Chapter 436
Three of his abilities had reached the 100% milestone:
Grappling Hook Arm
,
Rotary Blade Launcher
, and
Cinch Net Blaster
. Each was ready to be upgraded to the next rank, so Jake spent three skill points, increasing
Grappling Hook Arm
and
Rotary Blade Launcher
from Rank III to Rank IV, as well as
Cinch Net Blaster
from Rank II to Rank III. As expected, the progress bars for these abilities reset to 0%.
After that, he had 7 SP left to allocate. He decided to use them on upgrades for his abilities, starting by checking out the newly unlocked options for the ones he had just ranked up.
Grappling Hook Arm: Rank IV (0%) (Upgrades: 3 of 5) (Epic)
Shock Line: You can charge your grappling hook with electric energy, delivering a stun upon impact with enemies. If you hook an enemy, they are briefly incapacitated. If you anchor to terrain and enemies touch the cable, they take minor damage and are repelled. For this upgrade to function, your attacks must be infused with shock elemental damage. Cost: 1 SP
His regular attacks dealt only physical damage. However, among the magical gems he always carried in his inventory, he had several that could imbue his weapons with shock elemental damage.
He spent one skill point to purchase this upgrade, then checked the newly unlocked upgrade for the next ability.
Rotary Blade Launcher: Rank IV (0%) (Upgrades: 3 of 5) (Epic)
Auto-Aim: The rotary saw blades can subtly adjust their flight path, compensating for imperfect aim or a targetās sudden movement. This ensures greater accuracy, even when conditions arenāt ideal. However, the adjustments are limited: the rotary saw blades cannot lock on or continuously pursue a moving target. Cost: 1 SP
His natural aim was already impressive, honed by countless battles, and most of the rotary saw blades he launched found their mark with precision. However, this new upgrade provided an additional layer of accuracy. It could subtly adjust the trajectory of a projectile mid-flight if it was slightly off course. This feature was a benefit he couldnāt pass on, especially in high-stakes situations where every shot counted.
Cinch Net Blaster: Rank III (0%) (Upgrades: 2 of 6) (Legendary)
Paralysis: Just before launching a cinch net, you can infuse it with poisonous energy. Once the net envelops a target, you can mentally command it to sprout barbs. The barbs then inject a toxin into the captured target, temporarily paralyzing it. For this upgrade to function, you must possess any skill that allows you to generate or store toxins within your body, such as the fourth upgrade of Toxic Resistance. Cost: 1 SP
The
Toxic Resistance
skill granted Jake natural immunity to various toxins and poisons, making him highly resistant to chemical-based attacks. He had long since maxed out this skill, elevating it to Rank V and acquiring all available upgrades.
And one of these upgrades gave him the ability to absorb toxins from the environment and store them in his body. He could then either release them as a concentrated attack against enemies or imbue some of his weapons with them.
For example, he could cause sharp, menacing spikes to sprout from his skin. Just before releasing them, he could infuse them with potent toxins, ensuring that when he let them fly in all directions, they would not only pierce but also poison anything they struck.
So far, he had never really used this upgrade, as there had been no opportunity. He simply had yet to find himself in a toxin-filled environment. Still, sooner or later, he knew he would encounter a situation where this ability would be useful, so he spent one skill point to acquire
Paralysis
.
He also had two new abilities,
Ground Strike
and
Shardflare
, which had no upgrades yet. He had been using both extensively during battles with the ravagespawn in Dead City, so both had been progressing at a good pace. However, they werenāt quite ready to be raised to the next rank. Since both abilities were currently at Rank I, each had only one upgrade available. He chose to acquire them both.
Ground Strike: Rank I (80%) (Upgrades: 0 of 5) (Epic)
Increased Power: Upon striking the ground, the shockwave you generate hits with significantly more force and spreads farther and faster. The shockwave delivers devastating amounts of damage to the closest targets, potentially tearing apart weaker types of enemies and shattering or crushing smaller structures. Cost: 1 SP
There was no reason not to acquire this upgrade, especially since he often used it in combat, so he invested another skill point to obtain it.
Shardflare: Rank I (75%) (Upgrades: 0 of 5) (Epic)
Remote Control: Rather than detonating immediately upon impact, this skill allows you to mentally delay the explosion and trigger it at will. The delay, however, is limited. If no command is issued, the shardflare will automatically detonate sixty seconds after striking any surface. Cost: 1 SP
He then invested his remaining two skill points into
Mind
, raising it from 216 to 218. This brought his
Creature Points
up from 352 to 355.
After that, he finally opened his eyes and looked at Catalina. She stayed where she had been, the dim beam of her PDA cast light across him. Jake was ready to move on, but heād much prefer to continue alone. Catalina significantly slowed him down. Without her, he could travel much faster and concentrate entirely on battling the ravagespawn, free from the need to keep her safe. In truth, he wished he could send her back to New Hope and explore Dead City on his own.
He cast a quick glance at the Transfer Maw, wondering if he could order the creature not to harm Catalina. He tried giving the Maw a mental command to ignore her, but the effort failed. He simply couldnāt establish a mental link with the creature at all. Which wasnāt all that surprising. After all, it was a very simple-minded being, with the single, straightforward function of serving as a portal.
It possessed a hardwired instinct to attack nearby humans who came too close, and there was nothing Jake could do to make it go against that instinct. No amount of mental persuasion could override that primal directive. Unlike his own bioengineered creations, the Maw refused to respond to his mental instructions, no matter what. For better or worse, it definitely looked like he was stuck with Catalina for now.
Turning toward her, he asked, āIām finished here. You ready to head out?ā