Chapter 114
First of all, he opened the Genetic Development Interface and browsed through the list of skills and abilities available for purchase. He came across Mind Reader, which had just been added to the list, and checked its description.
Mind Reader: When touching a person’s head, the mutant can access their memories. This ability only works on intelligent beings, not mutants.
Upgrades: 0 of 4 (Uncommon)
Requirements: Mind 27, Magick 25
Cost: 15,000 MP
It seemed to be an intriguing ability. Although he wasn’t entirely sure how often he would use it. After all, he’d long since decided to interact with humans as little as possible. Still, this ability could come in handy someday. Being interested in learning how it worked, he planned to test it out at some point.
So he decided to acquire Mind Reader. Its requirements were quite low. With his Magick attribute already at 25, he only needed to use two of his five skill points to increase Mind from 25 to 27.
After doing so, he checked how much mana he currently had.
MP: 37,775
More than enough to purchase the ability. With a mental command, he spent 15,000 MP to acquire it.
You have just learned a new ability: Mind Reader.
He then checked the other skills and abilities in the second section of the Genetic Development Interface.
Evolution Stage 2: “Savage Ascent”
Abilities: 1 of 5
Skills: 0 of 4
Ability: Gravity Leap
Requirements: Body 43, Mind 40, Magick 37
Cost: 17,000 MP
Ability: Acidic Spit
Requirements: Body 45, Magick 45
Cost: 20,000 MP
Ability: Serpentine Form
Requirements: Body 50, Mind 45, Magick 50
Cost: 25,000 MP
Ability: Spikes
Requirements: Body 60, Magick 65
Cost: 30,000 MP
Skill: Enhanced Durability
Requirements: Body 30
Cost: 12,000 MP
Skill: Adhesive Secretion
Requirements: Body 40, Magick 35
Cost: 15,000 MP
Skill: Toxic Resistance
Requirements: Body 45
Cost: 23,000 MP
Skill: Adaptive Armor
Requirements: Body 55, Magick 50
Cost: 27,000 MP
Ability: Mind Reader
Requirements: Mind 27, Magick 25
Cost: Already Owned
The only skill he could currently acquire was Enhanced Durability. He summoned its description with a single thought.
Enhanced Durability: The mutant’s body structure becomes denser, significantly increasing their resistance to physical harm.
Upgrades: 0 of 4 (Uncommon)
Requirements: Body 30
Cost: 12,000 MP
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The sole requirement was a Body attribute of 30, and his Body currently stood at 27. With 22,775 MP at his disposal, he decided to buy this skill as well. He still had three remaining points, so he allocated them to Body, increasing it to 30. He could now acquire the ability. He did so, spending an additional 12,000 MP.
You have just learned a new skill: Enhanced Durability.
Jake then switched back to the first section of the Genetic Development Interface.
Evolution Stage 1: “Primordial Form”
Abilities: 3 of 4
Skills: 7 of 7
Ability: Smashfists
Requirements: Body 2
Cost: 2,000 MP
Skill: Enhanced Senses
Requirements: None
Cost: Already Owned
Skill: Enhanced Agility
Requirements: None
Cost: Already Owned
Skill: Enhanced Intelligence
Requirements: None
Cost: Already Owned
Skill: Enhanced Reflexes
Requirements: Body 5, Mind 3
Cost: Already Owned
Skill: Enhanced Strength
Requirements: Body 5
Cost: Already Owned
Skill: Enhanced Regeneration
Requirements: Body 7, Magick 5, Mind 3
Cost: Already Owned
Skill: Feral Instincts
Requirements: Mind 5, Magick 3
Cost: Already Owned
Ability: Claws
Requirements: Body 1
Cost: Already Owned
Ability: Swords
Requirements: Body 3
Cost: Already Owned
Ability: Bladed Tentacles
Requirements: Body 2, Magick 1
Cost: Already Owned
Among all the skills and abilities in the first section, there was only one that he hadn’t acquired yet—Smashfists. He checked it out.
Ability: Smashfists
Description: The mutant can significantly enlarge their hands and temporarily augment body mass for increased strength. With their massive smashfists, the mutant can unleash powerful, crushing blows capable of pulverizing concrete and toppling enemies with ease.
Upgrades: 0 of 3 (Common)
Requirements: Body 2
Cost: 2,000 MP
After some consideration, he decided to make the purchase. The cost was relatively low, especially when compared to the skills and abilities listed in the second section of the store.
He checked his mana.
