Jake peered into the replication pod in front of him. Back when he was just a regular survivor, he had examined those human-sized cocoon-like pods at some point. He already knew that a replication pod had the remarkable ability to generate a mutant, nurturing it from a single-celled organism to a fully grown creature within a matter of minutes. Once a mutant reached full development, a replication pod unfurled, allowing the creature to emerge before sealing itself once more to begin crafting another being.
However, now that he was a mutant, his heightened senses allowed him to discern more details inside the translucent pod. For a moment, he was mesmerized by the intricate process of mutant creation unfolding before him. The translucent pod was filled with some kind of life-giving liquid, in which a mutant was gradually taking shape, growing larger and filling the interior of the pod. The creature was alive, but its eyes remained closed. Jake watched its fingers elongate into menacing claws while sharp teeth protruded, filling its oversized mouth.
Even though the process wasn’t finished yet, Jake could already tell that the mutant was a walker. It mostly looked like a regular human, but its feet and hands were clawed, and there were way more razor-sharp, pointed teeth inside its enlarged mouth than there should be.
In his mind, a system notification popped up.
Creature analyzed. The status of mutation research has been updated.
Jake glanced around the room, taking note of the numerous pods but finding no mutants in sight. He closed his eyes and called up the quest menu. The active one stood at the top of the list, followed by the recently completed hunt. He focused on his current quest.
Type: Mutation Research
Objective: Analyze replication pods with three different types of mutants.
Reward: Bladed Tentacles
Status: In Progress (1 of 3)
He opened his eyes and scanned the area once more. Some of the nearby pods housed more mutants. They were in the late stages of development, so he could already tell they were walkers. To advance his quest, he needed to locate pods containing different types of mutants. He stepped away from the pod he had already inspected and was about to explore another when a sound caught his attention.
It was the disgusting wet sound of a pod on his right opening abruptly, resulting in the transparent liquid within splashing outward. A fully formed mutant, a familiar walker breed, emerged from the pod. Jake’s mutant eyes granted him an expanded field of view, allowing him to track the movements of the newly created mutant without needing to turn his head as it lurched toward him.
The walker held its clawed hands toward him, about to tear into his face. Jake sidestepped with ease as he swiped at his opponent, his own claws digging deep into the mutant’s flesh. The walker growled more in rage than pain, blood pouring from the slash in the side of its neck. The mutant spun to face him, but it was moving too slowly for Jake. He waited for his enemy to finish its turn, exposing its throat before immediately striking again. The claws on his right hand sliced deeply into its flesh, nearly beheading the creature.
Enemy killed. +10 XP
The replication pods that had contained the mutants in the final stage of development moments earlier began to open, disgorging fully developed creatures one by one. Among them, Jake spotted a leaper to his left. This mutant type stood out more from a regular human than a walker did. Due to their unique altered anatomy, it was easier for leapers to move on all fours, resembling the fluid motions of a lizard. Leapers were definitely more agile and faster than walkers, which was why Jake had developed a strong dislike for them during his time as a survivor.
Transformed into a mutant himself, now possessing heightened senses and enhanced reflexes, Jake no longer felt threatened by them.
The mutant scurried toward him, then paused for a second and suddenly leaped. Jake jumped to the side, simultaneously throwing a clawed hand toward the approaching mutant. The tips of his talons dug deeply into the creature’s flesh, rending muscle and cartilage with ease. A second later, the headless leaper dropped to the floor behind him, the fountain of blood pouring from the stump of its neck. The severed head flew farther away, striking a wall before bouncing off the floor. It rolled across the room, leaving a trace of blood in its path and eventually settling in one of the corners.
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Enemy killed. +25 XP
More mutants moved toward him from several directions. He ducked when a walker reached out for him with clawed hands. With a swipe of his talons, he opened up its belly, the steaming insides falling out. Before the dead mutant could even collapse to the floor, Jake was already dealing with another walker, attacking it in a flurry of swings, making a bloody mess of its torso. He attempted to stab another mutant with his claws, but they didn’t inflict much damage. His claws were more suited for slashing than piercing. In the Genetic Development Interface, there was a weapon called Swords. Eventually, he planned to acquire it to have a range of weapons for various situations.
