Mona's gaze turned to the Career Tree, which had been unlocked for some time.
The professions currently available in the [Career Tree] were divided into two categories.
One was [Common Profession].
The other was [Transcendental Profession].
Now, all the major professions in the Tribe had been absorbed into [Common Profession], shining brightly across the Career Tree.
Once a profession was lit up, Mona could view its complete information.
This time,
as he had expected, [Insect Master], imbued with a trace of transcendental power, appeared under [Transcendental Profession] and slowly lit up.
[Insect Master Lv. 1]: Gained the power to control Rot Spirit Insects and understand their strength.
"If Insect Master is only a Transcendental Profession, then what exactly is a Sequence?"
Mona looked toward the blank area of the Career Tree.
That was clearly where the Sequences belonged.
They were professions beyond [Common Profession] and [Transcendental Profession].
They were also the part that had always been missing from the colors of living beings' souls.
In fact,
Mona had noticed long ago that this part was always missing from people's soul colors, and he had given it some thought.
The situation now seemed to confirm some of his theories.
Clearly,
[Transcendental Profession] wasn't a Sequence.
Like [Common Profession], it was merely the foundation of a [Sequence].
During this time,
he had also studied the matter and soon reached a conclusion.
A [Sequence] was a supreme [Mythical Profession], attained by combining and fusing several transcendental powers with strong affinity for one another.
Thus, [Mythical Power] was the key to obtaining a Sequence.
It represented a power so mighty it was almost divine.
It was far beyond the reach of ordinary transcendental powers.
Therefore, the power to control insects possessed by [Insect Master] was nowhere near mighty enough to rival myth, and could not possibly be called a Sequence.
Just as someone who only knew how to write words could not be considered a writer,
and someone who only knew how to smear paint could not be considered a painter.
Writing words and smearing paint were merely the most basic skills of a writer and a painter.
At most, controlling insects could only be considered one of the many transcendental powers that made up a [Sequence].
This also meant that future [Sequences] might incorporate some of this profession's characteristics. Their relationship was more like one of inclusion.
Then,
what about the Abigail Flower?
From the moment the Abigail Flower came into being, it had already wielded several kinds of power bestowed upon it by the gods.
Those powers came not only from this world but also from the harmonizing influence of his divine power. They were strong enough to be called Mythical Power.
And yet,
it still hadn't succeeded in creating a Sequence or joining one.
Mona soon came to stand before the Abigail Flower.
He reached out, probing it for something.
The Abigail Flower's stone petals swayed gently, as if thoroughly enjoying the god's tender touch.
Before long,
the radiance slowly faded.
Mona understood.
There were indeed three kinds of transcendental power within this Apostle.
But their strengths were all out of balance.
Nor had they been properly fused together.
At last,
the mystery of why a Sequence had yet to appear was solved.
The Abigail Flower's primary Mythical Power consisted of [Decay], [Wisdom], and [Evolution].
Only when all three powers were balanced at the same level and fused together could it truly enter the realm of [Sequence].
At present, [Wisdom] was the strongest force in its life color.
In the company of humans, intelligent beings, it had learned to wield the power of wisdom with great speed. It had also used insects to help people forge a path to the future, and had successfully created [Holy Relics].
The other two powers were relatively weaker, since it hadn't explored or studied them.
Therefore,
once the Abigail Flower had strengthened its other two powers and fused them together, it would be able to create a [Sequence].
Mona didn't need to worry about any of this.
He had faith in the living beings he had created.
As the years went by and it continued to grow,
this creature would one day gain that kind of power.
Once it obtained a Sequence,
the humans who received its blessings would naturally be able to use those powers to further develop the Sequence.
By then,
the blank spaces on this [Career Tree] would also be filled in, and its branches would flourish.
However,
the god who stood above the river of time might have enough patience for this.
But his Apostle was growing rather impatient.
The Abigail Flower seemed to sense what the god was thinking.
It was like a child who felt both ashamed and restless,
disappointed and full of self-reproach because its power had not lived up to the god's expectations.
The pale blue light on its stone petals seemed to droop, dimming and brightening by turns.
"What's wrong?"
Mona couldn't help finding it a little amusing.
And yet,
even after hearing from him that it would eventually gain such power, the Abigail Flower remained sad for a long time.
This Apostle was no different from a child.
Rather than some distant future that seemed to be far off,
it cared more about the present.
Faced with the living being he had created,
Mona showed it great patience.
But he simply explained everything to the child in a calm voice.
"I can't give you that kind of power directly."
"But I can teach you how to learn to wield the other two powers."
The process of growth still required it to explore and understand things for itself.
All he could do
was show it how to do so more effectively.
Mona merely touched the Abigail Flower with his fingertip.
As the blue light spread, he synchronized with the Apostle's power.
Under his control, several emerald-green insects appeared in his palm, crawling slowly across it.
"Evolution."
"It can be intelligent, but it doesn't have to be."
"Just like these insects."
"They aren't intelligent, yet they've grown wings and developed colors that let them hide. This allows them to evade predators and catch food, so they can survive better."
"The instinct to survive forced them to change, and ultimately set life on a better path."
"And for all this to happen, something must act as a catalyst."
"Perhaps it's nature's selection, perhaps it's a mutation within life itself, or perhaps it's a combination of both."
"But whichever it is, it still takes time to accumulate."
The insects in Mona's hand began to swell and grow at a speed visible to the naked eye. They even slowly shed a layer of skin, as though countless years had passed in an instant.
"But you don't have to passively wait for time."
"Decay is the perfect catalyst for evolution."
"As lives grow and pass away, their fragments break apart and recombine. In that process, these two powers evolve and intertwine."
Mona withdrew his finger.
The pale blue light returned completely to the Abigail Flower.
Of course, what he had taught it was only the most superficial knowledge.
How to further explore the deeper mysteries, and even fuse them together, was something it could learn only through firsthand experience.
The Abigail Flower seemed to grasp all this in its innocent way.
After the god departed,
it seemed to fall into deep thought, the pale blue light flowing across its stone petals coming to a halt.
Then,
it took the initiative, using its power of Decay to envelop several insects in countless strands of mycelium.
And then,
following the example the god had just set, it used the power of Decay to make its first wondrous attempt at Evolution.
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