After the operation was over, only Wilkis remained with the unconscious Girisia. He sent his daughter out after she had stitched the incision on Girisia's back before administering another regen serum.
"Nothing is happening." Looking at the live scan of Girisia's internal body, he noticed how the new bone marrow remained independent and didn't show any special mutation of eating away at Girisia's body.
Usually, a mutant cell takes over a mortal body at a fast pace when they are introduced to living matter. But there was no sign of any takeover, there was no activity, to begin with.
Girisia's vitals were normal and the wound on his back was slowly closing under the effect of regen serum.
"Will it truly succeed?" Wilkis wondered. He hasn't forgotten the entity that appeared the moment he broke the canister. He was not even sure whether it was true of his brain playing tricks.
But being one of the rare grade four with digitized consciousness, he knew how far-fetched it sounded. An error like that will be caught by him instantly and dealt with as he sees fit. But he knew that his memory was not false and that entity did arrive here in a certain form.
And she didn't seem that bothered by what was going on in this place.
"Did I choose correctly?" He was not sure of his choice anymore. But from the looks of it at the moment, nothing will happen.
"So it succeeded." As Wilkis was lost in his thoughts replaying the earlier scene again and again in his mind. Girisia woke up.
Usually, it's rare for a patient to wake up so early just after the operation, but due to heightened metabolism caused by regen serum. The drugs In Girisia's system have flushed out a lot faster.
"You tell me," WIlkis said, looking into Girisia's eyes assessing him, wondering if it was Girisia or something else. Though, this suspicious stare ended after Wilkis found no changes in Girisia's phyche.
"It is, but not completely. I need to use a Mutant serum, to truly activate it." Girisia said after reading his status window. Not noticing the weird glances Wilkis was giving him.
"Then it's good… we may still have a chance." Wilkis was sure now, the marrow truly had not taken over Girisia and there was still time.
"Chance at what?" Girisia asked.
"To choose once again." Soon, Wilkis told of his experience when he had opened the canister to Girisia, who listened to it intently.
And the more he listened to it, the creepier he felt and the more sure he got off the rank of "she".
'A rank 7 at least… how the heck did a rank 7 be born on this backwater planet.' Girisia even wondered how he had never heard of this in his first life. This seemed a bit too suspicious, how can something as huge as this can be hidden. This smelled fishy to him.
'Are my memories correct?' He wondered, there was no way he could miss out on something so massive. This 'she' entity was not even dead and there is a high chance that she is observing him even now. Which creeped him out.
The highest he ever reached in his previous life was merely grade 7 and now he was being eyed by a grade 7 or higher entity?
'But she hasn't done anything to stop us, meaning she is anticipating and looking forward to what is going to happen today.' Girisia wondered if something similar happened to the original owner of this marrow.
"Well, It would seem like 'she' is supporting our actions. And it would be rude for us to not follow her will after she came here and let you know of her existence." Girisia came to a similar conclusion that Wilkis came to. But the way he came to that conclusion was different.
"You are turning into a lunatic even before turning into a mutant." Wilkis pointed out, but he knew the words Girisia spoke were true. He knows that stopping at this junction will be dangerous.
"I am no lunatic, I know what I want, and taking risks to achieve it is not lunacy. I chose this and all you need to do is follow up on your words." Girisia was feeling pretty confident, the worst that can happen is him dying or turning into a mad beast.
And at this point, he was already fed up with fearing this new life. Gotta accept his new identity with open arms.
People are dying every minute in pursuit of their belief, so why should Girisia remain as a mere coward.
"Let's just give her a great show." He said, asking for the mutant serum injector from Wilkis.
"If you go crazy… I will blow up your head." Wilkis threatened, knowing some sort of retaliation may arrive from "her". But he was taking too much risk to fulfill the desire of a lunatic and if he messes up, he won't mind accepting appropriate punishment for it.
"I know and I will graciously accept your decision." Girisia lied like always, but Wilkis didn't mind it this time.
