Gene Acquisition

Lizarius looked at the small pond and saw blue fish as big as a human hand swimming within. He asked the system for information about them.

"They are known as Blue Scale Tuna, a Rank 1 Low Tier Beast," the system replied.

Lizarius moved closer to the pond, turning invisible. He waited patiently. When a fish swam close enough, Lizarius struck, biting down into the water. The fish's blood mixed with the pond water as Lizarius dragged it onto the bank and began eating.

"You gained 10 points for consuming a Blue Scale Tuna," the system announced.

Lizarius continued catching and eating fish until nightfall. He then climbed a nearby tree to rest. I didn't see any more Lightning Rats after killing that one, he thought. Maybe they don't live around here. I'm going to search tomorrow. If I still can't find any, I'll have to leave. He asked the system, "How many points do I have?"

"You have 260 points," the system replied.

"Use 100 for my internal organs and the remaining 160 for my body," Lizarius commanded. He felt a wave of pain wash over him and then fell asleep.

The next day, sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees. Lizarius slowly opened his yellow eyes.

"Evolution complete," the system announced. A full view of Lizarius was revealed. He was now considerably larger than before. He heard a strange noise and looked down from the tree. Three Lightning Rats were near the pond. Lizarius silently climbed down, turning invisible. As he crept toward the Lightning Rats, he accidentally stepped on a dry twig. The snapping sound alerted the rats. They turned towards the source of the noise. Lizarius froze. They looked around but, seeing nothing, lost interest.

Lizarius continued his approach. Once he was close enough, he bit down on one of the rats, killing it instantly. He became visible, attracting the attention of the two remaining Lightning Rats. They charged, their horns and bodies crackling with electricity. One rat tried to stab him with its horn, but it couldn't penetrate Lizarius's scales. Lizarius quickly bit down on this rat as well, killing it. He stared at the last remaining rat, his yellow eyes glowing, his mouth smeared with blood. The remaining Lightning Rat trembled in terror and turned to flee.

Lightning Rats were fast, and Lizarius knew he couldn't catch it. He simply began eating the two he had killed.

As Lizarius ate, the system announced, "You gained 40 points and 1 Lightning Gene." After he finished eating both rats, the system sent another message: "You gained 40 points."

Lizarius asked the system, "Why did I only get one Lightning Gene when I ate two Lightning Rats?"

"Not all beasts provide a gene upon consumption," the system replied.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Lizarius asked.

"You did not ask," the system responded.

"I want to fuse the gene," Lizarius commanded. He felt a tingling sensation on his head, and his two small horns grew slightly longer.

"Fusion complete," the system announced.

It's time for me to get more Lightning Genes, Lizarius thought. Since there were three rats here, there must be a nest nearby. He turned invisible and moved in the direction the last rat had fled.