Chapter 5: Lunar Pool

It had her name, age, gender, race, height, weight, and just about everything else involving her physical attributes; the information continued to fill out as if actively scanning her, and, out of curiosity, she asked for her measurements—she’d need them if she were going to shop or know what bra size she needed to upgrade to once out of her sports bra.

"Well, that’s not creepy at all," she whispered as it showed what she desired. Her focus shifted to a 3D model of herself that appeared ahead of her, showing a duplicate of what she’d looked like before the change; it was so surreal to see herself in full 3D. "An increase in butt fat, chest size, and bone structure... Why take away my muscles..."

Her jaw tightened as the answer came—the explanations were settling into the fibers of her bones as she examined the sheet—the transformation reflected the inner desires of the person, for better or for worse. Rachel instantly rejected the thought, even if she knew it was true.

"So, you’re saying I wanted to look slimmer but retain my strength? Bull. I love muscles," she growled to the aether, walking around the model of her former body with envy; there had to be a mistake. "Is there any way to build up my muscle mass again? Shit. There’s really no way?"

She let out a long sigh of frustration, glaring at her toned arms; it was better than nothing, but she’d worked hard to have her previous figure. It took her a bit more time to release the agitation she felt as she returned to the holographic status sheet.

It was obvious she was built for speed and high-intensity combat, yet her body wouldn’t last long fighting at that output; in a way, it did reflect her Muay Thai fighting style.

Stats were divided into Primary and Secondary, while having a grading system for how effective putting points into them would be:

* -- * -- *

Force:

Power - High

Strength - Below Average

* -- * -- *

Defense:

Toughness - Above Average

Resilience - Below Average

* -- * -- *

Dexterity:

Speed - Extremely High

Agility - Extremely High

Quickness - Extremely High

* -- * -- *

Energy:

Constitution - High

Stamina - Average

Endurance - Below Average

* -- * -- *

Tenacity:

Elemental Resistances - Above Average (Solar Extremely Low)

Physical Resistances - Above Average

Control Resistances - Average

Penetration - Average

* -- * -- *

It was a strong start for a close-range combatant, and it would suit her well in competitions—if she were still allowed to compete, that was.

Rachel’s attention went to an armchair that appeared at the thought of sitting, and she rested on the cushioned seat, shifting her attention to the Base Feats that were a core part of her kit, it seemed. The first thing she noticed was the difference between Grades; most were at the first stage, yet two were at the maximum Grade of ten, shown as a numeral X.

* -- * -- *

Base Feats:

[Primal Force X] - S-tier - Mythickin

[Lunar Pride X] - S-tier - Lunar

[Lunar Pool I] - F-tier - Lunar

[Divine Lunar Surge I] - F-tier - Blessed Lunar

[Divine Beast Empowerment I] - F-tier - Blessed Lunar

[Lunar Coat I] - F-tier - Lunar

[Lunar Cap I] - F-tier - Lunar

[Bestial Instincts I] - F-tier - Hare

[Bringer of Misfortune I] - F-tier - Hare

* -- * -- *

[Primal Force] increased her growth rate, while [Lunar Pride] acted as a moral framework that affected her mannerisms; she understood the advantage of [Primal Force], but [Lunar Pride] was a bit of a conundrum, being at the highest Grade.

She didn’t like the idea of something controlling her, but upon inquiry, it became clear it was designed around her own ideals; what good it provided remained somewhat of a mystery. In a way, if it was negative, it was her working against herself.

Rachel knew she was prideful—she’d walk through fire to prove she wasn’t afraid—and that she’d fight anyone, no matter the odds; that didn’t mean she didn’t stack them in her favor as much as possible. She’d have to see how [Lunar Pride] affected her day-to-day life to fully grasp its negatives and positives.

[Lunar Pool] was self-evident; it stored up the lunar rays she absorbed, but something she hadn’t expected was that it could be evaporated by sunlight.

The Divine Feats were an interesting touch since they involved a mysterious divine benefactor that enhanced them by a minor degree.

[Divine Beast Empowerment] heightened her natural senses to include supernatural phenomena, while [Divine Lunar Surge] gave a base multiplier to her Power and Toughness Stats by 1.2% for every percent of Lunar Energy in her pool, maximizing at 120%. In addition, while in direct moonlight, she gained 25% to her total Stats; the overpowered part was that it was multiplicative, stacking with other multipliers, such as [Lunar Cap].

[Lunar Cap] provided an extra 10% bonus to all of her Stats when her [Lunar Pool] was full, meaning her build was best suited not to drain it.

[Lunar Coat] dealt with her hair, tail, and ears; despite what she’d thought earlier, her ’fur’ was practically as strong as steel, as were her three new appendages, yet they were still sensitive to pain—or pleasure.

