Crack!
Groza plunged her sword straight into the Spider Queen’s head, killing the monster with that final move.
"Agh..." Groza sighed heavily, falling to her knees and leaning on her cracked sword.
Strangely enough, the Spider Queen turned out to be the toughest opponent, even though the Crystal Crusher and the Lucent Golems did most of the work for Kreyn and Groza.
"Is that enough?" Groza turned hopefully toward Kreyn, who was moving from one Lucent Golem to another.
[The Lucent Golem’s gene has been obtained!]
[The Lucent Golem’s gene has been obtained!]
[The Lucent Golem’s gene has been obtained!]
Kreyn nodded as he collected the gene from the last Lucent Golem here. There were five of them in total. By the time they arrived, the Spider Queen had already wounded them quite badly, so Kreyn’s strikes with his mutated arms were enough to knock the stone giants to the ground.
"Yeah, or at least I hope so. Don’t forget, I’m a newbie. I haven’t fully figured out my powers yet."
Groza shrugged and leaned against the nearest rock.
"Don’t worry about it. My ability is more straightforward than yours, but I realize I still have a lot to learn. I’m sure you have plenty of options, and it’s hard to choose."
Kreyn smirked. "You have no idea how right you are. But I think I did everything correctly this time."
He blinked as the desired system window appeared before him. Each time, he did it faster and more effortlessly.
[Forge Flame.]
’Alright, I have no other choice. Burn all the Lucent Golem genes for the Forge Flame.’
[Accepted. Gene burning begins.]
Kreyn’s mind was transported to a dark world where a bright flame was already burning above the anvil.
The five genes hovered in the darkness before heading toward the flame, causing it to shine even brighter.
[Ignition: 29% -> 31% -> 34% -> 37% -> 41%]
The process was gradual, and unlike cell development, the percentages rose in spurts, as if with each new gene the flame flared up more intensely.
’Come on, all I need is 50%. In that case, I should get another charge, right?’ Kreyn bit his lip, staring at the flame.
Soon, the flame went out.
[Forge Flame
[Ignition: 2/4 (57%)
[Recovery: 2 days 17 hours. Next charge in 29 hours.]
Kreyn smirked.
’Alright, that’s a different story. Now it’s time to create!’
Groza noticed his gaze full of excitement, which made her smile as well.
"Looks like I’ll get some gear for myself after all, right?"
"Of course!" Kreyn waved his hand and walked over to the Spider Queen. "There’s just one thing left to do, and I’m ready to start."
He absorbed the Spider Queen’s gene.
[Spider Queen of the Green-Tipped Spiders
[Tier: I
[Rarity: Epic
[Quality: Very High
[Features: Single Core Gene.]
To some extent, the Spider Queen’s gene was similar to the Crystal Crusher’s gene, but there were several obvious differences.
’The Rarity is the same, but the Quality is different. Very High... Is that better than Unique, or worse?’ Kreyn pondered, but something inside him told him that the Crystal Crusher was a rarer catch.
’Single Core Gene? What does that mean?’ Kreyn asked, since sometimes the system would answer him.
This time was no exception.
[It means this monster had only one core. Perhaps this was because the monster was very young, or maybe it’s just this type of monster.]
’I see. And? What does that mean?’
[The choice to create will be severely limited even at a high level of the Gene Forge. However, the result itself will be of higher quality since all the energy and genes are concentrated in just one core.]
"Hmm, that’s interesting." Kreyn rubbed his chin as his eyes sparkled. "So hunting young monsters guarantees you’ll get something of high quality, but... Is it worth it if the options are limited?"
After a few moments, Kreyn nodded and opened his eyes.
He turned to Groza.
"I’ll craft your gear first. Before I begin, you should know that I have several options to choose from before starting the crafting process. They’re all different and have varying chances of success. Do you have any preferences?"
Before answering, Groza glanced at her sword. Her gaze grew heavy as she made up her mind.
