NOVEL SIMPLE 013. Mutant
- Mutant
【Name】: Omega-grade Gene Awakening Agent
【Category】: Consumable/Premium Limited
【Description】:
"The poor rely on mutations to rise, while the rich control mutations."
Officially produced by 《Abyss of Stars》, a premium item for players eager to awaken Aoneng, fully unleashing the extraordinary genes at the genetic level to fulfill your superhero dream.
【Effect】: 100% chance to awaken Omega-grade Aoneng
【Price】: 9888 points
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"There really is such a thing..."
Li Aozi held his chin, confirming his speculation.
"This product was only introduced to the store after the 9.7.1 patch... 9888 points, which is about half a month's salary for an average worker. With that money, I'd rather buy some outfits. Aoneng can be easily farmed later on; this is clearly for wealthy players who don't care about money."
Li Aozi was never keen on spending money on games. Why buy what you can grind for free?
Of course, some outfits are worth buying; after all, strength is temporary, but being stylish is forever.
"Speaking of which, I wanted to buy the limited edition Hell collaboration outfit before I transmigrated. Shouldn't I have some points left in my account?"
Li Aozi's thoughts moved, and he checked his personal account in the store.
【Account Balance】: 114,514 points
"Damn, I actually topped up this much?"
Li Aozi smirked.
Actually, it wasn't surprising. 《Abyss of Stars》 had a player trading platform, where many rare accessories and outfits could be exchanged for money.
For example, the 'Eternal Gun' or 'Dragon AWP' from 【Counter-Terrorist Elite】, or the 'Rainbow Pony Outfit' from 【Beast Tamer】. Players could list them in the trading market for others to buy, and the final settlement was in points.
In the later stages of the game, 《Abyss of Stars》 developed a comprehensive currency system, forming its own point trading ecosystem, which was quite profitable.
Li Aozi couldn't recall if this money was his own top-up, leftovers from player trades, or if he had won it by sharing official posts and getting lucky.
He had seen many players' game dynamics, where they constantly shared official lottery posts just to get some benefits.
Such people were usually greeted with an exclamation: "Wow, lucky you!"
"Tsk, it's a pity that the 【Game Shop】 no longer sells experience crystals and skill books. I can't boost my level immediately."
Li Aozi immediately purchased the 【Omega-grade Gene Awakening Agent】, dropping his balance to 104,523 points. Currently, there weren't many useful items, and he wasn't a player, so buying outfits had no meaning.
"Besides the 【Game Shop】, 【Faction】, and 【Achievements】, many sections are not activated. Is it because of the version, or because I'm using an NPC template and don't enjoy player privileges?"
He didn't have the 【Backpack】 function, so he couldn't store items in a fourth-dimensional pocket like players. However, since he decided to follow the 【Mutant】 route, this class didn't require much equipment.
What truly disappointed Li Aozi was that he hadn't unlocked built-in mini-games like 'Abyss Auto Chess,' 'Platinum Miner,' and 'Whack-a-Demon.' These mini-games had ladder rankings, and the higher the rank, the more rewards the system would provide.
The most common rewards were experience crystals. Enjoying the benefits of later patches, Li Aozi estimated that even if he only reached the platinum rank in chess, he could get 100,000 experience crystals.
"I wanted to safely and steadily earn some experience through chess, what a pity."
With no safe and stable way to earn experience, Li Aozi glanced at the shop. Many items were of little use to a starting class. He had a limited amount of points, and once they were spent, he couldn't top up again. It was better to exchange them for rare items later.
For instance, the electric syringe containing golden liquid that suddenly appeared in his palm. He examined it repeatedly, feeling a strong temptation. A mysterious and abstract aura emanated from the syringe, seemingly magical, constantly enticing him.
'Consume it, and everything will be revealed.'
He shook his head, slightly surprised.
【It seems the raw material for this thing isn't anything good...】
Despite his concerns, the game's official products were the most reliable.
After all, they aimed to make money from players, so the product quality wouldn't be poor.
Without hesitation, Li Aozi extended the syringe's needle, positioned it perpendicularly to his skin, and injected it into his left deltoid.
Hiss...
As pressure was applied, the mysterious and noble golden liquid, like the blood of a god, flowed into his body. It seemed light and had low density, causing no foreign sensation, but rather a light and liberating feeling.
Beep!
After the injection, Li Aozi cleaned and stored the syringe, as it could be reused. Then he quickly lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and waited for the 【Omega-grade Gene Awakening Agent】 to take effect.
After about 30 minutes, Li Aozi felt his consciousness blur and his head grow heavy. He laboriously lifted his hand and placed it on his forehead, feeling a burning sensation, realizing he had a fever.
"Gene modification... this is normal..."
