SKREEEAAAAGH

SPLAT

G-class pest “Mouther” defeated! +2 AP

For someone seeing with almost 60 points in senses, there was something beautiful about the way mouthers exploded. It was like popping bubble wrap and removing that protective foil from a new gizmo all at the same time. The way their feeble bones crunched upon impact, the way the sickly gore splattered in every direction in an explosion of scent and heat, how it bubbled in a firework of biological decomposition… it was cathartic.

The only thing that could’ve made it infinitely better would’ve been if killing them somehow solved my current problems.

There was also that little voice of concern in the back of my head, thinking back to that clip Moreau had shown me, of the rat turning into a mouther. If rats could turn into mouthers, then was that why they were the G-class monster most commonly found inside cities? Why had they gathered here?

But that was a concern for after this place was cleansed and every little pest “popped”.

The abandoned factory was massive and dilapidated, the roof had collapsed in several places, rugs had been left to rot away, rust covered every surface the mold didn’t, and there was a very distinct stench of stale water. The place felt like it was actively trying to make itself a hazard, with cracked concrete and areas that felt like they might crumble if rattled even the smallest bit.

It’d clearly been abandoned years ago, and that notion was unnerving. The idea that space was so available that it was affordable to just leave this place to rot away was… unnatural.

That I also had to avoid the human hunting here was not ideal.

I could both smell and hear them, shuffling about the place a few floors above my own. Whoever they were, they were light on their feet and confident in the way they navigated the place.

With how sharp my senses were, I could practically pinpoint exactly where in each room they were at any given time. The little hunter (those steps were too light to be an adult) knew what they were doing, engaging the G-class monsters one at a time, and always near an escape option.

They were also way slower at killing the monsters than I was.

AP 50 / 150

I’d spent 25 AP on senses, and killed twelve mouthers, having nearly recouped the expenditure. I’d also stopped the mode entirely, mostly because my current plateau was as far as I felt confident in going without becoming overwhelmed. Definitely something I wouldn’t want to experiment with when I wasn’t fighting monsters.

SKREEEAAAAGH

SPLAT

Maybe I should experiment a little? I focused on the things I’d “gained” from the monsters I’d killed.

Prickly G-Class 1 / 10 - Cost: 10 AP Blades G-Class 1 / 10 - Cost: 10 AP

My focus fell on “Blades”, and my total AP was reduced from 50 to 40. The shift took a moment, focusing on the very tips of my fingers and toes. I watched in fascination as my claws tripled in length, turning into daggers as long as my forearm. Definitely a big hit to my fine motor skills, but I felt confident they were as deadly as they looked. Meanwhile, my feet had turned into talons, tips digging into and scratching the concrete with every step I took.

I began to walk a bit more carefully, trying to minimize how much sound I was making.

So this was “Blades” at G-class, and I had a feeling that had I been transformed when I’d acquired them, I would’ve seen the “temp” F-grade form the same way I had for “Prickly” back in the lab. Also, the “1/10” looked suspiciously like I’d be able to upgrade it if I acquired it nine more times.

BANG

Flinching, I shook my head a bit and glared at the ceiling. The human had moved down to the floor immediately above mine and was being more proactive in their search for monsters. Apparently they’d run out of mouthers on the upper levels.

Meanwhile, on my end of things…

SKREEEAAAAGH

With a swipe of my hand, the monster was cut into ribbons.

It was dead before the pieces reached the ground, a cleaner kill, yet far less satisfying.

I inhaled deeply, drawing in the scents of the building. The smell of the human had shifted, there was something about their scent that felt… afraid. Increasingly so. I ignored that and focused on the monsters, those who’d detected me had come rushing in, but there were at least a handful left spread around the ruins.

Locking on to the presence that felt the “strongest”, I focused on shifting modes towards speed. I didn’t want to risk stumbling onto an E-class without the ability to react as quickly as possible.

Velocity Mode (3):

* -3 AP / Second *

* -1 Senses / Second *

* +5 Speed / Second *

Lightning poured into my veins, muscles growing taut. Stalking my way forward, I began to more actively seek out the mouthers, rather than let them come my way on their own. The deeper into the factory I went, the more fluid my movements became.

Within the span of a dozen seconds, my body had become leaner, blades longer and sharper. Entering into a new area, I spotted the mouthers before they’d sensed me, and in a single leap I was upon them, claws piercing through before they could even make a sound.

Velocity mode bottomed out once my AP had gone dry, but every few monster kills it would carry on as if it hadn’t stopped at all. By the time I’d found my target, speed had reached an even 100, and I was staring down at what could only be described as the mouther’s meaner cousin.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

> F-class, eater-type, Toother.

It was a hundred kilo sickly purple rat, with a maw full of razor-sharp fangs that extended all the way into its chest cavity. It stared at me with beady eyes devoid of anything but hunger.

The monster leapt, mouth opening wide enough it could bite half my body off.

I lashed out with my finger-blades, trying to cut through its fangs, and failing.

My talons dug into the cement as I struggled to keep the maw from snapping shut from either side of me. The toother’s foul breath washed over me with putrid disease, it screeched with ear-splitting volume. Head spinning from the overwhelmingly nauseous scent and ears ringing from the sound, I leapt upwards.

