Chapter 221: Mutation
Path of the Martial Artist: The Way of Strikes and Kicks (Strength, Vitality, and Endurance + 06 per level.)
Embark on the Path of the Martial Artist, a realm of virtual combat mastery where your fists and kicks turn into lethal instruments, and your spirit evolves into an unbreakable fortress. Advance through levels, gaining skills to shape your warrior into an unstoppable dynamo, wielding strength, agility, and inner power to triumph over all challenges.
Level 1: Basic Strikes and Kicks Master the fundamentals of both striking and kicking. Your attacks become more potent and precise, causing three points more damage per level.
"Hmm… I guess this is the path those guys used," Rain thought. "Still, is that all?"
Rain wondered if that tribe that fought unarmed would only reach that far using the system… it was also weird since all paths that led to that one were physical… then Rain recalled that he was nowhere near their level in terms of healing skills.
Considering the bonuses in parameters, it made sense that such a path wouldn't grant him those crazy healing skills. In any case, Rain decided to equip that path and train it as soon as possible. Also, considering its current level, he could only assume that the technique that he learned recently wasn't part of it.
"No traces of their previous appearance…. Well, let's see if some people can check their blood or something for any signs of the transformation," Rain thought and then erected an earth block to put the bodies in.
Since his Mana won't last long to transport that many bodies, Rain decided to use his own strength to do that. At first, he didn't realize how much stronger he had gotten. His punches caused shockwaves during the war, but he was too busy to talk about that.
Still, now that he could carry over a ton on his back and not feel that bothered about it, he couldn't help but think that he had truly gotten inhumanly strong.
In any case, Rain returned to the camp when the sun was rising, and while he didn't feel that bothered at first, he sure got tired after doing so much heavy labor. At least he got some experience in that path.
As one would expect, Rain's arrival made quite the fuss. The Captain was still sleeping, but he was forced to wake up when he heard the fuss. He looked like the type who wouldn't show himself wearing nothing but his armor, but he ignored that when he heard that Rain brought some corpses with him.
"What is this?" The Captain asked.
Rain proceeded to explain what had happened after he left the camp. The village and then finding the enemies at night. Everyone looked suspicious when they heard that the magic people could transform into werewolves. However, Rain had reason to lie for fame; he was already well-known in the realm.
"... I see," the Captain said. "We don't have the right people to check the bodies, but some people can probably do that in Retia. I will give you a wagon and some soldiers to head there and analyze the bodies. Once that is done, the soldiers will bring me the information that the doctors found, and you will bring the same to your leader."
"All right," Rain said.
The investigation was still continuing, and while it was supposed to end for him in three days, it was fine. Rain's sisters will only arrive in ten days, and he could return to the capital in one.
After resting for a bit and eating something, Rain was informed that the horses and the wagon were ready, and soon, he traveled to Retia alongside some soldiers. He thought that he had gotten closer to the soldiers stationed there, but they looked at him like he was some sort of weird creature.
"Well, it is fine… more time for me to meditate and recover my mana, anyway," Rain thought.
The group reached Retia in the middle of the night, but since the Captain sent the word ahead through a raven, they still entered the city. The guards opened the gate, and they were guided to the building where a healer lived.
"Now that I think about it, I wonder if they will make a mess out of the Bodies… medicine in this world shouldn't be that advanced, so the autopsy will be a bloody mess," Rain thought.
Just as Rain expected, the doctor who was going to do the autopsy was an old man who had a look in his eyes that showed that he had the worst job in the world. At least it looked like that… Rain wondered if he always had that look or if it was thanks to the war.
A bunch of the bodies of the magic people were studied during and after the war; seeing corpses day and night shouldn't be that good for one's mental health. Opening and closing them should make things even worse.
In any case, Rain and the soldiers were guided to the nearest inn, where they had to wait until the autopsy was finished. When morning came, Rain confirmed that the job was far from over, so he decided to look around the city… a good part of the place had been destroyed last month. Still, not it was mainly back to normal. Some houses were empty, but people were slowly moving in.
In the end, Rain had to wait for two days for the autopsy to end. Still, it looked like they got some results.
"Their bodies, at first glance, don't look like they have anything special, but I found signs of some sort of mutation in some of them. It seems that they can't maintain that form for long without becoming real beasts." The doctor explained. "It is quite risky considering the power that they obtained."