Li Aozi tried to encourage and comfort himself, but his voice was hoarse and weak. His eyelids grew heavy, and his limbs occasionally twitched.
His pale skin now turned intensely flushed with the rising temperature.
On one hand, his body temperature soared rapidly, and on the other, he began to sweat profusely. A wave of cold assaulted him, making him tremble.
The alternating cold and heat were just the beginning, but even so, the body's rejection reaction was at its limit for an ordinary person. Many with weaker constitutions might die from this.
Li Aozi's vision blurred as he saw a series of system prompts flow across his retina:
【You have used the Gene Awakening Agent and initiated gene modification】
【Modification direction—Gene Potential Awakening】
【Due to the drug's effect, you activated the negative status—'High Fever': Perform a constitution check every 10 minutes. If constitution is below 2, you will enter a critical state】
【Gene modification in progress】
【Starting telomere destruction...】
【Releasing invalid gene fragments】
【Replicating gene fragments】
【Activating Aoneng gene】
Beep beep beep beep—!
An ear-piercing alarm sounded, and moments later, the door to the isolation ward was kicked open. Assistant Anna and the medical team rushed in.
"What's going on?" Assistant Anna asked sternly. "He just received basic treatment and antibiotics, why is the life alarm going off now?"
Li Aozi wanted to fabricate an excuse, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a hot steam expelled from his throat.
Hiss...
The boiling steam caused the doctors to look at each other. Anna's gaze darkened, and she waved her hand: "Quick, check him."
"His health is deteriorating rapidly; he's running a high fever."
"Temperature monitoring: 45.9°C—this exceeds normal limits, and it's still rising. At this rate, he'll cook his internal organs!"
"Should we use physical cooling?"
"No, physical cooling will cause severe dehydration due to the temperature difference... prepare saline solution No. 2, he's sweating profusely."
"Assistant Anna, this is..."
Anna's eyes were heavy, and her expression was grave, as Li Aozi's condition exceeded their expectations.
"If his temperature reaches 50°C, no medication will help. Although we've checked, his Esha indicators aren't high enough to cause mutations. The professor also said level five infected won't have physiological problems... but the professor also pointed out that we know too little about such beings."
"We don't know how he'll develop, nor can we provide assistance."
"Everything about him is unknown in this field. All we can do is observe and study."
Anna said solemnly:
"This is a level five infected."
The Abyssal Humanitarian's medical standards were top-notch in the outside world, yet Anna felt powerless in this situation. Out of professional ethics, she sat by the bed, continuing to observe and comfort the patient.
"Don't worry, it's just a high fever... a bit too high. Most people would be dead by now. You should be able to last a bit longer."
Her comforting words were far from reassuring, but the saline solution and various drugs made his body feel slightly better.
Li Aozi's consciousness gradually blurred. He felt his body detach, his mind floating, soaring into the vast, empty space.
Neither light nor darkness existed. He no longer had a body or vision, replaced by an extraordinary sense of perception.
The deep, boundless space had no color, only a chilling gray-white.
In this domain, Li Ao
zi clearly heard a certain call.
'Return... return...'
'What you cherished has been destroyed, and the outlaws are rampant.'
'Return... return...'
'What was taken... you will take back with your own hands...'
'Return... return...'
'Here lies the origin—'
...................
【Listening to the Abyssal Voice—Will +2, Charm +1】
【Perpetual Specialty • Love Hunter Activated】—Main attribute growth value +1. If the main attribute is 【Charm】, main attribute benefits +30%.
【Adjustment Result—Will +2; Charm +2】
【Gene metamorphosis complete, potential gene released】
【Your body contains four potential, mysterious unknown powers. They may help you find the truth of the universe.】
【But you can't fully control them yet. Please choose one as your core Aoneng】:
A—【Psychic Power】: Omega-grade Aoneng, dual benefits of 【Will】 and 【Charm】, much stronger in output and control than ordinary psychic powers.
Aoneng Performance:
Active Activation—Can forcibly read others' will, create illusions, and control others' minds, with double damage to spirits.
Passive State—Psychic resistance and spirit resistance are fixed at 70%, immune to 'mind reading' and 'premonition' effects.
"You don't need to speak, I already know what you're thinking."
B—【Strong Tendons and Bones】: Omega-grade Aoneng, dual benefits of 【Constitution】 and 【Charm】, with far superior performance and development potential than ordinary physical enhancement Aoneng.
Aoneng Performance:
Active Activation—Unleash powerful strength
Passive State—Increases constitution by 1 point every 10 days, with a constitution to health conversion ratio of 1:20
C—【High Energy Blast】: Omega-grade Aoneng, dual benefits of 【Strength】 and 【Charm】, able to release powerful high-energy shockwaves.
