Genetic Ascension novel Chapter 91

Chapter 91 Dead

There were many thoughts going on in Sylas' mind, but ultimately, he knew many of these things weren't under his control. Even so, as he brought out the corpse of the gnoll elite, his mind was fluttering with a thought.",

'Genes seem to be the foundation of everything… if this system ends up being a shackle, then I will just need to figure out a way to collect them and use them without the system as a bridge.'

---

[Threshak]

[Gene Detected]

[Common Gene: (2) Intelligence (F); (3) Wisdom (F)]

[Attempt Assimilation?]

[Yes][No]

---

Sylas passed it all to the Gene Crystal. He could feel himself inching closer to unlocking it.

---

[Basic Aetherflow]

[Aether comes naturally to you, even when it's outside of your body. Your ability to extend your Aether away from your core, attaching it to objects to control and wield, far exceeds others]

[+5 Intelligence; +5 Charisma (Fragmented)]

[+10 Intelligence; + 10 Charisma (Common)]

[+20 Intelligence; + 20 Charisma (Bronze)]

[>Requirements to Unlock (Bronze)]

[(2) Speed, Wisdom]

[(3) Dexterity]

[(7) Charisma]

[(6) Intelligence]

---

'Maximillion and Jared both had far more Genes than the gnolls… I wonder why that is…'

Though Sylas wondered, he didn't dare to ask the Madness Key. The gnolls were spawns of the system. Who knew if he would touch on another taboo?

The spike was already far worse than he expected. After another seven days, he would be spending all his time hunting to feed the thing instead of improving himself.

Then again, with all these Gene and Stat Limits… at least he was making use of all those excess Genes somehow.

---

[+30 coins (F)]

---

This time, there was no bone ax, so Sylas moved on. He ignored the normal gnolls because with the new insatiable requirements of the Madness Key, he would definitely be needing them. Plus, the stats they provided—Strength and Constitution—the Gene Crystal didn't need anymore.

---

[Zurog]

[Gene Detected]

[Common Gene: (2) Intelligence (F); (2) Wisdom (F); (2) Charisma (F); (2) Will (F)]

[Attempt Assimilation?]

[Yes][No]

---

Sylas passed them all over to the Gene Crystal again.

---

[>Requirements to Unlock (Bronze)]

[(2) Speed]

[(3) Dexterity]

It seemed he hadn't fully recovered. He had cut his sleep short because of the excursion to the gnoll village.

'I'll catch up on rest, then eat some of the animals I killed on the way there and back… then I should be good to go.'

Sylas reined in his eagerness, trumping his desires with a familiar discipline. Sliding onto his new hay mattress, he closed his eyes and drifted off.

**

"They're dead."

Darius Blackwood was a man who could be considered quite calm most of the time. But news that two of his Level 4s didn't return was like a knife stabbing into his heart and twisting. Those two were firmly within the top five of his group, and they were four and five either.

"Are you sure they haven't defected, City Lord?"

---

[Benjamin Cross (FF-)]

[Level: 5]

[Profession: Steward (Common)]

[Favorability: 8/10]

---

"No. I would have seen it happen."

"It's possible. There are many methods of deceiving the eyes."

Darius nodded, agreeing with Benjamin's sentiment.

"I agree. That's why I never trust this bullshit system with anything. How can it read a person's heart? Or assign a value to a person's Will? I prefer to look someone in the eye, and Max and Jared were two trustworthy men. They wouldn't run off with the treasures alone."

Darius took a breath and exhaled. He stood from his desk and moved to the City Stele, checking something in the Nexus before pulling back.

"Casstle Main has progressed to the status of an official Village."

He let the words hang in the air as he paced. Sylas could only see the name of the cities, but Darius could see far more, and this confirmed exactly what his speculations were.

"Something has changed," Darius thought aloud. "The City Leaderboard is based purely on the progression of the city, not the strength of the city. I thought Casstle Main put too much emphasis on pushing up their city's level, and not enough on nurturing its warriors, so I wasn't worried."