Sarah went some distance away from the sleeping Melissa and made herself comfortable on the ground. It was now time to decide which kind of mutation she should choose. She already had an expansive arsenal of deadly weapons, but her survivability was still somewhat lacking.
She remembered seeing the skill fast recovery in Andrew’s status screen, and maybe she could find a fitting mutation. But she didn’t put her hopes up, as there hadn’t been anything of the sort in this regard.
She mentally summoned up the available mutation options, and a large screen filled her vision immediately afterwards.
* Poison concentration organ (not recommended, 7LF): A special organ located underneath the heart. Collects highly toxic waste and concentrates it. The product can be injected into the bloodstream for a short burst of lethality. * Oily film (1LF) * Contact poison film (1LF) * Acidic film (1LF) * Magic signature suppression (2LF) * Multi-layered skin (2LF) Mutation: Bone structure. Listing available extensions to "High density bones" (2/3) * Vital organ shielding (2LF) * Bone spikes (Elbow) (1LF) * Bone spikes (Spine) (2LF) Mutation: Muscles. Listing available extensions to "Strengthened Fibers" (0/3) * Short fibers (explosive strength) (1LF) * Medium-length fibers (strength and endurance) (1LF) * Long fibers (endurance) (1LF) * Magic Power Reinforcement (2LF) Mutation: Brain, nerve system, and sensory organs. Listing available options. * Protective brain webbing (2LF): Protective webbing surrounding the brain. It cushions it and protects it from impacts. * Sturdy nerve system (3LF): Impacts and wounds will impede the functionality of the nerve system less. * Decentralized nerve system (10LF): Signals can be transmitted, as long as one nerve-string still connects the brain to the respective body parts.> For more options, increase your level and/or heighten your Life Force> She had hoped for some more mutation options because she had leveled up to 20. While there were a few more options, they were not of much interest to her. Having studied all her options once before, she was pretty sure what she needed right now. First, she would choose vital organ shielding because this would exponentially increase her survivability. When she thought about it, the important organs were all pretty much unprotected inside the stomach. The lung is somewhat surrounded by a rib cage, but still. She would feel much more comfortable like this. Second, she decided to choose the magic power reinforcement for her muscles. She guessed that with this, she would be able to give her muscles a momentary boost in strength. Thinking back, she really could have needed that when she was thrown into the dungeon And lastly, the decentralized nerve system. It was very costly, but for a good reason. If she ever somehow injured her back or if someone with a strong mind-altering power attacked her nerves, it would be over for her. But with this, she would be able to move even with a severed spine. At least she hopes so. "Alright, do it, you stupid system! Gimme these mutations!" She shouted and mentally prepared herself for some serious pain. The system had told her the last time, that it wasn’t a good idea to mutate multiple parts of her body at once. But time was of the essence for her. She had no idea if the enemies were looking for them right now. She had to be at fighting capacity as soon as possible. When the timer hit zero, she lost all feeling and senses. It was like she was in the space of nothingness again, only that she knew that this wasn’t the case. The mutation in her nervous system had probably shut it down. This was probably her most comfortable mutation so far, if she ignored the subdued panic from feeling trapped inside her own body. She had never really thought about it that much, but she once saw an example of how badly mutations can go. She still had the grotesque bear cubs from the swamp before her eyes, barely able to stay alive. This thought only fueled the bubbling panic inside of her. She was wrong. This wasn’t the most comfortable mutation so far. This was one of the more horrible ones. She would prefer to feel immense pain if she could at least see what was going on with her body. Holding her mind together with sheer willpower, she powered through this mutation. It took excrutiatingly long to finish. Or maybe it just felt that long because it was so horrible, but that was impossible to tell. Her sensations came back all at once, which was way too much for her overtaxed mind. She dry heaved for a few seconds until she was able to make some sense of her surroundings again. She was lying on the ground, her face half buried in dirt. Great. She still felt a little dizzy, but she had no time to waste. She stood up on her wobbly legs and tried to feel the changes inside her body. The first thing she noticed was that she was noticeably heavier. Which was most likely due to the vital organ shielding. She curiously pressed her finger into her belly, right beneath her rib cage. Under her dense muscles, she could feel something hard. This had gone well, at least. Next, she tried to somehow feel the decentralized nerve system. But no matter how much she concentrated on her body, it was no use. She even tried to use her own abilities on herself, only to be disappointed once again. She had tried often to somehow influence her own nerve system with her abilities, but it just didn’t work. She just hoped this mutation would work and wouldn’t do something weird to her body. