Genetic Ascension

The beast didn't even seem fully grown. It was only about two meters tall, whereas a fully grown woolly mammoth could be up to twice that height, and its overall stature was smaller as well. Even its tusks weren't as overbearing and mighty as they should have been, though they still jutted out about two feet or so. It seemed like it was just a youth.

But when Sylas saw its stats, even without using Madness to see the details, he felt his heart skip a beat.

This was exactly what he worried about. This mammoth's Strength and Physical abilities were likely off the charts. At Level 0, it had far higher potential in these categories than any human.

Even the best human athletes would have reached their cap around 30 Physical stat points or so. The only way to break that limit was to have a Gene like Grimblade's passed down to you, or to make use of a Gene Crystal.

But an animal like this would likely have a Stat Limit that was double or even triple that, in some rare cases. When they began to absorb Aether and progress, how exaggerated would their stats become?

Sylas' gaze flashed with gloominess.

Until now, he had felt that his Flow of Battle Quest was almost too easy. He had even already defeated a Level 10. But now he realized that he was actually quite lucky to run into such weak opponents at that Level.

What chance would he stand against a Level 10 from an extinct creature this powerful? 210 Physical at Level 3… wouldn't it have stats upward of 400 by the time it got to Level 10? 500 if a Class boost was factored in?

Sylas took a breath and calmed himself. As amazing as this creature was for a Level 3, it was frankly too weak against him for now. Its Speed was too slow. But its Constitution was over 300, as was its Strength. It wouldn't be easy to break those defenses.

'Hm?'

A magical feeling flooded his mind and he felt as though he saw some sort of path being paved out before him.

---

[One Kind For Me]

[Level: 4]

[Experience: 560/800]

[Path Talent: Beast Totem Lv4; Insight Lv4]

[Insight (Path Talent)]

[>Observe Gene Sequence of Contract]

[>Sense Evolution Triggers]

[>Comprehend Contract]

---

'Sense Evolution Triggers… This mammoth… no, its kind presents an opportunity for the Basilisk King… I see…'

Constitution had always been the strong point of the Basilisk King; it was its highest overall stat, not just among its Physical stats, but even compared to its Mental stats. Suddenly having gained another incentive, Sylas poured in even more Aether. For three Units of Aether, he could increase the Effectiveness of his Strength by 90%. With Madness activated, he could display 205 Strength.

Together with the kunai, that gave him what was Effectively 388 Strength. Even with how high its Constitution was, the mammoth was instantly overwhelmed and didn't even get to let out a mournful cry before its skull was pierced right through.

---

The kunai came right back to Sylas and he let the Basilisk King out. The black snake shivered in the cold, and Sylas took note of this. He knew that snakes were cold-blooded; he would have wasted all his years of research if he didn't know that. A cold environment like this one didn't do them any good. But at the same time, a Basilisk was supposed to be a legendary creature… would it really be stopped by a little cold?

He didn't say much as the Basilisk King seemed to understand his intention and lunged at the corpse. It struggled, unable to bite through the tough Constitution of the death mammoth, so Sylas had no choice but to help it, eventually taking out its Gene Core. The Basilisk King swallowed it whole.

Sylas felt another odd emotion stir him and he began to guide the Basilisk King along with that feeling. Instead of allowing it to absorb the mature Aether in the normal way, he took a different route and began to temper its body.

Soon, the energy of the Gene Core had been all used up, and though the Basilisk King seemed happy, there were no drastic changes. In fact, its Level and stats were the exact same. That said, Sylas was still sure he had made the right decision. At the very least, the Basilisk King wasn't shivering anymore.

He put it away and ended up storing the corpse as well.

---

The only animals he had an intimate understanding of were venomous snakes. The patterns of the others were just broken tidbits of trivia to him. He wasn't sure if mammoths moved in packs or not, but it was doubtful that such a young mammoth would truly be alone.

Leaving its corpse lying around like that just might bring him trouble if he wasn't careful, and it also made him vigilant of the possibility of other mammoths, or even two, being nearby.

---

However, he found something far more dangerous first. The number of beasts in the region took a sharp spike upward.

His eyes narrowed and he took out a treasure that Mark had given him before he left. It was a telescope with a rusted bronze look.

---

[Sharp-Eyed Telescope (F+)]

[Level: 6]

[Creation of Jon Grimblade]

[Ability: Sharp Eye]

[Ignore all objects between you and any chosen target within 500 meters. See through walls and past barriers.]

[Durability: 5/5]

---

He extended it and looked into the distance. The trees couldn't obstruct his vision at all. It took some getting used to, quickly changing his targets as he inched forward. Soon, he laid eyes on exactly what he thought was ahead.

A portal. It seemed that there really was one here.

But that wasn't the main issue at all.

Both issues were here; one being the government officials, and the other being the horde of beasts. But his only job was to document what was happening and nothing else, however…

'There are several mammoth corpses over there, still untouched with their Gene Cores intact. But in order to take down such powerful creatures…'

Sylas cringed. For the first time, he had failed to scan the stats of someone else… even with Madness activated.

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