SSS-Rank Evolving Monster: From Pest to Cosmic Devourer-Chapter 148: Terrible news

Ricky sat silently atop the flat surface of a stone table, his figure cast in deep shadow beneath the oppressive sky. Above him, a thick blanket of black clouds loomed like a shroud of death, stretching endlessly across the heavens and refusing to let a single ray of sunlight pierce through. There was no dawn—only darkness.

The air itself had grown heavy, suffused with a silent dread that pressed down on the land like an invisible weight. Eldros Kingdom lay blanketed in this suffocating gloom, as though the entire region had been sealed within a tomb of silence. No bird calls, no rustling wind—only the stillness of a world holding its breath. Ordinary people, unaware of the full extent of the threat, still found themselves gripped by unexplainable terror, as if their throats had been bound by chains of iron.

But for Ricky—whose spiritual force far surpassed even that of most Stage 3 Rank 1 creatures—this creeping dread was no vague omen. It was a palpable presence, an unmistakable sign of something watching... something preparing.

He could feel it.

Something unnatural stirred beyond the horizon—like rotting breath drifting from a long-forgotten crypt. The entire Emerald Green Forest trembled with quiet anticipation. Beasts, insects, even the wind held back, unwilling to move.

Ricky narrowed his eyes, his mind sharpening like a blade against the tension.

"Could it be the Undead Plain is launching an attack again?"

The thought flashed across his mind like lightning in the void. It made sense—but only partially. The threat he sensed now was... older. Deeper. Something else entirely.

Still uncertain, Ricky exhaled slowly and flicked his wrist. A coin spun into his palm, catching none of the nonexistent light.

Its surface was dark, metallic, and unnaturally cold to the touch. One side bore an intricately carved skull, grinning with malevolent elegance. Even now, the mere sight of it sent a prickle down Ricky’s spine.

This was no ordinary coin. It was one of the strangest—and most dangerous—treasures in his entire collection. Ricky had acquired it through means he’d rather not revisit, and since then, he’d avoided using it unless absolutely necessary. Even when cornered by the undead princess herself, he’d refused to summon it, fearing the price it might demand. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

But today... today was different.

The ominous weight in the air—the feeling of something ancient stirring, something catastrophic—left him with no choice.

Reluctantly, he clenched the coin tighter.

This also spoke volumes about just how dire the threat truly was.

Steeling his heart, he focused his mind and posed the question that had been weighing heavily on him.

"Will I face life-threatening situations in the coming days?"

The instant the thought left him, the coin began to tremble.

A violet mist bled from its edges like leaking poison, curling around Ricky’s fingers before drifting upward into the air. The moment it emerged, the world around him grew hazy, as though a filter had been cast over reality itself. The vibrant greens of the forest dulled, the shadows thickened, and even the distant sounds of wildlife faded into nothingness.

Everything... seemed a step removed from reality.

His surroundings blurred and dimmed—like a memory dissolving into oblivion.

Ricky’s gaze remained fixed on the coin.

Its glow pulsed softly, eerily alive, whispering truths that hadn’t yet been spoken aloud.

And somewhere, beyond the reach of mortal senses, an answer was already forming.

Ricky didn’t pay attention to the coin’s eerie glow.

His gaze was fixed on the shimmering spiritual window that had silently manifested before him, like a phantom from the void.

Life Span Cost – 500,000 years.

Ricky’s pupils shrank the instant he read the number. A strangled laugh escaped his throat, and he nearly slipped off the tabletop, catching himself at the last second.

Half a million years?

That was more than half of his entire accumulated lifespan—something he had painstakingly gathered through battles, inheritances, and absurd risks no sane man would dare to take.

The very idea of wasting it on a vague warning disgusted him.

"Hah... no thanks."

With a lazy flick of his wrist, the coin vanished once more into his spatial ring, leaving behind only a trace of purple mist in the air—like a snake retreating into the darkness.

The answer may have been unclear, but his intuition screamed the truth: Whatever was behind this unnatural storm was far stronger than him.

And yet, that knowledge didn’t inspire fear. Just... vigilance.

---

Time passed. An eerie stillness spread through the land like an invisible fog.

Not a single beast roared. Not a single leaf rustled. Even the usual spiritual resonance that tickled his senses had gone dormant—as if the world itself was holding its breath.

---

Next Morning.

