Ch 113

  Matt examined his unnaturally smooth hand with a frown, pondering how best to address Emily’s question. However, he decided it would be prudent to first have a clearer understanding of his appearance.

  “First, I don’t have a mirror. Can you describe everything that has changed about me?” he asked.

  Emily scrutinized him from head to toe, her brow furrowed as she replied.

  “You look as if someone went overboard with Photoshop, lightening your skin and erasing every imperfection along with every defining feature. Yet, somehow, it also regrew your beard and hair, which you had never been able to fully regrow since you lost them from those burns in the tomb dungeon. Honestly, if it didn’t look so unnatural with no crease lines where your skin should bunch and stretch from movement, I would say you have what some might describe as a perfected body.”

  “Alright, not as bad as I feared. I have a new skill called Adaptive Body, and I think it’s responsible for this new appearance,” Matt replied thoughtfully. “I think I might be able to adjust things just based on the name—”

  “Just focus on the skill in your menu,” Greg interjected. “You might have missed the message while you were passed out, but full personal menu options were unlocked. Though, your essence skills will just tell you that they give you the ability to manipulate the concept to manifest derivative abilities. As far as we can tell, the skills we had before were just limited examples of what is possible.”

  “Right,” Matt acknowledged, frowning as he accessed his menu and followed Greg’s advice. “Adaptive Body: Through conscious and unconscious efforts, you can adapt your body to fit the needs of any situation.”

  Focusing intently on the hand he remembered, Matt willed it to return to its normal state, and suddenly, it did. He then recalled his appearance before being integrated and felt his body begin to shift. Next, he envisioned how he had looked in high school and once again experienced the sensation of transformation.

  “Holy crap!” exclaimed Greg, eyes wide with astonishment. “You can completely change how you look, although it seems like I’m just seeing a younger version of you. Can you go full shapeshifter and turn into someone else entirely?”

  Matt frowned as he gazed at Greg, attempting to alter his form. Despite his concentration, he only sensed ripples across his body, unable to achieve a full transformation.

  “I feel like I should be able to, but I can’t will myself to look like you,” Matt admitted, frustration creeping into his voice.

  “Try just adding a gut,” suggested Emily, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

  Matt followed her suggestion and, within moments, appeared as if he spent his days lounging on the couch, indulging in beers while watching TV.

  “Now try to change your face into Bob’s,” Emily instructed, leaning forward in anticipation.

  With a furrowed brow, Matt attempted the transformation, but all he managed was to sprout hair on his face, mimicking the coloration of Bob’s fur.

  “I think your facial structure is too ingrained in your identity for you to envision changing it,” Emily observed thoughtfully. “Either that, or you really can’t change it for some reason.”

  Matt concentrated on returning his face to normal before replying. "Either way, I'm more interested in its combat abilities." With that, he raised his hand, his fingers fully extended and held together, willing them to fuse and transform into a knife made of bone. He smiled as he watched the transformation occur. "I really think the possibilities are endless. Now, let's start working to guide Sadao’s group to the safe room we appeared in."

  "Let's not forget to get them to officially join," Emily interjected, her eyes examining Matt's arm with curiosity. "Did doing that hurt?"

  "No, it feels weird, but I think by the time we fight our way back here, I should be used to it," Matt responded, tapping his transformed hand against a wall experimentally.

  "That's great," Greg chimed in, nodding approvingly. "Then I take it you don’t want any of the armor we looted?"

  "Give it to these six as they need it more, and I don't think it will fit anyone here," Matt suggested, glancing at the group.

  "It will fit any of us," Eleanor stated firmly. "And I must insist on keeping it, as it clearly represents technology that we will need to replicate on Earth—"

  "No," Matt interrupted. "If any of you want to use it, that's fine, but I don't want what I'm sure is rather standard equipment being seen as something essential for our success. Remember, we are not the masses but those who separate and rise above others."

  "Everyone needs to start somewhere," replied Eleanor thoughtfully. "A common mistake many make is not investing time in new hires due to a fear that they'll end up training their competitors, seeking only those already equipped to do the job. The blood and sweat you invested in me, and others, set an example and allowed us to surpass what we might have been. My vision for Scattered Stars is one where, by empowering groups like Sadao's, we transform the ordinary into the extraordinary."

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  "It sounds like you're planning to set us up so that children dream of catching our eye and joining our ranks, as if we're some kind of sports league," retorted Matt with a hint of skepticism. "Sorry, but that's a hard pass from me."

  "No, we are the ones who reach out to those who have suffered a tragedy," countered Eleanor, her eyes filled with determination. "Revenge needs to be forbidden, but those who have lost everything are the ones I believe can best rise to the greatness you seem to desire."

  "Why no revenge?" asked Matt, curiosity piqued. "If they have the power, why should they refrain—"

  "It is a terrible cycle," interrupted Emily, her voice tinged with urgency. "Seeking revenge only creates an endless loop where we end up creating the very enemies who will destroy us. That isn't to say we don't seek out evil and eradicate it. On the contrary, we do so openly, especially if we intend to be the law wherever we may be."

  "Being the law requires that we govern—"

  "Matt, the way things work has changed," interjected Greg, his tone firm. "Just ask our new friends what life is like for them."

  "Fine, Sadao, what has life been like for you?" Matt inquired, turning his attention to Sadao, to hear his perspective.

