12 Finally hope
Erik received notification three days after he found out he got an unwanted visit at home and after having checked his house for hidden cameras and microphones.
[LEVEL UP.]
That morning, he decided to stay at home since he had something important to do. He was staring at his status window; there were three things he was looking at, his level, the number of DNA points, and the two powers he had unlocked.
(A.N: Look at the status screen page, press CTRL+F, and input CHAPTER 12 to see the status screen.)
<DNA Extraction and Brain Crystal Power Extraction, uh?> Erik then looked at his level.
"Finally," he said. Now he had only to choose where to spend his attribute points.
Usually, strength, intelligence, and dexterity increased as the number of neural links increased because the higher the number of neural links, the higher the amount of mana that went from the brain crystal to the rest of the body.
Erik wasn't sure of the key mechanism behind it, but it probably had something to do with the DNA.
After all, even the biological supercomputer system often talked about DNA. This meant that there was no reason to increase Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence at the moment since, by making neural links, his stats had to increase naturally.
[HOST IS ADVISED TO USE THE DNA POINTS TO FIX THE DEFORMITY PROBLEM BEFORE INCREASING ENERGY]
<Why should I fix the problem before increasing the energy attribute?> Erik asked the System. It was a simple question, yet very important. He had to know if there were potential side effects.
[ANSWER: THE BRAIN CRYSTAL WILL EXPLODE IF IT PROCESSES MORE MANA.]
"WHAT?!" Erik shouted. He couldn't believe what the System was saying. He was basically going to kill himself a couple of seconds ago. He sighed and swore always to ask the System what to do before doing anything.
<Ok, then start the procedure to fix the problem.>
[HOST IS REQUIRED TO USE A HUNDRED DNA POINTS TO UNLOCK THE FEATURE TEMPORARILY AND FIX THE PROBLEM, DO YOU WANT TO SPEND THEM?]
"Yes," the young man replied.
[UNDERSTOOD, I WILL NOW TEMPORARILY UNLOCK THE FEATURES: DNA EDITING AND BRAIN CRYSTAL POWER EDITING, TO FIX THE BRAIN CRYSTAL DEFORMITY. WARNING: THE HOST MAY INCUR PHYSICAL PAIN DURING THE PROCEDURE.]
"Oh, shit..." were Erik's last words before falling to the ground. A sharp pain penetrated his head like a knife through butter.
It felt almost impossible for him to think. The world around him started to spin, and at the same time, he started to feel a weird sensation in his ears.
His earing suddenly decreased its sensitivity, and he suddenly had tinnitus. Though the pain increased and increased as the procedure went on, now it wasn't more like being pierced by a knife, but it was worse; it was like his brain was on fire.
"This is so fucking wrong!" he thought. He tried to get up but discovered his legs weren't working correctly anymore. Something didn't work right.
Then everything stopped, becoming dark once the pain became unbearable, and Erik lost consciousness.
***
[PROCEDURE COMPLETE. BRAIN CRYSTAL DEFORMITY FIXED.]
When Erik woke up again, his head hurt so badly that he didn't know whether or not he'd be able to stand.
Then there was also the fact that the room was completely dark, but some faint artificial lights came out from outside the window, slightly illuminating the place. Erik realized that it was already nighttime.
Things seemed different somehow. There was no visible change; it was more a feeling than anything else. Erik tried to stand up, but his legs were weak.
After much effort, he finally managed to get up, and then he went to the couch. He sank in because his legs gave way under his weight while sitting on the sofa.
He lay still for a while, unable to think clearly or move. When his mind was clear enough, he looked at his status again
(A.N: Look at the status screen page, press CTRL+F, and input CHAPTER 12 to see the status screen.)
It was there that he had a pleasant surprise. His mana increased by twenty points.
"YES!" Erik shouted. His problem was fixed; he could make neural links from that point onward.
This would make him physically stronger and able to use his power more efficiently. However, the System kept recognizing his power as F ranked. As Erik took notice of that, he sighed.
"I guess this nightmare won't stop soon." Though despite this problem, Erik now had a chance to make things right, but it was then that he recalled the attribute points. "That's right," the young man said.
< System, allocate all the attribute points toward Energy,> Erik telepathically ordered.
[UNDERSTOOD, FIVE ATTRIBUTE POINTS SPENT ON ENERGY]
The young man then felt a surge of Energy spreading inside his body, starting from the brain. He couldn't discern exactly where it started but assumed it came from the brain crystal.
The feeling was indescribable; it was fantastic. A mix between tingling and soothing warmth spreads through every cell of the body.
It made sense, after all, the brain crystals were, in a sense, like batteries. With those five extra attribute points allocated to his energy attribute, Erik knew that he could do much more than before.
Erik again looked at his status, and it was then that he received a pleasant surprise. Not only his mana reached one hundred and fifty points, but his health increased to two hundred and twenty. This was not the most surprising thing of all, though.
There was one that was much more meaningful. His brain crystal was no longer listed as F on the Ferebitz scale, which measured the mana storage capacity, but on E, meaning that his brain crystal was stronger.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Erik laughed. He laughed like he never did in his life. That was a turning point for him.
After so long, he finally got something back from life. Something tangible. No matter what happened next, he had a chance to fight back and become who he wanted to be.
After some time contemplating, Erik decided to prepare something to eat. He went to the kitchen, grabbed a few ingredients from the fridge, and ate.
He later went to bed thinking about his father; for once, the old man did something good for him. But where was he? What was he doing? Didn't he say he was going to come back? Why wasn't he here yet? All these questions swirled around in his head, and he fell asleep.