The darkness had thinned slightly, though thick clouds still loomed overhead, casting an ominous gray across the horizon. Ricky sat on the edge of a terrace, a fresh fruit in hand—plucked not-so-legally from the garden of the Divine Saint, Lady Selene.

The fruit bled fragrant juice as he bit into it lazily, lips curling into a faint smirk.

"Not bad."

The taste was divine—crisp, sweet, and just a little tart—exactly how he liked it.

But his leisurely breakfast was interrupted as he spotted movement in the distance.

Three figures. Slowly making their way toward him.

Even from this far away, Ricky recognized the familiar auras. Darius, Felicia, and...

"...Kael? Was that his name?"

He chewed thoughtfully, genuinely unsure. It had been something else before—maybe Kale? Kairn? Something forgettable.

"Tch. Guess it’s Kael now."

The third figure—oblivious to Ricky’s silent renaming—walked with the confidence of someone used to respect, but Ricky saw through it. After all, this was the son of the Iron Fang Legion’s supreme commander... and still, nothing but a supporting character in his script.

Even if the boy realized his name had been changed without permission, what could he do? Complain? Demand an apology?

Ricky chuckled at the thought and wiped fruit juice from his fingers as the trio drew closer.

They stopped a hundred meters away, just before crossing into the protective boundary around Ricky.

Darius stepped forward.

His normally composed and noble face was tense, grim lines etched deep around his mouth. Then, in a rare show of humility, the Crown Prince of Eldros bowed.

"Venom Overlord," he said solemnly, voice steady despite the weight of his words. "Terrible news has reached us."

Ricky leaned back, his interest finally piqued.

"The king of Eldros... he’s gone mad."

Darius raised his head, eyes meeting Ricky’s. They weren’t filled with fear—no, that would’ve been too much to expect—but they were heavy with urgency.

"He’s declared a purge. He’s hell-bent on exterminating all Stage 3 beings within the kingdom. No exceptions. He says they’re a threat to balance... to order."

Ricky’s expression darkened.

Darius continued, "His next target is likely to be the Emerald Green Kingdom. It survived the undead invasion with barely any losses... which, to him, makes it suspicious."

For a moment, silence fell again.

The wind had returned, just slightly—but even it seemed uneasy, rustling the trees with uncertain whispers.

Ricky’s gaze narrowed as he bit into the fruit again. The sweetness now tasted bitter.

So it had begun. The madness was no longer creeping. It was marching.

And the question wasn’t whether Ricky would get involved.

It was how far he would go.

Ricky’s eyes narrowed into thin slits, the fabric of his black poncho rustling ever so slightly as a gust of wind swept through the garden. The motion, almost imperceptible, was like a serpent coiling in the grass—silent, watchful, dangerous.

"Killing all the Stage 3 beings? Why?"

His tone wasn’t shaken or alarmed—just quietly intrigued. If anything, it sounded more like curiosity than concern.

There wasn’t a trace of fear in him, only a sharp glint of thoughtfulness as his gaze locked onto Darius.

He didn’t respond to the statement directly. Instead, he waited. Watched. His silence was louder than words.

Darius flinched under that quiet stare. Even though Ricky hadn’t said anything, the weight of his gaze was heavier than any interrogation. It dragged the prince from the depths of his own thoughts and forced him to face the reality before him.

A deep breath. A flicker of hesitation.

Darius’s eyes shifted momentarily to Felicia and Kael—who stood frozen, uncertain, as if caught in the middle of a tempest they didn’t understand. He could see the weight of confusion in their expressions, especially Kael’s, who still hadn’t realized Ricky had arbitrarily renamed him days ago.

A pang of guilt passed through Darius’s chest. If his guess was right... the Iron Fang Legion’s Supreme Commander—Kael’s father—was probably no longer alive.

But he didn’t speak those thoughts aloud. There was no point in burdening the boy now.

He shook his head, trying to clear the storm inside it.

When he looked back up, the hesitation in his expression had faded.

What remained was something cold. Bitter. A truth he could no longer ignore.

He spoke.

"The Eldros King—my father—has been stuck at the peak of Stage 3 for years."

His voice was low, controlled, but carried the heavy edge of despair. "If I’m not mistaken... this senseless slaughter is tied to his breakthrough attempt."

Ricky’s eyes darkened.

The words peak of Stage 3 echoed inside his mind like a chime struck in a cathedral of silence.

Suddenly, the air felt heavier. Even the trees around them seemed to quieten.

That... was a realm of power Ricky hadn’t yet dared to challenge.

A level that stood far beyond him.