The blue interface, sharp as shattered ice, snapped into focus within Kael's vision. It wasn't just text; it was a cascade of light and data, a digital torrent that settled into a meticulously detailed log of his recent, brutal triumph over the Minhocão worm.
✨ APEX SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ✨COMBAT ANALYSIS: ENGAGEMENT SUCCESS!TARGET DESIGNATION: SKILLED MUTATED ENTITY (MINHOCÃO WORM)ENERGY ABSORPTION: COMPLETE (CRITICAL LEVELS ACHIEVED)SKILL ASSIMILATION: SUCCESSFULNEW SKILLS UNLOCKED:
CHITINOUS RESILIENCE (TIER 1): Passive enhancement of skin and bone density, providing increased resistance to physical damage.
TREMOR SENSE (TIER 1): Ability to perceive vibrations through the ground, granting awareness of nearby movement and structural elements.
MINOR EARTH MANIPULATION (TIER 0.5): Rudimentary control over loose earth and minor localized tremors.
TOXIC RESISTANCE (TIER 1): Increased resilience to various toxins and corrosive substances.
ACCELERATED HEALING (TIER 0.5): Enhanced natural healing rate.
ENERGY SIGHT (TIER 1): Passive ability to perceive concentrated energy signatures and flows in the environment. Note: This skill has altered user's ocular pigmentation to a vibrant blue.
SKILL CALCULATION COMPLETE!
A jolt of pure exhilaration, sharp and potent, surged through Kael, momentarily eclipsing the lingering exhaustion that clung to his limbs. These weren't abstract concepts; they were real, tangible powers, now woven into the very fabric of his being. He focused, his mind a sudden, eager sponge, trying to grasp the intricacies of this new, internal world. The interface responded with uncanny intuition, flowing beneath his thoughts as if it were an extension of his own consciousness. He found a status screen, its blue light cool against the bruised twilight, displaying his core attributes – Strength, Agility, Resilience, Intellect – no longer vague calculations, but solid, concrete numbers.
He navigated to another section labeled "APEX POINTS." A number, glowing with an almost magnetic luminescence, dominated the display: 500 AP. Beneath it, a concise explanation: Accumulated points from significant energy absorption. Can be allocated to enhance core attributes or specific skills. Kael's mind raced, a whirlwind of possibilities. He could literally sculpt his own power, grow stronger, faster, more resilient, simply by confronting and defeating these monstrous, mutated beings. It was like a game, a brutal, high-stakes game where his very life was the ante. He began to experiment, a tentative curiosity overriding his caution.
He thought, Allocate 100 AP to Strength. The blue interface pulsed, a ripple of light across his vision, and the Strength score immediately surged. A profound, almost visceral shift resonated through Kael's muscles, a new solidity in his frame. It felt as if his very cells were compacting, becoming denser, more efficient, a quiet hum of newfound power settling beneath his skin.
📊 APEX SYSTEM: USER STATUS 📊
USER: KAEL ROCHALEVEL: 4EXPERIENCE POINTS: 50/400
APEX POINTS: 400 AP
CORE ATTRIBUTES:
STRENGTH: 60 (+10)
AGILITY: 35
RESILIENCE: 55
INTELLECT: 40
ACTIVE SKILLS:
MINOR EARTH MANIPULATION (TIER 0.5)
PASSIVE SKILLS:
CHITINOUS RESILIENCE (TIER 1)
TREMOR SENSE (TIER 1)
TOXIC RESISTANCE (TIER 1)
ACCELERATED HEALING (TIER 0.5)
ENERGY SIGHT (TIER 1)
It was undeniably real. He thought, Allocate 100 AP to Resilience. Again, the interface responded instantly, the score filling further, a deeper, more profound shift resonated through his bones. He felt his very structure becoming more robust, more capable of absorbing impact, a subtle, unyielding strength blossoming within him.
