Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 257

Chapter 257

He opened a rift gate to the Void Temple. It tore open beside him, and as he stepped through, he found himself in the now-familiar interior of the temple. A quick glance revealed that nothing had changed during his absence.

At the other side of the hall stood a statue of two kneeling human figures: one male and one female. Their hands were raised and brought together, forming a cupped shape with their palms.

Before the statue was a cylindrical pedestal—about one foot in diameter and three feet in height—from which rose a shaft of golden light. On either side of the statue were two more shafts, but they were white. 

He approached the golden shaft of light. Before focusing on it, he appraised the statue with a thought, and a text he had seen during his last visit to the temple surfaced in his mind. 

In this sacred place, you can claim an artifact and trade your earned Essence Points for a reward of your choice, honoring your worthy deeds.

He turned his attention back to the golden shaft of light before him. He appraised it, and a new piece of text emerged in his mind, accompanied by three buttons beneath it.

The Void Temple

Player: Jake Turner

Current Tier: 0

EP: 964,150 (+964,150)

[Tiers] [Curses] [Help]

He had earned almost a million EP. He recalled that he had gained 825,000 EP by choosing the EP reward upon finishing each floor, meaning the remaining 139,150 EP came from fighting enemies while under the Fragile Body curse.

He now had a general idea of how much EP he could earn with a curse applied over about thirty hours. Sure enough, if he took on more curses, he would earn more EP—more curses meant more EP. 

He had already pressed [Help] during his last visit to the temple, so he was aware of the Void Temple’s purpose and didn’t feel the need to reread the text. Likewise, he didn’t click [Curses], knowing it would display the list of various curses he could apply to himself.

He pressed [Tiers] instead, and a piece of text he had reviewed during his last visit to the temple materialized in his mind.

Tier 1 – Gublab – Unlock: 100,000 EP

Tier 2 – Zelvok – Unlock: 250,000 EP

Tier 3 – Ilbiut – Unlock: 450,000 EP

Tier 4 – Mouryah – Unlock: 700,000 EP

Tier 5 – Saphivern – Unlock: 1,000,000 EP

Tier 6 – Yekjiul – Unlock: 1,350,000 EP

Tier 7 – Ravekjaz – Unlock: 1,750,000 EP

He now had enough EP to unlock three tiers. The cost for each subsequent tier increased exponentially. Nevertheless, he could afford to unlock a couple of them right away. One by one, he unlocked the first two tiers, spending 350,000 EP, leaving him with 614,150 EP remaining.

The names of the tiers, which had been gibberish to him before, were now intelligible. 

Tier 1 – Relic, Charm, and Gemstone Consumption

Tier 2 – Basic Runes

Now that the first two tiers were unlocked, he could expand them using a mental command. He concentrated on the first tier and asked for more information. Instantly, lines of new details flooded his mind.

Tier 1: You can consume relics, charms, and gemstones to receive various buffs. To absorb an item and gain its benefits, you need to place your hand and the item within the shaft of light.

Charms progress your skills and abilities, while relics provide permanent boosts to your attributes and resistances. Shards of charms offer small increases, while completed charms result in larger enhancements.

Gemstones grant you temporal elemental damage or elemental resistance based on your choice. You can use one gemstone for offense and one for defense. Using a second gemstone for elemental damage will override any prior elemental power gained from another gemstone. The same rule applies to defense. 

Jake read the text and took a moment to think. During his time in the dungeon, he had gathered numerous relics, gemstones, and charm shards. However, he had never found a complete charm. He had several shards of the Demon Blood charm, which could be combined into a complete charm, but he knew he couldn’t combine them by himself.

Still, there had to be a way to merge several shards into a complete charm. He shifted his gaze toward two white shafts of light on either side of the statue.

Unlock the slot for 250,000 EP (Insufficient EP)

He had over six hundred thousand EP left, so he decided to unlock both of them to see what they were. Spending another 500,000 EP, he was left with only 114,150 EP. He checked one of the white shafts of light, and a piece of information materialized in his mind.

