Okay, Jake had perhaps been a bit too excited about his evolution when he had gone to visit Arnold, and it was probably also not a good idea to annoy the guy you wanted to make stuff for you. Even if Jake didn’t want favors from him – which he did - pissing off a mad scientist with an army of drones also seemed unwise.

To make things worse, Jake planned on going to visit him to ask about the Nanoblade after all his evolutions were done, but now he had just turned things awkward. He could go and apologize then and there, but wouldn’t that just make things worse? He had no idea, and he failed to resist using his Sphere Pulse – the official new name - once more. He took a new snapshot only to see Arnold back at work, his neutral facial expression the same as ever.

At least he didn’t seem bothered, so Jake would just let it rest for now. He had evolutions to do, didn’t he?

He could evolve either his class or profession first, and while the order didn’t matter whatsoever, Jake did recall evolving his class first at D-grade. As a supporter of equality, Jake found it only fair to go with his profession first this time around.

Without further ado, Jake got started as he willed the message to appear, and his profession evolution could officially begin.

*Profession Evolution Requirements Met*

Living paradoxes tend to be transient beings, unstable amalgamations of circumstance that cease to be once the feeble balance is broken and one side has to give in. Yet you remain a heretic and a Chosen. The two sides are perhaps not equally represented in your Path, but a balance has still been struck that allows both to persist in harmony, amplifying one another. Your heretical actions instead seemingly bring you closer to your Patron, as you have gladly embraced the Legacy of the Malefic Viper. Not that you shy away from less-used means, willingly deploying curses to further your goal. Your alchemy has also only grown, your poisons ever more potent, yet something else has appeared too. Something that causes Origins, Records, and Paths to warp in your wake. To what extremes will you go?

Begin evolution now?

Y/N

WARNING: Postponing evolution for too long may have adverse effects, and no further profession-experience can be earned before the evolution is complete.

The system just kept being so nice in all these long messages describing his Path and whatnot. The message itself was as expected, primarily about Jake being a heretic and a Chosen, at least until the last few sentences. It mentioned Jake’s curses, his alchemy getting better, and then that ominous final part about warping Origins and Paths and whatnot. Definitely related to all the things Jake had done that created things like Eternal Hunger – both versions – and of course, Sandy. A bit of Sylphie, too, for sure.

He already had a good idea of what kind of profession upgrades he would get and stopped delaying as he jumped right into it.

The first option was indeed one he had expected.

Planetary Leader of the Malefic Viper – The will of the Malefic One is omnipresent, expanding to all worlds and all realities. As a World Leader, you support the Order of the Malefic Viper, dedicating the lives of all who live on your planet to the Order and the Malefic One. Planetary Leader is a profession focused on managing and guiding a planet to glory. Grants skills related to management, economics, leadership, and control, as well as methods to protect your new dominion. However, be warned that should the planet be destroyed, you will not escape unscathed. Stat bonuses per level: +35 Vitality, +35 Wisdom, +30 Willpower, +60 Free Points. WARNING: Skills pertaining to Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper may be lost or changed upon becoming a Planetary Leader of the Malefic Viper.

Becoming World Leader was usually viewed as a massive achievement and a Path in itself. For Jake, it had just been an annoying responsibility he chose to take on, and in all truthfulness, the quality of this upgrade reflected that. It was a pretty bad version of World Leader and didn’t even include any of his Chosen or heretic stuff in there. It was a barebones one that sounded a lot like what Arthur had feared Jake planned on becoming to control Earth.

It was a profession Jake could see quite a few people in the Order of the Malefic Viper possess. If the Order had a lot of planets under their control, that is. Jake really didn’t know as he wasn’t overly invested in his friend’s culty social club.

Stat-wise it gave 160 total, which was… okay? As was shown in the race evolution, the stats tripled once more in C-grade, bringing the maximum a profession could give from 80 to 240. 160 put the profession above average but still pretty bad in Jake’s eyes. It was the same as a profession giving 60 total stats in D-grade, so way worse than what he had before. Also, losing or changing skills? Yeah, no thanks.

He did not doubt that people like Arthur and Miranda would get offered skills related to being Ministers and on the council, with even the Sword Saint perhaps getting an annoying option to skip. Which was, of course, exactly what Jake did as he moved on. And the Heretic-Chosen stuff came early, it seemed.

