The Second Tier

Chapter 33: The Second Stage

"...I accept."

The Guide's body quietly disintegrated, transforming into a ribbon of golden light that flowed into Si Ming's shell. In that instant, his perception and intuition expanded sharply outward. His awareness of his own body and his mastery over his power increased dramatically in tandem.

A shackle shattered.

A gateway swung open.

Si Ming stepped into it, experiencing the brand-new changes flooding his body and mind. He clenched his fist, and the next moment, the muscles all over his body swelled violently!

Unlocking the Gene Lock, Second Stage.

His flesh now obeyed his will, and his height surged by over a meter. The one-meter-seventy youth transformed in an instant into a three-meter-tall minor giant. This expanded physique not only failed to hinder his center of gravity or force output, but the Nanosuit, which stretched and expanded rapidly along with his frame, adapted perfectly.

The situation seemed to have undergone some changes.

Si Ming did not recall the original Gene Lock's second stage being capable of this.

Is the version different? Or am I just special?

Both possibilities existed. Si Ming was currently unsure which generation he was in. He frowned, the gloom in his heart diminishing slightly as his power rose. While he was in the gap of adapting to this new strength, the time and space around him began to evolve accordingly.

--[Settling...]

His feet stepped once again onto the pure white ground. Just like his previous return, only his own pillar of light descended into the plaza.

--[Main Mission Completed: Survive 15 days in the 'I Am Legend' world, New York City. Obtained 1000 base reward points and 1000 bonus reward points.]

--[Side Mission Completed: Assisted Colonel Robert Neville in completing the KV Virus antidote. Obtained 1 Rank B side quest and 5000 reward points.]

--[Side Mission Completed: Destroyed the KV Virus Zero Zone. Reincarnator Si Ming obtained 1 Rank B side quest and 5500 reward points.]

--[Killed KV Virus Mutant Behemoth. Obtained 1 Rank C side quest and 2500 reward points.]

--[Killed Night Demon King. Obtained 1 Rank C side quest and 2000 reward points.]

--[Killed several Night Demons and Higher Night Demons. Total reward points obtained: 28700.]

--[Novice tutorial completed. Obtained 200 reward points... Calculating past remaining resources...]

--[Reincarnator Si Ming, you currently possess 2 Rank B side quests, 2 Rank C side quests, and 46301 reward points.]

Extremely bountiful.

So bountiful that if Si Ming worked a little harder, he could buy a "Return to Origin" on the spot.

A countdown appeared in his mind, the 24 hours ticking away incessantly. This undoubtedly meant one thing: he likely could not afford to purchase another return to a past world—which required a minimum stay of one day—before heading to the Celestial Team.

He had already decided to join the Celestial Team.

The newcomers of the East Sea Team had thoroughly disappointed him. Beyond that disappointment, he had realized a truth: he simply did not click with this group of Heisei-era Japanese people. Furthermore, he had no desire to lead the East Sea Team to defeat the Central Continent Team in the inevitable team battles to come.

"So be it."

The Gene Lock closed silently, and the repair light vanished. He still felt no severe backlash from opening the lock. Moreover, the unlocking enhancement bestowed by the Main God was as smooth and intuitive as moving his own arm.

No instability in the foundation. Si Ming frowned. Perhaps this was because he had yet to encounter a realm where he could be "unstable."

The Main God's plaza remained as empty as ever. Eve, the created being who housed his Death Divinity, followed his instructions perfectly. Without his command, she would never step outside the portal of his private space.

And so...

"Main God, pay one Rank D side quest to redeem my created being, Eve."

--[Request accepted.]

A restriction was lifted. Once the captain's authority was granted, the created beings in a reincarnation team would enter the transport beam together before a new world began. Only by paying a Rank D side quest could one permanently exempt a created being from the duty of forced participation. For Si Ming, Eve's most important mission was to remain in the safest hiding spot as a vessel for his Death Divinity.

"Then, Main God, enhance me to Intermediate Necromancer Summoning."

--[Request accepted. Paying 2 Rank B side quests and 9000 reward points.]

The pillar of enhancement descended. Along with the falling radiance, a massive amount of knowledge, techniques, and pure Necrotic Aura flooded into Si Ming's shell. His attribute parameters, primarily Intelligence and Spirit, rose significantly. The gathered knowledge and techniques completed the construction of his spellcasting models.

"The total volume of Necrotic Aura... increased by about eight times. A bit more than expected."

"The auxiliary summoning space has been upgraded... and quite a few standard summons have been added."

As an Intermediate Necromancer, he gained the ability to summon Skeleton Mages and Sub-Giant Remains. At this stage, the Necrotic Aura also transcended the category of purely negative attributes. He could now use minerals or soil as materials to summon Rock Giants or Steel Colossi.

