Normally, showing customers around was the sales team’s job, but Shawn Miller personally escorted Evan to the first?tier extract display.

  To him, Evan wasn’t just a customer—he was a future VIP whose black card held enough EvolutionTech Points to rewrite an entire branch’s annual performance.

  Evan scanned the shelves.

  Only first? and second?tier extracts were stocked here, neatly arranged by quality.

  The lowest tier—First?Tier, Grade E—sold for under ten thousand credits.

  Burrow?rat and Spray?frog extracts were the cheapest at five thousand each.

  Evan didn’t even pause.

  He wasn’t short on money; if he was going to evolve, he’d only choose the best.

  As he moved upward, the prices multiplied rapidly.

  First?Tier Grade A extracts already exceeded a million credits.

  Still not good enough.

  Liam Zhao had never absorbed anything below S?grade.

  Now that Evan had inherited that identity—and the danger tied to it—he wasn’t about to downgrade himself.

  He continued browsing until something caught his eye:

  There were no First?Tier S?grade extracts at all.

  Beyond Grade A, the shelves jumped straight to second?tier extracts glowing with orange evolution light.

  He turned to Shawn Miller.

  “You don’t have any First?Tier S?grade in stock?”

  Shawn Miller gave an embarrassed laugh.

  “S?grade extracts are rare to begin with. And Blackrock City is a small market—we don’t keep them on hand.

  If you’re not in a rush, I can transfer one from another branch. It’ll arrive tomorrow.”

  Tomorrow was too late.

  Evan frowned.

  Time was the one thing he didn’t have.

  The Organization could track the fourth?tier extract he’d just sold.

  They might already be heading here.

  He needed to evolve today.

  If EvolutionTech didn’t have S?grade stock, the rest of Blackrock City definitely wouldn’t.

  Should he settle for an A?grade?

  He shook his head immediately.

  He had the resources—why settle?

  His gaze drifted to the second?tier section.

  A reckless idea sparked.

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  What if he tried absorbing a second?tier extract?

  Ordinary mortals couldn’t.

  Their bodies simply couldn’t withstand the force.

  But Evan wasn’t ordinary.

  He had Evolution’s Grace, a cheat?level skill that let him absorb an extra extract and pushed his physique far beyond the mortal limit.

  He thought it through:

  Mortals fail because their bodies can’t handle the power.

  But I’ve absorbed three top?tier extracts—two S?grade, and Princess Zhu Zhi’s extract, which is probably beyond S?grade.

  My body shouldn’t be considered “mortal” anymore.

  A second?tier extract… might actually work.

  He began examining the second?tier display carefully.

  The store carried only Grades E through A—no S?grade.

  That was fine.

  Even if they had S?grade, he wouldn’t dare touch it.

  The higher the quality, the stronger the evolution force—and the higher the risk of exploding on the spot.

  Even a second?tier E?grade contained far more power than a first?tier S?grade.

  The skills might not be as good, but the physical boost was massive.

  So his criteria were simple:

  Low quality, useful skill.

  Survive first, power up second.

  He ignored everything above Grade C—too dangerous.

  His focus narrowed to E?grade and D?grade.

  Each vial had a digital tag listing its skills and price.

  He skimmed through all the E?grade options.

  A few were passable, but none truly impressed him.

  Low?tier survival skills wouldn’t save him from a Butterfly?tier monster like Fante Zhang or the Organization’s assassins.

  At best, they’d buy him a few extra seconds.

  What he really needed was an escape?type skill—disguise, transformation, stealth.

  But those were rare, and none were in stock.

  So he shifted to his second priority:

  Combat power.

  “Rhino Charge and Ant Strength already define my fighting style,” he thought.

  “Close the distance, then explode with raw force.

  If I add a strong offensive or defensive skill, my combat ability will jump again.”

  Ant Strength boosted his power, but it wasn’t an attack skill.

  If he could combine it with a piercing or explosive strike, the synergy would be terrifying.

  Defense was safer.

  Offense was riskier—but potentially game?changing.

  He scanned the D?grade section.

  And then—

  his eyes locked onto one vial.

  Scorpionstone Extract

  Tier: Second?Tier, Grade D

  Skills: Needle Strike, Paralytic Venom, Stone Carapace

  Price: 6,000,000 credits

  The price was similar to a First?Tier S?grade.

  But the skill list—

  Needle Strike.

  Needle Strike: Focus all physical power into a single point, unleashing a piercing blow.

  (If the user possesses toxin?type skills, the strike can carry venom.)

  Evan’s pulse quickened.

  This was perfect.

  Needle Strike + Ant Strength =

  a single, devastating, armor?piercing attack.

  Who needed defense?

  The best defense was killing the enemy first.

  Even better, as a second?tier extract, the physical enhancement would far surpass any first?tier option.

  Of course, there was a catch.

  He might not get Needle Strike—extracts granted skills randomly.

  He could end up with Stone Carapace instead, which was still acceptable.

  Only Paralytic Venom didn’t suit him.

  But the potential payoff was too good to ignore.

  Evan pointed decisively at the vial.

  “This one.”

  Evan just made the kind of decision that separates survivors from corpses — gambling his life on a second?tier extract while still Mortal?tier. Bold? Reckless? Maybe both.

  Now I want to hear from you:

  Would you take the risk and absorb a second?tier extract early, or would you play it safe with a first?tier S?grade?

  Tell me which path you’d choose.