Chapter 18. Possibility
The possibility that Ian had failed to return to the past.
It was a possibility I had considered from the moment I realized that I had returned.
However, I had quickly dismissed it. I was certain that Ian had returned to the past.
It was because of the mechanism behind my ability, Predation [S+].
Predation [S+] allowed me to consume a living creature’s heart and acquire its abilities.
I had consumed Ian’s heart and acquired his abilities.
However, I didn’t know whether this process involved “absorbing” an ability—
Or “replicating” it.
In other words, did I steal an ability from the individual whose heart I consumed?
Or did I simply replicate that individual’s ability and acquire a copy for myself?
If it was Ability Absorption, the original individual would lose the ability. If it was Ability Replication, the original individual would retain it.
However, there was no way to confirm which one it was.
It was a question I had been unable to answer even during my time as the Coalition’s Predator.
No living creature could survive without a heart, so I couldn’t check whether the individual whose heart I consumed retained its abilities.
Suppose—
Predation involved “Ability Absorption”.
That would mean I had stolen Ian’s abilities.
Conversely, if it involved “Ability Replication”, both Ian and I would possess the same abilities.
But either way—
“Ian definitely returned to the past.”
The fact that Ian had returned remained unchanged.
As far as I knew, Ian possessed three abilities.
Solo Level Up [EX].
Player’s Will [EX].
And Regression.
By consuming Ian’s heart, I acquired “Solo Level Up [EX]” and “Player’s Will [EX]”.
However, I failed to acquire his Regression ability.
It didn’t matter whether Predation absorbed or replicated abilities.
Either way, if I had absorbed or replicated Regression, I should have possessed a skill such as Regression [EX].
But I didn’t.
I possessed only Solo Level Up [EX] and Player’s Will [EX].
I didn’t possess a single ability or skill associated with Regression.
That meant—
“I failed to absorb his Regression ability.”
In other words, that ability remained with Ian.
It didn’t matter whether Predation involved absorption or replication.
The absence of any Regression-related ability within me meant it remained with Ian.
That was possible because Predation didn’t necessarily grant me every ability possessed by an individual.
Sometimes, I needed to consume only a few hearts.
Other times, I needed to consume hundreds.
I had to consume multiple hearts from the same species before I could acquire its abilities completely.
I had failed to absorb or replicate all of Ian’s abilities.
Therefore, Ian “had” to still possess Regression.
Ian had unquestionably returned to the past.
More importantly—
== [Find the Hero!] ==
[Objective]—Find the Hero.
[Reward]—???
[Upon Failure]—The End of the Continent.
The Main Quest proved that Ian existed somewhere on this continent. It was still strange that he hadn’t appeared even after seventeen days, however.
“Let’s wait a little longer.”
That didn’t mean I intended to sit around doing nothing while I waited.
◆You have consumed additional Ice Troll Genetic Factors through Predation!
◆The skill “Regeneration [C+]” has been strengthened to “Regeneration [B-]”!
Apparently, the Predation process had finished, because translucent messages appeared before my eyes.
“It really became stronger?”
I had hoped it would, but that had only been an expectation.
I hadn’t thought it would truly be strengthened.
Strengthening an ability through a single act of Predation was exceedingly rare.
In fact, it was almost unheard of.
Even Nutrient Synthesis [C] had evolved only after I hunted eight Alakrons.
“Should I check how it changed?”
The instant I finished speaking, translucent information about Regeneration appeared before my eyes.
◆Regeneration [B-] : Consumes nutrients accumulated within the body to restore damaged body parts. The type and quantity of nutrients consumed vary according to the damaged body part and the severity of the injury.
+The user may temporarily degenerate the Sensory Nerves and block Pain Perception.
<Absorbing additional Genetic Factors will strengthen this ability.>
Once Regeneration advanced to [B-], a new feature was added.
“Painlessness, huh?”
At first glance, the inability to feel pain might appear beneficial.
In reality, it wasn’t.
Pain was a Survival Defense Mechanism.
All living creatures possessed a strong tendency to avoid pain. That allowed them to recognize and evade danger.
The instinct to avoid pain was one of the most reliable defense mechanisms protecting life.
But what happened if someone couldn’t feel pain?
They would become unable to recognize and avoid danger. They wouldn’t even realize when they had been injured.
They would feel nothing despite suffering an injury that caused them to bleed profusely.
Therefore, the inability to feel pain was essentially a serious “disease” for any living creature.
But what if they possessed Regeneration?
Then pain became completely useless. Any injury could simply be healed immediately.
“This is pretty good.”
It wasn’t merely good. It was extremely useful.
