Foul water splashed in all directions as a mutated rat collapsed onto the overflowing floor of the tunnel. Jake quickly spun around to confront another creature. He found himself surrounded by several mutated rats, with more splashing through the tunnels toward the four-way intersection where the fight was unfolding. These mutated rats resembled a blend of rats and kangaroos, possessing the body size and structure of the latter, allowing them to move fast, bounding on their hind legs. They quickly closed in on Jake from all directions.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, Jake wasn’t in any kind of danger. Having leveled up to 30 and evolved to Stage 2, he was now even more powerful and agile than before. Enhanced Reflexes helped him evade enemy attacks with ease, while Enhanced Strength allowed him to deal with weak mutants like mutated rats with just a few quick strikes. This skill also made his flesh more resilient to damage. Enhanced Regeneration allowed his body to heal minor injuries in just a few seconds, consuming the same amount of mana as before. Jake felt invincible now.
A sudden sense of danger flashed in his mind. It was the Feral Instincts skill at work, warning him of some kind of danger he wasn’t aware of. He immediately jumped to the side, and in the next instant, the jaws of a mutated rat that had sneaked up on him from behind snapped shut on the empty spot he’d just vacated. Jake struck out at the mutant, his claws sinking deeply into the flesh, nearly severing the rat’s body in half.
After evolving, Jake had spent some time roaming the city, hunting down groups of ex-humans. He quickly learned that weaker types of mutants like walkers and leapers posed no threat to him at all now. Their claws and sharp teeth couldn’t even penetrate his toughened flesh anymore. Even shamblers and whippers couldn’t withstand his attacks for more than a few seconds now.
At some point, he stumbled upon a chaser, the most dangerous opponent he’d faced so far. However, as it turned out, a mutant of the chaser breed was no longer much of a threat to him either. Thanks to the latest upgrades, Jake had become far more agile and powerful than before, outmatching the speed and agility of the chaser. He easily dodged and blocked all of its attacks, successfully landing each of his own strikes.
None of the ex-human types he currently encountered posed any threat to him anymore. He needed to find stronger enemies to level up faster. That was why he descended into the sewers. However, he quickly learned that the two types of inhabitants there were also too weak for him now.
One of the mutated rats suddenly lurched toward him, nearly succeeding in sinking its teeth into him. With the creature too close for a claw attack, it felt more natural and convenient to bite it instead. Leaning in, Jake opened his jaws wide, sinking his own teeth deeply into the creature’s shoulder area. Well, those weren’t actually teeth, but rather natural extensions of his body, with a triangular shape and razor-sharp edges. However, he’d come to think of them as teeth. He then pulled his head back, ripping a huge chunk of flesh out of the mutated rat’s body. The creature emitted a shrill cry of pain. Jake spat out the chunk of flesh before delivering the final blow to the wounded mutant.
It wasn’t the first time he’d used his teeth to bite his enemies. He quickly learned that while he had a finely crafted mouth with jaws, jagged teeth, and an oral cavity, it wasn’t designed for eating or breathing, as his magical body had no need for either function. With no throat cavity, he was unable to swallow anything placed in his mouth, even if he desired to. It appeared that the sole function of his jaws filled with sharp teeth was for use as a weapon.
Finally, he dealt with the last of the mutated rats. He glanced around, but there were no more enemies in sight. The sewers were once again quiet. Jake chose a direction that led into a section of the sewers he hadn’t yet explored during this trip and continued on.
For some time, he traversed the dark and damp tunnels without encountering any more mutants. He'd been in the underground tunnels for a while now, having dealt with lots of mutants. It was all quiet now. Putrid water trickled along the tunnel floors. Here and there, murky water ran in rivulets down the walls as well. A foul scent permeated the air wherever he went. It was a truly unpleasant place to be in, but Jake remained unfazed by that.
In some areas, sunlight filtered in through the cracks above, but the deeper sections of the sewers were shrouded in total darkness. His incredible sight allowed him to see extremely well in the dark. Unperturbed by the lack of light, the foul scent, and the damp, dirty conditions of the sewers, he continued to navigate the underground tunnels.
Aside from the gurgle emanating from the running water and the splashes from his footsteps, silence enveloped the tunnels. He’d been in the sewers for a while now, having dealt with most of their inhabitants. Unable to find any more mutants to kill, he decided not to waste any more time and turned back.
At some point, he suddenly encountered a devourer, a mutant breed that resembled an alligator with the body and size of a grizzly bear. Having encountered a few devourers in the last half-hour of his journey through the sewers, he was aware that this mutant posed no threat to him anymore. While a devourer could move quite fast in a straight line and was extremely strong, it was clumsy and sluggish, unable to turn quickly. Jake danced around the massive mutant, striking out at it with his claws.
It took him about fifteen seconds to deal with the monster. When the devourer collapsed to the ground, sending splashes of filthy water in all directions, a system notification appeared in his mind.
You have gained enough XP to level up. Your level went up from 30 to 31. You have gained 5 SP.
Getting five skill points instead of just one was really nice. However, Jake decided to get out of the sewers before allocating them.
On his way back, he passed the door that led to a dungeon. He gave a mental command to appraise the door, prompting a piece of information to surface in his mind.
Name: The Maze of Torment
Recommended Level: 15-20
He knew that he couldn’t open the door without a Skeleton Key. It was really a shame. The dungeon was designated for levels 15-20, and he was already at level 31, well above the recommended range of levels for the dungeon. Nonetheless, once he obtained a Skeleton Key, he planned to explore the dungeon and uncover its secrets. Only he still had no idea where to find a Skeleton Key. Perhaps, being a mutant, he wasn’t even supposed to get one. Could it be that only regular survivors could obtain them by completing some special missions?
Once Jake returned to street level, he entered the nearest high-rise building, ascended the stairs, and a minute later emerged onto the rooftop. A magical anomaly hovered above the surface, positioned near the center of the roof.
Jake had been on this roof before, so he was well aware of the anomaly’s presence there. However, out of habit, he appraised it with a thought. To his surprise, a system message popped up in his head.
A challenge is available!
This anomaly hadn’t had a challenge to offer before. How come it had one now? Jake didn’t know, so he simply accepted.
Speed Trial: Reach all the waypoints before time runs out.
Time Limit: 15 seconds
Recommended Stats: Evolution Stage 2 “Savage Ascent”, Level 30, Body 25
Reward: 5,000 XP, 20,000 MP, the Mana Vision perk
So this challenge was designed for Evolution Stage 2. When Jake first encountered it, he’d been at Stage 1, which was likely the reason the challenge hadn’t been shown to him then.
He reviewed the rewards for the challenge once more. If he successfully completed the speed trial, in addition to XP and MP, he would receive Mana Vision. He wasn’t sure what this perk was for, but it clearly had something to do with mana. Jake was eager to find out what this perk did.
Without giving the matter more thought, he thought “Yes”. As soon as he accepted, a brief message emerged in his mind.
Challenge accepted! The speed trial will begin shortly.
Jake readied himself to spring into action.