"Nngh... haa..." Alex panted, sweat soaking through his clothes. He felt something moving under his skin, not like blood, but like liquid fire.
The chaotic mana that usually floated uselessly around his organs was suddenly grabbed.
The new, mutating circuits acted like hungry snakes. They latched onto the disordered energy, sucking it in greedily.
Every time they absorbed a pocket of loose mana, the pathways thickened.
They grew from thin, fragile threads into thick, pulsing veins.
They wrapped around his heart, spiraled down his spine, and pooled heavily in his lower abdomen.
As time passed slowly, the pain shifted. It went from a sharp tearing sensation to a deep, throbbing ache that felt strangely... good.
It was a fullness he had never felt before.
His internal organs felt like they were vibrating.
The [Basic Mana Circuit] was forcing order out of chaos, but the circuits connected to places in his body that standard humans didn't even use.
He felt a rush of heat travel down to his hips, widening the energy flow there.
The sensation was intense, causing his toes to curl inside his boots.
It felt as if his body was being molded from the inside out, softened and strengthened at the same time.
"Daam it, my rotten luck…" Alex wheezed, his vision blurring.
His skin flushed a deep, rosy pink.
The sweat dripping from his chin didn't smell like old sweat; it carried a faint, pungent scent, a side effect of the impurities being purged from his pores.
Finally, an hour passed by and the violent thrashing inside his veins slowed down.
The new mana circuits pulsated with a steady, rhythmic beat, syncing perfectly with his heart.
The burning faded, replaced by a cool, rushing sensation. It felt like a river of ice water was flowing effortlessly through him.
Alex lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, his chest heaving.
He felt lighter and powerful.
A soft chime rang in his ears, bringing him back to reality.
[ Mutation Completed]
[ Skill Acquired: Yin-Serpent Mana Circuit]
[ Description: A mutated mana pathway formed from the fusion of the Naagin Bloodline and Void Yin Constitution. Unlike standard circuits, this pathway thrives on Yin energy and absorption.]
[ Effect 1: Mana Absorption speed increased by 30%.]
[ Effect 2: Passive reshaping of the host's body to optimize Yin energy flow (Feminization accelerated). ]
Alex read the last line and groaned, covering his eyes with his arm.
"Accelerated... of course it is," he muttered, his voice sounding slightly breathier than before. "The Empress must be laughing her ass off right now."
But as he clenched his fist, he felt the mana respond instantly. It surged to his hand like a loyal pet.
He sat up, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
He thought of drinking the Star Leaf extract now to stabilize his mana, but after seeing the prompt about the accelerated feminization he paused.
The thought that left in his mind was to check just how much "reshaping" this new skill had already done.
Alex gasped for air, his hands frantically patting down his chest and face.
He expected soft curves or smoother skin instantly, given the ominous "Feminization accelerated" warning.
He yanked his glove off, inspecting his hand under the dim utility lights.
It looked... normal. Maybe a little paler, the veins less prominent, but definitely still a man's hand.
He quickly pulled up his status screen again, his eyes darting to the current progress of the Phase 1 Shedding.
[ Shedding Process: 41% ]
"Fuck it, it increased again... But the amount is not much, what a relief." Alex whispered, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Thank god. It must be a passive effect that builds up over time, not an instant transformation."
He slumped back against the metal wall, feeling the cold seep through his shirt.
The new Yin-Serpent Mana Circuit hummed quietly inside him.
It wasn't painful anymore; actually, it felt soothing, like a cool gel coating his insides.
He could feel the mana flowing in a slow, rhythmic loop, far more efficient than the chaotic mess he had before.
"Okay. Step one complete," he muttered to himself, his voice steadying. "Now for step two."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the glass vial containing the Star Leaf extract.
"Mira told me to only drink half to stabilize the newly formed mana circuits." He uncorked the vial.
A fresh, minty scent filled the small room, clearing his head instantly.
"Bottoms up," he said, lifting the vial to his lips.
Ding!
A sharp, digital chime froze him in place. The vial hovered inches from his mouth.
A new blue window popped up, overlaying his current status screen. It pulsed with a darker border, something he had never seen before on his basic interface.
[ Basic Requirements for the Professional Panel Upgrade met. ]
[ Do you wish to upgrade the Panel? ]
[ Yes / No ]
Alex blinked. "Professional Panel? What the hell is this?"
He lowered the vial, his brow furrowing. He tried tapping the corner of the screen, looking for a 'More Info' button or a 'Help' icon, but there was nothing.
Just the two options staring back at him.
"Is my current panel just a trial version or something?" he grumbled.
He hesitated.
Upgrades usually meant better features, but in this messed-up reality involving the Empress and weird mutations, an 'upgrade' could mean anything.
'But...' Alex thought, biting his lip. "The current system is vague… it was already capable of saving my life from being devoured..."
"If this Professional Panel gives me more detailed stats or better control over this cursed bloodline... I can't afford to say no."
"Screw it," Alex whispered. "I've already crossed so many hurdles. What's one more gamble?"
With a shaky finger, he reached out and pressed... [ Yes]
The screen flashed bright white, blinding him for a second.
[ System Upgrade Initiated...]
[ Downloading Resource Packs...]
[ Integrating with Host Memory...]
[ Please wait...]
"Downloading?" Alex squinted as the text scrolled rapidly.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit him. It wasn't physical pain this time; it was mental.
It felt like someone was shuffling through the filing cabinets of his brain.
Memories, instincts, and knowledge flashed behind his eyes, combat techniques he had seen but never learned.
Details about monsters he saw or read about but forgotten…. And so on, different types of information began to stream past his mind, from both this life and his past life.
He felt a large amount of time had passed by, but the entire process didn't even take a few minutes and a new prompt appeared.
[ Synchronization Complete. ]
[ Rebooting Interface... ]
The bright light faded, replaced by a sleek, dark-mode interface.
The font was sharper, the layout cleaner. It looked high-tech, like an old RPG game system was upgraded to a modern version game system.
[ Welcome to the Professional Survival Interface (Ver 1.0) ]
[ User: Alex (Host)]
[ Class: Civilian]
[ Scanning... Basic Mana Circuit constructed… Detecting Available Classes]
[ Classes Detected ]
[ Available Classes to choose from: Mage, Warlock, Martial Artist, Swordsman, Knight…]
[ Please select one of the above Classes to unlock the Class specific Specialization]
"What the Fuck?" Alex's eyes widened. "Available Classes? Specialization?"
Before he could process that, new notification tabs one after the other slid smoothly into his view.
[ New Feature Unlocked: Storage Slots x10]
[ New Feature Unlocked: Personal Equipment Bar]
[ New Feature Unlocked: Appraisal Eye]