Second Evolution

Adam walked toward the table in the center of the room and placed all his belongings on top of it. One by one, he removed his thick jacket, full-face helmet, and the crystals he had collected today. Now, wearing only a white shirt and black trousers, he exhaled slowly and examined his spoils.

On the table lay 16 mana crystals, the Essence of Speed, and the Evolution Gene. Seeing them spread out before him, Adam felt a sense of satisfaction.

However, he knew something was still lacking.

His gaze settled on the crystals. His attributes were already quite high, but his combat skills were far from sufficient. If not for the Viper Sniper, he wouldn't have been able to kill the mutant ape.

"I need to start training in hand-to-hand combat."

His focus then shifted to the Essence of Speed, the glowing blue branch he had found within the ape's body.

"Would this work if I fused it with my machete?"

Without hesitation, he gave it a try.

[Great Machete] A machete forged from high-quality steel. Sharp, durable, and capable of cutting through bone with ease.

ATK: 100

Durability: 87

Acceleration: 10

Buff: (Essence of Speed)

"It worked?" Adam murmured, staring at the weapon in his hands, now faintly enveloped in a blue aura.

He swung it.

Swiing!

The movement was lightning-fast. The weapon felt weightless, almost like an extension of his own body.

"Wuoh..." Adam couldn't hide his amazement. This… is far better than before.

"Good."

Satisfied, he sheathed the machete and set it aside.

Next, his gaze landed on the Evolution Gene—the black-furred parasite stored within a glass container. He didn't have any immediate plans to use it, so he placed it back into the system's storage drawer.

His attention then shifted to the 16 remaining crystals on the table. If he absorbed them, he could maximize his stats to their limits.

Without hesitation, he sat down and began absorbing the remaining nine crystals.

10 minutes later.

Adam opened his eyes. His entire body felt lighter, stronger, faster. A smirk formed on his lips as he checked his status panel.

[STATUS PANEL]

Name: Adam

Attack: 30 (Maximum)

Defense: 30 (Maximum)

Speed: 30 (Maximum)

Evolution: Microbe King

Skills: (Necrolysis), (Cell Regeneration)

[Next Evolution: Absorb 1 Evolution Gene]

"Finally… the next stage of evolution."

His eyes shifted toward the storage drawer where the Evolution Gene was kept.

Adam pulled open the drawer and retrieved the black-furred parasite.

"Is the process the same as before?" he wondered.

He sat cross-legged on the cold factory floor, preparing himself for what was to come.

Taking a deep breath, Adam unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his chest. He then brought the parasite closer until it touched his skin.

The moment it made contact, a chilling sensation spread across his body.

The parasite's fine hairs wriggled, as if searching for a way inside.

Slowly, it burrowed into his skin.

A sharp, burning pain erupted from his chest.

"Tch…! Damn it!" Adam clenched his teeth, his fingers digging into the floor. The parasite had only burrowed halfway in, but he could already feel something fighting back inside him.

"Is my Microbe Gene resisting it?"

The pain intensified as two opposing forces clashed within him—fire and ice colliding, his body caught in the middle.

Sweat dripped down his forehead. His muscles tensed.

He endured.

Seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity.

And then—the battle ended.

Adam didn't know which side had won. But the agony slowly faded.

Something felt… different.

His body was evolving.

His hands trembled, his legs shook, and his scalp tingled.

[Second Evolution Successful!]

New Skill Acquired: (Neurohive Control)

All Attributes +20

"It worked…!"

Adam gasped for air, his chest rising and falling heavily. But despite the exhaustion, excitement burned in his veins.

He lifted his hands—his skin now speckled with faint purple dots.

"Is this… a new strain of microbes?"

Without hesitation, he opened his status panel to check the details of his new ability.

(Neurohive Control) Allows the user to infect the brains of deceased mutants and reanimate their bodies as biological puppets. Controlled mutants retain some of their reflexes and combat instincts, but their original consciousness is completely erased. The longer the microbes remain in the target's brain, the greater the control that can be achieved.

Adam reread the description multiple times.

"Controlling dead mutants?"

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

This ability… was far more dangerous than he had imagined.

Closing his status screen, Adam stood up. His body already felt more athletic, stronger.

"All of my skills are external. I need to start training in hand-to-hand combat."

Determination burned in his eyes.

However, before he could move, a black panel suddenly appeared in front of him.

[Main Mission Triggered: Learn Martial Arts]

"A main mission?" Adam frowned. "Open."

[Main Mission]

Mission Name: Learn Martial Arts

Description: Perform basic martial arts training: 1,000 punches, 1,000 kicks, 1,000 blocks, and 1,000 evasions.

Item: -

Mission Rewards: Skyfall Thousand Strikes Manual

Adam stared at the screen, slightly confused.

"A martial arts manual?" Adam muttered, confused. It seemed like the system understood his situation, which was why it had given him this as a mission reward.

He didn't dwell on it for too long.

"1,000 repetitions sound like a lot… but that's a small price to pay for getting stronger."

Without hesitation, Adam took his stance.

His feet adjusted into position, and his first punch shot forward.

Bughh!

The strike landed, but something felt… off.

He corrected his posture and threw another punch.

[Main Mission: Punch x1]

A system notification appeared in front of him.

"Huh?" Adam squinted. So only properly executed punches count?

"Alright, let's keep going."

He threw another punch.

[Main Mission: Punch x2]

He continued, improving his technique with every strike.

Heat built up in his muscles, but the notifications kept coming, showing his progress in real time.

[Main Mission: Punch x10]

Once his left arm grew tired, he switched to his right.

The result remained the same—the system still counted his punches.

"So it doesn't matter which hand I use."

After exhausting his arms, Adam shifted to kicks.

[Main Mission: Kick x1]

[Main Mission: Kick x2]

His right leg shot forward, followed by his left.

Every movement carried weight, but the steady stream of notifications pushed him forward.

[Main Mission: Kick x12]

30 minutes passed.

Adam gasped for air, sweat pouring down his body, drenching his white shirt. His breath was ragged, chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Damn… why is this so hard?" he muttered, looking at his trembling fists.

He had always thought his body was in peak condition, but executing proper martial arts techniques was far more demanding than mindlessly throwing wild punches.

Every precise movement required energy, focus, and control.

Adam took a moment to catch his breath, inhaling deeply.

The system continued displaying notifications, tracking his progress in the background.

But he wasn't planning to stop here.