[The target has exceptional potential and a body adapted for evolution! Evolution probability exceeds 50%, reaching 75%! Proceeding with second-stage evolution.]

I had expected Balutak, as a future boss of the Mugan Palace, to undergo a second-stage evolution eventually.
But I hadn’t anticipated the success rate would jump so high.

Balutak’s body recovered completely after the evolution, with two entirely new features emerging.
His forelegs sharpened into mantis-like scythes, gleaming with a deadly edge.
On his back, dragonfly-like wings unfolded, their translucent surfaces catching the light.

[Lv. 70]

His level, once languishing in the 30s, shot up to 70 in an instant.
This was comparable to Valmonk’s evolution as an undead, but while Valmonk had reached his limit, Balutak’s potential seemed limitless.

For living creatures, strength can come from natural growth, training, or equipment.
But evolution is on a completely different level.
It instantly elevates raw power while reshaping the body to achieve the pinnacle of its species.

The catch? Evolution is a rare, one-time opportunity for any living being.
Even with my Evolution Skill, I can’t evolve the same creature more than once—second-stage evolutions like Balutak’s being the only exception.

So, the Insectfolk too...

In the game, some players might have wondered if it was overpowered to use the Evolution Skill on Insectfolk.
Of course, such easy exploits weren’t allowed.
For Insectfolk, evolution through my skill could only happen once.

Even knowing that, I was determined to recruit Balutak. Why?
Because Balutak’s potential for self-driven evolution was unlimited.
Insectfolk start weak, but their growth plates never close.

And Balutak is the pinnacle of his kind—the Insect King.

If Balutak joined me, with the right environment and ample nourishment, he could continue to evolve indefinitely.
My dungeon had everything he’d need to thrive.
In the long run, Balutak could become a boss-level asset for the Mugan Palace.

"Balutak has evolved... and twice at that. Strange, isn’t it?"

Balutak examined his transformed body, tilting his head in confusion.
Even for Insectfolk, a second-stage evolution was unheard of.

"Balutak evolved. Skeleton’s doing. Grateful. Balutak survived thanks to you."

I didn’t need him to say it; I already knew.
I gave him a slight nod.

"But... impossible. Evolution is something only I can achieve. No one else can make it happen. And yet, skeleton, you made Balutak evolve."

Charlotte’s voice interrupted from behind.
"This Insectfolk has evolved so much, he’s unrecognizable."

Balutak turned toward her, tilting his head from side to side.

"Ki-riik, human? Is that a human?"

"Kneel and bow your head," Charlotte demanded with her usual deadpan expression.

After spending so much time with her, I could easily read the disdain and disgust hiding beneath her stoic mask.
Not wanting the situation to escalate, I pulled Charlotte back before things got out of hand.

"Your name is Balutak, correct? I’ve taken an interest in you."
"Balutak is interested too. Skeleton made Balutak evolve."
"Do you desire even greater evolution? Then submit to me."

Of course, I can’t actually evolve him further, but a little bluffing never hurt.

At the time, I thought his obsession with evolution might drive him to follow me blindly.

"That’s not possible. Balutak only obeys the strong. Balutak does not listen to commands from the weak. And skeleton... I don’t know if you’re stronger than Balutak."

"Do you wish to die?"

Charlotte spoke before I could.

"This person is the boss of the Mugan Seven Palaces. Compared to him, you’re nothing but an insect."

"Balutak knows of the Mugan Seven Palaces. They are strong. But Balutak has evolved. Balutak is strong now too. Even the Mugan Palaces cannot defeat Balutak."

"...This bug really wants to get fried."

Her insult caught me off guard. Did she just swear at him?

"Humans are weak. Yet this human provokes Balutak. Balutak will kill the human."

"Balutak," I interjected. "That human is my lieutenant."

"Lieutenant? What is that?"

"My subordinate. Let me make you an offer. You said you only obey the strong, correct? If you defeat my subordinate, I will serve under you. But if you lose, you’ll submit to me."

"Ki-riik, that makes no sense. If Balutak defeats the human, Balutak obeys the human? If Balutak defeats skeleton, Balutak obeys skeleton?"

"You’re not even worth my time. If you want to challenge me, you’ll have to beat my lieutenant first. Then I’ll consider it."

Classic dodge. “You’re not on my level, go beat them first.” Haven’t pulled that one since schoolyard games.

