LV2, Attribute Explosion, Dragon Scale Defense!
The moment the ten Gene Crystals were fully absorbed, Xalen’s level shot up.
He suddenly understood why the graduation trial’s passing mark was set at ten Aberrant Creatures of the same rank.
Maybe this was exactly the reason.
Because absorbing ten Gene Crystals was precisely the threshold to push a Gene Soldier from LV1 to LV2!
Of course, that didn’t really matter anymore.
What mattered was the four-dimensional attribute boost Xalen had just received.
Just one level up didn't give a huge increase in stats on its own.
But with the Tyrant Engine’s tenfold amplification, it was absolutely terrifying.
Xalen focused his mind and pulled up his personal stats again.
[Xalen]
[Strength]: 210
[Agility]: 185
[Constitution]: 220
[Spirit]: 200
[Average four-dimensional attributes for ordinary adult: 10]
[Gene Lock]: Tyrant Dragon
[Talent]: Tyrant Engine
[Skills]: Indestructible Tyrant Body, Draconic Sovereignty
[Level]: Gene Soldier LV2
…
Staring at his current four-dimensional attributes, Xalen couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
“Hiss!!”
Insane!
His four-dimensional attributes had now reached around two hundred each.
Doing the math, that was twenty times the strength of a normal person!
He had only gone up one level, and the Tyrant Engine’s terrifying effects were already showing.
If he reached LV5, or even LV10 and Awakened Master status, how horrifying would that be?
Just the thought made Xalen’s heart pound with excitement.
In this moment, he finally understood what it felt like to be a true genius.
No wonder people were so obsessed with gene quality.
The gap between different ranks and types of genes was simply enormous.
A Common Gene usually only granted around 10 points total per level.
A Rare Gene averaged around 20 points.
As for a Mythic Gene, it was generally around 50 points.
But Xalen? He had gained a full 80 points!
And this was just the gap of a single level.
If he kept leveling up, even those with Mythic Genes would probably be left in the dust by him!
At this thought, Xalen's eyes lit up with excitement.
The once-dim path ahead was now completely illuminated, blazing with light.
Xalen knew his journey as a Gene Soldier had just reached a brand-new stage.
As long as he kept climbing, he could reach heights he’d never even imagined before!
He clenched his fist and pumped it with elation.
The lingering resentment from awakening a lizard-type gene vanished completely in this instant.
His heart swelled with ambition and confidence.
Without another word, Xalen ended his cultivation and left the cave.
He still had three Gene Crystals in his spatial backpack.
But now was not the right time to absorb them.
He needed to race against time and gather as many more Gene Crystals as possible.
Walking along the path, Xalen quietly sensed the changes in his body.
The massive boost in attributes wasn't as drastic as the initial transformation, but it was still very noticeable.
Xalen focused his vision and could now see details of objects over two hundred meters away.
Specks of dust in the air were now crystal clear.
By twitching his ear, nothing within a hundred meters—no matter how slight the sound—could escape his perception.
His legs surged with power; a single stride covered two to three meters.
His mind was exceptionally clear, and his spirit was refreshingly alert. Even after a sleepless night, he felt completely refreshed.
As for his strength? It coursed through him like a raging torrent.
Sensing this, Xalen clenched his fist and slammed it against a tree beside him.
Boom!
A deep, muffled boom echoed out.
The next second, the pillar-thick tree trunk split right down the middle.
The stump left in the ground tilted askew, countless roots tearing up from the churned earth.
The upper half of the tree came crashing straight down.
A flock of birds scattered in panic, their wings beating frantically.
Xalen looked at the terrifying scene he had caused, his eyes gleaming.
This attack power was absolutely mind-blowing!
But what delighted him even more was another discovery.
Xalen looked at his fist and saw a single black scale had materialized on the back of it.
That last attack had been so terrifying, the recoil force should have been immense.
Judging from his earlier experience punching Shadowwind Wolves, Xalen’s own fist should have been injured.
But right now, guarded by that black scale, his fist was completely unharmed!
Xalen willed it, and the black scale immediately vanished under his skin.
Then, with another thought, the black scale emerged once more.
“This is... Localized Beastification?!”
Xalen’s eyes lit up.
Without a doubt, this was the power of Localized Beastification!
This black scale was a Tyrant Dragon’s dragon scale!
Realizing this, Xalen was ecstatic.
He hadn't expected to grasp Localized Beastification so quickly after just entering LV2.
Of course.
The power of Localized Beastification was still very weak right now.
Xalen couldn't form Dragon Claws yet.
At the moment, he could only manifest a single fist-sized dragon scale.
But even so, it was enough.
At the very least, he wouldn't get hurt punching Shadowwind Wolves anymore.
And this Localized Beastification power didn't seem limited to just protecting his fist.
As Xalen experimented with his mind, the dragon scale not only appeared on his fist but could also shift to any other part of his body.
His forehead, his temple, his heart, even his groin...
After running a series of tests, a grin spread across Xalen's face.
With his current four-dimensional attributes, even his base defense was probably comparable to some defensive skills now.
But there were still weak points.
Those were the various vulnerable spots on the human body.
If those spots were attacked, Xalen could still get hurt, or even critically injured.
But now, with the ability to summon a dragon scale onto any of those locations, his defensive power had shot up dramatically.
Realizing this, Xalen felt even more confident.
He immediately quickened his pace, heading straight toward areas where Shadowwind Wolves were likely to be found.
He wasn’t even satisfied with lone wolves or small packs anymore; he wanted to find a full-sized wolf pack.
But tracking down a wolf pack obviously wasn’t that easy.
An hour later, Xalen had only managed to wipe out two small squads of three or four Shadowwind Wolves each.
“Where the hell am I supposed to find a wolf pack?”
Xalen muttered to himself, then suddenly froze.
He looked at the blood-soaked Shadowwind Wolf corpses in front of him, and an idea sparked in his mind.
“This instance is so huge—actively searching for a wolf pack is a slog. Why don’t I just let them come to me?”
At this thought, Xalen’s eyes lit up.
Previously, David had taught them to properly dispose of Shadowwind Wolf corpses and to mask their own blood scents.
Because Shadowwind Wolves had a sense of smell second only to canines, they could easily track the scent of blood.
Up until this point, Xalen had followed those instructions perfectly.
But now, he suddenly realized he didn’t need to be that careful at all.
Because other people feared attracting more Shadowwind Wolves, but he was different. He actually wanted to face more!
If that was the case, why not actively lure them in?
A smile crept onto Xalen's face. He not only deliberately disemboweled the fresh wolf corpses and placed them out in the open, but also dragged out more wolf carcasses from his backpack to use as bait.
The intense, coppery reek of blood began to drift away on the wind.
Xalen chuckled softly, then leaped onto the branch of a large, sturdy tree and sat down with perfect balance.
At this moment, he had completely transformed into a fisherman, waiting for the fish to bite!
…