MP: 10,775
He remembered deciding to always have a reserve of at least 10,000 MP at all times for emergencies, such as severe injuries that would require significant amounts of mana for healing. He decided to buy the skill anyway. After all, he now had the Mana Vision perk at his disposal, which made locating mana consumables an extremely easy task, so collecting 2,000 MP and bringing his mana reserves back to 10,000 MP wouldn’t take long at all.
You have just learned a new ability: Smashfists.
Having obtained all the skills and abilities from the first section of the Genetic Development Interface, he no longer needed to revisit it. He could now solely focus on acquiring skills and abilities from the second section.
After purchasing the ability, he reviewed his current stats.
Name: Jake Turner
Race: Ex-Human Morphus
Evolution Stage 2: “Savage Ascent”
Level: 33
HP: 97%
XP: 385/4250
SP: 0
MP: 8,775
Body: 30
Mind: 27
Magick: 25
Claws: Rank III (14%) (Upgrades: 3 of 4) (Uncommon)
Swords: Rank II (11%) (Upgrades: 3 of 3) (Common)
Bladed Tentacles: Rank I (89%) (Upgrades: 1 of 3) (Common)
Mind Reader: Rank I (0%) (Upgrades: 0 of 4) (Uncommon)
Smashfists: Rank I (0%) (Upgrades: 0 of 3) (Common)
Enhanced Senses: Rank III (17%) (Upgrades: 4 of 4) (Uncommon)
Enhanced Agility: Rank III (21%) (Upgrades: 4 of 4) (Uncommon)
Enhanced Intelligence: Rank III (22%) (Upgrades: 4 of 4) (Uncommon)
Enhanced Reflexes: Rank I (94%) (Upgrades: 0 of 3) (Common)
Enhanced Strength: Rank I (23%) (Upgrades: 0 of 3) (Common)
Enhanced Regeneration : Rank I (34%) (Upgrades: 0 of 3) (Common)
Feral Instincts: Rank I (19%) (Upgrades: 0 of 3) (Common)
Enhanced Durability: Rank I (0%) (Upgrades: 0 of 3) (Common)
He opened his eyes. It was time to put his newly acquired skills and abilities to the test.
Enhanced Durability was a skill, so it worked all the time. Its effects would only be evident when he was attacked and received damage. As for Mind Reader, it only worked on humans, so he was going to have to wait until he encountered one before he could put it to the test.
But he could test out Smashfists right away. Which he did. He felt a surge of power course through him when he mentally commanded the ability to activate. His arms swelled and bulged with added mass, and his hands expanded in size. He flexed his fingers, feeling the raw power coursing through him. He then clenched his powerful huge fists and inspected them for a moment. It was time to test them in action.
There were no more enemies around him, so Jake crossed the room and walked up to one of the concrete walls. Then he launched his right smashfist at it. It impacted the solid wall with a tremendous thud, leaving an impressive dent. The outcome exceeded his expectations, leaving him feeling deeply satisfied. He knew that his smashfists turned out to be so powerful because his Body attribute was at 30. If he’d acquired Smashfists much sooner, before evolving into Stage 2 and receiving 20 additional points in Body, his smashfists would’ve been significantly weaker at that point.
Feeling excited, Jake directed his colossal fists at the wall once more, landing a few more powerful hits. When one of his fists struck the wall another time, it created a sizable hole with twisted pieces of rebar jutting out from inside.
He seized one of the rebar pieces and easily ripped it from the wall. He realized his Enhanced Strength also greatly enhanced this ability. It was a really great combination. He couldn’t help but marvel at how much Enhanced Strength increased the power of Smashfists.
Feeling a surge of excitement, he hurled the piece of rebar like a missile, watching it shatter a window and vanish into the distance outside. For a moment, Jake admired the destruction he’d caused with such ease. He couldn’t help but wonder at the potential of his abilities. The perfect combination of Smashfists with Enhanced Strength opened up a world of possibilities for him.
With a mental command, he reverted his body back to its normal state. He felt the mass in his arms diminishing while his oversized fists shrunk back to their original size. The transformation was gradual, taking a few seconds to complete. He was sure that acquiring some of the upgrades for the ability would help speed up the process.
As expected, morphing his hands into smashfists and reverting back had drained some of his mana reserves. It was time to replenish this precious magical energy. Now that he had the Mana Vision perk at his disposal, he knew it wouldn’t take him long to do so. With that in mind, he began to make his way back to the rooftop.