If Charlotte somehow lost, this would turn into a disaster, but I wasn’t worried.
She wasn’t going to lose.

[Lv. 72]
[Lv. 70]

A two-level gap might not sound like much, but in the game, high-level scaling began at 70.
Even a single level difference could be monumental.

Charlotte didn’t need to take him seriously. Even with minimal effort, she could win this fight.

"Ki-riik, fine. Balutak will fight the human. Balutak owes the skeleton a debt, so Balutak won’t eat the skeleton. But Balutak will test who is stronger."

***

10 minutes.
That was how long the fight between Charlotte and Balutak lasted.
Or, to be more precise, how long Balutak managed to survive.

Charlotte fought like a mad witch, all-out attack with no mercy, while Balutak could only flee in desperation.
And she’d even held back, avoiding fire and large-scale spells to keep the forest from burning down.

"Ki-riik..."

Now, Balutak lay sprawled out on the ground, staring blankly at the sky after being thoroughly defeated.

He must be mentally shattered.

Having just undergone a second-stage evolution, brimming with confidence, only to be utterly humiliated by an unarmed human...
For Balutak, who knew nothing of magic, the experience must have left him wondering, "Are humans all this absurdly strong?"

I turned to Charlotte and asked casually, "Your thoughts?"

"Definitely useful. As an Insectfolk, he has plenty of potential to grow even stronger. His intelligence is also notable, as he’s already adapted to my magic."

Charlotte sighed, a rare display of frustration.

"But he has no manners. Right now, he’s humbled, but he has a strong competitive streak. Even if we subjugate him now, as he grows stronger, he’ll inevitably challenge us again."

"And when that time comes, could you handle him as you did today?"

"...I’m sorry, but I’d likely reach my limit. That Insectfolk will surpass me soon enough."

Her words carried no doubt—only certainty. If even Charlotte was unsure of herself, that said enough.

And it wasn’t surprising.
Charlotte was a Sentinel, a mid-tier figure in the Hierarchy of the Abyss’s second level.
Balutak, however, was destined to become a boss of the Mugan Palaces, one of the highest powers.

"Should that time come... I assume you will step in, Boss?"

She looked away as if embarrassed to ask.
It was a reasonable concern. Balutak was a double-edged sword: the stronger he evolved, the more dangerous he could become.

"Don’t worry about it," I assured her.

"Thank you," she said, though her voice carried some hesitation.

I wasn’t planning to personally deal with Balutak. That’s what Charlotte was for.
And if she wasn’t strong enough, then I’d make sure she could handle it.

Good thing I know the key to Charlotte’s awakening.

Currently, Charlotte was in her Phase 1: Witch of Ashes form.
Her Phase 2: Seer of the Necronomicon form would be a game-changer.
When she reached Phase 2, her level would spike to 90, transforming her into a boss-tier entity herself—practically unrivaled among Sentinels.

The challenge was finding the Necronomicon, the item necessary for her transformation.
It had been awkward when Calandas mentioned it before. He must have known how crucial it was for Charlotte.

Too bad things went sour with Calandas.

He did have access to the Necronomicon, though he didn’t own the full set.
Another piece was held by Valencia Roseshar, the Sixth Palace boss, and their mutual animosity might have been due to this very artifact.

If I could curry favor with Valencia or join her faction, I might be able to secure the Necronomicon.
But that would be a last resort.

Even with the Necronomicon, Charlotte’s edge over Balutak would only be temporary.
Power dynamics aren’t eternal. Someday, Balutak would surpass her again.

For that eventuality, I’d devised a Plan B:
Foster unwavering loyalty in Balutak while keeping him too mentally conditioned to challenge my authority.
Whether by flexing my might as a Mugan boss or cultivating a master-servant bond akin to blind devotion, the goal was clear—prevent Balutak from ever turning against me.

"Ki-riik. Human... strong..."

Balutak might be a hassle, but his strength was undeniable.
If I wanted to secure him as an asset, now was the time to strike.

"Establish the hierarchy first. Make sure he doesn’t step out of line," I ordered Charlotte.

"Understood," she replied.

I approached Balutak, extending a hand toward him.
He stared at it blankly before grasping it and rising to his feet.

"Do you accept the outcome?"

"I do. Balutak lost to the human. Human is very strong. But skeleton... how strong is skeleton?"

