SSS-Rank Evolving Monster: From Pest to Cosmic Devourer-Chapter 91: Return

[Lifespan Dominion (DDD-Rank, Passive) – Can perfectly detect and judge lifespan-rich beings within ten kilometers.]

After burning through tens of thousands of years of lifespan, Ricky finally stopped.

His compound eyes flickered with calm satisfaction as the final evolution message faded into the ambient mana light surrounding him. A ripple of invisible force pulsed outward from his body—a silent roar of dominance echoing in the unseen spectrum of lifespan.

He had finally elevated the once-pathetic Lifespan Sense skill to a point where it met his expectations. A tracking tool? No—this was now a hunter’s instinct, a predator’s sixth sense.

His head turned slightly northward.

Almost immediately, a translucent blue window emerged in front of him, gleaming with familiar light.

The energy signature was subtle but unmistakable. The density, purity, and rhythm of the lifespan glow—it all pointed to one entity.

---

[Target Identified: Demon Queen Noctyss]

[Absorbable Lifespan: 200 years]

---

"So... I could squeeze two hundred years out of her."

Ricky’s tone was absentminded, almost clinical.

His eyes narrowed slightly, not out of greed, but contemplation. For someone like Noctyss, whose strength Once transcended comprehension, a mere two hundred years might be a fraction of her total—but it was still tangible. Still real. And most importantly—it was his, if he chose to claim it.

Yet even as he processed that number, his gaze drifted.

He turned toward the deeper reaches of the dungeon—the ancient sealed hall where the Last Eternal slept beneath countless layers of abyssal chains and spiritual inscriptions.

A familiar pressure stirred in his chest, and right on cue, another luminous prompt appeared.

---

[Target Identified: The Last Eternal]

[Absorbable Lifespan: 99,000,000,000 years]

---

Ricky’s wings froze mid-beat.

He blinked... and blinked again.

Then he began counting under his breath, antenna twitching awkwardly as the zeroes kept coming.

"Ninety-nine... billion?!"

His mandibles parted in disbelief. He wasn’t particularly gifted at math, but even he could tell—this number was absurd. Unthinkable. A single creature holding more lifespan than all the kingdoms of the continent combined.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

If he could somehow purify or suppress the Abyssal corruption that plagued the Last Eternal’s body... he would essentially have access to an infinite wellspring of life. An eternal forge from which he could mold his power limitlessly.

A money-printing machine, in the form of a cursed god.

He clenched his claws tightly. The upgraded Lifespan Dominion was worth every year burned.

And with that same conviction, Ricky decided to strike while the iron was still hot.

Now that he had the lifespan and clarity, he upgraded every single one of his core abilities, one by one—refining, evolving, and perfecting until not a single D-Rank remained.

Hours passed in meditation, each upgrade burning away years—sometimes thousands—like oil fueling a divine flame.

When it was all said and done, his status window bloomed before him once more.

---

[STATUS WINDOW]

[Stage 2, Rank 2]

[Name: Ricky Stormwind]

[Bloodline: Venom Fang Mosquito]

[Lifespan: 945,674 years]

[Evolution Progress: 99.9%]

[Spiritual Force: 19.9]

[Meditation Techniques]:

[Infinite Origin Constellation Root (C-Rank)]

[Demonic Beings Roaring in Ten Directions (D-Rank)]

[Abilities]

[Epic Darkness Pulse (DDD-Rank)] - Absorb and compress mana to release it all in a terrifying blast].

[Holy Blade (DDD-Rank)] - Turn your spiritual field into a sharp sword capable of slicing through everything].

[Mother and Son Poison (DDD-Rank)] - Any creature infected with this poison will become your eternal servant with their life and death in your hands].

[Toxic Blood (DDD-Rank)] - With each bite, the toxin will be transferred to the prey’s bloodstream].

[Epic Venom Glands (DDD-Rank)] - Allows host to produce multiple types of poison with sudden effects (paralysis, blood clotting, or necrosis)].

[Resourceful Drain (EE-Rank, Innate)] – Absorbs weeks of lifespan per bite].

[Strong Paralysis Venom (DDD-Rank)] - A bite will slow down or stun peak Stage 2 creatures].

[Perfect Alloyed Frame (DDD-Rank)] - Harden your entire body to become hard as diamond].

[Perfect Blood Infusion (DDD-Rank)] - Circulates blood twenty times faster to quadruple strength for a short period of time.]

[Perfect Shadow Perch (DDD-Rank)] – Can blend into dark areas for safety].

[Lifespan Sense (DDD-Rank, Passive)] – Can perfectly detect lifespan-rich beings within ten kilometers].

Ricky read through the updated panel, line by line, a slow grin creeping onto his face.

The difference was night and day.

