Growth [Pt 2]

"Your body is part Horror now, which means you have certain… features that regular humans don't have access to."

Just as Des suspected, he was no longer fully human.

He didn't particularly feel any different, but the fact that foreign material had been introduced to his body meant he couldn't claim to be one hundred percent himself. That would be as delusional as a person desiring to eat their cake and have it.

"I understand." He nodded, completely accepting his new self.

All his fear and hesitation had slowly vanished the longer he spent with Eve, and before he realized it… most of these things didn't bother him any longer.

From the little things—like being no longer frightened by Eve's smile—to the more intense aspects, like completely getting over his trauma regarding the colossal Horror.

His nightmares ceased, and his mentality slowly changed.

Des didn't realize it, but over the years his mind had evolved alongside his body.

Fear was no longer his close companion.

"You now have access to heightened senses, heightened physical abilities, and most importantly… rapid regeneration!"

Not all Horrors possessed these features, but the ones that Eve selected to be introduced to his body had them. Thankfully, she had a wealth of Horrors to choose from, since they were at the lowest Floor of a rather deadly Dungeon.

"The Citadel of Graves is home to primarily Undead Horrors. As a result, your vitality in particular is off the charts. You should also be largely resistant to stuff like fatigue, mental exhaustion, and a host of other limitations that affect regular humans."

Of course, he wasn't completely immune, since he was still human.

"Your arm and leg were gotten from Undead that I hunted east of here. They possess incredible strength and durability, which made them perfect candidates. I had to shrink the flesh and cause muscle atrophy so they would be able to blend with your body. Else… it could have been too much for you." Eve began her explanation, also remembering to point out their regeneration abilities and swift response to nerve instructions.

In essence, he possessed sharp reflexes as well.

"Your eye was gotten from a mix of the Worms and that Colossus."

"What? Them?!" Des was particularly disgusted once he figured out that the eye he had was gained from the creatures who caused him the most suffering.

He was disgusted… but also impressed.

Eve managed to obtain their eyes, which meant she had to be incredible—not that he wasn't well aware of that fact already.

"The eyes of the worms allow them to see in pitch black darkness, while the eyes of the Colossus allow it to keep up with incredibly fast movement, and it possesses a wide range of vision. Its disadvantage is that it can't spot incredibly slow movements since its sight exists in frames that are too fast. But, by mixing it with the Worm eyes, which grow blind in daytime, I created a perfect balance of both.

Des could see in any given circumstances, and his eyes were incredibly sharp—capable of spotting the smallest detail and breakneck speed.

In essence, he had the best of both worlds.

"Your ears were gotten from those Bat-like creatures. You can perceive even the slightest of movement, but since they're very sensitive to sound, which is a big weakness of theirs, I was very skeptical to give this to you. Fortunately, since I only had to graft one ear, and only a small amount of it… you won't have hearing as insane as them, but that means you won't share their weaknesses as well."

Still, heightened hearing was part of the deal, which made Des better than most regular humans.

There was only one problem..

"I don't feel any different, though." He had to admit to both Eve and himself.

His senses felt normal, and his limbs didn't seem much different from how he remembered them. In fact, he felt the same as he was before he entered the Dungeon.

Why?

"Ohhh! That's because your muscles are relaxed and your nerves are in a state of suppression. It's necessary to trick the horror gene that it's human, so you can't exert your incredible physical abilities all the time. This is your base state—a regular human. Once you activate those muscles and nerves, whether individually or collectively, you'll be able to access their capabilities."

According to Eve, overexerting his Horror Aspects would result in tremendous pain—like the burning sensation he had when they were first grafted. In order not to reach this point, his body had to remain in its base state unless he had to utilize his special abilities.

"The stronger your base form is, though, the longer you'll be able to use those Horror Aspects of yours. I am no Warrior, and neither am I a Mage. I don't have any secret formula to raise your physical abilities… which means you'll have no choice but to undergo the simple, but effective process of exercise and training. Make your base body strong, and by doing so, you'll make those other aspects of yourself more usable."

Des understood all of Eve's words, but he still didn't comprehend one thing.

"How do I activate those abilities, though? The Horror Aspects?"

"You can't. At least, not on your own. They're meant to surface on their own once your body reaches a certain threshold—which will activate those muscles and nerves. But, that's too inefficient and dangerous."

Not only could they activate at the wrong time—maybe during training—but they couldn't be relied upon in situations when he needed them.

"I've developed a concoction that will help activate or deactivate them once introduced. But, it's not sustainable to always rely on the drug, so everytime you utilize those drugs, you're going to properly assimilate yourself to the sensations in your body. You'll connect your thoughts to the process, and fully master every single pulsation and trigger inside you. Do this for long enough, and you'll be able to command your Horror Aspects at will."

Hence, Des had two major training sessions to undergo.

One was the exercise needed to strengthen his base state and enhance his natural capabilities.

The second was to practice how to summon and control his Horror Aspects—even learning when and how to shut it down once it reached its threshold.

Des knew this process wouldn't be easy… but he never expected it to be as difficult as they turned out to be.

The constant training of his base physical prowess started from his waking moment, when Eve was out to hunt or explore. She would give him tasks that he had to complete no matter what. Skipping them for a single day meant he would have no meals, but Des never went hungry. He always obeyed Eve's instructions… even when it was overwhelmingly painful to do so.

The Horror Aspect training was done later in the day, when Eve returned to the premises.

She would introduce the concoction by injecting it into his body or making him drink it like a potion—both worked.

Once that happened, Des would have to acclimate to his senses being heightened, and his body nearly exploding due to the sheer power that was building up inside it.

Thanks to the integration, it wasn't just the grafted parts that had superhuman abilities. His entire body had become superhuman—though his Horror Aspects were more concentrated on the grafted parts.

Hence, he had more strength in his right arm than his left, and his left eye had better vision than his right. Though, when it came to general functionality, the difference wasn't very noticeable—especially when he learned to balance his actions and movements.

The most interesting aspect he found about himself was his regeneration.

His lost fingers and toes—despite not being grafted—were restored due to his regenerative process—same as the parts of his skin that were bitten off.

Only his genitals remained missing.

Still, he didn't particular miss having his dick when every waking moment in the cave, or any other part of Eve's base was torture.

He had to train, train, and train… for two whole years.

Yes, Des could see the improvements made over time, but the process was still torturous for him.

Thankfully, he was finally able to meet Eve's criteria for passing.

That meant he was ready.

"Time for your final test, Des!" Eve told him, and it led them both to the entrance of the high cave… staring down at the place where he would have to return to.

After spending those three years the way he did, Des no longer felt the fear that would have consumed him in the past.

In fact, he was quite excited.

It was finally time to let loose and release all his pent-up energy on something.

And Des was not one to waste an opportunity!

*

*

*

[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

Let's see what Des can do now, shall we?