartily, his voice just as evoking. “You’ve done good in returning to us, kid. Not many would be able to survive such an encounter,” he said. “You even managed to stay alive for weeks in that damned place! That in and of itself is something to be awed at!”

“Mhmm…” was Cassius’s response, plain and simple.

He went on to nod to everything the Captain said, before finally obtaining permission to head over to his quarters—a small, basic room that had been cleared out for him. He settled in very quickly and began his cultivation session. He did not have the time to laze around right now. Any strength that could be gained had to be gained.

Platoon 42’s Captain, on the other hand, strolled throughout Fort EastWind, happily telling all the other Captains about the survivor who had returned after weeks inside the Boundless Gorge. This information spread to the ears of the hundreds upon hundreds of Slayers in the Fort before eventually making its way to the Administrators.

The Administrators—unlike the Captains of each Suicide Platoon—rarely ever changed. They were all highly specialized Nightmare Slayers who had retired from the battlefield and decided to make a career out of guiding Suicide Platoons. Every single one of them was in the 2nd Class Slayer Rank, with one designated to each Platoon.

This meant that there were 10 Administrators.

Above them were the three S Lieutenants and the Fort Commander. The S Lieutenants were like the protective force that the Fort relied on in the event of a Nightmare wave charting toward the extremely tall Fort walls. The Fort Commander, however, was more like a feudal lord, possessing full control over all his subordinates and even the land around them.

He was still the strongest, of course, but barely used his strength.

————–

The Administrator of Platoon 42—Dax Thorne—was a Slayer renowned for being in the Top 1000 All-time Nightmare Slayer rankings. As for the current rankings, he was ranked #23, putting him near the very top of the Nightmare Slayer hierarchy.

“You say the boy who placed first in this year’s Nightmare Slayer Examination Trials—the one who had been swarmed by countless Nightmares—came back alive?” Drax’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You checked to see if he was a Nightmare, did you not?”

Sensing the Administrator’s killing intent, his attendant sweated profusely. In his hands was a clipboard that detailed all the various reports made by hundreds of Suicide Slayers in the Fort.

The attendant nervously waved the clipboard in front of him, saying, “Y-Yes, Administrator Drax, sir! Cadet Cassius Steele was thoroughly scanned for any signs of internal Nightmare Essence before he even came into the Fort! He’s clean!”

A lot of the killing intent in the room dispersed. Administrator Drax’s expression cooled as he leaned his chin over his folded hands. The attendant felt like an iceberg had suddenly landed in the room but dared not even breathe.

When Administrator Drax thought to himself like this, it was best for everyone near him to just hush up and wait.

— After a few seconds that felt like an eternity for the attendant —

“Keep a close eye on Cadet Cassius,” Drax said. “But not close enough to make him doubt our sincerity and trust.”

“Can you do this?” he asked, his tone bone-chilling enough to leave the attendant frozen in place.

Though under the scary pressure being passively emitted by Drax, the attendant felt the ice block around him melt. And though it was through stutters, he found it in him to say, “I-I’ll accomplish this task, sir! I swear it!”

Drax looked away from the anxious attendant, his eyes now overlooking the documents scattered over his desk. It wasn’t until a couple of moments of tortuous silence later that he said, without looking back at the attendant, “You’re dismissed.”

“Y-Yes, sir!” The attendant saluted before scrambling out of there, leaving the Administrator to his own thoughts.

“To think another interesting character appeared in the Mistalore Kingdom, and one of such unknown origins as well,” he murmured, an amused glint in his gaze. “I do wonder how he’ll fare against that other kid, though.”

He nearly appeared hopeful for a second, but that was when he recalled the difference in status. He sighed, saying, “Even if this Cassius does somehow possess more innate Slayer Talent than someone directly descended from a Duke, his fire will be snuffed out by the larger forces at play.”

In the end, no matter how much talent one had, if they were unable to live long enough to fully uncover that talent, then it didn’t matter how much one had. Talent, by itself, was useless. Only with time could talent shine.

“It’s truly a pity…” Drax muttered, his gaze becoming a little listless. “Once that kid hears of Cassius’s talent and exploits, and most importantly, of his ambiguous relationship with the 12th Princess, he’s sure to take him out quietly.”

All such a pity…

— Meanwhile, within Room #789 of Fort EastWind, sitting cross-legged on a simple bed, was the cold-faced Cassius —

“With my Slayer Rank sitting at the very pinnacle of the Half-step 2nd Class Slayer Rank, I only need a chunk of time in order to finish developing my Slayer Dimension,” he said, his brows furrowed in focus. “The breakthrough into the 3rd Class Slayer Rank is one that requires the Slayer to successfully create a Slayer Weapon of their own. However, for the 2nd Class Slayer Rank breakthrough, one has to mold the chaotic inner elements around where they keep their Slayer Weapon and cultivation base. They mold the chaotic elements into what’s commonly referred to as the ‘Inner Slayer Dimension.'”

What Cassius was doing right now was exactly that—he was molding and shaping the space that held his Slayer Weapon and Slayer cultivation base. This was also a Dimension that would contain one’s Slayer Core, which would be formed when one was on the precipice of the 1st Class Slayer Rank.