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So I had twenty regular cores for upgrades and three greater cores to choose from to get a new ability. Speaking of which, I had been getting this feeling as the days went by in my gut. It wasn't overwhelming or anything, but it was like I was trying to remember something. These last couple of days, it had grown stronger, and I had a strong suspicion I knew what it meant. I think it was time for me to get a new Racial ability!
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The question was which greater core to use. I had to think about the creatures I had encountered and what abilities they had displayed when I realised the greater Emberfang didn’t really show me anything, and the Draco-fox didn’t get a chance to show me anything as I snuck him. I did think it was pretty cool looking, though, and the Draco part really got my attention. If I could evolve into some awesome dragon, that would be pretty sick. Still, the rational part of my mind told me that the Sobekian was probably the best choice. Out of the three, he was the one who had pushed me the most, and if I had thought him anywhere other than that room, he would have killed me. I looked at the other two options one more time, wondering if I was being stupid. Before I could start second-guessing myself, I selected the Greater Sobekian, bringing up the system prompt.
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You have selected to use the greater Sobekian core to gain a new ability. Abilities selected will be changed to suit your current form, but their effects will remain similar.
Please select from the following?
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- Enhanced Claws:- This ability modifies claws, allowing them to slice through objects as hard as stone with ease. Increases strength by 3.
- Primordial Jaw:- Using the power of primal mana to strengthen your Jaw, allowing you to bite through any non-magical substance. Also allows for the digestion of all materials.
- Primal Force:- This allows your body to produce Primal Force, a substance that predates mana. Primal Force is a much more primitive form of mana and can only be used offensively. Primal Force greatly enhances strength but leaves you weakened after use. Primal force can be used in place of mana for offensive spells. Doing so can change the nature of the spell.
Well, this was going to be an easy decision, or so I thought. I was initially going to write off the Primordial Jaws as I had no intention of biting my way through battle. But then I thought of all the magic items I came across. If I could eat those and digest them, would that give me any extra boosts or even help in my evolution? After thinking about it, though, I decided there was too much about that ability that I didn’t know, and that it was not going to be helpful for the immediate task: murdering fire monkeys.
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Primal Force looked confusing. I didn’t know if I wanted another resource to keep track of, but at the same time, offensive power was exactly what I was looking for, and I remembered how Kamera was launching those red slashes everywhere. That would be awesome, especially when combined with my Void Rend ability. In fact, it could be a way to bypass that restriction on supercharging it. I doubted it would be as strong as supercharging, but the blades hadn’t struggled cutting anything yet, and it was nice to have an option that didn’t have an hour cooldown. Also, having a backup for when I run out of mana would be great.
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Enhanced Claws was tempting for the strength boost, especially since that was worth thirty percent of my EP. The lack of concrete numbers bugged me, but there was nothing to do about it. Ultimately, I was always going to pick Primal Force—not because it was better, but because I wanted to control the strange red energy like Kamera. In the end, when in doubt, the rule of cool wins!
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I selected the Primal Force option, and the system prompted me.
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Primal Force selected….
Ability undergoing forceful compatibility conversion…
Ability conversion successful, new ability created…
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That was when I felt my chest erupt in pain. I turned to face Kiko and managed a pained smile and a few words, “I…ok…powering…up!” I said this as the spot right next to my heart, where that mana core orbited my monster core, began to glow a deep red. A deep, extremely hot, and painful red. My chest felt as though something was trying to rip its way out of my rib cage. I barely noticed myself falling down on my hands and knees. I was vaguely aware of Kiko helping me get into a seated position. I was on the verge of passing out when I felt a change. The burning pain that tore through me receded, replaced by something new. Pure power blossomed within me, and I felt a storm of energy flood through each of my limbs and pour out from between my scales as roiling black stormclouds full of crackling red electricity. I found the power so easy to move within myself, I could use it instinctively, pushing it around my body. Unlike when I used mana to cast my spells, which felt like water through a pipe, this was feral in comparison. A raging fire flowing through veins. This was an incredible feeling, one that ended just as quickly as it came, leaving me on the floor, laughing maniacally. Kiko had backed away and was looking at me in that weird way they had, something between fear and pity.
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“I’m alright, Kiko, sorry I worried you,” I said as I gingerly got to my feet.
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“I was just powering up!” I said right before I coughed up a little black mist.
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Kiko, for their part, just carried on looking at me, not saying a word. I shrugged and turned my attention to the prompt the system was desperate to show me.
