Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 309

Chapter 309

To evolve the Mana Core to Rank IV, Jake needed to collect a total of 1,000 GP. He knew that GP could be earned through different actions, with the highest rewards coming from building new structures. Other than the Bio-Fusion Chamber, he preferred not to construct any additional ones for the time being, though. Alternatively, he could also earn GP by evolving his current structures. 

So he dedicated the remainder of the day and much of the night to collecting biomass and evolving his structures to the next ranks. While they underwent the evolution process, he roamed the night streets, killing ex-humans and gaining XP. He also made sure to refill the Mana Core with magical energy whenever needed.

Eventually, all of his structures evolved to Rank III. This reduced the time required for each to perform its main function. Additionally, each structure grew slightly larger, and the capacity of the Biomass Storage increased from 300 to 400. He could also now create three small creatures simultaneously in the Hive Nexus.

Having gathered over 1,000 GP, the Mana Core was ready to evolve to Rank IV. With sufficient biomass and mana, everything was set for the evolution process to begin. Jake issued a mental command, and the Mana Core began its evolution. After reviewing the Mana Core’s stats, he noted that it would take three hours for the structure to reach Rank IV.

So he left his lair to embark on a night hunt for XP. By completing a challenge and taking down numerous tough mutants, he managed to level up two times before getting a notification that the Mana Core had evolved to Rank IV. He advanced from level 136 to 138, allocating all ten SP to improve his attributes.

Body: 210

Mind: 160 → 168

Magick: 243 → 245

He then returned to his lair. Once he was back, he checked the evolved Mana Core.

Name: Mana Core

MP: 43,138

Evolution Rank: IV

GP: 327/1,500

Available structures: Hive Nexus, Larvae Chamber, Biomass Processor, Biomass Storage, Extractor, Creation Chamber, Bio-Fusion Chamber, Spore Generator, Resource Node.

Available creatures: Larva, Roach, Fly, Spider, Ten-legged Crawler

Larvae: 5/7

Structures: 6/15

Evolve to Rank V: Y/N (350 Biomass, 25,000 MP)

After the Mana Core is evolved to Rank V, the following structures will be available for creation:

Guardian Spire;

Flesh Maw;

Sentry Talon. 

So he could now create the Bio-Fusion Chamber. With a thought, he summoned the description of the structure.

Name: Bio-Fusion Chamber

Description: It allows you to impart special abilities to your creations. Each Rank of the structure unlocks one basic ability for your creatures to learn. To discover unique special abilities, try to obtain various rare materials via the Extractor and combine them in the Bio-Fusion Chamber. 

Build the Structure: Y/N (Cost: 200 Biomass, 10,000 MP) 

So his guess was correct: this structure actually allowed him to grant special abilities to his creations. Before building it, though, Jake took a moment to think. Currently, he had six structures in his lair, each consuming 1,000 MP per hour, which amounted to a total of 144,000 MP consumed over a 24-hour period.

As of now, he refilled the Mana Core with magical energy at least once a day, which was quite troublesome and time-consuming. Once he built the Bio-Fusion Chamber, the daily mana consumption of the Mana Core would increase to 168,000 MP.

So yeah, the issue of insufficient mana for his lair’s sustenance was becoming quite serious. He remembered that he acquired the mana orb, which he then used to create the Mana Core, as a reward for completing a challenge. So after evolving the ten-legged crawler, it seemed worthwhile to spend some time seeking challenges that could yield another mana orb as a reward.

Alternatively, he could visit Catalina Base to check if the Mana Constructor had been upgraded to the next rank and whether it could now create mana orbs. However, Jake had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy. After all, a mana orb was a legendary item. The System wouldn’t give survivors the opportunity to produce legendary items on a regular basis, as it would diminish their value.

Jake turned his attention back to the Mana Core and mentally commanded it to build the Bio-Fusion Chamber, positioning it at the back wall to the right of the Extractor. As usual, a larva crawled to the designated spot and began evolving into the structure.

Jake dedicated the next hour to hunting for XP outside. As soon as he received the message that the Bio-Fusion Chamber had finished building, he made his way back to his lair. Once inside, he inspected the newly constructed structure.

The Bio-Fusion Chamber (Rank I) 

Available Special Abilities:

Rank I: Adhesive Secretion (Cost: 1,000 MP) 

Evolve to Rank II: 500 MP, 50 Biomass

He noticed that the first available ability was Adhesive Secretion, which would allow his ten-legged crawler to scale most vertical surfaces, not just those covered by Corruption. This was fantastic. Another good thing was that he could acquire this ability right away for just 1,000 MP.

After obtaining the ability, Jake spent several hours collecting enough biomass to upgrade the Bio-Fusion Chamber to Rank III. At some point, he also refilled the Mana Core with magical energy. It was now broad daylight, and numerous groups of humans were roaming the streets. Luckily, he managed to avoid running into any of them.

Finally, the structure finished evolving to Rank III. 

The Bio-Fusion Chamber (Rank III) 

Available Special Abilities:

Rank I: Adhesive Secretion (Cost: Already Learned) 

Rank II: Mana-infused Jump (Cost: 1,000 MP)

Rank III: Acid Spit (Cost: 1,000 MP)

Evolve to Rank IV: 2,000 MP, 200 Biomass

Two more special abilities became available, and Jake decided to acquire both. He could now evolve his ten-legged crawler to the next rank and provide it with special abilities. He wasn’t sure how many of them a creature could have, though. 

However, before evolving the crawler, Jake planned to do something else first. He needed to improve the crawler’s strength and resistance to damage without negatively impacting its speed and agility. Was there a way to achieve this?

From the Extractor’s description, he learned that while basic mutants only provided regular resources such as Brain Matter and Rigidbone, elite mutants could offer unique materials. It would be wise to seek out elite mutants to discover what unique resources could be extracted from them and their potential effects on the ten-legged crawler. 

With that plan in mind, Jake set off on a search for elite ex-humans.