Heretic-Chosen Prophet of the Malefic Viper – Your Path is long, lonely, but potent. It would be a shame to walk it alone. Bring others into the fold, allowing them to see your reality and no longer merely serve the gods as their tools but as their equals. A foolhardy vision, perhaps, but it is your vision nevertheless. As his Chosen - his prophet - you still keep expanding the Order while not shying away from the heretical, creating a Path few would willingly follow. Your skills in Alchemy remain, but you create not for yourself or the love of the craft but to respect your Patron and remain close to him. Grants skills related to alchemy, persuasion, manipulation, and religious practices. As a heretic, the Legacy of the Malefic Viper is no longer contingent on retaining any blessing from the Malefic Viper. Be you a corruptor or a savior, only you can decide as you embrace the moniker of Prophet. Stat bonuses per level: +60 Willpower, +50 Wisdom, +30 Vitality, +25 Int, +40 Free Points.

See, if Jake didn’t know better, he would think the system was trolling him with options like this. In what world had the system observed Jake and everything he did during his entire journey and reached the conclusion that, yeah, Jake would for sure love becoming a prophet. It would be the most awkward shit Jake could imagine if he had to go around playing mega-priest for Villy.

Also, he did bite onto the fact it did not only include stuff related to the Malefic Viper but was also about leading others onto the Path of a Heretic. Just an interesting observation.

When he looked at the stats, it was actually pretty good, at 205 per level. It would still be a quality downgrade compared to his D-grade profession, but not horribly so. He did have a suspicion that there existed way better versions of this, and a bit like with the World Leader one above, he just didn’t get it offered as it didn’t suit him. At least this one didn’t make him lose any skills… but it was a no. A fuck no, even.

Moving on.

Heretic-Chosen Cursed Corruptor of the Malefic Viper – Corruption is at the core of the Malefic Viper’s Path, but can it be taken too far? It is your aim to find out. You have begun to deviate from the Malefic One, implementing the power of curses into your Path – something even your Patron rarely did due to the innate volatility of curses. Your skills as an alchemist wane as you specialize in only the act of transformation and transmutation through the art of corrupting anything and anyone. As a heretic, the Legacy of the Malefic Viper is no longer contingent on retaining any blessing from the Malefic Viper. May your touch be as feared as that of the Malefic One, and your mind stay true to your Path, lest the curses consume you. Stat bonuses per level: +70 Willpower, +40 Vitality, +40 Wisdom, +20 Perception, +15 Int, +30 Free Points. WARNING: Skills pertaining to Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper may be lost or changed upon becoming a Heretic-Chosen Cursed Corruptor of the Malefic Viper.

Now, Jake had expected to see at least one option talking about curses, and this sure fit the bill. Looking at it more closely, Jake was a bit surprised at how different it still was compared to his expectations. It wasn’t even an alchemy profession anymore but was all about corrupting things. It was some extreme version of transmutation from the looks of it. The stats were good, at 215 per level, which was only 25 short of the theoretical maximum. This did mean it firmly fell within the realm of having some drawbacks besides the whole heretic-chosen dichotomy. Probably had something to do with all the curse stuff.

Yeah, definitely the curse stuff.

Jake was not really against using curses on a fundamental level, but that didn’t mean he wanted to go down a Path only revolving around them. He also liked his alchemy, and this profession would cut that away entirely, it seemed, with him potentially losing skills just from selecting it. It was definitely a no from him just based on that. He did consider maybe using curse stuff a bit more, but he could do that as an alchemist too.

With two more professions to go, Jake was pleasantly surprised with the next one.

Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – Still, you walk a paradoxical path, understood by none but you and your Patron. The Path you walk continues to be Unique as you learn more about the Path your Patron once followed, his struggles, and even his mortality. Secrets most ancient beings would wish forgotten lay bare before you as you gaze upon Records only known by the Malefic One. Allows one to combine the natural treasures of the world, and make potions, pills, transmute one material to another, with a slew of other mystical means to be discovered. This rare type of alchemist specializes in the production of poisons, contrary to the craft of potions. As a heretic, the Legacy of the Malefic Viper is no longer contingent on retaining any blessing from the Malefic Viper. May you continue to embrace your Path and all that comes with it. Stat bonuses per level: +50 Will, +50 Wis, +40 Vit, +30 Int, +25 Tough, +35 Free Points.

Hello again, Jake thought with a smile. It was his good old friend, Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. The description was very similar but had sprinkled some more stuff in there, especially the part about also learning about his mortality. Clearly, the skill referred to Path of the Heretic-Chosen with many of these references, making him already sure it would be one of the skills upgraded or affected by this evolution.