📊 APEX SYSTEM: USER STATUS 📊
USER: KAEL ROCHALEVEL: 4EXPERIENCE POINTS: 50/400
APEX POINTS: 300 AP
CORE ATTRIBUTES:
STRENGTH: 60
AGILITY: 35
RESILIENCE: 75 (+10)
INTELLECT: 40
ACTIVE SKILLS:
MINOR EARTH MANIPULATION (TIER 0.5)
PASSIVE SKILLS:
CHITINOUS RESILIENCE (TIER 1)
TREMOR SENSE (TIER 1)
TOXIC RESISTANCE (TIER 1)
ACCELERATED HEALING (TIER 0.5)
ENERGY SIGHT (TIER 1)
Lost in this dazzling, newfound world within his own mind, Kael became utterly engrossed. The glowing blue text filled his vision, a mesmerizing, interactive reality that eclipsed everything else. He mumbled softly to himself, occasionally making small gestures with his hands, as if tracing lines on an unseen screen, completely oblivious to the world beyond the shimmering blue.
He thought, Show me my stats. Instantly, the current screen dissolved into a shimmering cascade of blue pixels, reforming into a new display.
📊 APEX SYSTEM: USER STATUS 📊
USER: KAEL ROCHALEVEL: 4EXPERIENCE POINTS: 50/400
APEX POINTS: 300 AP
CORE ATTRIBUTES:
STRENGTH: 60
AGILITY: 35
RESILIENCE: 75
INTELLECT: 40
ACTIVE SKILLS:
MINOR EARTH MANIPULATION (TIER 0.5)
PASSIVE SKILLS:
CHITINOUS RESILIENCE (TIER 1)
TREMOR SENSE (TIER 1)
TOXIC RESISTANCE (TIER 1)
ACCELERATED HEALING (TIER 0.5)
ENERGY SIGHT (TIER 1)
He thought, How do I use these points? And a new overlay appeared, translucent over the stats, highlighting the "APEX POINTS" section with a gentle pulse. He could see a small "+" icon next to each attribute and skill, indicating where points could be added. The system was responding to his mere intention, a seamless extension of his thoughts. He was navigating it with an ease that defied logic, as if he had been born with this interface. He was so engrossed, so fascinated by the sheer potential laid out before him, that the world outside the glowing blue text faded into insignificance.
He mentally explored further, discovering a series of main menus that shimmered across the top of his vision like ethereal holograms: STATUS | SKILLS | INVENTORY | QUESTS | LOGS | SETTINGS. Each one, when his focus shifted, expanded with a soft, almost imperceptible hum into a detailed sub-menu. The SKILLS menu, for instance, unveiled not only his currently active and passive abilities but also a vast, intricate tree of greyed-out slots, hinting at a universe of potential future powers waiting to be unlocked. The INVENTORY was a pristine, empty grid, ready to hold scavenged supplies or specialized gear he might acquire. The QUESTS section, surprisingly, already glowed with a completed entry: SURVIVE BREACH: COMPLETE. Below it, a new, active objective pulsed with quiet urgency: REUNITE WITH ALLIES. The LOGS section was a chronological scroll of his recent experiences, each event meticulously timestamped, a personal history unfolding before his inner eye. It was a complete, intuitive, and deeply personal operating system, tailored precisely to his very being.
Jax, Estelle, and Orion watched him with a mixture of curiosity and growing concern. Kael stood slightly apart from their small campfire, his eyes unfocused, a faint blue light emanating from his face. He mumbled softly to himself, occasionally making small gestures with his hands as if interacting with something invisible, completely tuned out from his surroundings.
Jax exchanged a puzzled look with Orion, who simply tilted his head, his abyssal eyes reflecting the firelight with an unreadable intensity. Estelle, who had been resting, stirred and sat up, her gaze drawn to Kael's strange behavior. A frown creased her brow.
After several minutes of Kael's silent, glowing communion with the unseen, Estelle rose, moving with a quiet grace towards him. She reached out a hand and gently touched him on the shoulder.
"Kael," she said, her voice calm and steady, cutting through the digital landscape that had consumed him. "We need to talk."