Back in the chapel, Zheng Yichen felt refreshed. Now that he knew his body was structurally normal and basically wouldn't undergo any extra mutations—nothing would burst out of him like it did with those small animals—he had far less to worry about on that front.
Of course, once he got stronger, he could always get checked out somewhere else. He'd resisted medical examinations in the past because he was afraid they'd take him somewhere to study him. With enough strength, he wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.
When an abnormality first appeared, as long as someone subjectively believed they were still human, they wouldn't undergo any outward or inward changes. When his abnormality first appeared, he'd known nothing about it.
After all, he'd only discovered the Withering Disease when abnormalities began to show up on his body. Before that, he hadn't noticed a thing. But as a human being, not some small animal, even if he'd known nothing about the abnormality appearing in him, he'd still been certain of one thing: he was a person.
He had two legs and two hands, a certain number of fingers, a nose and eyes, and internal organs like a heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. He wasn't some amorphous being covered in tentacles that constantly secreted copious amounts of mucus.
Subjectively, he'd always been a perfectly ordinary human.
With this new knowledge, Zheng Yichen had gained a fresh understanding of Abnormal Creatures. By that logic, it made perfect sense that small animals became grotesque after turning abnormal. The knowledge Sister Tia had shared also matched what he'd learned elsewhere.
In short, subjective awareness was important during the transformation. But it seemed to determine only the changes that occurred during the process, keeping people from becoming something inhuman. The abnormal abilities that manifested afterward, though, were unpredictable.
Was it a matter of luck, or were there other factors? Zheng Yichen didn't need anyone to explain that to him. The internet was full of discussions analyzing Abnormal Creatures, with all sorts of revelations and theories about the abilities they developed after transforming. Some were true, some false.
Even if he learned more about it, it didn't seem like it would help him much. He'd already made it through the initial stage of transformation.
A question that had been troubling him for years had finally been answered—or at least half-answered. He felt much more at ease. Now he knew his abnormality wasn't actually a bad thing, and that was good enough.
Zheng Yichen wondered if he should draw some blood and send it to a research institute as a kind of "submission." He might even make a fortune. The attacks by all those abnormal small animals on his way home that night had shown just how attractive his blood was to them.
His abnormality had given him a Black Gun that could absorb blood, and other Abnormal Creatures were interested in his blood, too. That seemed perfectly reasonable.
Over the next few days, Zheng Yichen came to the Twilight Chapel to "recuperate" whenever he had free time. He also confirmed something new: when he wasn't paying attention to Sister Tia, he couldn't tell whether she was there or not. But whenever he did pay attention, she was always in the Twilight Chapel. It was truly... amazing.
Hunter Arno still hadn't come back.
"I almost think my recovery speed is abnormal," Zheng Yichen said, looking at the bandages being removed from his body in the infirmary.
"Some Abnormal Creatures recover even faster." Tia's cool fingers brushed over a healed wound on Zheng Yichen's body. "Your bones will need another half a month to recover, but your external wounds have healed completely."
"You've seen someone like that?" Zheng Yichen asked curiously. He already thought his recovery was fast, and there were people who healed even faster? He could feel that his own recovery was unusually quick, mainly because he'd absorbed a large amount of blood from that Unicorn Mule, which had put his body in an upswing and granted him additional regenerative power.
Once that upswing ended, his surplus regenerative ability would probably drop back to normal.
"Another sister has," Tia said, tossing the bandages she'd removed from Zheng Yichen into the trash.
After leaving the Twilight Chapel, Zheng Yichen went to the vehicle dealership the bartender had recommended. Before, while his injuries were still healing, he'd only stopped by a few times to look at the bikes. He hadn't actually decided which one to buy. Now that he was nearly recovered, it was time to make a choice. As for the one-percent discount, it didn't seem like much either way.
Still, any savings were welcome. Vehicles in places like this were really expensive. He wasn't interested in a car; instead, he'd set his sights on a pretty impressive motorcycle. Well, before he'd transmigrated, he'd only had an average eye for vehicles.
He'd simply fallen for this motorcycle's design and color. More importantly, it had a sturdy lock, and its tires were specially made solid tires, suitable for traveling through all kinds of terrain. They could withstand bites and tugs from wild animals, and the body was made of Bulletproof Material.
This model was specifically marketed to hunters. It even had plenty of modification ports, allowing hunters to customize it to their needs. The base model cost 188,000.
The mid-range and high-end models weren't options for Zheng Yichen right now. The high-end model, in particular, started at a million. Zheng Yichen couldn't help but marvel at the price. It was just a vehicle, after all. Did they really need to make it so over-the-top?
But once he learned more about it, he fell silent. The high-end model wasn't just a means of transportation; it was also a combat vehicle for hunters. A starting price of a million was certainly steep, but even high-end hunters weren't interested in it. It was mostly wealthy second-generation hunters who considered buying one.
Of course, if they had the money, they could always have a "battle vehicle" custom-built to suit them better.
From the perspective of a means of transportation, this one was more than enough. Zheng Yichen's current savings could only cover the base model.
"I'll take this one." Zheng Yichen settled on the motorcycle, the Alloy R1.
"We'll have the paperwork completed within two days. You can come pick it up then," the salesperson said with a smile. Buyers here didn't have to pay in installments, and the salespeople didn't push that option. They benefited more if customers paid in full.
Zheng Yichen was paying in full. Although it had been obvious from the moment he arrived that he was a complete novice, he'd also mentioned the Night Banquet Bar bartender by name. Since the bartender had sent him over, the dealership knew better than to pull any unnecessary tricks.
Ultimately, it was because the young man in front of them was a hunter, even if he was only a Novice Hunter.
After leaving the dealership, Zheng Yichen headed to the Night Banquet Bar. As usual, the bartender poured him a glass of fruit wine. "You recovered quickly. Ready to look for a new commission?"
"Yeah. I've been idle for a week, so I'm looking for something to do." Zheng Yichen took a sip of the fruit wine, which he hadn't tasted in a week, then continued, "More importantly, I'm out of money after buying the bike."
"Haha, don't worry. The places I recommend are all reliable." The bartender chuckled and pulled out a "menu." The options on it were different from what Zheng Yichen had seen last time. Seeing his reaction, the bartender explained, "The menu changes based on a hunter's hidden rating. You've completed two commissions, so the recommended commissions have changed again."
"Generally, these obvious changes continue until you've completed your fifth commission. By then, the categories on your menu will have mostly settled down. They'll only change if you actively search for other commissions."
"Got it."
So this was the big data recommendation system...
Before you continue