SSS-Rank Evolving Monster: From Pest to Cosmic Devourer-Chapter 149: Evolving?

Still, Ricky didn’t voice his thoughts. He simply listened, his gaze steady and unreadable as Darius spoke. There was no need to rush or interrupt—gathering as much information as possible was essential now. After all, the opponent he faced wasn’t someone he could afford to underestimate. A being powerful enough to erase him with a flick of the wrist wasn’t someone to take lightly.

That said, he wasn’t entirely without his own advantages.

If the Eldros king truly made his way into the Emerald Green Forest, there was still a measure of safety in the chaos. Ricky was only a mere Stage 2 cultivator on the surface—insignificant enough to be overlooked in the grand scheme. As long as he remained unnoticed, the mad king’s attention wouldn’t fall on him.

But that didn’t mean he’d let others suffer.

Just then, he raised his hand, halting the flow of thoughts and concerns with a quiet motion.

"There’s no need for any of you to worry," he said calmly, his voice like still water masking deeper currents. "As long as I’m here, no one will be able to harm you."

The statement was simple—yet it rang with the weight of undeniable confidence. Felicia’s eyes widened ever so slightly, and Kael stood a little taller, his breath caught for a moment. After witnessing Ricky’s battle against the Undead Princess, they already knew he was powerful. But the way he spoke now... it felt like more than strength. It felt like certainty.

Yet Darius remained unmoved.

The prince’s face showed no flicker of awe or reassurance. He didn’t speak, but his silence was telling. Unlike the other two, he understood the implications of confronting someone at the peak of Stage 3. He had seen firsthand what such individuals were capable of.

That level... it allowed one to draw from the world itself. Their presence distorted the environment, their blows could reshape terrain, and their very breath could carry the weight of natural law. A mortal—no matter how crafty or skilled—wasn’t meant to rival that.

If his father truly descended upon this forest, even the Venom Fang Sovereign wouldn’t be able to stop him.

Ricky saw it—the disbelief in Darius’s eyes. But he didn’t mind. The prince’s caution was valid. Logical, even. There was nothing wrong with understanding one’s limitations.

And right now, Ricky was limited.

Still, he wasn’t someone who crumbled beneath pressure.

After a brief glance over their expressions and reactions, Ricky continued, his tone as composed as before.

"Do you have any idea why the king would do this?" he asked, turning to Darius with narrowed eyes. "There should’ve been easier methods to break through the bottleneck."

He was genuinely curious. The path to higher cultivation was dangerous, yes, but surely the king of a mighty realm had access to better options than senseless slaughter?

Darius shook his head, frustration flickering in his eyes. "I don’t know," he admitted, voice low. "This... this makes no sense."

He clenched his fists slightly as he looked to the ground, then up again, shoulders tense. "Every Stage 3 being in Eldros is a strategic pillar—losing even one would weaken the kingdom’s stance across the continent. Their deaths aren’t just a loss of power. They shift the balance between nations."

The unspoken fear in his tone was clear. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

If the king truly intended to slaughter them all, then Eldros was on the verge of tearing itself apart.

And if that happened, no one would be spared from the fallout.

At this rate, Eldros might cease to exist altogether. The kingdom had already been in decline for decades, but now it stood on the verge of collapse. In the hundred years of its history, the number of Stage 3 beings was at its lowest. The proud warriors who once upheld its name were disappearing—systematically, silently, and senselessly.

Darius fell silent, his gaze drifting to the dirt floor as if the answer might be hiding in the grain of the soil. But Ricky knew. He wasn’t going to get anything more from him.

Still, he didn’t press. There was no point in forcing someone who was already burdened by grief and confusion. Ricky let the silence stretch, his thoughts ticking behind unreadable eyes.

After a few other small, half-hearted questions exchanged between them, the three finally excused themselves, leaving Ricky alone in the dim forest clearing. The soft rustle of wind through the trees filled the silence they left behind.

Once again, he stood by himself, surrounded by flickering shadows and the distant chirps of nocturnal creatures.

But he wasn’t thinking about the forest.

He stared blankly ahead, his mind replaying Darius’s words over and over.

"What are you planning?"

