CH 47: Physiologies
Natasha :"One day, I was born. So I decided to make it everybody else's problem."
Alistair :"(Yeah, sounds about right.)"
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'So, what shall I do first?' Alistair's thoughts echoed silently in the forest he walked through in his 2nd Stage form :'I mean, I did decide to test my powers comfortably now that I'm alone for once, but I don't know where I should start.
Hmm... I grew a lot in just a few days, didn't I? It feels like a lot has happened, but it hasn't even been a week, huh? Hahahaha, it's expected since I suddenly popped up in another world.
That nauseating sensation in my throat is still there, the one that shows up whenever I feel uneasy. But it's to be expected. I would feel it just by going on vacations to different cities, yet I'm here, in a completely different Multiverse.'
Stopping, he looked down in sadness :'The comfort my family would provide me in those vacations isn't here either to ease my unease... haaah, not the time to be sentimental, Ali.'
Starting his pace again, seriousness masked his sadness :'You'll have all the time in the world for nostalgia, sadness and whatnot later. But right now, you've got more important things to do.'
As he continued on his way, he reached the place where the three of them had met Hurtez and Leah yesterday. He came to a stop, and looked down on the corpse of the Orc Serenity had killed :'And that's getting even stronger.
I forgot to properly absorb this guy yesterday thanks to getting such superb prey out of nowhere. Since we were in a party, I did fulfill two methods to get the Stats I'd get when killing monsters, but wasting the two other methods of absorption is too much of a waste.'
Although he was disgusted by the sight of the pig monster's corpse being overrun with bugs eating away at its flesh, a bloodthirsty and evil smile still made its way to his face :'Especially since this guy is a D-Class monster. That's 30 Stats per Level, you know? And I'm not one to waste food.'
Alistair's Abyss Incarnate Existentiality had four methods of absorption. Devouring, absorption through killing. Ingestion, absorption through absorbing the soul. Consumption, absorption through devouring. And Mana Core Absorption, absorption through consuming either the Mana Core of monsters or hearts of non-monsters.
By killing the Orc, he had already absorbed its Stats twice. But he was greedy for power. His lust for power shone bright in his eyes and fangs as he plunged his hand into the corpse to grab both the Orc's heart and Mana Core, before pulling them out and burning the bugs that were about to land on him.
'Let's see what the full Stats of my first D-Class meal taste like~.' Burning the bugs on the heart, cooking it slightly, he threw them both into his mouth.
He groaned in satisfaction at the juicy taste of the heart, mixed with the crunchy and delicious taste of the Mana Core :'Hm hm hmm~! The flavors are melting on my tongue~! As expected of a D-Class monster, it tastes good!'
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[Stats]
D-Class Lv: 0 -> 192 {+192} [48x4]
Stats: 0 -> 5,760 {+5,760} [1,440x4]
D: Abyss Incarnate's Hatred x0 -> x12 {+12} [3x4]
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Abyss Incarnate's Hatred (D): AOE-type Skill where the Stats and Skills of all allies/enemies in a 100km radius is increased/decreased by 500%/20%.
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[Skills]
Orc Physiology Lv 3 (D: Orc)
Accelerated Longevity Lv 2 (D: Orc)
Canine Companionship Lv 1 (D: Orc)
Environmental Adaptation Lv 2 (D: Orc)
Superior Breeding Lv 4 (D: Orc)
Penis Enlargement Lv 4 (D: Orc)
Indomitable Lust Lv 4 (D: Orc)
Feral Mind Lv 3 (D: Orc)
Powerful Bite Lv 3 (D: Orc)
Weapon Proficiency Lv 2 (D: Orc)
Tusk Generation Lv 3 (D: Orc)
Hoof Generation Lv 3 (D: Orc)
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"(Now this is what I'm talking about!)" He licked his teeth :'Sure enough, the higher the Class, the more rewarding the hunt. A single Orc fetched me so many Stats! It's nearly half of my F-Class Stats, which is Lv 2,248.
And look at the Abyss Incarnate Sacred Skill! Hahahaha seriously, these Stat Amplification Skills are just cheating. I got 12 from eating this guy, and 6 more from my D-Class Level reaching 100. 8 more Levels and it'll become 7 Sacred Skills!
Now, for the real prize...' Alistair couldn't lie, when he thought of Orcs and devouring them, a lot of Skills came to mind. For good evidence provided by... ahem ahem, past research.
But it was only for jokes. He didn't think there would actually be Skills regarding what the Orcs were famous for. He had previously thought about it while laughing to himself, thinking :'What if I get those Skills? Hahahaha it would be hilarious! As if dragons aren't lustful creatures already lol!'
That was until his eyes landed on the Skills he had thought of as a joke. The three Skills stood out so much, grouped up next to each other and with the highest Levels among the Skills he had gotten.
"(Pft...)" After the surprise, it was the hilariousness of the situation that sank in :"(HAHAHAHAHA!!! It actually happened! IT ACTUALLY FUCKING HAPPENED HAHAHAHAHA!!)"
Laying on the ground and holding his aching stomach, he couldn't help but slap the ground repeatedly as he laughed uncontrollably.
After laughing to his heart's content, he stood up. Still laughing a bit as he wiped away the tears :'Goddamn, this world is so fun. Alright, enough joking around. I should get serious.'
Finding the foul smell of the corpse intolerable, he burnt away both the corpse and the bugs. Making sure to not start a forest fire though.