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Primal Font:-
Your mana core has now transformed into a Primal Font, letting your body generate Primal Force instead of mana. Primal Force is more potent than mana but can only be used for offensive and movement-related abilities or spells, not for defensive or utility magic.
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I stare at the ability I’d been so proud of. I had lost my mana! I couldn’t do magic anymore! For the next five minutes, I let off a tirade of expletives. That's when I calmed down and realised I was jumping the gun. The message didn’t say I couldn’t use magic, just that I now had an alternative energy source—maybe like switching from petrol to diesel. That thought made me feel slightly better. Still, I needed to know what happened to my spells. Hoping against all hope, I brought up my spell list.
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Primal Nexus- level 1
Primal Force 20/20
Primal Force Regeneration: two Primal Force per Second (2PF/S)
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Wow! That was some change, especially the Bestial Transformation. I was so eager to try that one out. I had a final form transformation!!! I was fairly confident my Willpower was high enough. I mean, I had maxxed it out, but the system still wasn’t very consistent. Still didn’t want to freak out my only potential friend, especially as they were huddled in a corner looking as though I might decide to eat them at any moment.
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Now, though, with my new ability sorted, it was time to use the rest of the regular cores. This was where things were going to get tough. First, turn them into an EP. The first ones I started with were the Emberfang cores.
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You have 13 Emberfang Core. Do you wish to consume? [Y/N]?
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I agreed to my consent just as a thought crossed my mind. Wasn't the EP worked out as a percentage, and each core was worth ten percent, and I had just turned thirteen… I prayed that the system would let me go over 100% and didn’t just steal three of my cores!
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Your Evolution Points [EP] have reached 130%
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*WARNING* evolutions points have exceeded maximum if not reduced forced evolution will begin in ten minutes
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Oh Shit! I thought as I scrambled to use the EP. At least the system was courteous enough to give me ten minutes. The first thing I did was dump 50% into my Dexterity stat, taking it to the Max. I was going to need the boost to keep up with the more elite emberfangs; those I’d faced were plenty fast already. That left me with 80% to play with, keeping me under the threshold. I decided I would not let my cores hang around like that. I'd use them as soon as possible.
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I was so tempted to dump them straight into my Primal font, but decided to think about it a bit first. I hadn't even learned how my spells worked yet, and I wanted to study that free channeling book before I boosted my magic stuff anymore. According to the witch who wrote the book, free channeling made the system obsolete, where magic was considered. If it proved compatible with Primal Force, then there was no point wasting my EP on something I could improve by myself.
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After a bit of thinking, I decided to put 60% into my Golden Scales, maxing them out as well. Immediately, I felt my whole body itch as my old scales were pushed out of their sockets and replaced with new ones. These didn’t look much different, but they felt different. The feeling was so alien to me, but I just knew these would keep me safe. I guess this is how tortoises felt about their shells. I heard scuffling and noticed that Kiko had moved a little bit closer. I guess they were curious about what I was up to, shedding my scales like that right in front of them. I pretended not to notice, no point spooking the little dude or dudette? I really needed to know how to address them, I guess, until they told me otherwise, I would just refer to them by name. Maybe when I went to rescue their friends, I’d see some sexual dimorphism.
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I refocused my mind on what I was doing by huffing and saying, “Right!”
I had 20% left from the emberfangs, and I quickly consumed my remaining non-greater cores, bringing me up to Ninety Percent. I didn't want to be left without an EP, as I was worried about triggering my Monstrous Hunger ability. Saying that, though, triggering it while in monster form would be pretty awesome… I decided to leave ten percent and put the remaining eighty percent into my serpentine ability, bringing that up nicely to the max. I hoped the extra mobility would help. As the ability reached its maximum, I felt my body begin to change. It was subtle and not as dramatic as all my scales falling out. Instead, it was as though I had just received the world's greatest massage as my muscles adapted to the ability’s newfound strength.
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Now powered up, it was time to go liberate some reptilian/amphibian aliens and make them my friends! I turned to Kiko.
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“I’m going to go fight those monkeys. If I don’t die, it will appear as me coming back as soon as I leave or something. I'm not sure, but I think time doesn’t flow when we're in here, or if it does, it flows really slowly. You’re welcome to stay in her, but I don’t think you’ll ever be able to get out if I die, so…”
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Kiko looked around the messy room before answering in her strange language.
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“I’ll come too,” She said, staring at me with her weird oversized eyes. “I’ll help you save everyone!”
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With that, I summoned the door, and we stepped through.
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