Finally,a drop! Raleigh's eyes gleamed beneath the helmet. After hours of grinding Primary Mutators, the Abyss had finally rewarded him. The Root-Sprout Enhancement module hovered above his palm, radiating a faint purple glow intertwined with the pulse of the Abyssal Mark.
The Zero-Type Mecha's base attributes had been pitiful: a measly three points total. Even with the Exoskeleton's enhancements, it was barely a fraction of a true combat-ready Mech. But this module,if installed correctly,would almost double its total attributes. Just imagining the leap in power made his heart pound with excitement.
Root-Sprout Enhancement offered two installation modes: one for upper limbs, one for lower limbs. Each provided a distinct advantage. Raleigh paused for a moment, weighing his options.
Upper limbs… Strength and defense. He tapped his chin beneath the helmet. Agility won't matter much here. I'm blocking the passage; I don't need speed for now. But I will need raw strength to crush these Primary Mutators and any surprises that come through.
Decision made, he touched the Abyssal Mark with his middle finger. A faint trace of Neural Energy rose from his palm, intertwining above it into a gray chip, no larger than a fingernail. Its surface shimmered with flowing purple patterns, eerily reminiscent of Mutant veins.
Raleigh pinched the chip carefully. A slot appeared on the surface of his left arm's exoskeleton, perfectly matching the module. With a press, the chip slid in smoothly. Almost immediately, the slot vanished, and dense light-purple root tendrils burst from the shoulder, cascading over his chest, back, arms, and hands. They interwove so tightly they resembled muscle fibers more than anything organic. Within moments, the tendrils solidified, melding seamlessly with the Zero-Type Mecha's surface.
"Affiliated module installation complete."
Raleigh flexed his fingers, staring in awe. He tentatively reached for a chunk of metal debris in front of him and lifted it effortlessly. The same obstacle that had earlier required every ounce of his strength now rose as if it weighed nothing. He widened the gap at the passage entrance, and two Primary Mutators slithered through, snarling and lunging for his arms.
The light-purple fibers didn't even flinch. Their density deflected the bites, leaving only faint scratches.
This… this is insane.
He released the metal obstacle and casually slammed the iron rod into the mutants, sending them tumbling back. Then, with a thought, he crossed his hands, grasped the heads of two Mutants simultaneously, and lifted them like they were fragile dolls. A snap of his wrists, and the purple fluid of their corpses splattered across the metal floor.
Under the pitch-black helmet, Raleigh's smile widened. This is power.
He surveyed the passage again. The metal barricade shuddered slightly under impact from the mutants, but his enhanced exoskeleton could handle it. He didn't need weapons anymore; his fists and the Root-Sprout module were enough. Every mutant that attempted to push through became instant practice, feeding him Abyssal Aura and slowly growing his strength.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed from the fifth floor. Raleigh glanced upward. The massive mutant,the one he had seen earlier, its upper body ballooned into a grotesque inverted triangle,was thrashing violently. It could not fit through the narrow passage, and its attempts only rattled the metal framework and sent shattered furniture flying.
A white, unidentified machine toppled, crashing through the giant floor-to-ceiling windows. Shards of glass rained down onto the lower floors. The mutant paused, a grotesque smile forming on its disproportionately small head, surveying the destruction it had caused.
That thing… it's smart.
Raleigh's mind raced. The mutant's intelligence was rudimentary, but it clearly understood the environment. It had learned that it couldn't use the passage and instead used brute force to manipulate its surroundings. That meant he couldn't underestimate it.
His gaze shifted back to the passage entrance. The smaller mutants were coming steadily, and with the Root-Sprout Enhancement module installed on his upper limbs, he was a whirlwind of destruction. One punch flattened them into puddles. Their bodies released Abyssal Aura into his Abyssal Mark, and he felt the surge of power coursing through him.
He even allowed himself to remove a few metal obstacles, widening the gap slightly. The small mutants now reached the rooftop in a controlled stream,enough to feed him power but not enough to overwhelm. Every strike, every kill, fed his main body's growth.
After hundreds of mutants, he secured another Root-Sprout Enhancement module. This time, he decided to install it on the lower limbs. The tendrils flowed seamlessly down, covering his legs and hips, completing the exoskeleton with fluid, muscular fibers of light purple.
His attributes skyrocketed: Strength 4, Agility 3, Defense 2. Compared to when he had first arrived, he was now an entirely different entity, a walking engine of destruction.
Just as he assessed his new form, the sound of shattering glass erupted from outside the building. His instincts sharpened. Something had arrived. Quickly, he sealed the passage again with metal debris, preventing attacks from multiple directions.
A few seconds later, two massive hands gripped the edge of the rooftop. A monstrous shadow landed heavily, shaking the helipad. The Muscle Mutant,four to five meters tall, upper body ballooned with muscle, lower limbs comparatively thin,roared with excitement.
Raleigh's heart tightened.
It climbed the building? Using sheer strength?
He wasn't surprised that a creature could climb if strong enough. But this… this mutant seemed intelligent, understanding the climb and its environment. That was unsettling.
The mutant lunged with a spring-like motion. Raleigh had anticipated this. Using the new lower-limb module, he dodged gracefully, feeling the surge of agility flowing through his legs. Each step was precise, his movements fluid and sharp. The rooftop cracked where the mutant's fists slammed the ground,proof of its immense strength.
Its strength is incredible… but its speed is limited by that inverted-triangle body. I can exploit this.
He analyzed, adjusted his stance, and let the exoskeleton enhance every reaction. Strength against strength was hopeless. Agility against brute force, however, was his advantage.
Purple chips ejected from his left arm and slotted into his thigh module, the fibers from his upper body cascading down, forming a full-body synergy. The Zero-Type Mecha glowed faintly, the tendrils now moving in sync with his will.
Zero-Type Mecha: Extreme Speed Form!
Raleigh clenched his fists. The Muscle Mutant's attacks were powerful, but predictable. Every swing was met with evasive maneuvers, every impact absorbed or redirected. He grinned beneath the helmet. This was the first time he truly felt the synergy of talent, Abyssal Mark, and modules.
Strength versus speed… I win if I stay smart. I win if I don't panic.
The rooftop battle was about to escalate,but Raleigh was ready. With Root-Sprout Enhancement modules on his limbs, he was no longer just a survivor. He was a predator, a Mech Warrior beginning to embrace the Abyssal trial's full potential.