Chapter 223 – Dancing in the Night, Daughter of Nether Crow

Sophia found danger amusing, sometimes even enjoying the act of “fishing”—deliberately walking through alleys and secluded parks, waiting for ill-intentioned players to jump out. Depending on the identity and actions of the assailants, she would then mete out appropriate punishment or eliminate them.

According to her, such incidents had occurred three times.

…Who knows where she picked up such bad habits.

Mu Yuan felt a headache coming on. In truth, when dealing with the wanted player Hundred-Faced Scholar, he had already realized that Sophia was undoubtedly dark-hearted when cut open. Oh, wait—she was originally a Black Crow? Then it seemed perfectly reasonable for her to be dark inside.

What could Mu Yuan do? Of course, he had to indulge her.

All worries about danger stemmed from insufficient strength.

As long as he bestowed upon Sophia the radiant light of evolution, allowing her to ascend to an epic life form, and then let her accompany the generals to the Pure Soul Source Pool to enjoy rapidly increasing experience, surely… her situation would become a little safer.

Based on Sophia’s personality and abilities, Mu Yuan felt that intelligence work might suit her better.

However, Tianyuan Territory was not currently open to outsiders, and there was no need for intelligence personnel within the territory. Outside the territory, due to its small scale, short development time, and limited needs, Tianyuan Territory had little use for such roles either.

Most importantly, the real world still couldn’t do without General Sophia.

After touring the company for a while, Mu Yuan prepared to return with the remnant souls Sophia had acquired through various channels.

He said to Sophia, “Your work is commendable, and your contributions are outstanding. Therefore, I have decided to hold a baptism ceremony for you three days from now. Remember to be in your best condition that day and return to the territory.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Sophia called over her entourage.

Amid the respectful send-off from ten burly men in black suits and sunglasses, and women in black stockings and bodycon dresses, Boss Mu left the company with a slightly twitching corner of his mouth.

Watching Mu Yuan depart, Sophia felt exhilarated, punching the air with enough force to momentarily forget her CEO demeanor.

She had worked hard to manage the company and strived to exceed the tasks assigned by the Lord, not for any reward.

She had been saved by the Lord, and the witch’s illness that had tormented her for over a decade (since her Awakening) had been cured by the Lord’s skillful hands.

She was already completely satisfied and had long sworn loyalty to this Lord, even at the cost of her life.

Of course, it would be even better if she didn’t have to sacrifice her life—she wanted to serve for a long, long time.

But the Lord was going to hold an evolution ceremony for her, and she was still thrilled and excited. It meant her work had been exceptional.

Sophia, keep charging forward, crow!

…

Three days later, night.

Sophia didn’t engage in any “fishing” today, nor did she take detours. She simply entered a surveillance-free alley, transformed into a Black Crow, and concealed her tracks as she returned to the villa.

She always hid her tracks when returning home.

Because if outsiders discovered her residence and disturbed the Lord, it would be her fault.

Soon, Sophia returned to Tianyuan Territory.

Today, she wore a black Lolita-style dress, a bow hairband, and a sparkling ruby pendant on her chest.

Her eyelashes fluttered lightly, and her bright, large eyes shone like a beam of light in the darkness.

“Lord, Sophia reporting for duty. All preparations are complete, crow~!”But are you sure you just adjusted your state, rather than putting on makeup?

Sophia’s spirits seemed quite good, not crushed by the burdens of Blue Star’s affairs.

Mu Yuan opened her panel.

「Sophia」

「Class: Witch (Dark Crow)」

「Rank: Outstanding Three-Star」

「Talents: Nether Crow Bloodline, Envoy of the Night」

「Skills: Black Crow Summoning, Black Feather, Molting, Obsidian Claws, Fireball, Wind Blade, …, Black Crow Forest, Netherflame, …」

「Concept: Minor Achievement」

Sophia was at the high-end of second tier, a powerful fighter with area skills and a solid grasp of Concept.

