Chapter 296 Four-Star Evolution Elixir! Bloodline!

Watching the Dragon shrink into the distance, William felt a bit thrown off.

This wasn't part of the plan.

The Twin-Winged Golden-Eyed Python behind him? That was just Darryl in disguise. William had given him a three-star Evolution Elixir he snagged from the Red-haired iron corpse, bumping Darryl up two levels from a one-star Evolving person.

Thanks to the Deceptive Shapeshifter profession, Darryl needed to hit three stars to unlock the skill that could mimic a level-five evolved life form.

But honestly, this Twin-Winged Golden-Eyed Python was all show. It looked and felt like the real deal, but it was just a paper tiger. The second a fight broke out, its weaknesses would be obvious.

William's plan was to use the Deceptive Shapeshifter's skill to scare off Yangos and other evolved beings with a fake level-five mutant. Then, with the Red-haired iron corpse and the witch's help, he'd make a break from the zombie camp.

His earlier display of power was just to convince the evolved beings that the python was legit.

But Yangos's retreat threw William for a loop. He hadn't expected the Dragon to be such a chicken, running off at the sight of an equal.

William had no clue that in this unfamiliar world, the python Darryl turned into one with noble blood, which naturally scared off an ordinary dragon like Yangos.

Watching the monster camp scatter and the mutated animals and zombies retreat, William realized he might get another shot at the wheel.

So, the roulette wheel lit up again, and William gave it another spin.

Weapon Equipment Zone.

Since he had already snagged a purple weapon from this zone, it was now the last place he wanted to land, aside from the materials zone.

But here he was, so he went for the highest-level green longbow.

Once again, the Blood of Evolution dripped into William's hands.

By now, aside from the drop he tossed the first time he spun the wheel, William had four drops of the Blood of Evolution.

The Mutated Mouse King and Zombie King watched from a distance, their eyes full of greed. But with the massive python towering hundreds of feet high in sight, their greed turned to fear.

This creature, stronger than the Dragon, left them both unwilling and helpless.

"Let's go." After spinning the wheel, William gave the order to his team.

Everyone was stunned.

The three camps of evolved beings had already broken up; the monster camp had retreated, and the other two camps were keeping a safe distance. It was the perfect time to spin the wheel, so why were they leaving?

The elite alliance watching from afar couldn't figure out what William was up to, either. When they heard from a lip-reading buddy that William had ordered a retreat, they sighed and even cursed, calling it a waste of a golden opportunity.

The leaders of the elite alliance also thought William's actions were always unpredictable. Just now, he had put himself in a tight spot. Now, with a clear chance, he held back. They really couldn't get a read on him.

Sasha, whose nerves had been on edge, relaxed a bit when she heard William's order to retreat. She didn't get it, either, but since all of William's orders had been spot-on so far, she didn't question it. She coordinated with the other leaders to start the retreat of their thousand-strong group.

The two camps of evolved beings were naturally unhappy. The Mutated Mouse King was so anxious it was pacing up and down, but it couldn't bring itself to attack a level-five evolved life form.

The Mouse King was fuming at Yangos. Why did that coward bail? If they had teamed up to take down this guy, wouldn't it have been better?

Honestly, whether human or evolved being, everyone tended to think about what's best for them. The Mouse King imagined teaming up to win, with the Dragon leading the charge and itself, its minions, and the Zombie King attacking from the sides. But it conveniently ignored whether the Dragon wanted to be in the most dangerous spot. It never even considered sacrificing itself to face the level-five evolved life form head-on.

The Zombie Kings were no different. Their evolved intelligence made them realize that even without the Blood of Evolution, they could still evolve, though it would take longer. But that was better than risking their lives for a quick boost.

In this mess, William led his crew out of the battlefield.

With the Twin-Winged Golden-Eyed Python watching over them, no evolved being dared to chase or follow.

"He actually pulled it off," someone muttered, making those who had just criticized William for wasting an opportunity go quiet.

