A question so important required very careful consideration.
"Tell me, girls, my Advisers—what genes would make me the most perfect and overpowered?"
I held my breath, anticipating a debate that could last for hours. To my relief and fatherly pride, my Advisers instead gave their opinions in an orderly manner.
"If Father had a stinger, like us, he'd be even more fearsome and deadly. He wouldn't even need bodyguards!" Bloodhero declared.
"Don't forget regeneration and thicker skin," Workharder added.
"And resistances," Tabletina said.
Ambrosia shook her head.
"First of all, Nectus needs fertility genes. Everything else can be done by other bees."
Her eyes flashed with heat as she spoke, and I suppressed a shudder. I was sure Amby was already imagining how she'd suck all the genes I just acquitted out of me…
I spaced out for a second, imagining the same thing. Then I remembered where I was and returned to reality.
"Ahem. Thank you for your opinions, everybody. Let's see…"
I had 74 gene points to spread over all my genes. More than enough to max all the important stuff. Maybe even *all* the stuff!
〔Personal Morphotype〕
〔Gene points〕: 74 / 74
Increased Venom Potency XV
Increased Fertility X (MAX)
Faster Regeneration X (MAX)
Electrical Charge X (MAX)
Olfactory Perception V
Detachable Stinger II
Improved Metabolism I
Technology: Scientific Method
Danger-Averse Reflexes
Turns out, it wasn't. But I sure tried.
At the very least, from now on I won't have to file my nails. And this wasn't all. The accumulated gene points gave me some incredible numbers!
〔Increased Fertility X (MAX): +200% to fertility.〕
〔Faster Regeneration X (MAX): +200% to health recovery speed.〕
〔Thick Skin V (MAX): reduces all physical damage taken by 50%〕
〔Increased Venom Potency XV: increases damage of venom by 750%.〕
〔Electrical Charge X (MAX): the electrical charge organ generates high voltage and high current electricity that can be discharged at any time to deal massive electrical damage.〕
〔Improved Immunity IV: reduces chances of falling ill or suffering infections by 80%.〕
I saved the morphotype and immediately felt a wave of changes washing over my body.
My head spun, and my knees felt weak. My vision darkened, and I heard alarmed shouts around me.
A moment (or a minute) later, I came back to reality and realized that I was vomiting into a wax bowl, while Ambrosia rubbed me between the wings.
I coughed out the last of my lunch and she immediately offered me a fluffy tree leaf to wipe my face.
"T-thank you… What happened?"
I looked around and saw that I was still in the Council Chamber. Tabletina was on the other side of me from Ambrosia.
A pair of Queen Attendants was standing near a wall with some jars, bowls and leaves, and everybody looked pale and worried.
"You made us worry, Nectus," Ambrosia said, still rubbing my back.
"You were smiling, but then fainted suddenly. When you came to, you immediately vomited. I would suspect that you ate something poisonous, Father, but the reaction was too sudden. I would've noticed if you had any symptoms earlier…"
Despite the earlier weakness, I felt great again now.
'System, what was that? Was it because of the morphotype?'
I groaned and stood up. An Attendant immediately moved in to get the bowl of vomit away.
"It wasn't food poisoning. It was just a side-effect of applying the new morphotype. Wait… I have a new morphotype. This means…" I turned my head and grinned. "I have a stinger now!"
"He looks so majestic with it! So powerful!"
Even Ambrosia nodded with visible approval.
I laughed, blushing a little.
"Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the most OP of them all?" I spun around. "That's Nectus Stingprince, now with the most lethal sting out there! Not to mention…"
I poked my chest. Nothing as flashy as sparks came out, but I could feel the bubbling energy inside my charge organ. Releasing it without a cable felt unwise, though.
I could feel that the organ was far enough from my vital organs to not give me a heart attack by accident. It was close to the skin, and as long as it touched something, the electricity would definitely go there.
Still, better be careful.
Finally, I examined my stats.
〔Name〕: Nectus Stingprince
〔Active title〕: Grand Strategist
〔Electrical charge〕: 13%
〔Attribute points〕: 0
〔Species〕: Common Honey Bee
〔Remaining lifespan〕: 234 d
Flight, Barbed Stinger, Horizontal Gene Transfer, Vertical Gene Transfer, Genetic Tree Prediction, Morphotyping Pheromones
〔Personal morphotype special abilities〕
Increased Fertility X (MAX), Faster Regeneration X (MAX), Thick Skin V (MAX), Increased Venom Potency XV, Electrical Charge X (MAX), Olfactory Perception V, Improved Immunity IV, Fast Learner IV, Detachable Stinger II, Improved Metabolism I, Claws I, Perfect Memory, Grass Digestion, Technology: Scientific Method, Flying Carriers, Throwing Wrists, Danger-Averse Reflexes, Meat Digestion
Drone-Consort, Homeland Protector, Grand Strategist
Increased Lifespan IV, Enhanced Strength III, Enhanced Endurance II, Enhanced Defense II, Enhanced Intelligence X, Technology: Primitive Containers, Danger-Averse Reflexes, Venom Resistance I, Heat Resistance I, Meat Digestion, Faster Regeneration II, Faster Youth Development I, Technology: Scientific Method, Flying Carriers, Throwing Wrists, Improved Immunity II, Fast Learner IV, Thick Skin III, Olfactory Perception V, Improved Metabolism I, Claws III, Perfect Memory, Increased Venom Potency I, Detachable Stinger I, Electrical Charge I, Increased Fertility III, Grass Digestion
Personal morphotype, Beemarine
'Oh my god, this is so bloated and confusing… But my status tracks my gene points now, this is nice.'
"Father!" Things-Things called out suddenly. When I turned to her, I saw her smiling excitedly. "Now that you are even more grand and amazing, you *definitely* need to see what I have for you!"