Chapter 64
For a moment, Jake stood in the middle of the four-way interse, surveying his surroundings. While there were no eo be seen or heard anywhere, standing in the open while unlog new abilities probably wasn’t such a good idea. Although he possessed remarkable damage resistance, capable of enduring even a bst from a heavy-caliber on, there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.
Recalling having been shot by the female survivor named Averie, he lingered for a moment longer, trating on his sensations. He could tell that the bullet wound in his back had nearly healed by that point, stemming the leakage of mana. Sure enough, some amount of his mana had beeo seal the wound and dissolve the heavy-caliber round lodged in his flesh into nothingness, but fortunately, not too much.
He gnced around once more before dashing to the er of the street where a small demolished diner sat. Passing through the threshold, he ehe main area of the dinner. A long dusty ter lined one wall while tables adorhe opposite side, with shattered windows a view outside. Jake crossed the room and stepped into the darkest er of the room, blending in with the shadows. He then turned around to face the exit and closed his eyes, summoning the skill store with a thought.
Geic Development Interface
Evolution Stage 1: “Primordial Form”
Abilities: 1 of 4
Skills: 3 of 7
Ability: Smashfists
Requirements: Body 2
Cost: 2,000 MP
Ability: Swords
Requirements: Body 3
Cost: 2,000 MP
Ability: Bded Tentacles
Requirements: Body 2, Magick 1
Cost: 3,000 MP
Skill: Enharength
Requirements: Body 5
Cost: 3,000 MP
Skill: Enhanced Reflexes
Requirements: Body 5, Mind 3
Cost: 3,000 MP
Skill: Feral Instincts
Requirements: Mind 5, Magick 3
Cost: 4,000 MP
Skill: Enhanced Regeion
Requirements: Body 7, Magick 5, Mind 3
Cost: 5,000 MP
Skill: Enhanced Senses
Requirements: None
Cost: Already Owned
Skill: Enhanced Agility
Requirements: None
Cost: Already Owned
Skill: Enhanced Intelligence
Requirements: None
Cost: Already Owned
Ability: Cws
Requirements: Body 1
Cost: Already Owned
With ht thousand MP at his disposal, Jake could unlock up to three abilities. However, he was cautious about depleting his mana reserves—even more so now that his body demanded muana for sustehan before. So out of the eight thousand MP he currently had, he opted to spend only five ahe rest.
After examining the list of avaible abilities, he decided to unlock Swords and Bded Tentacles. He had set his eyes on the former a long time ago but until now, hadn’t had a ce to unlock this ability. As for the tter, it’d retly been added to the skill store after he pleted a mutation research quest. Now he could finally unlock this ability as well.
He took a moment to read the descriptions and requirements of both these abilities.
Ability: Swords
Description: The mutant gro, double-edged bdes from their hands, which cut through any aniemies, making them a dangerous oppo in any fight.
Upgrades: 0 of 3 (on)
Requirements: Body 3
Cost: 2,000 MP
Ability: Bded Tentacles
Description: The mutant grow long, sharp tentacles from their back that swiftly ssh through enemies, giving them a powerful advantage in close bat situations.
Upgrades: 0 of 3 (on)
Requirements: Body 2, Magick 1
Cost: 3,000 MP
With his Body attribute at level 3 and Magick at level 1, Jake met the necessary requirements for both abilities. One by one, he acquired both of them, first unlog Swords, and theentacles, spending a total of five thousand MP. He now had over three thousand MP left.
He opened his eyes and stepped into the middle of the diner. He brought up his arms and gave a mental and to transform them into swords. He wasn’t sure what exactly was going to happen, but he anticipated his hands to be turned into swords. However, something a little different happehe bdes actually extended from the tops of his wrists instead. Jake watched with fasation as his bck flesh molded and elongated as if it were cy being sculpted into bdes.
It took a few seds for the transformation to plete, which was lohan he expected. He took a moment to examihe bdes. They were about fifteen inches ih and two inches in width. Perhaps he could make them longer by unlog one of the upgrades to this ability. He retty much sure that, as with the Cws ability, the transformation time could also be decreased.
Jake then experimented for a moment with his bdes. He tried to retract the oending from his left wrist, and it worked. Realizing he didn’t have to turn both his hands into swords, he then tried morphing his left hand into cws, and it worked as well. So he had the option to morph one hand into cws aend a bde from the other, without needing to turn both hands iher swords or cws. Whether there ractical purpose to that, he didn’t know yet. He guessed he would find out during many future battles against different enemies.
He then gave a mental and for both his hands to revert to their normal form. While the cws on his left hand morphed bato normal human-looking fingers almost immediately, it took a few seds for the sword extending from his right wrist to retract. It was somewhat frustrating, but it would do for now. He was sure he would be able to reduce the transformation time when he unlocked one of the upgrades for the Swords ability. Since he currently didn’t have any skill points at his disposal, he decided not to waste any time examining the avaible upgrades for the ability.
After that, Jake tested out the other newly acquired ability. With a mental and, he grew a tentacle from his body. He could feel his flesh in the area of his shoulder bde stretg out to form a long appendage. Uhe swords, the tentacle took only two seds to fully grow from his upper back. He was taken aback by how effortlessly he could move the tentacle, as though it had always been a natural extension of his body. It seamlessly ied into his body, allowing him to feel and manipute it with ease. Although he couldn’t see it behind his back, once he brought it to the side of his body, he immediately saw it slither within his expanded field of vision. He maneuvered it closer to his face for a clearer view. The dark, textured tentacle terminated in a sharp, double-edged bde. It was a formidable on, and he was surprised by how quickly he could ma. Giving it a few experimental swings around the room, he thee to its full length to gauge its reach—approximately three feet.
Then something ued happehe tentacle suddenly detached from his body and dropped to the floor. Jake watched as it withered and ged color to gray. In just a few seds, the detached tentacle disied into dust. The tentacle couldn’t survive the separation from his body. While it art of him, it was sustained by the mana accumuted within him. Without that life-giving energy, it quickly disied into dust.
Jake realized that the same would happen to him if he ever depleted his mana reserves. He couldn’t survive without that magical energy, so if he ever ran out of it, he would be reduced to nothing more than a pile of gray dust. Jake was determio evade such a grim fate at all costs.
He tio explore his newfound ability by growing aentacle from his body. He wao see how maacles he could have at the same time, so he gave a mental and to grow yet another one. However, nothing happened, which meant that he could produly oacle at a time—at least, for the time being.
After a few moments, the tentacle detached from his body by itself ao the floor, meeting the same fate as the previous one, disiing into dust. He was sure he could extend the lifespan of his tentacles by acquiring some of the upgrades for the ability.
Before departing the diner, Jake quickly checked his mana reserves—about three and a half thousand. Sure enough, each time he created a tentacle or transformed his hands, a certain amount of mana was ed, reminding him of the importananaging his energy wisely.
After that, Jake departed the ruined diner, stepping out into the night.
