The Evolution of Strength

"Come on, Melissa, we don't wanna keep Aunt Elizabeth waiting!" I urged the girl while hurrying towards the aircraft. "Even Diana is already strapped into her seat. Look, now stop complaining."

"But it's not fair! They agreed that I would get the window seat, and now they're doing this just to get back at me," Melissa protested, her cries of injustice falling on deaf ears as I was too preoccupied to entertain her supposed spat with the other girls.

"Melissa, come on now. We're going back in a helicopter; there are no window seats because there are no windows to begin with, so stop complaining."

"Noooo..." Melissa remained unconvinced, still embroiled in a squabble with her friends, who were now giving her the silent treatment as well.

'And this is why I dread traveling with kids—they're so demanding'" I vented silently, trying to keep my sister from wriggling out of her seat again. 'Even teasing her about her tantrum isn't working. What else can I do? Switch flights? Yell at them? No, that'd only waste more time…'

I continued to ponder a solution to keep her from further scurrying, eager to return to my underground base for my 'upgrade'.

Thankfully, Doctor Payne was true to his word and managed to safely extract Pickle from his frozen state by morning the next day. Thus, I obtained the necessary blood samples for my next step.

'Now, all that's left is to get back…' I was about to scold my sister when a sudden thought flashed into my mind. 'Yes, what have the Powerpuff Girls taught you, Kuzan? There's nothing stronger than love…'

"Melissa, lean in. I have a secret to tell you," I whispered directly into her ear, ensuring the other two couldn't overhear.

"I arranged for us to have the middle seats because they're the safest in case something goes wrong. So, I did this for you. Now please, stop treating my efforts to care for you like this..." I spun a tall tale, patting myself on the back for conjuring such a convincing excuse.

'Sometimes, my genius is almost frightening.'

At least my words seemed to convince Melissa, who finally settled down in her seat with an unusually large smile on her face, as if she was flaunting it.

'Weird.' I decided to ignore it, seeing no harm, and instead focused on more important matters like my future plans for the rest of the ride back.

[1 hour later]

'Ok, everything's set. The medical team is again ready on standby, and I've applied all the necessary sensors to collect any data during my synthesis, not that I'm expecting it to lead to anything.'

I had more or less decided to give up on trying to approach the system from a scientific point of view, at least with the current state of technology on Earth.

'It's not like I'm a biologist to begin with. Despite receiving some training from Master Shinogi, that was more focused on combat applications rather than research.'

Despite my many attempts to unravel the mystery myself, I had reached a point where I would either have to ask for outside help, thereby exposing the system's existence, or let things progress naturally.

'And considering I'd rather die than consider the former, the latter's the only option left if I'm unable to uncover any information during this 'transformation'.'

I hadn't entirely given up, knowing there might come a bottleneck where I'd need to apply the scientific method rather than brute force my way through. 'But that will happen when it happens; right now, I'll focus on getting stronger.'

Though this was a significant leap forward along the path I'd already travelled, it was nowhere near the summit I sought.

"Here goes nothing..." I steadied my breathing, anticipating the pain that would soon envelop me, and brought up my status window, unchanged since my last check.

Carefully, I smeared the drop of blood onto my index finger before tapping the blue screen in front of me, visible only to myself.

"Ting..." Once more, a single bell-like ring echoed as the last sound before I collapsed, overwhelmed by the intense pain spreading through my body.

[Processing Sample…]

It began at my heart, coursing through my veins like molten magma. 

[Purification Of Sample Initiated] 

I felt it, pulsing throughout my body. Perhaps I could have observed the changes to my body itself if not for the excruciating agony I was currently enduring.

[Assimilating Gene Sequence To Hos-

Finally, my body's last line of defence gave out. Even my body's attempts to pump endorphins into my brain became useless once the pain reached my head, charring it inside and out, causing me to black out.

Still, in my last moments, I managed to use my remaining willpower to turn off the dead man switch, preventing any disturbance during my slumber.

[3 hours later]

"Argh," I groaned, feeling somewhat dizzy after waking up from my little 'nap.' Thankfully, due to my last act before passing out, I avoided the worry my obviously changed appearance would have caused my loved ones.

I examined myself in front of a full-body mirror as I reviewed the data collected during my 'metamorphosis' into a fellow prehistoric man. 'Nothing different physiologically from the report at least, but when speaking about the physiological changes, there's too many to count...'

Sturdier bones, stronger muscles, sharper eyesight, better hearing... my body had, in all intents and purposes, received an 'upgrade.' 'Even my canines have transformed into 'fangs' just like his. I've even gained some 'claws'.'

I could tell that I had grown in more ways than one, even increasing from 5'7" to closer to 6'1", despite only being close to 16 years old.

It was as if I were looking through a window at a cousin of Pickle himself rather than a mirror. Of course, I still retained most of the less 'important' traits, including my general facial appearance and hair color. However, I did receive a much sturdier neck from the transition.

'It's fine for now at least. With a little bit of makeup, I'm sure my family won't be too weirded out by the change in my appearance. Plus, I can finally put Master Shikai Bun's disguise techniques to good use.'

Regardless, I drew my attention to the lab reports that found nothing abnormal with my condition. It was truly strange; other than an increased heart rate, all of my other vital signs seemed normal and unchanged. 'A DNA test might reveal more...'

It felt strange; my newly sharpened intuition warned me that delving deeper into this subject would be futile compared to focusing on gaining strength. "Alright, perhaps it's my bias speaking rather than pure instinct, but still, what value is there in research if it doesn't contribute to making me stronger?"