"I don’t need an axe, a sword, a hammer, or anything like that. I am the weapon. As for the odds - go for the maximum. I want the rarest one!" Groza replied honestly.
Kreyn raised an eyebrow.
"You might end up with nothing, you realize that, right?"
"Pha!" Groza waved her hand dismissively. "So be it. Nothing can ruin my mood today."
"As you wish." Kreyn shrugged, activating his ability.
Thump!
The hammer struck the anvil as if to greet him.
After that, the purple gene flared up before Kreyn.
The last time he’d used the Sand Lizard Gene, the options were hidden, so Kreyn was curious to see what he could create from the Spider Queen Gene.
[Option 1
[Result: Spider Bone Wall
[Chances of success: 30% or Forced Creation.]
’Agh...?’
Kreyn blinked several times. He was at a loss.
"So that’s what they meant by limited choice? Only one option? Damn it!"
He frowned as his gaze fell on the last line.
"30% or Forced Creation? What does that mean?"
[Due to the properties of this gene, its single core, this gene is vulnerable. Even at your current ability level, you can weaken the gene’s protection and increase your chances of success up to 100%.]
Kreyn nodded.
"Is this feature unique to this type of gene?"
[Correct.]
"And? What exactly am I supposed to do? Pick up a hammer and turn this gene into a gear myself?"
[No. With this method, you don’t create but weaken the monster gene. You’ll have to fight against the Spirit of this gene, basically, against a monster - the Spider Queen, in this case.]
Kreyn’s eyes widened in shock.
Sure, he wanted to create a worthy item for Groza. He himself wanted to see what the [Spider Bone Wall] was like, but he understood that he couldn’t defeat the Spider Queen in a 1-on-1 fight.
"Wait! How is that even possible? Will an arena appear here or what?"
[The battle won’t be real.]
Kreyn breathed out immediately.
[It will be a clash of wills, yours and the Spider Queen’s. If you win, her spirit will retreat, meaning the gene will lose its only protection, and your chances of success will increase significantly.]
Silence.
[What will your choice be?]
Kreyn’s eyes darted from side to side. He was nervous, unsure whether to take the risk or settle for a 30% chance.
Suddenly, something in his gaze changed, as if he’d remembered a thing, then he nodded.
"I’ll fight. I’m not afraid of the dead."
[Accepted.]
FLASH!
Without delay, a bright light burst forth from the purple gene as the Spider Queen appeared before Kreyn.
But, judging by her translucent frame, like a hologram, it was clear that neither she nor this was happening in the real world.
"SHHHHSSH!"
The Spider Queen hissed at Kreyn, raising her front legs to attack.
In response, Kreyn extended his arm, gathering energy for the crimson blast.
"Go away."
His cold voice rang out.
"You’ve already lost, and if you resist, you’ll have to die all over again. I’ll make it far more painful than Groza. You can be sure of that."
"SHHHS...!"
The Spider Queen tried to intimidate Kreyn once more, but his posture didn’t waver, unlike the Spider Queen’s.
Her eyes locked onto his, and soon, the Spider Queen retreated, step by step, until she dissolved into the darkness, leaving behind her gene.
Kreyn lowered his hand and touched his temples.
"He was right... His advice helps me, but it’s so hard to keep it under control..." he muttered to himself.
After that, Kreyn glanced at the gene.
"Begin creating the Spider Bone Wall."
Thump!
Without delay, the hammer sprang into action, striking the gene on the anvil again and again, gradually transforming it into something completely different.
With the final blow, a bright flash swept around as Kreyn’s mind returned to the real world.
Together with Groza, they watched as a new object emerged from the light.
"You..." Groza smiled. "You made it, didn’t you?"
"Of course I did," Kreyn replied, without a trace of coldness in his eyes.
They both looked at the armor hovering above the ground, looking worthy of a warrior capable of single-handedly crushing an entire army with their own strength alone.
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