Chapter 9- Growth Points

'So what are Growth Points used for?' Ignoring Char's pacing, Jared stops for a minute to read the System's response.

[Growth Points have a multitude of uses, although some are unavailable due to a variety of reasons.]

[The following uses are possible for Growth Points:

1. Evolution of Species*

2. Skill Enhancement*

3. Stronghold Creation*(Limited*)

4. Companion Guidance*

5. Physical Augmentation*(Limited*)

[More uses may be unlocked through special circumstances or requirements being met.]

'Huh, that's a lot more uses than I thought. I should look into each of these before deciding what to do next. Well, let's start from the top. Evolution of Species!' Thinking to himself, Jared asks the System for more information on these abilities.

[Evolution of Species]

[Through the presence of magic in the atmosphere, creatures throughout the world have the ability to "evolve," changing their species. This change can be linear, going from a lower form of a species to a higher form (Example: A Minor Arachnid may evolve into a Low Arachnid). Or this change can be radical, with special conditions being met before evolution (Example: A snake evolving into a dragon due to a special fruit that it consumed). The latter form of evolution is much rarer and nearly impossible to predict.

However, the intervention of Growth Points changes this. Once Growth Points hit the maximum possible for the current level of Evolution, the user will be provided with an "Evolutionary Tree." This Tree provides the user with all the available paths of evolution, allowing them to choose what they will evolve into.

 WARNING: EVOLUTIONARY TREE WILL ONLY DISPLAY EVOLUTIONS WHICH THE USER HAS MET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR]

'Woah, so I can choose what I evolve into? I wonder what my options will be. Eh, I guess we'll find out once I eat enough.' Excited by the prospect of evolving into a powerful beast, Jared continues checking out the other abilities.

 'Alright, time for Skill Enhancement.'

 [Skill Enhancement]

 [While the standard way of improving skills is through prolonged use, this method generally hits its limit when the skill gets to max level and proficiency.

 Other creatures generally require special materials or conditions in order to evolve their skills to the next level, as they are unable to quantify their "skill level" without a System.

 With the intervention of Growth Points as well as the System, the user is capable of manually evolving their skills to the next level. The options for this evolution differ for each skill, as some may have several branches of evolution.]

'So my skills can evolve into different ones, man, this is a little bit too game-like. It's a shame I can only use these points to evolve skills and not increase their proficiency, though.' Complaining to himself, Jared continues his learning session.

[Stronghold Creation(Limited)]

[Unique to those who possess a System, the user may designate a location that they have cleared out as a "Stronghold."

 Once a location becomes a "Stronghold," the user gains multiple functions such as:

[Stronghold Maintenance]

[Intruder Detection]

[Growth Point Generator]

 Due to the Stronghold Creation function still being locked, these are the only functions that can be viewed at the moment. As the "Stronghold" progresses in different ways, the number and quality of the functions may change.]

[Limited: Currently, the user has not completed the requirements to designate a location as a "Stronghold".

Basic Requirements:

1. Designate a location as your Stronghold. (This will create a "Stronghold Core," which must be defended.)

2. Remain in one location for 24 hours.

3. Defend the location from any intruders for 24 hours.

When all of these requirements are met, the user will be prompted to create a Stronghold. A "manager" may be designated as the caretaker before, or after the creation of the Stronghold. This Stronghold has its own "level" and the location can be moved with enough Growth Points.

WARNING: IF YOUR STRONGHOLD IS TAKEN OVER BY INTRUDERS, BOTH THE MANAGER AND CREATOR SHALL RECEIVE A GROWTH POINT PENALTY.

WARNING: WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CLAIM A LOCATION AS A STRONGHOLD, NEARBY CREATURES WILL BE ATTRACTED BY THE "STRONGHOLD CORE" AND WILL DO THEIR BEST TO CONSUME IT.]

'Awesome! I can create my own base. Looks like I'll even gain some bonuses by doing so. We'll have to check that out soon. Alright, what's next?'

[Companion Guidance]

[With the introduction of your skill "Hive Control", this feature was added to the System. Using this feature, you are able to view the abilities and information of any companion that is a part of your "Hive."

 While viewing this information, you can use the growth points gathered by said companion to guide the evolution of their species as well as skills!

To view the status of a companion, make contact with their body and think 'Companion Guidance.']

'Okay, let's try this one out.' Wanting to try out his new ability, Jared calls Char over to him telepathically. "Hey Char, come here!" 

"Okay!" Waddling over, Char stops right in front of Jared, her bloated body still smaller than his head alone. Her large eyes staring up at him as she twiddles with her two front legs, rubbing them together like she was planning something.

'Companion Guidance'! Jared "chants".

————————————————————

[Status]

[Name: Char]

[Species: Minor Arachnid*]

[Mana: 5/5]

[Skills:]

[Low Venom Production* (Level 1)

3/10]

[Web Production* (Level 1)

1/10]

[Exoskeleton* (Level 1)

0/10]

[Hive Telepathy* (Level MAX)]

———

Growth Points: 10/100

————————————————————

'Alright, it's just like my own Status, nice.' Looking back down at Char, he catches her still staring at him. "Okay, that's all, Char, thanks!" Thanking her for cooperating, Jared quickly goes back to looking at his abilities, allowing her to continue wandering the area aimlessly.

'Final one, here we go: Physical Augmentation.'

[Physical Augmentation(Limited)]

[Another ability unique to those with a System. This function grants the user the ability to exchange Growth Points for augmenting their own body. This can be used to heal any damage that cannot be healed using the body's natural regeneration (Example: Lost limbs). On top of this, the user may also spend Growth Points to enhance or change certain body parts. The degree of change determines the cost of the "operation."]

[Limited: Due to the small pool of Growth Points available, the user currently can only use this function to enhance their body parts, as well as to regenerate. Once the user reaches the next stage of evolution, this limit shall disappear.]

'Phew, that's a lot of information. Let's check out Char's skills and then we'll explore these caves, hopefully setting up a stronghold.' Making plans for his next move, Jared finishes his information gathering by learning about Char's skills.

[Low Venom Production* (Level 1)

3/10]

[This skill has come about due to the natural evolution of a species. All members of your species are born with this skill. By using mana (1 mana per second), you are able to increase your natural production of venom briefly. As the level of this skill increases, the amount and strength of the venom will increase. As the level of this skill increases, the amount and strength of the webs will increase proportionally.]

[Web Production* (Level 1)

1/10]

[This skill has come about due to the natural evolution of a species. All members of your species are born with this skill. By using mana (1 mana per second), you are able to increase your natural production of webs briefly. This skill can be used to produce both sticky and non-sticky webs. As the level of this skill increases, the amount and strength of the webs will increase proportionally.]

[Exoskeleton* (Level 1)

0/10]

[This skill has come about due to the natural evolution of a species. All members of your species are born with this skill. A passive skill that increases the durability of your exoskeleton. As the level of this skill increases, the durability, along with the density of your exoskeleton, will increase proportionally.]

[Hive Telepathy* (Level MAX)]

[A skill exclusive to those who have become a part of a "Hive". Being connected via the "Hive Control" skill, this skill grants the user the ability to communicate with any member of their "Hive" telepathically. This skill has a natural range of 500 meters. This range can only be increased by the host skill "Hive Control" increasing in level.]

"Hey Char, let's go make some webs, shall we?" Starting to walk down the cave away from the pool, Jared motions to Char to follow. Still looking bloated, Char waddle-runs up to Jared, climbing up his body and sitting between his Antennae, using a small piece of sticky web to hold herself steady.