Chapter 86: Foreign Substance
However, no matter how much he cursed the system, it wouldn\'t change the fact that the window had turned red, indicating a real emergency.
[System: Detected foreign matter]
[System: Detected foreign matter]
[System: Detected foreign matter]
[System: Would you like to sacrifice your energy attributes to tame the foreign matter?]
"Wait, what?" Reign exclaimed.
The energy attribute he had painstakingly cultivated had to be sacrificed? The benefits of his energy was roughly 70% of his power output, so nerfing it was bad news for him.
"What if I don\'t do it?" Reign asked, not expecting a reply but still tried regardless.
[System: Death]
"Yes!" Reign begrudgingly accepted the system\'s decision to sacrifice his energy. He didn\'t even have a choice in the matter.
Energy (B+) —> (D-)
Witnessing his energy plummet back to D- stung Reign in more ways than one. But he
[System: Reforming foreign matter]
He felt exhausted because the energy was now acting as antibodies to protect him.
It was the same concept when human get sick; when there was a virus, the human body generated antibodies to kill it off, which was why humans often experienced feverish symptoms during this time frame.
However, Reign was not a human, so instead of antibodies, he was using energy not to kill off the foreign object, but to neutralize its harmful effects.
After the system finished its task, he felt a different sensation. Unconsciously, he reached for Rodnick Bones\' corpse and began absorbing it again.
This action was very illogical, considering that the system had deemed this corpse a danger. However, his intuition told him that it was okay to absorb it now.
[System: Congratulations, Host, for acquiring unique passive skills.]
>>Drug Immunity: Host will have some immunity to any type of drugs that could threaten the body. The immunity would depend on the skill level.
>>Drug Resistance: Host can now take any type of enhancing drugs and the side effect would be minimized depending on the skill level.
>>Drug Enhancer: Any enhancing or healing drugs that the host takes will be more effective depending on the skill level.
The effects of the new skill at least offered Reign some silver lining in his setbacks.
From now on, he would no longer have to worry about devouring others who consumed unknown substance.
Plus, the drug resistance and enhancer effects were really impressive.
He would be lying if he said he wasn\'t impressed by the sudden boost in Rodnick\'s power during their fight.
Whatever drug he took must be very rare. It offered high returns in exchange for high risk, but the effect almost tripled Rodnick\'s strength, which was a good trade off.
If Reign could gain such a massive boost without worrying about the side effects, then he would be able to become much confident in facing stronger enemies in the future.
In a way, these three skills were really overpowered once it reach a certain level.
Realizing the benefits he now possessed, the reduction in his energy attributes felt worth it.
Now that he was more satisfied about the turn of events, he stood up, stretched his body, and then walked towards the briefcase.
This briefcase was extremely important, judging by the high level of security it had before.
Whatever was inside must cost a lot of money or a top secret.
The briefcase was reminiscent of those seen in movies where money could be stored, but its material proved to be much sturdier.
Even after attempting to scratch it with his claw, there wasn\'t a single mark left behind.
He could potentially destroy it by using more force, but considering his lack of knowledge about its contents, exercising caution seemed the wiser choice.
\'Let\'s see,\' he muttered to himself.
He positioned the briefcase on the ground and then slowly, but surely, inserted his claw into the gap of the briefcase lock, attempting to open it without using too much brute force.
Fortunately, his evolution granted him greater control over his bones, allowing him to gradually make his claw thinner and thinner.
After a few minutes of tinkering, he heard a satisfying click. As the briefcase opened, what was inside nearly force him to run.
Inside the tube, a green liquid swirled around a peculiar sight—a sinewy, root-like creature, its form reminiscent of a parasitic organism.
Its twisted tendrils writhed within the fluid, its ghastly appearance accentuated by faint bioluminescent color dancing along its surface.
Reign couldn\'t help but feel a shiver crawl down his spine as he watched the creature\'s rhythmic pulsations, each throb echoing like a sinister heartbeat.
\'What is this thing\' Reign thought to himself, his mind racing with images from movies he had seen—alien creatures resembling the one before him but this one was more colorful.
CLICK
CLICK
CLICK
The parasite started to move around in an erratic manner, then out of nowhere, it began banging its head on the glass.
\'Is this thing safe?\' Reign mused, wondering if the glass could withstand it.
After a few minutes, with no sign of the glass breaking, Reign sighed in relief.
He slowly closed the briefcase. This thing was complicated, so he would ask Melissa about it once he returned to the city. Maybe she knew someone who could figure out what it was.
No need to take additional risks by being a smarty-pants. He might be a genius, but he was no scientist. .
\'Alright, time to go back,\' Reign stood up, feeling a bit satisfied with his haul today.
He walked leisurely out of the building with the briefcase and some of the weapons that Divergent had used in hand.
The weapons and armor were made of a special type of material, so he could sell them for a good price.
Initially, money wasn\'t his top priority.
But witnessing the wide range of items and services available for sale on the app made him realize the importance of financial resources in maximizing his efficiency. This experience served as a valuable lesson for him.
\'Oh, I forgot,\' Reign realized that he needed to take a picture of the drug lab, now in ruins, as proof.
However, before he could turn around, he felt a searing heat from behind his back.
Instinctively, he looked back and raised his arms to cover his face, but the flames were so fast that before he could react, he was engulfed by them.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The deafening explosion ripped through the drug laboratory, sending shockwaves reverberating through the air.
Flames erupted violently, swallowing everything in their path as the building crumbled under the force of the blast.
Little did Reign know, there was a failsafe mechanism inside the place—a special bomb set to trigger to erase all the evidence just in case the lab was compromised.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Reign screamed as he was thrown by the explosion, his body engulfed in flames.
Despite the intense pain, he stayed conscious, feeling the burning heat outside and a cold sensation inside his body.
He summoned all his energy to stay alive, but the explosion inside the building was anything but normal. It resembled napalm more than a conventional explosion.