His foundation had undergone a qualitative transformation—not just in numbers, but in threat level. Each skill now carried weight. Sharpness. Purpose.

He no longer felt like a Stage 2 climbing up. He felt like a true predator standing on the threshold of Stage 3.

If he ran into that Radiant Knight bastard again—the one that forced him to flee before—he wouldn’t have to run this time.

No.

He would bury him.

Ricky gave the window one final, satisfied glance, then closed it with a quiet sigh.

"She’s very close to full recovery..." Ricky muttered, his voice barely above a whisper as his gaze lingered on the silent figure of the dark shadow.

The air was thick with a quiet tension, and a soft, otherworldly hum filled the inheritance space. Mana shimmered faintly in the atmosphere like morning mist catching the first rays of dawn, wrapping the surroundings in an ethereal veil. Every breath drawn here felt deeper, richer—steeped in power.

Standing beside him were Noctyss and Boar, their expressions carved from hesitation and reluctance. The pair stood close, yet worlds apart in mood.

Today, Ricky had asked them to leave this sanctuary and return with him to the Emerald Green Forest.

Noctyss’s eyes had widened in disbelief when he first said it. Her mind reeled, thoughts tumbling like leaves in a storm. Leave? Leave this place, where the air itself pulsed with thick, potent mana—where her every breath fed her power, her recovery, her very soul?

It felt like madness.

Inside this inheritance space, she had felt more alive than she had in years—perhaps ever. The sensation of her strength knitting back together, of her soul healing beneath the constant spiritual nourishment, was bliss beyond words. It was a paradise for someone like her.

And yet...

She said nothing.

Because it was Ricky who asked.

If he had commanded her to leap into a volcano or walk willingly into the jaws of a Stage 5 beast, she would have stepped forward without blinking. That was the weight of his words, the chain he had bind her with.

So she stood there, mouth tight, hands clenched, rage and reluctance simmering beneath her still surface... and nodded.

Boar, on the other hand, barely concealed his grin. His hooves shifted eagerly, tail flicking with anticipation. The inheritance space was many things, but for a beast born in the wind-swept wilds, this place was far too rigid, too closed, too silent.

He missed the chirping birds, the rustle of leaves, the thrill of distant danger.

"I’ll go," he had said without hesitation, as soon as Ricky asked. His tone was light, almost casual—but the way his body relaxed, the sparkle in his eyes—it was clear. He couldn’t wait to be free again.

To him, the inheritance space was no haven—it was a cage, golden though it may be.

Now, as the three stood together beneath the faintly glowing sky of the spiritual realm, silence stretched between them like a drawn bowstring.

Ricky gave the dark shadow one last glance, his expression unreadable, then spoke with quiet authority.

"Guardian Spirit, send us out."

A soft hum resonated through the air, followed by the spirit’s obedient reply.

"As you wish, Master..."

In an instant, Ricky’s vision blurred. The vivid glow of the inheritance space dissolved into inky blackness, and the comforting pressure of ambient mana vanished like a snuffed flame. The sensation was disorienting—like being unmade and rebuilt in a heartbeat.

When clarity returned, he found himself standing beneath the open sky.

A breeze brushed against his face, warm with sunlight... but wrong.

"What is this weird feeling?" Ricky muttered, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the familiar terrain of the Emerald Green Forest.

Everything looked normal—lush greenery stretched in every direction, sunlight pierced the canopy in golden shafts, and birds still chirped from above. Yet something was off. Subtle, but unmistakable.

An unnatural chill rode the air, seeping beneath the skin like icy breath. It clashed with the warmth of the sun, creating a dissonance that sent a ripple of tension down Ricky’s spine.

Beside him, Noctyss stepped forward slowly, her eyes sharp and glinting.

"Such strong undead energy..." she murmured, her voice low and wary.

It clung to the air like a foul mist—sour, oppressive, heavy. The ambient mana felt tainted, corrupted by something dark and ancient. Noctyss inhaled deeply, letting her senses stretch out, tasting the auras hidden beneath the surface.

Never in her life had she encountered undead energy this dense—this primal. It wasn’t like the ambient traces that lingered near old battlefields or the foul breath of minor necromancers. No, this was something deeper. Older. Hungrier.

The last time she had felt anything even remotely similar... her heart tightened.

Her thoughts drifted to a memory buried beneath layers of silence and time, and a solemn look crept across her face.

Ricky caught the shift in her expression, his gaze steady.

"You recognize it?" he asked, his tone calm but probing.

Noctyss didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes were still fixed on the treetops, as if expecting a phantom to descend at any moment. When she finally turned to him, there was a shadow behind her gaze.

"I might," she said, voice quiet. "But if it’s what I think it is... we need to be very careful." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

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