Chapter 64: People Are Complicated
People Are Complicated
Sadly, it appeared that Excellent_Render was indeed an exception, as the consequent fights were a lot less appetizing. They were still more difficult than the ones prior, especially due to Mike’s Rank rising, but alas, nothing noteworthy.
That said, this entire thing had been more than worth it. While throwing hands with the hologram in his combat class was nice, fighting against other sentient beings with a wild variety of abilities just made everything more was just so much more exciting.
Moreover, Mike finally got the opportunity to express his wolf side. Well, sort of, since he’d only used a partial transformation. But still.
The raw power coursing through his veins, was simply addicting, but more than that, Mike felt a sense of liberation as he allowed a part of himself he typically kept restrained to be released somewhat.
It was hard to explain, but it was like wearing tight clothes for a long time, and suddenly having them loosen slightly, allowing him to breathe better.
Then again, that analogy wasn’t wholly correct since that would mean he was putting a lid on all he was, which wasn’t quite right since technically, he was just as much of a human as he was a wolf.
Regardless, it remained the truth that he’d left his wolf side unattended for too long, so it just felt nice in general for it to be let loose.
However, one might ask. Isn’t this simply a simulation? How does his using his wolf side inside the platform somehow substitute for him using it outside?
Well, two things. First of all, it was mentioned that Mike was still aware of his true body while inside the virtual world. As such, when he transformed, he felt the same changes applying to his body on the outside while within the pod.
He’d been a bit worried about this as he wasn’t sure he’d suddenly become too big and break out of the pod. But luckily, no such thing happened.
The second thing was that the system was just weird like that.
It was well established that the thing was intrinsically tied to his existence as a Lupine, and it made certain things possible. And in this case, it told Mike that what he was doing was no different from if he used his Partial Transformation outside and fought with it. Something that was further proven when Mike decided to stop fighting and look at his stats.
STATS
[Name]: Mike
[Age]: 17
[Race]: Lupine
[Level]: 9
---
STATS
Strength: 43
Agility: 45.8
Endurance: 44.4
Vitality: 48.8
Perception: 48.2
Ferocity: 15% (Stable)
Allocatable Stat Points: 12
---
SKILLS
> (Active Skills)
•Crimson Ladder (First Step) – A combat style devised by Masha and adapted by the Host. Built upon compounding momentum, each motion fuels the next in a relentless chain. Though simple in structure, it demands an exceptionally durable and powerful physique. First Step represents the initial master and grants access to its core movements and flow.
•Partial Transformation (Stable Variant) – Lupines are creatures of both control and wildness. This Stable Variant allows the Host to partially assume his true form without surrendering to instinct. Grants heightened strength, agility, natural weapons (claws, fur, tail), and improved balance, while maintaining mental clarity.
•Overclocking (Level 1) – By forcefully accelerating energy pathways, the Host can dramatically boost physical performance. Comes at the cost of rapid energy depletion and severe bodily strain. Prolonged use risks exhaustion and internal damage.
• Primal Awareness (Level 1) – The Host can precisely direct his instincts to warn of danger, incoming attacks, or nefarious intent.
• Predator’s Foresight (Level 2) – It’s only natural for a predator to excel at hunting, and to excel at hunting, the predator must know how to read their prey. Allows the host to see an outline of their target that alludes to how the target will move after, while also analyzing the flow of their movements and rhythm, allowing the Host to better memorize the way they move, and the Host’s mind can unconsciously memorize these patterns to be repeated precisely. Effectiveness of Predator’s Foresight scales with energy output and mental energy expended.
> (Passive Skills)
• Bestial Adaptation – Physical stats (strength, reflexes, stamina, and senses) are heightened even in human form.
• Cellular Recovery – Slowly regenerates minor injuries and recovers fatigue over time.
• Aura Modulation – Through disciplined control, Host can regulate the intensity and spread of his aura at will, reducing waste and maintaining longer active periods without strain.
---
ABILITIES
• Primal Surge [B+]
A combat-type aura ability absorbed from a fallen foe. Enhances physical performance, reinforces strikes, and can be shaped into offensive bursts or barriers.
> [Hold to Expand for Details]
---
EVOLUTION
Locked
> Requirement: Unknown
Despite not fighting a ’real’ opponent, Mike had managed to level up twice. As for where the level-ups came from, it was when Mike achieved the balance of instinct and intellect that allowed him to fully mimic and adapt Excellent_Render’s fighting style.
This more or less just confirmed what the system told him about how leveling worked. It wasn’t a matter of how many opponents he defeated, but how significant a milestone he’d crossed, and it seemed like what he did was enough to warrant him two levels.
’One more level until I’m able to get a new ability.’ He thought. It was something he was looking forward to, and he had a few ideas for how he could get the ability of another living being once he reached that milestone.
There was also the deal with his stat points. He had 12 now, and he wasn’t sure where to allocate them. His instincts were also silent on the matter, so it was something that was entirely up to him.
