-Six Years Post Saturation Completion CONT-
Then there were my boots, which stretched up mid-calf and were plated with alloy, suitable for bashing skulls or…testicles.
Second to last was my cloak; the lightweight fabric was interwoven with Monster resources and gave me stealth abilities beyond my usual means. The clasp that held it together was a large v-shaped metallic piece that spanned from shoulder to shoulder and provided me with a bit of added protection over my vital organs.
Lastly was, frankly, my favorite piece of equipment, my mask. This mask covers nearly all of my face except for my eyes, giving me a sinister appearance.
Below the eyes to my chin, it was a pretty standard black mask; however, when it got to the base of my eyes, it had my personal flair for theatrics.
Following my jawline, the mask covered my ears, going up my temples and following my eyebrow line before extending up in a v-shape.
Over the past year, this mask had become synonymous with one thing: Destruction because, to date, not a single person who had seen me in person would live to tell the tale.
The moment I dawned my equipment, I was no longer Taylor Jörgensen, Beta-Rank Bot Farmer no…I…was Xipher, the infamous A-Class Villain.
-Seven Years Post Saturation Completion.-
If I had to describe the last year, I could do it with two words: F***ing Annoying.
Let me start by saying the war between races has essentially become an exact Mirror of the Cold War between The United States and the Soviet Union, where there were minor skirmishes here and there.
Still, nothing of a larger scale happened after a certain point, the reason being neither side was willing to go all in for fear of mutual destruction.
We had proven to the other races that we weren't pushovers who could quickly be taken over, and although there was a lot of dialog between the two sides, eventually, a mutual understanding was formed.
Some of the Myriad Races, as they came to be known, even went so far as to sign peace treaties between leaders under the watchful eye of Arkadia, allowing for an intermingling of cultures, and from there, we found some shocking information.
They were natives of Earth, just like us, only they had been in hiding for hundreds of thousands of years.
According to the annuls of history as told by the Myriad Races, Earth wasn't always without the presence of particles; millions of years ago, the planet had been much like it was now and had givin birth to the Myriad Races, only for some unknown reason there was a rapid decline in Metaphysical energy.
With the decline, many drastic changes occurred on Earth, such as the fracturing of the continents, rapid climate change, and, most importantly, the slow sterilization of the races.
This alone was cause for concern, but during this period, Humanity proved how adaptable they could be and swiftly became the top of the food chain.
With their access to Particles cut off, the Myriad Races lost the majority of their power. Over time, they saw their territory dwindle before eventually becoming the subject of myths and legends.
This was how the stories of werewolves, vampires, or even dragons came to be; they were all based on truth, although there were some exaggerations.
With the war entering a stalemate of sorts, the rise of a certain black armored Villain caught the eyes of the media, and after going on two years, my Alias Xipher had become a household name.
"He has no rules, boundaries, or morals, and he doesn't flinch at torture or genocide. He's not loyal to any one flag, country, race, or any set of ideals. He takes what he wants from those who have it and leaves only a trail of blood and destruction in his wake…damn, they really painted an elaborate picture of me this time." Sitting on the makeshift couch in my Alaskan Log Cabin, I couldn't help but chuckle as I read an official statement about my Alias made by the USA-HA.
"While they hit the nail on the head in some places, to say I don't have morals, nor adhere to any set ideals, that's a crock of S***, I would never harm family, that by itself is contradictory to their statement." Harumphing in discontent, I closed the article and tossed my Ark-Phone onto the couch beside me.
After a long nine months on the road, I had finally returned home, and honestly, it had been a fruitful endeavor.
Diving head first into the war of Races, I slaughtered all those who stood before me by utilizing my wealth of combat knowledge, along with my ever-strengthening Talent, and my panels showed the rewards.
{Talent: Enhanced Psy-Kinesis}
{Talent Rank: Gamma}
{Talent Potential Grade: Gamma*Upgradable*}
The upgrade to my Talent Rank and the Suffix attached to my Talent brought about a boost in power. Whereas before, I could only augment my hands, I could now augment my entire upper body with glowing energy, with the only downside being the more of my body I augmented, the greater the drain on my Particle Count.
That wasn't all that changed during my travels.
[Racial Trait, Progress, and Evolution]
{Current Race: Basic Human}
{Current Race Rank: First Classification}
{Racial Trait: 1:1 Level Progress Gain.}
{Racial Progress: 100%}
{Available Racial Evolutions: 3}*Please Evolve your Race and Rank to generate new options.*
As it turns out, the 'collecting' DNA that Arkadia had informed me of didn't just amount to getting some flesh, hair, or bodily fluids; no, it basically meant Killing. Every kill I executed would further increase my progress, and now that I was back in the safety of my cabin in the woods, it was finally time to try this Evolution thing.
'Arkadia, show me the list of Available Racial Evolutions I have earned.' Straightening my back, I took a deep breath and observed the changes on my panel.
{Your Current available Racial Evolutions and their cost are as follows.}
{Please select and pay for which option you would like to Evolve into.}
{1: Human C2 = 50 γ-Coins}
{2:High Human C3 = 1000 Γ-Coins }
{3:Slaughter Fiend C1 = 10000 Δ-Coins}