"Another dead end," muttered the silhouette of a young man while standing in front of a rock wall. The shadow that was veiled by the darkness of the cave sighed from frustration.
The shadow then walked back and reached a cavern after some time. The glowing stones of the cavern faintly illuminated the figure obscured by darkness and revealed Yeshua's young face.
Wearing tattered and singed clothes, Yeshua was looking for an exit from this place after he recovered his strength from his latest battle. However, that rock wall was his fifth dead end.
After the series of incidents that happened to him and the time he took to rest and look for an exit, Yeshua surmised that it was already past noon.
Yeshua then proceeded to the next tunnel and continued to search for a way out from this place. The cavern was connected to a number of tunnels and if he had to search each of them just to find an exit from this place, he would definitely do it.
…
"Again? Why all of the tunnels here are dead ends?"
Yeshua was really frustrated after finding himself obstructed again by a rock wall. He did not know how long he had been searching for a way out from this place.
After sighing tiredly, Yeshua turned his back and intended to walk away. However, his footsteps stopped suddenly.
Yeshua knitted his brows while he concentrated his mind to sense something. He could hear a sound coming from somewhere.
"This is… wind!" After concentrating his mind, Yeshua finally discovered what he was hearing. It was a blowing wind that was producing a swishing sound.
Yeshua then look around the rock wall and carefully examined it. After a while, Yeshua found what he was looking for.
At the further side of the rock wall, there was a small crack. The sound of the swishing wind was coming from this inconspicuous crack further obscured by the darkness of the cave.
After finding the crack, Yeshua excitedly said, "Although this is only a small crack, it's possible that behind this will be my way out!"
Yeshua then further examined the tiny crevice on the rock wall. Afterward, he muttered to himself, "I can't determine how thick this rock wall. The sound of wind coming from the crack is my only inkling that behind this wall is a possible exit. It might also just be hollow space…"
After thinking for a while, Yeshua decided that the only way to find out if this would be his hope to get out of this place was to destroy the rock wall.
Yeshua controlled his genome sequence and transformed into the Windrage Wolf. He then covered his razor claws with wind blades, but he was not done yet.
Yeshua thought that the burst strength of Wind Claws was not sufficient to destroy this wall, so if one was not enough, then double it!
- AI, activate Dual Control – Double Release, Wind Claws!
[Task received. Preparing for soul control overlapping…]
As the AI's mechanical voice confirmed the command, the two Wind Claw abilities superimposed with each other, and the faint blue wind blades around the werewolf's claws became more corporeal.
The wolf Yeshua then bent his arms to his sides, and violently pierced them into the small crack!
Boom!
The wind claws dug through the crack and blasted it apart. The explosion of the violent wind turned the tiny crevice into a long fissure and eventually crushed the rock wall!
A fierce wind was blowing in the cave tunnel while dust scattered everywhere. However, before Yeshua could ascertain the result of his attack, he felt the tunnel quake!
With worry in his voice, Yeshua muttered, "Is this another cave-in? It seems the cave can't take this kind of attack…"
The shaking of the place only lasted for a couple of seconds that made the wolf Yeshua sighed in relief.
Then, Yeshua saw what happened to the rock wall after the dust settled. The rock wall was crushed, and the crevice was long and deep enough that Yeshua could discern what was behind it.
Faint moonlight passed through the crevice scattering dim lights inside the cave. It seemed that it was already night. Yeshua did not notice the time anymore after all the searching he did.
After further trying to see through the crack, Yeshua then saw a patch of redwood trees behind the rock wall. Seeing the redwood trees and hearing the rustling wind, the wolf Yeshua said with excitement, "That's the outside… This rock wall will lead me outside!"
However, that excitement quickly died down after Yeshua examined the rock wall obstructing him from getting out.
"Though it was crushed and the crack is also widened, this rock wall is still very thick! It would take more of my attack to create enough space to pass through this rock wall. However, my attacks could cause a cave-in. This might be my only chance to get out of this place. What should I do?"
After thinking some more, Yeshua decided to further explore the cave first. Then, he would think of what to do afterward.
Yeshua went back to his human form. He then left the tunnel and continued to search for a way out from this place.
…
"So, I don't have a choice, ha…" Yeshua who was tired from searching the other tunnels said with frustration. He was not able to find another exit, so he was back in the tunnel where the rock wall with a crevice was.
"However, my wind abilities are not enough to destroy this rock wall in one shot. If I just bombard it with continuous attacks, the cave might collapse and I'll lose my chance to leave this place!"
Yeshua thought of what he should do. He then muttered to himself, "My wind abilities are not strong enough since wind affinity is more inclined towards sharpness and speed, but what if I have abilities of other affinities?"
When this idea occurred in his mind, Yeshua thought of the uniqueness of his genome crystal and his body. He then remembered that the AI said that it could control two genome sequences. He had the genome sequence of Windrage Wolf, so he could still have one more Alter Beast!
With this in mind, Yeshua conversed with the AI.
- AI, you can control one more genome sequence, right?
[Because of the level of User Yeshua's soul, the AI can only control two genome sequences. The limit of User Yeshua's soul strength is also the limit of the AI. If User Yeshua's soul is at a higher level, the AI could do much more.]
- …Why do I feel like you're blaming me for being low-level?
[Clarification. The statement is only to explain that if the AI's user is much stronger than User Yeshua, then the AI could definitely do much better.]
- So in other words, you're actually just mocking me for being weak, right?!
[Please, give a significant command, User Yeshua. Reminder: Do not waste time.]
(Don't waste time, my ass! You just don't want to talk to me, right? The more I talk to this AI the more I can sense it's always trying to mock me. Is this AI bored inside me that its favorite pass time is to make fun of me?!)
After cursing the whole clan of the AI, Yeshua proceeded to bring forth his idea.
- AI, I want you to construct another genome sequence for my second Alter Beast!
[Please choose a base genome sequence to be modified.]
Yeshua then thought of what genome sequence he would choose as his second Alter Beast. After thinking for a while, Yeshua decided what his second Alter Beast would be.
- AI, I choose the genome sequence of Forest Orc as the base sequence. Use the data of all the earth affinity genome sequences that you have to enhance all its quality.
[Task received. Analyzing...]
[Using Forest Orc as the base sequence...]
[Using all the data to modify the genome sequence...]
A series of mechanical messages appeared in Yeshua's head. While waiting for the AI to complete its modification of the genome sequence, he thought of his reason why he chose the Forest Orc genome sequence.
During the month he stayed and hunted beast in the Red Wood Forest, Yeshua acquired a number of genome crystals. All these genome crystals were scanned by the AI.
Yeshua had an assortment of genome crystals, but most of them were earth, wood, and wind affinities. This was because these affinities of spirit beasts were common in Red Wood Forest.
Yeshua already had the Windrage Wolf as a wind affinity Alter Beast. Its wind abilities were not enough to leave this place, so his second Alter Beast should have a devastating strength that could destroy the rock wall in just one powerful attack.
The wood affinity genome sequences that he had did not have what he was looking for, and the other affinities of genome sequences he collected did not have enough data for the modification of the AI.
So, choosing the earth affinity Forest Orc was because earth affinity had powerful abilities that he could use to blast the rock wall in front of him. Aside from that, the qualities of giant type spirit beast were more inclined to strength.
"I'm also very familiar with these spirit beasts since I encountered and fought them a lot of times. So, this is not about their big things, alright! I'm not envious of their big things, okay!" Yeshua quietly said to no one in particular as he defended himself about his choice.
After a while, Yeshua heard the AI in his mind.
[Analysis completed.]
The second Alter Beast of Yeshua was completed!