After the conversation with the Queen Mother, I found myself sitting near the cave's entrance, leaning against the cold stone as I stared outside. I need to think. Going out there without a plan isn't just reckless, it will be suicide. So I closed my eyes and focused..
The moment I did, the familiar system appeared.
Twenty-six interconnected nodes revealed themselves before me. Most of them were dim, but five of them shone, clearly active. Then there was one that stood out. It didn't shine like the others, it pulsed. It emitted an aura of mystery. It did not feel like the other gene yet its presence felt… right, like it had always been there, just waiting.
Gene U - Origin Rewriter.
Just looking at it made me feel excited of the prospect that it could bring. I could imagine myself as a character of a game being armored with stronger items. If I could extract a gene with the ability to spit poison, that would be very helpful.
"…Not now."
For now, what I have is enough for me to survive for a while.I have Perception to scan. Adaptation to endure. Burst to move. And now… new ones.
"Vex," I muttered, still with my eyes closed. "Can you briefly walk me through the new genes again?"
The information came immediately without snarky comments…That's new.
[ Gene F (Feeding) - consume, convert, gain energy. ]
[ Gene D (Defense) - endure more, take less damage. ]
[ Gene S (Structure) - change, grow, stabilize. ]
So, the genes I have newly unlocked are structure, defense, and feeding. Genes that are related to my ability to switch between humanoid form and snail then there's defense and feeding. Though something is still bothering me.
" Vex." A short pause. " How do I turn back into a snail and vice versa? "
[ Form transition is governed by Gene S - Structure Slot. ]
I blinked. "…Meaning?"
[ Your current form is a temporary structural adaptation maintained by Gene S. ]
I frowned slightly. "…So?"
[ To switch, focus on Gene S and release the current structure. ]
I stayed quiet for a moment.
"Alright, focus on Gene S." That was easier to understand.
I closed my eyes again and tried it. Instead of thinking about my body… I looked for it.
The system, the nodes. The moment it appeared, my attention went straight to it, gene S. It was like any other gene.
"…So this is what's keeping this form."
[ Correct. ]
I focused on it more, not forcing it, just acknowledging it. Then, slowly, it was as if something in me left, and my view became lower than before, and everything was too big. I tried to wave my hand, and I only saw a squishy, short-extending piece of meat.
" I see, I've become a snail again. "
[-_-]
I looked around and found a shell that functions like a mirror. I burst towards it and stopped just a few inches from it, enough to see my whole body. What I saw was a snail straight out of fantasy. If a snail like this exists in the modern world, then it would be treated as something exotic, because this is one hell of a snail.
Its shell coiled in a perfect spiral, but instead of the dull tones of the deep, it pulsed with a dark violet glow, like veins of lightning trapped beneath its shell. Jagged spikes stuck out from its surface, uneven, brutal, sharp; it's like the shell grew that way to defy something that tried to break it.
Cracks ran along its body, faintly glowing, not due to damage, but as something alive beneath the surface. Energy seeped through them in slow, quiet pulses, like a heartbeat buried in armor.
Its flesh was thick, rough, almost stone-like, layered with hardened plates that looked more like scales than skin. It did not appear soft. It looked… enduring. Ancient.
From its head extended two long feelers, and at their tips burned small orbs of blue light. They weren't just eyes, they looked like light bulbs. Damn! The glow was calm, but not gentle, and if you looked closer, they actually looked like magic orbs. All in all, this was so not normal for a snail.
At the center of its face, between the feelers, was a diamond-like stone, or was it a crystal? Anyway, it was embedded in the skin. If I remembered correctly, this was what attracted the creatures before, because it shined.
I tried to touch it by forming a temporary limb, using my flesh, and it actually worked. Though not perfect and definitely without bones or fingers, it looked just like a part of flesh getting stretched into something like an arm with a smooth, pointed end. It moved effortlessly like fluid and felt so natural.
This snail body is really interesting. I am a snail but definitely not a normal snail. After admiring my snail body I closed my eyes and called out gene S. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and I'm back in my human form.
"…So I just focus on it and release."
[ Basic understanding acquired. ]
"…Don't sound so impressed."
[ -_- ]
I leaned back slightly, thinking. "So what about the other genes?" A short pause.
[ At your current stage, Gene F (Feeding) is the most efficient path to growth. ]
I listened carefully this time, not interrupting.
[ Gene D (Defense) is in its early phase. Limited impact. ]
[ Gene S (Structure) is also incomplete. Further development required. ]
I exhaled slowly. "…So I'm still at the starting line."
[ Correct. ]
I clicked my tongue.
"So what do I do?"
[ Defeat targets, then consume them. Accumulate energy. ]
Vex paused as if thinking.
[ You can also acquire gene by bargaining or personally looking for one but at this stage you can only defeat lower ranked creatures. ]
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"…And if I do get a better gene?"
[ Replace an existing slot. ]
A pause.
Simple, but risky and actually a bit impossible now. Two things to note, I have no money, I am weak to attempt and hunt powerful creatures.
Sigh…
I looked toward the cave entrance.
" So I have to hunt lower ones."
[ That is the most optimal choice. ]
I let out a quiet breath. "…Figures."