As the sun rose, it cast a warm glow over the streets. Jake could feel the sun’s warm rays on his skin as he sprinted through the overgrown streets. He had spent the night searching for mana consumables and had accumulated quite a bit of mana. His next step was to head to the sewers for a regular cleanup of their mutated inhabitants. During this clearing, he expected to finally level up to 75.
Once he leveled up, he could evolve into the next stage. He intended to take some time to assess the changes that would occur post-evolution and check out the new skills and abilities that would become available for learning. He figured he’d spend half a day roaming the city and hunting ex-humans to get used to his new form. When he had evolved from Stage 1: “Primordial Form” to Stage 2: “Savage Ascent”, his body had changed—he grew taller, gained longer limbs, and developed a menacing set of jaws lined with razor-sharp triangular teeth.
Given his past experiences, he was sure that evolving into Stage 3: “Apex Manifestation” would bring about further transformations in his body. He planned to take some time to adjust to these changes, just as he had done after his last evolution. After getting accustomed to his new form, he would head to the Los Demonios base he had recently discovered to see the changes that took place after the HQ’s upgrade to Level 6. That was his plan for the day.
He continued to run through the desolate streets, heading toward the section of the city that had access to the underground tunnels. It was quite quiet, as most of the survivors, including Los Demonios, had yet to start their day and were likely just waking up. Jake kept running, swishing through the tall grass that pushed through the cracks in the asphalt, barely making any noise as he moved.
Suddenly, his enhanced sense of smell caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent he had never encountered before, causing him to slow to a jog. He focused on the scent, trying to identify it. It was very faint, almost undetectable, indicating that whatever was emitting the scent was quite far away. However, Jake was certain that the scent was coming from the direction he was headed.
He picked up his pace again, continuing in the same direction. As he anticipated, the scent grew stronger as he approached its source. However, it was not a pleasant odor. Whatever it was, it had an awful stench. As Jake focused on the smell again, trying to identify it, a system message suddenly flashed through his mind.
Objective: Track down and defeat an elite ex-human abomination.
Difficulty: Very Hard
Reward: 25,000 XP, 50,000 MP
So that was the source of the stench: an elite mutant was nearby, emitting a foul body odor. Jake took a moment to examine the details of the quest. It was labeled Very Hard, so it was clear he shouldn’t anticipate an easy victory.
The last Hunt quest he had completed was to slay a magical creature known as a wood golem. That quest was rated Hard and had left Jake figuratively sweating. The reward was an Epic ability called Ground Strike, which was located in the third section of the Genetic Development Interface, so he would only be able to acquire it after evolving into the next stage. The same applied to the Morph Disguise ability he had obtained earlier. This ability was also Epic, and it was placed in the third section of the skill store as well, meaning it would become available for acquisition only after he evolved into Stage 3: “Apex Manifestation”.
Unlike the previous Hunt, which was rated Hard, this one was classified as Very Hard and didn’t offer any new abilities as a reward. Nevertheless, the rewards of 25,000 XP and 50,000 MP were quite appealing. He had gathered a significant amount of mana the night before, and if he successfully completed this Hunt, he would have a substantial reserve of mana at his disposal.
With all that mana, he would be able to acquire all the remaining skills and abilities from the second section of the Genetic Development Interface: the Spikes ability, the Adaptive Armor skill, and the Serpentine Form ability. He was eager to obtain all of them before evolving to Stage 3: “Apex Manifestation” so he could focus exclusively on gaining new skills and abilities once he completed the next stage of evolution.
So Jake accepted the quest and pressed on. Tracking down the elite ex-human known as the abomination was relatively easy, as he only needed to follow its scent. Eventually, he arrived at a massive crack that ran across the street, providing access to the sewers below. The scent wafted up from down there, indicating that the abomination was lurking somewhere in the underground tunnels. This was quite convenient, as it meant he could tackle two objectives in the same place.
He jumped into the underground tunnel below, landing in the center and sending splashes of murky water flying in every direction. The foul odor was even stronger now. Jake oriented himself toward the source of the stench and set off. For the next several minutes, he navigated the sewers, heading toward the source of the scent and slaying all the mutants in his path.
Finally, he reached his destination. He entered a long, wide tunnel with a high ceiling and immediately halted upon spotting an enormous ex-human halfway down the passage. The rancid smell emanating from the mutant should have been overwhelming at this distance, but surprisingly, Jake was completely unfazed by it. He took a moment to assess his opponent. The creature was massive—several meters tall. Jake was tall himself, but even so, the top of his head barely reached the ex-human’s waist.
The mutant was not only foul-smelling but also an eyesore. It possessed a humanoid shape, with two thick legs and arms that were as sturdy as logs. The creature appeared to be a grotesque amalgamation of numerous human bodies fused together. Hands, feet, and even faces protruded from various areas of the ex-human’s form. The sight was truly disturbing—nerve-wracking, even. That is, it should have been if Jake had any nerves. Cold as stone, he felt little in reaction to the repulsive figure standing before him.
With a thought, he called up the ex-human’s description.
Abomination – Level 115 (Elite)
Minion Creation – The mutant can create minions out of its own body.
Hurl – The mutant can rip pieces of flesh out of itself and turn them into powerful projectiles.
Swallow – The mutant can breathe in air with great force, sucking in everything within several meters of it.
It was disconcerting. The abomination surpassed him by 41 levels. He had never fought an enemy that was so much stronger than him. Not that he was willing to back down. He was determined to take on the abomination. However, he knew the fight wouldn’t be easy, that much was for damn sure.
He also used his Enemy Appraisal perk on the Abomination to check its attributes and identify its weaknesses.
Abomination – Level 115 (Elite)
Elemental weaknesses: Acid, Explosive
Having gathered all the information he could about his opponent, Jake took a moment to ready himself for battle. Then, he launched himself at the towering ex-human.