"… Huh?"

She accidentally said that aloud instead of keeping it as a thought in the back of her head, but her question was genuine. She couldn't hide the disgust from her face as the Archive tapped the shrimp once again, beckoning her to drop to her knees and take a bite out of the fairy shrimp.

[Consuming bioarcanic essence from the bugs you slay is the only way you can obtain points,] the Archive said, completely unperturbed. [Accounting for your still-very-human biology, ten points is the most you will be able to obtain from eating only the easily digestible parts of the fairy shrimp: that being the first three pairs of thoracopods, the compound eyes, the left cercopod, the latter section of the upturned abdomen, the nauplius eyes. If you had more time, you could eat even more of the shrimp to get a total of fifty points, and that would include eating—]

"The points," she interrupted, nearly falling over backwards as she tried to stomp the little water strider. "What do these 'points' even do? I don't know anything about bug-slayers with classes, so—"

[We have around fourteen minutes remaining. Allow me to make this brief. This is your status screen, which denotes all of your physiological attributes:]

[Name: Marisol Vellamira]

[Grade: F-Rank Giant-Class]

[Class: Water Strider]

[Swarmblood Art: ???]

[Aura: 500]

[Points: 0]

[Strength: 1, Speed: 1, Toughness: 1, Dexterity: 1, Perception: 1]

[T1 Mutation | Striding Glaives Lvl. 1]

[T2 Mutations | Basic Gills | Basic Hydrospines] 50P

[From top to bottom, we have your name, grade, class, your Swarmblood Art, and your Aura. Your grade is your estimated overall strength defined by the highest grade of bug you can kill. Swarmblood Art is your class-specific biomagic, and you can think of aura as your 'killing pressure' created by your bioarcanic essence passively leaking out of your skin. Since all Arts use bioarcanic essence as a resource, it also serves as an indicator of how much 'magic stamina' you have,] the Archive said plainly. [If your enemy has a stronger aura than you, you will feel intense fear from their killing pressure, and the larger the discrepancy, the more paralyzed with fear you will be. This goes both ways, of course. If your aura is overwhelmingly strong, most bugs would not even dare to challenge you.]

[Moving on, we have your five physical attributes. Strength is all things related to strength. Speed includes movement speed and reaction time. Toughness relates primarily to your skin hardness and bone toughness. Dexterity deals with your balance and motor coordination, and perception generally relates to how far your senses can reach. One 'level' in strength, speed, toughness, dexterity, and perception means you are equivalent to an average human in all those attributes. If you have three levels in strength, you are basically as strong as three average humans. Understand?]

She was no stranger to her mama's rapid-fire dance technique lectures, but this wasn't so much a lecture as it was information injected straight into her head.

[If you want to raise your strength from level one to two, it will cost you one point. If you want to raise it from two to three, it will cost you eight points. To increase any of your attribute levels by one, the point cost will be that attribute's current level cubed—that is, to go from level two to three, it will cost two times two times two, equalling eight points in total,] the Archive continued. [Your aura will increase by one for every point you spend. Basically, every time you get stronger, your aura will strengthen. Understand?]

That said, it was a tad annoying hearing it talk so fast. Captain Antonio hadn't been lying when he said it was going to be noisy.

[For the mutation tree at the bottom, there are five tiers of class-specific mutations you can unlock. Think of mutations as active and passive biological abilities, and you must unlock all mutations in each tier before moving onto the next. The cost of unlocking each mutation is indicated on the right,] The Archive paused momentarily before adding, [You can also strengthen each core mutation from level one to ten, and every subsequent level will improve its effect in some way. Furthermore, if the core mutation has the prefix of 'Basic' in front of it—like your tier two 'Basic Gills' and 'Basic Hydrospines'—there'll be a 'Branch Mutation Selection' every five levels, where you can further upgrade that mutation by picking from one of three branch mutations, allowing you to make them more specialized in what they do.]

[Finally, once you unlock all of your tier five mutations, you will be faced with a 'Class Mutation Selection', where you will be offered three options to mutate your Advanced Class into a Specialized Class, giving your Art a power boost. The offered Specialized Class options, alongside your branch mutation options, are determined based on your actions, your physiology, your bioarcanic essence state et cetera at the moment of the selection… There is room for customizing your 'build', so to speak. Someone who starts with the same class as you may end up having a completely different Art and mutations at the higher end of power.]

I… see.

So what about my Swarmblood Art? Why's it unknown? Does that mean I can't use it for some reason?

