Chapter 408
Chapter 408
Upon returning to his ten-story lair, Jake invoked the recently learned Restoration skill. A soothing calm washed over him as the world around him dimmed, sinking into darkness. The experience was unlike anything he had known before.
He could feel his body absorbing mana from the surrounding air. It flowed into his body, knitting his wounds from the fierce battle with the Mantiscor at remarkable speed.
He didn’t dream. Although time passed extremely quickly, he remained oddly conscious of its passage and his surroundings, and he knew he could terminate his slumber at any point he wanted. It was definitely not regular sleep, not in the way humans typically experienced it.
After six hours had passed, which felt more like six seconds, a system notification flashed through his mind.
You are well rested. Mana restored to 400,000 points. For sleeping six uninterrupted hours, you have gained a Shield worth 50% of your total HP, amounting to 175,000 points.
That was interesting. So the shield acted as a bonus buffer, absorbed first before his health took the hit.
Pulling up his stats, he noticed a new line displayed beneath his current level, experience bar, and health and mana values in the vital section: the shield. He wondered if the shield line would remain permanently or vanish once it reached zero.
Level: 166
XP: 89,725 / 183,785
HP: 350,000 / 350,000
MP: 399,987 / 400,000
Shield: 175,000 / 175,000
CP: 318
SP: 0
Jake opened his eyes and rose from his resting spot, where he had been leaning against a wall on the main floor of his lair. He paused, surveying his surroundings. Everything was proceeding in its regular routine.
Arachnoxes hauled in captured mutants, feeding them into the biomass converters, while managatherers tended to the Mana Core, making sure it always had enough mana to power the entire lair. Nearby, biomass processors reduced mutants to usable matter before sending it to storage, while extractors carefully drew genetic materials from elite specimens, preserving them for future experiments.
Every structure, every creature, moved with purpose, each fulfilling its designated role in the intricate ecosystem of the lair. Satisfied, Jake turned his gaze inward, examining himself.
At first, nothing seemed different. Sure, his body was fully healed thanks to the restorative slumber he had taken, but other than that, nothing seemed different at a glance.
But as his focus sharpened, he noticed a faint, almost imperceptible shimmer encasing him, a thin barrier tracing the precise outline of his form, suspended half an inch above his obsidian-like skin. This, he realized, was the energy shield he had acquired.
It would absorb incoming damage until its HP was gone, and beyond that point, any further attacks would reduce his own HP and allow injuries to occur again. For now, the shield held only half of his total HP, but Jake suspected that with future upgrades, its capacity could be increased.
Anyway, with a shield now protecting him, Jake felt ready to hunt down the remaining two elite mutants. Surveying his surroundings, he noticed that a unit of crawlers and wingclaws had completed their development, standing poised and silent, awaiting his command.
He was just about to send a telepathic directive for them to follow when an unexpected alert interrupted him. One of the ever-watchful oculus vines stationed outside the lair had detected movement. There were humans advancing toward the towering ten-story structure.
Without hesitation, Jake initiated a mental link with the oculus vine, allowing him to see the world through its eye. He spotted a vehicle rolling up and coming to a stop before his lair. It was a large white SUV marked with twin arrows on both the hood and sides. That insignia left no doubt that its occupants were members of Catalina’s group.
The engine rumbled softly as the SUV idled at the curb for nearly a minute, then all four doors opened in unison. Four humans emerged: two males and two females. They circled to the right side of the vehicle as their eyes settled on the imposing ten‑story structure before them, their expressions a mix of awe and apprehension. Jake couldn’t help but wonder what they wanted.
Were these humans planning to storm his lair, just as the two had dared to do yesterday? What was it with those stupid humans always meddling in matters that didn’t concern them? Why was it so hard for them to learn from the mistakes of those who came before?
He kept staring at the humans, each clutching their weapons with white-knuckled determination. Interestingly, they carried conventional firearms rather than the sleek, energy-based weaponry he had witnessed the helicopter door gunners use on the nest last night.
The humans remained where they were for a minute or so, as if gathering the nerve to do what they had come for. Gripping their weapons tightly, they stared into the darkness beyond the entrance to their lair. Occasionally, they exchanged brief words without tearing their gazes from the opening, as though afraid that if they looked away for even a second, death itself might emerge from the shadows.
While observing them through the oculus vine’s eye, Jake was unable to use his Mind Reader ability on the four humans to discover what they wanted from him. However, the longer he watched, the more certain he became that their purpose wasn’t to invade his lair. They appeared far too terrified for that. They were so frightened, in fact, that it seemed they might bolt away at any moment.
One of the humans, the male one, finally took a small step forward. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he cupped his palms around his mouth and shouted something, leaning slightly forward. The other three humans kept their weapons at the ready.
The other male human pointed his weapon directly at the entrance, but the female standing to his right shook her head and said something to him. Reluctantly, he lowered his gun. These four humans hadn’t come here to fight him, that much was certain. It was time to find out what they wanted.
Jake severed the mental connection with the oculus vine. Rather than heading down to the first floor, he scaled the empty shaft that had once contained an elevator car all the way to the top floor. From there, he emerged onto the rooftop of his lair.
He decided to jump down to the street below because he wanted to see if the energy shield he had gained would take any damage. He hoped it would not, but he needed to be sure. Jake himself took no fall damage, a fact he had learned long ago, but he needed to know if the same held true for the shield.
He stepped to the edge of the rooftop, peering down at the scene below. The four humans still gazed toward the entrance to his lair, unaware that the one they had come to see was ten stories above them. Jake decided that, while he was at it, he might as well test the Ground Strike ability he had learned not long ago.
He backed away from the edge, measuring his steps to gain the distance he needed. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he charged forward. The wind rushed past him as he reached the edge, and without hesitation, he launched himself into the air.