Chapter 23: nah, this is a problem
I watched as a purple aura began to emerge from the girl. I looked at my hand—it was deformed and almost charred by the immense heat. Damn it, that's absurd heat. The virus won't work; it's like she has a fucking sun inside her. The virus can't mutate her because it would get destroyed by the heat.
Well, this is a problem. I can't use the virus to mutate her, so I'll have to kill her the old-fashioned way: destroy her so thoroughly that she can't adapt.
Having her F gene will probably make my card even stronger. Looks like I'll have to undertake a possibly suicidal mission.
I sighed and quickly dodged a red energy ball. It destroyed a building and part of the street. Shit, she's really destructive. Maybe I could beat her more easily if I leveled up.
Although in my fight I accidentally killed humans, I didn't level up much. The XP was probably very low.
I stretched a little and ran towards her. The girl ran towards me with bleeding eyes—maybe her survival instinct took over, which is why she hasn't regained consciousness?
I quickly dodged a blow from her fist. Damn, she's super fast. Her hand grazed my cheek, and I quickly punched her in the face, sending her flying hundreds of meters. But suddenly, she appeared in front of me with incredible speed. Luckily, I covered myself with my arms. I felt myself lift off the ground and fly through the town, crashing into a car and building.
I got up and decided to stand quickly. Dozens of red energy balls were coming towards me. I ran through the streets, avoiding the energy balls. It felt like a war zone, with craters and destroyed buildings everywhere. The dust was thick. Suddenly, my senses alerted me, and I quickly dodged a blow to my head. I crouched and landed a punch, but it didn't move her, though I felt her bones break. Shit, she's adapting quickly. I didn't hesitate and grabbed her by the head, inserting a tentacle. I tried to use the virus to kill her from the inside, but my tentacle was burned by incredible heat. Shit!
I pulled my arm out and noticed my tentacle was completely charred. It turned to dust. Shit, too hot. If I kill her, she might self-destruct. I have to kill her quickly before she adapts again.
I sighed and made a decision that could either lead to victory or a horrible death. Gripping her hand tightly, I sank my teeth into her fingers, exerting maximum force as I ripped them off. With all my strength, I hurled her as far away as I could.
Waiting for a few seconds, I felt nothing. Then, suddenly, a system screen appeared before me.
[You have achieved an external mutation to the system!
Do you want to accept it into your compatible body?
Y/N]
I pressed "yes" quickly. Instantly, I felt excruciating pain surging through my entire body. It was like being engulfed in flames, my skin melting away, blood boiling.
"AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!" I couldn't help but scream in agony. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt. My arms began to melt rapidly, blood pouring out uncontrollably. I looked like a miniature sun, and nearby buildings started to liquefy. My stomach burned. I thought I was going to die!
But then, as suddenly as it started, the pain began to subside. I looked at my hands and saw them regenerating quickly. The heat decreased, replaced by a cool sensation.
[You have obtained a skill compatible with the card!
Adaptation!!]
Looking at the floating screen, I muttered, "Shit... now I'm a Mahoraga...?"
[Adaptation: ???]
The question marks indicated no information, but it seemed pretty obvious what "Adapting" meant. Though there might be a limit to this ability, I'd make the most of it.
Getting up, I flexed my fists. I felt much stronger.
[You have leveled up!!
You have achieved something external and unique from the "Marvel" universe!
Upgrades: greatly increased strength, greatly increased speed, greatly improved senses!
Nemesis: 10 / 20!]
Smiling at the screen, it seemed I'd leveled up externally to the system. By ingesting those fingers, my body adapted, boosting my strength, speed, and senses. There were other ways to level up externally beyond killing or absorbing strong beings—good to know.
Sighing, I clenched my fists. I felt so much stronger. Suddenly, the girl appeared in front of me. I dodged her and punched her in the chest. A huge shock wave resonated, destroying nearby buildings and the concrete below me. The girl flew hundreds of meters, crashing through several buildings. Seems like the green cards have a lot more potential than I thought.
Then, a floating system screen appeared.
[Green cards have great destructive potential. The "limit" of their destruction is being able to destroy a mountain. Each green card has different levels of power, and it's possible to level up by killing strong beings or using external resources. The cards are modified and upgraded by the system. They can be different in power from the original character. An example would be that the original character, at maximum power, could destroy a town, but with the system, their "limit" of power would be destroying a mountain.]
Shit, the green cards have more potential than I thought. And it seems my friend Tom has something to do with this. The basic level of the green cards is being able to destroy buildings, but there's even more potential. If a green card can destroy a mountain, what about a yellow one? I shook my head, stopping myself from overthinking. I had to focus on the fight at hand.
I groaned as I felt myself hurtling through the air, crashing hard onto the ground. I glanced up just in time to see the girl charging towards me, her fist aimed straight at my face. Time seemed to slow down as her punch drew closer, but then something unexpected happened. Tentacles shot out from my arms, now transformed and solid as steel. They snatched the girl, crushing her tightly in their grip.
Tiny claws sprouted from the iron tentacles, whirring like mini chainsaws as they attacked. The girl's screams filled the air as she writhed in agony. Reacting quickly, I unleashed a flurry of punches to her face, testing the resilience of my new appendages. It seemed they were more durable than I had imagined. Suddenly, a surge of energy coursed through me, heightening my senses. I struck with super speed, delivering dozens of blows in the blink of an eye.
It was as if my body was adapting on the fly. But just when I thought I had the upper hand, the girl launched a ball of red energy at me with incredible velocity, leaving me no time to evade its path.
I was sent flying hundreds of meters, feeling like my face was melting. I grunted in pain; the heat was unbearable.
