Aurelius was going to take a bet and go with the Arcane Sight ability. Aurelius firmly believed that knowledge was power, and the ability to see the flow of mana through enchantments and runes could provide him with a wealth of information and advantages in the long run. With this ability, he could better understand the magical artifacts he encountered, identify potential traps and hidden spells, and develop more sophisticated and potent runes for his creations.

  With a determined smile, Aurelius confirmed his choice and selected the Arcane Sight ability for his Arcane Artificer class

  Aurelius selected “Yes,” confident with his decision. Just then, a new screen appeared before him.

  Aurelius was filled with an immediate desire to put his newfound ability to the test. As his gaze fell upon the rune he had just forged, he noticed a striking difference in how he perceived it. Before, he could sense the power of mana emanating from the rune, but now, with Arcane Sight, he could truly see the intricate currents of mana flowing within it. They resembled vibrant blue streams, meandering and intertwining along the rune's intricate patterns.

  As fascinating as this newfound sight was, Aurelius knew he couldn't get lost in its allure just yet. He had another important task at hand – the evolution of his Chronomage class. Mixed feelings of anticipation and weariness washed over him, and he let out a deep sigh, steeling himself for the process he had gone through twice before.

  With a deep breath, Aurelius allocated 1,180 of his remaining 1,430 unassigned essence to his Chronomage class. The moment he confirmed his decision, the familiar countdown appeared before him.

  And for the second time in a couple of hours, Aurelius’ vision winked out.

  This time when Aurelius woke up he had to physically clutch his forehead, the intensity from his headache being so great.

  He took a moment to steady himself, his eyes adjusting to the room's lighting. Once the headache began to subside, he focused on the new screen in front of him, which displayed his Chronomage class's evolved abilities.

  Aurelius wasn't surprised by the first two abilities he had unlocked. When he initially chose the Chronomage class, the description "harness the power of time and space" had led him to expect precisely these types of powers.

  Both abilities, undeniably potent, possessed the capability to decimate hordes of enemy opponents. However, like many of the abilities Aurelius had witnessed during his evolution process, they shared a common flaw – an exorbitant mana cost. Merely sustaining either skill for 10 seconds depleted half of his mana reserves.

  Yet, when Aurelius came across the description of the Spatial Storage ability, his breath caught in his throat. He instinctively recognized the immense potential of this power, and it seemed to address some of his pressing concerns. Without hesitation, he knew that this would be the ability he would choose.

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  The benefits of this power were manifold. Firstly, and perhaps most crucially, it ensured that Aurelius would never be caught unarmed. With a mere thought, he could store a weapon within the spatial storage and retrieve it at will. Secondly, this ability allowed him to be very versatile in battle. For instance, he could store various runes, such as the mana bomb he had previously created, and summon them forth whenever needed. The possibilities were nearly endless.

  Without another thought, Aurelius selected the spatial storage ability.

  Once again, Aurelius selected the yes option.

  Aurelius smiled, happy and confident in the choices he made so far. He immediately tried to test them out, getting ready to try to open up his first spatial storage. However, once again, a new screen interrupted him.

  What the fuck.. By the time Aurelius had read the message, the countdown had already reached 1. He quickly shut his eyes, preparing to feel something, or nothing at all. However, after a few seconds, he felt nothing out of the ordinary. Uncertain, he opened his eyes, only to find that he was no longer in the dimly lit study room. Instead, he stood in a vast, ominous black void, surrounded by an eerie emptiness.

  Aurelius quickly spun on his heels looking in every direction. All Aurelius could really see was a midnight black color. There was a black mist in front of him, the floor was black, even when Aurelius looked up at the sky..? Ceiling..? Whatever it was, it was completely black.

  The area gave Aurelius a similar feeling to the time had been transported to Augustus in a dream. So was he in a different realm? Aurelius wasn’t entirely sure.

  The one thing Aurelius could make out were some dimily lit figures in the distance. With nothing better to do, Aurelius started walking towards them.

  Right when Aurelius started walking to the figures, a new prompt appeared in his vision, one he had certainly never seen before. Compared to the dull blue hue of the stat screen and prompts Aurelius had been used to seeing, this one had faint green streaks running through it, running through the screen as rivers through a canvas. Aurelius quickly looked over the information.

  What the fuck.. Aurelius repeated. This entire experience so far had felt like a fever dream and he wasn’t sure he had the currental mental capacity to choose what was obviously going to be an important decision for the future. Afterall, he had already just chosen 2 abilities for his classes. He had, in no way, expected or prepared for this.

  Also, had the system truly greeted him by name? The only instance Aurelius had seen his name displayed was on his stat screen. The personalized greeting raised the very questions that Augustus had once voiced – was the system more than just a sophisticated program? Could it be a sentient being, capable of recognizing and interacting with individuals on a personal level?

  Taking a calming breath to slow his racing thoughts, Aurelius took a couple minutes to simply think and accept his situation. He was here now and Aurelius was pretty sure there was no way out of this.

  Taking another deep breath, Aurelius walked towards the figures in the distance. As he approached, Aurelius began to vaguely make out their appearance. Each figure was standing on a pedestal of sorts looking down on Aurelius.

  As the prompt made clear, each figure represented a different version of Aurelius. However, while some maintained Aurelius' distinctive traits, like his dark silver-blue hair and piercing greenish-brown eyes, others displayed entirely distinct characteristics. Incredibly, there was even a figure with... six arms?

  What the hell? Aurelius thought. What had he done to qualify to transform into that figure?

  As he took in the seven distinct variations of himself, standing side by side in the void, Aurelius felt a mix of wonder and trepidation. Each figure seemed to represent a different facet of his being, offering the promise of unique abilities or insights that could further shape his path.

  Approaching the leftmost figure, he narrowed his focus on it, determined to scrutinize every detail. Looking at the figure, Aurelius couldn't help but let out a light whistle. He had to admit, this figure looked undeniably cool.

  While standing at roughly the same height as Aurelius, this particular version seemed markedly distinct from him. Its appearance deviated significantly from his usual features, with vibrant green hair and eyes that were unlike anything he had ever seen. Instead of the usual orbs, the figure's eyes were replaced by vibrant green eye slots, emanating an otherworldly glow that held an uncanny allure.

  What truly amazed Aurelius, however, were the mesmerizing green shards that encircled the figure's body. These glowing fragments, the same shade as its hair, seemed to rotate slowly around it, adding an ethereal and almost divine quality to its presence. It was as if this variation of Aurelius was connected to a source of magical power beyond his current understanding.

  Fascinated, Aurelius decided to read the description of the figure.

  Aurelius’ jaw literally dropped.

  What the fuck? He repeated for the umpteenth time. He slowly absorbed the information. This evolution was the definition overpowered and he had a hard time seeing how anyone could fight him with the bonuses it would give. However, it raised multiple questions. Number one being, was every Evolution this overpowered? If so, Aurelius found it an increasingly daunting task to fight against one of the more experienced and older Chosen. Also, Augustus had told Aurelius that you could only gain skills through “life-changing” experiences. If that was the case, why did it say the exact opposite here. Did Augustus not know? There was no way he didn’t. So then, why did he decide to hide the information from Aurelius? Aurelius wasn’t sure, but he was certain he was going to ask the shapeshifting god the next time he saw him.

  Refocusing on the description, Aurelius struggled to hold himself back and not choose this class here and now. However, he knew that he first needed to look at all the options, then he could make his decision. Letting out a slow breath, Aurelius moved to the next figure.