I Hate Systems

"So, this is what it means to attain Stage 2." Compass Carburettor muttered, surprised at the process that he had taken to achieve it.

It was…pretty unconventional.

For the past month, all he had been doing was to use his boots as much as possible, getting accustomed to it completely. Thanks to his Darlac reserves, it was possible to train this much.

After that was the feeding of his mongoose, allowing it to grow.

Suddenly, one night, he dreamed of fighting against his mongoose, and…was eaten by it in the end. Startled, he got up, noticing that there was something different about him now. It felt like a part of his body had become empty, or rather, there was now more room to stuff something else within.

It was an instinctive feeling, allowing him to understand that he had reached Stage 2. With that achieved, he felt around for a couple of minutes before swallowing the orb that he obtained from the bird on Mount Craire.

Once he swallowed a pearl along with it, there was a stirrup in his body before the related information flowed into him. "A-Amazing!"

"Did you reach Stage 2?" Grisha woke up immediately, turning around to face him.

Nodding in response, Compass Carburettor spoke, "It feels pretty bizarre, just like what you said."

"That's how it is usually." Grisha nodded, looking around to see that it was still dark outside, "The process would be the same for Stage 3 too. But after that, things would change."

Stating that she would detail everything to him at a later date, Grisha asked, "Well, have you picked the ability that you plan to obtain?"

"Yes," Compass Carburettor nodded, "I'll use the orb of the bird that originally belonged to Rhizen."

"That's one impressive ability, I guarantee you that." Grisha nodded, observing based on the presence he exuded, smiling, "Well, show me!"

"Haha, alright." Laughing in response, Compass Carburettor focused for a moment, consuming some of his Darlac when a pair of wings appeared behind him. The feathers of them numbered in the thousands, sporting a metallic sheen, the edges razor sharp.

But all in all, they were lightweight, gently flapping as his body hovered in the air. Even when he was standing, the 'angle of attack' [1] of the wings were adjusted accordingly to provide him with the most stable of lift.

"Yes, it's the exact one!" Grisha said in excitement, "Now! Use that! Go on! Go, go, go!"

"Alright, alright, don't push." Compass Carburettor gazed at her expression, one akin to a child's excitement as he flew out of the balcony, arriving at the roof of the house.

Grisha baited the road, immediately causing countless ants to stream out, beginning to chase her.

Seeing this scene, Compass Carburettor grunted for a moment, focusing as the feathers on his pair of wings became erect before flying out of it. They swerved through the air, making swirling arcs before slamming into the road.

The barrage resulted in a thunderous sound, raising a lot of smoke in the process as Compass Carburettor gazed at the scene, stunned. "S-Such destructive power."

Moreover, once the dust cloud cleared up, he was even more shocked, noticing that each feather was piercing an ant. No two feathers were on the same ant. It was as if they were able to home in on their targets to attack them.

"That's what makes this ability so fearsome." Grisha nodded, confirming his thoughts, "If you focus on one enemy, all the feathers would target him/her. If it's a large number of foes, the feathers would target one each. Also, you can limit the number of feathers you shoot out. And, consuming one pearl regrows all the feathers."

"I see," Compass Carburettor looked at the skeletal structure of the wings on his back. After expending some Darlac, they regrew within a couple of seconds, causing him to laugh, "This is practically a gatling gun with homing capabilities. It's perfect for me!"

"Now that you have a pair of wings," Grisha grinned, excited, "You'll be able to carry me without trouble."

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, curious.

Since Grisha had a wealth of knowledge, she would of course know which ability best suited her. So, now that they had the advantage of aerial mobility, it would make their lives easier.

"We'll have to go north of Mount Craire." Grisha said, "There's a specific mutated beast there that I would die to obtain the ability of. I obtained it once by chance, and my survival in that loop was by far the easiest."

"It's that great?" Compass Carburettor was surprised.

"It's not overpowered like your pair of wings. But, it is a versatile ability that not only raises my survival chances but also allows me to participate in your fight." Grisha said.

"Let's set out tonight, then." Compass Carburettor nodded, "Since the both of us have a Vitality Bowl, we don't have to worry about anything."

"Bring me with you too, Uncle Spirit!" The cobra interjected, complaining, "I've been bored. I feel like I've become fatter than a python recently."

"No," Compass Carburettor shook his head, "You must still train and grow four horns first. That way, you'll be able to attain my Spirit Form and then also obtain abilities similar to humans. Until then, it's a house arrest for you."

"But it's not fair!" The cobra complained, "I want to fight too!"

"I'll bring you some powerful mutated beast flesh to dine on later." Compass Carburettor laughed, patting the head that peeked out of the balcony.

In the past month, the cobra had already attained a second horn, also beginning to show signs of condensing a third horn. The growth of mutated beasts was faster than humans since they were more attuned to nature.

Hence, the process of evolution too was faster in them.

And, once it grew two horns, the cobra ballooned in size, now spanning a length of four metres. And, it seemed like it would only continue to grow in size as the number of horns on it increases.

'I can't carry her and fly.' Compass Carburettor sweated internally, the main reason he made an excuse to prevent the cobra from accompanying him.

Moreover, there was another thing that he had been putting off until now, something that was only becoming worse the longer he dragged things out.

He had yet to name the cobra.