Sinew-Splitting, Bone-Breaking (Part 2)

You killed lv.15 White Fang Bandit x7 — total damage contribution exceeded 60%, defeated higher-level enemies, party bonus, additional rewards, calculating...

You accumulated 17,427 experience points.

Nomi was slaughtering enemies at the side, but Li Aoz could no longer be bothered to manage her. He lacked the ability to finish enemies off, so there was no need to fight her for kills just for experience.

Besides, Nomi's damage output was limited. After casually cutting down a few bandits, she still let some of them escape—which was exactly what Li Aoz wanted.

If the White Fang Bandits were truly hurt badly by them, they would realize that the shelter was not to be trifled with and would not attack again. Then Li Aoz would have no way to keep harvesting experience packs.

But conversely, if these desperadoes were not wiped out, then in an environment as harsh as the Outland, no one would be willing to stay out there when there was a safe, warm shelter available. They would inevitably attack the shelter again.

They might even gather more men next time.

Therefore, not only did Li Aoz refrain from wiping them out, he deliberately gave the bandits enough time to loot and pillage. Once they had tasted the sweetness, it would be hard to guarantee that they would not continue coveting the shelter.

Robbery was like spending money on gacha pulls—there was only zero times and countless times. You would always cling to the lucky thought of, "What if I get lucky?" Therefore, Li Aoz was not worried at all that the White Fang Bandits would give up. Given the circumstances in the Outland, as long as they received a little temptation, even if they knew there was a pit of fire ahead, they would still jump right in.

"This is what you call scientifically raising pigs."

After leveling up, the party penalty between Li Aoz and level 17 Nomi had dropped considerably, and the experience gained this time had clearly increased.

However, the problem with Gravity Aura had also surfaced—since this ability caused indirect damage, the system panel had no way of displaying damage information. He could only rely on visual observation and his own senses.

Fortunately, in the early stages, almost no one who was not a superhuman could withstand the effects of Gravity Deflection and being slammed into the ground.

Li Aoz was hardly excited, though. With Omega-class Aura in the hands of a Master Player Starcaller like him, defeating higher-level enemies was only natural. It was like giving Simple a pistol—he could still 1v5 in a low-tier match.

"I need to get professional knowledge as soon as possible, and my specialties need to improve too. Otherwise, with attributes this low, I'll definitely have to suffer."

Li Aoz dumped all his experience into Mutant, raising it to level 10.

Main Class [Mutant] has been upgraded to lv.10.

Based on your specialties, you gained the following benefit: Charisma +3.

Before Li Aoz could react, the system panel suddenly turned red and black, filled with double-helix-shaped cracks.

"Ugh—why now?!"

A piercing pain, as if his heart were being gouged and his bones scraped, instantly coursed through his entire body. Li Aoz dropped to one knee as an electric numbness rapidly spread from the surface of his skin and seeped into his marrow.

It had come—the most torturous experience of being a Mutant: genetic mutation.

Drenched in cold sweat, Li Aoz was instantly crushed by the excruciating pain. He could only force himself to endure as he stared at the system prompts continuously appearing before him: Warning: Gene Sequence unstable!

You have undergone a mutation. Integrating Gene Fragments...

Some of your genetic traits have manifested. Please choose one direction from the following mutation traits:

A — Gene Editing: Hardened Skin: Re-edit your genes, keratinizing your skin and gaining 5% high-temperature resistance.

Choosing to retain this trait: Charisma -5

B — Gene Integration: Adaptive Power: Integrate disordered Gene Sequences to uncover the power of your potential. Strength and Constitution +2.

Choosing to retain this trait will reduce Gene Fragments and increase the cumulative mutation failure rate by 5%.

C — Gene Screening: Optimized Adjustment: Screen all genes and remove all genes unsuited to the current environment. All attributes +5, and gain the specialties Supercomputing Brain and Limit Break.

Choosing to retain this trait will cause a massive loss of Gene Fragments, make you susceptible to mutation diseases, reduce virus resistance by 70%, and permanently deprive you of Reproductive Ability.

You may consume 5,000 experience to reset this mutation.