Her combat abilities were inherently strong, but compared to her fighting prowess, her true marvel lay in her command over crows and her ability to turn them into her eyes and ears.

However, the skill ‘Black Crow Summoning’ had its limitations.

First, there had to be crows.

Sophia couldn’t conjure crows out of thin air.

On Blue Star, she could find plenty of crows to command, but in the Eternal World, it wasn’t guaranteed—many places had no trace of crows at all.

Even setting aside the crow surveillance, with her Nether Crow Bloodline and the ability to freely transform into a black crow, Sophia’s hiding and stealth capabilities were top-tier, especially in nighttime conditions.

In this aspect alone, Sophia could outclass Dolai, who transformed into a bird or a white cat, by a mile or two.

If Sophia also used the Outstanding-grade equipment ‘Cloak of Shadows’, she would truly come and go without a trace.

Mu Yuan felt Sophia was a bit too reckless.

His hope for this evolution was—to give this girl some survival skills.

Otherwise, he, as the old father, would worry himself to death.

Meeting her gaze, he saw Sophia had already swallowed the treasures he prepared, lit the ‘Mystic Serenity Incense’ beside her, held a ‘Focus Orb’ in her hand, and wore…

Mu Yuan slowly raised his palm and pointed from a distance.

Hum—

Under the starry night sky, Tianyuan Territory welcomed its tenth Epic.

Mu Yuan observed as usual.

Isloria, Daisy, and Sickle Moon—Sophia’s elder sister, close friend, and teasing companion—were also present. However, their main purpose here wasn’t just to cheer, support, or congratulate.

After all, Epic evolution had no chance of failure, so why bother cheering?

If anyone ever failed an evolution? How embarrassing, they might as well leave the group.

They were working.

Daisy, Sickle Moon, and the others were setting up high-resolution recording devices, capturing Sophia’s entire evolution process from multiple angles and positions.

According to Isloria, this was valuable Epic evolution footage.

Humans discovered and mastered mysteries by analyzing ample materials and data.

Once Sophia evolved, there would be one more suitable experimental subject for researching witch-type Epics. Isloria was planning whether to draw some blood from Sophia first, or clip some hair and nails…

Time passed bit by bit.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Sophia’s evolution didn’t trigger any obvious Epic phenomena.

No, that wasn’t entirely true.

“The stars have disappeared.”

“The night sky has turned pitch black, as if something has covered it.”

Because it was already night, the change wasn’t as noticeable.

Darkness was likely Sophia’s manifestation.

Soon,

「Ding!」

「Prompt: Your unit ‘Sophia’ has bathed in the radiance of miracle and evolved into the Epic lifeform ‘Daughter of Nether Crow’.」”Notice: Sophia’s talent has improved during evolution, and she has learned the skill ‘Night Concealment’. Meanwhile, the field skill ‘Black Crow Forest’ has been influenced by bloodline power and advanced into ‘Night Sky Curtain’.”

“Notice: Sophia has awakened the Epic Skill ‘Nethercrow Storm’ during evolution.”

——

“Nethercrow Storm: In the name of Nether Crow, summon a storm of crows.”

“Sophia can summon special Black Crows to form a storm that buries enemies and leads to the netherworld. Simultaneously, she can use the Black Crows as vessels, constantly changing and transforming her true form through these special crows.”

“During the duration, the Black Crows can move away from Sophia, but only those within a relatively close range can serve as vessels for her body replacement.”

Under the night sky, a figure soared high.

A flock of crows seemed to bloom under the bright moonlight, obscuring the full moon.

In that instant, Sophia understood how to use the skill she had awakened.

A new fishing operation against competing companies could now be launched.

She thought.

No, it shouldn’t be called fishing.

Rather…

She, Sophia, would hunt evil in the darkness.

Feeling a bit stuck with the writing QAQ…

(End of Chapter)