Chương 57: 1.3.13 - Monkey Business

I held the coil gun in my hands, looking through the latest entry in my Lightning Brain Instruction List one last time before I fired. Lightning Brain Instruction List: 1. Lightning Enhanced Movement: Summarised list of muscles to be activated using Lightning Infusion to accelerate movement. Series of mental commands pre-programmed to activate specific muscle combinations to propel the user in the indicated direction using Lightning Infusion 2.

Lightning Defibrillator: Activated when user's heart stops for more than 10 seconds or when user's brain falls unconscious. Use of Lightning Infusion with varying intensity on different internal organs depending on the condition specified by the user 3. Automated Lightning Steps (Medium): A set of evasive maneuvers that are triggered based on direction of attack, determined by use of vector calculus.

Command set would use Lightning Infusion to trigger movement in user's body based on direction of attack and surrounding conditions. 4. Magnetic Shock Dispersion: Trigger on command to create electrical currents using Lightning Manipulation to create magnetic fields anchored in space to counter opposing magnetic force. Magnetic fields are created in sequence aligned to timing of coil activation in coil gun.

It had taken me the rest of yesterday to calibrate the latest instruction list with the estimated timing of the magnetic pulses to counteract the recoil from the coils. If the timing was off, the magnetic fields might pull back on the iron slug instead or cancel out the magnetic field generated by the coils.

"Well no time to test like the present" I said to hype myself up. The memory of being launched back by the recoil was still in my mind. I started with 5% first, and this time I was already using the improved projectile which I got Branwen to help cast using the mold I designed. FWOOP — CRAK While the pointed end of the slug helped with penetration, I could tell that the helical grooves did not help in this case and only caused the slug to be slightly unstable in flight.

The last time I had simple straight iron slugs they actually flew better but had less penetrative power due to the blunt end.

"Hmmm, ballistics was not my specialization. It was Peter's. I guess I just need to get the potter to remake the clay mold and remove the helical grooves." The most important part though was that I could barely feel the recoil from the coil gun this time. I proceeded to do both the tests at 10% and 15%, giving the coil gun sufficient time to cool in between. At 15%, I was feeling strained and the recoil threw my aim off.

I had tried to use Lightning Infusion but the spell was more adapted to instantaneous contraction rather than holding the muscles still. At this point, I knew that I would not be able to fire the gun at 20% accurately but I still wanted to know what the difference was between the last time I tested it and this time with the magnetic brakes.

"Ok bush, catch me if I fall." I made sure to find a spot that would cushion my potential landing, adjusted the coil gun to 20% output and fired. FWOOP I completely missed the tree in front of me, the projectile flying into the sky and somewhere into the forest. I hoped that it would not accidentally kill anyone when gravity reasserted its authority on the projectile. The shoulder that I braced the gun on was pushed back, which caused my body to twist partially before falling down on my butt.

The good news was that I was not sent flying. I had thought of increasing the magnetic force on the gun but there was a limit to what my basic version of the spell could employ. The secondary concern was that a stronger counter magnetic field could interfere with the firing of the projectile. I let the notification from the Weave appear, taking note that my new spell had gained a level from all that usage.

['Lightning Manipulation (Basic)' leveled up 1 -> 2] [You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 200] I quickly checked my status to see how far away I was from the next level.

Status Core: Lightning Affinity (Perfect) Core Stage: Yellow Stage Level: 7 Mana Core Capacity (MCC) Progress to Next Level: 2, 276/2, 500 Core Mutations: - Lightning Brain - Lightning Adaptation Spells: - Electrolocation (Tier 2) - Level 5 - Lightning Bolt (Tier 2) - Level 9 - Lightning Infusion (Tier 1) - Level 10 - Lightning Manipulation (Basic) (Tier 1) - Level 2 Soul Mutations: This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

- Adaptive Soul - Nature's Constitution - Myelin Insulation"Hmm, another level in the spell would push up my Stage level as well." My eyes wandered to the Soul Mutations list, resigning myself to the second thing on my to-do list.

"Fooo~ Time to do some research." I was crouched low, hiding behind some bushes as I watched the Duststep Grazer nibbling on some grass near one of the plains to the east of Hollow's Reach. I had narrowed down the list of potential beasts to the three most likely candidates based on their physical characteristics. But instead of starting with the most likely, I had prioritized them based on the easiest to hunt. Mainly because two of the three candidates were in the same habitat.

When the Grazer was within range, I dashed out from behind the bush and fired a bolt of lightning at it. It managed to react in time and instead of landing on the head which was what I aimed for, the spell hit one of its back legs. Which was more than sufficient as it managed to paralyze the animal before I put it out of its misery. I had chosen this as one of the potential candidates due to its fast-twitch muscles that allowed for explosive contraction.

