Chapter 64: CH 064: New Abilities (MR 6)

Chapter 64: CH 064: New Abilities (MR 6)After White had done as Dave instructed him to do by calling Tasha and telling her exactly what he wanted her to hear, Dave had immediately turned off the walkie-talkie so Tasha wouldn’t be able to contact them back. This was to make her curious and long to find out what was going on, especially since the message had mentioned Dave’s name. "Alright, I’ve done as you said. I called Tasha and delivered your message, so release me now," White said, glancing up at Dave. "Right. I guess you’ve done your part then," Dave said, keeping the walkie-talkie in his pocket. "But unfortunately, I won’t be able to release you." "What?!" White shouted. "You despicable liar! I should have never believed you in the first place!" White said. "Don’t take this the wrong way, doctor, I’m merely avenging the deaths of those you killed," Dave said. Taking the remote that was used to control the hybrids from the floor. It had shattered into pieces, but the fragments of the mother crystal that was used to create it could be seen in it. At that moment, a system message had appeared above his face. [Quarter of a single mother crystal has been discovered] [Do you wish to consume the crystal? It will be an addition to the mother crystal embedded in the user. Certain rewards will also be given] Although it was quite confusing, based on the word consume that the system used, yet, when he saw that he would receive a reward, Dave hadn’t hesitated as he clicked on the yes option. ’Yes.’ At that moment, he could feel the fragments of the crystal disintegrating into an invisible energy visible only to him. The energy had entered through his nose, and unlike what he expected, he didn’t feel anything nor felt different. But then another system message had popped up in front of him. [Congratulations, you have obtained a level-up point, you can use it to upgrade any of your abilities] Following after, another message had appeared. [New Quest!] [Find the remaining 3 parts of the mother crystal and consume them!] As Dave was busy checking this out, he saw that the beasts were already getting near, and White who was behind him wouldn’t stop shouting and screaming different insults at Dave. But that wasn’t what Dave was concerned about, a certain sound had come up through the speakers of the lab, announcing a very dire message. "T-Minus in 60 seconds," the female robotic voice said. "Shit! I almost forgot that!" Dave said as he started rushing off, leaping on the backs of the beasts that were on his way as he made his way towards the surveillance room. It was the place he suspected the self-destruct program to have been initiated. As Dave sprinted toward the surveillance room, White’s frantic voice echoed behind him, his words laced with desperation. "Please, don’t leave me here! I promise, I won’t experiment on anyone again!" His pleas were punctuated by the unmistakable sound of his shoes slapping against the floor, a futile attempt to break free from his restraints. The ground trembled as the massive Boulderback beasts closed in on White, their heavy footsteps reverberating through the concrete. Two of them loomed over him, their mouths agape, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth glistening in the dim light. White’s breath hitched in his throat as he stared up at the monstrous creatures, his eyes wide with terror. A warm, sticky sensation spread down his legs, pooling beneath him as his body betrayed him in his moment of fear. Inside the surveillance room, Dave slammed the door open, the metal frame groaning in protest. His eyes scanned the room, locking onto the first hybrid he saw. With a swift motion, he drew his sword and cleaved through the hybrid’s defenses, the blade sinking deep into its core. The creature crumpled to the floor, lifeless. A system message flickered above him, its words flashing in rapid succession. [Quest completed!] [You have successfully killed all 25 beasts - 5 Intermediates, and 20 Basic beasts] [You have obtained a new ability; Void Space!] [Your punishment has now ended. You can now complete today’s daily quest] Despite the barrage of notifications, Dave remained focused. He turned to face the second hybrid, his grip tightening around its neck. "Cancel the self-destruct program now!" he demanded, his voice low and menacing. The hybrid’s eyes glowed with a cold, mechanical light as it responded in a monotone voice, "No, this is against the master’s wish. I can’t cancel the self-destruction program." A surge of frustration coursed through Dave. Without hesitation, he dispatched the hybrid, its body collapsing to the floor with a dull thud. His gaze fell upon a console at the far end of the room. A red button blinked ominously, labeled "STOP." The countdown timer above it read: "T-Minus 5 seconds." "4" "3" Without a second thought, Dave lunged forward, his hand slamming down on the button. The countdown halted abruptly, and a robotic voice announced, "Self-destruction has been cancelled." Dave exhaled sharply, his shoulders sagging in relief. He allowed himself a brief moment of respite before muttering, "Whoops," and sinking into one of the chairs, his mind racing with the events that had just unfolded. Dave leaned back in the creaky chair, its worn leather groaning under his weight. He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. The sterile scent of the lab, mingled with the faint tang of blood, clung to the air. His mind buzzed with the relentless stream of system messages, each one a reminder of the chaos he’d just endured. He exhaled sharply, the sound a mix of frustration and disbelief. The weight of the recent events pressed heavily on his chest. "I’ve never been this drained," he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. "I just want things to go back to normal." But even in the quiet of the room, the system’s notifications persisted, flashing above his closed eyelids. With a resigned sigh, Dave opened his eyes and had started navigating through the messages. He scanned the quest updates and rewards, each line a testament to the battles fought and won. His gaze lingered on the newest notification. [You have ended the system’s punishment before the final wave; all stats and abilities are now available] [All Stats: Max] [Beast Taming lvl 1] [Beast Summon lvl 1] [Beast Control lvl 1] [Space Void] [You have an unused level-up point that can be used to upgrade one of your abilities] His eyes narrowed as he processed the information. The words ’Space Void’ caught his attention, a new ability that piqued his curiosity. But it was the level-up point that held his focus. He had a choice to make. Without hesitation, he selected Beast Taming’ and confirmed the upgrade. A soft whoosh filled the room as the ability leveled up, the air around him seemingly vibrating with newfound power. [The ability; Beast Taming has been upgraded to level two; you can now Tame intermediate beasts] Dave flexed his fingers, feeling a subtle shift within himself. The connection to the beasts, once distant, now felt more tangible, more immediate. It was as if the very air hummed with the potential to command. [New urgent Quest!] [As you have ended your punishment, all the beasts that were sent to attack you will now disappear. But before they disappear, you can use them to obtain a reward] [Kill 200 beasts!] [Reward: New Ability] A surge of determination coursed through Dave. With his new abilities, he was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead of him. Since his strength and other stats were back to how it was, he was ready to complete his next quest, however, a certain message that appeared had caused him to pause a bit. [Quest completed!]