Evolving Classes In The Apocalypse-Chapter 21: Time Up

He still didn’t respond to me, and I didn’t know much about what had transpired with the transport, but I could piece a few things together from what was going on here and the things he had said.

First, this man was not as loyal to the government as Enforcers were supposed to be. I had seen Vorn take several actions even though he looked like he’d rather do it another way. He was bound by a code of duty to the New Earth Government. This one flat out was not.

So he wasn’t taking me to the government. He was going to sell me to my father’s enemy, to make a lot of money. Which meant the only way out of this was to escape.

’But escaping an Adept...’ I stopped my thoughts and inhaled. ’No. I should be able to pull it off.’

I had one hell of a Class, after all. But the sad part was, I didn’t know how much time had passed. It still had to be a few hours before I could eventually evolve to the Novice rank, and I didn’t know how long the journey to this man’s client would take.

’I should check how much time has passed first, and see how much is left.’

[Axiom Status]

[Name: Axel Rubravis]

[Main Class: Hollow]

[Sub-Class: Weapon Novice] (Inactive due to low rank)

[Rank: Mundane] (Awaiting Evolution: 00:14:42)

[Stage: Transcendent]

[Attributes]: [Strength:10], [Agility:10], [Vitality:10], [Spirit:10], [Perception:10].

[Essence: ~ ] (Section unavailable until after Evolution) 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

[Class Trait]: [Absence]

[Sub-Class Skills]: [Appraisal]

My eyes went wide the moment I saw the countdown. I suppressed a grin.

Fourteen minutes. That was nothing.

I looked around the cave. We seemed to be quite deep into it because there were no signs of natural light. Even in the dark, at least some pale luminescence should have snuck in from somewhere, but there was none of that. Just the fire between us, throwing long shadows against the rock.

The silence continued between us for a while before I asked with a slightly tamed tone.

"Is Vorn a part of this?"

He looked at me, his expression indifferent at first. Then he laughed.

"That one? All of them are reprobates! Bounded in a free world, slaves even when equipped with power. They will never know the value of living for their own principles and not being bound by some duty code."

I looked up and gave him an interested look.

"So then... this is your definition of living for your principles? Hiding amongst the government forces while selling criminals for petty wealth." I tilted my head. "Isn’t it quite endearing and shameless of you to call them reprobates? Have you tried removing the log in your eye?"

He frowned, hostility creasing the lines of his face. "A log in my eye? How the hell do... forget it. What do you know about principles? You’re just a pampered kid, pampered by the world because your father is a Sovereign. A very useless one, nonetheless."

"I actually do kind of agree with you on that front about my father. He is a total jerk to everyone, especially me. But I don’t know if the word pampering means a different thing than what we were taught in the academy."

He gave me a scathing glare.

"Fool, do you know how many assassination verdicts were not issued because the four great Factions had your back? Do you think the government wants to be in charge of the nut of a traitor made flesh?"

I met his gaze with a defiant glare.

"Don’t give me that. It was all for the good of humanity. It wasn’t like this was an act of pity because I was a Sovereign’s son, or maybe my father exerted his influence to protect me. The only reason why they did all of that is for their expectations of another Sovereign! Greedy to boot! Your superiors had it coming for them, I couldn’t be more glad I didn’t become a Sovereign!"

I caught my breath for a moment and added, "Quite naive of them to think I would become a Sovereign and be loyal to them. They don’t know what they say about apples and trees, I guess."

Vorn’s associate sat there not responding to me. His gaze burrowed into the flames, becoming hollow for a brief moment before that perpetual tiredness settled back over him, making him look eerie once more.

"You have no idea half the life many have had to live, boy."

His voice dropped lower, as though he were talking to the fire more than to me.

"You live in an estate, in a castle, catered to by a Master. Many live bracing the direness of the Undefined every day. Do you know what is worse than the Undefined themselves? It is the fear of the Undefined. The fear of what manner they will shred of limbs and carve their gruesome fangs into our skulls. Would we die immediately or would we suffer in agony for a while.

"And many have had to grow in a city where that fear looms above them like a sky that never clears, and that too with insufficient resources, food, water... because Mundanes and their families are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. They are useless to humanity."

He looked at me and laughed, though the humor never touched his eyes.

"Just when you want to experience that world yourself, you kill someone and run off. I must commend that, though. A Mundane killing a Novice certainly hasn’t been heard of. I guess you are the son of your father in one way or another."

He leaned back against the cave wall. "But don’t worry. Where I’m taking you, you will get a chance to taste that life to the very letter. You will understand what it means to survive on the memory of food."

I glanced down at my status one more time, then looked up.

"Yeah, no thanks... my time is up."

He tilted his head slightly, his fatigued eyes studying me.

[You have exhausted your delay time]

[Evolution will kick in automatically]

[Due to Class Integration, you will be incapacitated by agony. Class Integration serves to write the Definition of this Class into your very soul, where it is further consumed by the Hollow]

[Class Integration usually happens regardless of Evolution, but since you’re on the precipice of evolution, they will happen together]

I inhaled, bracing myself for what would come next.

Nothing... I repeat, nothing in this dimension could have prepared me for the torment that tore through my insides the next moment.