ALL NOVEL V3.24 Buy Out
Shadara grabbed a meal potion and watered it down while I stuffed the hand Killa gave me in my mouth. I only gained forty percent, putting me just over a hundred percent.
Killa leaned back and crossed her legs. “So, was that enough? Did you have any idea what you’re going to do?”
I got off the bed and sat on the floor in front of them. Seeing as I don’t know how messy this will get, so I’ll sit down here. I don’t want to mess up Shadara’s bed. “Yeah, I’ve had some augments prepared and customized. And with almost two million shards, I will be jumping on one of the more expensive ones I didn’t think I would be getting anytime soon.”
Shadara finished her diluted meal potion. “And that is?”
I took an exaggerated breath. “Replacing my brain.” I could see the gears turning in both of their minds as they stayed impossibly still. “Now I know how that sounds…”
“You can do that?” Killa asked in a flat tone. “I know you said you don’t need your heart anymore, but surely you need your brain. Besides, what would you replace your brain with?”
I sucked on my lip. “A computer.”
“A what?” they both simultaneously asked.
I swallowed. “It’s hard to describe. They’re really complicated. And honestly, I don’t know how they work in the first place. They can do things like calculate math, recall information nearly instantly, or keep track of several things at once.”
“Do you struggle with your memory?” Shadara asked.
I pursed my lips. “Well, it’s more than that. I’m oversimplifying it. The objective of replacing my brain with a computer is to speed it up and run prediction algorithms.”
Killa crossed her arms. “Algorithms? I don’t know what that means exactly, but being able to predict your opponents’ movements would be invaluable.”
Shadara shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, her tail flicked erratically. “How much will that cost you? Will it affect your personality? Will you remember us afterwords?”
I waved my hand. “Oh no. I’ll still be me. My memories will transfer over perfectly. I will just be able to see solutions I wouldn’t have before, for the cost of a little more than one million and one hundred thousand shards.”
Killa smiled nervously. “See you on the other side?”
I gave her a thumbs up. “Of course.” Orange, you know the augment I’m talking about.
Cerebral prediction matrix augment available.
Cost: 1,125,000 shards.
Purchase?
I accepted, and my mind and world went black. The next moment, I was staring at the ceiling of the cabin. My head was resting on Shadara’s lap. Her fingers combed through my hair.
She slumped forward. “You’re alive.” Her voice sounded funny with how drawn out they were because of how slow she was speaking. “You scared me for a second when you collapsed like that. Do you know how hard it is to tell if you’re still alive anymore?”
Everything was moving in extremely slow-motion. Her hand rose up and came down towards my head again. Instantly, several percentages ran through my mind. The highest at ninety-seven percent was her fingers contacting my hair; a two percent chance her hand would collide with my forehead; a half percent chance it would collide with my ear; and a half percent chance it would contact my eye.
I ignored all the possibilities, since I knew she was just going to comb her fingers through my hair again. It’ll keep her calm. Besides, it feels nice.
I turned my head and looked around the room. A flood of numbers assaulted my mind. Without any warning or control, I calculated everything. Air temperature, humidity, speed, and their barely perceptible currents. I calculated all 42,711,969 dust particle paths as they floated around the room. Then I calculated the infinite possibilities Killa was capable of as she stood at the edge of the bed, watching me.
My brain started overheating. A message on my HUD blinked a giant red “Warning!”
Turn it all off!
Suddenly, all the numbers went away. That was way too much all at once. What just happened?
Apologies. The default setting was to calculate every possible outcome. We did not foresee the interaction with the slime woman. Her body is capable of infinite possibilities, and your new CPU is unable to handle such a load.
Did you just call my brain a CPU?
Your brain is no longer biological. It is a central processing unit. If you were to look in your skull, you wouldn’t find a brain, but a small black box connected to your spine, eyes, and nerves.
I decided to look at the skill rather than keep asking Orange to explain.
Cerebral Prediction Matrix:
The host’s natural brain has been replaced with an advanced closed system computer. This system can’t be accessed by outside systems. It is a state-of-the-art processor that excels in rapid, complicated mathematical problem solving. It will provide the host with predictive tracking of objects and estimations of statistics. Additionally, the host can alter their perspective of time up to double their unaugmented capacity. Can’t be leveled up, but additional secondary augments are available.
Stat bonus: +125 Quickness, +60 Agility.
