abnormal mutation

Chapter 76 A voracious appetite
"A fine bow, no less than a magical object."

"Captain Kuran is incredibly strong." Roland clicked his tongue in amazement. He hadn't expected Kuran, whose combat performance had been lackluster, to be so powerful. His life attribute should be no less than 350.

“Compared to Lord Drake…” Kuran only got halfway through his sentence before shaking his head dejectedly, “Knights rely on their physical strength for a living. I’ve honed my skills for half my life, yet I can’t even match the starting point of a young person. I can’t beat them, I can’t withstand their attacks, I can’t catch up…”

It's clear that this battle dealt a heavy blow to Kuran; the glory of this ancient and extraordinary path has been lost.

"Don't underestimate yourself. You can lose anything but your faith, otherwise even the most extraordinary path will be useless." Roland didn't know what to say, so he could only use the words that Julia had once told him to comfort her.

“Indeed.” Kuran composed himself and perked up. “I will teach you archery. I am proficient in horsemanship, weapons, and hand-to-hand combat.”

"Thank you very much." Roland was overjoyed. With an expert's guidance, he was sure to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

…………

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared on the horizon, the camp fell silent, dotted with lights and rising smoke.

The small building was bustling today. Deacon Said, Captain Kuran, and Vice President Moreno were all there, along with Tana, Julia, Alex, Roland, and Drake, making a total of eight people.

Yulia sat at the head of the long table, with her mentor Tana on her left and Roland on her right. Even Drake's seat was ahead of Said's.

The focus of the gathering was, of course, Tana. Yulia didn't mention her, but Roland could guess that she was probably a mid-sequence extraordinary being.

According to Yulia, the strength gap between low and mid-series extraordinary individuals is enormous; even extraordinary individuals who are not skilled in combat can generally suppress low-series extraordinary individuals. If Yulia were a mid-series extraordinary individual, the Remnant Light Society probably wouldn't dare to show its face at all.

With such a powerful figure around, there's absolutely no need to worry about the camp's safety. Deacon Said came three times a day, his attitude extremely enthusiastic.

However, this enthusiasm was more of a politeness and reverence, carrying a certain distance, completely different from the attitude towards Roland, who had no connections and could be considered one of their own.

Tana's attention was entirely on Roland, and she kept steering the conversation toward him.

To be fair, Roland thought Julia's tutor was quite normal. He was very cultured, knowledgeable, and could handle any topic he was asked, and was very willing to satisfy his curiosity.

"Roland, the guards and hunters are organizing a hunt tomorrow. Would you like to come?" Kuran extended a warm invitation to Roland. After spending a day together, he admired Roland even more.

"Can I go too? What about the guard duty here?" Roland felt that this hunting activity was a bit abrupt.

“Ms. Cochran is here,” Kuran replied. “Headquarters personnel will arrive tomorrow, and we need to stockpile some supplies.”

Roland understood. It seemed the Chamber of Commerce and Tana had reached some initial consensus, and the hunting trip was indeed a spur-of-the-moment decision. Originally, the hunting camp wouldn't have opened so early due to insufficient supplies; the hunt was likely to stockpile some specialty ingredients, a bit of a prestige project.

"I'll go." He didn't want to miss such an opportunity, and he could also earn some travel expenses along the way.

"Haha, great!" Kuran laughed heartily. "Hunting activities are open to all teams, the escort team will help transport the prey for free, and if you want to sell, the merchant guild will buy it at a premium..."

"clear."

There aren't many formalities in the North; everyone ate casually and left quickly after finishing their meal, as there were many things to do the next day.

Roland went upstairs to rest. Calculating the time, the Rune Seed should have finished "digesting" by now. He wondered if there would be any new surprises after devouring the Butcher's Blade and so many spirit creatures.

Tana's room was right across from his, which made his scalp tingle. The room opposite Yulia's was still empty. He had too many secrets, and having such a mid-level powerhouse by his side made him feel uneasy. Fortunately, entering the spirit world was like a deep sleep, and no abnormality was visible on the outside.

He closed the doors and windows tightly, assigned the two wolves and Drake to keep watch, and as usual locked the Eye of Pro in its box before entering the Spirit Realm Chessboard. He wouldn't hunt any spirit creatures tonight; firstly, it was too inefficient, and secondly, there was a battle tomorrow, requiring him to be in good condition.

The rune seed was still slowly pulsating, so Roland had no choice but to wait patiently. His mind, however, couldn't help but wander to his potions. People from the Northern Merchant Guild headquarters had come; he wondered if they had brought his potion ingredients. Would he be able to successfully become an Extraordinary?
Suddenly, the Seed of Runes vibrated slightly, sending him a message that interrupted his reverie.

Roland's spirits lifted, and he eagerly leaped into the air, hovering quietly in front of the Seed of Runes. After calming himself down a bit, he reached out his right hand and gently touched the surface of the sphere.

Upon first contact, a stream of information flowed into his mind.

[Abnormal Mutation: Vampire-Sucking Habits]

Trait: Function. Gain 20% Omnivamp. This bonus increases to 50% when below 75% health.

[Abnormal mutation: Increased appetite]

Trait: Function. Instantly gain 300 health and a 15% damage increase. Able to devour and digest certain extraordinary materials, permanently increasing health and damage increase.

Roland stroked his chin, strongly suspecting that there was some kind of relationship between what the Rune Seed devoured and what it produced; otherwise, how could he explain the simultaneous occurrence of two functional abnormal mutations, which were so similar?

This time, two terms that only appear in games appeared: omnipotent lifesteal and damage amplification. It is difficult to judge how they perform in the real world.

After a moment's thought, he leaned towards the "Energetic Appetite" ability, which was clearly a powerful late-game skill that he should acquire as soon as possible. His lifespan was less than three hundred years; after the mutation, he would immediately surpass Drake, more than doubling his strength—a terrifying increase.

'A voracious appetite!'

He decided to proceed now, and if discovered, he would attribute it to bloodline awakening.

Sensing his intentions, the rune seed suddenly expanded, enveloping him completely, then shrank into a small ball, bursting out of the bubble and plummeting downwards.

In an instant, he felt his body sink, his soul settle, and his five senses return.

After a moment of silence, intense pain suddenly erupted from the depths of his soul, rapidly spreading to every part of his body. His muscles trembled, his blood boiled, his body temperature soared, and white mist rose.

Although Roland had experienced this twice before, he still found it unbearable, with waves of pain, high fever, and spasms assaulting his nerves.

But he remained conscious and had the strength to kick off the blankets, get out of bed, tear off his clothes, and lie quietly on the floor, "enjoying" the evolution of life and "listening" to the cheers of every cell.

The two black wolves stretched their limbs, striking a pose reminiscent of howling wolves under the moon, their heads held high, eyes slightly closed, displaying an expression of utter enjoyment.

As his soul grew and surged, Roland was enveloped in purple light, and a pair of enormous purple dragon wings appeared on his back. A layer of ethereal flames wrapped around his intangible spiritual power, burning and leaping, exceptionally agile.

Drake, holding two axes, stood guard nearby, his eyes filled with a hint of envy.

"boom--"

The door was suddenly kicked open.

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(End of this chapter)