Aoneng Performance:
Active Activation—Create a destructive shockwave of a certain scale (spell damage)
Passive State—All attack skills convert to spell damage
D—【Gravity】: Omega-grade Aoneng, single benefit of 【Charm】, able to initially control one of the four fundamental forces, 'gravity.'
Aoneng Performance:
Active Activation—Control the magnitude of gravity, change the gravity an object experiences, alter the direction of gravity.
Passive State—Gain 8% damage reduction.
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"Not bad."
Li Aozi breathed a sigh of relief.
Three of the four options were the most practical Aoneng in the early stages. 【Psychic Power】 was the exclusive Aoneng for the 【Missionary】 path, extremely versatile, strong in both duels and group fights with stacked attributes.
【Missionary】 was the most prestigious profession under the 【Dominion】 series, favored by several national leaders in the cosmic civilization.
Psychic-related powers were very advantageous for civilizations, as they could prevent external forces from influencing their citizens' minds.
However, the cultivation process was troublesome. To fully utilize it, one first needed the 【Objective Idealism】 specialty, which could only be obtained in the universe.
Additionally, one needed to join a religious organization to enhance the 【Missionary】's output capabilities.
Finally, this profession relied heavily on accessories and had almost no countermeasures against close combat in the early stages.
A sure way to feel trapped.
【Strong Tendons and Bones】 could serve as the core Aoneng for 【Psion】, a class that could tank damage and deal decent output.
【Psion】 was the main force in the universe, although very useful, it severely lacked offensive capabilities, making the early stages feel like a prison.
【High Energy Blast】 was a pleasant surprise. This ability evolved to its final form was known as 【Destruction Force】, capable of destroying planets, shattering continents, and bombing nebulae, extremely powerful, classified as a 'natural disaster Aoneng.'
However, choosing 【High Energy Blast】 meant the game experience wouldn't be about being trapped early on, but rather thinking about how to avoid being mobbed.
The reason was simple: this Aoneng was extremely difficult to control, with slight mistakes causing massive destruction.
A sneeze could cause an explosion, scratching one's head might trigger a radioactive dust storm, and shaking hands with a pretty girl could turn her into 'girly paste.'
These were the top-tier Aoneng. New players might not afford high-grade awakening agents and would have to find ways to practice control after awakening Aoneng.
"【Mutant】 is still too weak in the early stages."
Li Aozi couldn't help but sigh.
Even with a 9888-point gene awakening agent, obtaining the best Aoneng at this stage didn't grant many attribute points or skills.
Moreover, the real limitation for 【Mutant】 wasn't attribute disparity.
Other professions at this stage could announce their debut, go out and fight monsters, but 【Mutant】 had to spend a long time researching and controlling Aoneng.
Giving a good gun to a child versus a sharpshooter yields different results.
A child might play recklessly, harming themselves or innocents, while a sharpshooter could use their will to deter others, maintain order, and prevent tragedies.
"Power must submit to my will."
Li Aozi didn't choose other Aoneng; he needed to play to his strengths quickly.
【You have chosen 'Gravity'】
【Gene fragment recorded】
【Dominion Will, Permeate Soul】
【Profession cleansing complete】
【Your profession forcibly changed to—Mutant】
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【Name】: Li Aozi
【Title】: None
【Race】: Carbon-based Lifeform - New Generation Human
【Gender】: Male
【Age】: 21
【Template】: Ordinary Neutral NPC (Health cap increased by 10%)
【Faction】: Abyssal Humanitarian
【Total Level】: lv.0
——【Main Profession】: Dominion Series—[Mutant]
——【Secondary Profession】: None
【Health】: 16/55 (Dangerous)
【Aoneng Points】: 150/150
【Experience】: 20
【Attributes】:
Strength—4
Agility—5
Constitution—5
Charm—15
Will—8
【Talents】:
Racial Talent • Teamwork—New Generation Humans have strong teamwork abilities. Experience gains increase by 50% when in a team, but this effect is nullified when not in a team.
Professional Talent • Mutation—Your gene potential is initially unleashed, causing periodic [Mutations], which may change your appearance or provide some benefits.
【Specialties】:
【Perpetual Specialty • Love Hunter】
【Aoneng】:
[Gravity • Perception]—You have a preliminary understanding of 'gravity,' one of the four fundamental forces of the universe.
It is mysterious and elusive, a force beyond comprehension, deepening your curiosity and granting you immunity from mundane forces.
Undoubtedly, this is a god-like power, but should you be wary of curiosity's erosion?
Perhaps one day, the exploration of the unknown will consume you... beware.
"Newton lied to you; gravity only surrounds me."
Range: A spherical space with a 15-meter radius centered on oneself.
Current Development Level: Perception, at this development level, Aoneng consumption rate is—110%.
【Possessed Skills】:
'Common Knowledge,' 'Intermediate Professional Knowledge'—Innate;
【Tier】: Beginner