Endless Evolution: Last Star

The Plague Reaper became Adam's strongest opponent after Essence Thunder Demon. This was not surprising since one of them was a Top-1 and the other a Top-2 among all Purple Threat monsters.

Oddly enough, it was the meat of these two monsters that Adam had tasted. Each time it was not by choice but by coincidence.

At the Red Feast where Magnus had invited him, the main course was the meat of the Essence Thunder Demon, the one he had killed.

Now he had the heart of the Plague Reaper in front of him, and the credit for that went entirely to Osana, for she organized the whole thing.

It was worth realizing that the rarity of their meat on the market of the Red Feast was drastically different. It wasn't just the gap in their strength and frequency of appearance, the Plague Reapers were much fewer than the Thunder Demons and they showed themselves much less often.

Their size was also important.

The Essence Thunder Demon was a large monster weighing hundreds of kilograms, its muscles were massive, spread all over its body, and it was meat.

The Plague Reaper, however, wasn't even taller than a normal human, Nessa and Adam were taller than the Plague Reaper. Moreover, his physique was lean and there was hardly enough meat in him to satisfy many gourmets.

It is well known that the more desirable the product and the less its quantity, the higher the price, sometimes reaching unbelievable heights that only special persons could afford.

But, heart or liver, unlike meat, were limited not only in weight but in quantity.

No matter the status or money one had, one could not get the heart of the Plague Reaper at a whim and at any time.

Truly rare things could not be obtained with money alone, they required influence, power, status, and access to a resource that only the Phantoms possessed.

So, Osana and Adam were going to enjoy their dinner to the fullest, as it was quite possible that they would never have another dinner like this again.

Snap.

As soon as the piece of heart entered Adam's mouth, he immediately felt a strange taste. It was unpleasant, making Adam's face frown, but... a few seconds was enough for things to change.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

His massive Evolution Tree began to shake vigorously as if to show its delight. Then, a bright spark passed through Adam's eyes, causing his pupils to dilate with deep pleasure.

Then, it was time for the aftertaste and it was...

"This is wonderful..." Adam murmured, his lips trembling and goosebumps running down his body.

It wasn't just the unique flavor lurking in the aftertaste, but the reaction of his body to that particular ingredient.

It was comparable to how every person had favorite and disliked foods. It wasn't a person's choice, it was just their body's reaction that they had to accept.

Some people loved fish, and for some, even well-cooked fish tasted disgusting, the same went for berries, fruits, cereals, and so on.

And... monster meat was no exception.

However, in this case, the preference for an ingredient was determined not by Phantom's body but by his Evolution Tree, for whom the most valuable thing was the strength, history, and energy of the monster from which the ingredient was harvested.

It worked the same way with ordinary humans. Though they didn't have the Evolution Tree, but their genes answered the call, making them love the flavor and fall in delight.

Most people wouldn't like the taste of the Plague Reaper's heart, but after the first bite, that would change, just like it did for Adam and Osana.

Silence.

For a while they were silent, just looking at each other as if asking - 'Did you like it?'

The answer was obvious.

Then, without more words, they took the knife in their hand and cut off the next piece, then another and another.

This went on until there was nothing left of the heart halves and the sauce bowl was empty. Only a few drops of juice remained on the plates, with fallen spices floating among them.

"Osana... Those were two of your wishes, but I feel as if the wishes were possessed by me... It was an amazing dinner." Adam said sincerely.

Osana smiled, took a napkin, and wiped her mouth elegantly, a few drops of sauce left on her lips.

"In that case, you can consider yourself lucky since my desires have brought pleasure to you as well." Osana said, locking her fingers and staring intently at Adam.

Adam tilted his head slightly.

"What's next? Bringing some other monster's heart here?"

Osana smiled bitterly.

"Nah, I had enough trouble getting that heart. By the way, interesting fact, a popular heart sign that is used to represent love is two human hearts sewn together."
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Adam's corner of his lip quivered at such sudden, slightly creepy information.

"Well... That's pretty interesting, I didn't know about that. But, who would want to sew two hearts together?"

Osana shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe it's a lie, but at least it looks similar. Anyway, it's time for us to leave."

With those words, Osana stood up from the table, pushed her chair forward, and looked at Adam, expecting him to do the same.

"Where, is this really the end of it?"

Adam was slightly confused. After the unique dinner, he had developed expectations that there would be more to come. In the back of his mind, he feared that this was all of it.