'Alright, I should check my Abyss Incarnate abilities first, since I can check my Seal of Lunacy in front of Natasha already. I can't unleash my Stats though, since that might attract unwanted attention if I was noticed.
Well, not like I was planning on testing my Stats anyway. I had something else in mind for a few days ago.'
Raising his right hand, his dark purple eyes glowed as a wisp of energy left it, and his hand began to change. His scales disappeared, completely replaced by black fur as his serpentine claws turned into that of a feline's.
[Peak Tiger Physiology Lv 2 (F: Saber Tiger)]
It felt weird. It didn't hurt, nor did it feel uncomfortable. It was like lowering a finger to raise another. It disturbed him a bit, from how he didn't feel anything.
He was prepared for various sensations. He expected it to be itchy as if bugs were crawling on his arms, or irritating for feeling his flesh morph, or even torturous since his body would go through a complete change.
But feeling absolutely nothing, just an unfamiliar sensation, was kind of underwhelming. It was as if... he was already used to whatever sensation he would have felt. Like breathing and not feeling your lungs expanding and contracting.
'I'm not ungrateful though. I'm not a masochist, but if it meant becoming powerful enough to never be helpless and hopeless, there are few pains I wouldn't tolerate.'
The change itself didn't feel weird, but having a different form sure did. The difference between the bodies of a human, dragon and tiger were quite big.
Although the movement between his serpentine and feline limbs were around the same, it still felt weird. His unchanged arm felt protected with his scales sticking tightly to him, but his changed arm had a different warmth to it.
His changed part didn't feel uncomfortable either. Just unfamiliar. Raising it and moving it around, he frowned at the strangeness. Especially at the lack of an opposable thumb.
Interestingly enough, dragons did have thumbs. Which he was even more thankful to now, since not having one felt so disturbing in its own way. He frowned at his paw :'You don't know the true value of something until you lose it, huh? Goddamn it, I want my fingers back!'
But he held back from turning it back. Although uncomfortable, he needed to get used to different physiologies he had and would get. They would all have their times to shine one day. And having different forms did feel interesting.
'Half-assing things isn't my style, so let's go all the way.' His entire body began to change. The scales all over his body began to be replaced by fur, with his horns, wings and tails disappearing to be replaced by the body of a complete tiger.
His colors didn't change however. His black scales were replaced by black fur and dark purple marks, while his black reptilian eyes with purple pupils were changed to that of a mammal's.
Growling he flexed and stretched his body. Although it felt strange, he felt refreshed in the new body. As trying a new food.
Moving around, careful to not fall, he assessed his own condition. His body felt a lot lighter, despite being a lot larger than his dragon form. After all, his wings and tails weren't light at all.
The dramatic change of weight felt weird. Especially on his head. The inside of his horns weren't hollow. They were actually heavy, several kg, so his head had gotten used to the weight. He had noticed how his neck and shoulder muscles had grown to support them.
So losing all that weight he had gotten used to felt seriously weird. He nearly broke his neck from how suddenly his head moved, when he was intending to just turn it a bit.
Looking at his paws, he released his claws. He smiled wickedly at the dangerous weapons :'Damn, no wonder tigers and bears were my favorite animals. Just look at these things!
Although they can't compare to my dragon claws, they're seriously awesome too. No wonder being reborn as a tiger was my second option to go to if I hadn't picked being a dragon instead.
Welp, now I have the best of both worlds! And I'm going to get even better physiologies in the future! Actually, now that I think about it, that "Peak" Tiger Physiology is there to differentiate between the same physiologies, right?
It's not like there's only a single tiger species. This Tiger Physiology was acquired from an F-Class tiger, so maybe it will be replaced by a better Tiger Physiology later on? Or maybe this will remain, but a completely different Tiger Physiology will be acquired?'
His curious face turned to that of joy :"(Hmm, so many things to do and discover! Well, then I'll make getting every physiology my goal! Wait for me, world! I'm gonna turn into the weirdest chimera ever!)"
'Oh, I just spoke in tiger language!'
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A while later, after testing all the physiologies and abilities he had devoured, he had turned back and was smiling in satisfaction. He couldn't try his abilities with Natasha around, so it felt good to see what he had.
Among his Devoured Skills, the "Generation" Skills had become his favorite. They weren't anything fancy, they simply caused something to be generated on his body. Like a horn.
But although they weren't much and many, he found them quite interesting, since he regarded them as accessories and wore them as such. Besides the hooves, though. He liked his fingers very much, thank you.
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Tusk Generation Lv 3 (D: Orc)
Hoof Generation Lv 3 (D: Orc)
Horn Generation Lv 4 (E: Horned Wolf)
Curved Horn Generation Lv 3 (E: Devil Ram)
Rock Hide Generation Lv 3 (E: Stone Ape)
Blade-Fang Generation Lv 3 (F: Saber Tiger)
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Some made his bite even deadlier, while the others made his head even less vulnerable. He had deactivated Rock Hide along with Hoof Generation, but they would be useful in their own times as well.
'Now, how about I stop moving like a loner?' smirking, he raised his left hand as the eye tattoo appeared and opened menacingly :"(Come out.)"
And several wisps of energy exited his Seal, moving to meters away from him before his loyal soldiers appear on their knees :"(Yeah, as I thought, this is just the best.)"