After their meeting with the hostages, they gave Akhil a brief tour of the place.
When it was over, he finally spent the rest of his time alone in the space that had been assigned to him.
"Now it's time to experiment," Akhil muttered in the small room.
He had recently transformed into an orc.
But there were noticeable differences between him and the other orcs.
He observed that all male orcs had large, sturdy bodies and thick, pointy canines sticking out of their mouths—traits he did not possess.
Akhil came up with several possibilities as to why.
His ability allowed him to transform into the beast he absorbed blood from, but there would always be some visible differences between him and the species he imitated.
Thankfully, he didn't seem to possess wings…
'Or do I?' Akhil wondered, unable to shake off the thought.
Just as he suspected, even in orc form he retained some of his innate mosquito abilities—such as seeing heat patterns and sensing sound vibrations in the air.
The advantage now was that he could switch between the two sets of genes far more conveniently.
Akhil shifted and rested on the stony platform that passed for a bed, or at least what he assumed was one. To him, it felt like the orcs had gone back to the Stone Age.
But that didn't matter right now.
From all the information he had gathered so far, it still took him time to process everything.
'This is a game now...' That was the only thought he could cling to in order to stomach this new reality.
And he was going to treat it as one.
---
The next day.
Akhil stood in front of the group, ready to move out.
The human settlement would take nearly a whole day to reach on foot. Without technology to speed up their journey, they had no choice but to rely on the only resource available to them—their legs.
With him were Nibo, Aria, Gon, and the blonde-haired hostage.
It was clear why they had decided to bring the hostage along.
"This is great! Surely, this time the humans will work with us," Gon said, his ecstatic voice echoing.
He had high expectations for the meeting they were about to have.
Akhil smiled brightly.
"Yes, this will be a very great meeting," he replied, his calm yet unnerving smile making the others uneasy.
They couldn't quite put their finger on it, but both Aria and Nibo sensed that the young man was scheming something.
They just couldn't tell what, and it bothered them deeply.
The plump hostage, on the other hand, wore a wide grin.
After Akhil had left him with his comrade the other day, they spent hours preparing exactly what they would tell their leader once they returned.
And now, the time had finally come.
'They won't even know what hit them,' the plump man thought.
"We should get going. We don't have all day."
"Oh yes, yes," Gon replied cheerfully. "I already had J watch over the village while we're away," he added.
Akhil's smile widened, pleased with the progress.
Without further words, the group set off.
They carried only a few essentials—food and water—knowing how long the journey would take.
As they trekked through the dense forest, it was inevitable they would encounter monsters.
Nibo and Aria proved their skill almost immediately.
A mutated tiger beast leapt at Nibo, its sharp claws swiping down.
The claws clashed against his rock-hard skin, bouncing off, though the impact still made him wince.
Compared to Akhil, Nibo wasn't nearly as durable, so the hit hurt him more.
Still, his job was to act as the shield.
While the beast focused on him, Aria moved in from behind. Her dagger glowed with light as she lunged, stabbing deep into the beast's thick hide.
"Owwww!"
The creature howled, pain tearing through its body. Its eyes burned red with fury.
But Aria pressed harder, digging her blade deeper and slashing with precision.
Before the beast could recover, Nibo swung his axe.
With a sharp whoosh, the blade cleaved clean through.
The beast barely registered his face before its head rolled to the ground.
Thick black blood spilled, soaking the earth.
{BOOYAH!}
{Player Nibo got the Final Strike!}
{Kihung Tiger killed}
{Tiger Boost Serum obtained}
{MUT coins: +100}
{Supporters: Player Aria}
{Reward: +50 MUT coins}
The battle ended quickly, with no injuries sustained.
Only the sound of their heavy breathing lingered, soon drowned out by the thrill of the system's rewards.
They pressed on, facing several more beasts. Sometimes Nibo claimed the final strike, sometimes Aria.
Together, they cleared the stage—without Akhil lifting a finger.
That was, until…
ROARRRRR!
A thunderous roar split the air.
Before them stood a massive bear.
Spikes jutted from its spine, and a serpentine tail slithered behind its hulking frame. Its black fur barely managed to cover its thick hide.
{Ding!}
{Mammoth Bear}
{Mutant level: 2}
"Shit, it's a level two," Nibo said, his face tense. "I can't take a hit from that monster."
Akhil stepped forward.
He had already studied the tactics Nibo and Aria had been using, and now he was ready to join in.
"I'll help," he said calmly.
Both Nibo and Aria exchanged skeptical looks.
But they didn't have much of a choice.
Akhil was a level five mutant—he should be able to withstand it.
And besides, they were curious. They had never seen him fight before.
"I'll go ahead. You attack from the sides, just like before," Akhil instructed, closing the distance between himself and the beast.
"Wait! That's a level two mutant! Don't get too close!" Aria called out, panic in her voice.
She moved forward to stop him, but before she could reach him, the Mammoth Bear's crimson eyes glinted with killing intent.
Its massive claws came crashing down like a hammer.
"Get out of there!" Nibo shouted, charging forward.
~BOOM!