CHAPTER 57: EX 57. EVO POINTS!!!!!

The impact sent Leon flying sideways—a blur of blue and white crashing into the stone wall. The entire section of the hall exploded in rubble and dust. Debris filled the air as part of the wall caved in, burying him in a pile of stone.

"Leon!" Adrian called out in shock, shifting his stance as if to set Elizabeth down and jump into the fray.

But just as he did, Leon’s voice echoed sharply from beneath the rubble.

"Don’t come."

Adrian froze.

"You’re looking after Elizabeth—remember?"

And then—crack!—a huge chunk of stone shifted.

Adrian’s eyes widened as Leon shoved a massive slab of rubble off his body, dust falling from his hair, his expression ice cold. There wasn’t a single visible wound on him—only a faint glow surrounding his frame, an unnatural vitality pulsing under his skin.

Leon rolled his neck, gripping his sword tighter.

"...I think I can handle this,"

He dashed forward again—even faster than before—as the Cerberus let out another earth-shaking roar.

Adrian stood stunned—not just by Leon’s strength, but how he survived a blow like that without a scratch.

In his arms, Elizabeth shifted slightly. Her eyes remained closed, but her lids trembled as if reacting to something.

****

Leon’s breath came out in steady bursts as he clashed again and again with the monstrous Cerberus. The hallway trembled from the sheer force of their battle, shockwaves rippling through the underground structure with each devastating blow.

The beast’s massive claws slashed out with wild aggression—each swipe heavy enough to reduce boulders to dust—but Leon danced through them with uncanny resilience.

He wasn’t faster. He wasn’t stronger.

But he was tougher.

The Cerberus had superior stats, its A-rank pressure bearing down like a mountain. And yet, no matter how hard it hit, Leon refused to stay down.

The monster would swat him aside like a fly, send him crashing through debris and walls, but before the dust settled, Leon would already be on his feet again, unscathed—his glowing body radiating unnatural vitality.

It was his trump card. His current vitality stat—so absurdly high—turned every fatal wound into a scratch and every crash into a stumble.

He could push his body beyond its limits. If a strike exceeded what his muscles or bones could handle, they’d heal instantly—or, even stranger, not break at all.

This regeneration gave him a terrifying edge.

And yet—he didn’t know how long the boost would last.

The clock was ticking.

With narrowed eyes, Leon swapped out his sword mid-dash, returning his Tier V weapon to his inventory. In its place, he summoned his Tier VII crimson fang blade—a wicked, blood-red weapon that gleamed with hungry light. He hadn’t needed it before; his raw stats had always been enough to carry him. But now? He needed every advantage.

His blade clashed violently with the Cerberus’s paws. Sparks flew with each collision, metal grinding against beastly strength. The Cerberus snarled, annoyed at this relentless pest that wouldn’t die.

To the beast, Leon was like a chihuahua barking at a lion.

But this chihuahua had fangs.

The Cerberus lunged, its paws striking at Leon from different angles. Leon dodged low, then struck upward, his blade catching one of the paws in a brilliant slash as his critical hit activated.

His attack power spiked—ten times the norm.

But it only pushed the paw back.

"Tch," Leon muttered. "Still not enough..."

He’d landed plenty of criticals during this fight, but with his current strength stat lagging behind, they were barely effective. He needed more damage—more power.

He needed Attack Points.

"If only I had more strength," he thought, dodging another claw swipe and answering with a sharp, upward slash.

Claws and sword collided again and again, the hall glowing with flashes of red and silver, echoes of metal and monster fury filling the air. Still, the Cerberus pushed forward, and Leon refused to give ground.

Then—it happened.

He felt it in his hands: that electric pull, the surge of force deep within his blade—

Another critical hit incoming.

Leon braced himself, ready for another underwhelming ten-times multiplier. But this time... it was different.

A surge of internal force exploded through his body—six times stronger than the normal.

He didn’t even have time to process it. As his blade collided with the Cerberus’s paw again—

BOOM!!

The ground cracked. The air exploded with sound.

As the Cerberus was launched backward—sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing violently into the far wall of the chamber, shattering stone and sending chunks of debris in every direction.

Leon froze. His blade hummed with crimson light, his body still crackling with residual force.

"What... was that?" he whispered.

Then—two notifications blinked across his vision:

---

[X60 Critical Achieved]

[+1 Evo Point]

---

Leon stared in disbelief, his voice a whisper.

"So... it’s real."

It wasn’t strange that Leon was shocked by the notification. In fact, it would’ve been stranger if he wasn’t.

His mind instantly recalled a feature of his EX-ranked talent—{Attack}

---

[Evolution Points]:

Earned whenever a critical hit above x10 is achieved for the first time at a new highest critical multiplier.

Evolution Points can be used to evolve skills, weapons, armor, and even certain rare resources.

However, only criticals surpassing the user’s current record or the record itself will grant new Evo Points.

---

Leon’s brows furrowed as he processed it all over again.

Basically, it meant:

A critical multiplier above x10 was required.

Once a new highest multiplier was achieved, only that specific multiplier would yield Evo Points.

No Evo Points would be earned again unless he reached that critical.

So now that he’d landed a x60 critical, only x60 or higher would give him more Evo Points.

And that’s why this moment was monumental.

Because up till now...

Leon had never gotten a critical above x10.

He had started to believe the system was bugged—that perhaps something had gone wrong during his awakening. After all, how could he have an EX-ranked talent that spoke so grandly of evolution and potential, and yet never deliver even a single Evo Point?

But now?

Now it had finally happened.

And the relief hit him harder than the Cerberus had. He would’ve jumped and screamed out in celebration—if not for the raging three-headed death beast infront of him.

Still, he didn’t waste time.

"Open evolution panel," Leon muttered, and the familiar system UI blinked to life in his mind’s eye.

What he saw made his heart stop.

His lips parted as he breathed, "What the hell..."

...

Mass release if we get 100 golden tickets or 300 power stones before Saturday