I sat up and put a hand on Shadara’s knee. “Thanks. But I’m alright now. It’s kind of hard to stay conscious without a brain. I’m just glad that it wasn’t painful and seemingly instantaneous for me.”
Killa nodded. “Yeah, the other times I’ve seen you buy one, you’ve been in excruciating pain. But what you said makes sense. So how does it feel?”
I shrugged. “Mostly the same. I just have to be careful when I look at you, Killa. You overload my brain with your unpredictable body.”
Shadara tucked her tail to her side. “Was that all you were going to do? Did you need some time to acclimate?” She turned her head and lowered her ears. “Your hair’s really soft, by the way. Also, it tingles every time I touch it.”
I smiled as I stood up. “That’s probably the mana. But no, I’ve still got a few more left. Now I will warn you, these won’t be so peaceful.”
The panther woman nodded. “We’ll be right here. Whenever you’re ready.”
Orange, let’s start with the voice box, head muscles and tendons, and bones.
Voice projector augment available.
Cost: 17,600 shards.
Synthetic muscles (head) level 1 available:
Speed specialization chosen.
Cost: 20,800 shards.
Synthetic tendons (head) level 1 available:
Cost: 17,100 shards.
Synthetic bone (head) level 1 available:
Cost: 20,430 shards.
Synthetic bone (torso) level 1 available:
Cost: 30,645 shards
Total cost: 106,575 shards.
Purchase?
I accepted without hesitating. My voice box was first. I chose the upgrade that would allow me to speak without breathing first, removing my need for lungs. Once the last of my skin and muscles were augmented, I knew my lungs were no longer required, thus eliminating any chance of drowning or suffocating.
The augmentation process felt different. I was told that I was experiencing pain, but my brain—I’m still going to call it my brain no matter what it is—was blocking the sensation. Everything was finished in a few seconds, and I could feel my new voice box—which was basically now a speaker—connect with my brain as a new function. I knew how it worked without any experimentation.
My face went numb as the augments kept coming. It went from numb to limp as my skin sagged after all my muscles were consumed by my nanites. Again, my mind received the message that I was experiencing pain, but it didn’t hurt as it blocked the sensation. Gradually, the muscles filled in and the tendons connected.
I turned and gave my sisters a thumbs up and a smile. Even though Shadara was covered in fur, I could see she was looking kind of green. Yeah, I imagine seeing my skin slump down like that might put someone off.
As I smiled, my bones began fracturing and dissolving. To save Shadara from seeing my deflated head, I made all the muscles in my head rigid. Surprisingly enough, the thin layer on top of my head still held up until the bones were reconstructed. Once they were finished, I relaxed my muscles.
“Wow.” I blinked a couple of times, registering everything was finished. “There’s another little side effect of changing my brain the way I did. I don’t have to feel pain.”
Shadara turned her head. “You don’t feel pain? Isn’t that dangerous?”
I waved my hand. “That’s not it. I mean, I don’t have to feel it. It still registers, but it doesn’t hurt. With a flip of a switch, I could feel it if I wanted, but I think that’s one thing I can do without.”
Killa chuckled. “That sounds preferable. Although, I imagine electricity will still have the same effect on you, unless you’ve done something about that.”
I grimaced. “You figured that out too? Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out something just yet. Upgrading my skin won’t fix it unless I lose all feeling. That’s not something I’m going to do. So until I figure something out, I’ll just have to be extra careful. Or use my lycan form since my shadow magic is nonconductive.”
Shadara flicked her ears. “Your voice sounds different. Did you do something with that too?”
I gave a quick nod. “Yeah. Now, I don’t have to breathe and can talk underwater and in a vacuum.”
The panther woman frowned. “You could’ve just learned to swim if you were worried about drowning.”
Killa slapped my shoulder. “You’re sounding more and more like me with each change, although I still use air to speak. And all that metal must be restricting.”
I waffled my hand. “It’s not that bad. The stability’s amazing though.”
Killa put a finger to her cheek while giving me a wide smile. “Who needs stability when you’re a liquid?”
“Yeah, yeah. Rub it in.” Shadara gave a playful pout. “One of us is still a flesh-based person. Because I’m guessing you’re not done yet, are you, Rina? You’re going to finish everything now.”
I nodded slowly. “Three more, and I’ll reach my goal. Then I can focus on upgrading what I’ve got and looking at passive energy gain.”
