Growing Effects

The announcement rippled through the entire world of Evolution Online, and once again, the forums erupted into chaos.

Yvone: "I hereby call on the Game company to check things out. Come on, this makes no sense! How in the world does a Player become a Dungeon Boss again? I'm fed up at this point. Such ridiculous bugs. First, a level 1 player killed a level 45 wolf—obvious bug—then now some Player Cien became a Dungeon boss."

G-spotter: "I think it might be the same person. Think about it, the gap between the first announcement and this wasn't too long. I think the pumpkin dude is Player Cien."

Sharpshooter001: "The Heavenly Sect has put out word that whoever finds this person shall receive three hundred exchangeable gold coins."

MaulRat: "This game needs a priest. Cien just became the final boss of my nightmares."

Tantampis: "@Sharpshooter001, that makes perfect sense when you think about it. Because hell! This dude got compared to the great player Yinhui! Yinhui walked the path of Cultivation for four years with no promise of results. He never gave up and kept pushing forward until it became a Class all of us could now use. And moreover, Yinhui was level 400 when he unlocked that class. Do you know what it takes to reach level 400? How many times you would have lost your EPs from evolving?! And this player is supposedly level 1?! Yeah, kill me."

DataDrainer: "Soooo... the guy who looked like a toddler's Halloween mistake is now the literal Dungeon Boss? This timeline makes zero sense and I love it."

ZebraPunch: "And now there's a DUNGEON MASTER CLASS??? Excuse me while I scream into a pillow for an hour."

ForumModerator999: "For the record: This is NOT a glitch. We've received confirmation from EVO Systems DevTracker—'the evolution system was designed to allow unprecedented player transformation. Cien merely discovered a path no one had considered.' Consider this your warning: nothing is sacred anymore."

Lord Huron: "Things are about to take a new turn... I can feel it."

Mr Handsome: "Wait, is that you Sharpshooter? What's the 001 for?"

Sharpshooter001: "I decided I'm gonna be better. I want to start challenging all sniper rankers until I am number one. So this is fake it till you make it."

Mr Handsome: "Pfft, yeah sure."

RawdogRonin: "Mannnnn, I'm getting a headache. I just want to meet the Emperor in peace, join The Red Ronins and be set for life!"

VOID_Eater9: "The Dark lord..."

Lancelot's#Baby#Daddy: "Shut the hell up!"

The impact of a new class getting unlocked spread far beyond the forums. It sent shockwaves through the real world, and the weight of it crashed down on the Guilds like a tidal wave.

Many organizations in the real world were tied to several Guilds in the game, and there were countless other conglomerates that backed specific clans. All of them were now scrambling to find out who this Player Cien was, because this wasn't just the second coming of Yinhui—the top 10 ranker in five years. This could be the rise of a Player far greater than Yinhui himself.

***

A tall, olive-skinned guy with brown hair stood before a grey-haired man. The man was looking down at the paper reports scattered across his glass table.

After a while, the man leaned back into his chair, his grey eyes settling on the young man standing before him.

"Find a way to kick him out of your house."

Halo raised his head, his eyes slightly widening.

"Sir? But..."

The man raised his index finger.

"Know your place, young man. You've come this far with my money. Do you know what happens if I pull all my funding from your clan?"

Halo frowned.

"But I have also brought you tremendous profit. My Clan makes cutting-edge flight gears. And no one beats us at it. More than half those profits go to your company. I am merely your underling, not your spy. It is unfair that you use your authority to demand these things of me. Lucien might be your son, and in all honesty, I don't care whatever is going on between the two of you, but he is my friend. And being here, snitching on him like this already makes me feel like enough shit. Now, you want me to send him out of my house?!"

The man paid no attention to him as he ranted. He just continued to stare at his table and the reports, as if Halo's words were nothing more than background noise.

Afterward, he looked up.

"You have an ultimatum of one week. If you care for what you've built in the last three years, then do as you're told."

Halo clenched his fists, his hands trembling. He pressed his lips together and bowed faintly.

"As you wish... boss."

Then he turned around and left the man's glass-themed office.

Lance Vale crossed his fingers and leaned his chin on them.

"Thinking you can rebel against me will be the greatest mistake you ever make. It will be the most stupid thing you have ever thought with that worthless mind of yours."

Slowly, what seemed to have started as a mere clash of egos was growing out of control. Well, no clashes of ego ever ended nicely. Especially when it was between an adult child who wanted freedom and an authoritative trillionaire father who relished control.