Charlotte seized the moment.

"You cannot fathom his strength. He is far beyond your level."

Balutak’s mandibles twitched in disbelief, his instinctual fear evident.

"Balutak has never met a human this strong. The human defeated the evolved Balutak. But the skeleton... must be far stronger than the human."

"And my offer?" I pressed.

"Balutak... completely lost. The weak submit to the strong. Balutak will obey the skeleton."

"Not skeleton. From now on, call me ‘Boss.’"

"Ki-riik. Boss, the leader of the Mugan Seven Palaces. Balutak will follow Boss."

"We’re leaving this forest. If there’s anything left for you to do here, finish it and return."

I worried he might protest. For someone born in this jungle, abandoning it might be difficult.
If Charlotte dragged him away by force, it would ruin my efforts to instill loyalty.

"Do you defy the orders of the one who saved you, evolved you, and stands far stronger than you?" I added firmly.

"Balutak knows all this. But Balutak cannot leave the forest."

What now? I saved you, evolved you, and you’re still resisting?

"Balutak has weaklings under him. What happens to them?"

"Weaklings?"

"The strong guide the weak. The strong take responsibility."

He must mean other Insectfolk.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t take all of them.
Balutak alone was already a double-edged sword—antagonizing the 14th-ranked dungeon further wasn’t an option.

"How many?"

"Ki-riik. Twelve. Twelve weaklings."

If it’s just twelve, this might be negotiable. If not... maybe I could buy them like slaves.

"I’ll handle it."

Flanked by Charlotte and Balutak, I marched straight to Lionheart.

Bang!

The door burst open, revealing Lionheart’s pale, horrified face.

"E-exalted one! What brings you—"

"I’ll be taking twelve Insectfolk with me. I’ll pay for them. Will ten million cells suffice?"

"...What?"

"I asked if ten million cells will suffice."

"Y-yes! Of course!"

And so, twelve Insectfolk were added to my party.
While they were primarily to appease Balutak, they could also be useful.
With my dungeon being a labyrinth, their tunneling abilities would rival even kobolds.

"Balutak is amazed. The beast king couldn’t argue. Boss is very strong."

"Not a beast king. Boss."

"Boss is strong. Balutak pledges loyalty to the boss."

Balutak then went to gather his subordinates.
Each reacted with shock upon seeing their evolved leader.

"Ki-riik! Balutak has changed!"
"The chief has evolved! The chief is stronger now. We must still follow him."
"That’s right! Balutak is our chief! But this chief now follows a stronger one!"

Balutak led his twelve followers to me.
They stared at me with wide, curious eyes until Balutak spoke.

"Balutak is your chief. But this skeleton is stronger than Balutak. Balutak submits to him. He is our great chief. With the great chief, we are no longer slaves."

"Ki-riik! So that’s it!"
"Great Chief! Great Chief!"
"Great Chief! We’ve never seen anyone stronger than Balutak! We follow the great chief!"
"Ki-riiiik! With the great chief, we are not slaves anymore!"

The sight of human-sized bugs cheering was... overwhelming.
Had I still been human, I might’ve vomited. Being undead had its perks.

Next to me, Charlotte was gritting her teeth.

"Those filthy creatures. He’s the boss, not some ‘great chief.’"

"Charlotte."

"...Apologies."

She must really hate the Insectfolk.
It was rare for her to curse at all, yet she’d done it twice now.

The Insectfolk approached and folded their scythe-like forelimbs—a gesture of submission unique to their kind.

"Great Chief! I am Gurutak! I pledge loyalty!"
"I am Belutak! I pledge loyalty as well!"
"I am Buraltak! I pledge loyalty!"
"...What’s your name again?"
"Ki-riik! Buraltak!"
"...We’re changing that. From now on, you’ll be Keltak."
"Ki-riik! The

great chief gave me a name! Keltak is honored!"

"Ki-riik! I want a name too, Great Chief! Please name me!"
"I want one too!"

Soon, all the Insectfolk were jostling and falling over each other, begging for new names.

Seriously, these bugs are like a herd of chaos incarnate.

Being around them makes me feel like my IQ is dropping.
And while I might escape their antics, poor Charlotte will have to deal with them full-time in the dungeon.

"Haa..."

She sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Good luck, Charlotte. You’re going to need it.