I had hoped that my video recording of the incident might have shed some light on the matter, but I was thoroughly disappointed. All I captured was footage of my rapidly growing body until it transformed into its current state, after which I erased the footage from existence.

'Apart from looking like I was injected with a vat of growth hormone, there's nothing abnormal I can detect right now. Let's move onto the final check.'

'[Status]'

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[Status]

Name: Kuzan Rosan

Age: 15.5 years

Title: [Martial Master]

Strength: 621/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Stamina: 632/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Intelligence: 94/100 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Dexterity: 678/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Will-Power: 780/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Perception: 670/1000 (Average Adult Value: 10)

Skills: [All-Seeing Eye (230/1000)] [Warrior's Dominion (896/1000)] [Null Embrace (124/1000)] [Phantom Veil (670/1000)] [Shadowstep (720/1000)] [Trans-species Anatomy Mastery (110/1000)] [Poison Mastery (intermediate)] [Martial Language (intermediate)] [Goutaijutsu (master)] [Hand Pocket (master)] [Mirror Mimicry (intermediate)] [Ultra Instinct (beginner)] [Hokuha (intermediate)] [Aiki (intermediate)] [Shadow Boxing (intermediate)]

Techniques: [Karate (master)] [Kick Boxing (536/1000)] [Boxing (master)] [Judo (master)] [Muay Thai (master)] [Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (571/1000)] [Wrestling (565/1000)] [Chinese Kenpo (master)] [Xiaoli (master)] [Byaku-Rinji Kung-Fu (master)] [Iai Kenpo (master)] [Way of the Void (master)] [Martial Weapon Mastery (master)]

Genes Synced: (1/3) [Primordial Homosapien]

[All-Seeing Eye (230/1000)]: An upgraded version of Willful Eye, this advanced skill grants you the ability to perceive the true essence of your opponents. Not only can you see the projection of emotion, willpower, martial drive, passion, and in extreme cases, imagination as illusions, but you can now discern their strengths and weaknesses with uncanny accuracy, as if peering directly into their core. Furthermore, you can unveil the titles and true nature of any opponent you face, gaining a comprehensive understanding of their capabilities and vulnerabilities. This heightened perception transforms you into a formidable strategist, capable of exploiting every advantage and anticipating every move in the heat of battle.

[Null Embrace (124/1000)]: An upgraded version of Face Mask, this advanced skill allows the host to completely shield their true emotions and intentions from others. When utilized, your countenance becomes an impenetrable shield, betraying no hint of your inner thoughts or motives. You possess the ability not only to control your expressions but also to project false emotions and intentions flawlessly, effectively deceiving even the most astute observers. This mastery makes you a virtuoso of deception and subterfuge, capable of navigating any situation with impeccable poise and inscrutable demeanor. Under the scrutiny of the most perceptive adversaries, you remain an enigma, your true intentions veiled behind a facade of calculated neutrality.

[Trans-species Anatomy Mastery (110/1000)]: An upgraded version of Anatomy Mastery, this advanced skill expands your medical expertise to encompass the intricate physiology of both humans and animals. When used, you can apply this understanding with surgical precision in combat, exploiting vulnerabilities and ensuring your own peak condition. This mastery grants unparalleled insight into healing and harm across species, making you a formidable opponent feared for your ability to dismantle adversaries with expertise spanning the natural world.

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"What!" I couldn't hide my shock despite my new 'emotional dampening' skill. 'I expected a rise, but to think it would be so much, without even training.'

Instead of just 'breaking' through the limit of my natural body, the assimilation of Pickle's genes had automatically caused my long plateaued stats to rise once again. 'The system note did say that it would derive 'strength' from the assimilated genetic material, but to such an effect is still insane.'

It was a dangerous road. Although I was elated at my sudden spike in strength, I could feel the frustration at the back of my mind of having to spend so long getting to my current strength, only for it to be easily eclipsed with the help of the system.

'I have learned from my time in Tokyo that I can't grow conceited, I can never grow 'comfortable' with my strength.'

It was a dangerous thought, relying solely on the system to gain strength, abandoning the path of training in the martial arts in exchange for focusing on bodily strength.

'So much has changed...'

I could feel it, the power within my clenched fists, the sheer destruction I could cause with my physical power alone, enough to take on tanks.

It was so unique, so different from my past state. I had traveled so long to achieve this level of strength, and now I had surpassed even my wildest dreams for what I then considered attainable.

'Why then do I not feel a hint of satisfaction at my progress?'

Neither the martial arts techniques that I had mastered, nor the 'pinnacle' of physical strength in this world that I had achieved were enough to even put a smile on my face.

I felt happy, sure, but I couldn't go so far as congratulating myself for achieving this meagre level of strength.

'Ah, I get it...'

'It's because I'm so close to achieving my goal.'

Despite everything that had changed, the increase in my strength, the bonds I had been able to construct with those around me, 'it's still far from enough.'

'I haven't yet reached his level of strength.'

I could imagine it, the way he moved, the way he lived, like watching a force of nature unleashed. His presence loomed large even in absence, his physique a testament to human potential pushed to its limits and beyond.

I imagined the intensity in his eyes, sharp and piercing like a predator stalking its prey, and the confidence in his stance, as if he were always ready for whatever challenge the world might throw at him. The man standing at the pinnacle of strength, at the very end of the summit that had always been my goal.

It was so close, reaching that goal being more attainable by the day. I just needed to wait for a little while longer...

'Why then..." I asked myself with concern, failing to comprehend even my own emotions this time.

'Am I still not smiling?'