I hit the ground hard, the pain throbbing through me, but then it stopped. I felt my face regenerating. Wow, damn, so this is what it feels like to adapt?
I got up, eyeing the girl. My steel tentacles, coated in a color akin to steel, quickly shielded me from more energy balls. They slammed into me, propelling me elsewhere. I sighed, then decided to charge at the girl. I landed another punch to her face, sending her flying. Running towards her, I continued the assault. Each hit made me feel stronger. I demolished her face, striking again and again.
Grabbing her leg, I slammed her to the ground. I wanted her XP. I was halfway to max level, and she'd probably level me up. Plus, Nemesis would likely become my strongest card for now.
The mutation and adaptability seemed to be going well. I grabbed her face, intending to destroy her from the inside. A tentacle entered her, the heat intense but bearable. It began tearing through her insides. I slammed her against the ground, squeezing her head with my free hand, not allowing her to adapt further. The girl struggled, but her movements weakened.
I slammed her again, determined to finish her. She had to die. She might be an alpha mutant, a dangerous one, but I needed her XP. Besides, she could potentially enhance my virus to incredible levels, maybe even rivaling Blacklight.
With each hit, she screamed in agony. Blood poured from her mouth. I tightened my grip, shouting, "DIE!" Another blow to her stomach made her vomit more blood. Suddenly, her movements ceased. I didn't hesitate, delivering a forceful blow to her face. Her head exploded, blood splattering. I collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Though I was adapting, fatigue washed over me. It seemed a side effect of the adaptation. Great.
[You have leveled up!
You have achieved an incredible feat! You have defeated a "pseudo-alpha" rank mutant!
Upgrades: huge improvement in strength, huge improvement in speed, huge improvement in senses!
You have achieved: accelerated adaptation!
Nemesis: 20/20!
For this great feat, an unknown card will be given to you! Although leveling up will be even more difficult!]
Shit. Finally maxed out this green card. "Pseudo-alpha"? What would it be like to beat a real alpha then?
I sighed. The whole town lay in ruins, all buildings destroyed. Shit. My body ached.
[DANGER! DANGER! THE CARD IS UNSTABLE!]
Unstable?
Suddenly, blood gushed from my body. Shit!
[THE SKILL "ADAPTATION" IS UNSTABLE!]
How could a skill be unstable!?
I looked at my arm; it lay on the ground. Huh?
"AAAARRRGGGG!!" I collapsed, excruciating pain engulfing me. My body hurt non-stop. Was I going to die?
I fell, vomiting blood. Could it be because of the F gene? But it said it was compatible with Nemesis! Shit. Everything hurt.
My body wouldn't budge. I decided to deactivate the card. As the mist enveloped me and then dissipated, I found myself back on the ground, right where I'd been before. Damn.
I touched my nose, feeling it bleed. Oh no... wait, what the hell!?
I scrambled to my feet, blood still flowing from my nose. Deactivating the card didn't stop it!? Don't mess with me!!
[The "Nemesis" card is unstable, currently being rebuilt!]
Seriously!?
Shit, why didn't I realize...? I guess the F gene isn't flawless... That girl probably shouldn't have been... Damn...
[Calm down, user. The card will be rebuilt and adapted to the F gene and its "adaptation," though it won't be available for a while.]
Are you kidding me!? It was my strongest card! It might have even had the power to level a whole damn city...
I wiped the blood from my nose, cursing under my breath. Seems like it's affecting me too. Fucking shit.
I trudged through the wreckage of the town, sighing heavily as I made my way towards my cabin. I needed to get out of here. No doubt some sketchy guys or some mysterious organization would show up soon. Wait, the brothers would be there, right...?
Damn. I activated Jeff's card and bolted, feeling the weight of exhaustion slowing me down. This fatigue was unbearable.
As I ran through the forest, thoughts raced through my mind about what would happen to my "Nemesis" card. Damn it. Finally, I could face some decently strong beings, and they take it away from me. Damn shit. I won't be able to do much with just Jeff and Pyramid Head's cards. But with the unknown card in hand, I hoped for the best.
As I dashed through the forest, my cabin came into view in the distance. I reached it, swinging open the door, only to find Oliver lying on the ground, his face utterly wrecked. What the hell happened now!?
Frustration boiling inside me, I hastily grabbed my supplies. But as I gathered my things, a sense of someone behind me sent a shiver down my spine. Oliver's sister materialized behind me, shoving me hard. Shit!
I was sent flying, crashing through the cabin wall and slamming into a tree. Why the hell was this woman attacking me now?
Dizziness washed over me, a feeling of helplessness I'd never experienced before. Oliver's sister approached slowly, her voice now deep and masculine. "Too bad... this body won't last long. Why did you meddle in my experiments? I don't think you're a mutant..."
I smirked at her, despite the pain coursing through my body. "Wow, lady, what a masculine voice. Seems like you've got balls..."
The ache in my body was excruciating. Fatigue always left me feeling weak as shit.
"Hehe... poor guy," she chuckled. "I only used this body because I saw how you destroyed my personal laboratory. Lucky for me, I've got my skill in this woman. And you should really pay more attention to hidden cameras, you know? It's kinda typical," she said in that same masculine voice. Wait... it's the voice of the guy in the black suit who surfaced with the scientist. Shit.
I couldn't resist. I thought about the system.
"Give me the damn card!" I screamed in my mind.
A screen materialized, visible only to me. The person in front of me didn't react to its appearance. There were words on the screen.
[This smell... It smells of nostalgia. The smell of a man being impaled... The smell of a woman being disemboweled... The smell of sick infants being burned to death... The smell of the elderly being riddled with bullets... The scent of death... The fragrance of war.]
This is...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone