Chương 5: Prometheus City

CH 5 - Prometheus City Grey sat in front of his meal, feeling satisfied. The wolf barbecue had to be done quickly, and they couldn't even cook most of it. Every moment they spent around the cooked meat was dangerous, since other monsters would be attracted to the scent.

"It feels kinda weird eating this." Jim said, looking at the wolf thigh in his hand.

"Just eat." While they ate, Grey allocated his new free stats. Name: Grey Falsen Level: 5 [2/10] Race: Human (F) Class: n/a Ability: Shapeshifting (F), Bone Manipulation (E) Passive: Regenerative Cells (F) STR: 10 DEX: 8 END: 12 WIS: 10 INT: 13 LUCK: 10 Titles: Beginnings of Aura, Noticed Free stat points: 4 Grey let his eyes linger on the Noticed title… Deities are watching me? Creepy. His new titles gave points in WIS, which made him wonder more about the stat. And more importantly, he gained a point in luck.

This was the only stat he couldn't upgrade with free points. Grey wondered what WIS really does. It has something to do with aura, I guess? He had a feeling it had something to do with perception, too. Grey invested his free points into INT. So far, it had given him the biggest advantage in understanding his study resources. He still didn't know exactly what it did. After careful consultation with his Human Anatomy Manual, he had fully healed his shoulder wound.

Now, with his new and improved mastery over bone manipulation, healing was easier than he expected. Mending and fusing his bones gave him the idea that he should reinforce them with his shapeshifting ability. If I can make my bones stronger, it would not only defend me more, but my attacks would hit harder too. Using the wolf meat as fuel and the information from his manual for context, Grey started densifying his bones. Jim sat beside him at the fire in a meditative pose.

Both seemed to be used to the eating and cultivation breaks by now. I'm happy I've been leveling INT, or I wouldn't understand any of this. Every point in INT had made his anatomy manual clearer to him. Each page was cluttered with information that would have been impossible to memorize without an enhanced memory. Adjusting his bone density was difficult. It was like using his energy to strengthen his muscles, but instead, he was hardening his own bones.

While he was shapeshifting, he also elongated his bones a few inches, hoping to grow a bit taller. Before long, he achieved his goal. Grey could immediately tell he weighed a bit more, but at least now he wouldn't break bones as easily. He wasn't short before the integration, but now he stood at a solid 6'2" height. If he kept having to face giant wolves, height would be welcome.

[(Quest) Defeat Direwolf] Status: complete Grade: B Reward: +10 exp, 150 Wishing Coins, Predator's Stare (skill) If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. A rush of information flooded into Grey's mind. A new skill… Grey looked around, hoping to find something to try it out on. Off in the distance, a rat scurried past. Grey activated his ability and the little animal stopped in its tracks. Gripped by an invisible hand of aura.

The ability was linked to Grey's eyes, and gave him the same feeling he had while battling the wolf. So this is aura. He released control over the rodent and it darted away. He had received his first skill and a passive ability from the battle. The victory was huge for them. Grey didn't ask Jim what he had been getting from the system, but the grins on his face made it easy to tell that they were good as well.

"Defeating powerful enemies is making us stronger quickly. The rest of the world must have realized this too by now." Jim said. As if to answer Jim, a massive shadow quickly descended on the two friends' lunch. A wave of black washed over them, and only a moment later there was nothing left. The remains of their wolf was firmly latched in the claws of a massive raven. Grey and Jim dove out of the way, scared shitless of the giant bird.

"Holy shit man! Could we even take that thing?" Jim said, staring at the incredible wingspan of the beast. It turned again, finally convincing Grey that it could understand Jim.

"Run!" he yelled. Tumbling down alleys and across city streets was easier when you were now superhuman. That being said, it was difficult when a crow the size of a small plane wants you dead. Luckily, the bird seemed to be playing with them, content with the wolf for dinner and just hunting them for fun. After a good time fleeing, and twice running into dead ends, the two finally found shelter: the basement of an office building. Grey kicked in the back door and found stairs to a basement.

The basement was tiny, almost just a boiler room.

"We should lose it if we hide out here." Grey said.

"That bird must be the alpha of this part of town," Grey said.

"Or at least, king of the skies." Grey had noticed that beasts seem to be respecting each other. Beasts that are clearly stronger than the rest held their own territory. At least, that's what the wolf did. I don't have any long-range attacks, and the bird might have magic abilities. I'd rather not find out what it's capable of, because I'm not confident in taking it down. Grey realized another shortcoming of his that he hoped to fix once he had an opportunity to cultivate. I need ranged attacks.

"Once we're out of the city, where are ya headed?" Grey asked Jim.

"Hmm.. I don't have much family, but I imagine I should search for other boxers. A pugilist gym or something. I at least want to find fellow martial artists to share cultivation techniques with."

"I haven't even thought about it myself… I guess I need to get to Florida, or at least find a way to contact my family." Grey sighed. It was the first time he had thought of his family. Were they ok?

"That's far, man. I don't know if you realized, but Minneapolis wasn't ever this big. I think when the world integrated, the Earth expanded in size." Jim's right. The city is bigger than I remember it.

"You're pretty strong, bro. I'm guessing you have some sort of boosting ability, maybe a transformation?" Jim asked.

"It's an evolving ability… Basically, I upgrade my physical capabilities to a degree…." Grey stretched his hand out in front of him, practicing growing bone through his palm.

"I just learned I could make a bone sword."

"Nice man, we're a pretty good team. Never thought life would end up like this. Remember when we'd share a smoke downstairs every once in a while?" Jim said. The two joked about their lives before the integration, and both agreed they were excited about the changes; however grim that realization might be They both lived in a shitty apartment complex in a city they didn't like. They were stuck living there for work, which they also didn't like.

In a way, integrating the wishing system gave them the chance they wanted, even if it was scary. The jolly evening was interrupted by a familiar feminine voice in their heads, along with a holographic system panel: You have been invited to Prometheus City. Accept? (Y/N) (Y) Welcome to Prometheus City. This city is a luxury granted to humans in every newly integrated universe, courtesy of Prometheus. Wishing Coins are the only currency accepted.

Grey read the prompt, which appeared in front of him, and nodded himself. He was happy to be here. He was thrown into this mess and hardly had any chances to get his thoughts together. What was his plan going forward? What should he do to get stronger? What was even going on? He had so many questions. Accepting the prompt brought him inside a massive marble building. The inner courtyard was tall, and Grey could spot many floors of merchants and humans alike. Beside him, Jim looked in awe himself.

Earlier, they both accepted the prompt to come to the city as soon as they saw it.

"Dude this is awesome! I'm gonna go find some martial arts! Let's meet up later!" Jim said. Grey was about to stop his friend from rushing off when he decided it wasn't worth the effort. Jim was like a kid in a candy store when it came to martial arts. Grey's attention turned to the main storefront on the first floor. It was a hostel of some sort. All sorts of people meandered about it. Some people had strange mutations not unlike his.

One man was a giant much like the thug who tried to rob him, another sported four arms.

"Anyways, the guild that way will let you sleep and feed ya for 50 coins a day. It's a lot, but it might be worth it. They also have meditation and training facilities the patrons can use." Grey overheard someone explain the functions of the hostel, and decided it might be a good deal. I'm not sure when I'll be able to return to this city. I better make the most of it!