Orange, I’ll take the last three on the list.
Synthetic skin (face) level 1 available:
Cost: 18,100 shards.
Retractable epidermal plating helmet level 1 available:
Customized.
Cost: 27,450 shards.
Retractable epidermal plating helmet level 2 available:
Customized
Cost: 36,000 shards.
Plated dragon teeth available:
Cost: 19,000 shards.
Total cost: 101,550 shards.
Purchase?
Yes.
The skin from the base of my neck upward tingled as it separated from the muscles underneath. I peeled it off and let it drop to the ground in a wet slop. Metal plates wrapped around my neck and slowly built upwards as they reached my chin.
The plates created a frame around my face as two plates that made up the rest of my helmet developed. The plates on my forehead went upwards and covered the front third of my hair, but they didn’t replace it; rather, they sat on top of it. My ears were covered, leaving only a small grate to allow sound to enter.
The rest of my face then filled in to look exactly like I had before. But now, it was blemish-free and perfectly smooth, while feeling just a bit stiffer than before. The plates around my face for my helmet grew warmer as they turned the same black as the rest of my epidermal plating.
After the first three augments finished quickly, my teeth popped out one by one. I spat them out onto the floor, causing Shadara to jump and shriek. Killa just watched with an unabashed curiosity.
I could feel my new teeth coming in. They weren’t human teeth anymore. I needed better. My teeth were longer, sharper, and narrower as they grew in. Once they were all in, my gums healed up instantly. I could feel my jaw open wider than I knew it should be able to. I ran my tongue along my new metal dragon teeth.
I have to be careful now not to bite my tongue off. These things are razor-sharp.
Shadara put her hands on her hips. “You couldn’t have given me a warning?”
I winced. “Sorry, I thought you were watching closely.”
The panther woman sighed. “I was. But I wasn’t expecting my sister to start spitting out her own teeth. That’s a little much.”
Killa crossed her arms. “You know you shouldn’t get mad at her for that. It’s not like she can feel any pain.” She then leaned forward and looked at my mouth. “Those are very different from what I was expecting. Why such sharp teeth? Why didn’t you keep at least human-shaped teeth?”
I grinned. “Practicality. Let’s face it, most of what I’m going to be eating are meal potions or parts of you. Other than that, it’s going to be the monsters we kill that I’m going to need to eat. While human teeth can handle meat just fine, dragon teeth are specifically designed to do it way better. Besides, it’s yet another weapon.”
Shadara and Killa both nodded. “It is an interesting look for you. But it will take some getting used to,” said Shadara.
Killa reached out a hand. “Do you mind if I touch them? Are they really metal?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
The slime woman put a finger on one of my new teeth and pulled back immediately. “Yeah. They’re definitely metal. And really sharp.”
I closed my mouth and felt around my new teeth. “They are pretty sharp.”
“Is that all?” Shadara asked. “Did you get everything you wanted?”
I nodded. “Yep. That’s it.”
Shadara smiled and wrapped me in a hug. “Welcome back. You might look a bit different, but you’re still our Rina.” Then she yawned. “As much fun as it is to watch you change yourself, I’m going to go to sleep. We should head to another island tomorrow morning. We need to be ready. And sorry for being the only one of us that actually needs to sleep anymore.”
I patted her on the head. “It’s fine. You keep me grounded. With all the insanity that my body is capable of, having a constant reminder of what it was like to be human is comforting.”
Killa leaned against the wall. “Alright, sleeping beauty. We’ll wake you up in the morning.”
Shadara waved her hand dismissively as she headed to bed. “I know I said it before, but you really do make a sexy werewolf. That shadow magic version is even better than the one from the mirror doppelganger on the last floor. Just saying.” She gave me a wink.
“Good night, Shadara,” I replied.
Killa followed me out of the cabin. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to do some fishing. You’re welcome to join me.”
I looked at my nearly depleted energy. “I could use a bite to eat.”
Killa poked my cheek. “With chompers like those, I’m afraid of what a bite looks like for you now. Let’s be glad that there are plenty of fish in the sea. And as long as we don’t kill them in the water, we’ll be just fine.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t want to invite something like that again.”
I took the time to check out the new augments and what they did. However, I had several new prompts I wasn’t ready for.
Full-body skeleton replaced. Would the host like to consolidate augments?
Full-body epidermal plating purchased. Would the host like to consolidate augments?
