Second Stage

Chapter 33: Second Stage

"...I accept."

The guide's body quietly disintegrated, turning into golden streams of light that flowed into Si Ming's body. In that instant, his senses and intuition expanded rapidly outward. His awareness of his body and control over his strength increased dramatically as well.

A shackle broke apart.

A gateway opened.

Si Ming stepped through, experiencing the new changes that filled his body and mind. He clenched his fist, and the muscles throughout his body suddenly swelled!

Gene Lock, Second Stage.

From then on, his body obeyed his control. At his will, his height abruptly shot up by more than a meter. The 1.7-meter-tall young man transformed in an instant into a three-meter-tall little giant. This expanded physique not only caused no problems with his center of gravity or the way he exerted his strength, but even the Nanosuit, which had stretched and expanded dramatically along with his body, still fit him perfectly.

It seemed something had changed.

Si Ming didn't remember the Second Stage Gene Lock being capable of this in the original work.

"Is it a different version? Or am I special?"

Both possibilities existed. Si Ming still wasn't sure which generation he was in. He frowned, and the gloom in his heart eased a little as his strength increased. In the brief lull as he adjusted to this new power, the time and space around him began to change as well.

--[Calculating...]

His feet touched the pure white ground once more. Just as when he'd returned last time, a single pillar of light descended into the plaza—one that held only him.

--[Main mission complete: Survive for 15 days in New York in the I Am Legend universe. Awarded 1,000 base reward points and 1,000 bonus reward points.]

--[Side mission complete: Assist Colonel Robert Neville in completing the KV Virus cure. Awarded 1 B-rank side-story reward and 5,000 reward points.]

--[Side mission complete: Destroy the KV Virus Zero Zone, Reincarnator Si Ming. Awarded 1 B-rank side-story reward and 5,500 reward points.]

--[KV Virus Mutant Behemoth killed. Awarded 1 C-rank side-story reward and 2,500 reward points.]

--[Night Demon King killed. Awarded 1 C-rank side-story reward and 2,000 reward points.]

--[Night Demons and Higher Night Demons killed. Awarded a total of 28,700 reward points.]

--[Newcomer briefing complete. Awarded a total of 200 reward points... Calculating previous resource balance...]

--[Reincarnator Si Ming currently possesses 2 B-rank side-story rewards, 2 C-rank side-story rewards, and 46,301 reward points.]

Quite a haul.

He'd earned enough that if he worked just a little harder, he could buy a "Return to the Starting Point" right then and there.

A countdown appeared in his mind: 24 hours, steadily ticking away. That undoubtedly meant he probably wouldn't be able to buy another trip back to a previous world before going to the Celestial Team—not if the trip required him to stay there for at least a day.

He'd already decided to go to the Celestial Team.

The East Sea Team's newcomers had thoroughly disappointed him. And amid that disappointment, he'd also realized the truth: he simply couldn't get along with these Japanese people from the Heisei era. Nor did he particularly want to lead the East Sea Team to defeat the Central Continent Team in the inevitable team battle to come.

"So be it."

The Gene Lock silently closed, and the healing pillar of light vanished in a flash. He still hadn't experienced any particularly severe backlash from unlocking it. And the Gene Lock enhancement granted by the Main God felt as natural to use as moving his own limbs.

"My foundation hasn't been destabilized." Si Ming frowned. Perhaps that was because he hadn't yet reached anything that could be "destabilized."

The Main God's plaza was as empty as ever. His created being, Eve, who housed Death Divinity, had followed his instructions to the letter. Without his order, she wouldn't step out of the entrance to his private space.

Now then...

"Main God, pay one D-rank side-story reward to free my created being, Eve."

--[Request accepted.]

A restriction was lifted. Once someone was granted team leader authority, the created beings in their Reincarnation Team would also enter the transmission beam when the next world began. Only by paying one D-rank side-story reward could a created being be permanently exempted from compulsory participation. And to Si Ming, Eve's most important purpose was to serve as a vessel for Death Divinity and remain in the safest hiding place.

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

--[Request accepted. Payment: 2 B-rank side-story rewards and 9,000 reward points.]

A pillar of light descended. Along with its radiance, a vast amount of knowledge, techniques, and pure Necrotic Aura poured into Si Ming's body. His attributes, especially intelligence and mental strength, rose dramatically. The knowledge and techniques that gathered within him also completed the construction of his spellcasting models.

"The total amount of Necrotic Aura... has increased about eightfold, a little more than I expected."

"My additional summoning space has been upgraded... and it's gained quite a few new standard summons."

