Chapter 59: Mutations |
Leo shrugged. Oh well.No use crying over spilled milk. It always could have been worse.
His gaze fell to his crotch, where the remnants of his pants covered the lower half of his body. The piece of clothing was just barely clinging to his frame, and the addition of the three tails didn’t make its job any easier. He had to figure something out before leaving.
Well, at least I didn’t lose everything… yet.
He shook his head, trying to push that thought out of his head. Even though he felt like he should be more concerned about all the changes to his body, he was glad he didn’t. There was no place for panicking about his appearance in times like those.
That said, he was also pretty sure the System had something to do with his nonchalance. It was all about adapting, after all, so giving his mind a push in the right direction might not be out of the question. Even if it was slightly disturbing.
Whatever. Nothing I can do about it now. If it helps, it helps. If it doesn’t… Well, in that case, I’m more messed up than I thought.
With that, he summoned the next notification.
Your Hunter Job has advanced to the next stage. Hunter’s Pulse obtained. Displaying the description now.
Hunter’s Pulse (Epic):
Effects:
You can now send a pulse from every single part of your body. Scanning for familiar Essence signatures within the scanned area is now possible. The range of this ability scales with the amount of Essence used. The efficiency of this skill improves with your Vision. Warning: Beings with sharp enough senses may detect your pulse.
When those words appeared before him, Leo flinched as knowledge surged into his mind, updating whatever information he already possessed about Hunter’s Pulse. It hadn’t changed much on the surface, but the few upgrades it did receive were significant.
He no longer had to focus the pulse into his hand, and instead he could just push it out from his entire body at once. With this, the scan should give him more precise information. Furthermore, it somehow made the ability faster to use. Although, that was probably thanks to the included System’s assistance.
Scanning for familiar signatures could be useful too. Once I learn how to even sense those, that is… All right, next.
As a result of your Job advancement, you have gained the ability to uncover a Void-born’s Types when using the Identify skill. This ability is a core feature of the Hunter Job.
Many Jobs and Mutations rely on specific body parts from various creatures to advance or further their craft. However, not all monsters possess the required Traits. This is where Hunters come in. With their enhanced Identify skill, they can locate and track beasts carrying the desired Types.
Be warned that this is usually the reason for Hunters’ short lifespans, as some tasks require them to hunt creatures far beyond their capabilities. Good luck.
So, this is where things get interesting for Jobs. And mutations require body parts. Huh, good to know. Not that I will be doing any hunting any time soon.
Yet, one could never be sure. Leo didn’t expect to unlock Apex evolution, much less his current one, and it still happened. So, while hunting for other people’s benefits was probably a big no-no for now, who knew where life would take him in the future.
We will see…
Your Dagger Mastery skill has evolved to fit your new species. Displaying information for Night Hunter’s Blade Mastery.
Night Hunter’s Blade Mastery (Rare):
What is a blade without the knowledge of how to use it? Never worry, young Akirian, for you shall never need to find the answer to this question. The blades of the Night are for you to wield. Strike fast, strike hard.
Effects:
Grants basic and instinctive knowledge on how to wield the Blades of the Night Hunter. Abilities gained from the lesser version of this skill are still available.
Just like with the Pulse, information rushed into Leo’s head, teaching him everything he should know about the blades now attached to his arms. It didn’t provide him with any special moves or tactics—those would come in time—but instead, it taught him a few essential tricks.
How to properly extend them. Some basics on how to wield them. And there was even some information on how to properly channel his Essence through those blades. Though, the last one was something he already knew how to do. His experimentation with Kiss of Death made sure of that.
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Overall, not bad.
Standard information package regarding Mutations and their menu is available. Do you wish to display it now?
Leo snorted. Stupid question. I’ve been waiting for this ever since I received my first mutation. Show me.
Acknowledged.
Mutations are often referred to as additional Traits due to their similar function. The distinction lies in how they are acquired. Traits are bestowed through Evolutions, Classes, and special circumstances, while Mutations are chosen and purchased by the user without the influence of the System.
Mutations are categorized into three grades: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, with Gamma being the lowest. It is important to note that a mutation’s grade does not necessarily determine its strength. Additionally, some mutations can be upgraded to higher grades or even evolved into full Traits under the right conditions.
All mutations require two things: Ether, and the appropriate creature parts. This applies to both acquiring new mutations and upgrading existing ones.
Furthermore, the System would like to remind each User that Gamma and Beta mutations are sometimes temporary and can be lost.
