As the crowd broke up to follow Jorunn's orders, Scott stepped out as he walked to a large stone that had been knocked loose during the zombie's attack, a piece that would have taken three strong men to even budge.
He wrapped his fingers around its rough edge, bent his knees, and lifted.
It came off the ground with an ease that sent a jolt of shock through him.
It was heavy, yes, but it felt manageable, like lifting a small bag, not an immovable rock.
He made a quick mental calculation based on the density and size. "This has to be at least 6,000 pounds (approx. 2.7 tons)."
He held it for a moment, feeling the slight strain in his muscles, then set it down with a soft thud that shook the dust around his boots.
He stood there, staring at his hands, his gamer mind instantly running the comparisons.
Before the upgrade, with a Physique of roughly 3.4, attempting to lift this would have snapped his spine in half.
An Ordinary Spore Man of the First Order, with an average Physique of 2.5, would struggle to lift a weight one-tenth of this size.
Even those who specialized in strength-type genes, like the Iron-Arm Beetle or Heavy-Back Bear, usually only enhanced specific muscle groups.
They might be able to drag this rock, or lift one corner, but their spines and legs wouldn't be able to support the total vertical load.
But the Bull's Frame was different.
It was a full-body reconstructive gene, it increased the density of his bones, the tensile strength of his tendons, and the thickness of every muscle fiber from his neck to his ankles.
He was a walking tank.
He then tested his speed, taking a few quick steps across the clearing.
Whoosh.
He covered twenty feet in the blink of an eye, the world blurring slightly at the edges of his vision.
He stopped instantly; his feet planted firmly on the ground with perfect balance.
The Impact Bracing characteristic absorbed the momentum that would have normally sent him tumbling forward, redistributing the kinetic force harmlessly through his legs.
"Physique +10.12...I'm uncomfortable with this sudden increase in strength." Scott muttered, a grin spreading across his face. "It's not just a number. It's a different realm of existence."
As he flexed his hand, feeling the power humming beneath his skin, a memory of old Scott from his childhood surfaced, a lecture from his father, the previous Lord.
"Listen, Scott," his father said, his voice stern. "Integrating a gene is just the beginning. The true gap between warriors lies in Proficiency."
"As far as I know, the mastery of a gene was divided into five distinct stages: Entry, Proficient, Advanced, Expert, and Mastery."
"You reach Mastery level when the gene is perfectly fused with the host, unlocking hidden characteristics and reaching the limit of that tie.
"Some say you can even improve further than that, but I've only seen a few that could reach Mastery, not to mention above that."
"Well the world is so big, who knows, they say spore men from advance camps use promotion potions to improve genes. However, they are not cheap and only sold by the Advance Camps."
Even Scott understood that people in their low level camps, without much resources, high level knowledge or talented technicians, it's just a pipe dream to advance to higher realms.
This caused most First Order warriors to spend decades grinding their proficiency just to reach the Advanced stage.
"My Level 5..." When Scott realized this, his heart began pounding fast. "It corresponds directly to the Mastery stage."
"Not to mention, I can upgrade further than that using the Shelter Core. Hahaa…" Scott laughed thinking this.
As for his future path…
"In the game, becoming a pure tank was boring," Scott muttered, rubbing his chin. "And a pure glass-cannon sniper was too risky for a solo player."
"But now... I can be both." He focused his attention on his two common genes.
[First Order Common Gene: Level 0 Camouflage Spores] (Exp: 1950/100) and [First Order Common Gene: Level 0 Spore Dart] (Exp: 1745/100).
He first checked the basic attributes of [Gene: Camouflage Spores].
[First Order Common Gene: Level 0 Camouflage Spores]
[ Description: Allows the user to release a cloud of microspores that adhere to the skin and clothing. These spores refract light and alter color, providing effective camouflage against natural backdrops. ]
[ Life Energy Cost: 10 ]
[ Effectiveness: 13% visibility reduction while stationary. ]
[ Sound Dampening: 3% reduction in movement noise. ]
[ Duration: 5 minutes. ]
"Thirty percent is barely enough to hide from even ordinary spore beasts," he muttered to himself. It was time for a serious upgrade.
It is not that the old Scott never thought of improving his genes, however no one from their camp knew how to do that.
He only knew that there were special types of potions that can strengthen spore genes, but as a low-level camp, they never had a chance before...
"Let's start with the camo," he thought. "Upgrade Camouflage Spores."
[ Upgrading First Order Common Gene: Camouflage Spores from Level 0 to Level 1... ]
[ 100 Experience Points deducted. Remaining Exp: 1850. ]
A faint, cool sensation spread over his skin, like a light mist settling on him, but the feeling was faint.
He immediately checked the new stats.
[ First Order Common Gene: Level 1 Camouflage Spores (+50%) ]
[ Life Energy Cost: 15 ]
[ Effectiveness: 19.5% visibility reduction. ]
[ Sound Dampening: 4.5% reduction. ]
[ Duration: 7.5 minutes. ]
"Better," he thought, "but still not good enough to rely on. Let's keep going."
"Upgrade again."
[ Upgrading First Order Common Gene: Camouflage Spores from Level 1 to Level 2... ]
[ 200 Experience Points deducted. Remaining Exp: 1650. ]
This time, the sensation was stronger. It felt as if his connection to the surrounding light and shadows deepened.
He could almost feel how the light would bend around him if he activated the skill.
He checked the panel again, a flicker of excitement building.
[ First Order Common Gene: Level 2 Camouflage Spores (+50%) ]
[ Life Energy Cost: 22.5 ]
[ Effectiveness: 29.25% visibility reduction. ]
[ Sound Dampening: 6.75% reduction. ]
[ Duration: 11.25 minutes. ]
A nearly 30% reduction in visibility was serious business. That was good enough to fool the eyes of most common spore beasts if he was careful.
"One more time. Upgrade."
"One more…"
[ Upgrading First Order Common Gene: Camouflage Spores from Level 4 to Level 5... ]
[ 500 Experience Points deducted. Remaining Exp: 450. ]
A powerful wave of energy washed over him. It wasn't just a feeling on his skin anymore; it was a fundamental change in his perception.
He instinctively understood how to release the spores to perfectly match the texture of bark, or the shimmer of damp moss.
His eyes snapped to the panel.
[ First Order Common Gene: Level 5 Camouflage Spores (+100%) ]
[ Life Energy Cost: 33.75 ]
[ Effectiveness: ~95% visibility reduction, active effective below Second Order Lifeforms.]
[ Sound Dampening: 30.6% reduction. ]
[ Duration: 50 minutes. ]
[ Chroma-Flux (Unlocked at Lvl 5): The microspores now actively mimic the texture and light refraction of the environment in real-time, allowing for near-perfect invisibility even while moving at slow speeds. ]
"In the game, you needed a 'Stealth Master' class or a Tier-2 'Shadow Cloak' gene to get numbers like this." Scott couldn't help a wide grin. Ninety-five percent.
That was practically invisible.
But he could feel that he couldn't act rashly around Second Order Lifeforms, as they were capable of using their powerful biological energy field to identify their surroundings.
But in front of First Order Lifeforms, he could walk right past or stand feet away from his prey without being seen.
The thirty percent sound reduction was just as huge. This single skill, just at Level 5, had already become his ultimate survival tool.