Endless Evolution: Last Star

For the second time that day, Adam went shopping, but this time he wasn't alone and he was going to spend considerably less than earlier.

Now, Adam felt like the most ordinary person in the routine as he went to the grocery store to get the ingredients for the main course for tonight's dinner.

Even though he was in the store earlier, ordinary people didn't make fifty thousand credits worth of purchases every day, only truly rich and powerful people or Phantoms could afford it.

In the Third Ring, people earned from one to several thousand credits monthly, so going to the store for a week did not cost more than 70-100 credits, although everything depended on the preferences of certain persons.

And, strangely enough, for Adam, it was the first time going to the store at all.

Sure, there were stores in the slums, but... compared to the Third Ring, it was a different world, the slums had no service, no rich assortment, no staff, just nothing, only the prices were much lower, as well as the quality of food.

When he was in his new home a few times he ate what Leona cooked, the rest of the time Silvana fed him, or more often he ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in cafes and restaurants.

Adam was so immersed in his new life as a Phantom, going on dangerous missions and fighting in Dead Lands, that he didn't even get the idea of going to a regular store like a normal person.

Well, now he had that opportunity.

"Do you come here often?" Adam asked looking up at the massive building with a glass panel in front and a square red roof that had several signs on a wide section of it.

Leona shook her head.

"Only sometimes. It's actually one of the most expensive grocery stores in our area of the Third Ring, I usually come here when something important happens or I want to cook something delicious."

Leona continued taking a large wheeled shopping cart:

"I mean, everything here is 20-30% more expensive on average, but the quality of the food and the selection is amazing. Here, we can find not only the ingredients we need for lasagna, but we can buy more if our eye catches on something." Leona said walking forward.

Adam put on a long-sleeved shirt so his NEP wasn't visible. Leona asked him to hide that he was a Phantom as she didn't want them to waste more time because of the extra attention.

After all, everyone knew that going to the store with mother was never a quick trip, sometimes this seemingly easy walk could take forever.

"So... Where do we start?" Adam asked looking around.

Several dozen people came into his view, but no one had NEPs on their wrists.

Sure, the Phantom could have taken his NEP off and then a normal person would never be able to tell the difference between them and the rest of the people, but usually no one did that.

The NEP was the Phantoms' way of knowing quickly if something important happened, and Operators contacted their Phantoms through NEPs first.

Everyone had phones, but it wasn't as fast or efficient, and the NEP was connected to the Phantom's account where all available information was stored.

"Well, let's start with the basics, lasagna sheets, and meat, I think we should look for some expensive ground beef." Leona explained moving towards the pasta section, there was everything from long noodles to colorful pasta for kids.

Adam nodded, following her. He looked curiously at the many kinds of fruits, vegetables, and bread that greeted them at the beginning. The slum didn't have even a quarter of what he already saw.

"Lasagna... right? Adam inwardly said, with a slight smile on his face.

When Leona offered him a choice between noodles, lasagna, and pizza, Adam made up his mind almost immediately.

In fact, they were all pretty simple and popular dishes, as even living in slums, Adam had tried everything on that list. It wasn't marbled meat, foie gras, or some rare fish, the ingredients were simple but tasty and most importantly hearty.

But, lasagna was Adam's favorite, perhaps because it was more difficult to prepare than noodles or pizza or maybe because Leona often asked him to help when she occasionally cooked this dish in slums.

'Agh... Previously we always had to save money, we bought the cheapest meat and added very little, there was hardly any cheese, and the lasagna sheets weren't made of the right dough at all. Well, this time I'm going to buy the ingredients so we can make the fattest lasagna ever!' Adam exclaimed to himself as his eyes lit up brightly.

He always wished there was more meat, more sauce, and cheese between the lasagna sheets!

It was too expensive, but... now even the most luxurious ingredients weren't a barrier for Adam.

Yeah, it definitely wouldn't be a classic recipe, but Adam didn't care, he wanted to do it since he could.

...

Crackle.

The glass pod opened, releasing Glara outside, hot steam emanating from her. The medical examination was complete, and Aiden received all the necessary data.

Glara got a few injections, it wasn't an amplifier or Code D, but with these injections, Aiden raised Glara's body condition to its peak so that she felt as good and confident as possible.

"Sorry to intrude, but don't you think it would be better to give her time to practice? I mean, a trained person has a slightly better chance of defeating a monster." Sano suggested, standing not far from Aiden.

Aiden waved his hand.

"Well, that's not entirely true. When Glara uses Code D, her body will allow her to go beyond human limits. She'll still use up her body's resources, which will be depleted in just five minutes then she'll die, but for that period she'll become extraordinarily strong."

Sano wanted to say something, but Aiden stopped her with a gesture, showing that he wasn't done yet.

"Physical capabilities, speed of mind, and emotional resilience, all of this will be at its peak due to her body literally burning through its resources for the sake of a few minutes of strength. But, all of that is just a bonus."

Sano gulped, as she uncertainly asked:

"A bonus...?"

Aiden nodded.

"Instincts, that's the main power she'll get from Code D. Skill and training aren't enough to defeat a monster in a 1 on 1 fight, otherwise the military would easily do it without additional equipment. Only wildness coming from instincts can help Glara to kill her first monster, as well as unbreakable will, but that depends on her and her intentions..."

Aiden continued:

"However, I have to admit that physical training wouldn't be unreasonable. It's just... I don't know how much time we have, I don't want to lose this chance to learn her unique features. Who knows how long before her inner space disappears."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Aiden's gaze grew deeper, while he stared at Glara who was heading along with Natta towards them.

"Maybe Glara has it forever, or maybe we only have a few days or even hours... Either way, she needs to defeat and choose a monster first."

Gladius nodded with a sly smile on his face.

"Yes, as well as the weapon. For her, it'll be like going to the store, the death store."