Warning! Each mutation strains one or more of the three pillars. Always be mindful of your limits.
For a moment, Leo waited for more text to appear, but none did. And so, he slumped even harder against the wall and read the message once more. It wouldn’t do him any good to miss anything in this “tiny” package.
Only three grades. That’s nice, I guess. Less to remember. With that, though, he summoned the System, frowning at the simple menu it gave him. Interesting…
Adapt, Grow:
- Develop new mutations
- Advance existing mutations
As much as he wanted to check out the available mutations, he didn’t even wait for a second before selecting the second option. After all, he possessed a very particularmutation, one that pretty much led to this entire mess.
And it’s grayed out… Not surprising.
He didn’t really expect to be allowed to upgrade Heart of the Void. It was Nikra’s shard after all. Still, it didn’t hurt to check. Now, though, he could move on to the second option in the menu.
While the Beta and Alpha categories were grayed out just like his only mutation, the Gamma was open. As such, the moment he chose it, the System immediately listed tens of different mutations, all available to him.
True, most of them seemed—or rather were—useless, but Leo already spotted plenty that weren’t.
Tougher skin or bones. Formation of weak draconic scales. Strengthening of his claws or blades. Minor false affinities. Those were just a few that could be useful in the future. The one he was looking at now, for example, he just had to get sooner rather than later.
Mutation: Minor Regeneration (Gamma Tier)
Death is always waiting around the corner, ready to hurl you into the Abyss at a moment’s notice. So why not make it wait a little bit longer? Maybe even forever?
Effects:
Healing speed doubled. You now require less sleep to fully recover your strength. Lifespan slightly lengthened.
Requirements: 1,000 Ether, 2 Hearts of Level 15+ Regenerator-type beasts.
Notice: Insufficient resources to buy this mutation. Please come back once you can fulfill the requirements.
No shit, Sherlock. I never had one thousand Ether, much less some hearts of regenerators. Leo scowled, dismissing the window. Apparently, Minor Regeneration would need to wait for a very long time.
To gather this much Ether, he would have to kill hundreds of Voidlings. Which wasn’t something possible for him at this point. Besides, he didn’t fancy facing a Level 15 beast just yet.
No idea where I would even find a Voidling like that. It’s still a bit too early, but give it a few days, and maybe.
Obviously, Minor Regeneration was far from the cheapest mutation on the list. Hell, now that he checked a few others, he was pretty sure that it might even be the most expensive one.
Never mind. There is also this.
Mutation: Minor False Fire Affinity (Gamma Tier)
Want to destroy something? Fire is here for you to make your enemies disappear. A small spark it might be, but the potential is here. So, burn them all. Leave only ashes behind.
Effects:
Grants the ability to channel weak fire affinity into your Essence. Natural evolution of affinity unavailable due to its False form. Minor affinities will slowly weaken with time until they disappear entirely.
Requirements: 3,000 Ether, 2 Fire-type cores of Level 15+ beasts, 5 Fire-attuned Crystalized Essence.
Notice: Insufficient resources to buy this mutation. Please come back once you can fulfill the requirements.
What in the Void is the core of a beast? Crystalized Essence, I get, but a core? System? Anything? No? Okay…
With a sigh, Leo let the entire menu fade away. There was no reason to waste any more time on this if he couldn’t buy anything. Oh, he definitely had an eye on a few mutations, but those had quite the price tag on them. It would be weeks, if not longer, before he could get all of them.
Still, I’m curious if there are mutations that can give me another arm or something similar. There definitely wasn’t anything like that in Gamma grade. Meh, yet another question to throw in the pile.
It certainly wasn’t a small pile. With each day it grew, and slowly Leo was starting to doubt if he would ever find answers to all those questions. Each day could be his last, and with Nikra inactive, the only source of information was the System.
Well, there were also other survivors, but at this point, there was no way anyone on Earth knew more than he did.
Another problem for the future me. Anyway, System, give the last two! I can see now why evolutions aren’t every ten levels.
TaskExtermination: Earth completed. Do you wish to claim rewards now?
He had almost forgotten about this one. With the evolution, it wasn’t even a surprise. Still, before he claimed the reward, he wanted to check the final notification waiting for him.
You have contributed toward weakening a Tainted Wasteland. Bonus experience and 35 Ether granted. Weaken the Wasteland further to receive better rewards.
Always something. Leo shrugged, his eyes settling back on the task reward.
All right then. Show me what those Ether Flares are…