Void Evolution System

Within a starship hidden in Calypto's atmosphere was a collection of rooms filled with people. This particular starship didn't have much attack capability, as it was built for an entirely different purpose,

Pure white light without a hint of variation shone down from the ceiling, painting the room an extremely boring yet sterile color.

The room itself was lined with a number of cots, men and women in matching attire running between them to care for those who were transferred to this facility.

"Mmgh…"

A pair of eyes fluttered open, but were immediately blinded by the light. The owner of those eyes attempted to lift his arm to cover them, but soon found that they were restrained by unknown material.

'Where…is this…?'

A thought flashed through the man's head. He instantly became wary. Was he captured by the enemy? Was he going to be interrogated?

But…didn't he die?

The last thing he remembered was a gaping hole being torn open in his body. After that experience, the sheer pain overwhelmed him and forced him unconscious.

His eyes eventually adjusted to the light, allowing him to open them.

He was met with a bland ceiling the same color as the light, and the sounds of clattering metal and incomprehensible chatter.

'My head…'

It took almost an entire minute for him to finally exit his confused state.

"…seems to be responsive. Move on to the next stage of treatment."

Those were the first words he heard. His eyes widened, his gaze moving unceasingly to try and catch a peek at the voice's owner.

"Mmgh…!"

The man began to struggle. The chains cuffing him to the cot rattled and seemed on the verge of collapsing, but at that moment, a nurse walked over to his bedside.

"Patient Tyler Heathrow, please calm down. You are safe."

The nurse's soothing voice flowed into his ears, and her pleasing appearance appeared in his field of view.

Tyler immediately calmed down.

'She's human.'

If she was human, he was either in a Nox research facility or he was rescued by allies, and considering the fact that he was still conscious enough to think, he was sure it was the latter.

"Wha— heuk!"

"Please don't speak, sir. Your body was damaged heavily, and we still must proceed with treatment. For now, you have been stabilized, but it would be best to not aggravate your situation."

Tyler unwillingly nodded. He looked at the nurse with pleading eyes, dying to know what actually happened.

The nurse smiled. "Sir, you were found along with two others in the depths of the ocean with fatal injuries. Luckily, an instructor spoke up on your behalf and allowed you to receive premium treatment."

Tyler's brows furrowed.

'So I should have died…'

He sighed at the realization. He was so close to death, yet in that moment as he collapsed into the ocean, his thoughts weren't those of a dying man.

Instead, he had been smiling at the fact that his plan was executed successfully.

'Premium treatment…does that mean they're using Elixirs?'

Tyler didn't understand why anyone would waste Elixirs on common soldiers like them, but he figured it had something to do with the captain.

'That crazy bastard must've done something crazy again.'

Even as he thought, Tyler used his eyes to urge the nurse to continue speaking. More than anything else, he needed to know…

"The two people who were found alongside you have been accepted for treatment. While their condition is critical, there is hope of saving them, so do not worry."

'…hope?'

Tyler suddenly felt a sinking sensation in his sto— his nonexistent stomach.

"We will begin Elixir treatment now."

The nurse left Tyler's field of vision after speaking, leaving him to his own thoughts. He could feel a variety of tubes connect to his body, and he could feel the strange and comforting liquid flowing through his veins.

'My stomach is actually closing…Elixir is truly magical.'

Elixir was a potion with unknown origins to this day. Common Elixirs that could heal 2nd class and below practitioners could be created by alchemists, and even Elixirs for 3rd class beings could be created by extremely skilled alchemists, but Elixirs for those who passed their Baptism couldn't be created with human hands.

To this day, every Elixir was a precious treasure, even though they were somewhat common. Each and every one of those Elixirs was found in a secret realm or rewarded by the Dimensional Leaderboard, after all.

'But even with that, there's merely "hope" of saving Synth and Ash…?'

Tyler's sinking feeling only grew. Synth took a majority of the damage from the final attack that took them down, and Ash had been accumulating damage for a long period of time before receiving a fatal injury, so her state could only be imagined.

Of the three, Tyler's body was the most intact due to the curious properties of his fifth summon. The armor form that linked him with Ash allowed him to survive with lighter injuries after returning to human form.

Though, without context, Tyler's injuries were truly harrowing.

Aside from the gaping hole in his stomach, his legs had been blown to bits, and even his Mana Circuit was mildly crippled.

He would need multiple months in bed to regain his previous strength even with the Elixir helping him heal.

As the minutes slowly passed, Tyler regained bits and pieces of control over his body. Eventually, it reached a point where the only thing keeping him off his feet was the chains holding him down.

It was at that time when another presence entered the area where Tyler was located.

A slight wave of mana passed over his body.

Tyler's eyes shot to the side, revealing to him the figure of a stalwart man with dead eyes.

"Who…"

"I am Instructor Baek, the man who allowed you to receive this treatment." Instructor Baek said as he observed Tyler's body.

"The damage was truly as bad as they described. Even with Elixir, your body is still so convoluted."

"Can you speak?" Instructor Baek asked without allowing Tyler to acknowledge his previous statement.

"Mm, I can speak," Tyler replied. It still felt like his throat was being stabbed through when he spoke, but he could feel the importance of the conversation that was about to take place.

He didn't want to miss out on information because of a little pain.

'All I have to do is endure it. If the captain can do it, I can too.'

"The Stargazer Squad has achieved many feats and accumulated many merit points on this expedition. It is a little surprising considering the level of your squad. None of you have the strength to accomplish the feats listed under your names."

Tyler's gaze sharpened. 'He's prodding.'

"Instructor, our squad may not have had the strength to accomplish these feats when we first arrived on Calypto, however, we have grown immensely through continued combat and reached a level that allowed us to thrive. There is nothing strange about the results."

Tyler's response was succinct and unquestionable. After all, growing through battle was the most basic rule of the universe. Denying it was foolery.

"Mm, however, the final battle that your squad fought was entirely impossible to survive with your strength, even if I consider your rise through this war. Is your leader truly skilled enough to fight back one of the Blight Emperor's closest aides?"

"Blight Emperor?"

"Ah, that is the name of the Nox in control of this Infected Source World. He is battling the main army in the starry sky as we speak."

'Does this instructor not know about the Saint Emperor?'

Though Damien didn't share the exact details of his encounter with the Saint Emperor, Tyler and the others at least knew that the Nox Avatar at the head of Calypto was the Saint Emperor's vessel.

'I should retain this information until I learn more.'

Tyler looked back at Instructor Baek with widened eyes.

"We…we fought such a monster?!"

Since this instructor thought of him as a mere pawn, he would play the part of one perfectly.

And through that, he would gain the information he sought.

Tyler had been submerging himself in battle for so long that he almost forgot how fun it was to use his brain.

But this haughty instructor who viewed him as an ant even while trying to get information from him…really brought out Tyler's manipulative instinct.