When it came to stats, it had only improved. Jake’s D-grade version gave 74 stat points per level total, while this one gave 230. If it had just been a straight upgrade, it would only have given 222. Probably 225, as the system seemed to like sticking to numbers ending either in 5 or 0 during this evolution, but even so, this was better for sure. Was this a reward for surviving his Path, or perhaps just him moving closer to its true potential?

As mentioned, then 240 was the maximum amount of stats a profession could offer in C-grade, putting him only 10 stats per level away from it. Pretty damn fucking good if he said so himself.

Jake already loved this option, and it was damn good… but that only made him wonder. There was one more evolution option available. What exactly could that offer which was better? Jake checked it out with great interest.

Harbinger of Primeval Origins – All have an Origin; all have a Path to the peak. You shall be the Harbinger bringing forth that Origin. Allows you to awaken the Origin of other creatures and objects as you awaken primeval concepts within, resulting in the birth of things never seen before or long forgotten. As you embrace this Path, so will you affect the Origin within yourself, embracing it fully as you shun all else but what lies within. With it shall come power, and all those around you will bathe in a presence that will forcefully passively affect their Records, pushing them toward their Primeval Origin. Grants skills related to the nurturing, improvement, and manipulation of Records in all living beings. Be the Harbinger of Primeval Origins and awaken all. Stat bonuses per level: +65 Will, +40 Vit, +40 Wis, +20 Tough, +75 Free Points. WARNING: Skills pertaining to Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper may be lost or changed upon becoming a Harbinger of Primeval Origins.

Jake felt like the description said so much and yet so little. What he did know was that it was powerful. More powerful than any profession Jake had ever seen or read about – partly because the truly powerful ones were always kept secret. It practically oozed potential, and he did the rudimentary math to know how many stats it gave per level.

240.

The theoretical maximum. Which meant it came with drawbacks. Severe ones, from the looks of it, as Jake read it more closely.

Many drawbacks came not in the form of limitations of progress but through something far more insidious. Loss of control. Not necessarily loss of control of your own body like a berserker, but the loss of how you affected the world around you. The best example Jake knew of this was the undead species known as Plague Spirits that he had read about. These spirits sometimes appeared in areas with a lot of uncontrolled death-affinity mana, condensing from all the energy. These spirits were powerful but were also hunted down instantly if they occurred. This was due to them passively killing everything around them, the plague even consuming other undead. It was entirely uncontrolled, and even if these spirits could be intelligent, there was simply no way to allow them to keep living. That is unless you wanted to risk them wiping out entire solar systems before dying from starvation as they ran out of life to consume.

Oh yeah, he forgot the part about them being unable to regenerate resources but having to consume constantly just to stay alive.

This profession gave Jake similar feelings, albeit in a far less extreme fashion. It included words such as forcefully, mentioning it would change his own Records while shunning everything else. Rather than merely a profession, it read more like a true calling. A Path that he could and should dedicate everything to, a bit like Jacob and his Augur Path.

Jake was not blind to the implications of merely having it offered. He knew this came from all he had done to affect Sandy, Sylphie, and even himself. It was also a clue as to what exactly he did, mentioning Primeval Origins. However…

He had spent most of his life learning to control himself and his instincts. Choosing this profession was letting go of some of that control. He was not against what it stood for and wanted to accomplish, but how it would be done. Jake would be the one in control. He would choose who to affect.

Finally, and perhaps the biggest one. Jake would no longer be an alchemist if he went down this Path. As mentioned, Jake liked alchemy. He found it fascinating and fun and a great pastime when not killing things. He also liked all of the heretic-chosen stuff, even if he knew it was a bit weird.

Lying down on his evolution bed, Jake considered them both for a while longer, not wanting to make a rash decision. Usually, he had a gut feeling due to his Bloodline, but this time it was oddly silent. He knew why. Both choices were legitimate, and both would be great in their own way.

Ultimately, Jake knew what he wanted to be. It all came down to him liking alchemy and not wanting to forcefully affect others while not even knowing he did it. The thought just didn’t sit right with him, and to that, his gut agreed.

Besides, who would keep Villy on the straight and narrow if he didn’t have Jake to keep his ego in check? Couldn’t leave it all in Duskleaf’s hands.

Without further ado, Jake made his selection as he was hit with a rush of knowledge. There was also something else, something Jake should perhaps also have considered when making his choice:

How his choice would affect Villy.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 200 - Stat points allocated, +35 Free Points*

It did not take long for a reaction to come.

“What did you do now?”the snake god asked him just as he picked the profession, Jake also feeling the slight shift in their bond.