chapter 21: Counting points

This has been my biggest upgrade yet, the costs are getting ridiculous. Killing the wizard better be worth the cost. I have been grinding for these evo points for far too long, I'm gonna expect a few thousand points out of this one.

[Name: Adrian Walts]

[Level: 4]

[Species: Rat rat]

[Skills: Bite(Level 1), Jump(Level 1)]

[Ability: Flesh Stack(Level: 1))

[Partial Evolution: Monstrous muscles +5, Growth +5, Efficient stomach +5, Carving claws +5, Agile prehensile tail +2, Dextrous limbs +5, Perceptive eyes +5]

[Health: 10/10]

[Mana: 12/12]

[Strength: 36]

[Speed: 9]

[Durability: 5]

[Intellect: 17]

[Will: 7]

[Skill point: 2]

[Ability point: 3]

[Evolution point: 14]

[Stat point: 0]

Theses stats are looking nice. Expensive but nice. I have my monstrous muscles at +3 last week and that cost me arround two hundred points, getting it to +5 cost me and additional three hundred. But looking at the strength stats make me think it was all worth it, getting my limbs upgrade also increase my strength by a few points and that was not even the main focus of it, just a side bonus. Getting the dextrous limbs to +5 makes me more flexible than a pro gymnast, I'm spiderman level of fit right now. Too bad the tail was not counted as a limb and have its own upgrade line, the monstrous muscles gives a strength boost to my tail but they are not as agile as arms and legs.

The carving claws are sharper than ever, cost more than a hundred points, but at this level only metal armour will be safe form them. Even though they got thinner to be more sharper, I can tell that they were also somehow significantly tougher than before. With my high strength stats behind it my claws are just as dangerous as that of an adult lion, the none magical ones from Earth.

Also spend 200 points for my eyes, hard to dodge what I can't see and with an opponent who could one shot me I definitely don't want to lose in the information war.

My evolution somehow increase my durability by a point as well, don't know where that one comes from. Likely to be the muscle upgrade, better quality muscles should be harder to destroy. Too bad my leather bone armour don't give me increased durability despite clearly making me tougher. Maybe it's counted as armour and there was a whole hidden stats the system was not showing, that would mean wearing armour doesn't increase the durability stat for humans either. How does that work? An armour man was definitely more durable than one without armour. Hmmm... Wait armours have a gap, and if you get hit in the gaps it's like you don't wear armour so no durability stat? The system leaves a lot for interpretation. It's a nightmare for people like me who overthink everything and ends up lost in thought not doing anything in the end.

I waited for my evolution to be complete before choosing my skills, since they were clearly influence but the evolution. But now that I'm finally evolved let's see what the system have in store for us.

[Dash], [Dig], [Scratch], [Stealth], [Squeak], [Climb], [Slash], [Whip], [Headbutt], [Pounce], [Strangle], [Tail Sling], [Infectious Bite], [Bleeding Bite], [Double Jump], [High Jump], [Roll], [Harden Body], [Observation], [Acrobatics]

Oh! Upgrades showed up. I have the bite and jump skill, and only the bite and jump skill upgrade showed up. You have to first have the skill to get the upgrade it seems. Ha! Harden actually showed up. Double jump will open new hosts of possibilities in movements. The bites upgrades also looks real good too, the tail sling will have a lot of uses as well. It's so useful I'm already doing it without even having the skill, ranged attacks are just too powerful to ignore. With greater accuracy I could blind the wizard with just one shot and the fight would be a breeze.

I want to be more reliant on my claws, but I will have to spend an extra points to get the upgraded version. Even without skill I'm nearly strong enough to kill humans with my claws, I can only wonder what and actual skill strike would do.

So scratch it is.

[Skill: Bite(Level 1), Jump(Level 1), Scratch(Level 1)]

I could have taken Slash but I dont know exactly how you Slash, likely with the claws but slashing with the claws was just scratching. They will be both at level one so I don't really think one is better than the other. They are the only ones with similar function here so my choice here shouldn't have any lasting effect. The most difference I think they could have are in the upgrades, which couldn't be known beforehand.

After taking the skill new ones showed up. [Cutting Scratch] and [Piercing Scratch]. They both looked good and quite useful but I already made my decision. Double jump.

[Skill: Bite(Level 1), Double Jump(Level 2), Scratch(Level 1)]

Hmnnn. Did I just lost my jump skill? Obviously the double jump is an upgraded version but can I still single jump? Also, I was wrong about the skill levels, I thought you level them up by using them not by spending another skill points on it.

Still good enough I say, moving on to the ability.

[Choose the nature of you ability]

The same list as before showed up. Even the flesh element was still there, my guess was that like the skill you need to spend some skill points to level them up. Unlike the skill I have three points to use for my ability.

The flesh ability have been disappointing so far but I will be sticking to it. It will be good at a higher level for sure and I already spend a point on it so I better stick to it.

Unlike the evolution, for the skills and abilities you don't really get better options with more points or you need more than I currently have.

[Flesh change: Temporarily change the form of one part of your body.]

[Flesh melt: Melt the flesh of anything you touch.]

[Flesh taint: Let the flesh you touch rot and decay.]

Oh really nice, wait if I knew I would be getting an offensive ability I would not have gotten the scratch skill. Dammit.

Flesh taint sounds like it will deal more damage, but how long until it kills them. The melt one suits me more. Can't exactly wait for the wizard to die a slow death from the rot and decay.

[Abilities: Flesh Stacks(Level 2), Flesh Melt(Level 2)]

What! Both at level two! Do all the same nature abilities share the levels! Ho ho I'm gonna be alot more stronger than I thought. Heck I choose another flesh ability.

[Flesh change: Temporarily change the form of one part of your body.]

[Plaque Release: Unleash a contagious disease.]

[Explosive Infection: Inflict a wound that will violently explode.]

Woah! Things got dark fast. The new ones that showed up are rather disturbing, the idea of releasing a plaque that would kill millions like the black plaque crossed my mind for a moment, imagine how much level I would get from something like that. Too bad I'm not that evil. I wouldn't be choosing that one for sure, my enemies are the rat trying to invade the surface world. Even if I use a plague with the intention of killing the rats, the chance of it going out of control was far too big. I might accidentally kill the surface races in an attempt to save them.

The other one was good but I already have an offensive ability that was just as disturbing so I'll be going for the flesh change. The versatility it could provide would be amazing. I would not longer need to use my evolution to have the perfect body for the situation, if I could simply change parts of my body to whatever I want, I wouldn't even need to craft weapons again, I could simply change my body to become the weapon I want. So flesh change was the one I choose.

[Abilities: Flesh Graft(Level 3), Flesh Melting Strike(Level 3), Flesh Morph (Level 3)]

All of them just got upgraded! Hell yeah, with flesh graft I might actually be able to use the body part I attached to my body and flesh morph, ho ho I love the sound of that.

I'm really tempted to use my last ability point on another flesh magic but I will refrain. There was something I really needed and unfortunately it won't start with the name flesh. It was offcourse Terra, which means earth, which further means dirt.

[Rock Spikes: Create small spike rocks]

[Soft Ground: Make the ground beneath you softer]

[Terra Intrusion: Create a small hole on the ground]

There it is, with the Terra Intrusion ability I'll be able to create pitfall traps, creating one with just my body was too much labour. And I needed traps to increase my fighting prowess, no directly offcourse. Also I needed to create a house for myself, how else am I supposed to hide my growing body and eat in peace. I'll need to dug a whole ass grave for the wizard if I am to eat him undisturbed.