CHAPTER 250: ADAPTING

This is not enough, huh?

Even though the dizziness had mostly faded, the moment Adyr opened his eyes and tried to look around, the flood of information rushing into his brain was still overwhelming. It pressed against his mind, deeply uncomfortable and relentless.

He understood that relying on [Resilience] alone wouldn’t be enough to fix this.

So, without hesitation, he poured all 120 of his remaining free stat points into [Sense].

His stat instantly soared from 105 to 225.

But instead of relief, a crushing wave of dizziness struck back, stronger than before.

His senses sharpened to a terrifying degree. Suddenly, his brain was bombarded with more input than ever—smells, sounds, sights, touches—all crashing in at once. His mind strained under the weight, struggling to process the overwhelming barrage.

It was no longer a simple physical fatigue. Something deep within him—something beyond flesh and bone—threatened to explode.

He could feel his soul itself, like a force trapped inside the fragile container of skin, muscle, and bone. It swelled and pressed outward, on the verge of bursting free.

But the torment lasted only seconds.

Adyr clenched his will and endured the surge. Then, suddenly, everything changed.

The threat transformed into power. The force that had seemed ready to tear him apart steadied inside him. No longer unstable or explosive, it became a wellspring—a stable source of strength.

Though the sensory flood persisted, his expanded capacity allowed him to adjust swiftly.

Best of all, the dizziness and disorientation caused by Gaze vanished, replaced by complete adaptation.

By pushing all his senses beyond their limits at once, he forced himself to evolve.

His body and soul, hammered by immense strain, now bore the extra pressure as if it were nothing.

"This is better." Adyr opened his eyes again and began to look around using Gaze’s passive ability. The two—or sometimes even more—alternative visions of the next ten seconds flooding his brain no longer disturbed him. His mind now processed them quickly and smoothly, leaving him calm instead of overwhelmed.

It was the advantage of always keeping extra stat points ready, just in case he needed them in emergency situations.

He then checked his character panel, realizing he had just doubled two of his stats in such a short time, significantly boosting his overall power.

[Name]: Adyr

[Race]: Twilight Human

[Path]: Primora

[Evolution Step]: 2

[Physique]: 188

[Will]: 200

[Resilience]: 205 → 405

[Sense]: 105 → 225

[Energy]: 50 / 998 → 50 / 1318

[Registered Talents]: 15/15

[Omnisight (Lv1)], [Tracking(Lv3)], [Throwing(Lv3)], [Elysian Cook (Lv1)], [Linguistic(Lv3)], [Tactician(Lv4)], [Stealth(Lv3)], [Trapper(Lv3)], [Butchering(Lv3)], [Scouting(Lv3)], [Surgery(Lv3)], [Reader(Lv3)], [Masonry(Lv3)], [Sword Art of Existence(Lv2)], [Maleficent Architect (Lv2)]

[Sparks]: 10/10

[Sanctuary]: Twilight Land

[Free Stat Points]: 0

As he looked at his stats, he felt deeply satisfied. He had already surpassed the peak of a Rank 2 practitioner and likely possessed, in terms of raw stats alone, power comparable to an average Rank 3.

Taking into account the benefits of his Bloodline talents—especially Gaze’s power to glimpse ten seconds ahead—Adyr realized the incredible edge he would gain in a battle. With that foresight, he felt confident he could now go toe-to-toe even with sword maniac Lucen, who was likely well beyond an average Rank 3.

"Okay, where do you want us to drop you?" Rhys asked, watching the rapid changes in Adyr. The young man before him seemed to be transforming physically with each passing day, so much so that Rhys no longer had time to be surprised.

Adyr paused for a moment, then answered. "Player Headquarters."

First of all, he needed a proper shower. His entire skin was shedding under his uniform, and if not for his high resilience, the itching would’ve driven him insane by now. More importantly, he wanted to see the new equipment developed by the research team Henry had mentioned—that was his main reason.

Meeting with Marielle and Niva was also on his list. After all, he’d just shaken the world with a public display. At the very least, he owed them a visit to ease their minds. But there was no rush. It was better to let them process everything on their own first.

Soon, the hoverjet descended onto the rooftop of the Player Headquarters and landed with a soft hum. Adyr stepped out slowly through the side hatch.

Dozens of STF operatives were already waiting for him on the rooftop. The moment they saw him, they stood at attention and saluted. Men and women alike, they held themselves with disciplined posture—backs straight, shoulders firm, alert as ever. But even so, there was a clear difference in the way they looked at him now.

If Adyr had to name it, the word would’ve been fanaticism.

These were battle-hardened soldiers, veterans of countless missions. And yet, standing before someone who now felt older—deeper—than even their most legendary commanders, their perspective had clearly shifted.

In their eyes, he wasn’t just the strongest mutant or the most capable soldier anymore. If there were such a title as Supreme Commander, he would have already earned it.

Adyr returned their salute with a subtle nod before parting ways with Rhys and taking the elevator down to his floor.

The first thing he did after stepping into his room was peel off his uniform, the fabric clinging to his skin like old scales. Then he walked straight into the shower and turned the temperature to its absolute limit.

At Player Headquarters, that meant near-boiling water.

Steam erupted almost instantly, flooding the enclosed space in thick, swirling clouds. The mirrors fogged over in seconds, and the entire room was swallowed in a white haze. Yet beneath the scalding stream, Adyr stood with absolute stillness, unfazed. To him, it felt like standing beneath a cool mountain waterfall, calming and familiar.

The water beat down on his skin, loosening and washing away the dead outer layers that had started peeling beneath his clothes. Flecks of dried skin slipped away, circling the drain like ash in a storm. With every passing second, his body felt lighter, cleaner. The constant itch that had been gnawing at him since his last mutation faded into nothing.