Evolving

"You will work for me without pay for a full month," Adam continued, straight to the point. "And during that time, you must follow all my orders without question."

Amel's eyes widened. "What?" she murmured in shock. She looked at Adam in disbelief, feeling that the condition was too harsh.

Adam remained silent, his expression unreadable, as if the terms he set were the most natural thing in the world.

"Boss, isn't that too much?" Serina asked, trying to negotiate on her daughter's behalf.

Adam turned to her, frowning slightly. "What do you mean? Given the current state of the world, my condition is more than fair," he countered without hesitation.

Serina had no words to refute him.

Adam knew that even with this agreement, he couldn't fully guarantee Amel's loyalty. However, at the very least, he could observe her over the next month and gradually build a deeper connection. If he could make Amel depend on him, then over time, true loyalty would naturally form.

"I accept," Amel declared firmly after a brief moment of deep thought. Her gaze was resolute, with no hesitation, as if her decision was absolute and irreversible.

Adam grinned in satisfaction. "Good," he said with enthusiasm. "Wait here, I'll go get the parasite."

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and walked toward the elevator. His footsteps echoed through the silent room before vanishing behind the closing doors.

Inside the abandoned computer store, only Amel and her mother, Serina, remained.

"Dear, are you sure?" Serina asked softly, still trying to confirm her daughter's decision. There was a worry in her eyes that was hard to hide.

Amel nodded without hesitation. "Of course, Mom. Like I said, we can't keep relying on Boss all the time."

She looked at her mother with understanding, then gave a small smile before adding in a slightly teasing tone, "And about the condition, I don't think he'd ask me to do something crazy like suicide. Besides, even if he did ask for something else… he's pretty handsome."

Serina's eyes widened, her face immediately turning red. "What do you mean? What's with that expression?!" she scolded, lightly slapping Amel's arm in embarrassment.

Amel just chuckled, enjoying her mother's reaction.

Not long after, the sound of footsteps echoed again. Adam returned, carrying a small black bag. With a calm movement, he opened it and took something out—a slime-like parasite with long black hair strands dangling like tentacles.

"This is a parasite," Adam said casually, displaying it in his palm. "By using it, your body will evolve and gain power."

Serina stared at the parasite in horror, instinctively stepping back. "Is this really safe, Sir? Why does it look like a virus?" she asked, feeling a mix of disgust and fear as she observed the fine hair-like strands covering the small creature.

"There's always a chance of failure," Adam answered flatly. He looked at Amel, making sure she truly understood the risk. "You're the one who will decide whether to take this risk or not."

Even legendary genes from the system had a chance of failure. This wasn't something trivial.

However, instead of hesitating, Amel looked at Adam with even stronger determination.

"How do I use it, Boss?" she asked, disregarding the possibility of failure.

"Just place the parasite on your chest and let it enter your body," Adam explained, his voice steady. He briefly described how the evolution process worked—of course, he only mentioned the important parts, such as the pain and the status changes that would appear on the system panel.

Amel nodded in understanding. "Alright, I'll use it now."

Without hesitation, she took the parasite, lifted her shirt slightly, and with a steady motion, placed it directly on her chest.

The room fell into silence.

Adam and Serina watched in silence, waiting for a reaction.

Suddenly, Amel's body tensed. Her eyes widened, and her hands clutched her chest tightly.

"Ugh…" she groaned, her breathing growing heavier.

Pain spread from her chest, coursing through her entire body like thousands of needles piercing her from within. Her skin started to heat up, cold sweat forming on her forehead.

Adam remained silent, closely observing every change. He knew this was just the beginning.

"Hold on, keep your mind focused. Don't let your consciousness slip," Adam said firmly but encouragingly.

He remembered his first time undergoing this process—if the mind wavered, the chances of failure increased. Even though this was only his preliminary conclusion, he still felt the need to warn Amel.

"Argh…" Amel groaned in pain, her body arching as the agony intensified. Her fingers dug into her chest so forcefully that her nails nearly pierced through her clothes, leaving deep scratch marks.

"N-no… my chest… it hurts… Mom!" she screamed in panic, her breathing ragged. Her tear-filled eyes looked at Serina in fear, as if afraid that if she died, her mother would be left alone in this chaotic world.

Serina bit her lip, trying to stay calm despite her heart breaking at the sight of her daughter in pain. "Hold on, dear… You can do this!" she said, her voice trembling slightly, but her determination remained strong.

"Argh…!"

Amel's body finally collapsed, her strength drained in an instant. Fortunately, Adam swiftly caught her before she hit the floor, carefully laying her down. Her eyes were closed, her body limp and powerless, only trembling slightly as if experiencing subtle convulsions.

Serina immediately crouched beside her, her panic worsening. Quickly, she placed her finger under Amel's nose, checking if she was still breathing.

"Boss, will Amel be okay?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

Adam remained calm. "Relax, she'll be fine. Let's wait a little longer," he said casually.

He had experienced the same thing during his own evolution, so he knew these were just temporary side effects.

A minute passed in tense silence. Then, Amel's eyelids finally twitched. She blinked several times before slowly sitting up, looking around in confusion.

When her gaze landed on Serina, her expression changed. As if all the tension she had felt before melted away at once, she quickly threw herself into her mother's arms.