Even if my body regenerated, I still experienced all the pain of my bones being crushed and my flesh being mangled.
That consumed an enormous amount of Mental Fortitude.
Of course, I possessed Player’s Will [EX], but that merely prevented me from losing my mind.
It didn’t eliminate pain.
But what if I could temporarily block that pain?
“Then I can regenerate as recklessly as I want.”
I would truly become a “regenerating monster”.
I had acquired the most necessary and useful feature possible for Regeneration.
Preserving the Ice Troll’s heart despite the risks had been worth it.
“No wonder the Emperor rounded them all up.”
But now that I had returned to the past—
There were still plenty of monsters with abilities as rare as the Ice Troll’s living in the wild.
Therefore, I needed to acquire all those abilities before the Emperor began his activities in earnest and before the Imperial Army exterminated the continent’s life.
First—
I would acquire the abilities available in the Northern Snowy Mountains.
“Should I continue?”
Even the cold was reasonably manageable if I dug a hollow in the snow.
I began climbing farther up the snowy mountains.
◆Toughened Skin [D] is resisting the freezing cold!
Time passed quickly, and another week went by.
It had already been two weeks since I entered the snowy mountains. During those two weeks, I hadn’t descended from the mountains even once.
I neither had the time nor any reason to descend.
I could obtain food by tearing apart monsters and eating them.
I could obtain water by using Nutrient Synthesis [C] to burn calories.
The only problem was getting a good night’s sleep.
The cold of the snowy mountains was murderous. It wasn’t a suitable environment for sleeping outdoors.
More precisely, Toughened Skin [D] allowed me to endure it well enough.
Even so, the environment remained harsh.
But compared to my days in the Special Task Force, it was nothing. Sleeping outdoors during a mission had been relatively comfortable.
Some missions required us to remain awake for several days.
There had even been days when I had to spend an entire day submerged in a cesspit.
By comparison, I now had plenty of food and could dig out a place to lie down in the snow.
“This is paradise.”
It truly was no different from paradise, so I reduced my sleeping time and focused on hunting.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t hunt many creatures.
Because of its environment, the snowy mountains had a relatively small population of living creatures.
These were the monsters I managed to hunt over those two weeks:
Two Dermexuses.
Fourteen Alakrons.
One Ice Troll.
And—
“I barely managed to catch one Rex.”
I had managed to kill one monster known as a Rex.
The Rex was characterized by its short legs and vicious jaws.
It possessed a brutal bite force befitting its appearance, but surprisingly, it was a herbivorous monster.
Not every monster was a carnivore.
However, even herbivorous monsters couldn’t control their Madness and charged whenever they encountered a human.
Every species belonging to the Monster Kingdom posed a threat to humans.
Regardless, I had barely managed to catch a single Rex.
It was another monster found only in the Northern Snowy Mountains and one I absolutely needed to consume through Predation.
That was because the survival strategy it had adopted to withstand the cold was “Endocrine System development”.
It generated heat by burning a greater quantity of calories.
However, it couldn’t create something from nothing, so it also needed to increase its metabolism accordingly.
The snowy mountains didn’t possess enough plant life to support that degree of metabolic activity.
Therefore, the Rex adopted a method of drastically degenerating its physical strength.
It balanced its metabolism by severely degenerating its muscles, the organs that consumed the greatest amount of energy.
In other words, it sacrificed physical strength in exchange for rapid movement, exceptional recovery, and body heat.
The ability I acquired by consuming that Rex’s heart was—
◆Promote Metabolism [E+] : When this skill is activated, the player’s Endocrine System is stimulated, greatly increasing their metabolic rate. In exchange for reducing the player’s Strength by [-25%], the player’s Agility and Stamina increase by [+10%].
<This skill can be switched [On/Off].>
<Absorbing additional Genetic Factors will strengthen this ability.>
“Then the abilities I’ve consumed so far are....”
Before I could finish speaking, a stream of translucent messages appeared before my eyes.
== [Acquired Skills] ==
Considering my overall stats, I gained [+20%] in exchange for [-25%], resulting in a net loss of [-5%].
However, it was an [On/Off] skill that I could activate only when necessary.
I could use it exclusively in situations requiring rapid movement, making it a highly useful ability and skill.
“Its efficiency will become far better once I strengthen it too.”
If I continued strengthening it, it would eventually become so useful that I couldn’t help calling it “overpowered”.
◆Solo Level Up [EX] : The player may accumulate experience points and increase their level. Each time the player’s level increases, they acquire 1 Stat Point.
