As night reluctantly loosened its grip, the first light of dawn crept over the silhouette of the mountain ridge. The moon hung low in the sky, fading like a phantom overtaken by the warm hues of morning.
Golden beams of light sliced through the tangled web of branches, dappling the forest floor with a patchwork of shadow. In the distance, a faint smoke tendril curled from the mouth of the tunnel.
Barely noticeable, it made its way upward, thinning until it blended with the haze clinging to the treetops, a momentary reminder of what transpired in the hidden depths below during the dark hours.
Once teeming with frenzied chaos, the underground labyrinth had fallen eerily silent. Where masses of writhing arachnids and violent clashes filled every crevice, an unnatural stillness now pervaded.
Even the blazing inferno that engulfed everything had fully extinguished, consuming all available fuel material inside. With its sustenance spent, the last heat dissipated into the chilling air.
However, the issue was that not a single spider cadaver or a trace of charred remains were left. It was as if someone had painstakingly gathered them all, erasing any evidence of the massacre.
All that lingered was a thin layer of ash clinging to the scorched stones, hinting at the tumultuous events within these corridors. Even at the heart of the intricate maze, the scene was eerily similar.
The extraordinary ore deposits in the walls showed no hint of existence. Where vibrantly throbbing nodes of spiritual energy had glowed previously, only dull, lifeless surfaces remained.
The culprit responsible for this transformation sat alone in the defiled lair. His expression was impassive but concentrated, fixing a makeshift table of rocks before him that served as his workspace.
Across its surface, a clutter of items sprawled out—flickering candles, half-drawn diagrams, scattered notes, and more. But the most prominent was the dissected body of the colossal monster.
Expertly carved open, Lynn meticulously studied its anatomy, his gloved hands moving with practiced precision, revealing layers of chitinous plates, muscles, and strange organs that appeared almost alien.
A puddle of sickly greenish liquid slowly oozed from the severed sections, staining the cold floor. The acrid scent of decay mingled with the earthy dampness, thickening the air with a suffocating heaviness.
“The night’s work has been fruitful,” he murmured to himself, the corners of his lips curling upwards. The words echoed slightly in the stillness, mixing with the occasional blood drip hitting stones.
After emerging victorious from the brutal confrontation against the colossal underground ruler, he wasted no time and promptly set to work, harvesting the spoils of his hard-fought triumph.
First, he turned his attention to the lifeless bodies of the smaller spiders that had fallen during the conflict, swiftly collecting them before they could disintegrate into ash, preventing their loss.
They were valuable research materials for his skills and class, providing him with a trove of genetic information and class experience, steadily increasing his aptitude as a [Flesh Stitcher].
Although the individual specimens were of relatively low value, their grand number more than compensated for it. Consequently, this task was one of the two that consumed most of the nighttime.
His [Mimicry Heart] skill eagerly devoured their data, but the process was not as smooth or effortless as the ordinary snake. Because of the extraordinary biology, it presented a significant challenge.
Despite the difficulties, he persisted, driven by an insatiable curiosity. Through arduous trial and error, he managed to uncover and add two new powerful capacities to his arsenal:
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[Iron Spider Exoskeleton I: You imitate a spider and grow a sturdy exoskeleton, gaining powerful physical protection and significant resistance to impact.]
[Venomous Spider Fangs I: You learn to develop venomous fangs like a deadly spider, capable of injecting a strong, corrosive, and paralyzing toxin.]
When he tried to mimic them, Lynn noted the curious numbering at the end, a detail that piqued his interest. Further experimentation revealed that this was related to the three stages of the extraordinary phase.
Imitating the transformative process through which an ordinary organism evolves and transcends, the number probably indicated the development stage for that particular ability.
He quickly deduced that an ordinary creature would certainly not have such designations, but monsters exhibiting supernatural traits would. Should he succeed in mimicking the defeated colossal spider, the abilities would bear the number "II".
However, a discovery caught his attention and forced him to stop the testing. After copying [Iron Spider Exoskeleton I], he noticed a peculiar sensation—a pressure building up within his core.
Instinctively, he understood the situation. The [Mimicry Heart] skill had a limit, a threshold he could not exceed. The number of powers he could simultaneously mimic seemed to be restricted.
When the mysterious runes appeared inside his extraordinary organ this time, they rapidly occupied half of the space—three times the area previously filled by the ordinary serpent trait.
This realization, while disappointing, did not come as a complete surprise. Given the strength of such a skill, it was reasonable to assume there would be some constraints, or else Lynn would question the existence of some hidden flaw or conspiracy.
Still, he could not help but feel a twinge of frustration. With the vast repository of genetic information at his fingertips, the potential was almost limitless. However, the inherent limitations forced him to be more strategic in his approach.
Brushing aside the displeasing memory, he refocused on the dissection, peeling away layers of flesh with careful, deliberate movements. His efforts brought him close to reaching level 12.
“After I finish my work here, I know exactly where to get the remaining experience I need," he mused, gaze gleaming with anticipation as they settled on the glowing and eye-catching organ inside the carcass.
Although Lynn did not intend to use his ability to mimic the underground ruler just yet, he noticed an anomaly within the corpse as he observed it through [Spiritual Vision], which prompted this dissection.
Initially, he supposed it might be something similar to the Zombie Core he had encountered in his first dungeon - a concentrated wellspring of spiritual energy with some exploitable benefits.
However, a more likely speculation quickly replaced this idea. The vibrant, otherworldly glow and the subtle, magnetic pull it emitted - all these details strongly suggested this was an extraordinary characteristic.
As his eyes locked on the green shimmering organ, he felt his breath hitch in his throat. According to his study of its anatomy, it should be the venomous gland responsible for the toxic abilities of the monster.
Activating the protective barrier of [Plaguebane Glove], he carefully reached out and grasped the trembling appendage, his fingers gently tracing its contours and feeling the pulsating rhythm.
The instant he made contact, its surface began to emit a faint, eerie hum. The sound pulsed with a jolt of energy that seemed almost alive, sending a shiver through him and setting his nerves on edge.
[Ding!]
[Extraordinary Characteristic detected!]
His gaze widened as the notification appeared before him, confirming his suspicions. With bated breath, he waited for the system to provide more information about this invaluable discovery.
A flood of knowledge immediately flooded his mind, overwhelming his senses and divulging the secrets of this quivering organ. He learned the keys to absorb it and unlock a new skill.
"I am compatible with it... " Lynn mumbled, his expression pensive at the information. "But, without the advantage of the trial dungeon, the requirements and prerequisites are quite demanding."
Knowing it was a venom gland, he effortlessly deduced that the skill he would learn should be related to poison. All the criteria he needed to fulfill centered around that, which was a bit of a departure from his current class direction.
As a [Flesh Stitcher], his abilities revolved around biological manipulation and mutation, but this extraordinary characteristic seemed to lean more toward the realm of toxicology and alchemical arts.
"The real question is whether I can integrate the new skill with my existing strengths without undermining my potential," he thoughtfully sighed, weighing the possible benefits and drawbacks.
Closing his eyes, he contemplated an instant before deciding to set it aside. There was still plenty of time before he would need to absorb it, and the necessary conditions had not even been met to consider that step yet.
Last night, an experiment confirmed that he could use the tamer knowledge in the [Monster Whispering Manual]. If he added another thing to worry about, it would only slow his progress.
Without hesitation, the venomous gland was pushed into his inventory. He knew that, in the future, if he did not come across something more suitable, he could always choose to use it.