NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 431: Crimson Awakening
His moon all seeing eye gleamed even brighter as he made his ether surge.
All sorts of formal combinations flowing through his mind.
He saw a combination that stood out in his thoughts, one he'd hope it wouldn't have to come to
Claus reached into a worn, reinforced duffel bag that had been prepared for him in advance. He pulled out several vials—each marked with faded, classified labels—and a strange, black metal collar device with a blue and gold crystal at its center.
The moment the chemicals left the bag, the scientist beyond the windows spoke out in shock.
"What the hell is he doing!?"
"He's going to kill himself!"
"That's against Union laws!" a senior researcher bellowed, slamming his fist against the reinforced glass.
Claus barely spared them a glance.
Instead, he set the vials down with careful precision, his glowing blue eye scanning the labels. His left hand twitched violently from the mutation, but he steadied himself. Then, in a sharp, commanding voice, he barked,
"Shut up! I know what I'm doing."
Despite his words, panic still filled the room. A younger scientist, clearly out of his depth, turned to one of the senior researchers, his face pale with confusion. "What—what exactly is he about to do? Why is everyone acting like he's committing suicide?"
The older scientist exhaled sharply, his expression grim. "Those drugs—Aeriostatin-B12 and Polymerase Inhibitor X3—were banned decades ago. Aeriostatin was meant to stabilize neural degradation but nearly killed its test subjects by triggering fatal strokes. P.I.X3 was designed to block uncontrolled DNA replication, but it was too effective—it shut down organ function entirely, leading to catastrophic failure."
The younger scientist's eyes widened in horror. "Then why—?"
"He's gambling," the older man muttered, watching Claus closely. "Trying to slow the mutation without shutting down his body. But if he gets the ratio wrong…"
"He would die."
The young scientist went pale with shock.
Claus, wasn't fazed by the growing outcry, he knew the risks.
Still. He had no choice.
He adjusted the ratios—0.8ml Aeriostatin, 1.2ml X3. Enough to slow the mutation without clotting his bloodstream.
The syringe hissed as he extracted the mixture.
He pressed the needle to his left arm.
SNAP.
The needle bent on impact.
His skin had hardened too much.
"Tch…" Claus exhaled sharply, shifting his grip. He grabbed the syringe with his mutated left hand, forcing his grotesque fingers to obey.
His claws scraped against the fragile glass of the syringe as he jammed the needle into his right arm instead.
The fluid surged into his veins.
The reaction was instant.
The mutation shuddered. His cells wavered between decay and regeneration. His nerves felt like they were on fire, every inch of his body screaming in pain.
Then—clarity.
The twisting growth slowed. His thoughts, which had been slipping, snapped back into focus.
It was working.
"Hah… ha…!" Claus let out a short, breathless laugh. "That's it!" His glowing eye flicked over to his research console, fingers flying over the holographic keyboard as he recorded every detail.
The scientists outside watched in awe.
Then Claus grabbed another syringe.
And injected himself again.
And again.
And again.
The mutation slowed down, but the dosage was already affecting him.
One of the younger scientists stepped forward. "Dr. Claus—he's injecting too much!"
"Let him." Dr. Elric's voice was grim. "He knows his own limits better than we do."
Finally, Claus exhaled sharply, his body stable—but not cured. His hand twitched as he reached for his final experiment.
A device he pulled out earlier that sat on the far end of his workbench.
The Suppression Collar.
It was a prototype—meant to generate a localized magical dampening field, cutting off erratic mana spikes and halting tye strange mana that aided the viruses cellular division. The core mechanism was an Aetheric Frequency Regulator—something stolen from Class-3 energy weapons and reconfigured to target an energy similar to what powered his Blessing.
He grabbed it and snapped it around his neck.
The effect was instant.
A surge of energy crackled through him—pure agony. His muscles seized, his veins glowed a dull silver, and for one terrifying moment, his mutated hand writhered unnaturally.
Claus screamed.
The scientists watching could do nothing.
Then—
Silence.
Claus panted, hunched over. The mutation on his left side remained—his grotesque hand still twisted and inhuman. But his mind was his own.
His skin had turned ghostly pale. His once-silver and blue hair now extended into pure silver strands.
Slowly, he stood. His glowing blue eyes locked onto the scientists beyond the glass.
His voice was hoarse but steady.
"Bring me new clothes."
No one moved.
Then Dr. Elric nodded. "Understood."
As they hurried to comply, Claus exhaled, running a hand through his now ashen-white hair.
This wasn't a cure.
But it was enough—for now.
As the scientists hurried to bring him new clothes, Claus took a slow, measured breath. His body still ached from the injection, and the suppression collar hummed faintly around his neck. He flexed his left hand—still grotesquely mutated but it was smaller now, similarly shaped to his human one but the shine there was still far thoughfer.
Then, he spoke.
"Open talent window."
A deep chime echoed in his mind.
Instead of the usual blue display, a crimson system window materialized before him.
[TALENT STATUS WINDOW OPENED]
Claus frowned. Crimson? When did that change?
His eyes skimmed the display, but as he read further, his breath caught in his throat.
> Name: Claus █████
Age: 27
Talent(s):
Moon All-Seeing Eye (Blessing) A-Rank
Sub-Immortality (Mutation) SS-Rank
Absolute Regeneration - Infect (Mutation) SS-Rank
Talent Total Rank classifications: █████ (Blessing & Mutation Hybrid - Unclassified)
Stats:
Strength: 32,410
Agility: 30,981
Intelligence: 34,772
Endurance: 31,506
Mana: 36,228
Dexterity: 30,650
Luck: 30,212
Total Combat Power: 226,759
Claus' eyes widened.
"These numbers…"
His stats had skyrocketed beyond what should have been possible. His strength, agility, intelligence—everything had tripled since the last time he checked. And then there were the two new talents.
Sub-Immortality.
Absolute Regeneration - Infect.
The words made his stomach churn. Mutation… this is what the mutation did to me.
His gaze flicked to the top of the window.
His last name was… missing.
A cold sense of unease crept up his spine. The system had erased his surname—why? What did it mean?
Before he could dwell on it further, a voice interrupted him.
"Dr. Claus," one of the scientists stepped forward, holding a neatly folded uniform. "Your clothes."
Claus slowly exhaled and dismissed the window. The red glow faded.
For now, he'd deal with the consequences later.
He took the clothes. "Good. Now, let's get back to work."