CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

As soon as he clicked the pop-up option, he was immediately teleported into a descending chain-like elevator.

The Genetic Caverns were absolutely massive.

Even though Jason was sitting inside the cockpit of his machine, he was still completely dwarfed by the gigantic elevator. His perch inside the Red Minerva's head allowed him to glance down from fifty feet on high, but the cage-like structure was at least two hundred feet tall.

The enormous console was operated not by Jason's hands but by his Mech's massive steel fingers. Jason reached out with the twisted and blackened gauntlets that covered the Red Minerva's hands due to the modified Blazing Avarice system.

The cyborg dragon began tapping at the keyboard just like a human.

The Genetic Caverns was a special side area that was only unlocked for Hemoborn users who'd played over five hundred games on the same Mech. Jason had passed that marker several years ago, gaining access to the unique modification area.

However, the innate One Star Boss restrictions had prevented him from actually visiting the factory. On top of that, he hadn't been allowed to keep genetic samples from the machines he'd destroyed.

This was his first chance to access the greatest strength of Hemoborn Mechs.

Normally, Mech users could only customize the mechanical parts of their machines.

This typically included Hemoborn.

Despite their biological frames, the inherent base creature couldn't be changed.

Without special intervention, a cave dragon would remain a cave dragon. The inherent biology of the frame couldn't be changed.

The Genetic Caverns was a zoo-like area where pilots could battle enormous beasts that served as representations of genetic material. If the pilot won, they were able to add the genes to their machine.

The process was similar to how Jason had incorporated the strengths of the Red Lamia.

However, there was a critical difference.

Absorbing the Red Lamia hadn't actually changed the Red Minerva's genetic structure.

Jason had gained the awakened cave dragon's power, but his partner's gene pool had remained functionally the same.

The Genetic Caverns were the only way to create a special hybrid to fit your playstyle, but the great prize came with equivalent risk.

Once again, the stage used Genetic Absorbers.

As a result, the Genetic Cavern's battles operated on a gamble system. If Jason lost, he'd lose various genes and Abilities at random, and his machine would get a lot weaker.

Due to the possibility of a severe drawback, the Overdrive Corporation had restricted access to the Genetic Caverns to only the best of Hemoborn users.

At the time, the Genetic Caverns was considered the highest level of Hemoborn mastery.

Recently, however, the Corporation had added yet another bonus to Hemoborn, one that Jason hadn't unlocked yet.

Finishers were overwhelmingly powerful finishing moves meant to destroy your opponent in a single blow. For a long time, they were restricted solely to the super robot Paragons, but now all four Mech classes had access to the ability.

Achieving a Finisher required a "fantastic accomplishment."

In Jason's opinion, his exploits as a One Star Boss had certainly been fantastic, but the Overdrive game server evidently didn't agree.

The Finisher-granting process was calculated by an arcane and seemingly inscrutible formula. Even the guide websites like OverManiacs or Paragonz.net hadn't figured it out yet.

The Finisher abilities had also been incorporated into the Genetic Caverns. However, the stage for ultimate attacks was currently locked.

The elevator console loaded in front of him. The first two levels were green but the last two were bright red.

LEVEL 1: REALITY

LEVEL 2: HISTORY

LEVEL 3: MYTHOLOGY (LOCKED)

LEVEL 4: FINISHER (LOCKED)

The Genetic Caverns had four separate levels.

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The deeper a player went, the more rare genetic material they could find.

Level 1 contained creatures that could be found in real life, ranging from lions to birds to insects.

It was important to note that even though it was the most common level, the Mechs created from Level 1 genes were by no means inferior to the ones in the later levels.

The top guild, the Hive, used all sorts of different Mech classes, but their few Hemoborn users all used insect-based machines. With good play, even a seemingly weak bug was capable of defeating a proud dragon.

The watchdogs Jason had captured fit into the Reality section.

The quality of the genetic sample was based on two factors - the strength of the base machine and the number of genes captured.

The watchdogs were a solid and reliable frame.

However, there were still plenty of Ace Mechs built with Reality bases.

Jason's saving grace was the quantity of the genes he'd absorbed.

Level 2 contained creatures that could be found in the past, such as dinosaurs or wooly mammoths. There were also various other beasts like giants or zombies that'd also been shoved into the History category.

It was a common joke among the Overdrive community that the company's designers were too stupid to realize that there hadn't actually been giants.

In reality, it was simply a game-balancing decision based on rarity.

Creatures like zombies or giants might have properly belonged in the Mythology tier, but their power was closer to machines in the History tier.

