Iron Eater Beast!

Chapter 8 008. Iron Eater Beast!

Looking at the large sum of Merit Points that had arrived in his panel, a satisfied smile appeared on Mercer's lips.

Merit Points were very useful and could be used to materialize various Gifted Abilities that he hadn't yet truly materialized.

A full 50,000 Merit Points was like a windfall. At this moment, Mercer's perception of the Walpo brothers improved somewhat.

"I hope more of these good things happen in the future. I wouldn't mind having this much luck."

Mercer glanced at the [Luck: C-] on his panel and had reason to believe that this incident was not just ordinary luck.

Moreover, Mercer had also used the "Appraisal" characteristic on the "Light Orb" on Kureha, and her Luck attribute was only D.

Just one rank higher than Luck E.

Garp's Luck attribute was also only D+. As for ordinary people, their Luck was generally F-.

Regarding Luck, Mercer didn't have many insights yet, only knowing that his luck had always been quite good since birth.

And now, looking at the grayed-out Gifted Abilities on his panel, Mercer's focus was on [Breathing] and [Precision].

Breathing, needless to say, he had been using Diaphragmatic Breathing since birth.

Until now.

Although he hadn't grasped any divine techniques, judging from the breathing method summarized by Kureha, this breathing method had considerable benefits for both physical and spiritual growth.

As for Precision, even just looking at the name, it was clear that this was a very impressive Gifted Ability.

So, Mercer used all 50,000 Merit Points. The next second, Mercer's consciousness instantly became ethereal, and fragmented insights appeared in his mind.

At the same time, his body began to undergo unexpected changes.

His breathing method changed, yet it hadn't, the depth of each breath became more refined, and his physical sensations became exceptionally slow.

At this moment, Mercer felt as if he had returned to the womb, as if a new "umbilical cord" had been established, as if he had returned to the amniotic fluid.

All the pores on his body seemed to have opened. Mercer sat quietly on the chair, and with each inhale and exhale, there seemed to be a new rhythm and frequency.

With each breath, the oxygen in the air was inhaled into his lungs through his trachea, and after conversion, the oxygen was transmitted to every corner of his body.

Time passed unknowingly, and that special frequency became instinctual. Everything changed without him realizing it.

Mercer opened his eyes. He had already digested the novel insights about breathing. Using his breathing and Observation Haki to perceive the changes in his body, he completed several rounds of breathing and reached a conclusion:

"My body hasn't become stronger, it's just that my perception and control over my body have become more refined. It's not bad either."

He then opened the Gifted Abilities section of the light screen panel and looked at his newly acquired Gifted Ability:

[A-rank Gifted Ability: Breathing] (Can grow freely)

[Gifted Ability Effect: Qi Infusion, greatly improves the application of one's own body, gaining permanent and significantly accelerated growth in "Physique" and "Soul" attributes of A-rank and below.]

[Gifted Ability Evaluation: Is this a Breathing Technique? No, this might be the foundation of some cultivation method.]

No wonder I felt like oxygen could be transported throughout my body. It turns out it's that Qi permeating the entire body effect, and the effect of greatly increasing attribute growth and body application is like activating an experience cheat.

Regarding the subtle changes in his body, Mercer didn't quite understand them yet, but he could guess that his already extraordinary talent, now boosted by the Breathing Gifted Ability, would be incredibly powerful.

He then mentally clicked on the Attributes panel and saw his current attributes:

[Physique]: Strength: F → F+ Durability: F → F+ Agility: F → F+

[Soul]: Willpower: F → F+ Perception: F+ → E- Spirit: F → F+

[Special. Mystery (Energy)]: F → F+ (Observation Haki growth bonus in progress.)

With the natural growth of his body, in the past year and a half, Mercer's basic attributes had grown to the limit of F-rank, and his Perception attribute had even reached E-rank.

Even for an ordinary person, he could now shout on the street, "I can take on ten people," without even using Observation Haki.

At this moment, a "crunching" sound came from his ears. Mercer turned his head and saw a black and white furball sitting in the corner, its large face puffed up like a bun.

Mercer got up, slowed his steps, and walked over, peeking behind the Bear Cub.

What met his eyes made Mercer's eyes widen. The weapons, firearms, and treasures he had confiscated from Walpo and his group were already mostly eaten by the Bear Cub.

The creature grabbed a gold bar and shoved it into its mouth, eating it like a wafer cookie, taking one bite after another, chewing with great satisfaction.