[Yes. There is a long and complicated explanation for why you cannot use your class-specific biomagic right now, but it is not something you can do anything about for at least a few days, weeks, or even months, so please keep your mind off it for the moment. I will provide an explanation in due time. Right here, right now—start eating the shrimp.]

The little water strider tapped where there was fairy shrimp meat to be chewed on, so, tentatively, she knelt and felt around the water with her bare hands—recoiling with instinctual disgust as fleshy meat squelched in her palms. Dammit, I already got this far. She shook her head and forced herself to dig in with her nails, ripping out a whole strip of soggy, pinkish-blue flesh.

Her nostrils crinkled as she tried to place a smell, but it was just salty. And briny. The Archive nagged her to plug her nose and chew—it'd be difficult for her to digest the flesh otherwise—so she did exactly as she was instructed.

Honestly, it wasn't that bad. If she just closed her eyes and pretended it wasn't raining, thundering, and she was sitting on a firm chair on solid ground, the raw shrimp meat tasted almost rich. Deep and pure with…. salt. Lots of it.

No, it was pretty bad.

… You're saying mama spent decades honing her strength and toughness, but I can literally be twice as strong and tough as her if I just put two points into those 'attributes'? she thought, forcing herself to gnaw through and swallow bite-sized chunks of meat one at a time, her stomach crying and flipping in protest. How does that even… work? I get you're some advanced biomagic technology the smartest people on the continent developed, but—

[Bug meat is more protein-dense, folic acid-dense, and vitamin-dense than any other food in the world, and combined with the bioarcanic essence within it?] the Archive said. [Before the Swarm descended nearly a century ago—before the world was filled with bioarcanic essence—humans merely had normal 'eleven organ systems'. They are your muscular systems, circulatory systems, respiratory systems, and the like. However, over the past century, prolonged exposure to the bioarcanic essence in the air has mutated all human bodies, turning the eleven organ systems into the renamed 'eleven biosoma systems'.]

What's the difference?

[The difference between the two is the latter's capacity for rapid evolution and mutation. No matter how much an old human trains, normal organ systems would not be able to endure rapid strengthening without tearing themselves apart, but the biosoma systems in you new humans—having mutated after prolonged exposure to the bioarcane—are more than capable of strengthening, evolving, and mutating far past reasonable human limits whenever you take in bioarcanic essence. ]

[Now, bug meat is such a potent source of bioarcanic essence that, if a normal human without a system were to consume too much of it, their biosoma systems would begin mutating wildly. Uncontrollably. A human cannot just eat bug meat and make their arm stronger. They would certainly grow stronger somewhere, but they would not be able to control where, and if they consume even a slightly different type of bioarcanic essence from a different bug, the conflicting types of essences inside their body would clash and mutate their biosoma systems wildly. They would be consumed by their mutated biosoma systems, and eventually, it would lead them to mutate into a mindless, flesh-hungry monster themselves.]

[Therefore, systems such as I are capable of controlling your intake of bioarcanic essence and representing it in 'points', which can then be used to selectively strengthen your physical attributes and unlock mutations in a relatively safe, controlled manner via the status screen. Furthermore, systems also automatically re-synchronize the user's eleven biosoma systems whenever they enhance their physical attributes and unlock new mutations, essentially making it so they can actually control their new powers without seriously hurting themselves—because they now have enhanced spinal reflexes and motor functions et cetera.]

She scoffed in between bites, retching a little as she finally finished her first strip of meat. I didn't get half of that, she thought.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

[Most do not on the first listen.]

But, well, you sound super impressive. The people who developed you must've been—

[Out-of-this-world geniuses, yes. They even designed us 'Archives' to be able to converse with and guide our users like this.] Then it skated over to a different part of the shrimp's abdomen, waving her over with a little leg. [Now eat this part over here for more points. You have twelve minutes remaining.]

She crawled over, careful not to scoot right off the shrimp lest she fell into the sea. I get it, I get it. I'll eat whatever you want me to eat. If only it ain't so salty, huh?

The Archive looked at her like she was dumb. [It is a saltwater crustacean.]

And where I come from, we cut our fish open and leave it to dry for at least two days so the saltiness is less overbearing, she thought, clenching her throat as she ripped her second strip of shrimp flesh. At least, I'd hoped my first bite of a crustacean would be… you know? Cooked? Will I really be safe eating raw flesh like this?

[No.]

What?

