Ascenders Rift

Chapter 148: A Serious Threat? Newzer's Diary

It was a child-like any other, its difference being its small limbs and torso having slightly greenish color as strange plants grew from its body's surface. It wore a worn-out white-colored uniform, commonly used by patients in a medical facility, as number X42 was printed on its surface.

As Evan and the others looked at this in a disturbed manner, Evan was the first to recover having already experienced too many things. Breya was also the second to follow, due to her background in the MSS.

"Keep an eye on your surroundings, they aren't less than Level 8," Evan said as he brandished the Havengaurd while staring at the child with flashing eyes.

[Mutant Plant Child - Level 8]

[Race - Plant Lifeform (Mutated) | State - (Early-Level) Stage 1 Lesser Tier Lifeform]

[Health - 800/ 800]

[Life Mana - 40 / 40]

[Strength - 80]

[Vitality - 89]

[Agility - 60]

[Defense - 70]

[Skills:]

[Innate Skill: Paralysis Vines - A passive skill that allows its vines to suppress those bounded by secreting a toxin to the target's nerves, hence inducing a paralysis effect.]

[Bind - Launches a cluster of sturdy and speedy vines to bind one's foe before consumption.]

[Description - A symbiotic lifeform born from the merger of humans and plants, they had evolved into a new genetic breed.]

...

Evan had already found that it and many others were at the standard of a Level 8 Lifeform, but he didn't want to waste time here fighting all of them.

The Mutant Plant Child didn't seem capable of critical thought, only instinct, it lifted its head and roared as its eyes shone in green lights. Moments after, a series of vines spread out from its body as they made their way towards Evan in an unrelenting manner.

Evan merely snorted as he left behind a remnant shade quickly shifting between the cluster of vines that had assaulted him.

Soon, he had arrived directly before the berserk Mutant Plant Child, staring at its face with a lost and crazed look, he sighed as he casually swung the Havengaurd, splattering blood over the ground as he brought an end to the child's misery.

As the body of the Mutant Plant Child quickly dried up, it didn't leave behind any equipment, but Joe and the others weren't disappointed by this, their eyes fixed onto their environment with looks of disgusts on their faces.

"So, it turns out what really happens in fictional movies have some basis in reality, these bastards..." Joe cursed while looking around, noticing a few silhouettes much like that Mutant Plant Child. 

Most of them were children, and only a few of them had reached their teenage years. Oddly enough, there was no one here that was as old as the Mutant Plant Man they found in the wilds.

Layla and the others were also feeling uncomfortable, while Breya keeps checking her device to keep their surroundings in check.

Evan glanced at her and spoke, "Breya, check to see if there's an area with a large concentration of these plant lifeforms or energy."

"Alright, let's see here," Breya replied as she expanded the range of the device's scanning perimeter. 

After a low beep, the screen on the device expanded, showing a few more dots, causing the number the reach over a hundred in total. Soon after, Breya saw an outline of a door that was glowing in lesser amounts of energy; below this door were even brighter light sources.

"There's a door not far off, but we'll have to be careful as it seems that there are roughly a hundred or so of these plant lifeforms on the surface," Breya said while looking at Evan.

"A hundred? This won't be easy..." Joe said with a serious look.

'Such an awful feeling' Layla thought as she could sense the anguish of these lifeforms, causing her to fall into a sour mood. However, the invisible spirits of nature that fluttered around Emilia were whispering in her ears.

Emilia's eyes turned stern as she spoke, "E-Evan, there's something even more dangerous underneath us. If we venture beyond that door, we'll be in big trouble..."

Evan and the others looked at Emilia in surprise, they stared at the scene before them again, not knowing which to decide.

Evan looked at everyone once again; he saw that they were still a bit off from reaching Level 9, as he was away from Level 10 by a similarly lengthy distance. He spoke, "Are you certain, Emilia?"

Emilia looked at him and replied with a grave look on her face, "Absolutely, I don't know what it is, but I've been warned that it is far more dangerous than the Water Snake King."

"What?" Joe and the others exclaimed before holding their mouths.

Luckily for them though, the others in the area didn't seem to notice their presence. It was only natural for them to have such a reaction; after all, the Water Snake King left a profound impression on them.

