Genetic Ascension

Chapter 908  OTHER

Sylas stared at ”OTHER” for a very long while.

Something told him that this has been tampered with as well. He had no proof other than his own gut feeling. But that alone made him want to click on it.

ʼOther…ʼ

Instead of reacting on instinct, Sylas weighed his options once again.

The Gene Class of an E-Grade Race was phenomenal. Gene Classes werenʼt just granted, they had to be earned like any other Class did. But because they were perfectly tailored to your own set of Genes, it was hard to describe the sort of boost you would get in just a few words.

It was akin to a perfect synergy. The Effectiveness of everything one did would be on another level, making your stats simply worth more pound for pound.

The value of rising to the E-Grade soon after, especially with such a threat looming overhead, was also too enticing.

And then there was ”OTHER”.

Sylas had no way of gauging this at all. All he knew was that the system would never give two rewards it felt were of vastly differing values.

This meant that either ”OTHER” was something highly similar to the Mad Ape Gene Class, or… it was far superior but would require an extreme amount of blood, sweat, and tears to earn the full potential of.

Either have immediate gratification or delay it.

No, that wasnʼt necessarily the case. There was almost certainly a reward to be had right now. It was just a question of whether it would match up to the Map Ape Gene Class or not.

Sylasʼ thoughts moved on their own.

He didnʼt care about anything else, but right now… he didnʼt sense that annoying smile over his shoulder, that disdainful glance from down above.

And that told him one thing.

They really didnʼt want him to pick ”OTHER”.

—

[Junior Primate Gene Class Chosen]

[Junior Primate (Fragmented)]

[You bask in the wild, the trees your domain, the land your oyster. Rage fuels your strength and territory builds your pride]

[+10 Physical]

[Stat Limit Increase: +10 per Level]

[Free Stats: +5 per Level]

[Class Modifier: 0.10 Strength; 0.10 Constitution; 0.10 Dexterity; 0.10 Speed]

-

[Berserk (F+) (Skill)] (Fragmented Mastery)

[Your fury increases your power. Exchange your rationality for power]

[+100 Physical for every 10 Will]

[Duration: 1 second per 10 Will]

-

[Primate Swipe (F+) (Skill)] (Fragmented Mastery)

[Extend claws from your hands and increase Effectiveness of Strength]

[+5% Strength]

-

[Swinging Gait (F-) (Gene Skill)] (Fragmented Mastery)

[Your movements become wild and difficult to predict. Madness defines your movements. Synergizes with [Berserk]]

[+100% Dexterity]

—

That was it. There was nothing else to it.

There didnʼt seem to be any Quest, and certainly no Chain Quest involved. It just dropped a Fragmented Class in his lap, patted its hands clean, and then left.

Sylas stared at his screen for a long time, wondering if he had made a mistake. Had he been goaded into this?

ʼNo… Iʼm missing something…ʼ

There was one reason Sylas was so sure of this, and that was for no other reason than the existence of [Swinging Gait].

[Berserk] and [Primate Swipe] were only natural. F+ Skills seemed only natural for a Fragmented Class; there was nothing wrong with it. But… why would a Gene Skill appear?

The answer seemed obvious. Junior Primate was a Gene Class, not a Class, so maybe they all came with one and that was part of what made them all so powerful.

Of course, Sylas had already thought of this. But he wasnʼt convinced.

And then it happened.

His body seized and he trembled.

Ever since he got his Dual Class Constitution, Sylas hadnʼt felt any pain when breaking even Stat Limits. Both his Constitution and Mental had soared over the originally 1999 and then 2999 limit with ease, and he hadnʼt even flinched.

But right now…

CRACK.

Every bone in his body shattered.

Sylas collapsed, his back landing on the ground heavily. He couldnʼt even control his body, his spine torn, twisted, and mishapen into a grotesque, winding mess.

His eyes stared up, only capable of seeing the face of the Great Ape in his vision.

ʼAlright…ʼ he thought calmly. ʼ… Show me, then…ʼ

It was the only thought he had before he closed his eyes. His Will was so firm that his expression didnʼt even so much as change.

The moment he closed his eyes, there was a flash from the statue. It was almost as though its dead eyes came to life, a Madness swirling within them.

Then, it grinned wildly.

It was just the briefest of instances before its expression returned to normal. Sylasʼ eyes had already shot open, but it returned to normal.

Sylasʼs eyes narrowed.

In the end, he slowly closed them once more.

Whatever happened… it didnʼt matter in the slightest. All he had to do was be strong.

And he would be that.

Even if he made a mistake this time, so what? What was Class if not just a combination of changes to his body? Once Extricate reached Level 50…

Wouldnʼt he just be able to take it out of himself if it was the wrong path?

The peaceful state of his mind was entirely different from the ravaged state of his body. But it accentuated one very important thing.

His confidence.

…

Hours later, Sylas slowly opened his eyes. Even without looking at himself, he understood the changes intimately.

His arms were longer. From the tip of his middle finger to the tip, they were now easily a full foot longer than before. This wasnʼt just an addition of six inches to each of his arms, but rather the size gap was also taken on by his shoulders and chest, making him broader and fuller.

His hands had grown considerably in size, claws extended from the end of them. And when he moved his lips, he could feel the faintest sharp edges of canines more prominent than humans should have.

But his hair… it was the largest difference.

It had always been mane-like, suffocating in its volume and curls. But right now, he felt like if he took a strand and pulled with all his mind, he might only barely be able to extricate one.

The thickness of his hair, and new body hair that coated his chest and arms, had grown considerably. No, it wasnʼt thickness… but density. It almost felt like there was a helmet weighing down his head, and yet it wasnʼt uncomfortable.

It just felt right.

Vascularity and powerful, pulsing muscles ran through him like steel cords, and it actually looked like he had lost weight and gained explosive power in return.

ʼShow me my stats…ʼ

The Titan Leaderboard shifted