"Wtf is this"

"Mundus, take a load of this bullshit. What the actual fuck even is a Greater Arcane Core."

A hologram of a beautiful white haired girl in a white and silver dress with a golden crown materialized near Carnachias, her expression neutral while her eyes expressed surprise.

"Core type not catalogued in mainframes database. Core type not mentioned in any supplemental database. Core evolution observed in subject violates current understanding of Core rank-up functioning. Initiating data collection protocol."

A exquisite white pen decorated with silver details materialized on her left hand, while a fish themed note pad popped up on her right hand, in which she furiously started to scribble, her eyes concentrated even as her face never changed. It was extremely cute.

"Oh yeah shit, Mundus this is Mels Pog Champ. Say high Damas."

"It is nice to finally meet you Mundus, my name is Damaskinos."

The scribbling stopped, and the projection raised her head to look the white shinning soul with a crystal shadow on its chest in the eyes.

"Entity catalogued as Damaskinos detected. Recognized as minor collaborator, elevated to major collaborator. Social interaction protocol initiated."

She smiled awkwardly, and Carnachias facepalmed.

"Hi, my name is Mundus Est Machina. My friends call me Mundus. Would you like to be my friend?"

"Yes."

Mundus took one deep, painful sounding breath as her smile expressed **** pain.

"Social protocol concluded. Entity known as Damaskinos moved from major collaborator to friend."

Her face returned to the neutral mask, her eyes happy, and she went back to scribbling into the fish themed notepad. Carnachias was dying of cringe, her face the epitome of pain, and Damaskinos started laughing. She comically rolled in agony on the ground, wounded beyond mortal belief by the interaction, slowly rising like a weary ghost from the floor.

"Well, we are never ever doing whatever the unkek that was again."

"Social protocol was executed within parameters."

"Your social parameters are going to get my social bone clapped one of these days."

"Entity Carnachias changes into undead form for bone clapping has been added to simulated scenarios in the friends category."

"Fucking hell. Anyhow" She patted her clothes, swiftly returning to her original sensual form "Back to the main event with our very special boi. How in the actual fuck you only have 3 options? Don't mistake me for a hater, they are all bullshit, but where are the shit tier, low tier, mid tier, top tier and kek tier evolutions that should be in between your current form and whatever the fuck this is?"

"Hypothesis: Lesser evolutions would leave unspent potential energy. Options eliminated from user options to avoid System error with a core higher level than 1 at re-spawn."

"Oh yes, I imagine the system doesn't want a blast to the past of that cringefest. Mel, what do you think? Mel?"

Melanoche stared at the holographic screen projected by her Champion, her gaze lost in wonder and the biggest smile Damaskinos has ever seen on her face plastered like a neon light beaming joy. Carnachias shook her head, turning to Damaskinos.

"Congratulations Pog Champ, you have sent her blasting to the moon. I should get ya a medal"

A single golden medal showed around the neck of Damaskinos, Mels n1° Pog Champ written on it.

"Doune. Ahhhh, none of these options make sense. I didn't even know you could improve on the base core types. Mundus didn't know. It just comes blasting in like it is the fucking punisher and we are but tiny itty bitty war criminals."

"Discrepancy detected regarding Small Hexa-Elemental Sky King Arcane Core Spined Devil of Life option, evolution option not compatible to subjects lifestyle and actions recorded on the database. Requesting clarification."

"I dunno. Maybe cobbled together from some older evolution option? The System does encompass more than just our worlds. Just because we never heard of anyone evolving at level 99 doesn't mean somebody didn't before."

"Subject belongs to new artificial genetic lineage, backwards compatibility should be impossible."

"Just because he is forever alone that does not mean the System doesn't have its mysterious ways."

"Hypothesis noted and added to observation journal."

Damaskinos looked away from the current banter, his focus on the options arrayed before him. He only got to pick once so he cared to pay attention to the information displayed. He heard the silence and turned to see Carnachias right besides him, looking down on him with her Golden Mad eyes.

"You are going to pick the one with your name on it aren't you."

"It has my name in it."

"Based argument. Mundus did your grubby little eyes grub all you wanted?"

"Data collection satisfactory."

"Great, pop that bad boy."

Damaskinos willed the Small Hexa-elemental Unknowable Arcane Core Damaskinos Imp of Life, Damaskinos Imp for short, among the options. His core turned hot and started spinning inside of his soul, a disturbing experience as Carnachias watched the multiple measuring instruments in the lab, Mundus took notes without looking up, and Melanoche was still on her happiness catatonic state.

The core spinned faster and faster, deforming at the equator before it decelerated and returned into being a perfect dark orb, and Damaskinos blinked as a pulse of hot energy pulsed from it making his Light Soul tremble before it got brighter and his illusionary limbs of white light more defined.

"What was that."

"Data insufficient for answer."

"Don't know man, I just work here."

"Your soul just ranked up from the leftover EXP from your core."

Gazes turned to Melanoche, who was still smiling uncharacteristically. She approached Damaskinos, skipping cutely with positive energy, and hugged him like one hugs a child. He never felt like he was touching anything, but the cool sensation of the Darkness embrace every time he commuted with the Mother of Darkness surrounded him. He did not know why, but he felt like crying. Carnachias was even more shocked than when she saw his evolution options, while The Ancient Dungeon Core scribbled ever more furiously.

"I am really proud of you, you worked very hard for today."

She let go of his soul, and the lack of a body to do it didn't impede him from sobbing.

"Lets go rank up your classes, it is not every day this deity gets to see a level cap job rank up from the point of view of a mortal."

She lightly touched his soul head, and new holographic projections manifested for all to see.