I placed my hand on it and absorbed the core, quickly pulling up the notification to check for any new mutations. [You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 37]"Figures, doubt I get that lucky like the first time with the boar." I used some rope to tie the carcass up to bring it with me to my next target. Considering there was no blood, I could afford to carry it on me while I hunted the second candidate. It did not take long for me to locate the second creature.

The book had called it a Ridgetail Hopper but basically it looked like a giant kangaroo back from Earth. There were some minute differences, like the Wind affinity core in it that the beast uses to lift itself higher when it hops. It also uses it to coat its big tail when it attacks, creating an effect similar to a melee Wind Blade. The one I found was a lot smaller, probably only a Red cored one and I did not even bother trying to ambush it.

I just ran straight at it as I could run faster with my Lightning Infusion. It turned tail and ran the moment it saw me and I put it down quickly with just a single Lightning Bolt.

"Well this one was easy." I absorbed the core and pulled up the notifications. [You have absorbed a Red Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 0]"Fuck, I really need to go hunt the gorilla huh..." I said with a sigh. I just hoped that third time would be the charm as I made preparations to head into the woods. First I needed to drop these two beasts off with Garrick. These beasts were not very valuable but the hide and meat could always be sold for some coin.

I did not have much daylight left and ideally I wanted to get this done today. I was lucky that Garrick was in his loft when I visited. He had been making less trips out of town since becoming my middle man to sell the goods I got on my behalf. I just dropped the two carcasses off and said to sell them for me before I headed into the woods. I could move a lot faster when I was alone and not hauling overnight camping gear. I was into the woods and close to the heart of the forest within an hour.

As the Boulderfist Brute was a commonly spotted native in Hollow's Reach, the local version of the book I bought had nicely pointed out the potential nesting locations. The problem with that was that Boulderfist Brutes lived in tribes, or troops if you will. Which meant that I would not be able to tackle them alone if I visited the usual nesting spots. However I had to start from there and work my way out to look for young males that had left the tribe to start their own troop.

The first troop I encountered had roughly 10 - 15 Brutes living together, with the alpha being in the middle of the pack. They looked like usual gorillas back from Earth but instead of the usual silver backs and elongated head, their fur was closer to a mix of brown and moss green and their heads were shaped regularly. Based on the alpha's size, it was probably a high Yellow or close to being a Green cored.

That alpha alone would have been the death of me, let alone another dozen gorillas hurling rocks or trees at me. The Brutes also had the usual Beast affinity. There seemed to be a pattern where beasts that commonly lived in a pack or tribe tended to develop Beast affinity. It made sense when you thought about it, as the alpha with the strongest core could use its Beast affinity to strengthen the rest of the pack.

Now that I recognized how their nervous system looked in my Electro Perception, it did not take long before I located a lone young male by itself. This young male was still small enough that it was foraging in one of the larger trees, and probably also using it as its home — to shelter itself from any ground predators, someone like me. Unfortunately for it, I was also perfectly capable of climbing trees. The sun was starting to set and I did not have much time left before it got dark.

I slowly made my way up, trying my best not to make any sound while I slowly approached. SNAP I had tried my best to be careful but I picked a wrong branch and it snapped when I put my weight on it. That had been loud enough to alert the Boulderfist Brute I was stalking to my presence. Luckily, it was on a tree and did not have access to any rocks. It was only limited to branches within its reach which were relatively small. Nevertheless, that did not stop it from pulling them and hurling them at me.

Those lean muscular arms were what let it hurl the branches at a high speed, launching deadly projectiles with pure brute strength. I could only use my Lightning Bolt defensively and fire at the branches that were thrown at me. Some of the branches that I blasted apart caught fire as they fell. It had rained recently so the forest floor was damp, otherwise there was a real risk of me starting a forest fire.

After what seemed like an endless rain of tree branches, the young Brute had finally run out of branches nearby. It seemed to realize that as well and was about to move to a new spot — the opening was all I needed to launch my own Lightning Bolt at it. The young Brute was paralyzed and lost its grip, suddenly falling from the tree. I had to jump to another branch as the Brute was falling straight down on my position.

"Ooof" I managed to catch another branch using both my arms, taking a second to stabilize myself before climbing down. The young Brute was still alive by the time I climbed down, though it was heavily injured from both the Lightning Bolt and the fall.

"Damn these Yellow cored beasts sure are tough." I placed my hand on the back of its skull before frying its brain to put it out of its misery.

"Well this is it, moment of truth. Let's hope third time is the charm." I placed my hand on its back and absorbed the Yellow core, quickly pulling up the notification to check if I finally got a Soul Mutation. [You have absorbed a Yellow Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 250] [You have leveled up 7 -> 8] [New Soul Mutation unlocked: Musculoskeletal Compaction]