Under the night sky, the monochrome, burning sun cast a pale light that caught a creature so vast and so graceful it seemed to swim through the clouds, its silver body mimicking a moon.

The Silver Whale, known for its speed despite its massive body, was moving slowly tonight. It did not look in a hurry; it drifted as if on a peaceful walk. Passengers crowded its immense back, and at the front, four figures stood out. Silverlight Zephan stood at the very forefront, straight-backed on the Whale's head, eyes on the horizon as if sunk in deep thought.

A little behind him, an ogre sat cross-legged with his eyes closed; it was hard to tell whether he was asleep or in deep meditation.

A little to their side stood Liora Virell, her small, muscular body giving the impression of a compact mountain. Yet despite that impression, the shock and disbelief on her face made her look more like a young girl handed an expensive gift for her betrothal.

"This is..." Her gaze flicked to the man's face first, then to the small blue crystal resting in the palm held out to her. Her voice wavered. "Are you sure you want to give this to me?"

She knew exactly what Adyr was offering her.

The Synergy Crystal.

She knew it only from books and from secondhand stories she had heard from her peers. She had never had the chance to see one directly, much less consume it. But now one lay before her, and she was being asked to take it and use it.

"This is not just rare... it is extremely rare and priceless," she said, lifting her head again to meet Adyr's crimson eyes, doubt touching her voice. "You know that, right?"

Seeing her doubt and disbelief, Adyr smiled lightly. "I'm aware. Don't worry. Take it. Think of it as a gift from me for accepting me into your kingdom and seeing me as one of you."

His words were kind and persuasive, but not quite enough, so he added a firmer reason. "You will soon fight 3 Rank 4 Practitioners. You are strong, for sure, but what we need now is not to be simply stronger. We need you to overpower your enemies."

A short while earlier, while Adyr's Earth-side body was holding a meeting at the Player Headquarters, his Beyond-side body was speaking here with the natives. When he said he wanted to confront the Umbraen with his own strength and wanted only Velari support, Zephan and Throgar looked at him doubtfully and skeptically, confused by his choice.

At first, they tried to protest and change his mind, saying the Umbraen and Sevrak were not enemies to underestimate. Then they heard he planned to call a 'small' support from his own family, and they shut their mouths and accepted without another word.

What Adyr told them was that he would bring in a few aides, emphasizing it was only a small force, hardly enough to be called maids or servants. Even so, that promise was enough to make the 2 rulers eager to see what they would look like and what kind of power they held in their hands.

Liora was no exception. She was even more excited than the other 2 rulers to see what their ancestors had to offer to her small imagination.

"Okay then." At last, her small hand reached out and took the blue crystal.

She gave it a long, second look, studying every detail, and wondered how this small crystal-no more than a hardened raindrop-would soon become the cornerstone of her evolution path.

Before popping it into her mouth, she lifted her head to ask one last time. "You're sure, right? There is no going back."

Adyr laughed again, seeing how hesitant she was. "Go ahead. Enjoy it."

He was not troubled to lose one Synergy Crystal like this; it was more an investment than a loss.

He had obtained a total of 5 crystals from the Tower of Worth trials. He had consumed 1 himself, given 1 to the researchers on Earth, and now he was giving 1 to Liora. That left 2 in his hands, more than enough for now.

He would not consume another yet, since he needed to rank up to 4 for it to be effective again.

Adyr remembered the emotional shifts and character currents that followed consumption, something to be endured. The first dose had gone well; the memories and instincts from his Sparks did not clash with his nature, only sharpening the edges of his emotions. With strong self-control, the effects stayed manageable. Even so, the next dose would wait until Rank 4, with his mind prepared for the impact.

Fully convinced at last, Liora's eyes brightened. Without any further hesitation, she placed the crystal in her mouth and swallowed it whole.

Then she sat with legs crossed, waiting for the changes to come.

Adyr kept a close eye on her. For a Rank 4 Practitioner, taking it would have more pronounced effects than for a Rank 3, and he wanted to see every detail

with his own eyes.

Soon, the changes began to show on her, drawing the attention of the others immediately.

Zephan felt a ripple of unknown energy gathering at his back and turned to look at the small silhouette, his brows knitting with deep focus.

Throgar's eyes opened wide as he was pulled abruptly from deep meditation, trying to understand what was happening within the newly titled Practitioner's

body.

Farther back, the lower-ranked riders on the Silver Whale all turned their gazes toward her, seized by an unknown sensation that made their backs dampen

with sweat and their hearts pound.

Even the Silver Whale stirred for a moment, as if unsettled by the energy rising and collecting along its spine.

Under all that attention, Liora remained silent and calm, eyes closed, fully focused, intent on devouring every bit of the upgrades she was about to

receive.

Her nature was already hot-blooded and direct, with a touch of naivety that came from being Velari.

Now, under the effects of the Sparks she had used for her evolution steps so far, her features began to shift. Her thin brows drew together, the corners of her lips tightened, and an edge of annoyance, closely resembling anger, started

to show.

Adyr, more interested in character and emotional changes than the physical, noticed the shift in her expression and began to think. Would her mentality

actually turn into that of a gorilla?

He knew the Spark she used for her 3rd evolution-Rank 3 Jacked Gorilla-and the one set for her 4th, from the same family and named Titan Ape, were both known for short-tempered personalities and for being territorial Sparks. The fusion with their instincts and key memories would for sure produce a sharp shift, changing her considerably; the extent would be clear only after she completed the transformation fully and tested how much she could endure. Soon, beyond mentality, Adyr noticed the physical changes as well, and they quite amused him.

Slowly but surely, a ridge of new flesh formed in the cleft between her buttocks, a clear sign she was starting to change into a monkey, literally.