Chapter 88 - 88 - Getting Ready

By the time the first rays of the sun had the chance to peak in through the window, Lucien was already up and ready to leave the remains of the nightly carnage that he left in place of his room.

Still, although he felt sorry for the cleaning staff, and could already imagine some of the colorful terms they would refer to him once they see this pile of rubble, Lucien was still happy to be perfectly honest. Tonight has netted him some serious gains. Apart from literally being reborn into the body of something above the regular Homo Sapiens, the average mortal man, his stats have increased by leaps and bounds. 

He could barely contain the grin on his face as he looked at his updated status screen.

[…::: Character Status ::: System Version: 01 - 7.5125% :::…]

[…:::

Name: Lucien Shaw

Synchronization: 42.00% - Mutualism

Power Stage: Dredger ::: Rank: 1 ::: 99.99%

?҉?҉?҉?҉?҉:҉ ҉?҉?҉?҉?҉?҉

EP: 109 (179 - 30 - 20 - 20 again for the forceful absorption)

****

Health: 47/47 (Current Regen Rate: +0.01 / 10 seconds) (35 + 12 from stat gains)

Energy: 35 / 35 (Current Regen Rate: +0.01 / 10 seconds) (25 + 10 from stat gain)

****

:ђгɭ ฬﻮєฬгɭรภאɭ๔ ђภคɭ ภเ קฬєן קเ. ๓๓ςɭן รгєเɭן єןɭ

Strength: 18.48 (+1.48 from store, +5 bonus from mutation bonus)

Agility: 15.72 (+1.72 from store, +5 bonus from mutation bonus)

Stamina: 17.00 (+1.0 from store, +5 bonus from mutation bonus)

Mind: 5.00

ђ๓รг๓ς: ????

System Storage Capacity: 92/100

Active Mutations:

Variegation of the Optic Tissue Layer (Iris) (40 EP) - Light Brown Eyes,

Base Meridian Vessel (30 EP), Acupoints (Enhanced) (20 eP)

****

Skills: 

True Form: Pravitas (Unique - Rank: -), Viral Regeneration (Trait - Rank 1), Far Sight (Trait - Rank 1), Sense Prey(Passive - Rank: 1), Bestial Rush (Active - Rank 1), Twilight Flames (Active - Rank 1), Lesser Camouflage (Active - Rank 1), Weapon Mastery (Passive - Rank 1), Spiritual Slash (Active - Rank 1), Heightened Reflexes (Passive - Rank 1)

:::…]

The attributes have gained a tremendous boost after last night's session. Yes, he may have wrecked the place as a consequence, but looking at his attributes, Lucien could barely contain his happiness.

Even without anything to compare to other than his old self, he felt like his self now compared to the measly, scrawny pathetic little boy was like heaven and earth. He was several folds above himself from just a month ago, much less than that poor sod, that bullied little bloke from the orphanage.

With the new evolution, the system finally uncovered one of the so-far hidden parameters, giving him access to a new attribute: the Mind stat. From a first glance at the very least, it was tied to his energy level, as well as to the mysterious new source that he had begun to cultivate.

With the new body, Lucien also equipped a new mindset. He slowly began to accept his situation, his new reality. He understood the base fact: he was no longer human, but something else. Something more. 

A monster maybe? An abomination, a demented mixture of something extraterrestrial?

Lucien wasn't sure, and to be honest, he wasn't really bothered by it anymore. The other side, the other 'half' of him, this being called Pravitas… and the eerie, cryptic conscious, incorporeal entity… this 'Prime Evolver System' as it called itself… They were all part of him now. They were one, they slowly began to merge and form this cohesive unity that was Lucien Shaw.

In fact, as he meditated on it during the last hours of the night, Lucien realized that both Pravitas, and the system were always a part of him. From the very first moments he could recall, he always had this weird, inexplicable feeling that he was never alone.

He was hated, bullied, tormented throughout his early life, because of this so-called trial that he didn't know about until recently. The weird, transparent floating bloodied runes were not just his imagination, he wasn't crazy unlike what the nurses told him, - no, he was merely special, unique.

With his rebirth, Lucien finally accepted and closed down a major chapter of his life. He was now a new man, someone that was no longer alone, someone that was now cared for. He had a family, he felt a warmth, a sensation, and with it, a storm of emotions that was unknown to him previously.

The old pair of husband and wife of the Lewis family were the one's that first opened the closed gates, and it was Sera, this blonde angel, his servant, and from today, his new step-mother that guided him through, allowing him to embark on this new journey, this new world.

Lucien sighed, as he calmly took his time to thought things through. Feeling the brightness of the waking sun, he turned his gaze towards the windows.

'A new day, a new Lucien… Heh.' He smiled, taking a bit more time to gather himself ready to leave the room.

—

"Good Morning, Lucien. Did you had a good sleep last night?" Just as he finally left the wreckage of his room, Sera also conveniently opened the door of her room opposite of his and emerged in nothing but a laced deep violet satin nightgown with a simple bright blue wool bathrobe garbed over it. Her bright golden hair was loosely thrown to the back of her head and pulled together with a rubber strap. 

Despite that wild, unfettered look, she looked just as much of a country-topping beauty as ever. She smiled warmly at the boy as she walked out, seemingly not bothered by the distinct visual change in regards to his looks. 

Though Lucien was perplexed by this peculiarity, he didn't show it on his face, nor did he mention it in any way or form. He nodded at his new stepmother's greeting, returning it with a smile of his own.

"Good Morning, Sera. Yes… I had a good night. Although…" He turned to give a fleeting glance at the closed door and sighed. "…I may have left behind a bit of a mess. I apologize in advance for the inconvenience that this may cause."

Sera was startled, she couldn't respond at first to the boy. Not because of what he mentioned, but to the way he did. 

He smiled. Lucien, the boy with the cold, emotionless and insipid face flashed a gentle smile. He really did.

It took Sera a few seconds to get back from this state and reach out to the worried-looking youth to caress the top of his head.

"Don't worry about it, Lucien." She said. "I was expecting something like that after all the stuff you did yesterday in the company meeting." 

She chuckled, not bothered at all, that his Master and step-son have absorbed an entire human being. She acted as if it was a bunch of chocolate, a few extra sweets rather than someone she actually knew. To her, nothing was more important than her Master. She would do anything for him.

"Still… I really did leave a me-"

"Lucien, dear…" Before he could finish, Sera shushed the agitated-looking boy. "I said it's fine. You did what you had to, and have grown stronger as a result. This is the only thing that matters, don't worry about a few pieces of furniture!"

She explained, waving nonchalantly as they slowly began to walk towards the far end of the hallway. 

"Come, let's have breakfast. We have a lot to do today as well! We need to get you ready for Monday!"

---

AN: Hey there Readers!

Just a friendly reminder, that from wherever you are reading (although I wholeheartedly thank you if you are reading and enjoying the story through Webnovel), you can reach out to me using any of the below methods!

For you, sailors of the seventh sea (non-WN readers), be a bro/gal and throw me a cup of joe, show your appreciation!

Also, feel free to reach out to me in either one of the below links, or just on WN. :)

Links:

https://discord.link/Shaele

Ko-Fi:

https://ko-fi.com/shaele