The Heavens and Earth are constantly expanding and flux, new laws are added every second alongside new species and rules. This is precisely why nobody but Heaven himself could’ve detected the slow, insidious spread of [Redacted], but by the time he had, it was already too late, far too late.

  –Excerpt from [REDACTED], by [REDACTED]

  Harry wanted to investigate further, but controlled himself; any entity that could split a trait amongst so many creatures would be an extremely formidable being, one not to underestimate. First, he needed to upgrade his traits with what biomass he had left, then formulate a plan to gain more.

  The first to be upgraded was [Super strength], and it had some interesting options, to say the least.

  Trait upgraded: Super strength (1) → Super strength (2)

  Please select an upgrade option:

  -Gains (1): Draw upon the full potential of the [STR] stat and get those gains!

  -Steel muscles (2): The nature of your [Iron teeth] trait made manifest. Your muscles undergo a fundamental upgrade, transitioning from normal biological matter to a specialized, iron-like version, capable of utilizing all of your [STR] stat.

  -Yeaaa buddy! (2): Gain the ability to enter a [Strongman] state. In this state, your [STR] stat gains a temporary 50 points boost, the transformation lasts for 5 minutes, and you will enter a state of [Forced hibernation] (50%) or [Crippling exhustion] (50%) after.

  Harry contemplated deeply, unable to immediately select from the three; they were just too good.

  [Gains] was the most straightforward upgrade of the three; it allowed Harry to better utilize his [STR] stat. [Steel muscles], on the other hand, was a fundamental upgrade; it would change the very nature of his muscles forever, and came about as a result of another trait. Not only would it allow him to better utilize his strength, but it would also synergize well with his [Iron skeleton] trait.

  Harry was certain he’d be significantly tougher, too.

  And lastly, there was [Yeaaa buddy], the most impressive upgrade of the three. This upgrade was objectively better than the others, but that didn’t mean it would play into Harry’s strength. It would provide a huge boost, but came with worrying limitations and drawbacks, there was a 50/50 chance he’d end up crippled or too exhausted to move after it ended, which wasn’t too different from being useless.

  That was worse than hell to Harry, whose entire life revolved around being up and about, constantly moving and growing. The rat wasn’t sure how long these states would last, either, especially the [Forced hibernation] state.

  In the end, Harry chose [Steel muscles] for its relatively straightforward description, lack of cost and limitations, and potential.

  The upgrade menu vanished, and Harry felt like a thousand ants crawled underneath his skin as his power reworked the fundamental aspects of his cells for a good three seconds, then the upgrade was complete.

  The rat instantly felt his physical strength soar as he ballooned in size once more, becoming a slender dog-sized rat covered in glimmering and interlocking plates that shifted with every move that Harry took, dark brown eyes tinged with a mix of crimson and azure, with protruding claws and fangs that emanated sharpness.

  Harry exhaled sharply; the sheer amount of physical power he felt flowing within was staggering, but the rat clamped down on the feeling. He knew that the high would fade eventually, and though he felt invisible, he knew he wasn’t; if he had been, he could’ve easily killed that bear-like rat instead of running.

  As Harry was about to upgrade another trait, he felt his power flare and manifest into a new, unexpected trait.

  Trait obtained: Iron lungs (0)

  Harry suddenly felt his chest burning, and his breath caught in his throat as his lungs vanished for a split second, replaced by a superior one. Harry felt his stamina rise yet again, jumping from 400 to 500 in one go.

  Every breath he took suddenly felt better somehow, the air felt clearer, and his nose rinkled, and Harry felt it improve slightly, too. Its range improved yet again, and so did the clarity of the scents he could smell.

  Harry could tell that the upgrades didn’t end there, and that those were just the ones he could discern, but that didn’t matter too much, as long as his nose was better overall.

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  His hearts also felt stronger, more robust, and efficient.

  Curious about how the upgrades would manifest, Harry invested the necessary biomass and watched as yet another upgrade menu popped up.

  Trait upgraded: Iron lungs (0) → Iron lungs (1)

  Please select an upgrade option:

  -Super Breathing (1): Expand your lung capacity by 20%

  -Carbon, too, why not? (3): Your lungs and relevant systems adapt the ability to make use of carbon dioxide and its byproducts.

  -Hard lungs (1): Lean into the iron part of your lungs, increasing its durability by 20%

  Harry grinned, a level three upgrade on his first upgrade? That was good; it meant that this trait had great potential and could potentially be integral to his build. The rat didn’t know what carbon dioxide was, but knew it was a part of his breathing; a sort of waste product.

  He knew that oxygen was good, but carbon dioxide was bad. If Harry took this upgrade, that would no longer be the case; he’d break that rule and gain the ability to make use of the bad.

  Harry selected the upgrade and felt his lungs and entire body burn for a split second, then cooled down. The first thing the rat noticed was how energetic he felt, as if he now had access to a vast pool of stamina rather than a tiny bit.

  A quick check of his status nearly broke his mind; his stamina points had risen from 500 to 1000 in one go, that was a 500-point increase!

  That wasn’t all. Harry now felt a certain power coursing beneath his skin, indescribable yet novel, outside his realm of understanding at the moment.