◆Player’s Will [EX] : The player acquires immunity to all effects that exceed their Mental Fortitude, including Curses, Illusions, Brainwashing, Hypnosis, Suggestions, and more.
◆Predation [S+] : Consumes the heart of a living creature, absorbs that creature’s abilities, and converts them into skills. However, doing so consumes Mental Fortitude.
◆Regeneration [B-]
◆Toughened Skin [D]
◆Nutrient Synthesis [C+]
◆Promote Metabolism [E+]
Fortunately, the abilities I had acquired through Predation appeared in a simplified form.
If they hadn’t been simplified, their descriptions alone would have completely obscured my vision.
That was certainly a relief.
“Let’s see....”
Aside from the addition of Promote Metabolism [E+], my skills hadn’t changed significantly.
Perhaps because I had hunted more Alakrons than any other monster, I had managed to strengthen Nutrient Synthesis from [C] to [C+].
As a result, its calorie conversion efficiency had increased slightly.
I could also synthesize the minerals required by the human body, including [Sodium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Potassium, and more].
There was one problem.
“I couldn’t acquire Heightened Keratin.”
To begin with, the monster possessing Heightened Keratin was extremely rare.
Furthermore, some monsters in the snowy mountains should never be provoked, so I couldn’t recklessly search every part of the region.
For the same reason, I couldn’t find the monster possessing ESP.
“That’s disappointing....”
Still, it wasn’t as though I had achieved nothing.
I had consumed abilities through Predation that I had failed to acquire in my previous life.
More importantly—
“My level should have increased quite a bit.”
The translucent information before my eyes smoothly changed.
== [Player Information] ==
[Name] = Adrian White Wolf
[Level] = 13
[HP] = 1,600
[MP] = 0
[Stats] = Strength: 22, Agility: 8, Stamina: 15, Mana: 1
[Experience] = 53.2%
“I was Level 8 when I first entered the snowy mountains....”
That meant I had gained an incredible five levels solely within the mountains.
I had also acquired additional stats through means other than leveling up.
Fighting and pursuing monsters had naturally trained my Strength and Stamina.
As a result, my stats were high relative to my level.
“But increasing Agility isn’t easy.”
That was why I had invested every additional Stat Point obtained from leveling into Agility.
It also made Promote Metabolism [E+] even more necessary.
My agility was already lacking, and it was an especially difficult stat to increase.
“From now on, I should invest most of the Stat Points I gain from leveling into Agility.”
Instead, I needed to train my Strength and Stamina even further.
I had recently strengthened Regeneration to [B-] and obtained the synergistic skill Nutrient Synthesis [C+].
Through physical training, I could increase my Strength and Stamina both quickly and sufficiently.
“Should I start heading back?”
Of course, failing to consume Heightened Keratin was extremely disappointing.
But I was exhausted too.
Although I could withstand the cold of the snowy mountains, that was all I could do—endure it.
Two weeks of relentless travel had left me considerably exhausted, both physically and mentally.
More importantly—
“I wonder if Ian has arrived.”
By now, Ian might have come looking for me.
After all, I had spent ten days training my body and fourteen days hunting in the snowy mountains.
That made a total of twenty-four days, nearly an entire month.
No matter how distant White Wolf County was, Ian should have had more than enough time to arrive.
The probability that Ian had already arrived was extremely high.
Perhaps—
Ian might already have killed Seraphia and Kai.
“Let’s go back.”
Having made my decision, I turned and began descending the mountain.
And then it happened.
An inexplicable sense of unease suddenly seized my entire body.
I couldn’t….determine its cause.
My survival instinct—
That primal instinct was screaming at me.
‘I’m going to die!’
I instinctively activated Promote Metabolism [E+].
My Endocrine System was stimulated to the extreme, causing my nervous system to operate at tremendous speed.
Before my brain could even reach a conscious decision, my nervous system moved my body—
KABOOOM—!!
The place where I had been standing only moments earlier exploded.
Snow scattered in every direction. A dense snowstorm temporarily obscured my vision.
I had almost died.
What if I hadn’t increased my Agility?
What if I hadn’t acquired Promote Metabolism [E+]?
I would unquestionably have died just now.
Gulp.
I swallowed unconsciously.
The tension became almost unbearable. My body began trembling without my control. Instinctive fear caused my body to stiffen.
The snowstorm gradually subsided.
My obscured vision slowly returned—
My heart began pounding as though it would explode. A dreadful suspicion filled my mind.
Even at that moment, my instincts continued warning me without pause. They screamed at me to run immediately, threatening me with death.
Finally—
When my vision completely recovered—
I found myself confronting the one existence I must never encounter in the snowy mountains.
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