A gold bar wasn't large, estimated to be at least 100 grams, and with gold priced at around 10,000 Belly per gram, this little bear cub was consuming at least one million Belly per bite.

And the gold bars he had brought back were measured in kilograms. At this moment, Mercer felt an indescribable emotion, and slowly clenched the Bear Cub's head with his right hand.

"What are you doing? Eating alone is not something a good child should do. Do you have any explanation for me?"

Mercer said calmly, pressing his fingers into the Bear Cub's head. Mercer clearly noticed the Bear Cub's body stiffen.

Mercer was also curious about what the Bear Cub would do next, so he saw the Bear Cub offer him a gold bar it was holding in its other hand and about to put into its mouth.

Its big, dark eyes seemed to say: Mercer, you eat this, it's delicious.

Mercer immediately and exasperatedly slapped the Bear Cub's head, saying helplessly, "You shouldn't eat these gold bars. They're very valuable. Eat other things if you want."

The Bear Cub's eyes were confused, and it let out a "Ying?"

"One gold bar like the one you ate can buy a whole room full of spare ribs, can be exchanged for a large bamboo forest, and can let you eat for a loooong time. Do you understand?"

Bear Cub listened to Mercer's explanations and descriptions, its bear eyes widening uncontrollably, its bear mouth hanging open.

"Ying ying ying!!!"

Crying anxiously, Bear Cub suddenly opened its mouth wide, reached in with its right front paw, and rummaged around. A few seconds later, it pulled out an irregularly shaped gold ingot.

Judging by its color, it was clearly of better quality.

It had evidently been purified.

Mercer helplessly patted his forehead, speechless at Bear Cub's simplemindedness.

Bear Cub handed the gold in its paw over. Mercer looked at it and saw no imagined drool or other residue on the gold.

The Devil Fruit's ability was truly miraculous.

However, Mercer didn't take it. Instead, he pondered for a moment, "You should be able to turn what you eat into a part of your body, right? Show me that."

Bear Cub tilted its head in confusion, not quite understanding, "Ying?"

"Didn't you just eat a knife and a gun? Turn your paw into a knife and show me, like this."

Mercer continued to explain, drawing a standard military knife from its sheath and showing it to Bear Cub.

Bear Cub, meanwhile, scratched its head with its paw, then looked at it. It repeatedly kneaded its left paw, and after more than ten seconds, Mercer saw Bear Cub's left arm begin to change, transforming from the forearm down.

Although the process was slow, it was steadily changing. Bear Cub stared blankly as its left forearm from the elbow down transformed into a blade. It brought it to its mouth and bit down with its pearly white teeth.

Crunch, crunch.

Bear Cub looked at its arm in terror and shook it forcefully.

At the same time, Mercer suddenly leaned back, dodging the blade, his eyes fixed on the tip of the knife as it sliced past his face.

He propped himself up on the floor with his right arm, twisting his body away from Bear Cub, and sighed, "Whew, that was a close one. You almost got me."

At this moment, Bear Cub let out a wronged bear cry, its eyes anxiously fixed on Mercer, shaking its left arm vigorously as if trying to shake off the blade.

Mercer sighed and stopped the foolish bear, "Quiet down first."

Seeing that it had calmed down under his command, Mercer stepped forward, pinched its chubby face, and said softly:

"Think hard about what your original arm looked like, and then recall it with all your might to change your arm back."

Mercer gently rubbed Bear Cub's head, his words soothing it. A few seconds later, Bear Cub's arm changed back.

Instantly, Bear Cub happily rolled on the ground, letting out cheerful "ga ga" sounds. Once Bear Cub had calmed down, Mercer said:

"Now, turn your arm into a knife again, and then change it back. Begin."

Hearing this, Bear Cub sat down on the ground and began to transform its arm's shape, its proficiency in transformation visibly increasing.

As expected.

Once the Devil Fruit's ability was acquired, it was like gaining a brand new limb, an organ. As long as one put in the effort, it could be used as flexibly as one's own hands and feet.

This was something Mercer had read in the Devil Fruit Compendium's catalog, in the introduction, a profound statement: "Precisely because of this, Bear Cub could quickly adapt to its ability."

"So, if manufactured weapons can be transformed onto oneself, what about natural creatures? For example, the eyes of a hawk, the tail of a dinosaur, the skeleton of a tiger? A hybrid without side effects?"

All of this was highly likely to be achievable, but it required Bear Cub to understand and develop it, and it also required Mercer to guide him constantly.

