A few minutes before Ram met Xiao Mu, while he was still getting used to controlling the Mind Shadow Parasite, he noticed something unusual.
The parasite had evolved from Elite to Rare quality.
"Just as I thought, using spiritual power should help creatures improve their quality," Ram muttered. "But the amount I infused is very low for the parasite to improve its quality, how did this happen?"
Then, he suddenly recalled what he had learned from Sid earlier. According to his knowledge, there were multiple levels on how the parasite takes control of its host.
The first level is when the parasite is injected into the host's body. It then slowly absorbs the host's life energy to quickly improve itself.
This process might take about two weeks to three months, depending on the individual.
The second level is when the parasite, improves its quality to Rare and starts to influence its host.
At this point, the parasite will become highly intelligent, comparable to humans.
Unlike the ignorant Thorny, the Mind Shadow Parasite is preprogrammed with specific instructions by the Society.
After reaching 'Rare' quality, it gains the ability to spy on its host's thoughts and memories, amassing sufficient knowledge and wisdom to gradually begin influencing the host's thoughts.
"This is the beginning of the distorted state I saw in Sid," Ram thought.
According to Sid, this process might be very slow or very fast, depending on the willpower of the host and the parasite. It might take a few days or decades.
Once the distorted state reaches above 70%, the parasite controls the host's body to move and perform other tasks, making it hard to distinguish between the host and the parasite.
The third level is when the host is completely distorted, and the parasite combines with the host's soul to evolve again, increasing its quality to General.
From then on, the parasite has full control of the body and can awaken other special abilities after taking full control of the host's body.
By becoming one with the host, the parasite can combine the host's talent and professional skills with its own abilities.
No one knows what happens above the third level. However, to reach the fourth level, the parasite needs to reach the Lord's quality by then.
It's quite challenging to evolve from Rare to General quality, and even more so to reach Lord quality, more difficult than simply advancing to a higher level.
The Society transfers parasites to new hosts if the current host encounters issues or suddenly dies, carefully cultivating them through this process.
"The reason why the parasite evolved to Rare quality should be that it was already on the verge of a breakthrough and the spiritual power I used helped it," Ram concluded.
Understanding what's happened, Ram didn't hurriedly upgrade the parasite to Bronze level.
Similar to the classification of human professionals, monsters were divided into low-level, intermediate-level, and high-level, with three sub-levels each, commonly referred to as Black Iron for Tier-1, Bronze for Tier-2, Silver for Tier-3, and so on.
With the ability of his Spiritual Eye to save skills, Ram had an idea of using the Mind Shadow Parasite under his control to escape from here.
However, there were some requirements for his plan to work out, so he shifted his focus to upgrading more spiritual plants and gaining some experience.
Just as he was about to get out of the cabin, he saw a beautiful woman with long black hair styled in a high ponytail, wearing tight jeans and a t-shirt, step inside.
She was about 23 to 24 years old, with a perfect body.
She had piercing, light blue eyes that were accentuated by her makeup, giving her a captivating and intense gaze.
She wears a form-fitting, long-sleeved white top with a daring keyhole cutout at the chest, slightly exposing her large breasts and white skin, paired with tight, dark gray pants that emphasize her curves.
Over her top, she sports a black and red jacket, which matches her large red backpack slung over her shoulders.
She was also wearing white gloves, adding to her practical yet stylish look.
Mai didn't see Ram inside. She had just returned from Zone 17 after collecting some necessary materials needed for a project she was working on.
She casually threw the heavy bag she was carrying in the corner and was about to lay on the bed to relax, only to find Ram looking at her dumbfounded.
"Who are you? Why are you in my place?" Mai asked Ram, unable to understand why someone was in her study place.
Ram's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the unexpected encounter. "I'm Ram," he replied, quickly regaining his composure. "Sid asked me to stay here. I didn't realize it was your place."
Mai scrutinized him, her expression still guarded. "Sid? What's your business with him?"
Ram hesitated for a moment, weighing his words carefully. "Something happened yesterday..." He paused, then began recounting the events. "He brought us here for safety."
Mai's guarded expression softened slightly as she listened to Ram's explanation. "So, you and the girl were brought here by Sid," she said, processing the information while she called Sid using her Sky Drive.
Meanwhile, Ram used his Spiritual Eye to identify her details, and then a holographic display filled with details appeared in front of his eyes.
[Name: Maiitha (Mai)]
[ Age: 23/121]
[Race: Human]
[Profession: Mechanic Tier-3, Apprentice Arcane Mage Lv-3]
[Physique: 25.4]
[Spirit: 76.9]
[Talent: ???]
[Skills:
[Mechanic Skills]: Material Identification Level 3, Structural Reinforcement Level 3, Gearwork Precision Level 3, Basic Automation Level 3
[Intermediate Mechanic Skills]: Enhanced Assembly Level 1, Intermediate Mechanical Blueprints Level 1, Power Source Integration Level 1, Efficiency Tuning Level 1
[Zero-order Arcane Spells]: Arcane Shield Level 3, Arcane Bolt Level 3, Arcane Push Level 3]
[Status: Distorted (0.7%)]
"??" Ram didn't have words to explain how he was feeling. This was the best attribute panel he had seen so far.
Her Spirit attribute matched that of Tier-4 professionals, and her physical attributes were on par with those of ordinary Tier-3 martial artists.
She is also a rare professional with dual professions and both of them are still Tier 3, which was a rare feat.
When she evolves to Tier -4, she could basically advance to a powerful profession derived from her current dual professions or choose different advance professions that are related to both Mechanic and Arcane Mage.
Although the Mechanic profession is considered an ordinary profession, it holds exceptional versatility and potential, much like the Spiritual Planter.
Each of these professions offers a wide array of advanced career paths with remarkably high upper limits of achievement.
Mechanics, for instance, are not just skilled in repairing and maintaining machinery but can delve into advanced fields such as robotics, biomechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, genetic engineering, and even nanotechnology.
Their expertise in understanding and manipulating mechanical systems grants them the ability to innovate and create groundbreaking technologies.