’Should I just save them? I don’t think I have to allocate them right now. Hm.’ Mike thought about it a bit more, and he ultimately decided to save them. He didn’t know how to allocate them as he was pretty happy with all his stats as they were right now. Moreover, a situation could arise where he needed to boost a certain stat a lot, and having some extra stat points lying around would be helpful.
He was also just indecisive, but we don’t talk about that.
Soon enough, the rest of Mike’s time in the pod ran out, and he was ejected.
He blinked a few times as his consciousness returned to his body, and the visor that was covering his eyes lifted off as the pod slid open, allowing him to sit up.
’Huh, it’s like I was sleeping.’ Mike thought as he clenched and unbleached his fists, feeling like he’d just had a nice rest, and only his mind felt a bit exhausted.
’Neat.’ He nodded to himself and turned his head to the side in time to see Theresa’s pod also slide open, the redhead sitting up a moment later as she stretched.
"Well. That was fun." She said as she hopped out of the pod, and Mike followed suit, the pods closing with soft hisses when they exited.
"So how was it?" Theresa asked as the two of them walked out of the building.
"It was great. I gained a lot from that experience alone. I also had a lot of fun." Mike answered with a smile, and Theresa nodded.
"That’s good to hear. Also, sorry about not immediately accepting your friend request and interacting with you. I realized that you would probably be creating your account and setting up your character, so I just decided to go ahead and begin fighting." She said, sounding a bit sheepish, but Mike shook his head.
"It’s fine. I don’t want to make you feel like you’re responsible for me anyway." Mike paused briefly before asking.
"By the way, do you know if the monster cages cost a lot to use?" The sudden change of topic caught Theresa off guard.
"The monster cages?" She raised a brow, and Mike nodded. It was another service the school offered. Simply put, it was a place filled with cages that doubled as arenas which held different beasts that could be used for a variety of purposes. One could fight them or study them, buy them to experiment, and so on.
"Yeah. I wanna fight some soon, and I’m not sure if they cost a lot to use." He explained. As for why he wanted to use said service, well, he had a bit of a theory regarding his ability take other abilities.
Similar to humans, some beasts also had abilities, some which were particularly potent. Mike wasn’t killing another ability user any time soon to steal their ability, so he theorized that he could perhaps do it with beasts.
It was a theory he wanted to test, and if he was right, then he possibly had a way to harvest other abilities without going on a killing spree.
"Huh. Well, it depends on what you want. Different beasts of varying abilities are priced differently. So if you fight with a beast that has a very powerful ability, chances are that they will charge you a lot, and the opposite is also the case. There is no specific price." She shrugged, deciding not to pry into his reasoning.
Mike just nodded, having suspected as much.
The two of them continued walking in relative silence. By now, the sun had well and truly set, allowing the academy to regain its comfortable and tranquil evening atmosphere.
Mike noticed as Theresa slowly moved to walk closer to him, their arms almost touching. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and appreciated her side profile.
’She’s really pretty.’ He thought, taking in her appearance as a faint burning sensation reached his cheeks.
"Hey Mike... what do you think about people in general?" Theresa suddenly asked, and Mike blinked before slowly tilting his head in a very puppy-like manner.
’Cute.’ Theresa noted as she elaborated.
"As in, what do you think about when you interact with people? What’s your opinion concerning your fellow man? Stuff like that." She explained, and Mike fell silent as he considered the question.
"That’s a bit vague... but if I’m understanding right, then well..." He looked up. "People are complicated." He said, and Theresa was silent as she waited for him to continue.
"I guess you can attribute it to my upbringing, but the more I meet and interact with others, slowly understanding social norms and cues, I find everything to be so... hassling. Everyone has a unique personality that they need to figure out how to meld to fit the odd narrative that society expects." He said quietly.
"Do you think it’s a bad thing?" She raised a brow and Mike shook his head.
"Yes and no. I feel like if people could freely express themselves without judgment, then things would be a lot more straightforward. You wouldn’t need to constantly worry about saying the wrong thing or looking the wrong way. But at the same time, it’s these sorts of things that keep people in check, especially those with nasty personalities that don’t mind hurting those around them." He replied.
"Huh..." Theresa considered the answer, then smiled a little.
"You’re weirdly introspective sometimes." She said, and he just shrugged.
The two of them continued walking, and eventually, Theresa couldn’t help it.
She reached over and placed her hand on his head.
Mike froze and glanced at her with question marks in his eyes.
Believing she’d overstepped, she started to pull away, but Mike quickly stopped her by grabbing her wrist, making her keep her hand on his head.
She seemed surprised, but nevertheless began to gently move her hand through his hair, and blushed a little when she saw him smile a bit, clearly enjoying it.
’Gosh, he’s like a puppy. And his hair is so soft...’ She thought as the two of them worked. No more words were exchanged, but none were needed.