The system prompt echoed in Ethan's mind, its crisp mechanical tone impossible to ignore:
[Hint: Alienation successful. Gold-ranked Dasword Mantis has evolved into Dark-Gold-ranked Bladed Mantis.]
Another notification followed almost immediately:
[Alienation successful. Strength +2300, Constitution +1600, Agility +46,000, Spirit +880. Skill acquired: "Cutting Gold and Breaking Stones (Purple)."]
He quickly pulled up the skill's description.
[Cutting Gold and Breaking Stones (Purple): After charging both forelimbs and hind limbs, swing sharp scythe-like blades to attack. Capable of cutting through gold and shattering stone. Damage scales with the Agility attribute.]
Ethan blinked and frowned. Forelimbs and hind limbs?
It was already terrifying when the creature fought with its forelimbs, but the idea of its hind limbs being weaponized as well was bizarre. Reading further, his expression turned from confusion to alarm. Damage based on Agility? That meant this skill wasn't relying on raw strength—it scaled with speed, precision, and the monstrous agility score of the Bladed Mantis.
"Attribute damage skills…?" he muttered under his breath.
He immediately checked the updated stats of his summoned beast.
[Summoned Beast: Dark-Gold Class Bladed Mantis]
Level: Mature — Remaining lifespan: 88 years
Strength: 3346 (+3346)
Constitution: 2870 (+2870)
Agility: 56,760 (+56,760)
Spirit: 1140 (+1140)
Skills (5): Gnawing (Green), Shadow Stealth (Purple), Clamping (Blue), Mirroring Flowers and Water Moon (Blue), Cutting Gold and Breaking Stones (Purple)
Comprehensive Combat Power: 2525 Stars
Ethan sucked in a sharp breath.
A combat power of 2525 stars—that was a number higher than what most warriors could reach even with a full set of Platinum-tier equipment. A summoned beast with that kind of strength could serve as a one-man army.
He turned his gaze toward the Bladed Mantis itself.
The creature, once roughly human-sized, now loomed over three meters tall. Its entire body gleamed with a cold, dark-gray sheen, as though it were forged from some alien alloy. Ethan almost mistook it for a nightmarish queen standing in front of him, its figure twisted into a macabre parody of regality.
Its forelimbs had grown even more fearsome, the edges lined with serrated ridges that glistened like freshly honed scythes. They looked less like natural limbs and more like reapers' tools, forged for slaughter. What unsettled Ethan even more were its hind limbs, which had now transformed into scythe-like appendages as well. Their polished edges caught the light, reflecting it into his eyes.
If the creature weren't intentionally keeping itself in a stealth stance, those scythes would be carving deep trenches into the ground just by standing still.
Ethan couldn't help but whisper to himself, "What kind of power will this skill unleash… when its damage scales with more than fifty thousand points of agility?"
His curiosity gnawed at him, so he decided to test it.
Inside the Beast Royal Space, he conjured a simulation. This time, he chose a target he remembered vividly—the Dark-Gold Golden Silk Python, a dungeon boss that had once nearly devoured him and his rebellious companion. Back then, neither teeth nor blade had pierced the beast's defenses. In the end, his ally had been swallowed whole just to buy Ethan a chance to survive.
But now, the Bladed Mantis would face it.
The mantis crouched low, forelegs and hind legs brimming with a dim, lethal glow as the Cutting Gold and Breaking Stones skill activated.
Swish—Swish!
Two arcs of blinding light slashed across the battlefield.
The python's legendary defenses, which had once seemed like iron walls, gave way instantly. Its massive body split apart into several sections as though it were made of tofu. Pieces of its corpse fell heavily to the ground, twitching in silence.
The blades didn't stop there. They carved into the earth itself, leaving twin gouges that stretched for dozens of meters. Ethan probed the simulation deeper and realized the attack had reached tens of meters underground as well.
He staggered back, horrified and amazed at the same time. This one skill alone could slice an entire skyscraper into neat layers like a cake.
For the first time, Ethan truly understood what it meant when people described a creature as abnormal.