Orange, what are these?
Augments can be consolidated if they are at the same level and type. It will save you a considerable amount of shards when upgrading in the long term. However, the cost to upgrade will require you to pay larger sums all at once. You would lose the ability to choose specializations and receive a single, generalized upgrade.
So, I’ll pay more each time I level up my epidermal plating and bones, but it’ll be cheaper than if I purchase each upgrade individually?
Correct. Also, you will be unable to separate the augments later.
I’m fine with that. If I get all my muscles up to level two, will I be able to do the same thing?
Yes.
Well, then let’s do it. It’ll be one less thing to keep track of and make it easier to read my status sheet. And while we’re at it, let’s make it so I can combine all the rest of them.
256,907 shards and one walk to the main deck later, everything was upgraded. Killa never even noticed I did anything. Now that this doesn’t hurt, it’ll be way too tempting to just upgrade things now. At least my status sheet’s been cleaned up. And look at all those stats!
Name: Rina Lone Augments:
Level: 50 Cellular Reconstruction
Agility: (+110) 531 Cerebral Prediction Matrix
Arcane: (+10) 340 Synthetic eyes: lvl. 2
Power: (+10) 170 HUD
Quickness: (+185) 785 Mana battery (shadow) integration
Resilience: (+55) 360 Synthetic skin (face) lvl. 1
Toughness: (+45) 360 Additional Stinger Arm X2
Unassigned Points: 0 Arm blade (right), Retractable
Shards: 282,636 Synthetic tendons lvl. 2
Synthetic muscle lvl. 2
Shadow Powers: Synthetic bones lvl. 1
Manifestation lvl. 8 Epidermal plating lvl. 2
Shaping lvl. 6 Nanobot Blood Replacement
Distance lvl. 1 Nanoweave Hair lvl. 1
Anchoring lvl. 1 Voice projector
Infusion lvl. 5 Plated dragon teeth
Solidify lvl. 1
Shadow Lycan Form Spell
Synthetic bones level 1:
The host’s bones have been replaced with an organic metal. This metal is nonmagnetic, conductive, and immune to oxidation. They have significantly greater mass than biologic bones but have better mana conductivity as well.
Stat bonus: +50 toughness, +25 arcane.
Synthetic bones level 2 available.
Cost: 160,885 shards.
Synthetic tendons level 2:
The host’s tendons have been replaced by a titanium-niobium alloy. The response time for the host’s actions have been significantly reduced. The host will also find a substantial increase in dynamic actions based on their quickness attribute. The host can temporarily exceed their maximum quickness by 33% without risk of damage. Attack power is increased by the quickness attribute.
Stat bonus: +100 agility.
Synthetic tendons level 3 available.
Cost: 379,840 shards.
Insufficient funds.
Synthetic muscle level 2:
The host’s muscles have been replaced with coiled metallic nanofibers. The host has chosen the speed specialization. The synthetic muscles now respond to electrical signals more efficiently, granting the host heightened control over their movements. The nanofibers are extremely conductive and will malfunction if exposed to excessive amounts of direct current.
Stat bonus: +200 quickness.
Synthetic muscle level 3 available.
Cost: 451,040 shards.
Insufficient funds.
Epidermal plating level 2:
The entirety of the skin of the host has been replaced with an organic metal. This metal is flexible, nonmagnetic, conductive, and immune to oxidation. Defense and resistance in the augmented areas are doubled. The host also has a customized retractable, water tight visor for the head.
Stat bonus: +110 toughness, +110 resilience, +18 agility, +6 power
Epidermal plating level 3 available:
Cost: 539,190 shards.
Insufficient funds.
Synthetic skin (Face) level 1:
The host’s face has been replaced with a flexible and compressible polymer. It provides the host with the ability to alter their face at the cost of shards based on the difference of the change.
Stat bonus: +10 resilience.
Synthetic skin (face) level 2 available.
Cost: 34,390 shards.
Voice Projector:
The host’s voice box has been replaced by a mana powered sound replicator. They are able to change their voice to whatever pitch and volume at will.
Stat bonus: none.
Plated Dragon Teeth:
The host’s teeth have been replaced by metal replica dragon teeth. The teeth are sized down to match the host’s size. This augment also increased the host jaw’s range of motion. Because the host possesses the synthetic bone augment, their teeth will scale with their bones.
Stat bonus: +10 power.