Chapter 243: New Spell

Alex absorbed the Gene Potential without hesitation. His Species Level didn’t increase because it was already at Level 10. However, he knew that the Species EXP was being stored and would be given to him once he evolved his species and reached Species Level 11.

After finishing the scavenging, Alex finally remembered the notifications that had appeared earlier. He mentally recalled them one by one, starting with the name of the badger that had been able to hide inside the shadows.

[Level 18 Ninja Badger killed.]

’Ninja Badger?’

Alex found the name rather strange. By now, he understood that the System translated everything shown through the Status, meaning that regardless of what language a person spoke, the System would display its information in a language they could understand.

Still, it was strange for a monster to be called a Ninja Badger. Alex knew that a lot of knowledge on Earth had been influenced by the System, but would a monster really be called a ninja?

Alex had a feeling that the monster’s actual name was something else. The System was probably translating it into the closest word that existed within his understanding, and considering the creature’s abilities, that possibility seemed more likely.

Alex then moved on to the other notifications.

He was surprised that he had leveled up twice during a single battle, reaching Level 19. However, after thinking about the enemies they had fought, he quickly understood why, since every badger they had killed was a Mid-rank Species.

’This proves it. The EXP gained from Mid-rank Species is much higher than the Low-rank Species.’

A sudden thought came to Alex.

If Mid-rank Species gave more EXP, would the extra EXP gain decrease after he evolved into a Mid-rank Species? Or would his level be adjusted to match the level he should have had if he had been a Mid-rank Species from the beginning?

Alex believed the latter was more likely.

The reason was simple. If the former were true, people would have an incentive to delay evolving their Species for as long as possible so they could gain extra EXP from stronger monsters while still benefiting from the lower requirements of their current rank.

That didn’t seem like something the System wanted to happen.

The System had already shown that it didn’t want people to constantly hoard resources and wait for something better in the future. The restriction that prevented someone from absorbing a Gene Potential more than one Species Rank above their own was proof of that.

If that restriction didn’t exist, even Alex would consider refusing to absorb Mid-rank Gene Potentials and waiting until he found something of an even higher rank. However, the System had clearly prevented people from taking that approach.

It probably wanted people to become stronger in the present instead of constantly delaying their growth for a better opportunity that might never come.

By that logic, even if Alex stayed as a Low-rank Species to take advantage of the increased EXP from Mid-rank monsters, his level would eventually be adjusted after he evolved. His total level would probably become whatever it should have been if he had been a Mid-rank Species from the beginning.

’This makes me wonder if my Level will fall below Level 10.’

Alex frowned slightly as he thought about it.

Going from Level 10 to Level 11 required him to evolve his Class, but he had already completed that process. If his level was adjusted later, then the System would have to deal with the fact that he might return to a level below the point where he had originally evolved his Class.

’I wonder how the System will handle that.’

Since he couldn’t find the answer right now, Alex stopped thinking about it and focused on the remaining notifications.

He was happy to see that three of his spells had increased by two levels. Superior Body Reinforcement, Soul Reinforcement, and Minor Heal had all improved significantly during the battle, which made sense because he had relied heavily on them.

The other spell increases were useful as well, although Alex’s expression stiffened when he noticed Minor Tumor Growth had leveled up.

’Right. My control with Life Element still needs training.’

He had created tumors inside both of them by mistake and then destroyed them almost immediately. Even so, healing the damage caused by creating and destroying those tumors still required energy, so Alex realized he needed to be more careful with the spell in the future.

Finally, Alex focused on Mana Sense.

His expression became slightly more interested as he recalled the evolution options. This was the notification he had been waiting to check since the battle ended.

[Mana Sense Spell can now be evolved. Choose an evolution: Advanced Mana Sense Spell, Mana Taunt Spell, Mana Pulse Spell, Mana Cutting Pulse Spell, Mana Trigger Pulse Spell, Mana Sphere Spell.]

Alex carefully considered each option.

Advanced Mana Sense was the most straightforward evolution and the natural improvement of his current spell. It would likely increase the range and sensitivity of his Mana Sense, making it more effective without fundamentally changing how the spell worked.

Mana Taunt was also interesting because Alex already had a good idea of how it might function. He would need to release a large amount of mana that was thick enough to attract attention but still not concentrated enough to form physical mana.

That balance was difficult to achieve, so learning this spell would help a lot. Moreover, if he used this spell on his mana bullets, he could lure monsters to specific locations.

Mana Pulse was more surprising, although Alex quickly understood why it existed. His Mana Sense Spell was essentially creating a layer of mana around himself, while the pulses he had developed were another application of the same principle.

The Talent had apparently recognized that application and turned it into a separate spell.

Mana Cutting Pulse was easier to understand. It was probably a mana pulse combined with vibrating mana, allowing the pulse to cut through anything it passed through.

Mana Trigger Pulse was also interesting because Alex suspected he could attach the pulse to a projectile. Once the projectile reached its destination, it could release the pulse and allow him to sense the surrounding area from a distance.

However, the final option caught Alex’s attention the most.

Mana Sphere.

Alex’s eyes brightened slightly.

This was exactly what he had been trying to create during the battle. Instead of sensing along a single axis, Mana Sphere would allow him to sense the surroundings in every direction within a spherical area.

All the options were useful, but Alex had already been working toward this particular ability. More importantly, he already knew what he wanted from the spell and had an idea of how he could train it to develop in that direction.

There was no reason for him to hesitate.

[Mana Sphere Spell learned.]

[Mana Sphere Spell, E Rank, Level 1.]

[Whistle, if you are thinking of what I’m thinking, then go for it. That evolution for this spell is going to be overpowered!]

[Effect: Creates a spherical field of mana that expands outward in every direction, sensing everything it encounters.]

..

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