Skill: Divine Transformation (Copper); The default Skill of the Neophyte Class. This active Skill allows Neophytes to transform part or all of their bodies to better reflect the divine form of their Bloodline Origin. As a Participant with the Bloodline of Kukulkan, the Copper level of the Divine Transformation Skill transforms you into a coatl, a feathered serpent. As you progress in potency of your level of Divinity, your Divine Transformation Skill will improve. If you progress to the higher tiers of Divinity, beginning at Ruthenium, you will be able to adjust your Divine Transformation in accordance with your will.

Remaining time for Divine Transformation before forced reversion to Human: 12:07

Though there was so much to unpack from what the Skill and System were telling him, TJ couldn’t help but ask, “Can I change the labels for Divinity? They make no sense to me, and I’m never going to remember all that.”

As you continue to progress towards the Divine Throne, you mind will advance and allow you to better retain all information. Nonetheless, you can add a numeric to the rankings of the Divinity.

“Do that then.”

The different levels of Divinity have been assigned as follows: Dirt (0), Copper (I), Silver (II), Gold (III), Platinum (IV), Palladium (V), Rhodium (VI), Ruthenium (VII), Iridium (VIII), Osmium (IX), Orichalcum (X).

“And why is my Divine Transformation Skill of a higher level of Divinity than I am?”

As a Neophyte, your Divine Transformation Skill will always remain at a higher tier of Divinity than your own. The other Classes eventually gain this Skill, but cannot progress beyond their current tier of Divinity until they reach the higher tiers.

Interested, TJ looked at his Status to see how everything had changed

Status Sheet

Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV

Race: Coatl – lvl 1

Class: Neophyte lvl 1

Occupation: Savage lvl 2

Level of Divinity: Dirt (0)

Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan

Health Points (HP): 280/280

Mana Points (MP): 110/110

Stamina: 260/260

Attributes

Strength x2: 20

Agility x1.5: 14

Endurance x2: 32

Vitality x2: 34

Toughness x2: 30

Wisdom: 12

Intelligence: 11

Perception x1.5: 18

Willpower: 16

Fixation: 7

Free Points: 3

Titles: Irregular

“My transformation doubles my attributes? Damn. I made the right decision.”

Every Class has its strengths. By dint of their Class Skill: Divine Transformation, Neophytes often enjoy an immediate advantage over the other Classes in their physical attributes. However, since the Class does not, at the Dirt tier, provide any bonuses to Strength or Agility, Zealot and Acolyte Classed Participants quickly outpace them in both. The Disciple Classed Participants gain access to their Divine Workings earlier than the other Classed Participants.

Even so, TJ was happy to continue thinking of himself as the superior Class. After all, he wasn’t cold any more. In fact, he was toasty, and actually comfortable for the first time since he’d been teleported or phased or whatever out here. For a moment, he wanted to just relax in this form, but that timer he’d seen before reappeared in his mind’s eye.

Remaining time for Divine Transformation before forced reversion to Human: 10:38

The timer continued ticking down, and TJ refused to lose this life-saving Skill’s availability because he was cold. Before he could even think to ask the System how to disable the Skill, he felt something almost like an internal switch and flipped it.

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TJ’s whole body seized up as the cold struck him like a hammer. He was naked, the front of his body coated with drying rattlesnake blood as well as his own, and he felt his extremity attempt to turtle into his torso.

“F-f-f-f-f-f-f-fuuuuuuuuuu–” he shivered as he struggled to get back into his clothes. The coyote hides were too much of a hindrance to easily shrug into, and instead, TJ pulled his boxers and shorts up before shrugging on his jacket as quickly as he could. The clothing had already chilled on the stone, and TJ fought to pull his shoes and socks back on with wildly trembling fingers. After too long, the sneakers were back on, and TJ began his journey back up to his camp from the night before.

“Why did I lose my clothes when I used my Skill? Kukulkan didn’t in my dream.” TJ asked at the System as he hiked. “I mean, it should be the same Skill, right?”

Kukulkan had already reached the Osmium (IX) tier of Divinity. He was able to do many things beyond your comprehension.

Though the tone was the same as always, TJ could feel the mockery. He sighed and continued putting one foot in front of the other, but was blessed with additional information from the System.

As you grow to greater heights, you will learn many applications for your Skills. In addition, as you practice with individual Skills, you will gain greater flexibility in your usage of each Skill.

“How will I get new Skills? How can I progress my Divinity? Hell, I feel like I just get more and more questions and fewer answers.”

To know all is the realm of the One who sits on the Divine Throne. However, you will gain a new Skill every five levels in your Occupation and Class. All Classes and Occupations gain the same Skill at level one, ie, Divine Transformation and Primitive Craftsmanship respectively in your case. From there, each individual will be offered a different Skill that reflects the Path that they are taking towards the Divine Throne. The next tier of Divinity is typically achieved at the Race level 25. However, there is no guarantee, as it is dependent upon the individual’s growth and acquisition of the divine.