"Let's go for a walk. We are in the First Ring after all. I'll tell you about this place since I've lived here all my life."

Adam's eyes went wide for a moment.

'Wait... What? So her family is from the First Ring? I thought she bought her car with the money she earned as a Phantom, but it seems she didn't have problems with money before that either.' Adam pondered.

Then, he shrugged and followed her.

He just found out that Osana was from a wealthy family, and to Adam that would matter as much as if he found out what her favorite color was. He didn't care what family she came from since he wasn't about to meet her parents or anything like that.

He and she were Phantoms, they went through dangerous combat and were battle buddies, nothing more.

Adam saw no attempt from Osana to somehow change their relationship one way or the other, she simply spoke her wishes, of the three of which she had only one left.

Leaving the room, they headed to the car from where they went straight to one of the active neighborhoods of the First Ring.

After they left, a few minutes later, a door opened and a masked man stepped inside, removing all traces that anyone had ever been there.

...

During the ride, Osana and Adam exchanged a few words until they came to a famous park, the roads of which were lined with cafes and people enjoying life and their free evening.

"Oh, I've never been here, though... I've only been to the First Ring once." Adam shrugged.

Osana smiled weakly.

"This is Golden Lantern Park, one of the largest and most popular parks in the area. It's the 7th."

"Hmm?"

Adam gave her a confused look.

Osana took a deep breath.

"You probably don't know, but the First Ring is divided into nine domains. That's their official name, but no one calls it that since there's a more popular term that everyone here uses - the wings."

Adam nodded deeply.

"So... the First Ring is divided into nine wings?"

"Yes. Each wing is shaped like a quadrant, though you can't divide the circle into equal parts any other way, just nine triangles with a circular base where the Second Ring begins."

Adam nodded again, curiosity evident in his gaze.

"Each wing is different in status. Thus, the people of the fifth wing consider the people of the eighth wing to be inferior. That may seem unnecessarily harsh, but I know what I'm talking about."

Adam gulped. He realized that Osana was most likely from a low wing, so he didn't ask her more about it.

"Anyway, if you're interested I'll tell you more about it later, right now let's take a walk."

"Sure."

"But... before that, I have something to do." Osana said before putting on her glasses and tying her long, gorgeous pink hair into a bun.

Then, she put on a cap with a wide brim, as if she were going to hide from someone.

Before leaving, she tapped her pocket once, making sure she didn't forget an important item.

Adam was a little puzzled but didn't give her actions any hidden meaning.

'If this is a popular park then perhaps there are some people she knows here? She probably doesn't want our walk to be disturbed by anyone.' Adam suggested before shrugging his shoulders and following Osana.

Walking through the park, Adam glanced around. He was once again amazed at the luxury and aesthetics of everything in the First Ring.

Everything in the park was perfect, from the sparse and well-trimmed plants to the paths, to benches and vending machines where anyone could get a cold drink.

Here and there, there were various shows to entertain people, and there were also quiet, peaceful places where one could dive into the depths of thoughts.

The people passing by them looked happy, sad, serious, kind, and angry, but they were all well dressed, showing that they didn't have problems with money, especially compared to the rest of the Rings.

Thus Osana and Adam soon reached a massive tree with red foliage and dark bark. It seemed that this tree was brought from the Dead Lands.

All this time, Osana rarely said anything, only occasionally glancing around nervously and pressing her palm to her chest.

Adam didn't mind, since he didn't even think he'd be in the middle of such a beautiful park today. He was fine with everything.

Only occasionally, Adam's mind was distracted by thoughts of what Osana's third wish would be. He was actually curious to find out.

"Adam..." Osana muttered as she stopped after a long time.

"Yes?" Adam raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled.

Then, Osana took a deep breath and turned around.

Her gaze was serious and intent. She quickly looked around, there was no one else there, just her and Adam.

"I want to tell you my third wish." Osana uttered, clenching her hand into a fist.

Light wind currents passed in front of her face, ruffling the tips of her hair showing from under her cap, in front of her deep eyes, clear as crystals.

Adam shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, I'll be happy to hear and do anything you ask." Adam replied serenely.

Osana nodded slightly before pulling a crimson box out of her pocket and getting down on one knee in front of Adam.

"Will you marry me?"

Osana said calmly opening the box and revealing an engagement ring.