The progress of the Blacklight Virus had increased from 17% to 20%, consuming a full 110 evolution points. While not insignificant, Novak found the expenditure manageable.
In terms of attribute boosts, only a handful were raised—several dozen points in total—not a huge gain, but precisely as Novak expected. With the Blacklight Virus now at 20%, it had reached a crucial threshold: not only was it temporarily impossible to level up further, but it had also unlocked several practical new branch abilities.
[Shield Form]
➤ Ability Type: Transformation
🔹 Effect: Transforms one arm into a massive shield, greatly enhancing defense.
🔹 Bonus: Increases Constitution by +50%.
🔹 Activation Cost: 50 Evolution Points.
[Aerial Sprint - Enhanced]
➤ Ability Type: Mobility Upgrade
🔹 Effect: Enhances speed and range of air sprints, increasing mid-air momentum and enabling double sprints.
🔹 Activation Cost:75 Evolution Points
🔹 Prerequisite:Air Sprint
Defy gravity with relentless speed.
[Assassination]
➤ Ability Type: Stealth & Infiltration
🔹 Effect: Envelops the body in Blacklight, activating stealth mode to evade detection.
🔹 Activation Cost:100 Evolution Points
🔹 Prerequisite:Hot Pursuit
Become the unseen terror lurking in the shadows.
[Claw Form Skill - Ground Thorn]
➤ Ability Type: Offensive Mutation
🔹 Effect: While in Claw Form, allows the user to drive claws into the ground, causing piercing thorns to erupt at a targeted location ahead.
🔹 Scaling:Power increases with attributes.
🔹 Activation Cost:200 Evolution Points
🔹 Prerequisite:Claw Form
Rip the earth apart and skewer your enemies where they stand.
The shield form was useful enough, but it was the Assassination and Aerial Sprint upgrades that Novak found the most crucial. As for the Ground Thorn... 200 points seemed excessive, even if it offered raw power. For now, it was simply out of reach—especially since he hadn't yet unlocked Claw Form itself.
Novak noted he'd need to focus on a biohazard evolution soon. With more abilities unlocking, this specialized equipment could become limiting. Still, while he had already eliminated many zombies in past waves, finding a hundred mutants would be a challenging feat.
Without hesitation, he spent 198 evolution points to unlock the Aerial Sprint enhancement and Assassination abilities, leaving him with a mere 23 points. But his ambitions were far from complete.
Somi Mountain was intriguing, and he wanted to push his strength to its peak before setting foot there.
Refocusing on his talents, Novak knew the Blacklight Virus was only one dimension of his potential. There were numerous abilities that could reinforce his Virus King talent as a whole. Previously, he'd amassed a large number of general evolution points in the plagued sewers; now was the time to put them to use.
With his recent career shift to Scourge of Life, Novak could ignore conventional rules of viral transmission, spreading infection freely through the 'Plague Sun' ability. Naturally, every possible infection among the Virus King's arsenal needed to be unlocked.
And, of course, he trusted in the unassuming yet powerful effects of the flu.
If possible, he'd even elevate the flu into something far more potent.
Unfortunately... while a deeper flu evolution branch existed, its effects were reserved for the truly elite.
[Do you wish to deeply awaken and evolve respiratory infectious diseases? This awakening requires 120 evolution points and a Constitution of over 500 points!]
Novak met the Constitution requirement, but 120 general evolution points—not Blacklight Virus-specific—was a high cost, too extravagant for his current resources. His hard work in the plagued sewers had earned him only 87 general evolution points, and even with the 11 he'd had before, he was still far short. This option would have to wait.
The flu's current potency was already formidable, and any further enhancement seemed unnecessary. With that, Novak waved the notion aside and shifted focus to unlocking liquid-transmitted infectious diseases instead.
Initially, he hadn't considered this path. But the 'Biochemical Disaster' skill was both powerful and horrifyingly effective; unlocking liquid-borne pathogens would amplify the direct lethality of his 'Plague Sun' ability.
With just a single evolution point, he activated the branch, though instead of acquiring abilities directly, an array of new options emerged—each one gray and waiting for evolution points to illuminate it. The list of liquid-transmitted infectious diseases astonished him:
[Dysentery]
➤ Ability Type: Biological Affliction
🔹 Effect: Inflicts a severe gastrointestinal disease on a target, causing dehydration and physical weakness over time.
🔹 Unlock Requirement:10 Evolution Points
🔹 Prerequisite:Constitution ≥ 50
Weakness spreads like poison through the body.
[AIDS]
➤ Ability Type: Viral Corruption
🔹 Effect: A devastating condition that gradually weakens the immune system, making the target highly vulnerable to all forms of damage.
🔹 Unlock Requirement:150 Evolution Points
🔹 Prerequisite:Constitution ≥ 800
An incurable shadow that erodes all defenses.
[Hepatitis]
➤ Ability Type: Organ Decay
🔹 Effect: Infects the target's liver, causing gradual deterioration, fatigue, and long-term vitality loss.
🔹 Unlock Requirement:80 Evolution Points
🔹 Prerequisite:Constitution ≥ 250
The body's core functions begin to collapse.
[Meningitis]
➤ Ability Type: Neurological Breakdown
🔹 Effect: Attacks the nervous system, leading to severe pain, cognitive impairment, and potential paralysis.
🔹 Unlock Requirement:250 Evolution Points
🔹 Prerequisite:Constitution ≥ 1,200
Pain seeps into the very essence of thought.
[Poliomyelitis]
➤ Ability Type: Muscular Degeneration
🔹 Effect: Destroys motor functions, crippling movement and reflexes permanently.
🔹 Unlock Requirement:200 Evolution Points
🔹 Prerequisite:Constitution ≥ 1,000
Strength fades, leaving only helplessness behind.
And so on…
Novak blinked, momentarily speechless. Before doomsday, most of these diseases posed no threat with a Constitution of just five points; reaching ten almost guaranteed immunity to infection. But now, as he scrolled through the Virus King talent abilities, he found these same diseases demanded over a thousand Constitution points to unlock.
It was clear these abilities would be incredibly potent. However, Novak had no need to pursue the more costly and intimidating viruses just yet. Instead, he could select from more affordable options with his remaining evolution points.
Wasting no time, he spent 90 points in a steady flow, securing mastery over two new infectious pathogens: Dysentery and Hepatitis.