Second Genesis

[Name: Grey Temolt]

[Frame: Prometheus]

[Pending Quests: 2]

—

Stamina: 6/10

Sync Rate: N/A

Energy Reserve: N/A

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STR: 11SPD: 11

DEX: 11INT: 11

END: 11PER: 11

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Harmonic Stats: N/A

Free Stat Points: 0

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Abilities:

Body

Resistances: N/A

Combat: N/A

Enhancements: N/A

Mind

Resistances: N/A

Combat: N/A

Enhancements: Lv3 Goblin Warlord Spirit

—

Grey heaved for breath, using the spear lodged between a Skrill’s brows for support as he leaned over.

He had somewhat felt it in the middle of that battle, but Goblin Warlord Spirit had progressed again.

It was certainly because of the necklace, but he still didn’t really understand.

Before he had the Looping Necklace, Goblin Warlord Spirit hadn’t budged at all. From his understanding, the Looping Necklace didn’t give him the right to progress—it enhanced the speed of the progress he already had.

Grey never cared much for school at all, though he had honors in skipping class. But even he knew that zero multiplied by a million was still zero.

That was to say that, logically, he should still have zero progress even with the necklace.

The easy answer was that maybe he was progressing before and just hadn’t felt it. But Grey didn’t buy it.

Something else was going on, and he had a feeling that it was about this so-called "Accepted Type," whatever that was.

Grey sighed and looked over toward the floating Loot Box. There was one Uncommon one floating just there beyond his reach.

’Come on. Have to keep going.’

Grey adjusted May’s Nexis Suit on his arm and reached forward, hoping it would work out.

Surprisingly, it did.

There was a click, then an animation. The Loot Box unwound itself first like a jigsaw puzzle and then like water spiraling down a drain in metallic pieces of hardware.

What was left behind was a mask, but it looked like it had the very same wiggling strands of discolored grey and black worms attached to it that the Skrill had—like some sort of eldritch horror of a wig.

—

Name: Mask of the Skrill

Rarity: Uncommon

Accepted Type: Branching

Restricted Type: Linear

Description: An auxiliary item designed to make your movements harder to track and difficult to predict. While you, yourself, are sure in your next actions, your enemies will receive a fear spike response that will make them doubt their own senses.

Abilities: +10% DEX

—

It took Grey a good minute or two before he finally managed to make out all the words in the description, but the result made him frown.

Wasn’t he a Recursive Type? Didn’t that mean he couldn’t use this?

Did he even want to? It was kind of gross.

Grey put it on anyway.

There was a familiar pulse through his body, but he didn’t quite feel any rejection.

He moved around and didn’t feel too different. But if there were a third party observing him now, it would feel to them as though his body was constantly "ghosting," leaving streaking afterimages in the air despite not moving all that quickly at all.

The mask looked like a skull mask. Not one made out of bone, but instead of a true skull—if that skull was a greyed black, that is.

To say Grey looked menacing at the moment was a true understatement.

’Well, it’s not harming anything, I don’t think, Grey said after a moment of standing with it. Worst case scenario, I can hide my face. If those producers can’t show footage with my face, it’ll be harder for them to turn everyone against me.’

Grey walked over, picked up Ray’s longsword, and stored it away. He decided that he liked May’s spear more for now. But he still did a quick check with Fitz’s bow to see if he felt anything from it.

Still no.

If he could use a bow, it would be very helpful. Unfortunately, he’d have to let the idea rest for now.

’Let’s move forward.’

...

Grey made his way forward and quickly reached the next section of runes.

’This place feels like a maze.’

He looked ahead and there was a cobblestone path overgrown with grass and weeds. It was so thin that only one person could walk forward along it.

To its left and right, the forest was growing thicker and shrubs were pushing forward as though they wanted to swallow up the path whole.

However, to the side, there was another path leading to another ruin.

There were no walls in this place, but it functioned like a maze nonetheless between the heavy mass of trees. In fact, it was worse than a normal maze considering every "corner" and decision in direction he had to make came with another forced battle.

None of this even mentioned how the fog here was only getting worse the further he went.

Grey stepped into the ruin.

—

[Instance Battle Triggered — Lair of the Verxan!]

—

The sound of sharpening blades filled the air and a praying mantis about three-quarters of Grey’s size appeared.

Its back limbs sprawled out almost like springs ready to erupt at any time, its front limbs looking like meticulously polished scythes. The blades reflected what little sunlight there was in the heavy fog.

It lunged, its legs slapping against the ground. Its scythes crisscrossed and slashed.

Grey was already in a steady stance, his spear raised.

Suddenly, his body moved on instinct. He raised his blade high and slashed down.

His timing was perfect. Just as the scythes of the praying mantis crossed, he cut into the first.

They smashed against one another, the slashing attack of the Verxan being interrupted by its own in-grown weapons.

The two separated and Grey took a step back. The timing of the praying mantis’ attack was thrown off, its scythes slashing at nothing but air. And in that brief moment, an opening appeared at its chest.

A wild grin spread across Grey’s face.

His spear moved like lightning as he thrust right into a gap in the creature’s protective carapace, twisting and then slashing in a vicious motion.

Green blood flew and splattered as the light in the Verxan’s beady eyes dimmed.