Another mutant lunged at him, ending his line of thought. He turned to face the new threat, dodging its attack and lashing out with his talons. His claws dug deeply into its throat, tearing its flesh and causing blood to spray. Jake had long since learned to always go for the throat when he had the chance to do so. It was the most vulnerable spot of this mutant type. Jake then finished off the previous walker that he’d pierced with claws a moment before.
Yet another mutant launched itself at him from the side. This one almost managed to catch him with its talons. Jake slapped its clawed hands aside with one hand and attacked the mutant with the talons on the other, digging all his pointed fingers into its throat and tearing out a huge chunk of flesh. The mutant didn’t live long after that.
Multiple enemies killed. +50 XP.
Another notification emerged in his mind.
You have gained enough XP to level up. Your level went up from 3 to 4. You have gained 1 SP.
Jake looked around, ready to engage another enemy. There weren’t any left. The replication pods that had disgorged the mutants had already started producing new ones. The creatures in the remaining cocoons had not yet reached their final stages of development either. Jake strolled around the room with bouncy strides, inspecting each pod closely. The majority were in the process of developing walkers. To advance his quest, he needed to locate a pod containing a different type of mutant.
Finally, he discovered one. Peering inside, he saw what appeared to be a leaper in the early stages of development. It floated inside the liquid the pod was filled with, gradually growing and maturing. Jake watched the process for a few seconds until a system notification appeared in his head.
Creature analyzed. The status of mutation research has been updated.
A thought occurred to him. Could he check the status of his quest without shutting his eyes and summoning all of his stats? He attempted to access only the status of his quest, and it worked—the system message popped up in his mind.
Status: In Progress (2 of 3)
So he needed to shut his eyes only when he wanted to review all of his stats. If he wished to check a specific detail, he could do so even with his eyes open. It was good to know.
To complete his quest, Jake needed to inspect one more pod. He resumed walking around the room and searching for a cocoon with a different kind of mutant within. After some time, he located one. In one of the corners of the room, he came across a pod with a large mutant being developed inside it, potentially a shambler. As the mutant grew larger, it expanded and pressed against the walls of the pod from within. Despite the strain, the pod’s material resiliently stretched without tearing, revealing its remarkable elasticity.
Enhanced Senses reached 100%. You can now increase it to Rank II.
He’d been peering into the pods so hard his skill had advanced surprisingly quickly.
Status: Complete (3 of 3)
Just as he checked the status of his quest, yet another system notification emerged.
Mutation research complete. Bladed Tentacles has been added to the Genetic Development Interface.
So he’d just leveled up, maxed out the current rank of Enhanced Senses, and received a new ability. However, before delving into these new developments, he decided to destroy all the replication pods to prevent any new mutants from emerging while he concentrated on his stats. Now that the quest was complete, he no longer needed them, anyway.
He set about tearing apart replication pods with his claws, getting some XP for destroying each of them. His hard-skinned obsidian-black body was covered in mutant blood and pods’ stinky liquid from head to toe by that point, but it didn’t bother him at all. Surprisingly, even the repugnant smell, which he could sense extremely well due to Enhanced Senses, didn’t perturb him much.
He continued to destroy the transparent cocoons, tearing apart the organic material they were made of. Underdeveloped mutants wallowed in the pod liquid spread across the floor. He crushed the immature creatures with his hard feet, turning each of them into a pulpy mass, earning extra experience points for that.
At last, only one pod remained intact. He turned toward the cocoon nestled in a corner of the room, in which the shambler he’d spotted earlier was nearing completion. The cocoon appeared so swollen in every direction it seemed to be on the verge of rupturing. Jake waited. He could have destroyed the pod a long time ago, but he’d opted not to. He desired to challenge himself against a shambler because he’d never fought one as a morphus. With no other mutants or pods to produce them left, it was going to be a one-on-one battle.
He didn’t have to wait long. The pod unfurled, and the fully-developed shambler emerged, immediately locking eyes with him.
Let’s dance, Jake thought.