For this reason, various other One Star Boss genes, including the Red Minerva, were also in the History tier.

Level 3, Mythology, featured genetic material for beasts with fantastical powers.

Like the Finisher abilities, Mythology genes were currently locked for Jason. He hadn't captured any Mythology samples.

Jason stared down the base of the elevator.

The levels beneath the History tier were covered by swirling flames.

The Genetic Caverns technically weren't part of the in-game world of Overdrive.

They were more akin to a "dream situation" inside a Hemoborn Mech's brain.

In the in-game lore of Overdrive, the transformations imbued by the Genetic Caverns were essentially internal transformations triggered by a Hemoborn's experiences, almost like evolution from the Pokemon franchise.

Of course, Hemoborn weren't capable of evolving without the requisite experience.

It didn't matter how strong the pilot was - without the appropriate trigger, a Hemoborn Mech couldn't take the test required to reach the next level.

As a result, future levels weren't created yet until they were unlocked.

If Jason tried running out of the elevator to the fiery third floor, he would suddenly "wake up" back inside the Overdrive game mode's lobby. Until Jason finally unlocked a Finisher or acquired a Mythological frame, the area would be barred to him.

Unlike the other two levels, the genetic material in Level 3 required defeating map bosses from various Special Legendary Events.

For example, Jason could gain vampire genes by battling the vampiric One Star Boss.

However, that vampire would only be categorized in the History section. In fact, the actual genetic data wouldn't have been nearly as powerful as a true vampire.

The added strength was much more comparable to the Reality tier's bat.

Level 1 and Level 2 genes were actually largely interchangeable.

A particularly powerful Reality sample was just as strong as a History sample.

However, the Mythology samples were on a totally different tier.

Despite his experience, Jason didn't have a single Mythology sample. To gain them, he would have to wait for Overdrive's unique events.

For example, true vampire genes could only be captured from the Haunted Halloween event.

As a result, Jason had already marked down the dates of all upcoming special events. Events in Overdrive were very unpredictable, and nobody knew when they'd return.

Jason had heard horror stories of players missing out on rare genes after losing their Internet connection for a couple of weeks.

This was another area where Jason's exceptional organization and preparation put him at a marked advantage. He would be sure to hit every single event.

Even if he had no current plans for certain Mythological genes, it was still a best practice to collect them right away.

There was a significant downside to failing to acquire the genes he needed later.

Meanwhile, it wasn't a problem for Jason to keep genetic material stored in his Caverns. In the worst-case scenario, he could simply sell the rare frames to someone else.

Unfortunately, there weren't any events going on this week.

He would have to battle through the second Tournament of Assassins without the benefit of ultra-rare genes.

In the future, Jason would travel to distant planets and space colonies to acquire the genes he needed.

However, he was focused on the present for now.

He entered commands for the REALITY level.

The elevator thunked down a single floor.

The watchdog Hemoborn might seem humble compared to legendary creatures like manticores or full-powered dragons, but it was the best option for the immediate challenges before him.

Jason strode down the corridor.

Right now, he only had a single creature unlocked - the watchdog.

Since Jason had captured so many frames, the enormous beast was enormous, with razor-sharp teeth longer than the Red Minerva's arms. The monster was even bigger than the Smoulderhulk.

But despite its ferocious appearance, the beast was slumbering gently. Its calm and majestic appearance made it look more like a king than an animal.

As with before, none of the creatures were angry or threatening.

The stored genetic material wasn't exactly a real living being.

The Genetic Caverns might have seemed like a zoo, but it was really more of a laboratory. The creatures inside could best be thought of as energy projections rather than living beings.

Of course, there was one way to instantly turn them viciously hostile.

Jason stepped forward, pressing his hands against the console at the side of the cage.

It immediately flashed red as it processed the Minerva's genetic material.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The black bands promptly knocked the Red Minerva to the ground. Despite his partner's increased strength, the sheer weight of the gigantic gene manipulators was enough to catch even the most powerful machine off guard.

As soon as the four Genetic Absorbers anchored to Jason's partner, the watchdog's cage opened.

The Red Minerva stepped inside.

The cage instantly clattered shut behind him.

The dog opened its eyes and snarled.

For most players, fighting a watchdog sample consisting of twenty Mech's worth of genetic information would seem like an enormous risk. The sensory ability was powerful, but defeat meant losing key parts of Jason's Mech.

But for Jason, it was a no-brainer.

Despite his increased power, he still had the underdog mentality of a One-Star Boss.

To win, he needed to push every tiny advantage.

He strove for perfection at any cost.

BATTLE START