Over twelve hours of continuous marching had passed.
The goblin column, stretching for kilometers through the thickets, began to noticeably slow down. Even the hardy Gorgoth, who had been maintaining order throughout the journey, looked exhausted.
He approached Lilith, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Mistress, my people are at the end of their strength," he rasped. "May we ask for a short break to rest?"
Lilith, whose stat penalty had recently expired, felt full of energy again, but she understood the situation. She nodded with a slight smile.
"That is not a bad idea. Rest. It is not much further; we are almost there."
Gorgoth breathed a sigh of relief and immediately returned to his subjects, signaling the halt. Fires, lit using ancient methods, quickly flared up in the forest, and the goblins, not waiting for luxuries, simply lay down on the bare ground, falling asleep almost instantly.
Lilith sighed, looking toward the horizon. She wanted to return to the comforts of her castle as soon as possible, but she had to wait.
Her attention was caught by little Bungo. With admirable agility, the goblin hopped onto a high tree, nesting on a thick branch. He pulled out his dirty pillow, arranged it carefully, and after a few seconds, only his steady snoring could be heard.
Seeing this, Lilith followed his lead. She flew to the canopy of a neighboring tree, sitting comfortably on a branch and leaning her back against the trunk. In the prevailing silence, she once again pulled out the Ancient Skill Upgrade Scroll.
"Time to see what you can do," she muttered under her breath.
Out of curiosity, she began to "try on" the scroll to her skills.
First, she selected [Human Mask].
[Do you wish to use the Ancient Upgrade Scroll on the skill: Human Mask?]
"No," she whispered and closed the window.
She tried with [Succubus Endurance]. The same notification appeared. Then she moved to her most powerful card, [Primordial Succubus Monarch Body]. The system again asked for confirmation. She tested every racial skill this way, and to her surprise, the scroll was compatible with each one.
"Hooo... so I can use it on any skill from my race," she thought, her eyes burning with excitement. "I suppose the Monarch form would be best. If it's powerful now, its ancient version must be simply devastating."
She was just about to click "YES" next to Primordial Succubus Monarch Body, her finger hovering a millimeter above the button, when something suddenly struck her.
She looked at the list of skills that did not originate from the Demon King tree or her race. Her gaze fell on [ANALYSIS] - the skill that had accompanied her since her first second in this world and served as her "life code."
Out of pure curiosity, she clicked the scroll on it. To her massive surprise, a notification flashed before her eyes:
[NOTICE: The skill ANALYSIS meets the requirements. Do you wish to use the Ancient Upgrade Scroll to evolve it into the ANCIENT version?]
Lilith's eyes opened wider than ever before.
"So I can upgrade even things that aren't part of my development tree?" she thought, looking up at the starry sky.
She began to weigh the pros and cons. Her combat form was powerful, true, but Analysis was her eyes and ears. It already allowed her to see what others missed. If this skill could become even stronger, it could mean access to secrets known to no other Demon King or Hero.
Lilith smiled broadly, a thrill of excitement running down her spine.
"Analysis is already almost like a cheat. Let's see what happens when I tear off its limits!"
Without further hesitation, her heart pounding like a hammer, Lilith clicked YES.
As soon as Lilith confirmed the choice, the scroll in her hands disintegrated into thousands of shimmering particles that entered directly into her eyes and temples. The air around her began to tremble, and a gigantic system window blossomed before her vision, obscuring the entire forest.
[Initializing skill evolution...]
[Analyzing world data... Synchronizing with Akashic Records...]
[Unique skill: ANALYSIS is evolving into the ANCIENT skill: ALL-SEEING ARCHIVIST'S EYE - MINERVA!]
Suddenly, Lilith's entire body flared with a blinding purple light.
She sprang to her feet on the branch, looking with terror at her hands, which were becoming brighter, almost translucent in the purple glow. The progress bar on the screen loaded with frantic speed:
40%... 70%... 95%... 100%!
When the counter hit 100%, a powerful, vertical pillar of purple light shot from Lilith's body. The force of the impact was so great that the clouds over the forest parted in a perfect circle, and the radiance sliced through the night sky, as if announcing the arrival of a new power to the entire world.
Lilith stood with her head tilted back, watching the fading trail in the sky.
"What was that...?" she whispered in disbelief, still feeling a tingling in her veins.
"Did I do that?"
[ Yes. This is your doing, Mistress.]
The voice was mechanical, devoid of emotion, yet sounded incredibly intelligent, as if coming from every corner of her mind.
Lilith jumped in fright, losing her balance on the branch. She flailed her arms desperately and fell from the tree with a loud thud, landing straight on her backside in the dry leaves.
"Ouch..." she groaned, massaging her rear and spinning around instantly. "Who's there?! Show yourself! Dammit, am I having hallucinations from the exhaustion?"
[ Your physiological parameters are 100% functional. No signs of hallucinations or mental illness.]
The same voice replied.
Lilith bristled, turning again toward the shadow behind the tree, but no one was there. She furrowed her brow, her heart beating like crazy.
"Eeee... excuse me very much, but who exactly are you? And where are you hiding?"
[ I am the result of the evolution of the Ancient skill: All-Seeing Archivist's Eye - Minerva. I reside within your consciousness.]
Lilith froze, her mouth hanging open.
"Minerva?" she whispered the name, feeling chills on her back. "Wait... are you telling me skills can talk now? What is this, some premium version with a voice assistant?"
[Negative. As an ANCIENT skill, I am one of a kind. I possess the ability to process information at a level extending beyond the standard framework of this world.]
Lilith gave a crooked smile, feeling the situation was becoming absurd.
"Well then, an intelligent system in my head. I hope at least you'll give me accurate weather forecasts and blueberry cake recipes."
[Dealing with weather forecasts is a waste of my processing power. Although, considering your decisions thus far, a bit of extra intelligence in this head certainly won't hurt.]
Lilith was speechless. Her smile became even more lopsided.
"Hey! Someone here has quite the ego! You're just my skill, so..."
She didn't get to finish her tirade when panic-stricken screams from the goblins in the encampment tore through the night.
"DEMONS! THEY ARE ATTACKING US! GODS, IT'S THE END!" the little beings shrieked, running aimlessly in the light of the dying fires.
Lilith immediately forgot about the argument with her own brain. Wings shot from her back, and she soared into the air, ready to crush anyone who dared attack her new people.
However, as soon as she rose above the treetops and spotted two familiar silhouettes landing gracefully in the middle of the camp, her entire battle aura evaporated.
She sighed heavily, landing right next to them and looking at the terrified goblins hiding behind Gorgoth.
"Take it easy, boys! They are not the enemy," Lilith called out, then turned to the newcomers with a wide smile. "Good to see you, Lysandra and Kala. It seems you couldn't wait for my return."