Chapter 20: Unseen Changes
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Three days had passed since Nix brought Roni back to the Hunter’s Base. Her recovery had been slow but steady, though Nix noticed a strange change, her red hair was streaked with green. Over the next few days, the green spread, turning vine-like. Concerned, Nix stayed by her side, worrying about what the crystal she absorbed had triggered.
On the fifth day, her hair began to move on its own, as if alive. Panicked, Nix rushed to find Lisa, who assured him that the changes were part of Roni’s evolution. Despite Lisa’s reassurances, Nix feared what was happening to her.
Panicking, Nix ran to find Lisa, who immediately followed him back to Roni’s pod. They both stared as the vines seemed to settle.
"It’s part of her evolution," Lisa said after checking the diagnostics. "The crystal triggered this change, but it’s nothing to fear. Her body is adapting."
Though reassured, Nix couldn’t shake the fear gnawing at him. "What is she becoming?"
---
By the sixth day, the pod emitted a soft chime, signaling the end of the healing process. Nix’s exhaustion vanished as he rushed to the pod, watching the glass casing lift. Her fingers twitched, and slowly, her eyes fluttered open.
"Nix..." she whispered, her voice weak but full of recognition.
Relief flooded him. "You’re okay," he said, pulling her into a tight embrace. "You’re okay."
Roni smiled weakly, though confusion clouded her face as she touched her hair. "What... happened to me?"
"You’ve evolved," Nix explained. "You’re different now, but you're stronger too."
Lisa stepped forward. "You’ll need time to adjust, Roni. But right now, focus on regaining your strength."
Once Roni was strong enough, they left the medical unit, returning to her home. Her grandparents were overjoyed to see her, and Nix, too, felt immense relief seeing her up and walking again, though he knew she still had much to process.
---
A week later, Roni eagerly showed Nix her new abilities. "Look!" she said excitedly, changing her hair from red to green in an instant. But that wasn’t all. She willed her hair to transform into vines, weaving them through the air like living whips.
Nix was amazed. "Roni, that’s incredible! You can control your hair like vines?"
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Roni nodded, her eyes sparkling. But the real surprise came when she produced small seeds from her hair. Applying it on her arrow and loading one into her bow, she shot it at a rock. The seed exploded on impact like a grenade. Nix flinched, his eyes wide in surprise.
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"That was awesome!" Nix said, beaming. But Roni suddenly wobbled, her body weakening as she tried to create another seed. Nix caught her in his arms.
"Easy," he said softly. "Your abilities use Stamina. You shouldn’t push yourself until you understand their limits." He instructed her to activate her E.P. Bar, and when she checked, her Stamina was dangerously low.
"Next time, be mindful of your Stamina," Nix advised gently. "You’ll need to pace yourself."
Roni nodded, realizing how much energy she had used. They experimented further, discovering her hair-vine ability didn’t drain Stamina, much like Nix’s hair-tentacles. After she rested, they decided to test her new powers on real monsters.
---
At Novice Mountain, Roni used one of her explosive seeds on a Level 1 Lowfang Boar. The explosion was so powerful that it blew the boar to pieces, leaving Roni feeling a bit guilty.
Nix chuckled. "That’s the price of power, Roni. But you’re stronger now."
While collecting the boar’s Gene Bone, Roni felt a strange urge. "Nix... I think I can absorb this."
Nix encouraged her to follow her instincts, and as Roni wrapped her hair vines around the Gene Bone, she absorbed its energy, replenishing her Stamina.
"That’s amazing!" Nix said. "You can recover through Gene Bones!"
Emboldened, Roni created a fog seed, throwing it at a nearby rock. A dense fog enveloped the area. Nix grinned, his mind racing with ideas.
"I can make you a special gun and magazines for your seeds," Nix suggested. "It’ll make you even stronger in battle."
Roni’s face lit up with excitement. "That sounds perfect! With my long-range attacks, traps, and hair-vines for close combat, I’ll be unstoppable!"