Summoning Circle: Here, you can spend some of your EP to summon various items such as shards of charms, relics, gemstones, and arcane formulae. Arcane formulae are used to create artifacts.

Artifacts provide various benefits. To receive these benefits, you must carry an artifact on your person or store it in your Inventory. You can only benefit from one artifact at a time. If you carry two or more artifacts simultaneously, they will cancel each other out, offering no benefits at all.

Depending on how much you spend, your chances of acquiring various rare items increase. For 10,000, you can summon several shards of charms and relics. For 25,000, you can summon several shards of charms, relics, and a few gemstones. For 50,000, you can summon several shards of charms, relics, a few gemstones, and one arcane formula. 

You can also use the Summoning Circle to sell any items you don’t need for EP. 

Spend: 10,000 EP

Spend: 25,000 EP

Spend: 50,000 EP

Before making use of the Summoning Circle, Jake stepped over to the other shaft of light he had unlocked and appraised it.

Creation Circle: Here, you can combine several shards of the same type into a complete charm. Additionally, you can use the Creation Circle to create various artifacts using arcane formulae. To combine charm shards or create an artifact, simply place all items, including the arcane formula if you’re creating an artifact, inside the shaft of light.

Jake had several shards of the Demon Blood charm. He knew they fit perfectly together since he had already attempted to combine them by hand, but they wouldn’t adhere to one another. Now, he knew how to make them whole.

With a thought, he retrieved all four pieces of the Demon Blood charm and placed them inside the Creation Circle. They hovered there, held in place by a magical force. Once all the pieces were in, they drew toward each other. As the shards converged, a quick flash of light enveloped them, merging them into a complete charm. Jake retrieved it and summoned its description. 

Name: Demon Blood

Type: Charm

Description: This is a charm that was formed from an ancient demon’s coagulated blood. When absorbed or used in enchanting, it gives your skills permanent boosts.

Primary Effects: +25% in Claws, +25% in Smashfists, and +25% in Bladed Tentacles

He remembered that a single shard of this charm granted only 5% to each of these abilities. However, the complete charm provided 25%, which was more than what he would have gained by consuming the four separate shards individually.

However, he didn’t plan on consuming the charm. Instead, he walked back to the Summoning Circle. He retrieved the Acid Protective Amulet from his Inventory and examined it. His resistance to this type of damage was already quite strong, so he decided to sell the amulet. When he placed it inside the Summoning Circle, it hovered motionlessly in the air, and a line of text appeared before him.

Acid Protective Amulet: Sell for 50,000 EP (Yes/No) 

Jake thought YES, and the amulet vanished in a brief flash of light. The text before his eyes was replaced by another.

You have just received 50,000 EP. 

Jake decided to spend the EP he had just received right away. He instructed the Summoning Circle to summon items for 50,000 EP. In an instant, a flash of light erupted, and several items appeared, floating motionlessly within the Summoning Circle.

Demon Blood (Shard) 

Spectral Matter (Relic)

Tongue of Flame (Relic)

Frost Essence (Relic)

Venom Heart (Relic)

Amber (Epic Gemstone) 

Amber (Epic Gemstone)

Ruby (Common Gemstone)

Heart of Wind (Arcane Formula)

He retrieved all the items from the Summoning Circle and placed them in his Inventory. Before storing the last item, the scroll containing the arcane formula, he took a moment to inspect it.

Name: Heart of Wind

Type: Lesser Artifact

Description: This ancient scroll contains an arcane formula used to create an artifact by combining the required materials in a magical ritual.

Required materials: Demon Blood, Spectral Matter, Silent Shadow

Effects: +25% boost to the progression speed of your abilities

He had the Demon Blood charm and the Spectral Matter relic, but he lacked a Silent Shadow—whatever that might be—so he couldn’t create the artifact at that moment. 

However, it reminded him that he had another arcane formula hidden in his Inventory. He retrieved it and took a look at it. He recalled finding the scroll in the dungeon some time ago and summoned its description to jog his memory. 

Name: Basic Elemental Shielding

Type: Lesser Artifact

Description: This ancient scroll contains an arcane formula used to create an artifact by combining the required materials in a magical ritual.