Maybe he did miss a good chance, but he scored some awesome loot. Not counting what he got the first day he spun the wheel, just today, William had snagged a purple weapon, a green weapon, a Career Scroll, a Bloodline Crystal, and a potion.

William left with these prized items and a team with zero casualties, leaving behind a lasting impression on all the humans and evolved beings watching the roulette wheel.

Everyone knew that from today on, the human survivors of Accraville City would have to live under William's shadow. He was now the true human king of Accraville City.

At this moment, William was blissfully unaware of how many minds were preoccupied with him. He was just relieved and grateful for narrowly escaping disaster.

If the Twin-Winged Golden-Eyed Python that Darryl transformed into had been exposed, William did have a backup plan, but getting out unscathed would have been impossible. When he approached Yangos, others saw his fearlessness, but no one saw the cold sweat on his back. If Yangos had shown any toughness, William would have turned and run.

Luckily, the Dragon was a wimp and got scared off.

As for why he didn't keep spinning the wheel, William was afraid that too much Blood of Evolution would provoke the hesitant mutated animals and zombies. Actually, the main reason was that William had run out of Magic Crystals.

The Accurately Exchange Roulette Wheel was awesome, with top-notch items, but it was a huge drain. The better the item, the higher the price, especially in the weapon equipment zone, where the prices were sky-high. After spinning the wheel five times, William's Magic Crystals were almost gone.

When they reached the temporary camp, bald Darryl came over with the help of two guys. Darryl wasn't hurt but scared. Facing a level-five Dragon and a sea of mutated beings and zombies, it was impressive that Darryl didn't show fear during the transformation. But he couldn't avoid the inner fear. Once he relaxed, he found his legs weak and had to be supported.

"Well done," William said approvingly, patting Darryl on the shoulder, knowing the pressure he faced was no less than his own.

Then, William saw a bunch of bright eyes.

These survivors who had followed him into the camp of evolved beings and were brought out safely now looked at William with a hint of fanatical admiration.

This guy, the leader of Cloud Peak Manor named William, was seriously impressive.

In all of Accraville City, William was the only one who had spun the Accurately Exchange Roulette Wheel and lived to tell the tale. So far, he had spun it a total of eight times!

Eight times! Forget the benefits he got; just the amount of Magic Crystals needed made these survivors' heads spin.

Wealthy, smart, and powerful—this was someone worth admiring.

These survivors suddenly had a thought: if they stuck with William, could they live longer in this apocalypse, maybe even survive indefinitely?

William didn't feel comfortable under those admiring gazes because he knew that Darryl's profession would eventually be figured out, and the Dragon would eventually sense something was off. That would be the real test.

Plus, the red circle of the Blood of Evolution on the roulette wheel was already more than half gone, meaning this Poppy Roulette Wheel could be spun about twenty times in total. The remaining twelve spins would get tougher and tougher.

But would he just give up? A smile tugged at William's lips; that wasn't his style. He was going to get even stronger.

In his room, laid out before William were several items that would cause a bloodbath if taken outside.

These were all the gains William had acquired since arriving in Accraville City.

William first picked up a vial of potion he had already modified, a four-star Evolution Elixir!

He hadn't expected to get a four-star potion so quickly. The Poppy Roulette Wheel was definitely a high-risk, high-reward deal.

Four stars—this was the highest level of Evolution Elixir that William knew could be modified. Any higher-level Evolution Elixir modification formulas would have to wait for Edna to research.

William slowly injected the potion into his body. After a few seconds of calm, a torrent of power began to surge through him. The pain turned his face red, and beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on his forehead. These beads of sweat contained tiny black impurities, which were the body's waste.

Four stars—this level meant that an Evolving person had crossed the initial evolution stage and entered the ranks of intermediate Evolving persons. Overcoming this ordeal would open up a whole new realm.

As the discomfort in his body gradually faded, a nearly euphoria coursed through him. William immersed himself in this sensation, savoring the benefits brought by the four-star evolution.