Nix smiled, feeling proud of her. "We’re a team, Roni. And we’re getting stronger together."
After a successful day of training, they retreated to the treehouse. As they lay together, their bond felt unbreakable. Nix, feeling the moment was right, asked her a question he had been holding onto.
"Roni," he began, his voice soft, "will you be my wife?"
Tears welled up in her eyes, but before Nix could apologize for moving too fast, Roni kissed him, whispering, "You dummy, I feel the same."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He lifted her up and spun her around in joy, without giving it much thought. Roni laughed, her arms clinging tightly around his neck as she shared in his happiness. As they fell back onto the soft bed in the treehouse, the world outside seemed to fade away.
And then, nature itself seemed to celebrate their union. As they lay together, the song about the flowers and the bees, pollinating the fields (wink, wink) was vigorously playing in the background.
Later on, while they were wrapped around each other, gazing up at the treehouse's wooden ceiling, Nix knew there was something he had to tell her. This moment felt right, there were no more secrets between them, no more doubts.
"Roni," Nix said quietly, his fingers gently running through her hair, "there’s something I need to tell you. About my abilities. I’ve never told anyone, but... it’s important that you know."
Roni turned her head slightly to look at him, her curiosity piqued. "What is it?"
Nix took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "You know about my telekinesis power right? How I can use energy in different ways, like for the [Phantom Hands] and [Spear]. But what I haven’t told anyone is that my ability is actually just hair manipulation. But it's unique because I have a hidden ability.. I call it [Mimeograph Fusion].
Roni’s eyes widened in surprise, the name alone sending shivers down her spine. "Mimeograph Fusion? What does it do?"
Nix continued explaining. "It lets me permanently copy and fuse innate abilities from the meat I consumed when I activate my [Devour] ability, whether it's from a beast innate abilities and I theorized that even from humans. The obtained abilities will, specifically then be transferred to my hair, evolving those powers into something even more powerful.
But there is also a counter balance to my hidden ability. Before, there was only one week ability cooldown, for every use, but now I can only use my [Devour] once a month right after I become a level 2 evolver. I recon than once I reach my full strength, I might lose this ability.
People might think I'll become a greedy mosnter, that’s why I haven’t told anyone, not even my GrannyLaurie. If people finds out, they’d come after me, or my love ones. It's too risky to let others know."
Roni’s hand found his, and she squeezed it tightly. "So that’s why... you’ve been holding back. You didn’t want anyone to find out."
Nix nodded, his expression serious. "Exactly. But I trust you, Roni. You’re the only person I’d ever share this with."
Roni smiled warmly, touched by his trust. "I understand, Nix. Your secret is safe with me. It’s just between us."
---
For their wedding, Roni crafted a unique seed using her ability, encased it in a small, hardened glass, and transformed it into a beautiful wedding ring. Nix, inspired by her creativity, created his ring by using a special hair vein, wrapping it with hardened strands to mirror Roni’s design. The couple held a small ceremony with their grandparents, officially registering as husband and wife.
Almost a month had passed, and both Roni and Nix trained daily. Roni's progress had reached 97% towards her next evolution, while Nix was at 98%, nearing his transformation to a Level 3 Evolver. Nix, eager to speed up their growth, had been giving Roni more GEMs to consume, boosting her leveling process.
One evening, on their way home, Nix received a call from an unknown number. Curious, he answered it.
“Hello, boy! You haven’t forgotten about your debt, right?” came a familiar, raspy voice.
Nix frowned, trying to place the voice. Then it hit him, the old man from that night near the cliffs. The man had been very drunk and accidentally saved them when he rolled off the cliff in his sleep, falling on top of the Level 3 Nightstalker Serpent's head that ended its life, saving them in the process.
“Ah, yes, I remember now,” Nix replied. “What’s your name again, sir?”
