Reincarnated as the Only Male in an All-Girls Magic Academy!-Chapter 44: Evolve! Evolve! Evolve Again!

The moment Ren stepped into the Evolution Chamber, the entire room seemed to hum with joy. At least, that was how Ren saw it.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the black storage pouch, its surface stitched with his initials in neat, silver thread.

It was just as he had hoped for. After sleeping with this storage pouch in his pocket, he had brought it along with him into the evolution forge!

This would make bringing things over much more easier and comfortable. Not to mention safer.

After all, he wouldn’t have to sleep with a huge kusarigama placed under his thighs every time he wanted to evolve it.

He dipped his hand inside and pulled out the gleaming Stage 2 Phantom Panther rune.

With practiced calm, Ren placed it onto the red evolution crystal, which flared with instant light, causing the forge to vibrate slightly. His wristwatch beeped.

Ding!

[Stage 2 Phantom Panther Rune added to Red Evolution Crystal.]

Ding!

[Estimated Evolution Time: 1000 hours (Real Time) → 10 hours (Chamber Time)]

Ren tapped proceed without hesitation, and the crystal’s glow deepened, swallowing the rune in a cocoon of crimson light.

He crossed his arms and took a step back, watching carefully. Then came the second notification, one he had been waiting for.

[Evolution Paths Detected. Does host wish to view them?]

Ren’s brows lifted in relief. "Yes."

The chamber’s guidance watch flickered, and four options appeared in front of him like glowing lines of life changing texts.

Each displayed a name:

[Stage 3 Phantom Reaper Rune.

Stage 3 Darkstep Panther

Stage 3 Galeclaw

Stage 3 Shadowbound Hunter]

He frowned. The names sounded cool, sure—but also generic. He couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed.

"Really? This is what I waited for?" he muttered with a weak smirk. There were no descriptions, no breakdowns, no details, nothing.

But even a dumb person would know that this runes lost their relation to the phantom panther bloodline and seemed completely different.

It was like the essence of the phantom panther just couldn’t evolve past the second stage and jt would have to become something else.

And now, it felt like being handed four mystery boxes and told to pick one without even knowing if it had candy or a bomb inside.

Ren analyzed them quickly anyway, using every bit of logic he had.

"Phantom Reaper" probably meant a focus on damage, maybe a claw-based burst skill.

"Darkstep Panther" likely emphasized movement or advanced footwork.

"Galeclaw" suggested wind-based agility attacks, possibly even some wind physique traits.

"Shadowbound Hunter" sounded like a stealth type; something that maybe let him turn vaguely invisible or get a damage boost from hiding.

They were all solid guesses, but nothing screamed unique or even half ad badass as the original phantom paths special ability.

After all, the special ability of the stage 2 phantom path was something as unique as momentum absorption!

He couldn’t lose that for some weak movement or attack boost!

"Too predictable," Ren said with a sigh. He tapped out of the menu and selected no when prompted to begin the evolution.

The rune lifted out of the crystal automatically, cool and unaltered.

He caught it with one hand, spun it on his palm thoughtfully, and then, with the same focused look, he reached into his pouch again, but this time pulling out the Stage 1 Phantom Panther rune.

He carefully placed it into the red evolution crystal. Immediately, the system recognized it.

Ding!

[Stage 1 Phantom Panther Rune added to Red Evolution Crystal.]

Ding!

[Estimated Evolution Time: 700 hours (Real Time) → 7 hours (Chamber Time)]

Ding!

[Evolution Paths Detected. Does host wish to view them?]

"Yep," Ren said, tapping yes.

This time, the chamber gave him five different glowing options, their names stretching out across the screen like faded Chapters from some forbidden novel:

[Stage 2 Prowler Fang

Stage 2 Velvet Shadow

Stage 2 Quickfang Ambusher

Stage 2 Nightstep Echo

Stage 2 Deathcoil Panther]

The first four sounded fine, if not a little too plain. But it was the fifth one, the last one at the bottom of the list, that made his eyebrows rise like they were tugged by invisible string.

[Stage 1 Umbral Kinephantom]

Unlike the others, this one pulsed in black and purple. The glow of the name had depth to it, like it was dragging light inward, absorbing attention.

But that was mere visual clues. The most important clue was the fact that there was a phantom in this path’s name!

Out of all the evolution paths he had seen till this point, it was the most closely related to the original one just based off of the name.

What’s even better was the fact that it was still a stage 1 rune even after being evolved.

The second he saw it, a grin slowly stretched across Ren’s face.

"Oh?" he said, stepping closer. "Now that sounds more like it."

A Stage 1 Evolution Path was rare. Most paths were evolved by feeding more power into the rune and pushing it to evolve into the next stage.

For a Stage 1 Rune to evolve within its own stage instead of progressing to Stage 2, it meant the evolution was qualitative rather than just quantitative.

It was a transformation in ability and complexity rather than raw power scaling. That usually meant it had something truly special.