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The magic power reinforcement of her muscles was something different, though. As soon as she thought about pushing some magic power into her right forearm, it started to vibrate with energy. After a few seconds, the arm even started swelling a little, with veins popping up on her muscles. She tried to keep it active for a longer time, but it soon started to hurt pretty badly. She let the magic power go and shook her arm out, which felt pretty sore and a little weak now. This was really only for momentary use. At least for now. Maybe she could unlock some mutations that made her muscles more sturdy. Satisfied with her powered-up body, she took a look at her improved status screen, which was absurdly long by now. Details: Level: 20 Name: Sarah Anna Fischer Class: Nightmare Race: Mutant Status: Normal HP: 295/295 SP: 50/295 MP: 200/510 Achievements: * How the hell are you still sane?: Resistance to mind damage increased by 10%. * Poison gorger: Resistance to orally consumed poison increased by 30%. * More than a human: Higher success rate on special mutations. * Junior Reaper (upgradable): You are able to slightly sense weak points in your enemies. Affinities: Mind (Mid) Body (Mid) Energy (Low) Specialisations: Mind (2/2) Invasion Nerve Control Body (2/2) Adaptation Mutation Energy (0/1) Basic Stats: Strength: 15 Dexterity: 22 Endurance: 20 Resistance: 19 Intelligence: 23 Force: 11 Special Stats: Magic Power: 20 Life Force: 50 Mental Power: 31 Active Skills: Mind infiltration (Invasion): While using Magic Power, you are able to invade the mind of another being. Invasion is facilitated if the being has been poisoned by you. Passive Skills: Poison Body (Adaptation): You are able to increase your resistance to hazardous substances and reinforce your body with their properties in combination with your “Mutation” Specialisation. * Poison and acid resistance: You are highly resistant to various poisons and acids. (Overcoming new or stronger poisons or acids strengthens this ability) * Walking hazard: Your body liquids are highly toxic and acidic. You are now naturally producing a strong nerve toxin and acid inside your body. Consuming new or stronger poisons and acids strengthens this ability) * Mutated glands: toxin and acid glands are incorporated in certain mutations. Metamorphosis (Mutation, 48/50): You are able to mutate your body. The amount of mutations is dependent on your Life Force. Due to your “Adaption” specialisation, there will be less Life Force needed and you will have fewer limitations. Your class “Nightmare” will influence your mutations. * Skin: * Dense skin (1 LF): Dense and leathery skin. More force is needed to penetrate the skin and shallow wounds close up faster. * Bone structure: * High density bones (2 LF): Incredibly robust and dense bones. Higher stamina consumption due to increased weight. * Predator teeth (1LF) * Retractable claws (2LF) * Vital organ shielding (2LF) * Muscles: * Strengthened fibres (1LF): Increased muscle strength. Muscles are slightly tougher and stronger. * Magic Power reinforcement (2LF) * Brain, nerve system and sensory organs: * Predator’s eyes (1LF): Higher sensitivity to movement. Higher chance to spot camouflaged beings. * Optimised brain structure (Battle) (6LF): Optimised structure, focused on movement and decision making. * Decentralized nerve system (10LF): Signals can be transmitted, as long as one nerve-string still connects the brain to the respective body parts. * Organs and processes: * Magic Power nourishment system (5LF): Your body is adapted to run only on Magic Power. You are able to sense Magic Power in other living organisms and are able to feed on it. Most matter that enters your digestive system and lungs will be converted into Magic Power. Warning: High potential of cell breakdown if your Magic Power is empty for too long. * Acid Gland (not recommended, 4LF): A gland located in the throat, which produces highly corrosive acid. Can be spit out with moderate pressure. * Extension: Gaseous acid (1LF) * Special mutations: * Nightmare’s tail (class specific, 5LF): A long and flexible tail with an exoskeleton made out of spine-like bone segments. Can be stretched over its original length, but will leave the vulnerable muscle and sinew under the exoskeleton exposed. Poison gland incorporated in the tip. * Nightmare’s horns (class specific, 5LF): Two large and curved horns located on top of the forehead. Directly connected to your brain through nerve strings. Amplify mind related skills and enable them to work without direct contact. Warning: Strong pain and disorientation if broken. Suppression (Nerve Control): Your emotions will influence your nerves less. Warning: Instinctual behaviour is also suppressed. Struggle (Conditional passive): Your Resistance is increased in dire situations. Slightly crazy: Most things won’t bother you that much. If certain conditions are met however, there is a slight chance that you will go berserk. Mean eye: There is a certain chance, that other beings will shortly freeze in fear when they look at you. Higher chance with sentient beings. Her stats had improved quite a bit. Especially her resistance, which had risen by a whole nine points through her reaching level twenty and mutation of her bone structure. She wasn’t sure if the nerve system mutation also changed something, but it was hard to tell. She also started to see a pattern in her increasing stats. On every level, she would gain one magic power, four life force, and three mental power points. She had no idea why she got more of the former two special stats than magic power, but this was something for a later date. Every point in these special stats heightened her HP, SP, and MP, though she could only guess for now which increased which. And for every ten points in each special stat, she got heightened basic stats. This was all she could think of right now, as she hadn’t really looked at her status in a systematic way until now. She had just been overwhelmed by everything. If she got back alive, she would start to document her stat increases with Tobias, as this would for sure enable them to figure out how this system worked. At least if she didn’t kill him first due to him being an exhausting prick. And of course, if the whole part about ripping Denise to shreds went well. Sarah grinned while thinking about her once-improving body. It was a truly exhilarating feeling to get stronger and stronger with each passing day. But by now, she had exhausted herself to the extreme. Not only hadn’t she gotten any rest after the incident back at the camp, but she more or less immediately went out to explore. She really needed some shut-eye right now. Already swaying a little from side to side, she made her way over to where Melissa lay huddled on the ground. She laid herself next to her but positioned herself so she would be able to keep tabs on Neil. And it didn’t take long for her to fall into an exhausted slumber.