Without saying it aloud, worried what might happen if he did, TJ wondered if he could just… not go to the Throne. He just wanted his son back, and becoming God didn’t much matter to him. Let someone else do it, just let him get back to his boy, safe and sound.

TJ’s search to find the rattlesnake had taken over an hour, but in reality, he hadn’t ranged more than half a mile from his camp. He pushed through the pokey bushes, the peak nearly in sight. Something, maybe the slight upgrades to his Perception from the levels he’d gained, or just a primeval instinct, warned him that something was approaching. Having been bitten more than enough by supposedly not dangerous wildlife enough already, TJ didn’t hesitate to channel his Divine Transformation.

As his body seamlessly shifted to have scales and feathers, TJ slithered out of his clothes as he left them behind. His tongue flickered, tasting the air. Mammal. Warm. Nearby. His head whipped to the side, the heat of the sneakily approaching coyote drawing him closer. With a hiss of warning, TJ lunged forward. His scales scraped along the ground with a pleasant sound as the coyote yipped in surprise and fear. His mouth opened wide, TJ struck. His fangs sunk deep into the coyote’s front leg, and bones snapped in response. He worked his jaw, pulling the unwilling creature deeper into his maw.

At his tail, a second, and then a third coyote struck. Their fangs scraped and fought to find purchase in TJ’s flesh, but his scales turned the sharp teeth from tearing into his body. The coatl raised the coyote it was biting into the air before smashing it down into the ground and stunning it. Though it was loathe to, it left its prey there as its tail whipped wildly behind it. One of the assailants pulled back, afraid. The other was foolish. The serpent’s tail wrapped around its neck.

With a burst of movement, the coatl constricted the coyote’s windpipe and wrapped it in folds of its coils. It crushed its prey, ignoring its cries for help and mercy. The coyote whimpered and wheezed, and went silent as the coatl broke its neck. Even with the flashing of a System notification, it wasn’t finished. The third prey had long since fled, but the first was only now stumbling to its feet. The coatl rushed the struggling coyote, its jaws finding the canine’s throat. It crunched down as, again, it wrapped its prey in its coils. Crunching of bone was music to its ears, and as the coyote succumbed to its fate, the coatl disjointed its jaws and began the process of swallowing its prey whole.

Though it had already eaten its fill today, in times of plenty, one needed to fill its belly. With a pleasant flexion of its muscles in its throat, the coatl swallowed its prey inch by inch. The hair tickled its nose, and the coatl forced itself to swallow more quickly than it wanted. Three minutes later, the coyote’s corpse was fully hidden in the serpent’s gullet, and TJ returned to himself.

Remaining time for Divine Transformation before forced reversion to Human: 2:52

Disgusted, TJ flicked the switch to return to his human form. He was on his hands and knees, buck-ass naked, again. The cold settled into his bones as TJ gathered his clothes in one arm and the remaining coyote body in his other. Without bothering with socks, he thrust his feet into his untied shoes and tromped up to his camp. Unsurprisingly, there were still plenty of banked coals in his firepit, and with a minute’s ministrations, the fire was back and roaring.

TJ rubbed his hands fiercely over the fire and tried to warm himself as he pulled his shorts back on. For now, he didn’t bother with his jacket, instead rubbing his torso with his arms vigorously as he stomped in place to keep his blood pumping as his mind raced.

While he had transformed into a snake, or coatl, or whatever, he had truly become that animal. He’d acted like one. Hunted like one. Fed like one. Though he wanted to ask what had happened, since he absolutely couldn’t digest an entire coyote and rattlesnake like the ones he’d just eaten in quick succession, that wasn’t important.

Swallowing a rattlesnake and coyote whole was, admittedly, disgusting. He could still taste the fur and blood and dirt. It turned his stomach to remember his teeth breaking bone. TJ loved animals, and this had been the final straw. He never wanted to do that again. Even so… he forced himself to look at his System notifications.

2 Coyotes, Level 1-2, Slain. Experience gained.

Class: Neophyte has advanced to level 2.

Attribute points allocated: Endurance +3, Vitality +3, Toughness +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +2, Fixation +2, Free Points +1. Additional Free Points currently available.

Race: Human has advanced to level 2.

Attribute points allocated: Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Vitality +2, Toughness +1, Wisdom +1, Intelligence +1, Perception +1, Willpower +1, Fixation +2. Additional Free Points currently available.

This world wanted to kill him. And, it was getting stronger. If he didn’t he would die, and Junior might too. He couldn’t allow that. So, he would kill. And he would devour. And he would grow. Until TJ could save his son.