And it wasn’t just that. The name had weight. It didn’t sound like a sprinting cat or a teleporting blur. It sounded like a predator that hunted in nightmares.

Ren’s brain was already running wild with theories. And suddenly, he started chuckling. He couldn’t help it.

It was funny how one decision which was just pulling out the weaker version of a rune had led him to what was likely the most overpowered option available.

He leaned back against the wall of the Evolution Chamber, hands in his pockets, and smiled to himself.

"This world keeps rewarding me for being curious," he muttered. "Good."

.....

7 Hours Later...

Ren sat cross-legged on the couch in the lounge area of his forge, his elbow propped on one knee, chin resting against his palm as he waited, holding the red evolution crystal in one hand.

The tiny scroll inside glowed a mysterious violet-red, wrapped tightly with intricate silver wire.

This was the physical form of the Phantom Panther rune that had just undergone its first evolution.

It had taken seven whole hours, but it was worth every second of the wait. With a soft chime, his watch vibrated and projected the completed result.

A new notification blinked alive:

[Evolution Complete: Stage 1 Umbral Kinephantom Panther Rune Created.]

Ren leaned in, pupils narrowing with interest as the full description loaded. His eyes traced every word like a hungry predator spotting prey.

His grin crept wider.

"This sounds cool as hell already," Ren muttered under his breath.

[Special Ability: Superior Momentum Transfer

Not only can the Phantom Panther transfer momentum through its body, it can also absorb the kinetic energy from any impact it sustains or delivers and instantly redirect it.

This means if it’s hit, it can transfer that force into its next movement, making it faster, or into its next attack, making it hit harder. It can also "catch" a projectile and add its momentum to its own pounce. As long as there is physical contact between the two parties.]

Ren stared at the description, and then leaned back with an awed sigh. "Now this is what I’m talking about..." he whispered.

It was elegant. Efficient. Dangerous. Perfect.

Superior Momentum Transfer wasn’t just a flashy special effect—it was pure physics.

In a world filled with fantasy, this was the kind of logic that his old scientist brain could actually appreciate.

It didn’t waste power throwing out fireballs or shooting ice beams; it simply absorbed energy from reality and weaponized it.

Someone punched it? It hits back harder. Someone shot an arrow? That arrow became the launchpad for its next attack.

Even gravity became fuel. This wasn’t magic pretending to be smart, this was smart pretending to be magic.

Ren practically cackled.

"You’re so going in the next time I spar with Lia," he said to the rune like it was a pet cat.

He took a deep breath, reached out to the red evolution crystal once more, and with the kind of gentle care a jeweler might use for a priceless gem, removed the now-evolved rune.

The scroll had subtly changed: its silver wire had gained thin black etchings, and the glowing symbols at its base had deepened in hue.

Without wasting another second, he slipped the Umbral Kinephantom Panther rune back into the red evolution crystal.

[Stage 1 Umbral Kinephantom Panther Rune added to Red Evolution Crystal.]

[Estimated Evolution Time: 1000 hours (Real Time) → 10 hours (Chamber Time)]

Then came the curious moment. Usually, the watch would flash:

[Evolution Paths Detected. Does host wish to view them?]

But this time...

Nothing.

Just a direct message:

[Do you wish to initiate evolution?]

Ren blinked, then smirked. "Only one path, huh?" he murmured. "Guess this one’s special."

It wasn’t unusual for rare or high-quality runes to have limited but powerful paths.

Still, the fact that there were no options told him something very specific; this was a predetermined evolution.

If he hadn’t been curious and messed around with the Stage 1 evolution options... he’d never have found it.

"Man, it pays to be nosy."

Settling in for the wait, Ren kicked back on the evolution chamber floor, arms behind his head.

He had already made the decision to skip class for the day.

There were only so many times a student could break the rules and still call themselves a ’good influence,’ and he was pretty sure that ship had sailed after the cursed-girl explosion incident.

Ten hours passed in a haze of half-naps, mental theorycrafting, and him scribbling little sketches and diagrams into his notebook.

He tried to imagine how this upgraded rune might work now. Would it gain special effects? Would it turn fully intangible for a few seconds?

Maybe it would phase through reality for a bit and strike from within someone’s blind spot? Maybe—

DING!

His watch lit up.

[Evolution Complete: Stage 2 Umbral Kinephantom Panther Rune Created.]

Ren scrambled upright like a kid on Christmas morning, practically diving at the red evolution crystal to yank out the scroll.

The moment he touched it, a swirl of dark mist curled from its surface—like smoke, but heavier. The wire around the rune was now threaded with streaks of obsidian.

The glow at the base had turned from violet to pure, pulsing black. This thing was no longer just sleek. It radiated menace.

He tapped his watch to load the new description.

"..."

Ren read it again. And then again.

"Yo... what the hell did I just create?"

He was grinning so wide now that his face hurt. This was amazing!