Chapter 68
[Ability Activated: Granite Skin]
His skin darkened slightly, taking on a stone-like sheen. MFrost’s claws raked against his forearm, but the blow barely registered.
[Ability Activated: Immovable Stance]
Theo stood his ground as the Meteorborn crashed into him like a glacier in motion. Instead of being thrown, he barely flinched.
MFrost roared in frustration, slamming its weight forward.
“Perfect,” Theo muttered.
[Combo Chain Activated: Seismic Counter]
The force he’d absorbed surged through his limbs. Theo pivoted slightly, then slammed his palm into MFrost’s chest, triggering a concussive blast beneath their feet.
The floor cracked.
MFrost was launched backward, slamming into a shelf with enough force to splinter it apart.
Steam hissed from its damaged core as ice plates fell from its limbs. Theo didn’t let up.
Charging forward, he reactivated Granite Skin for another boost, tanking the frost pulses being released in desperation.
Then, using the momentum of his axe, he struck, cleaving into MFrost’s frozen torso until it cracked wide open.
[Ding! Special Quest Completed: Heart of the Meteorborn]
[EXP Gained: +10,000]
[Gold Coins Gained: +1,000]
[+Epic Shard, +Cryo Crystal, +Ice Immunity Buff]
[Initiating Meteorite Core Absorption p>
[Extraction complete. New ability and power acquired p>
[You have acquired: Frostborn Meteorcore]
Wield cold-born mutations to manipulate ice, slow foes, and defend through cryokinetic control. Grants resistance to cold environments.
[New Mutation Powers Unlocked p>
Frost Mantle
Coat your body in a thin layer of reactive ice armor.
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Cryo Spike Field
Unleash a ring of ice spikes erupting from the ground beneath enemies.
Radius: 7 meters
Cooldown: 45 seconds
Frozen Veins
Slow down enemy movement by freezing terrain beneath and around you.
Affects 5-10 meter radius
Duration: 15 seconds
Cooldown: 40 seconds
Theo exhaled sharply, steam rising from his body as the cold began to subside.
“Not bad,” he muttered, rolling his shoulder. His Granite Skin flickered off. But there was no time to relax.
MToxin was still pinned by debris near cashier lane 5, its eyes glowing a venomous green.
Theo gripped his axe tighter.
“Let’s make this quick p>
It was stuck to the wall by a collapsed shelf, but Theo knew better than to underestimate it. Toxic-type Meteorborn weren’t strong in terms of brute force, but their gas and venom made them a nightmare in enclosed spaces.
He moved carefully, shifting his weight forward while staying behind cover. No loud footsteps. No unnecessary movement. Just the controlled rhythm of someone trained or forced to survive.
[Ding! Host is within 10 meters of target: MToxin p>
[Warning: Corrosive gas buildup detected p>
A faint green mist started leaking from the pinned creature’s open wounds. Its lower half was crushed under debris, but its torso twitched with every breath.
Theo activated Frost Mantle. A light shimmer coated his body, thin icy plates forming across his limbs and chest like armor. His breath turned foggy as the air around him dropped a few degrees more.
He dashed forward.
The MToxin reacted with a shrill hiss, trying to vomit out a stream of acidic bile. Too slow.
Theo triggered Ember Step, blinking forward just enough to dodge the first spray. The ground where he once stood melted slightly from the acid’s contact.
He landed on the counter, then slammed his foot down to leap again and twisted midair, channeling Pyre Burst right as he landed in front of the MToxin.
The small explosion of fire knocked the creature’s upper half back, and the shelf pinning it down shifted enough for it to squirm. But Theo wasn’t giving it a chance.
He pivoted his stance and activated Cryo Spike Field, ice erupted in a ring around the MToxin, piercing into its sides and locking it in place. The spikes cracked and hissed where the acid tried to eat through, but they held.
One second. Two seconds.
Then he slammed his hand down, using Seismic Counter. The built-up impact from his earlier dodge released a concussive shockwave through the spikes and into the Meteorborn’s core.
The body went limp.
Its bubbling gas hissed once more before finally dispersing into the air.
[Ding! Main Quest: Toxic Descent – Complete]
[+500 EXP, +50 Gold Coins, +Toxin Neutralizer Serum, +Basic Loot Crate]
[Special Reward: Venom Core]
Theo frowned slightly. “Venom Core p>
His system chimed and started giving him details about it.
[Effect: Unlocks or boosts toxin-based abilities for hosts with compatible traits.
Toxin Affinity: Gain +40% resistance to poison, gas, and acid attacks.
New Ability (if integrated p>
Toxic Shroud – Release a faint toxic mist that slows enemy reaction time and reduces their damage. Duration: 20 seconds | Cooldown: 60 seconds
Upgrade Use: Can be used at a Mutation Altar or during system fusion to improve poison or hybrid abilities. (Example: Mix with Cryo to create Freezing Toxin or with Ember to make Blightfire p>
Theo blinked as he murmured, “That’s awesome!” Then he stepped back as the system light faded from his view. His ice armor began to crack and melt, and the Frost Mantle duration had ended. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ
He exhaled sharply. The air still smelled like something rotting in a chemical vat, but the threat was over.
Two Meteorborn in one night. Quiet, clean, and without AMSO noticing.
He rolled his shoulders, gave the aisles a quick scan, then moved on. There was still work to do, survivors to find.
Theo swept through the last of the aisles, the echo of his footsteps the only sound left in the bloodstained quiet. Most of the store was ruined, shelves overturned, dried fluids staining the tiles, and lifeless Infectees littered in every other aisle.
He checked the bakery, the stockroom, the break area, room by room, each one turning up the same result: empty. Quiet. Cold.
He exhaled slowly, “No survivors p>
There was a weight in his chest he hadn’t noticed until now. He’d hoped, despite everything.
Just as he turned toward the exit, something caught his eye. Along the far-left wall, past where several shelves had been stacked carelessly in a corner, was a strange clutter of heavy appliances, an old vending machine, a cracked floor polisher, a few bins stuffed with broken mop handles.
Most would overlook it. It looked like junk. But Theo wasn’t most people.
He paused, narrowing his eyes. Something felt… off.