Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Following the order in which the three evolution forms were listed, Jake shifted his gaze to the next one after Ravager. It was called Corruptor, and when he focused on it, a new vision filled his mind. Just like before, he perceived the events from an outside perspective, almost as if he were watching a movie.

At first, Jake thought he was looking at his current form, but he quickly dismissed that thought. The mutant in the vision undoubtedly had to be Corruptor, and the momentary confusion he had just experienced came from the fact that the Corruptor in the vision didn’t look any different from Jake’s current form at all.

While Jake couldn’t help but wonder why this evolution subclass looked no different from his current appearance, he chose not to dwell on it because he was sure he would find out soon enough.

Jake kept watching as the Corruptor dashed through the overgrown streets. Eventually, the mutant entered a high-rise and ventured deeper into the building. Suddenly, he found himself in a strange environment. The walls of the corridor he moved along seemed to be covered in some pitch-black substance.

However, the Corruptor wasn’t affected by it. In fact, he felt right at home. Jake realized that it was the Corruptor’s lair, created by the mutant himself. As the mutant continued to move into the deeper parts of the building, which he had reshaped into his lair, Jake examined his surroundings. The obsidian-black, textured substance covering the walls was strikingly similar to both his and the Corruptor’s bodies, clearly made from the same material.

The alien corridor was shrouded in almost total darkness, but the Corruptor was unfazed. After all, he didn’t need much light since his night vision was nearly perfect. Finally, he reached what had to be the main cavern of his lair.

It was hard to determine what purpose the large room had served before its transformation. Whatever the room had been before, it looked very different now. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all coated in the same obsidian-like material as the corridor the Corruptor had just emerged from.

However, it was brighter in the cavern. The vast space was faintly illuminated by a bluish glow. Jake immediately spotted the source of the light—bulbous, shapeless masses clinging here and there to the walls.

Those strange glowing bubbles varied in size, the smallest roughly the size of a cat and the largest comparable to a human being. They reminded Jake of replication pods, but the creatures being developed within those bubbles were greatly different from ex-humans. Their exterior walls were translucent, allowing Jake to peer inside, so he could see all kinds of nightmarish creatures being developed within.

The Corruptor moved from one bubble to another, inspecting its contents and occasionally making some adjustments. Jake somehow instinctively understood what the Corruptor was doing. The mutant manipulated the genetic traits of its creations still in the process of development, causing them to morph into different shapes, sprouting various natural weapons like claws, pincers, and teeth as well as equipping them with various unique abilities.

The Corruptor was experimenting with the genetic code of its creations, striving to develop various types of creatures intended to serve different roles for its master. However, not all of the Corruptor’s creations were successful. When the mutant did not achieve the desired outcome, he destroyed the failed experiments and began the process anew. Some of his creations never even reached the final stages of development—upon realizing that the creatures forming in the bubbles did not meet his expectations, the Corruptor obliterated the undeveloped specimens, not even pausing to let them fully grow.

It was a slow and meticulous process, but the creatures that reached the final stages of development and were released from their bubbles turned out to be truly exceptional. Those who would face them would describe them as nightmarish, both in appearance and in their dangerous abilities. However, to the Corruptor, they were remarkably beautiful, and their formidable powers made them invaluable allies.

The genetic code of the species that successfully completed the development process and pleased their creator was memorized, allowing the Corruptor to initiate mass production of these successful creations.

The vision suddenly fast-forwarded and then returned to normal speed. Jake saw that the Corruptor was back on the streets, surrounded by a large group of various armored vehicles and armed survivors, attacking him from every angle. He swiftly maneuvered among them, presenting an extremely difficult target to hit. Simultaneously, his mind worked in overdrive, telepathically summoning his creations from different parts of the city. Jake realized that the lair the Corruptor had recently visited was just one of many he possessed.

Obeying his telepathic call, his creations rushed toward his location as quickly as possible, and in under a minute, they reached their master. The Corruptor issued a mental command for them to attack the humans surrounding him, and they instantly obeyed. Now swarmed by the Corruptor’s creations, the survivors seemed to forget about him, their attention shifting to the various creatures attacking them.

There were all kinds of creatures, differing in size and abilities. Some moved on four legs while others walked on two. Winged beings soared above, and some leaped toward their victims with deadly agility. Some creatures were equipped with claws and teeth, while others bore different ranged weapons. The humans stood no chance against them, being slaughtered in droves.

As for the Corruptor, he didn’t take part in the massacre—at least, not personally. He hid in a nearby alley, crouching low to the ground and remaining completely motionless. While his body stayed inactive, his mind was anything but. The Corruptor had seized mental control of one of his creations, a creature resembling a hellish dog. He controlled the beast, seeing through its eyes, attacking survivors, tearing pieces of flesh out of their bodies with its razor-sharp teeth. 

When the survivors were all killed, the Corruptor severed the mental link to the dog-like creature, once again regaining control of his own body. He then issued a mental command for his creations to retreat to their lairs, and they immediately obeyed. Though some of the creatures had perished in battle, Jake somehow knew the Corruptor would eventually replenish their numbers.

The Corruptor then issued another mental command. Soon, the ground trembled, and a terrifying creature that resembled an enormous centipede appeared, having emerged from another lair. It was the width of a sedan and the length of about a dozen of them. The Corruptor stepped out of the alley and approached the massive insect-like creature. He climbed atop its head, and for a moment, it seemed like he was going to ride it like a mount. However, something else happened. The Corruptor lay down on top of the creature’s massive head, and then his flesh seemingly merged with its body.

The huge insect-like creature raced across the streets, but now that it was one with its creator, it was actually the Corruptor who controlled it. He surged through the ravaged streets, moving incredibly fast on its numerous segmented legs. At times, it crawled up the walls of buildings, clinging to them with surprising ease. At the sight of the monstrosity, survivors scattered in panic. Some opened fire, but the bullets impacting the creature’s hardened body caused minimal damage.

There was another fast-forward moment. When it was over, Jake saw that the scenery had changed once more. The colossal centipede now scurried across the parched, cracked earth that stretched endlessly in every direction beyond the city’s boundaries. At some point, the Corruptor reached a massive crevice—at least several meters wide—and crawled into it. He continued to move deeper and deeper underground until he finally found himself inside another of his hidden lairs.

Just like the previous lair the Corruptor had visited, the walls were abundantly covered in the obsidian-like substance. Unlike the previous lair, however, this one was significantly larger. It was truly enormous but mostly empty. Jake wondered why the Corruptor needed so much vacant space. He discovered the answer almost immediately.

The Corruptor detached from the centipede-like creature’s head and jumped to the ground. He moved across the enormous cavern, where an extremely massive bubble was attached to one wall. The Corruptor stood before it, peering inside and admiring some kind of Kaiju creature being developed within the massive bubble.

That’s where the vision concluded.

Wow, Jake thought. That was incredible.

Then a system message appeared in his mind.

Do you wish to choose Corruptor: Y/N

Jake couldn’t help but notice that there was no warning this time. The Ravager subclass was incompatible with the Morph Disguise ability, but it appeared that the same did not hold true for the Corruptor subclass.

Jake also now understood why the Corruptor’s appearance didn’t differ from his current form. Rather than changing outwardly and acquiring a range of new abilities linked to a new appearance, the Corruptor had the power to create different creatures. He could issue telepathic commands to them, take direct control over their bodies, and even merge with some of the larger ones. It was definitely an intriguing subclass.

However, before making a final decision on which path to take, he still needed to check out the final evolution form called Devastator.

Happy Valentine's Day!