  It felt like [STR] but not quite, it had hints of [AGI], and [INT], too, oddly enough. And that was just what Harry could detect, his intuition told him that there were other stats in there, hidden deep.

  He didn’t know what it was, just that it would awaken soon and that it wouldn’t be bad.

  Harry was tempted to upgrade the trait once more but held off for numerous reasons; he had other traits to upgrade, and biomass was low at the moment, which forced him to prioritize.

  Traits like [Adrenal Burst], [Venom Glands], and [Sharp Claws]. Especially the last two, since they were quickly becoming integral to his current build.

  First on his list was [Adrenal Burst] since Harry wanted to upgrade it for the longest while now, but either forgot or ran out of biomass. Now that he could, the rat did so without any hesitation.

  Trait upgraded: Adrenal Burst (3) → Adrenal Burst (4)

  Please select an upgrade option:

  -Secondary Gland (3): Grow a second axillary adrenal gland, allowing you to boost your [STR] and [AGI] thrice instead of twice.

  -Lingering Adrenaline (3): Your adrenaline no longer instantly dissipates; instead, it now lingers in your blood, boosting all stats by 5 for an extended period.

  -Smart glands (3): Your adrenal glands gain the ability to effectively communicate with your brain, allowing them to automatically trigger and shift boosts to accessible stats in a moment of danger.

  Harry’s brain buzzed with activity as he reviewed the upgrade options; each was game-changing in their own right and could be useful if put to the proper use, which made deciding a greater struggle. [Secondary Gland] would allow Harry to boost any given stat three times, which could shift the odds of a fight in his favor if he saved the remaining third boost for last.

  It could also grant him a truly monstrous boost of of [STR] or [AGI] in an instant, allowing him to cripple a foe or rapidly flee if need be.

  [Lingering Adrenaline] could also be game-changing; with it, Harry wouldn’t be totally useless after activating the last stand feature of the trait or after the trait is deactivated, robbing him of his precious boosts.

  He’d still have an edge he didn’t previously possess if it were a fight, or would still be a little bit faster than before if he were fleeing. Sure, it was only a five-point boost, but the upgrade had levels for a reason; if he encountered it again, he could upgrade it further, stacking the effects.

  Who knows how powerful it could become then?

  And then there was [Smart glands], an upgrade that could potentially save Harry’s life in a moment of extreme danger or carelessness. If he took this upgrade, Harry was certain that if something somehow managed to sneak up on him, he’d be able to flee or kill his foe if his brain judged that he could.

  It would bump his survival rate up by several margins, which sounded very appealing to Harry, who valued his life above all else. The other upgrades were good, and this one couldn’t compare in certain aspects in terms of combat effectiveness or versatility, but Harry didn’t care for any of that.

  One needed to be alive to wield power; this upgrade could save his life, thus keeping him alive for longer, which would allow him to accumulate more power and further his distant goals.

  Mind made up, the rat selected it and felt his power shift, then moved on to the next trait, [Venom Glands].

  Trait upgraded: Venom Glands (1)→ Venom Glands (2)

  Please select an upgrade option:

  -Bleeding (3): Gain the ability to manufacture a potent type of toxin that causes profuse bleeding.

  -The Z’s (2): Gain the ability to manufacture a potent type of toxin that causes extreme lethargy.

  -Delayed death (3): Gain the ability to manufacture a potent type of toxin that only activates after the target is sleeping if it hasn’t been purged in that time. The toxin will cause the body to enter cardiac arrest(10%) and induce extreme diarrhea for weeks. (80%)

  Harry initially wanted to select the last one, but lost half his enthusiasm after reading the last bit, specifically the part relating to causing heart attacks. A 10% chance wasn’t good enough for Harry; even a 50% chance wouldn’t do; when he acted, he wanted it to be swift and certain.

  The rat didn’t like chances, and did everything in his power to reduce them; that way, he’d have nobody to blame but himself if something didn’t work, which was alright with him.

  [The Z’s] wasn’t much better, either; Harry wanted to kill his foes, not capture them. The only conceivable reason he’d do that would be to interrogate them, and Harry didn’t see himself doing that. He preferred doing things on his own, gathering information by himself, even if it was significantly harder.

  If he someday encountered a foe that didn’t want to talk, he’d simply kill them and move on, simple and concise–right up his alley.

  The rat still saw its value, though, despite his personal feelings about the upgrade, hence why he gave it some serious thought instead of dismissing it simply because he didn’t like the idea of not eating his foes, or complicated and dragged-out scenarios.

  He still didn’t want it in the end, though, so he moved on to [Bleeding]. It was a straightforward upgrade that would take Harry’s venom to a new realm; with bleeding added to the mix, fights would be much easier in the future, and openers would either flee or die quicker under the combined force of pain, cold, heat, and bleeding.

  Harry knew that if he had this upgrade when facing that bear-like rat, he wouldn’t have been the one to run; the single blow he managed to land would’ve done a lot more damage.

  Harry sighed as he thought about it, selected the upgrade, and moved on to the last trait on his list.

  [Sharp Claws]