  "Pointless and futile," Sadao responded with a resigned sigh. "I would wake up each day, preoccupy myself with whatever tasks were necessary for survival, and leave my hiding place only when it was essential to secure food. It's the same for most of us with beast blood, as we are viewed as expendable forces by powers like Godfrey Enterprises."

  "Beast blood?" Matt inquired, a puzzled expression on his face. "What does that even mean?"

  "Our ancestors were once like your friend Bob," explained the goat-man, his voice carrying the weight of history. "At the B rank, almost all species walk on two legs like humans, and biology becomes irrelevant when it comes to reproduction. Our kind is the result of such unions, and many A rank beast-men have a reputation for filling the belly of any woman who catches their eye. It's actually one of the promises made to those in our situation if we succeed in reaching A rank."

  "Understood," Matt replied with a nod, his face growing stern. "Let me be clear: if I find out that any of you have forced yourselves on a woman, I will personally ensure you die a very painful death. I expect anyone recruiting others to Scattered Stars to uphold the same standard. And if you think you can hide, remember that Tempormr is working with me."

  "You're fine if they are willing, though, right?" one of the wolf-men inquired, raising an eyebrow.

  "As long as you plan to take care of any children you have until they can fend for themselves," Matt replied firmly.

  "Won't that cause our power to stagnate?" the other wolf-man asked, curiosity mingling with concern.

  "The more you talk, the more I wonder just how messed up the world out there is," Matt mused, shaking his head in disbelief.

  "Very," replied Greg with a nod. "Still, from what I can gather, simply reaching A-rank will ensure my dream of having a harem filled with exotic women. However, it seems we're currently in a dungeon that begins at the bottom of E rank and peaks somewhere in C rank."

  "Are there more dungeons out there that go higher?" asked Matt, curiosity piqued.

  "They aren’t certain," stated Emily thoughtfully. "But I'm fairly confident that there are dungeons that extend to at least A rank, based on the information they've shared."

  "Explain," Matt prompted, leaning in.

  "The fact is, they claim that only one in a hundred who reach C rank will advance to A rank, which should be significantly rarer, even with variable base experience rates considered. Even if we were overly generous and assumed it only required defeating ten level 128 enemies to reach level 129 and attain A rank, the numbers just wouldn’t add up."

  "I see," Matt replied, frowning as he processed the information. "And is A rank the highest rank they know of?"

  "No," replied Emily. "S rank is the highest known, and beyond that remains a mystery. Godfrey Enterprises lacks any further information, and those ranks seem to be largely enigmatic to them."

  "Alright, anything else before I take point for the trip back?" Matt asked, preparing for the journey.

  "We found a map," Greg stated, unfolding a worn piece of parchment. "We could use it to navigate our way out, or at least avoid getting lost by following the route detailed on it, as it only includes the path they were on."

  "Give it to Sadao’s group. We have Apricity, and I'll leave our ascent to the surface up to chance. Now, let's move," Matt instructed, taking charge of their return journey.

  With that, they all ventured out, and Matt found himself not alone in seizing the opportunity to acclimate to his new D rank. Apricity, ever observant, quickly learned to sense when they were encroaching on a monster's territory, her instincts sharp and keen. Yumiko, with her bow work that moved like a blur, consistently hit her targets with unerring accuracy, while seeming to fade in and out of sight, as if she had a stealth mode. Each of them joyfully explored the limits of their abilities, reveling in the thrill of discovery.

  This burgeoning display of talent soon captured the attention of all six beast-men, who curiously inquired about the paths they were taking. It turned out that most chose straightforward routes, much like Yumiko and Greg, focusing on honing their skills to achieve exceptional prowess in specific areas. However, a select few dared to delve into the realm of magic, fully aware of their inherent vulnerability in direct hand-to-hand combat. For them, the keys to survival lay in stealth or sheer brute strength, essential tools in what they described as a primitive world—a notion that resonated deeply in Matt's mind. When he broached the topic of technology or innovations that could enhance their lives, they regarded him with bewildered expressions, questioning why anyone in a position of power would desire such advancements to take hold.

  While Matt could agree that television and many of the pastimes people used on Earth were often responsible for creating problems, he didn’t believe it was right to deny others the choice to indulge in them. However, he also understood that money held little value in a world where brute strength determined who got what they wanted. Sadao’s group had grown up in a world entirely dominated by Godfrey Enterprises before being transferred to the world containing the Darkened Expanse dungeon. Because of this, Matt took what they considered normal with a grain of salt. If he were to speculate, it seemed as though they were essentially being bred to become some form of foot soldiers. With all the men being sent to the dungeon and only one in a thousand reaching the level where they could breed upon achieving A rank, the system would still work if each successful male bred with a thousand women multiple times, thus sustaining their population.

  This thought ignited a fire within Matt, amplifying his resolve to assert his dominance at the pinnacle of the food chain—not just on Earth, but throughout the entire universe. He felt an unsettling certainty that what he was hearing was the grim reality for many, and he was determined to shield himself—and others—from such a fate. Yet, Matt was no fool; he knew better than to let ambition cloud his judgment. Instead, he dedicated himself to honing his abilities, particularly the remarkable skill of his body to shift its state at will. This unique talent, as it turned out, complemented his instinctual fighting style perfectly, as if they were two interwoven threads of the same intricate tapestry.