Required materials: Tongue of Flame, Frost Essence, Venom Heart

Effects: +25% Fire Resistance, +25% Frost Resistance, +25% Poison Resistance

He had been fortunate enough to summon all the materials necessary to create this artifact. Excited, he stepped back to the Creation Circle. He placed the arcane formula inside the shaft of light, then retrieved the Tongue of Flame, Frost Essence, and Venom Heart one by one from his Inventory, adding them to the Creation Circle. Once everything was inside, a piece of text materialized. 

Would you like to create Basic Elemental Shielding? (Please note that all materials and the arcane formula will be lost): Yes/No

He thought YES. As usual, there was a brief flash of light, and all the items he had just put inside disappeared. Jake expected a newly created item to appear inside the Creation Circle, but instead, it materialized in the cupped hands of the statue. He examined it. The object looked like a rounded rock the size of his fist, with various glowing sigils etched into it. He summoned its description. 

Name: Basic Elemental Shielding

Type: Lesser Artifact

Effects: +25% Fire Resistance, +25% Frost Resistance, +25% Poison Resistance

So, he now had additional resistance to these three types of elemental damage, which was great. After taking the artifact from the cupped hands of the statue, he placed it in his Inventory. Jake paused for a moment to think. He then crouched down, took all the items from his Inventory, and placed them on the floor before the statue. The only item he left in his Inventory was the artifact he had just created. 

He looked at all the items he had lined up in several rows on the floor: shards of charms, relics, various gemstones, and one scroll containing an arcane formula. He could consume the shards and relics to enhance his skills, abilities, attributes, and resistances, but he didn’t see much point in doing so.

He could improve his skills and attributes simply by using them. As for attributes, he could increase them by allocating SP to them. Consuming charms and relics seemed like a waste of valuable resources, especially since they could be used for creating artifacts, which appeared to be extremely powerful and useful items.

So he decided not to consume the relics and charms he had collected but to continue gathering them. Later, when he found another arcane formula, he could use some to create another artifact. He also chose not to carry all these items constantly in his Inventory, opting instead to store them in the Void Temple.

After picking up two amber gemstones from the floor, he stood up and returned to the golden shaft of light rising from the pedestal before the statue. He placed one of the ambers in his left palm and summoned its description. He already knew it could infuse his attacks with Explosive elemental damage or protect him from this type of damage, but he wanted to refresh his memory about the specific percentages.

Name: Amber

Rarity: Epic

Description: Inserting this gem into a slot on your weapon gives it the ability to deal Explosive damage to your enemies, causing a small explosion when you hit an enemy. When placed in your armor’s slot, it increases your Explosive resistance.  

Primary Effects: 25% chance to deal Explosive damage when inserted into a weapon. Increases Explosive resistance by 25% when placed in armor. 

Status: 100%

He brought his left palm, holding the gemstone, into the golden shaft of light. Immediately, a piece of text appeared before him. 

Which benefit would you like to receive: Grant Explosive elemental damage to your attacks, or enhance your resistance to Explosive damage? 

Jake chose the former. As soon as he did, the amber gemstone merged into his flesh. He then pulled his hand back, placed the second amber in his palm, and brought his hand back into the shaft of golden light. When posed with the same question again, he opted for the second choice, and the process repeated itself. 

Now, when he attacked an enemy with any of his weapons, he had a 25% chance of inflicting Explosive damage. His resistance to this type of elemental damage was also increased by 25%. He knew that many of Los Demonios’ members used explosive ammunition in their weapons, so having increased resistance to this type of damage was really great, especially since he planned to launch an attack on one of their bases as soon as he returned to the outside world.

He wondered if there was a way to see what type of elemental damage he currently possessed. He thought about it and was pleased to receive an immediate line of text in his mind.

Elemental Damage: Explosive (25% chance, 100% usage remaining)

It was great that instead of being available for a limited amount of time, it would lose some of its charge every time it was used.

That was done, but before leaving the Void Temple, there were a couple more things he wanted to do there.

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