[Apologies. I meant yes,] it said hurriedly, and she briefly got the impression it was mocking her; she was the one who'd told it to lie a little if she'd be more confident as a result. [But… perhaps you could start a little fire. Not only would eating cooked bug meat yield more points, it would also be easier on your stomach.]

And how am I going to start a fire in the middle of this?

She gestured wildly around at the sinking wrecks, at the violent, churning, frothy waves, and the Archive countered by pointing at something she'd been completely oblivious to: the three masts she'd used to impale the fairy shrimp with, still sticking up like giant bone spikes.

Though the masts were all drenched and cold from rain, just the thought of not having to eat shrimp meat raw was enough to get her moving.

How the hell do I start a fire, though?

[The fairy shrimp has a small, small, small amount of sticky fat in the tail. Scoop it out, make a small hole in the wooden stake, and light a fire with the fat stuffed inside.]

Now, she didn't have a match or two sharp flints to spark together, but she immediately did as she was told. She jumped to the tail of the shrimp, stomped out chunks of chitin in the way, and scooped out a sticky chunk of yellowish-red fat. Then she kicked the closest mast and made a small dent. She stuffed the fat in the dent, rubbing it all over the splinters, before pressing her glaive against one of the metal bands above the dent. She had to slide her glaive up and down as quickly as she could, and—though she had to try several times—sparks eventually flew from the metal bands and ignited the fat, creating a small flame.

Yes!

Eyes aglow, she immediately pounced around the fire and kept it protected from the rain with her body, wrapping her strip of flesh around the chip so it'd cook on the inside—that'd have to be good enough.

[You can cook multiple strips of flesh at once to minimize cooking time,] the Archive urged, skating over to the other parts of the shrimp. [Rip flesh from here, here, here and here. This is all you can realistically eat and digest within fifteen minutes for ten points. Do not throw away the inedible chitin, either. Stab them into the stake over your head and use them as shade for the fire.]

She was reluctant to move away from the fire, but eventually convinced herself to peel away from the comforting warmth. She knelt and ripped out a particularly sharp chitin scale from one of the shrimp's legs, then repeated the process two, three, four more times. Once she had enough giant chitin shards, she stabbed them into the stake and used them as an umbrella for the fire.

Once the fire was well-protected, she immediately huddled under the chitin shards, shivering and biting her lip as she felt freezing water creeping up to her thighs. The fairy shrimp was sinking fast.

[Ignore the cold water. Keep eating,] the Archive urged, the little water skater hopping onto one of her charring strips of flesh. [You have five minutes remaining. Since the flesh is now semi-cooked, you should be gaining around thirteen points instead of ten.]

She sighed and grumbled to herself as she peeled off the first strip of flesh, not at all excited to gobble it down. It tasted a bit better, but that was such a low benchmark to pass that she couldn't help but feel disappointed nevertheless. All things considered, the semi-cooked flesh was still disgusting to swallow down.

And… I don't assume I can take any meat with me? she thought, feeding herself and glancing at the rest of the fleshy shrimp as she did. I mean, I'm already carrying my mama's satchel and book with me. I can ditch the satchel and tie the book around the back of my waist, but the meat will definitely weigh me down if I have to carry them through the storm as well, right?

[Typical hoarder's mentality. You might as well lug the entire carcass with you, then.]

She shrugged. Just saying. If I get hungry or need more points later and don't got any, that's on you.

[That would be on you for picking the Water Strider Class—]

Is there anywhere for me to skate to? A nearby ship or something of the sort?

She looked up as she kept eating, carefully scanning the stormy horizon so the Archive could get a good look as well. If the 'perception' attribute meant what she thought it meant, she wasn't particularly perceptive. She couldn't spot any islands or ships in the distance, but maybe the Archive could.

[... According to the navigation data that Antonio Saranno last updated three months ago when he sailed by this strait, there is one landmass somewhere between three to four kilometers of where we are.] The Archive pointed one of its legs straight ahead. She squinted, seeing nothing but storm clouds, thunder, and death. [If you can manage to skate through the storm, you should be able to see the tail of the island, but if you cannot, you will die. There is still the option for you to attempt skating back to the nearest island around the harbour, though.]

[What will it be, Marisol?]

She scoffed.

It was a useless question.

As if it didn't already know her resolve to push forward.

… I have thirteen 'points' now, right?

[Correct.]

And how do I raise my attributes?

[Simply command me to do so. I suggest, with thirteen points, you put—]

Raise my speed to level three, my toughness to two, and… how many points would I have left?

[Three points.]