He sighed heavily, fingers brushing over the edge of his tattered poncho. His shoulders sagged, not from exhaustion, but from the quiet weight of frustration.

After all the madness with the undead princess, he hadn’t even managed to catch a moment’s rest. Not even a single breath of peace before danger came knocking again, more ruthless than before.

It was as if someone—or something—was always watching. Always waiting. The moment he dared to ease up, the world would throw another curveball at him, forcing him back into motion.

It was maddening.

He chuckled dryly under his breath, bitter and humorless. Complaining wasn’t going to change anything. That much, he’d learned long ago.

So instead, he sat cross-legged on the cold grass and began to think.

Really think.

The gears of his mind turned slowly at first, but they didn’t stop. How to save himself. How to protect the ones who followed him. How to fight something far, far stronger than him.

Right now, his original plans were all but useless.

Initially, he had intended to summon one or two Stage 3 prisoners—an ambitious move to stabilize his strength and expand his influence—but with the Eldros king rampaging and the threat of exposure hanging like a blade over his neck, that plan had to be shelved for now.

Doing it now would only attract more unwanted attention, and there was already enough of that swirling around him.

He had to lie low. Adapt. Shift his plans like a shadow in the moonlight.

For now, survival came first.

Strength came second.

The image of the Eldros king loomed in his mind—distant, cold, untouchable. At his current level, facing a peak Stage 3 being was suicide. He wouldn’t even register as a threat to someone like that.

Ricky’s fists clenched at his knees, the veins on his hands rising subtly. The gap was too wide.

Too damn wide.

But he wouldn’t sit still.

He couldn’t.

He needed to evolve—not slowly, not patiently, but now. Ruthlessly. No matter how difficult the path, he would find a way to grow stronger, even if he had to burn every last drop of Amma in his body to do it.

His eyes lifted toward the sky, where clouds rolled over the silver moon.

The darkness wasn’t just around him.

It was within him.

And it was time to embrace it.

Ricky had already met the requirement to evolve to Stage 2, Rank 3.

Among the many arcane conditions, the most notable was:

Evolution Requirement: Total lifespan must exceed 500,000 years.

There were others too, equally ridiculous, but Ricky didn’t bother going over them again.

This evolution, after all, wouldn’t truly change anything. It was just a minor step—a single droplet in an ocean of power.

If he really wanted to feel the difference... he’d have to evolve twice in a row.

But he didn’t have the time.

Not with this looming threat.

So he pushed forward.

Without wasting another moment, he called out to the guardian spirit of the inheritance.

A soft hum echoed in his mind.

Then, his perception shifted.

Warmth washed over his body as the surroundings blurred. The colors of the forest faded, replaced by the familiar, dreamlike vastness of the Inheritance Space.

Only here could he truly feel secure. Only here could he risk lowering his guard and undergo evolution.

---

Meanwhile, far away in the heartland of the Eldros Kingdom, the capital city stood unnaturally silent.

Streets hundreds of meters wide were empty—eerily so. Even the usual rustling of distant footsteps or the calls of merchants had vanished. Doors and windows were shut tight. Curtains drawn. Candles extinguished.

Fear was suffocating.

Ever since word had spread—about the king’s madness, about the massacre of dozens of Stage 3 powerhouses—panic had gripped the people like a curse.

And now, an oppressive crimson hue hung over the capital.

Dark clouds swirled above the royal palace like a heavenly omen. A furious storm hadn’t yet begun—but its pressure pressed down on the city like the breath of a demon.

At the center of it all, the royal castle loomed.

Majestic yet terrifying.

Inside the throne room, thick silence reigned.

King Eldros sat slouched on his throne, crimson-robed, eyes closed. His fingers tapped the armrest lightly, rhythmically.

A faint frown marred his face, as though his thoughts were turbulent even in sleep.

Then—his eyes opened.

Red. Glowing. Alive with something... unholy.

A twisted smile formed on his lips. Amusement. Cruelty. Satisfaction.

A cold voice echoed through the grand, empty hall.

"My, my... who could’ve thought there were so many Stage 3 beings hidden in this kingdom? Heh... even if I fail to find my son—"

He leaned forward, fingers clawing into the throne.

"—my plan will still succeed."