Endless Evolution: Last Star

[17.7%]

Adam stared at that number for a while, until it exploded into a bright light that quickly headed towards the cracks, causing them to return to their previous state.

Now, the First Wall looked the same as before, as if Adam had never struck this strange, majestic object.

Adam smiled bitterly, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly and glanced at his Evolution Tree.

"Will you say something? I don't think so, though. I doubt it's normal for Phantom and his Evolution Tree to talk freely like humans." Adam shook his head.

[Weak...]

But... suddenly he heard a rare but familiar voice.

[Your previous path... Your last battle... The walls are too strong... I warned you...] Adam rolled his eyes like a disgruntled child who got a moral instead of praise.

"Come on! 17.7% isn't much, but I'll have more attempts. I'll be much stronger!" Adam vigorously uttered as he swung his fist, showing off his muscles.

[Fool... It won't be easy....]

Adam shuddered.

First, his Evolution Tree had ignored him, then prevented him from reaching the Two Walls, now it was moving on to insults.

Adam didn't know how he was supposed to react anymore, he felt like he was being bullied.

"Pffft, think what you want, I'm going to do it anyway. That's it, I'm outta here. I've got people waiting for me who don't mind talking to me and supporting me." Adam waved his hand, about to leave the inner space.

[You'll do it anyway...? Yes... I know it...]

The Evolution Tree replied in a long, hoarse voice before falling silent.

Adam smiled slightly, shrugged his shoulders, and opened his eyes, he was back in the real world.

The first thing he saw was Dahla's face towering over him and her intense gaze.

"What...? What's going on here?" Adam was confused as he took a step back trying to escape from Dahla's stern gaze.

"How much?"

"Hm?"

"How much damage did you inflict on the First Wall? You should see the exact value after you hit it." Dahla said as she leaned forward, practically bumping foreheads with Adam.

Adam gulped, he hadn't expected Dahla to be so pushy.

"17.7%... I know it's not much, but the first punch is always the most unlucky, isn't it?"

As soon as Dahla heard that, she froze like a statue, not even blinking.

Then, she abruptly turned around and started walking in a circle, biting her fingers nervously.

Adam glanced at Silvana and Riska, looking for answers to Dahla's strange behavior. They only shook their heads with slight smiles, showing that Adam had nothing to worry about.

Trek. Your journey continues at empire

Dahla walked over to Adam and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders.

"Sit down at the table. We need to have a serious talk."

Adam flinched.

"Alright..."

...

An hour later, Adam, Silvana, Riska, and Dahla came to the end of their long conversation. On the table were chocolate cookies and tea that Riska had to brew several times since Adam was very thirsty.

Silvana tried to take over this duty, but Riska said it would be better if she and Adam listened to Dahla together.

During this time Adam learned about how the first part of the First Wall worked and also how good his result was.

"So... 17.7% is something to be proud of?" Adam asked uncertainly.

Dahla nodded deeply with a serious look.

"Yes, usually first strikes have a success rate of 3% to 9%. If Phantom was able to reach 10%, it shows that Phantom went through many serious battles before and has not only experience but also decent talent."

Reaching forward, Dahla took a cookie and broke it in two, looking at the halves thoughtfully.

"So 17.7% is something really impressive. I realize you think I shouldn't be acting so weird, but there's a reason for that."

Adam tilted his head, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Well, actually yeah... Why do you pay so much attention to the first strike? I mean, someone could have prepared better and someone could have made a mistake and not hit hard enough, because of that the results can vary a lot, can't they?"

Dahla shook her head.

"What you say is logical, but only if the First Wall was an ordinary wall and not something special."

Dahla popped half a cookie into her mouth before continuing: "It doesn't matter how well-prepared Phantom is or how strong he is during his first strike, as everyone who attacks the First Wall is serious. That's what the First Wall is testing. Your intentions and will."

Adam's eyes went wide as realization slowly began to come to him.

"Wait... So the force of my punch wasn't really important? I mean, if I had punched weaker, it would have cracked up to 17.7% as well? That sounds like some bullshit!" Adam spread his hands, he was lost.

Dahla smiled bitterly.

"Well, if you imagine a situation where nothing changes except the strength of your hit, then yes, you'd get the same 17.7%. That's why I said it's impossible to destroy the First Wall from the first strike since it gives you its score from the beginning."

"Oh, sounds like that was the easiest part."

Dahla smirked as she shrugged.

"To some extent it is. After the first hit, it's the turn of endless attempts and long training to get strong enough to reach 100%."

Adam frowned slightly, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"17.7%... That means I need to hit about 5-6 times harder to reach 100%. If I improve my stance, get a little faster, and use more energy, it's quite easy to do when it comes to hitting a single point."

Adam looked up, wanting to see approval from Dahla, but instead, he was met with an ironic smile.

"Hah, the problem is that during the first strike, everyone is equal since it's not the strength of the strike that matters but as I said intention and will, but... that doesn't apply to the rest of the strikes."

Dahla took a deep breath as she narrowed her eyes staring intently at Adam as if preparing to upset him.

"The more cracks you get, the harder it will be to advance further. With each new record, it will be harder to reach the next one. And... most importantly, everyone's difficulty increase is unique since each Phantom has its own Two Walls."

Then, the many thoughts that filled Adam's mind for the past few minutes vanished.

All he had left after realizing the situation was one word: "Fuck..."