This was an interesting topic.

Then, the Taming Gifted Ability also became necessary, but he was poor.

And there were only a few ways to obtain Merit Points. Mercer scratched his head, "Isn't this forcing me to stir up trouble? The most convenient and stable way is to increase my own Legend Status, isn't it?"

After thinking about it, Mercer shook his head again. "Let fate decide. At my current age, stirring up trouble is likely to cause problems."

He then stopped thinking about it and continued to watch Bear Cub play with its ability. Before long, it got tired and started eating the remaining food again.

However, it didn't eat much of the gold.

Watching the gluttonous creature smack its lips made Mercer hungry.

Sniffing the large pork ribs in the kitchen pot, Mercer served himself a bowl. Seeing Bear Cub drooling like a bear, he also prepared a basin for it.

The man and the bear ate contentedly.

After eating, they cleaned up the mess.

Mercer assigned Bear Cub the task of recasting the gold ingot into gold beans and then sat at his desk to continue reading. The room became quiet again.

Only the faint "rustling" sound of Mercer turning pages and Bear Cub's chewing and grinding sounds could be heard.

Huu. Breathe.

The Secret Language of Cells

Mercer was reading a book on cell theory. This was no longer a basic text but an advanced one.

It discussed the communication methods between human cells, brain cells, microbial cells, and the various compartments within cells.

It contained all sorts of interesting knowledge about the immune system, blood vessels, intestines, brain tissue, microorganisms, and more.

Some were proven, while others were speculative.

Through reading, he understood the human body; through reading, he enhanced his own cultivation.

With Observation Haki and his current Breathing abilities working in tandem, he perceived and thought from different angles.

Mercer's knowledge was constantly improving.

All sorts of things.

The books on the shelves in the room were mostly about medicine, but there were also some on other topics.

At some point, Kureha came down from the second floor, a smile on her lips, indicating she had gained some insights.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Mercer had fallen asleep at his desk again, with a black and white furball sleeping by his feet.

It occasionally smacked its lips.

Sighing helplessly, Kureha walked over. As soon as she got close, her expression froze, and she looked at Mercer in disbelief.

"Huh?" She released her Observation Haki, pressed her fingers against Mercer's body, and examined him inch by inch. "This kid's Breathing has changed."

"Interesting, truly interesting, heeheeheehee!"

She applied her special Observation Haki, like a cutting-edge testing machine, constantly checking Mercer's physical condition and breathing rate.

She flipped the notebook recording his Breathing to a fresh page and began to organize her findings. Relying on her self-control, Kureha also started optimizing her own Breathing technique, making micro-adjustments to the frequency.

Half an hour later, Kureha stretched, stripped Mercer, and tossed him onto the bed. After a simple wash, she also got into bed to rest.

She had plenty of time to study and adjust Mercer's Breathing changes; there was no rush.

The next day.

Mercer slept until he woke up naturally. After washing up, he went outside to begin his daily Breathing morning run training.

A round, fluffy creature followed closely behind him.

Inhale, exhale, oxygen circulated through his body for a week, and useless waste gases were expelled.

He perceived the flow of air within his body, thereby gaining a deeper perception of himself.

The rhythmic jog matched the frequency of his Breathing. With each step, Mercer felt a sense of Freedom for the first time, able to fully immerse himself, his entire body filled with inexhaustible energy.

He inhaled the natural air, immersed himself in the vast world, and began to speed up, running freely, feeling his heart pound, the inhaled oxygen flowing through his body with his blood.

Hearing the anxious "woof woof" from Bear Cub behind him, Mercer couldn't help but slow down. He turned to look at the panting, white-fog-exhaling, tongue-lolling, adorable Panda.

Mercer slowed his pace until he was walking slowly, swinging his arms, kicking his legs, and twisting his waist, taking deep, powerful breaths.

The cold air entered his nostrils, carrying the body's internal temperature, and then two wisps of pale white mist were exhaled from his nostrils.

It was as fun as a smoker exhaling smoke through their nose.

"But mine is all-natural."

As the old saying goes, big shots, please keep reading. Don't dare to let your new book be put on hold!

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PS: Comparison of the value of Belly and Gold. (Calculated with Belly equivalent to Japanese Yen. Yen to RMB exchange rate at 20:1. Gold price at 620 RMB per gram.)

One gram of gold is approximately equal to 12,400 Belly. Rounding down, one gram of gold is equivalent to ten thousand Belly.