The toother’s mouth closed in a snap, and I lashed at its muzzle, cutting deep.

With a screech, it flinched back, and I pressed on, thrusting blade-like fingers at its skull before it could move out of the way.

In a single stroke, I punctured through.

The monster went limp, body held up only by my claws.

F-class monster “Toother” defeated! Pick your Reward!

+5 AP / Passive: ‘Stomach’

So an F-class provided just one option, while an E provided two. Seeing how my AP had run dry and there wasn’t much left to “hunt”, I picked “stomach” to see what it could give me. That “passive” aspect was new, and I felt a bit curious about what that might entail.

‘Stomach’ Grade: [G] [1 / 10]

That answered the question of grading. I would always “acquire” things at a class below the owner’s own, but G was as low as it would go. As to what “Stomach” did in particular… I hadn’t noticed any changes. Was it different in some way? It had marked it as “passive”, so it was definitely different to the previous two.

The system threw a pop-up at me.

Passive ‘Stomach’ Grade: [G] [1 / 10]

Effects: Digest any biological matter.

The text smugly paraded itself around, dancing back and forth as it rubbed against my face like it was some sort of trophy the system had earned for itself. I was unsure why it was doing that, and felt more confused than annoyed.

Passive: effects also apply in base form.

Pride oozed out of the text.

I just… shrugged? I felt like the passive wasn’t much of a thing, not after I’d literally eaten my weight in tortilla-wraps and burritos within the span of a few hours. Maybe this made it less likely I’d get indigestion if I ate something that was bad? That sounded convenient more than anything.

The system’s message winked out of existence, leaving only a mild trace of begrudging disappointment in its wake. Whatever reaction it’d been trying to get out of me, it had clearly failed.

Now that I’d killed one of the bigger threats, it was time to set out and find the rest before-

“Shit!” A guy’s voice called out, a desperate anxious whisper.

My attention snapped in the direction of the sound, spotting a railing on the floor above and the person standing there. He looked like a street punk, sporting a roughed black-jean jacket that was covered in patches. Our eyes met, we both froze, the barrel of his gun was aimed at me. I locked on to his finger, on the slight shake of his hands as he ever so gently squeezed…

I jumped to the side.

BANG

The stranger swore, trying to track me and firing again. There was a distinctive stench of burnt plastic, and I realized he was wielding one of those cheap things that would deform if you so much as looked at it wrong. No wonder he’d been taking his sweet time to kill the mouthers.

Cursing, the guy made a run for it.

I was about to turn around and run in the opposite direction when a loud clanking sound heralded a monster bursting down that same walkway, heading in the same direction the guy had taken.

BANG BANG

With a mental curse of my own, I leapt, awkwardly clambering onto the railing, hearing the monster cry out. Talons dug into metal and I went into a dead sprint. Internally I was praying, if that guy’s gun was 3D printed, then…

PAFF

It was the worst sound ever. The sound of a gun exploding.

There was a scream. I was practically flying, claws at the ready as I burst into a corridor heavy with the stench of gunpowder and blood. The monster was lurching forward as the human clutched his hand.

Breathing in, I roared.

The monster, a silver mass of scales, froze and turned to look at me as I lurched.

Claws sliced through flesh like hot butter, severing its head from its body, and cutting it up in four more parts. Effervescent blood splatters stained the walls and floor, the reek of a dying monster spreading over the corridor.

At my feet there was a half-burnt and partially melted piece of plastic that would’ve once reassembled a gun.

F-class monster “Mirage” defeated! Pick your Reward!

+5 AP / ‘Shimmer’

Picking “shimmer” as I dismissed the prompt, I turned to the human. He’d collapsed, clutching a bloodied hand, eyes wide in horror. As I looked down at him, he began to scream, the sound grating and irritating in the enclosed space.

Stomping my foot down, I raised a finger up to my mouth. “SHH!” I hissed at him.

His mouth clamped shut, he whimpered.

There, peace and quiet.

My body itched for a moment, and then the fur that’d been covering my body changed to the same silver-sheen that the monster had possessed. It was like back in the lab, my monster-like form adapting itself to incorporate that which I’d earned.

‘Shimmer’ Grade: [G] [1 / 10]

Looking down at myself I sighed.

Great.

Now I looked like some sort of fuzzy disco ball.

Should’ve known.

Giving the guy one last dirty look, I considered just walking off, but that’d mean the guy would be left unarmed in a building where there were at least four other monsters. Staring down at my claws, I wondered whether I could “un-apply” a change. I wanted to no longer have knife-hands. Much to my surprise, the change was almost immediate, blades retracting and vanishing back into the not-entirely-harmless shorter claws.

The guy’s eyes had widened further and further.

When I stepped towards him, he let out a shriek.

Ears folded back in pain. “SHH!” I insisted, picking him up by the ratty jacket. He’d gone rigid like a statue, which made it easier for me to carry him along as I headed for the entrance.

I tossed him outside and closed the door.

There.

Now I could focus on clearing out the stragglers and get the hell out of here before a proper clean-up crew arrived.