Hi3rd: Achievement Hunter

Mobius never forgot her goal. The success of Project Soldier was but one of the things that pushed her envisioned "evolution of humanity" forward. She knew there was still a lot to do when it comes to it.

Her snake-like pupils expressed interest in the small black cube in Aleph's palm.

"This small thing looks like a toy, but it is a treasure held dearly by another civilization. You know, the ones that reside in this vast universe."

If there was something that could describe the Evolution Cube, it was the words "I don't know how it worked, but it is what it is."

Their creators, the Evolutionary Civilization, did not understand the reason behind its creation. It was similar to Aleph's case that led to the creation of something far beyond their current capabilities.

The Evolution Cube's impacts were there to see. They wouldn't have renamed themselves Evolutionary Civilization without the cube's help.

"This cube could optimize gene constructs. It enhances the current genome and removes their flaws. If a person integrated with a foreign genome, they would be matched perfectly."

Aleph's words allowed Mobius to understand why the cube was valued by an entire civilization. She already saw the effects it'll bring to humanity.

It was, in the greatest sense, the artifact that best answers her wishes.

"Can I touch it?"

Seeing her ask with an unusual amount of enthusiasm, Aleph was briefly caught off guard.

'...Right. This answers her goals… The evolution of humanity…'

"Sure."

Aleph placed it atop her hand without any hesitation. Mobius then looked at him briefly, a surge of emotions rising on her chest. The fact that he gave it to her without any hesitation speaks volumes of his trust.

For a moment, the evolution cube did not matter. Her original interest in it slightly waned as she was swept by the tides of emotions she rarely experienced.

It ended at that. Mobius remembered this moment in her heart. She set herself to focus on seeing what made this black cube special.

'Later…'

Unbeknownst to Aleph, he wasn't the only one who felt such chaotic urges.

The two continued interacting like this until Mobius gave it back to him. Knowing Aleph had to use the evolution cube in an airtight room, she said:

"I will be watching you."

"...Alright."

Somehow, Aleph felt some kind of inexplicable feeling when he heard these words.

Looking at Mobius' departing back, he sensed a feeling similar to Mei's and Kurumi's, the two women he could never win against.

'Am I overthinking it?'

He decided to face it once the time comes. He wasn't someone who would back down in a fight, after all.

Five minutes later, Aleph saw Mobius beyond the thick glass. The surroundings of this airtight room began to change. The internal oxygen tanks operated. 

"Hum."

He tested it and found that the soundwaves died out once they reached the walls.

Click.

Upon pressing the perfectly embedded button on the top of the cube, several lines appeared on its body. The cube began floating as black particles began to appear in large numbers.

[Contacted a new form of energy. Parsing available information…]

[Data has been added to the Embryonic Power System.]

[Available Conversion: Cursed Energy, Honkai Energy, Dark Energy, Evolutionary Energy (New)]

Aleph did not have the time to appreciate the prompts as the black particles started forming a cocoon around him.

When the particles began contacting his body, he swiftly lost consciousness.

*****

It was a field full of flowers. The place was the embodiment of a 'prairie', a sight that could not be found in the human world. It was a special place that resided deep in a certain planet. It was a realm separated by the so-called textures of humanity—a gap that separated the "fantasy" from "reality".

Flap-!

Swoosh-!

Aleph's eyes opened to the sight of an extremely huge black dragon landing in front of him.

Unlike most dragons told in myths, or even the one Fire MOTH faced during the second eruption, the black dragon was on the thinner side. Red lines decorated its entire body.

Sou-!

It used its two 'legs' to land into the ground. It then used its two 'arms' to prone in a lower position—to lower its head and meet its visitor.

Strangely enough, the flowers that should have been broken remained unharmed. The gust of wind swept through Aleph. His surroundings were under a metaphysical pressure that contended the world's laws. Its sheer presence was enough to distort space and turn the battlefield into something favorable to it.

"We meet again, inheritor of mine."

"Um. I did not expect this meeting." Aleph replied.

"So did I. Truly, unimaginable treasures beyond one's knowledge."

Albion pointed out the Evolution Cube he had used. His gaze was directed towards the clear blue sky.

Aleph looked at it and saw the sight of black particles slowly creeping at it.

"An artefact of this calibre would be of interest even to the great characters of my time." Albion muttered. "It is but a misfortune it falls short of its purpose."

The two were currently in a mental landscape—a special space formed by Albion's remaining thoughts. 

With Albion's completed remains, it was as solid as it could ever be. Even to its death, its strength compares to that of gods.

Thus, the Evolution Cube's function of forcing a 'genome' to integrate with its user did not completely work. After all, that 'genome' was none other than Albion itself.

"Is this considered cheating? You know, there were the trials you gave me…" Aleph asked awkwardly.

"It is thy strengths to acquire an artefact of this kind. It does not count as such."

Upon hearing Albion's response, he breathed a sigh of relief. 

'It's close… but I needed to do it.'

With the sixth Herrscher going missing for fifteen days, Aleph needed all the help he could find. Despite his energy reserves increasing more than twice than before, plus all the other rewards he got, he wasn't confident he could fight against the 'Herrscher of the End'. 

Its main strengths are its authorities. Without a way to deal with them, Aleph is at a disadvantage.

Moreover, it was also important he tests the Evolution Cube's effects first before giving it to others.

'I can deal if something bad occurs.'

Aleph was more confident to deal with unexpected accidents through Great Sage and Elemental Sight. 

Fortunately, it did not occur here.

"Before thy departure, I want to impart thee of knowledge." Albion suddenly spoke, its wings flapping slightly. "One related to thy greatest adversary."

"The Cocoon..?"

The dragon billions of years old casually dropped a bombshell.