Infinite Evolution: My Idle Evolution System

Hellion stared straight into Cassius's eyes, then shook her head. "Fine… This one shall accept your offer. But ten years—that is all I shall be beside you for. Beyond that, it is up to Fate to intervene."

Cassius grinned while leaning down to pick up the fallen beauty. He gently put her on his back, then said, "I won't need you to stay around for a decade; a year is plenty. But if you wish to remain after that point… Well, as you said, Fate will surely intervene."

Hellion blinked. Feeling the firmness of his back made her feel rather comfortable. It was nice.

"If you want to shorten the duration of our time together, then so be it," she said. "But I will tell you beforehand that I am only agreeing to this because of how… unique… your destiny is. It is one of the only ones that I'm unable to glimpse into."

"And… why are you carrying me?"

"Oh, this?" Cassius chuckled. "You may be able to conceal it well, but I know what sort of condition you're in right now. That power you used sure was something else, alright."

Hellion remained silent.

It continued that way for quite a while, as Cassius made his way out of the Pyramid rubble and toward the giant hellish door standing in the background.

As opposed to common belief, the Gate to HELL was not something that served as a border between two plots of land. Rather, it was a door or gateway of sorts between separate layers of space. Similar to how the Oracle Pyramid Floor doors functioned, yet on a higher level, the Gate to HELL was one that would send you to the true 7th Dimension known as HELL.

The massive, terrifying Gate was erected directly behind the Oracle Sphinx's Pyramid and was around the same height as it. There was nothing behind the Gate, as it was all just a blending illusion.

In a sense, the Gate to HELL was the Edge of the sub-dimension often referred to as the 'Trial Area' for otherworlders.

Yet, even with the Gate being the way forward for those worthy, there had not been a successful Otherworlder for the last few thousand years. Meaning that Cassius was the first to succeed in a very, very long time.

A few seconds passed.

Cassius and Hellion made it to the absurdly large skull-adorned Gate, where he then took the time to scan over his system notifications and take out the necessary items to advance forward.

*Ding!*

[You have defeated the Hellish Sphinx, Hellion (S- -)]

[Your Experience Bar has moved by leaps and bounds!]

[You leveled up!]

[You received 1200 AP!]

[All of your Main Attributes have increased by 450 Points!]

[You leveled up!]

[You received 1500 AP!]

[All of your Main Attributes have increased by 600 Points!]

{[Main Quest #4]} - [A++ Rank] → [S-- Rank]

—[Without taking off your Newbie 5 Equipment Set, you are required to kill every single Hellish being present in the Trial Area of HELL's 1st Floor. You are also to either slay the Hellish Sphinx or answer all of its questions correctly.]

{[Rewards upon Completion:]}

{[Reward 1: 1000 AP]} - [✓]

{[Reward 2: A+ Riddler's Riddler]} - [✓]

{[Reward 3: S+++ Rank HELL's 1st Floor Gate Key]} - [✓]

{[Reward 4: Map of HELL's 1st Floor]} - [✓]

{[Reward 5: 72nd Demon King's Ire]} - [✓]

{[Punishment Upon Failure: 12 Hours in 'Nightmare Scape']} - [...Passed… Immense Disappointment]

Cassius felt an ominously evil intent hone in on him and peer into his existence with disdain. Yet, that intent left as quickly as it came, leaving him to wonder just how much power he felt connected to that intent.

'It was so much… Power like that… Is it even possible…?'

While that question bounced around inside his head, he closely watched the rest of the system notifications.

*Ding~!*

[Acquired (S- - Rank) Beast Companion 'Hellion, the Hellish Sphinx']

['Hellion' added to Partial Idle Evolution System Feature #5. '14 present Affection']

{[Oracle Sphinx's Pyramid (S-- Rank)]} - [Boss Area] - [CLEARED]

—[This Pyramid serves as the most prominent and unexplainable remains of a technologically advanced civilization that vanished long ago. The Entity once idolized as the 'future' of this civilization has long since had its consciousness corroded by demonic energies. Now, it eternally persists in the land of Demons as the 'Guardian of the Gate.']

{[Clear Rewards:]}

[Reward 1 - (25 Heaps of Medium-sized Experience Points)] - [✓]

[Reward 2 - (1200 AP)] - [✓]

[Reward 3 - (Oracle Sphinx's Heart (Oracle Sphinx's Bloodline))] - [✓]

[Reward 4 - (20 Common Evomon Rank-up Shards)] - [✓]

[Reward 5 - (10 Orange-tier Dragon Pellets)] - [✓]

{[Punishment for Failure:]}

—[12 hours of being trapped in the 'Land of Nightmares'] - [...Why do you pass out on such an opportunity again? Tsk!]

*Ding!*

[Your Experience Bar has tremendously moved!]

[You leveled up!]

[You received 2000 AP!]

[All of your Main Attributes have increased by 800 Points!]

[Acquired (S-Rank Item) Oracle Sphinx's Heart]

—[Would you like to assimilate with the item and obtain the S-Rank 'Oracle Sphinx's Bloodline'?]

"Yes," answered Cassius, puzzling Hellion.

She was still wondering how he planned to get through the impregnable Gates of HELL. Was he going to ask her? Or did he have something else in mind—?

While in the process of asking herself these things, she felt a presence eerily similar to her own erupt from the man she was latched onto. Her eyes widened in slight surprise as she watched his appearance and demeanor undergo a complete transformation.

At first, it was merely a change in aura to something more ancient and wise, then it turned into physical alterations. Cassius's acquisition of the Oracle Sphinx's Bloodline was very much unlike the SS-Rank Ordinary Phoenix and Demon King Bloodlines. Unlike them, he received the Oracle Sphinx's Bloodline at 100%.

This meant that a full metamorphosis was in order.

Cassius's hair turned a dark shade of black and blue. His eyes returned to their previous blue hue yet came along with an even deadlier gleam. Moreover, his originally peachy skin darkened significantly, giving him the appearance of someone who had just finished sunbathing in the Bahamas.

Once again, his charm took a steep incline, and along with it came an appropriate System Notification.