To maximize the absorption of the Zero-Type Mecha's power, Raleigh switched it to Balanced Form. While the Brute Force and Extreme Speed forms offered extreme attributes, the recent encounter with the Muscle Mutant had already exposed the flaws of over-specialization. A Mech could be strong or fast, but without a balance of mobility, defense, and strength, it was merely a brittle tower,easily toppled.
Even in its balanced configuration, the armor's two points of defense weren't enough to withstand the mutant's relentless biting and flailing. As the creature struck, the root tendril fibers covering the Mech began to snap, leaving hairline fractures across the surface.
"Crack!"
A sharp sound echoed, followed by a shower of sparks. Pieces of the armor shattered into countless fragments, breaking apart and dissolving into wisps of white light that surged into the Abyssal Mark resting in Raleigh's palm.
The Primary Mutator screeched, its jaws snapping at the smooth, now-exposed arm, but it only met empty air. A right hand had already gripped its head.
"Talent Triggered: Titan Assimilation. Armor Absorbed: Zero-Type One."
Raleigh narrowed his eyes, a faint smile tugging at his lips. As the Mech disintegrated, he could feel its core power detaching and streaming into his own body. Unlike the grotesque mutations he'd seen in the elite creatures, this surge didn't alter his appearance unnaturally. Instead, his body felt tighter, more symmetrical, and imbued with a natural robustness, as if his very physiology had been recalibrated.
With his newly enhanced strength, dodging the Primary Mutator's lunges became effortless. He clamped his right hand onto its head, unshaken no matter how violently it thrashed. Even the creature's claws could only scratch the surface, leaving faint white streaks.
"Strength, agility, defense…" Raleigh murmured. "Just absorbing the Zero-Type Mecha once… have I already transcended normal human limits?"
He tested his grip with a squeeze. The mutant's skull cracked and burst like a watermelon, purple fluid splattering across his chest and arms. He froze for a moment, realizing that, without the Mech helmet and thick clothing, the sticky, viscous substance was revolting. A wave of nausea rolled over him.
Quickly, Raleigh tore off his long-sleeved shirt, revealing his muscular torso. He wiped his hands clean and tossed the soiled shirt aside.
"Repairing the armor takes ten hours… I'll just wait up here on the rooftop." He muttered to himself. "And try not to get any more of this stuff on me,it's disgusting enough. Might as well test out this new strength while I wait."
He realized that, in absorbing the Mech's power, he had also integrated the effects of the modules. This meant he could now fully utilize Uncontrolled Mutation.
First, he placed the damaged Zero-Type Mecha into Active Repair, initiating the ten-hour restoration sequence. Then, he triggered his own talent:
"Uncontrolled Mutation,activate!"
Immediately, his upper body muscles expanded, inflating like balloons, thickening several sizes in mere seconds. With a casual punch, he shattered the metal casing of the nearby helicopter, leaving a gaping hole.
"Hiss…" Raleigh inhaled sharply. The power coursing through him felt natural, perfectly synchronized with his intent. This wasn't raw, uncontrollable strength,this was strength born from him, as if it had always been part of his body. Even in this augmented form, he could manipulate delicate objects, like a mobile phone, without fear of crushing them.
A relieved smile crossed his face. He hadn't wanted brute strength to interfere with his everyday control,accidentally breaking things while eating or washing his hands would be embarrassing.
With confidence restored, Raleigh returned to clearing the Primary Mutators at the rooftop access point. He moved with precision, each strike swift and devastating. But even with his enhanced abilities, the Mutants were finite. Soon, corpses piled high, and the sticky purple fluid made further farming unpleasant. After two hours, no new mutants appeared.
He set aside the metal obstructions, surveying the scene: the passage was littered with defeated creatures, a morbid purple sludge coating the ground. Raleigh sighed, deciding to rest and wait for the Mecha to complete its repair.
Time passed slowly. Six hours later, the sun dipped toward the horizon, its last rays barely illuminating the ruined city. No moon appeared; instead, a faint purple glow began spreading across the streets.
Raleigh leaned on the rooftop edge, watching carefully. The city's seemingly normal green plants now appeared translucent. Branches resembled slender conduits, filled with flowing purple liquid, and dark, spherical shadows moved within. From above, the vast urban sprawl looked like a glowing purple ocean.
The scene stirred something in Raleigh. He recalled the modules and materials he had obtained,the fibrous tendrils, the way the Root-Sprout Enhancement integrated with the Mecha.
"Could these plants be the real source of the virus from the extraterrestrial meteorite?" he wondered.
According to the trial's background data, the meteorite carried a mysterious biochemical agent. Even after the Empire's large-scale destruction, the pathogen had spread, annihilating civilization within three days. But now Raleigh realized the virus wasn't airborne,it was embedded in the flora. The city's plants had become living carriers, and the mutants were merely parasitized vessels.
To confirm, he dissected a fallen mutant with a piece of iron. Tiny, pale purple fibers coursed through the viscous fluid, nearly invisible to the naked eye. His hypothesis held.
Raleigh stood at the rooftop's edge, staring down at the massive vines coiling around the building below.
"So that means…" he whispered. "The real powerhouse of this skyscraper isn't the special mutants… it's the root itself."
This root tendril system,**the source of mutation for the entire building, perhaps even the city,**was the true challenge. Destroying it would likely yield an impressive trial evaluation.
Raleigh licked his dry lips, anticipation stirring within him. The night deepened. Ten hours later, the Zero-Type Mecha finally completed its repair. Raleigh clenched his right fist and summoned the armor.
This time, it wasn't just a flash of white light. Countless tiny, pale purple tendrils surged from the Abyssal Mark, weaving around his body. As the light dissipated, the tendrils solidified, forming a complete exoskeleton. A silver-black warrior, draped in pale purple, root-like armor, now stood where Raleigh had been,a perfect fusion of talent, modules, and Mecha.