Zen awoke to the sound of grinding gears and the crushing weight of ten-fold gravity. This was the World of Spiritual Metal.
His body was screaming. His bones, still made of flesh and weak calcium, were bowing under the atmospheric pressure. Every breath felt like inhaling molten lead.
[Warning: Mortal Vessel collapsing]
[Solution: Mimic local 'Heavy-Matter' Biology within 20 minutes]
Zen crawled through the red dust, his eyes scanning for a host. He found a Metal Ghoul—a beast made of jagged iron plates—feasting on a scrap of ore. Zen didn't fight it with strength; he used his Fire Root to superheat a nearby stalactite, causing it to shatter and blind the beast.
As the beast thrashed, Zen lunged, pressing his palm against its cold, metallic hide. He didn't just copy the skin; he copied the Molecular Density.
The process was a nightmare of biological reconstruction. His skin turned the color of oxidized bronze, his muscles became dense fibers of carbon and iron. By the time the Ghoul died, Zen stood up, no longer a frail boy, but a creature of industrial resilience.
"Life is harder here," he muttered, testing his new, heavy grip. "But the potential for theft is much higher."