This was indeed a powerful profession; its strength was a leap forward compared to the initial stage. Aside from the drawback that the Necrotic Aura would corrode the summoner's own body—a weakness that didn't exist for Si Ming—and the fact that the summoner had little offensive or defensive capability, it could truly be considered an overpowered power.

He clenched his fist.

All the Necrotic Aura instantly transformed into Night Battle Qi. The enhancement of his physical attributes began spontaneously. Unfortunately, unlike last time, his Battle Qi level was already near saturation before the enhancement began. This transformation could not push his Battle Qi strength beyond the BB rank.

However... it mattered not.

"Main God, exchange for one Blood Bodhi."

--[Request accepted. Paying 1 Rank C side quest and 3500 reward points.]

A small fruit appeared in the light and landed lightly in Si Ming's hand. This heavenly treasure from the 'Wind and Cloud' world had the effect of vastly increasing one's internal energy cultivation. The most crucial point was that, whether in the manga, television series, or movie versions, the efficiency of the Blood Bodhi in converting into cultivation was unexpectedly high.

After consuming it, it took only a few minutes, or even tens of seconds, to complete the full conversion of cultivation. In terms of this characteristic, it was even superior to many precious pills from cultivation worlds.

Si Ming swallowed it without hesitation.

The next moment, scarlet blood energy erupted from the shell of Si Ming! In an instant, the massive surge of blood energy flooded his sinews, bones, and flesh. Even with the second stage of the Gene Lock activated, the excessive blood energy continued to overflow, leaking out in all directions as if escaping from a punctured balloon!

Forced absorption was impossible.

Even a simple attempt to barely contain a single wisp of blood energy resulted in his expanding flesh suffering large-scale ruptures and collapse!

So that was it; the principle behind the high conversion efficiency was actually to release an amount exceeding the limit all at once. Anything that couldn't be digested would simply overflow, naturally allowing for a faster and higher rate of improvement!

But...

"Main God, full-body repair, do not stop!"

This was his home turf.

A pillar of healing light descended continuously. The flesh, burst apart by the blood energy, was repaired in an instant, adapting to the overflow of medicinal power. The next moment, every pore on Si Ming's skin sealed shut. He opened his mouth and drew in a violent breath.

"Hah--!"

The overflowing blood energy surged back into his body. His frame, already expanded to three meters under the influence of the Gene Lock, grew even larger under the explosion of blood and qi. Countless tiny currents crawled beneath his skin like swarms of insects or rats. His eyes exploded violently, only to be restored to perfection by the Main God's pillar of light.

Repair, explode.

Repair again, explode again.

His flesh, blood, and bones disintegrated into mush and were restored to wholeness over a dozen times. Pain was no longer sufficient to describe the wretched state he was in. Yet, Si Ming remained completely unshaken, even as the eyes he used to observe the world were destroyed ten times in a row.

--[Request accepted, a total of 1374 reward points deducted for repairs.]

The repairs ceased.

His body gradually came under the control of his will.

The sensation of blood energy filling his entire being overflowed through his limbs. Si Ming gently clenched his fist.

"It doesn't hurt that much," he remarked. Though he admitted it did hurt a little. Beyond the pain, there were a few other conditions.

The blood energy was too abundant.

His essence and vitality were too vigorous.

Accompanied by a massive increase in his spirit and intelligence attributes, his divine energy had also expanded significantly.

There was something he had to do.

Something that had been in his plans, but was now even more imminent. The power within his body had reached its absolute limit, and he now required a suitable medium to organize it or suppress it under a greater order.

It was time.

Si Ming exhaled softly, his breath carrying the heat of molten lava. His blood vessels twitched incessantly, as if some living creature were trying to break free from his shell.

But he did not quicken his pace.

He simply walked into his personal space at his usual, unhurried gait. Eve, following his instructions, was waiting for him in the large house that had transformed into a manor villa.

A fragrant scent filled the air, emanating from both her and the meal she had prepared—delicious delicacies to reward his body and mind after a grueling battle. As he appeared before her, she offered him a gentle, beautiful smile.

"You're back. I've prepared some refreshments to welcome you... You seem to have quite a bit of pent-up heat?"

"Mm, a little." Si Ming continued to restrain his own shell. His eyes were burning red, like magma. He casually picked up a bowl of mung bean soup from the table. Unexpectedly, before the dessert could even reach his throat, the overflowing, boiling blood energy caused the contents of the bowl to vaporize instantly.

It seemed he wouldn't be testing his endurance limits for the time being.

Si Ming shook his head and fixed his gaze on Eve—as a pristine vessel for Death Divinity, her tolerance was far higher than her appearance suggested.

"I need your assistance, Eve."

"Right now."