After purchasing the intermediate necromancer class, he gained the ability to summon Skeleton Mages and Sub-Giant Remains. At this level, his Necrotic Aura also moved beyond being purely negative in nature. He could use minerals or soil as materials to summon Rock Giants or Steel Colossi.

It was indeed a powerful class, a massive leap in strength compared to the basic level. Aside from the fact that Necrotic Aura corroded the summoner's body, and the summoner himself lacked much offensive or defensive ability—drawbacks that didn't apply to Si Ming at all—it truly was an absurdly powerful force.

He clenched his fist once.

All his Necrotic Aura instantly transformed into Night Battle Qi. His physical attributes began to rise on their own. Unfortunately, unlike last time, when his Battle Qi level had nearly overflowed even before the enhancement began, this transformation couldn't push Si Ming's Battle Qi strength beyond the level of BB.

But... that was fine.

"Main God, exchange one Blood Bodhi."

--[Request accepted. Payment: 1 C-rank side-story reward and 3,500 reward points.]

A small fruit appeared in the light and landed gently in Si Ming's hand. This heavenly treasure from the Wind and Cloud universe could dramatically increase one's true energy cultivation. Most importantly, whether in the comic, television series, or film versions, the Blood Bodhi converted into cultivation at an astonishingly high rate.

After swallowing it, one needed only a few minutes—or even a few dozen seconds—for one's cultivation to be fully converted. In that regard, it was even more potent than many precious pills from cultivation worlds.

Si Ming swallowed it without hesitation.

The next instant, scarlet blood energy burst out of his body! In a flash, the immense blood energy filled his muscles, bones, and flesh. Even with the Second Stage Gene Lock activated, the excess blood energy still overflowed, spilling out in every direction like air leaking from a balloon!

He couldn't simply force it all down.

A very ordinary attempt to contain even a wisp of the blood energy caused his swollen body to rupture and collapse on a massive scale!

So that was how its high conversion rate worked. It simply released more than the body could absorb all at once. Anything that couldn't be digested spilled out, naturally making the process incredibly fast and efficient!

But...

"Main God, repair my whole body. Don't stop!"

This was his home ground.

A healing pillar of light therefore descended continuously in great torrents. In an instant, it repaired the body that had burst under the pressure of the blood energy and adapted it to the overflowing medicinal power. The next moment, every pore on Si Ming's skin closed. He opened his mouth and sucked in hard.

"Haah—!"

All the blood energy that had spilled out surged back into him. His body, already swollen to three meters under the Gene Lock's influence, grew even larger as his qi and blood erupted anew. Countless tiny streams of air crawled beneath his skin like swarms of insects and rats. His eyes exploded in a sudden burst, then healed perfectly beneath the Main God's pillar of light.

Healed, then burst apart.

Healed again, then burst again.

His flesh, bones, and sinews disintegrated into mush more than a dozen times, only to be restored each time. Pain could no longer describe the agony he was suffering. Yet Si Ming remained unmoved, even as the eyes he used to see exploded ten times in a row.

--[Request accepted. Total repair cost: 1,374 reward points.]

The repairs stopped.

His body gradually came under the control of his will.

He felt the fullness of blood energy coursing through his entire body. Si Ming gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"It doesn't hurt that much." That was his assessment. But he admitted it did hurt a little. And besides the pain, there was something else going on, too.

His blood energy was too full.

His vitality was too vigorous.

And as his mental strength and intelligence rose dramatically, his spirit expanded right along with them.

There was something he needed to do.

It had already been part of his plans, but now it had become even more urgent. The power within him had reached the limit of what his body could contain, and now he needed a suitable medium to organize it, or bring it under a greater order.

The time had come.

Si Ming let out a gentle breath, the air he exhaled as scorching as molten lava. His blood vessels trembled without pause, like some living thing trying to break free of his body.

But he didn't quicken his pace.

He simply walked, unhurried as ever, into his private space. Eve, who had followed his instructions, was waiting for him in the large house, now transformed into a manor.

A delicious aroma filled the air, coming both from her and the food she'd prepared. She had made a feast to reward him after his long battle, and when he appeared before her, she greeted him with a tender smile.

"You're back. I prepared some dishes to welcome you home... You seem a little heated?"

"Yeah, a little." Si Ming continued to keep his body under control. His eyes burned scarlet, like magma. He casually picked up a bowl of mung bean soup from the table, only to find that before he could bring the dessert to his lips, the boiling blood energy radiating from him had already vaporized everything inside.

It seemed there was no way to test the limits of his endurance for the time being.

Si Ming shook his head and looked at Eve. As a flawless vessel for Death Divinity, her tolerance was far greater than her appearance suggested.

"I need your help, Eve."

"Right now."