Mutation

He thinks it's been about 10 days since then. He couldn't really tell considering, you know, there's not really a day and night cycle out here. He's fallen into a nice routine. He wakes up hungry, senses a weak hollow (He's trying to do it by himself now rather than have his instincts guide him.), kills and eats it, train his reiatsu control even more, then repeat.

During these few days, his preference towards acids and poison techniques caused his reishi body to mutate and adapt. His arms now have a hard exoskeletal plating to protect his arms from his own acid. It's just unfortunate that it was just his arms that gained this layer of exoskeletal armor, but it would do.

One thing to note is that his pincer arm has been affected much greater than his hand arm, having even an extra layer of protective exoskeleton. Really, he has no idea why he adapted this way. Even asking the Spirit Wikipedia was no use. Apparently, it couldn't give information on individuals. Himself included. He called bullshit at first, considering one of the first things he asked it was 'What am I?' but since he asked what his species was and not who he was, it didn't count.

Anyway, where was he? Ah, right. His extra armored pincer arm gave him a great idea for his first new technique. He wraps his pincer in acidic reiatsu. It was simple, but damn was it effective. It allowed him to cut through reishi way easier! No more will he have to struggle with cutting down hollow limbs! He called it: "Acid Enchantment"

Next up on the list, his exoskeleton was apparently hollow! If only partially. How fitting. He discovered this the day before, when he was fighting a particularly strong hollow, at least comparatively to himself...

...

One day ago.

"Grah!" He thrusts his first forwards, attacking a spider shaped hollow.

This hollow was a ways stronger than the other hollows he had hunted so far. For one, it actually used reiatsu! And it could speak! Yay for conversation!

"You... Possess power... Yet you exhibit such little reiatsu." The spider hollow said condescendingly with a raspy voice, glaring at him with prejudice. "I'll take that as a compliment!" Rio shouts back as he pulls back his fist to which the spider hollow responds by putting up its guard. 

You've created a feint. Strike with your pincer!

Rio nods in understanding, quickly extending his pincer towards the spider hollow's defending leg and trapping it in his claw. 'Acid Enchantment!'

SHING

Like a hot knife through butter, his claw cuts right through its limb! "Scree!!!" It shrieks in pain. "You vermin!" It sounds way angrier now. Makes sense. He did just chop off its arm. "You will pay!" It rushes at Rio with reckless abandon.

Dodge that!

"I know!" There was no way he could block against a charge like that! He tries to sidestep, but before he does, the spider hollow spins around and spews sticky web right at his feet. "Wh-What?!"

CRASH

Mark that the second time he's been run over by something. Is this gonna be a running gag? Anyway, where was he. Oh right.

"Gack!" He was knocked right down. Before he even had time to recover, he was stuck on the ground with another sticky web. "You will pay for that, vermin!" The spider hollow wastes no time, barraging Rio with swift, sharp stabs with its remaining spider legs.

Your journey does not end here!

Cracks begin to form on his mask. Everytime he tries to cover his mask in reiatsu, he's interrupted with another stab. Rio growls in frustration. With a sudden, unprecedented burst of strength, his hand arm breaks through the web!

He doesn't know what that burst of strength was, but it came just in time! He uses the opportunity to block the rest of the spider hollow's stabs. "It's no use!" Once again, the spider hollow's powerful barrage start to break through. Every pierce, every stab. It created hole upon hole on his hollow exoskeleton.

'Wait... hollow?' That just gave him one hell of an idea. "My name is Ragna! Remember it well, because it's the last thing you will ever hear!" 'Good thing this guy likes to monologue!' Ragna pulls its claw back, preparing for one powerful piercing strike that would surely kill him.

Rio couldn't help but grin with madness.

Don't judge him. It was instinctual.

Rio channels a huge amount of reiatsu through his hollow exoskeleton. Like a gas, it quickly expands out, and with one powerful burst, he unleashes a corrosive reiatsu gas through the holes.

FWSH

"Gah- Cough!" The spider hollow was effectively stunned. His mask starts to corrode The corrosive gas also melted away the silk that pinned him to the ground. Rio was also being affected by the gas. The difference was, however, he had adapted to his acidic nature already. It hurt, of course, to breathe in the corrosive gas. It felt like his insides were melting away. 'Power through!' He thought.

'Power through!' Power through.

For once, he and his instincts were in sync. Rio REALLY wanted to kill this guy in one shot. He couldn't take his chances. He quickly stabs three precise holes into the back of his elbow. With that preparation complete, he pulls back his fist and once again channels reiatsu through his exoskeleton. This time, with a little more control, ensuring that the corrosive gas has a minimal leakage and that it only bursts out of the back of his elbow, boosting his punch with as much speed as he could.

With a powerful subsonic punch to the face...

Well, it was quite obvious what the result would be.

The heavy impact coupled with its mask already weakened from the corrosive gas from before. The mask shatters in a singular instant.

Congratulations.

He deserved that congratulations! Well, he's won this battle. It's time for the most satisfying meal of his life (so far).

...

Yeah, a near death experience. How nice, right? But yes, through his ingenuity, he gained two more techniques. They were each way more costly to his Reiatsu, but also extremely strong. His exoskeleton was all but regenerated today, but the hollow holes at the back of his elbow remained. A brand new mutation that came up when he woke up today.

He was quite alright with the hollowness of his exoskeleton. After all, it earned him two new techniques!

Mustard Gas. It's pretty obvious why it's named that. It was a powerful corrosive gas he could expel from the holes from his elbows. It made for a fantastic escape tool and a (literally) staggering move, incapacitating hollows in the same way human mustard gas would incapacitate humans. Thanks Germany!

His last new technique is called the Mustard Burst. While it still had the whole corrosive gas aspect of Mustard Gas, it was much less area compared to Mustard Gas. However, with every dark cloud came a silver lining. It came out in a much more powerful burst, speeding his fist forward in one hell of a punch.

He was basically set for his 'survival' plan.

His spiritual pressure was weak enough so he couldn't be sensed by most hollows. Even if he was sensed, he was sure that they would pass on him for a much more fulfilling target.

But... Was he really happy with? that

"Of course I am..." Was he? His humanity was satisfied. It was just unfortunate that he wasn't just a human anymore, was he? He was a hollow too, now. And his... Hollowanity? His hollow soul... His instincts were not satisfied. His humanity thought it was enough. That he could live out the rest of his days, however long that is for hollows, in peace. His hollow soul knew better. Not that Rio knew that his hollow soul knew better.

Unlike his humanity, his hollow soul knew that this would not be enough. For as long as he wasn't strong enough he would always be in danger. Which is why he must get stronger.

More power. More power.

Rio shakes his head. If he thought about that too much he'd actually comply with his hollow soul.

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Something Something, thanks for reading, fellas! As usual, if I made mistakes in this chapter, call it out.

Also sorry for this one being so damn short I didn't have time smh.