While his team continued to bicker, Isaac sat down on one of the roots poking out of the mist and stared at the blood swirling around his hand. It listened to him, eager to move, to do more than just… well, exist. But something was missing—an essential part of every skill.

His Origin's assistance.

Sure, it still helped him draw Viron and shape it into artificial blood, but aside from that, there was nothing. The usual push that accompanied every activation of Blood Dagger was gone, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't summon it back.

Still, Isaac didn't give up and continued forcing the blood to move, to take the shape of the blades he had used so many times before. Each attempt brought different results, but one thing was clear: even without a dedicated skill, manipulation of his Origin should be possible.

For now, all he managed was making the blood drift left and right, up and down, but that was better than nothing. It showed him that as a Host, he didn't need to depend only on his skills, and maybe, with enough work, he could learn to push past the limits currently placed on him.

That said, it would be a while before that could happen. The best he had pulled off so far was an orb of blood the size of a marble. He could make it float and even fire it like a bullet, but its integrity left much to be desired. It was far, far away from the level of a Blood Dagger.

Isaac clicked his tongue. Gonna need to see if I can make Crimson Death smaller. Or maybe separate it into more projectiles.

That was one way to solve what he hoped was a temporary problem. Then again, considering that a single Crimson Death required about twice as much Viron as a full salvo of Blood Daggers, modifying it might not be as simple. Hell, aside from some experimentation with Blood Draw, he had never done anything like that.

Guess it's time to learn. Better now than later.

With a sigh, he pushed to his feet and glanced toward his teammates. It looked like their little argument had finally wrapped up, so he strolled over and cleared his throat.

"So, what's the verdict?" he asked. "Who gets the Mutagen?"

"James," the two women stated in unison.

Isaac arched an eyebrow and looked at the older man. "Sounds like you lost here."

James' shoulders slumped. "You try arguing with these two," he grumbled. "They are like hounds, I tell you, man."

"And we're right next to you," Marie snapped, glaring. "Now eat the damn pill. We have wasted enough time here."

Isaac agreed but kept his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted was to get between those two. Judging by how Elaine stepped back as well, she shared the sentiment. Her job here was obviously done.

"Fine, fine!" James raised his hands in surrender. Then, he threw the pill into his mouth and swallowed it dry. "There. Happy?"

"Very," Marie said, handing him a bottle of water.

James opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly his face twisted into a grimace. The bottle fell out of his hands as he grabbed his stomach, groaning.

"Fuck…"

Of course nothing can be painless nowadays, Isaac thought, rolling his eyes. At the very least, it didn't seem to be that bad, as James remained standing—with Marie's support but standing nonetheless. I can't wait to get my own Mutagens now…

Despite that thought, he kept a close eye on the older man. At first, it looked like the mutation was entirely internal. But then, James' skin began to shift—the tanned surface paling slightly, taking on a shade somewhere between light gray and natural white.

"Huh… this feels strange," Marie muttered, brushing her fingers against James' exposed arm. "A bit like a rough stone, but not in a bad way. Really strange."

Right… Why did I agree to go out in a group again? Isaac sighed, shaking his head. "Can we go now?" he asked. "Please?"

James, who clearly wasn't in pain anymore, tore his gaze away from the woman next to him and chuckled sheepishly. "Sure thing, boss!" He gave a half-hearted salute. "Let's go, team!"

Yet, before he could move, someone cleared their throat. All eyes turned to Elaine.

"Aren't you all forgetting something?" she asked, a small cloth bag dangling from her hand. "Gotta split those first."

And so they did. There were exactly eight Normal-grade Virality Gems inside. First, everyone got one each, which they all consumed. Knowing Isaac was quite close to stage three of the Virus, the team forced a second gem into his hand, and when that didn't do the job, they gave him a third one.

That finally gave him the message he wanted.

Congratulations, Host! Your Virus has reached the peak of its current stage and is ready to advance. Do you wish to begin the process now? In the meantime, you will still be able to use your abilities, but Viron production will become slower until completion.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

Yes, begin, Isaac ordered right away. The sooner he got this out of the way, the better.

Beginning Virus advancement. Time to completion: 2 hours.

Still the same timer. Should be done around the same time as Elaine's Legacy. Good.

With that, his team gathered whatever else was scattered around the area and once more headed south. This time, though, they didn't walk and instead broke into a jog that was way faster than that of an average or even well-trained human. Their enhanced attributes made sure the limits of the past were gone.

Now, to get out of this forest…

Over an hour later, the woods began to thin. More sunlight poured through the gaps in the canopy. The number of monsters didn't lessen, but by this point, Isaac and his team learned that nothing here was stronger than level five or six outside of nests. This was the limit of the Rotborne Woods.

Still, with how many Barkspawns and some occasional Hollowbeaks they had killed on the way, Marie also managed to hit level ten and unlock her Legacy. For her, the process was almost painless. Hell, she had described it as soothing and refreshing at times.