He just handed Girisia the serum he had been keeping with himself.
Girisia laughed, knowing where this serum is originating from.
'It comes full circle.' Girisia knew why Wilkis chose this. This mutant by nature is peaceful, making it the gene with the least effect on sanity.
"Then, good luck Mayor." Girisia laughed, he was not that worried. If his memory is to go by, nothing weird will happen.
"You may turn crazy."
"Yes, I might." Girisia graciously accepted the warning as he stabbed the injector into his chest and injected his content into his bloodstream.
'Now it's time to level up.' To make it seem that the combination of the injector and the marrow were the reason for his increase in strength, Girisia timed it perfectly.
Race: Karabit
Class: None[1]
Trait: None
Racial Trait: Blood Infusion
Title: Guest of Wilkis Riber, Beggar of Riber city
[FSP: 0] [KP: 0] [Exp: 281690]
[Stats]
STR: 1
CTS: 4
DEX: 1
INT: 0.8
SPR: 0
WIT: 1.5
Vigor: 220
Health: 230/240
Class skill: Biomass Accumulation lvl1
Passive skills: Tenacious lvl2, Danger Discernment lvl1
Active skills: none
Creation skills:
Status effects: [click to expand]**
Knowledge[Uninitiated]: [click to expand]
Augments[Uninitiated]: Marrow of the seventh daughter, Mundi treant gene initiator.
The new title didn't affect him much. It was a mere title that didn't hold much value for him.
So ignoring the mild change.
'Level up to nine and add six to the constitution, six to wits, and four to dexterity.' He ordered looking at his status screen.
On the side, looking at the mutations occurring on Girisia's body Wilkis was left speechless. He had seen the burst of vitality moving through Girisia's body, how his muscles mutated becoming more lean and flexible and how his reaction speed increased by the mental fluctuation he was giving off.
The effects of them were not only on an internal level. The effect of the increase in strength also showed up on Girisia's external appearance. His haggard old face was no more, the increase in vitality seems to have made him younger and his skin started to tear up in places like a snake shedding its skin.
And looking at this bizarre effect the increase in strength brought to his body and skin tears Girisia only had one thought remaining in his head that he said out loud. "I truly was a snake."
"Would you proceed to grade two?"
The panel asked and this was the point Girisia had been waiting for all this time. And he accepted the level up without a delay.
[You have met the basic requirements for Mutant, you will now advance to transcendence.]
[Unlocked Class Skill: Biomass collector]
[Obtained Active Skill: Muscle Control]
[Obtained Passive Skill: Madness suppression]
[Obtained Creation Skill: Geneticist]
Girisia felt thrilled, lots of information and instincts flooded his brain as each skill and knowledge was ingrained into his mind. It was a painful experience but more than painful, it was addictive.
His understanding of genetics and cells increased in seconds. The muscles in his body can even be controlled if they break away from his body and then he felt it. Some madness.
'I was smart enough to pick that passive.' Girisai felt great, he had some suspicions that he may need a madness suppressing passive and it came true. Stuff like madness never happened to a player unless they were under some bad status effect. But knowing he was not a player anymore, he took some precautions that worked out well.
[Found augment material in the body.]
[You meet the requirement for activation of Marrow of Seventh Daughter]
[Would you like to activate it?]
As Girisia got his prompt in front of him. Wilkis on the side who was appreciating the changes in Girisia and recording everything suddenly felt the same creepy feeling he felt before.
It was filled with anticipation. 'This is not safe.' Wilkis thought, he knew after the reappearance of the gaze that what Girisia was going through may not turn out the way he wanted.
Something was seriously wrong with the marrow that Tarkov brought, Girisia's obsession with it made things worse.
But before he could notify Girisia about this feeling. It was all too late.
"Yes." Girisia agreed. He was so drunk on the power that he didn't notice the heavy air spreading in the room.
<...>
[Remark: You are fucked…]
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh"
A scream filled with madness was all that remained of Girisia.