Li Aoz did not hesitate. "Reset!"

In truth, none of the three mutation paths suited him.

Option A was of little significance to him. He was not a frontline fighter who faced enemies head-on, and it would even lower his Charisma attribute. It was trash among trash.

Option B was like draining the pond to catch the fish. The more mutations he underwent, the higher the chance of failure. Overdrawing his genetic potential could easily cause him to fail when breaking through Alpha Rank.

As for C...

Option C was an extremely rare mutation path.

The all-attribute bonus and the two specialties were both very powerful. If Li Aoz planned to pilot mechs or become a pure Spellcaster in the future, the two specialties from Option C would suit him very well.

But unfortunately, Starcaller was the class he loved most. He would not abandon the path he pursued for the sake of one rare mutation path.

His skin burned as though on fire, and his blood seemed to boil. Leaning against the wall, Li Aoz stared unblinkingly as the double helix on the panel began rotating again, tearing the three options apart. A moment later, new options formed once more.

Reset complete.

After rearrangement, some of your genetic traits have manifested. Please choose one direction from the following mutation traits:

A — Gene Splicing: Botulinum Spores: Formed by splicing two Gene Fragments together, your flesh gains toxic and spore effects. Damaged limbs can regenerate completely.

Choosing to retain this trait will greatly reduce high-temperature and radiation resistance (60–80%).

B — Gene Grafting: Ability Pod: You have obtained Gene Fragments from the outside world that did not originally belong to you, grafting them into your original sequence. Tumorous pod structures will appear on your arms, allowing you to store and release other people's Aura within them.

Choosing to retain this trait will increase your Gene Fragments, making you more prone to mutation, and damage your Telomeres, greatly shortening your lifespan.

C — Gene Recombination: Self-Devour: Recombine your original Gene Sequence, releasing some ineffective genes to strengthen your original genes. All attributes +1. When you are near death and your Aura Value is depleted, you may restore Health and Aura Value by causing your cells to self-devour.

Choosing to retain this trait will prevent you from ever using potion-type items to restore Health again.

It was another pile of garbage! "I don't have enough experience—damn it."

Li Aoz felt a little regretful.

A rookie's first mutation had a high chance of producing rare mutation options. Mutations came in six types: editing, integration, selection, splicing, grafting, and recombination—none was inherently better or worse than the others. It was like opening a blind box; no one knew how many possibilities there could be.

Li Aoz had miscalculated. He had never expected the mutation to arrive so soon. Of course, it might also have had something to do with all the injections, IV drips, and oral medications he had been taking every day in the Nethermark Humanity laboratory.

None of the reset options suited his current circumstances. He would have been delighted if they had appeared in the mid-game.

But right now, he wished he had killed a few more White Fang Bandits, earned enough experience, and reset one more time.

"Limb regeneration isn't particularly valuable. At worst, I can just replace them with mechanical prosthetics. But high-temperature damage is always among the most common forms of damage in combat. I can't give that up. Self-devouring... it's a life-saving ability, but it's also like tearing down my own defenses. Mutants can't avoid using potions in the early stages, and if I want to awaken the remaining three Aoneng abilities, I'll need to inject Genetic Potential awakening agents."

There was no choice.

Options A and C were both mediocre, and their side effects were simply too severe. They seriously threatened his current survival.

Li Aoz did not dare gamble his future and fate on them.

Losing some lifespan, however, was acceptable. Starcallers were regarded as a legendary group as eternal as the universe itself.

The future could be changed, and there were countless ways to change it. What mattered most was the present.

Li Aoz considered that he still had to wander the Outland. If he chose the Ability Pod, he could find ways to collect some Aoneng without using up his own genetic reserves. That could still count as improving his combat power.

Most importantly, the Ability Pod would not reduce his attributes, lower his combat power, or affect his ability to survive.

If it really came down to it, he could look for some cash-shop items later. There was a good chance he could wash away this choice.

"I'll take B."

Genetic grafting complete

You have gained the status: Telomere Damage—lifespan reduced by 20%

Warning: Your remaining lifespan is now less than 5 years