[First Ordered Foundation Gene: Lvl 0 Bull's Frame] (Exp: 1910/100).]
"Continue, Upgrade Bull's Frame," he mentally commanded again.
[ Upgrading First Ordered Foundation Gene: Bull's Frame from Lvl 0 to Lvl 1...]
[ 100 Experience Points deducted. Remaining Exp: 1810.]
The response was immediate and jarringly different from the last upgrades.
There was no gentle warmth, but a deep, resonant thrum that started in the marrow of his bones.
It felt like a giant tuning fork had been struck inside him.
He gritted his teeth through the discomfort. This was the feeling of repair.
"Again."
[ Upgrading First Ordered Foundation Gene: Bull's Frame from Lvl 1 to Lvl 2...]
[ 200 Experience Points deducted. Remaining Exp: 1610. ]
The deep thrumming intensified, and the dull ache was joined by a new sensation: a powerful tightening in his muscles.
He could feel the atrophied fibers contracting, drinking in the life energy his Level 5 Mycelial Heart was now providing.
The feeling of having brittle, hollow bones began to slowly fade, replaced by a growing sense of density and solidness.
He instinctively clenched his fist, and while it was still weak, the motion felt connected and sure, not the shaky, frail gesture it had been moments ago.
The synergy was working perfectly.
The engine was feeding the machine, and the machine was rebuilding itself with every passing second.
"Do it again," he urged, a fierce determination in his thoughts.
[ Upgrading First Ordered Foundation Gene: Bull's Frame from Lvl 2 to Lvl 3... ]
[ 300 Experience Points deducted. Remaining Exp: 1310. ]
[ Upgrading First Ordered Foundation Gene: Bull's Frame from Lvl 3 to Lvl 4... ]
[ 400 Experience Points deducted. Remaining Exp: 910. ]
[ Upgrading First Ordered Foundation Gene: Bull's Frame from Lvl 4 to Lvl 5... ]
[ 500 Experience Points deducted. Remaining Exp: 410. ]
[ Characteristic unlocked at Lvl 5: Impact Bracing]
This time, a wave of vitality surged through his physical body, so strong it almost made him gasp.
The withered, grey quality of his skin began to recede, flushing with renewed blood flow.
The loose, hanging skin on his arms tightened as the muscle beneath swelled, reclaiming its lost mass.
Crack.
Scott flexed his arms, and the hardened mycelium cocoon that had been protecting him shattered like brittle glass.
He sat up on the mossy bed, taking a deep gulp of the damp cave air. He felt... heavy. But it was a good heavy. The weight of dense bone and coiled muscle.
"Status," he checked quickly. As he looked at his status panel again, his eyes landed on the number that changed.
[ Remaining Lifespan: 63 years, 8 months ]
"Haha… yes, it's already half recovered," He laughed happily looking at the remaining lifespan, but the clock was still ticking.
However, he could feel that with a few more upgrades, and he could heal himself completely.
When Scott checked the details of those genes again, the data was completely different from before the upgrade.
Satisfying.
[ First Ordered Foundation Gene: Lvl 5 Mycelial Heart ]
[ Description: The core of all spore man, this gene integrates a symbiotic mycelial network throughout the user's cardiovascular system. It acts as a second heart, allowing the direct absorption and processing of ambient Life Energy.]
[ Effect (Lvl 5): Improves Host's cultivation of Life energy by 0.51 per day. Life energy recovery rate +202% and gains 10 fixed points of upgrade experience daily, with additional, random experience points earned through continuous exercise. ]
[ Minor Energy Siphon (Unlocked at Lvl 5): Allows the user to actively draw a small amount of life energy from direct contact with living flora (plants, fungi) to accelerate personal stamina recovery outside of combat. ]
[ Upgrade Path: …. (477/1200) ]
[ First Ordered Foundation Gene: Lvl 5 Bull's Frame ]
[ Description: A powerful transformative gene acquired from the spores of a Mountain Bull. It fundamentally rebuilds the user's musculoskeletal system for incredible strength and resilience.]
[ Effect (Lvl 5): Physical attributes +10.12 points, 10 fixed points of upgrade experience is gained daily, with additional, random experience points earned through continuous exercise. ]
[ Impact Bracing (Unlocked at Lvl 5): The user's body will instinctively tense and redistribute kinetic force upon detecting a heavy impact, significantly reducing damage and knockback from blunt force trauma. ]
[ Upgrade Path: … (410/1200)]
Scott analyzed the new data, his mind racing as he compared it to the base Level 0 stats he'd seen just minutes before.
The Mycelial Heart was the most critical change.
First the passive life energy improvement increased from 0.05 to 0.51 points per day, which made his cultivation speed multiple times faster than others.
While the recovery rate and the maximum life energy recovery rate also jumped from a meager +20% to +200%.
That was a straight ten-fold increase in efficiency.
He could feel it in the powerful, steady way his body was now drawing energy from the Heartwood Tree and the surroundings.
It was the difference between trying to fill a bucket with a leaky eyedropper versus a flowing hose.
The daily experience gain had also shot up from 1 point to 10, which meant he could improve his level much faster.
Then he looked at the Bull's Frame.
The physical body reforging bonus had more than tripled, from Physique +1 to a staggering +10.
He understood that this was a direct increase to his base stats.
As his body healed and his base strength returned, that +10 bonus would make him very powerful even among the Elite First Ordered lifeforms.
This is the true effect of his Upgrader, just at level 5 the bonus was already equivalent to tenfold increase, what about level 10 or 15 or higher?
He can't imagine… Although it's becoming harder to upgrade his genes, the gains outweigh the efforts.
You should know that the average Physique of an ordinary First Ordered spore man was around 2 to 2.5 points, while the average Physique of a Second Ordered spore man was above 10 points.
The closer the Physique to 10 points the harder it was to improve and the stronger the effect after improvement.
Scott closed the blue interface with a thought, the glowing text dissolving into the damp air of the healing chamber.
He remained sitting on the mossy bed for a moment, simply breathing.
For the first time since waking up in this nightmare, he didn't feel like a dying old man. He felt... dangerous.
He looked down at his hands. The loose, crepe-paper skin that had horrified him earlier was gone.
In its place was healthy flesh, humming with a vibrancy that felt electric.
He flexed his fingers, watching the tendons ripple with a snap of newfound power.
"Physique over 10 points..." he muttered, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "That's basically the threshold of a Second Order creature."
And his basic physique already crossed the threshold of First Ordered Spore man into the domain of Second Ordered Spore man.
However, that doesn't mean he can fight head on with the Second Ordered Lifeforms whose Life energy was transformed into Life essence.
But he can still handle his own and escape from the assault of low level second ordered spore beasts.
He stood up.
CRACK.
His spine realigned with a satisfying pop that echoed off the cave walls. He stretched his neck, feeling the thick cords of muscle shift effortlessly.
The Bull's Frame wasn't just about bulk; it was about density.
He felt anchored to the earth, solid as a boulder, yet his Mycelial Heart pumped energy through him with the lightness of a feather.
He glanced over at the other beds.
Alistair and the other two spore men were still wrapped tight in their white mycelium cocoons, their breathing shallow and ragged.
They were still fighting for their lives, burning through the slow healing process.