After accepting the invitation once again, an empty chat room appeared before me. The faint golden shimmer of the system interface reflected off my eyes, and this time, only three names hovered above the chat: Pharmacist, Cosmos, and Nexus,me.
[Pharmacist: Now, please send a system screenshot of your talent information.]
[Cosmos: Understood.]
A brief silence lingered, broken only by the faint breathing of Pharmacistand I. Then, the next message appeared.
[Cosmos: Here it is.]
A glowing blue screen appeared before me, displaying the details of Cosmos's talent.
[Talent Name: Intelligence is Power (S)]
[Talent Effect: The Organisms of your planet are born with their intelligence boosted fourfold. Additionally, any new inventions created by your Organisms will generate divinity for the god.]
For a moment, I just stared. My fingers froze above the air as I read the text again and again, just to make sure I hadn't misread it. When the meaning finally settled in, I leaned back and exhaled slowly.
This talent… it was absurd. Terrifying, even. Early on, it might not seem that strong, after all, even when multipled the intelligence of early lifeforms is still minuscule, but once his organisms reached a certain stage of development, this talent would become monstrous. Every discovery, every invention, every moment of progress would feed him divinity endlessly.
It wasn't just a talent, it was a self-sustaining engine of evolution.
Now I understood perfectly why he wanted Pharmacist's ring so badly. The Ring of Insight would act like an amplifier, letting one of his organisms achieve an astonishing amount of breakthroughs. In simple terms, it was a direct method for Cosmos to produce more divinity with almost no effort.
I glanced up at Pharmacist, and our eyes met. We didn't say a word, but it was clear we both came to the same conclusion, we needed Cosmos in our guild no matter what.
If we could secure a member like him early on, Infinite Evolution's growth would skyrocket far beyond anything the others could dream of.
Breaking the silence, I typed quickly.
[Nexus: Welcome to Infinite Evolution. I'll send you a guild invitation now. Please accept.]
[Cosmos: Thank you.]
I opened the guild system, navigated to the member section, and typed in Cosmos's name. A crisp notification appeared before me.
[Invitation Sent.]
Seconds later, another message blinked.
[Invitation Accepted.]
A small smile tugged at my lips. It was official, Cosmos was now a part of our guild.
[Nexus: A door should appear in your area soon, if it hasn't already. Pharmacist and I are currently in the guild hall at the end of the hallway. Feel free to join us when you're ready.]
[Cosmos: Understood.]
With that, Pharmacist closed the chat. He didn't say anything right away. His hands began to move in the air again, the faint glow of the interface reflected off his eyes. I didn't need to ask what he was doing, I knew another chat was coming.
Moments later, a new group chat notification appeared.
[You have been invited to a private group chat.]
I accepted immediately.
[Pharmacist: Now, please send a system screenshot of your talent information.]
[Stardust: Sure, sure.]
He responded almost instantly, clearly prepared, and his screenshot appeared a moment later.
[Talent Name: Multi-Talented (A)]
[Talent Effect: The Organisms of your planet are born with two extra talents.]
I leaned forward, reading the description carefully. Compared to Cosmos's talent, it wasn't as overwhelming. Still, it wasn't weak by any means.
I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, it was unreasonable to expect another talent as godlike as Cosmos's, but a part of me had still hoped for something closer. Yet, as I thought about it, the more I realized its potential. With this ability, Stardust's organisms could develop unique combinations of traits and powers, potentially giving birth to prodigies or powerful species that could rival the creations of gods with even higher talents.
Sure it didn't have the same potential as Cosmos's but it definitely wasn't weak.
While I was still considering the implications, the guild hall door opened.
A tall man with pitch-black hair stepped inside. His posture was straight, confident, and his sharp eyes scanned the room calmly. He wore thin, stylish glasses that added to his composed demeanor. This was Cosmos.
As he approached, both Pharmacist and I rose from our seats.
"Pleasure to meet you," I said with a polite nod. "I'm Nexus. Pharmacist and I are currently dealing with the other new member of the guild. We'll finish up quickly, then begin our first meeting."
Pharmacist simply gave a brief nod of agreement.
"Sure," Cosmos replied, his tone calm and measured. He walked over to the bar, poured himself a glass of the golden-colored drink that shimmered faintly with a divine light, and sat down casually, as if he already belonged there.
Satisfied that he was comfortable, I turned my attention back to the chat.
[Nexus: I will now send a guild invitation.]
[Nexus: After you accept it, a door will appear in your area. At the end of the hallway is the guild hall, Pharmacist, Cosmos, and I are waiting there. Please come as soon as possible.]
[Stardust: Understood.]
I sent the invitation, and within moments it was accepted.
And just like that, recruitment was complete. For now, Infinite Evolution had its first two members, not including Pharmacist and I.
I leaned back in my seat, letting a sense of satisfaction wash over me. The foundation of our guild was forming faster than expected.
Turning toward Pharmacist, I spoke. "You want another drink?"
He gave a small grin. "Yes, please. I'll try the golden one this time."
Nodding, I walked to the bar. I poured myself another glass of the glowing blue drink, its faintly sweet aroma drifting through the air, then filled another with the golden liquid for Pharmacist. After a thought I poured a third glass for Stardust as well, first impressions mattered, after all.
Returning to the round table, I set the drinks down and joined Pharmacist. Noticing that we were done messagekng Stardust Cosmos also came to sit with us at the round table. as we waited we began to chat. The atmosphere was relaxed, but beneath that calm exterior, we were all evaluating one another. Each of us had our own ambitions, our own paths, and though we were part of the same guild, trust would take time.
We mostly discussed our planetary progress so far, small details, general ideas, never anything too revealing. We all understood the silent rule: never expose your true hand until you must.
Time passed quietly until the sound of the guild hall door swinging open broke the calm.
In walked a young man, short, with fiery red hair that practically radiated energy. His grin stretched ear to ear, and the moment he entered, he threw his arms wide and shouted, "Hello! My name's Stardust! Let's have fun!"
Then, without hesitation, he burst out laughing, a loud, genuine laugh that echoed through the hall.
I blinked, slightly taken aback by the sheer energy he exuded. Compared to the rest of us, stoic, composed, almost analytical, Stardust was like a burning flame in a still forest.
In that moment, I realized that his arrival might actually bring some needed balance to our group.
All three of us gave small nods in greeting before introducing ourselves one by one.
I handed him the drink I had poured earlier. "Glad you could make it. Sit down, we were just getting started."
He took the glass eagerly and downed a sip, eyes lighting up. "Whoa, this stuff's great!"
A small smile crossed my face as I sat back down. "Good. Now that all of us are here," I said, glancing between Pharmacist, Cosmos, and Stardust, "we can finally get to business."