[Bestial Instincts] was more of an instinctual understanding of her probability of winning a fight by sizing up her opponent, a 6th sense that told her how to approach a scuffle. It also had a rather concerning detail about not feeling remorse for killing another person; in a way, these Feats were a reflection of herself, as she learned from [Lunar Pride], so it was a window into her soul.

On the other hand, [Bringer of Misfortune] had her scoot to the edge of her chair; the base Hare ability gave her a keen understanding of the law of misfortune, and also could passively drain luck from someone within a two-meter radius.

So... I’m a bad hare, hmm? Rachel mused, enjoying what she was seeing. Oh? I can select three more swappable Feats... Nothing that drains my [Lunar Pool] since I need to keep it at 100% for a week to advance its Grade. What’s this... Cerridwen Branch?

Scanning the dozens of Feats that all required the use of her Lunar Energy to sustain, her mind settled on three that didn’t have the seemingly standard Hare or Lunar Branch category. She had no idea who or what Cerridwen was, but it would be something she searched for when this was done.

They were too good to pass up, so she selected two from the odd branch, leaving [Lunar Deadening] for later, which erased the reactionary stimulation to pain in moonlight, leaving only the knowledge, and chose one active Feat from the Lunar Branch:

* -- * -- *

Equipped Feats: 3/3

[Lunar Burst I] F-tier - Lunar

[Mental Acceleration I] F-tier - Cerridwen

[Strategic Mind I] F-tier - Cerridwen

* -- * -- *

She needed a way to do a solid, big hit if she needed it, which [Lunar Burst] provided, acting as a charging attack that drew in her Lunar Energy and released it in a lunar-charged, elemental explosion; its current cap was 5% of her [Lunar Pool], and it came with an hour cooldown, which basically meant it could only be used once a fight.

[Mental Acceleration] was the fascinating one, hastening her mind to process information at a rapid pace. She’d need it with how fast she’d discovered she could move—especially when in high-speed combat.

[Strategic Mind] was a no-brainer; it enhanced her mind to retain information and draw connections she might not typically see. The best part was that both of these Cerridwen Feats didn’t require Lunar Energy to activate.

She could only have three Feats equipped, which told Rachel she might gain more as she leveled, since her current level was one. The System wouldn’t tell her anything about what was to come from the following levels, so her time was best spent on other things.

Desiring to leave the white, void-like space, the world opened up again with her vision clearing, and the hundreds of voices returned. Staring at the clock on Cloe’s computer, Rachel hummed; ten minutes had passed since she’d entered that inner place. If she needed to go there again, she had to be mindful of where she meditated because everything in the outside world had been blotted out.

Rachel rose to her feet, studying the current situation and soaking in the new information; the CDC and National Guard were starting to mobilize on campus, setting up areas to learn more about what had happened to them.

She had to decide whether to join them or not. Some of her fellow students had a point in not trusting the government in a situation like this. Still, as she listened to those taking charge, she determined they truly wanted to get to the bottom of things, and Rachel wanted to meet a unique person like her to understand his changes and compare them to hers.

Listening to what the scientists discovered and being able to ask her own questions seemed to be the right play. Almost four hours after her change, Rachel donned a less stifling sports bra, frowning as her thicker thighs filled in her Muay Thai shorts more than she was used to.

Am I that vain? Mmh. Yeah, I guess I could be... I’d think more toward muscles, though. I mean, how can I fill these out more with fat—I miss my muscles...

Sighing, she scratched the back of her neck and used a hair tie to pull her locks into a high ponytail. What did she need to do? She needed to have answers for her parents when they arrived.

After hearing her mother’s tone, memories of her childhood resurfaced, and she started to realize a few things she’d buried with the calm, community-serving model of a matriarch her mother was; there was a sharper side to her mom that set her tail on edge, and she didn’t want that aimed at her.

Rachel paused at the door, head lowering a tad while thinking back to her mother’s reaction; it reminded her of the times when she was nine, when her mother went into a full breakdown after being in an accident involving a drunk driver that her cousin didn’t survive.

She’d been locked in her room for weeks after the funeral, and with [Strategic Mind] active, Rachel recalled the incident where her mother had snapped at her dad; in fact, there were several instances now connecting that turned everything she thought she knew about her family dynamic on its head.

Pushing down the uncomfortable feelings, she left to position herself in the same lineup as Zoe and her friends; they’d been unwillingly pulled into the CDC’s net as they began ushering those who were changed into areas to be processed for blood work and a full physical to determine if this was a threat to the general public.

Martial law was in order, and the military was cracking down, but it would take some time to fully mobilize and organize. Rachel knew she had to use the time to get what she wanted: answers.