Born in apocalypse

"Now we’re talking, aren’t we... so this is the level of Epic rank evolution, huh!" Dhruv whispered, reading the description of Flame Enchanter.

The more Dhruv understood the potential the more he happy he was getting.

’Man, this is just perfect as an option... it has all the things one wants. It gives an incredible increase in stats... two organs and even halves the energy cost during the mutation... even when it doesn’t have any skills...’

’...Isn’t this still a steal,’ Dhruv thought, still smiling.

’Let’s see what these two organs have to offer.’Satisfied with the description, Dhruv tapped on Ignition Core.

[Ignition Core - A specialized organ placed near the heart that generates and regulates fire mana efficiently, enhancing the potency of fire magic. The Ignition Core can be filled with either mana directly from the core or it can regenerate naturally like the main core.]

"Well... depending on the capacity of the core, couldn’t this be practically considered as a second core... Nice!!" Dhruv thought as he tapped on the Lava Lungs.

[Lava Lungs: Lungs adapted to withstand extreme heat, allowing the user to breathe even in volcanic environments and enhancing breath-based fire attacks.]

"Huuuuh! S-so it’s practically a resistance-type organ... if it weren’t for the fact that it can allow me to breathe in volcanic environments... this one would have no use to me," he whispered, considering that he had fire immunity being a phoenix-born.

After a minute of evaluation, Dhruv couldn’t find any proper reason to decline this evolution if he wanted to increase the potency of his fire magic... but the question was, did he want to do that?

Without thinking twice, he clicked on the next option.

...

[Phantom Illusionist (Epic): After becoming a Phantom Illusionist, there lies no difference between reality and illusion. You, a supreme illusionist, use powerful magic to create complex and convincing illusions, manipulating reality itself.

You have extreme knowledge in the field of advanced illusion casting. Slowly but surely, you will become proficient in invisibility, mind control, and reality manipulation itself.

+150 Magic Power, +25 each in Agility and Stamina, -20 in Strength, along with the organs [Phantom Cortex] and [Ethereal Eyes], will be given as a reward with this evolution. You can buy illusion-related organs at a discount of one-third.]

...

"...." Dhruv couldn’t speak for a second as he read the description. There were a few things he couldn’t wrap his head around.

’Invisibilty is good... Mind control is already freaky... what do you mean by reality manipulation, Cosmos... are you kidding me? I don’t think you are supposed to give me this much at this level...’ Dhruv couldn’t help but be a bit sarcastic.

There was so much to take in that he couldn’t help but take it as a joke... but he knew very well there wasn’t a single thing to joke about here. Everything was as real as it could be.

Now, Dhruv wasn’t entirely sure that he would get reality manipulation or how strong it would be... but just from it being in the description of his evolution, it meant he was on the right track.

’Illusion... Illusion... I know you are great. Shit, I love you so much. I will sure treat you better from now on,’ giggling, Dhruv praised himself for having the illusion of affinity.

After having fun for a few seconds, he ultimately calmed himself and continued reading the description.

As Dhruv continued reading he couldn’t help but be surprised that he was surprised by the description once again. Truly, it would be a day of surprises.

’Giving a straight-up bonus of 150 in magic power is great... But why did you have to take 20 points from my strength? Was that necessary?’ Dhruv asked looking high in the sky.

Even though he didn’t like it when his stats were robbed like that, Dhruv couldn’t help but find it fair. The cosmos wasn’t exactly stealing his stats; it was making an exchange.

Cutting his strength, it was adding it to his magic power... like how a proper mage should be.

’Well, everything is good till now... let’s see the organs, and I will make my decision,’ thinking this, Dhruv clicked on the Phantom Cortex.

[Phantom Cortex: A brain enhancement that improves mental agility and illusion creation, allowing for more complex and convincing illusions, as well as providing mental resistance.]

’Sooo it isn’t exactly a brain mutation but rather adding a part to it. Well, that is good; otherwise, all my work would be a waste. Let’s see what you can do.’

’Giving more speed to my thinking... Nice. Lending me a mind to increase the potency of my illusion creation... Good. Providing mental resistance... Great. Alright, I’m sold. this is the perfect thing one wants,’ Dhruv thought, smiling.

He was so impressed by the option that he would have bought this one if it weren’t free.

’Well, you have tough competition, Ethereal Eyes. You would replace my Sorcerer’s Eyes; let’s see if you have that much usefulness,’ thinking this, he clicked on the option.

[Ethereal Eyes: Eyes that can see through illusions and detect hidden objects or beings, enhancing perception and awareness. Upgrade it enough, and you can even see the soul of others.]

Well, What can I say, Dhruv was surprised once again.

’I can understand the rest, but what does it mean by "I can even see the soul of others"? Is it a metaphor or literal?’ Dhruv couldn’t understand what the Cosmos meant.

Even after scratching his head for a minute or two, he couldn’t figure it out. Not having much hope in himself, he forgot about it and pressed on the next option.

...

[Stellar Battlemage (Epic): Not satisfied with a single form of battle, why not use both? Combining martial prowess with magical talent, the Stellar Battlemage excels in both close combat and spellcasting, making them a versatile and formidable opponent.

Battlemage have extreme control over their body as they can augment it with mana at the deepest level. Starting to know about the art of Augmentation, the Stellar Battlemage gains affinity to [Augmentation magic].

+70 Magic Power +70 In Strength and +20 Each in Agility and Stamina along with the organ [Arcane Reservoir] and [Battleborn Heart]will be given as a reward with this evolution.

You can buy magic-related organs at a discount of one-fourth while physical organs at a discount of one-third.]

...