Put the rest into the other attributes, she thought, wiping her lips as she stood up wobbly; she couldn't fit the giant shrimp antennae in her cloak, and frankly, she didn't care for them too much. A Sand-Dancer must be graceful, and I can't do that if my attributes aren't properly balanced, right? A few levels in every attribute should be… helpful.

The Archive obeyed her command, and her status screen popped up next to her head.

[Strength: 1 → 2]

[Speed: 1 → 3]

[Toughness: 1 → 2]

[Dexterity: 1 → 2]

[Perception: 1 → 2]

[Aura: 500 → 513]

[Points: 13 → 0]

And… that's it? she thought, turning her arms around and looking at them. I don't feel any stronger. Or faster. Or tougher. Am I really thrice as fast as the average human now?

[Yes.]

Don't feel like it.

[You will notice it after a while. Your eleven biosoma systems need time to mutate. While you wait, would you like to know what leveling up each attribute essentially does to your body?]

Is it gonna be a complicated explanation?

The Archive ignored her. [Whenever a point is spent on physical attributes, it means bioarcanic essence is being attributed to the following biosoma systems:]

[Strength]

[+ Magimuscular System: Enhances muscle power and density for raw strength]

[+ Boneframe System: Reinforces bones to support greater force generation]

[+ Neuroflow System: Optimizes motor neuron efficiency for better force control]

[+ Gastrolith System: Improves nutrient absorption to sustain muscle growth and repair]

[Speed]

[+ Magimuscular System: Enhances fast-twitch muscle fibers for explosive movement]

[+ Neuroflow System: Improves reaction times, reflexes, and coordination]

[+ Breathweave System: Boosts oxygen delivery to fuel high-intensity actions]

[+ Hemasurge System: Enhances blood circulation for stamina during speed bursts]

[Toughness]

[+ Boneframe System: Fortifies bones to withstand impacts and strain]

[+ Fleshweft System: Strengthens skin and connective tissues for durability]

[+ Puricore System: Boosts resistance to infections and healing efficiency]

[+ Hemasurge System: Enhances blood vessel durability to resist internal injuries]

[+ Malapurge System: Supports detoxification and ensuring waste products from intense physical exertion do not weaken the body too much]

[+ Soulseed System: Enhances vitality and physical vigor, contributing to overall balance and energy]

[Dexterity]

[+ Neuroflow System: Sharpens fine motor control and balance]

[+ Magimuscular System: Improves precision and coordination in movements]

[+ Boneframe System: Enhances joint flexibility and alignment for better movement control]

[Perception]

[+ Neuroflow System: Heightens sensory processing ability]

[+ Hormonether System: Regulates alertness and focus through hormonal balance]

Then the Archive stopped rattling words off to stare at her. [For your reference, do you know how fast an average human can run?]

Uh—

[Six meters a second. Six times three is eighteen. With your enhanced magimuscular, neuroflow, breathweave, and hemasurge systems—what the 'old humans' would call the muscular, neural, respiratory, and circulatory systems respectively—your average running speed is now eighteen meters a second,] the Archive said pointedly. [It may not be so apparent from your perspective, but to an average human with an average neuroflow system, you will appear to be moving three times as fast as them. At twice the toughness, you will be able to shrug off punches that would break a normal human's jaw. At twice the strength, you will be able to lift furniture that would normally take two people to lift.]

[Yes, it will cost a lot of points to increase each subsequent attribute level, but that is because each and every increase in attribute level matters. You are strengthening multiple biosoma systems with every new level. Controlling your enhanced physical attributes will be troublesome at first, no doubt—can you imagine navigating through your cramped, shoddy sandstone house and trying not to break the walls with your newfound strength gained from consuming bug meat?]

… If you're trying to scare me with my own power, it ain't working.

The Archive shrugged. [Fortunately for you, we systems automatically synchronize all of your biosoma systems in such a controlled manner that your spinal reflexes and basic motor functions are able to keep up with your enhancements, thus ensuring you do not kill yourself running into walls or lose major control of your strength… but at the end of the day, this storm is a nasty one. To skate through it with nothing but water-repelling glaives will be immensely difficult no matter what,] it said, reappearing atop her shoulder as she skipped over to the head of the shrimp, sucking in a sharp breath. [If you make it out of this alive, it will be your tenacity that pushes you through; nothing more, nothing less.]

[Good luck, Marisol Vellamira.]

With that said, a new status screen popped up in front of her face.

[Objective #2: Skate out of the storm and head towards the unidentified landmass]

[Time Limit: Undefined]

[Reward: Survival]

[Failure: Death]

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