With the Bladed Mantis by his side, his perspective on danger shifted completely. The thought of lower-level aliens daring to trouble him now seemed laughable. In fact, he almost welcomed their attacks. They would simply become free training and a source of materials.
Even the so-called "bearded master," one of the more terrifying enemies in his memory, might be forced to retreat under this creature's onslaught. Winning outright would still be difficult, but for the first time, Ethan didn't feel powerless.
The only downside was the mantis's size—it was simply too massive, which made moving around inconvenient. But thanks to its natural stealth ability, it could vanish into the shadows whenever needed. That alone was enough to outweigh its bulk.
"Next… it's time to continue alienating."
Just as he finished whispering to himself, the bearded master arrived. Ethan said nothing, climbed straight into the car, and kept silent.
The driver stole nervous glances at him. The atmosphere grew heavy, the silence pressing down like a weight.
Did I offend him somehow? the master wondered anxiously. Is he angry? What if he ends up clashing with my boss because of me?
But Ethan's silence wasn't anger—it was focus. His mind churned over who should undergo alienation next.
He still had plenty of materials left, some of which were compatible with both queen bees and queen ants. Strengthening the ant queen would improve defenses, which tied into his unique damage-transfer talents. But the queen bee, with its natural metallic composition, seemed like the better candidate for offensive upgrades.
No matter which choice he made, though, his Anti-Bone ally would inevitably become obsolete compared to the sheer potential of these queens.
He dropped the queen bee into the Alienation Talent Box, layering in every high-quality material he had, including those from dungeon bosses. His head ached as he considered whether to focus the upgrades on a single body part.
During his studies, he had observed the queen bee's attack methods. Unlike other summoned beasts, she didn't rely on any single limb. Instead, her entire body wrapped itself in metallic energy, turning her whole form into a weapon.
That meant focusing on a single part would be pointless. He decided instead on a balanced approach.
The system prompt appeared:
[Hint: Do you wish to perform Infinite Alienation?]
[Confirm? Yes/No]
He selected Yes.
[In progress… Please select evolution path.]
Option A: Evolve into the Seventh Golden Bee Queen — Attribute-focused, enhanced elemental attacks.
Option B: Evolve into the Brood Queen Bee — Balanced stats, enhanced fertility, and nest synergy.
Option C: Evolve into the Golden Shadow Bee — Extreme speed, skill acquired: "Afterimage (Purple)."
Ethan's lips curved into a thin line.
Option A promised overwhelming offensive power. Option B focused on mass production of soldiers, while Option C offered survival through agility.
Once, he would have chosen numbers over quality. But the battles so far had taught him a harsh truth: when the gap in strength became too wide, sheer numbers meant nothing. His ant queen had produced swarms before, but without strong skills like "Devotion," they had been useless against high-tier enemies.
This time, Ethan didn't hesitate. He chose Option A.
[Alienation successful. Gold-ranked Blade Queen Bee has evolved into Dark-Gold-ranked Golden Queen Bee.]
[Attributes enhanced. Power replaced with Gengjin element. Penetration +50%.]
Her combat power climbed, finally breaching the 2000-star threshold.
Ethan should have been thrilled, but something gnawed at him. The Bladed Mantis's transformation had been jaw-dropping, yet the Queen Bee's evolution felt… ordinary. The improvement was real, but it carried the faint sense of hitting a bottleneck.
Why does it feel like I'm missing something?
His mind drifted. Materials didn't have to come from just wild monsters, did they? His Infinite Alienation Talent surely had the potential to work with resources beyond those he had been using. Could there be rarer, higher-tier materials waiting to be discovered—materials that would push his summons to a level beyond comprehension?
While Ethan pondered, the bearded master driving the car grew increasingly uneasy. He sneaked glances at Ethan's expression, mistaking his thoughtful frown for fury.
What's wrong with him? Is he angry with me? What if he lashes out at the boss because of this? What do I do?
The man's grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles white, his imagination running wild.
Meanwhile, Ethan remained lost in his own world, already planning the next step of his path—toward alienation beyond anything ordinary monsters could provide.
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