In his previous life, William hadn't had the chance to take a modified potion. The feeling of evolving to four stars back then was completely different from now. With his now clearer and more efficient mind, William calculated and compared, concluding that in terms of physical fitness alone, he was now almost on par with a normal five-star Evolving person who hadn't taken a modified potion.

Actually, William had already won at the starting line.

Sometimes, in the apocalypse, luck was a factor. William wouldn't arrogantly think he was among the luckiest few; he wouldn't be left behind by those with exceptionally good luck with confidence. When the day came to face those individuals, William wouldn't mind showing them the power of a reborn individual.

After a quick wash, William's gaze fell on the second item.

There were two Bloodline Crystals!

This was the second time William had seen something related to bloodlines since his rebirth.

The first time was with Armando, who had a low-level Giant bloodline and came from Accraville City prison. The second time was now, when he had spun two Bloodline Crystals from the roulette wheel.

Bloodlines were a big deal, even ten years into the apocalypse. They seriously boosted the owner's abilities, and many rare bloodlines were worth more than high-level Evolution Elixirs.

In his previous life, as a six-star Evolving person, William hadn't even seen anything related to bloodlines, let alone owned one. Bloodlines were rarely produced by the roulette wheel and were naturally expensive. Someone who had to save up to buy a Career Promotion Scroll wouldn't have the extra funds to purchase a bloodline.

This was the item William was most interested in among all his gains.

Holding the two crystalline Bloodline Crystals, William hesitated.

Bloodlines could only be possessed by an Evolving person once. Learning one meant forever losing the opportunity to learn another.

So, it was crucial that a bloodline matched the Evolving person.

The first Bloodline Crystal in William's hand contained a bloodline called Low-level Hell Messenger. Beyond that, the specifics of the bloodline would only be known once it was learned.

As for the second one, William dismissed it after a glance; it wasn't suitable for a man.

To learn or not to learn, there was a choice.

Hell Messenger—William searched his memory but found no record of this bloodline.

To be cautious, he could keep this Bloodline Crystal to avoid the risk of a bad bloodline.

Yet, would he relinquish the Bloodline Crystal obtained through such immense effort?

William was unwilling.

He gritted his teeth and crushed the Bloodline Crystal.

William's vision went black as his entire body entered a strange space filled with dense red lightning. Occasionally, a bolt would strike him, leaving a bright spot. In front of him was an enormous door, so tall that the top was out of sight. The door, made of an unknown material, had a slight crack through which countless eyes of various colors peered out, making William's scalp tingle.

Then, in spite of himself, he used it, and the Hell Gate began to open, with countless powerful creatures inside ready to surge out.

Then William woke up, finding a black tattoo on his left wrist, likely the bloodline's mark.

At the same time, William understood what this bloodline was about.

Generally, bloodlines were divided into two types: continuous and explosive. Continuous bloodlines were always active, like passive skills, providing constant benefits. These usually brought changes to physical attributes and rarely had special abilities.

Explosive bloodlines, on the other hand, remained dormant until activated by the owner, then unleashed powerful abilities. As the bloodline level increased, these abilities became more diverse and stronger.

For example, Armando's low-level Giant bloodline was an explosive type, allowing the user to become a giant temporarily, increasing strength and attack power.

Hell Messenger was also an explosive bloodline. When it was activated, William would gain a skill called Hell Connection, which not only added dark energy to his attacks but also allowed him to communicate with "hell" and summon Infernal creatures to fight alongside him.

William's eyes lit up. He thought this bloodline was excellent, at least better than the Giant bloodline. It not only enhanced attack power with dark energy but also allowed summoning allies, making it a combat-oriented bloodline.

Moreover, William learned that once this bloodline upgraded to an intermediate level, it would grant transformation abilities, greatly enhancing individual strength.

His worries about a bad bloodline finally disappeared.

With the bloodline acquired, William looked at the purple weapon, then took out the Career Scroll he got from Chester and the card from the Poppy Roulette Wheel from his space crystal, a hearty smile spreading across his face.