When Isaac heard that, he just accepted that life was unfair and there was no point in complaining. Besides, all the pain he had experienced was probably the price for getting a somewhat unique Origin. Or maybe not. Who the hell knew anymore.

That said, unlike the rest of them, Marie would have to wait a full twelve hours for her Legacy to fully unlock. Again, no one had an idea why. They just chalked it up to more Origin and Interface nonsense.

"Okay, stop!" Isaac called out when the plains he had seen from above appeared behind the last few rows of trees. "I will scout ahead again. See what we are dealing with this time."

His team nodded, and while they settled for a short break, he turned and forced his transformation. With a series of powerful beats of his wings, he pushed past the few remaining trees and shot toward the sky.

Now entering: Peaceful Plains

Hmm… Not bad, Isaac mused, hovering high above, his gaze sweeping over the endless scenery beneath him. Better name than the forest, at least.

Still, plains maybe wasn't the perfect word for this territory. Sure, most of what he could see were lands covered in tall, colorful grasses and bushes. That said, he already spotted plenty of smaller forests, all kinds of trees scattered all around, and the occasional hill or rocky outcrop.

Peaceful though…

Isaac could agree with that one. Those plains weren't empty—far from it—but most of what he could see were animals. Not normal ones, obviously. Like the herd of six-legged deer with thorny antlers grazing near a grove. But at the very least, there didn't seem to be any monsters here similar to Hollowbeaks.

Then again, he also didn't want to jump to assumptions too fast. Other, more dangerous beasts could be hiding somewhere. Maybe even inside that river glittering in the distance or deep underground. Anything was possible in this world.

At least I see no nests for now, Isaac thought. Or som— What the hell is that?!

Just as he was scanning a small forest in the distance, a group of about half a dozen beasts burst from the tree line. Now, this alone wouldn't have drawn such a reaction from him. But those things…

They looked like raptors. Literal, prehistoric, and extinct raptors. Or at least, he thought those were raptors. He was no expert on dinosaurs.

The world has officially gone insane…

Potential Threat: Low-Moderate

The entire pack showed up like that, and it didn't take long to understand why. Even from so far away, Isaac could easily tell that those two-legged creatures were as tall or taller than a human. Add to that their speed, sharp claws, and long, slim tails wreathed in flickering flame, and the threat ranking was quite reasonable.

Even in his Legacy form, he felt the Root shiver inside him, activating the first thrums of Symphony of Blood. He pushed both of those away and flew back toward his team. He got what he wanted.

"Not so peaceful then," James said once Isaac finished explaining what he had seen from above. "Aside from those raptors, what are the threats?"

"Low, possibly Very Low," Isaac answered. "I didn't scan everything that moved."

"Then it's not that bad," Elaine cut in. "If we're gonna reach LA in time, we have to keep running, but… staying out in the open might not be the best idea. What worked in the forest won't work here."

"So what do you propose, princess?" James asked.

The woman crossed her arms. "Not much planning we can do without a proper map, but there's one simple thing we can do. A proper formation with an early warning system and a guide." She glanced at Isaac at the end.

I see… He hummed. "I stay in the air to show you the safest route and warn you in case a fight is inevitable. And on the ground, you can decide between yourself how you want to travel. Sounds good."

Elaine smiled. "How do we always put it? Better than nothing, hmm?"

James shrugged. "It's a good motto."

"It could use some work," Marie countered, even though she was smiling.

"Semantics." The older man waved her off. "We good to go then?"

"Three minutes," Elaine said, stopping everyone. "My Legacy is almost here. And Isaac's Virus advancement isn't far off either."

"Oh, this I gotta see," James muttered before looking around. "Who wanna bet future Virality Gems on what form she gets?" When all he got were a round of exasperated stares, he huffed. "Cowards."

Before long, the final stage of Elaine's Legacy awakening arrived. Just like with Isaac, she was out of it for a few minutes, and they had to watch over her as her eyes glazed over, and she almost fell unconscious.

Once the process finished, though, the grin that split her face was contagious. "I got it!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I think I'm in love."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. That was certainly a reaction.

"Go on then, princess," James prodded. "Show us."

Instead of protesting, as she usually would when getting ordered around, Elaine just nodded with a grin. "Prepare to be awed," she said, closing her eyes.

Then, in the blink of an eye, she shifted, replacing her body with that of an Arctic fox. Or at least something that looked like one. Her fur shimmered a pale silver instead of pure white, and her ears were a little larger than normal. Other than that, she really was a fox now.

"So cute!" Marie squealed, rushing forward and crouching in front of Elaine.

That was when Isaac caught another unique detail about this form.

Her legs—only those at the front—couldn't be really called legs. As she raised one of them to greet Marie, it flexed like a human arm. Even better, instead of tiny paws, she had short, fur-covered fingers tipped with nasty-looking claws. Grabbing stuff with them shouldn't be a problem.

Huh… I still prefer flying, but this could be useful too.

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