Attributes and Equipment

Yang Xiao and the others returned to the camp, feeling both excited and worried.

Huang Wen and the others had collected the corpses of hundreds of mutated ants and piled them up in the camp.

"Boss, can we really eat these?"

"I've never eaten them before either. We can try roasting some to see. They'll probably taste similar to roasted taros."

Chubby came over and handed Yang Xiao a small bag, looking excited.

"Boss, there's a total of 25 genetic fragments here."

"Boss, what are these fragments for?"

The girls looked at Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao took the bag and said, "I'm not sure of their use yet. We'll find out when we go to the Gene Store. These spoils of war are thanks to Chen Fei, Chen Lu, Dai Yun, and Chubby. Let's split them, five fragments each. Come with me to the store to see what Gu Bo says."

Yang Xiao didn't want to keep all the fragments for himself. No one would criticize him if he did, but this was a long-term effort. It wasn't a one-time deal, and he couldn't have killed so many ants alone.

Hearing this, Chubby and the others were excited. It wasn't just because Yang Xiao was sharing the fragments, but also because they felt he was fair and respected everyone.

Yang Xiao took some mutant ant corpses and brought the four girls into the Gene Store.

Gu Bo stood behind the counter, smiling at Yang Xiao.

"Congratulations, you're the first in this region to kill mutated creatures and obtain genetic fragments."

"Oh? Is there a reward for that?" Yang Xiao laughed.

Gu Bo nodded. "As the pioneer, the store will reward you with a genetic portion."

He waved his right hand, and a small crystal bottle flew from the shelf behind into his palm. It contained a red liquid.

"This is a potion of primitive genes representing strength. Drink it, and it will increase your strength."

Yang Xiao was surprised. He took the bottle and looked at Gu Bo in confusion.

"This can really boost strength?"

"Of course. Have I ever lied to you?"

Yang Xiao hesitated, then opened the bottle. He sniffed it, no scent, and took a small sip. It was mildly spicy and seemed to melt into a warm current in his body. His spirit lifted.

Convinced, Yang Xiao downed the rest in one gulp. He felt a flame burning inside that soon faded away, leaving him feeling powerful and eager to vent this energy.

"Gu Bo, how much can this bottle increase strength?"

"The strength potion synthesized from fragments of primitive genes of different species contains varying levels of energy, and the extent to which it can enhance genetic power attributes varies from person to person."

Yang Xiao handed Gu Bo the bag. "I have twenty-five genetic fragments. How many strength potions can these exchange for?"

Gu Bo checked the bag and chuckled. "Ten genetic fragments can synthesize one gene potion. But I charge for synthesis."

"You charge? How much?"

"Give me twelve genetic fragments, I'll make you one potion. The extra two are my fee."

"Fair enough. With twenty-five, I can get two gene potions then?"

"That's correct. However, gene fragments also come in different attributes. For instance, the genetic fragments you obtained from killing the mutant ants this time are all black, and black genetic fragments represent defense. I can only synthesize two gene potions with defensive attributes for you."

"Defense?" The girls looked at Gu Bo.

"Defense enhances your body's resistance. When defense reaches a certain level, you become impervious to attacks. Xu Hua's bronze-like skin is the result of naturally high-defense genes. You don't have genetic data systems yet. Each genetic data system has four attributes, strength, agility, defense, and intelligence. Different increases yield different abilities..."

Gu Bo explained the genetic data systems and how to enhance various attributes' strengths.

Yang Xiao glanced at the genetic fragments inside the bag. These were the results of a five-person team's battle, but they could only synthesize 2 gene potions, clearly not enough to distribute among all five people.

Joint combat by everyone was a long-term commitment, and an occasional unfair distribution might not be a big issue. However, if unfair allocations became a recurring problem, it was bound to affect the team's motivation for future battles. Moreover, each of the five individuals was mutating in different directions, and their limited attribute enhancement requirements varied as well.

Yang Xiao found it challenging to decide how to allocate these two gene potions with defensive attributes.

Noticing his concern, Gu Bo suggested, "Genetic fragments can be exchanged for crystal coins, one each. Everything here can be bought with crystal coins. One potion costs twelve crystal coins. Of course, I have a suggestion for you all. For example, the black longsword in your hand, which costs 3 crystal coins and grants +2 strength, is quite powerful. You might want to prioritize getting weapons like this, as it will aid you in taking down mutant creatures more effectively."

Yang Xiao thought it was good advice. "Chen Fei uses lightning, which should be classified as an electric-type attack attribute, and Chen Lu uses ice balls, which should fall under the ice-type attack attribute. What kind of weapons should they consider purchasing?"

"Magic staffs." Gu Bo waved his hand. A silver staff and a black staff flew out of a shelf behind him. Both staffs were about half a meter long, with a plain appearance, but they emitted a faint shimmering light. 

"The silver one is an electric-type staff, granting +1 intelligence and +1 electric-type attack damage, while the black one is an ice-type staff, giving +1 intelligence and +1 ice-type attack damage. Both are priced at three crystal coins each."

Chen Fei and Chen Lu each took a staff, feeling a slight tremor in their bodies. They immediately focused their consciousness, channeling the energy within them through their arms and into the staffs. The staffs' light immediately brightened, clearly enhancing their power significantly.

Chubby said eagerly, "Mr. Gu Bo, what about me? My hair grows. What weapon do I need?"

"You have a plant-based vine genetic mutation, which requires enhancing your agility attribute. This will make your hair attacks more nimble and allow you to simultaneously focus on attacking different opponents."

After Gu Bo finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a purple hairpin flew into his hand. He handed it to Chubby.

"This hairpin grants +2 agility when worn in your hair," he explained.

Chubby joyfully accepted the hairpin and placed it in her hair. She focused her consciousness, and her magical hair burst forth into the air, feeling noticeably more agile. She couldn't have been happier.

Dai Yun showed her wolf claws. "What about me, Master?"

Gu Bo smiled and summoned a bracelet. "This is a bracelet, +2 strength. As a mutant werewolf, strength, agility, and defense are all important, but prioritize strength."

Dai Yun put on the bracelet and transformed into his mutated wolf claw again. He could indeed feel a significant increase in his strength.

"And me?" asked Yang Xiao.