“You can call me Ron,” the man chuckled. “And don’t worry, I won’t charge much, just a small sum of 75,000 COIN for that special liq. *ahem* I mean medicine that you took that time.”
Nix foreheads vein started popping out. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ron, but we did some research, and the most expensive Level 3 healing potions only cost around 15,000 COIN.”
Ron laughed, his tone growing more casual. “Yeah, if you’re talking about regular potions. But mine is special, it’ll erase your scent so well that even a Level 6 beast won’t be able to track you. Plus, it can be mixed with liq..or well, let’s just say, it’s very versatile.”
Roni, who had been listening, stepped in. “Sorry, Mr. Ron, but we don’t have that kind of money right now. Could we maybe pay in installments?”
“No can do,” Ron replied flatly. “I’m heading back to Crimson Paradise soon, and waiting isn’t convenient for me.”
Nix tried again. “How about this: finish your business there, and by the time you return, we’ll have the money ready.”
But Ron wasn’t budging. “Nah, kid. But I’ll give you three options: One, pay the full amount. Two, gather the same medicine from Rainbow Forest, ill even share with you the exact location. Or three, work for me, and maybe I’ll throw in some extra rewards.”
Nix looked at Roni. They didn’t have the funds after spending everything to accelerate Roni’s evolution. Rainbow Forest was too dangerous, filled with Level 4 and 5 monsters. Reluctantly, Nix asked, “What kind of work do you need help with?”
Ron grinned through the call. “First, hunt a unique Level 2 beast for me. It’s hard to find, but not impossible. Then, escort me to Crimson Paradise. Simple enough, right?”
Nix and Roni were shocked. Escorting Ron to Crimson Paradise seemed impossible; after all, they were still only Novice Hunters. They shared their concerns with Ron, explaining that they didn’t know how to rank up and pass through official gates.
“Don’t worry about that, kid,” Ron said with a mischievous tone. “Just complete the first task, and I’ll handle the rest. Hehe. Ill give you a week to prepare”
Realizing they had little choice, Nix and Roni reluctantly accepted Ron’s third option. But before they could embark on this mission, they had another pressing concern, convincing their grandparents to move into the city.
For weeks, Nix and Roni had been thinking about the safety of their families. With both of them constantly hunting, they were worried that another monster invasion like the one that almost killed them would happen. Mount Trashmore was vulnerable, and they couldn’t protect their grandparents if a stronger beast attacked.
That night, they sat down with Granny Laurie and Roni’s grandparents, Grandma Rosalie and Grandpa Harold. Nix started the conversation, his voice filled with determination. “Granny, Grandma, Grandpa... we need to talk. Roni and I are doing everything we can to become stronger hunters, but we’re not always here. If something happens, another monster attack, we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to protect you.”
Granny Laurie frowned but nodded. “What are you saying, Nix?”
Roni took his hand, her eyes pleading. “We’re asking you to move into the city with for now. It’s safer there. We can rent a place near Mount Trashmore, so we’ll still be close, but you’ll have more protection.”
Her grandparents looked at each other, clearly hesitant. Grandpa Harold was the first to speak. “I’ve lived here my whole life. I don’t like the idea of leaving our home behind.”
“I know it’s hard,” Nix said gently. “But we’ve been pushing ourselves to evolve faster, and we’re constantly hunting. We need to know you’re safe.”
After a long discussion and assurances from both Nix and Roni, their grandparents finally agreed. “Alright,” Granny Laurie sighed. “We’ll move into the city with you.”
A week later, Nix and Roni managed to rent a small house near the city’s outskirts, close to Mount Trashmore. Their grandparents settled in just in time for Nix and Roni to begin preparing for their mission.
Before leaving for the hunt, Nix couldn’t shake the feeling that Ron wasn’t just a random old man. He had seen too much, knew too much. As they set off to complete the first task, Nix wondered if Ron was more than he appeared, perhaps he is trying to con them.