Chapter 107

Jake sailed across the gap between two buildings, the wind rushing against his body. A second later, he landed on the other rooftop and immediately sprinted toward a shaft of light rising from the center of the roof—a waypoint.

As soon as he reached the beacon, it disappeared.

+15 seconds

Jake slowed down a bit to locate the next waypoint. In the distance, to his right, he spotted another column of light emanating from the rooftop of a building several high-rises away. Jake wasted no time adjusting his course.

He quickly summoned the status of the challenge.

Speed Trial Progression

Waypoints: 11/15

Remaining Time: 17.72 seconds

He was nearing the end of the speed trial, with just a few more waypoints to go. While the difficulty of this challenge was hard, he actually found it relatively easy. His speed and acrobatic skills allowed him to reach each waypoint with several seconds to spare. All the beacons appeared on rooftops, so all he needed to do was run and jump from one rooftop to another. There were no mutants or anomalies along his path, allowing him to focus entirely on the task at hand. Upon reaching a waypoint, fifteen seconds were added to the countdown, giving him just enough time to reach the next one without the timer completely running out.

Finally, there remained the last beam of light that he needed to reach. Unlike all the previous ones, it was a different color to indicate it was the finish line, as it were. It didn’t take Jake long to reach it. Notably, the final waypoint was located on the roof where the anomaly that had triggered the speed trial was. Once he reached it, a notification appeared in his mind.

Speed Trial complete! You have received 5,000 XP. You have received the Mana Vision perk.

Immediately after that, another notification popped up.

You have gained enough XP to level up. Your level went up from 31 to 32. You have gained 5 SP.

Completing speed trials was definitely the easiest and fastest way to level up. Jake hoped he would encounter more of them in the future. Perhaps, now that he was at Evolution Stage 2, more anomalies would have challenges to offer. That would be really nice.

Then something strange happened. The anomaly began to shrink as bluish energy flowed out of it toward him, being absorbed by his body. A second later, the anomaly ceased to exist.

You have received 20,000 MP.

So he now had 10 skill points to allocate and over 30,000 mana points. He’d also gained Mana Vision, but before figuring out what this perk was for, he wanted to assign his skill points and maybe use some of his MP to obtain new skills. He closed his eyes and summoned the Genetic Development Interface. For a moment, he browsed through the second section of the skill store.

The skill that was the most affordable and had the easiest requirements to meet was Enhanced Durability: it cost only 12,000 MP and required his Body attribute to be at 30. Next came the Adhesive Secretion skill and the Gravity Leap ability. The former cost 15,000 MP, and its requirements were Body at 40 and Magick at 35. The latter cost 17,000 MP, and its requirements were Body at 43, Mind at 40, and Magick at 37. Although both of these skills piqued his interest, when he reviewed his attributes, he realized it would be a little while before he could acquire them.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Body: 27

Mind: 25

Magick: 25

For now, he could put three skill points into Body and buy Enhanced Durability. However, after pondering for a moment, he chose not to do so right now. Instead, he opted to use his current skill points to obtain some new upgrades for the skills and abilities he already possessed. Later, he would acquire Enhanced Durability and then work toward Adhesive Secretion and Gravity Leap.

So he decided to obtain some upgrades for the skills and abilities he already had. First, he checked the available upgrades for Claws. He’d already acquired two upgrades for this ability: one to strengthen his claws and another to reduce the transformation time from hands to claws. Another upgrade was available to increase the length of his claws, but he’d never obtained it because he saw no need to increase their reach.

After raising the rarity of the ability from Common to Uncommon, a fourth upgrade was unlocked. Jake checked it out.

4 - Enhance Claws to be capable of tearing apart solid materials like metal with ease. Cost: 1 SP (Requirements: Body 25, Enhanced Strength)

It was an uncommon upgrade, so while it cost 1 SP just like common ones, it had its own set of requirements. Luckily, his Body was at 27, and he’d already acquired Enhanced Strength, allowing him to get the upgrade. He spent one skill point to acquire it.

He’d obtained all three available upgrades for Swords, and since this ability was still Common, it didn’t have a fourth upgrade yet. Enhanced Agility, on the other hand, had already been elevated to Uncommon, unlocking a new upgrade. Jake checked it out.

4 - Achieve superior balance and coordination, gaining precise and fluid movements while maintaining control and stability in various dynamic situations like battles or climbing. Cost: 1 SP (Requirements: Body 22)

He acquired it by spending another skill point. He’d never obtained any upgrades for Enhanced Senses or Enhanced Intelligence, so it was time to fix that now. Both of these skills had been elevated to the Uncommon rarity, each unlocking a fourth upgrade. He first checked out the Enhanced Senses skill.

Upgrade Options (Uncommon):

1 - Heighten sensory perception to detect faint sounds and subtle movements, discovering secrets, hidden enemies, or potential ambushes. Cost: 1 SP

2 - Develop nearly perfect night vision. Cost: 1 SP

3 - Improve the sense of smell to identify scents from great distances and differentiate between various odors. Cost: 1 SP

4 - Enhance tactile sensitivity for better touch perception to detect vibrations or subtle movements through touch. Cost: 1 SP (Requirements: Mind 25)

Jake used four skill points to acquire all of these upgrades. He then checked out the available upgrades for the Enhanced Intelligence skill.

Upgrade Options (Uncommon):

1 - Greatly enhance memory for faster information processing. Cost: 1 SP

2 - Analyze the behaviors of various living beings to predict their next moves and learn their intentions, motivations, and potential reactions in various situations. Cost: 1 SP

3 - Quickly come up with effective strategies for defeating enemies and overcoming challenges. Cost: 1 SP

4 - Develop a heightened sense of intuition to predict possible outcomes in various situations, quickly finding solutions and adapting to changing circumstances. Cost: 1 SP (Requirements: Mind 25)

Jake used his last four skill points to acquire all these upgrades. With that, all ten skill points were spent.