Evan sighed as he thought to himself, 'I'm losing a bit of my edge; it seems that my sudden strength gain has given me an overwhelming amount of confidence. I need to be careful of this...'

"E-Evan, are we still going to insect it?" Joe asked a bit flusteredly.

Evan saw that everyone had hesitant looks on their faces, he sighed and replied, "No, we'll be heading straight for the Human Enclave. When our strength has increased, we can come back again."

"Ah, good choice, for a second there, I thought you were..." Joe replied as he made an expression of relief, but before he could finish his words, Evan spoke again. 

"However, though we are leaving, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't take anything that we can find from the less dangerous rooms, let's clear out some stuff before meeting up at this spot again and leaving."

After finishing his words, Evan's body blurred and vanished, everyone looked at this in discontent, but no one complained, as they were slowly getting used to being dragged to danger and left behind.

Soon, everyone had separated carefully, avoiding the other plant lifeforms that roamed about like zombies. Some of them even rooted themself into the earth with their human half's sticking out like newly grown flowers; their expressions seemed at ease as if they were slumbering.

Evan walked through a corridor in silence, headed towards different rooms. As he moved, he observed the various walls, but couldn't find any paper or charts.

'I wonder, just how much time has passed since their apocalyptic event? Based on the remnant Nuclear Waste, it shouldn't have been more than a dozen years,' Evan thought to himself as he scored the rooms.

He soon stood before one final door and opened it slightly, as he did this, he saw a few machines that looked like computers with empty clipboards on top of shelves.

Evan frowned at this sight, he didn't see anything useful, but soon, his eyes flashed as a few a card-shaped objects were plugged into some of the devices.

'Oh, so they use these cards to store and transfer data since this is the case, then I'll take everything. So long as I can find a cooperative human from the enclave, I'll be able to learn more,' Evan thought, following which he waved his hand, causing the computers and their components to entire his storage space.

After checking to see if anything was missing, Evan was about to leave the room, but right then and there, his eyes caught sight of something flashing.

"Hmm? What's this?" Evan murmured in a bit of surprise as he stooped down and looked below the desk.

He reached his hand forward and took up what seemed similar to a tablet with a cracked screen, but on its surface, it had a collection of words almost as if it was some kind of checklist.

There was a cryptic series of symbols by the oddly shaped letters side as if they were numbers. Evan couldn't understand it at first, but just like with the strange language of those from the Insect Hive, he had soon begun to understand and make things out due to the Rift System's internal translation functions.

[Newzer's Diary]

[Date 2030 - I have always been a fanatic; my love for science has been the driving factor for my career as Origin's Chief Bio-Engineer. Ever since the discovery of subject X001, I have found that its mysteries are far beyond our own, maybe just maybe it will lead to the opening of a brand-new age for our kind.]

[Date 2032 - My lovely wife and children have gotten sick, this sudden outbreak of a strange disease has got me worried, already infecting more than half the populous of our world, I'm afraid it won't be long before I fall prey to its hands. I... I can't give up; I feel that only in understanding X001 that it can lead to hope. I pray that my wife and children can hold on until then...]

[Date: 2033 - It is a new dawn for medical science, as I've finally achieved a breakthrough in my studies of X001. Its extracts have created the first biosynthetic lifeform, opening the road to human evolution, my wife and children are fine, showing signs of recovering, even myself have shown... changes]

[Date: 2034 - I was wrong... I couldn't have made a more foolish mistake. The extract... it... it was...]

...

As Evan read the latest bit, he found that nothing more was written as everything a jumbled array of letters as if the person writing had gone mad.

Evan narrowed his eyes as he stared at the tableted, putting in his storage space as he left the room, he headed towards the meetup point as his thoughts rang, 'Newzer's Diary... I wonder, is he related to that Mutant Plant Man from before, or was he that very same creature?'

As Evan thought here, he couldn't help but shake his head and concluded with sharp eyes, 'It doesn't matter, what's truly important is how all these ties together. We'll visit here again after we've grown strong enough to easily slay the Water Snake King. At least by that time, we should be ready to face that queen...'