Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 249

Chapter 249

With his right hand, Jake gripped the head of the dragonspawn before him, while he angled the spinning blade of his left chainsaw arm against the creature’s sturdy, muscular neck. He sent a mental command, and the weapon erupted to full power like a wild beast awakening. The jagged teeth of the chainsaw whirled with mechanical ferocity as they lunged into the monster’s flesh.

The sharp scent of blood filled the air as the blade bit deeper, gnawing through the flesh with ferocious abandon. Blood sprayed every which way as bits of flesh and scales flew in all directions like confetti. They slammed into Jake’s body, with some dropping to the ground while others clung to his textured, pitch-black skin.

With every rotation of the teeth, the sound transformed—first the splash of flesh being torn apart, then rising to a piercing shriek as the chainsaw cut deeper into the giant lizard’s body, biting into the bone. With one final push of the chainsaw, the blade emerged from the other side of the monster’s neck. Jake straightened up, holding the creature’s severed head in his right hand like a war trophy.

The headless body of the lizard remained on its feet for a moment, blood gushing from the stump of its neck like a fountain. Then the dragonspawn collapsed to the ground. Jake dropped the creature’s head and turned to face another giant lizard that had just lunged at him.

Jake darted to the side, narrowly avoiding its jaws as he revved his chainsaw. Just as the lizard lunged at him again, he delivered a solid hook to the side of its head with his right smashfist, momentarily stunning the creature. Before it could regain its senses, he brought his left chainsaw arm crashing down, cutting into the monster’s scaled body. 

Over the past thirty minutes, Jake had engaged in several battles with dungeon monsters and learned that transforming both his hands into chainsaws or drills wasn’t really his preferred choice. He appreciated having one hand free, as it allowed him to grab a monster and pull it closer for a decisive strike or hold it in place while he cut it to pieces with a chainsaw. Or he could transform his free hand into another weapon, like claws or a smashfist. Having one hand as a chainsaw and the other as something different gave him a broader range of options in combat.

Multiple Enemies Killed. +12,750 XP

Another fight was over. Jake looked around. Several bodies of the dead dragonspawn he had just killed lay on the ground, blood still pouring from the nasty wounds he had inflicted on them. There were no more enemies on the island he was on, so he switched his chainsaw to idle mode to conserve mana.

Jake was covered from head to toe in monster blood from the previous battles. Using his chainsaws was quite messy. But it was also quite exciting. Jake was surprised by how enjoyable he found wielding his chainsaws in combat. However, the drawback was its heavy energy usage. When used at full power, his chainsaws drained a significant amount of his mana.

Before pressing on, Jake took a moment to reflect. In the past half hour, he had tested all three of his newly acquired abilities in combat. Chainsaw Arms were ideal for engaging tight groups of monsters, where quick, slashing motions maximized damage and overwhelmed his foes. The spinning blades could strike multiple enemies in a single sweep, making them quite effective for crowd control.

The noisy, aggressive nature of regular chainsaws could psychologically intimidate enemies, causing them to hesitate or panic. However, his chainsaw arms were silent unlike their conventional counterparts. Aside from a gentle swishing sound, they emitted no noise. Since his chainsaw arms remained mostly silent, they lacked any intimidation factor. Still, this ability proved highly effective when dealing with multiple enemies at once.

Over the last half an hour, he had also made use of Drill Gauntlets. He learned that this ability was perfect for delivering strong, penetrating blows. His drills cut through the tough, scaled skin of the dragonspawn without any trouble, leading Jake to believe they could pierce armor just as easily.

Drill Gauntlets excelled in taking down single, well-armored targets, focusing on punch strength and penetration rather than area damage. In contrast to chainsaws, this ability was not as effective for engaging multiple enemies at once, making it less suitable for large-scale battles.

Although Chainsaw Arms and Drill Gauntlets shared similarities, the choice between the two ultimately depended on the combat scenario and the type of enemies he encountered. Each offered unique advantages that could be utilized effectively in various situations.

Chainsaw Arms excelled in aggressive, close-range combat with a focus on crowd control. On the other hand, Drill Gauntlets were better suited for focusing on a single well-protected target to deal powerful, penetrating strikes to it.

Jake continued to explore the islands floating over the sea of lava, dispatching one group of monsters after another. After evolving into Stage 3, he experienced a twenty-point increase in each of his attributes. The difference was significant. When he leveled up and allocated skill points to his attributes, his growth was gradual and subtle, making it less noticeable. However, this sudden increase was hard to miss. His body felt more robust and damage-resistant, and he was able to harness mana with greater efficiency.

At some point, he encountered a group of ash imps flying idly in circles over the center of the island he had just entered. None of them noticed him yet. Jake decided to change tactics for this fight. He morphed his left chainsaw arm back into a human hand and then activated the Grappling Hook Arm ability. A couple of seconds later, his left hand transformed into a harpoon-like weapon.

He made his way toward the center of the island. Upon noticing him, the winged creatures emitted shrill noises as if trying to intimidate him. Jake wasn’t impressed. He aimed his harpoon at one of the nearest ash imps and launched it. The spike shot through the air, trailing a fleshy cord behind it. The harpoon zipped toward the ash imp hovering several feet above the ground with impressive speed, and before the creature could get away, it struck the ash imp in the middle of its torso. 

The harpoon pierced the winged creature’s diminutive body, bursting through its back in a spray of gore. Multiple hooks jutted out from the tip of the harpoon. As Jake pulled back the cord, the hooks dug into the ash imp’s back, ensuring that the harpoon remained securely lodged and didn’t slip free.

The ash imp flapped its wings furiously, attempting to resist the downward pull, but it was no match for the incredible force drawing it toward Jake. As soon as the imp was within reach, Jake swung the blade that jutted from his right wrist at the creature, slicing the ash imp diagonally in two. The two halves fell to the earth with a dull thud.

With a mental command, Jake retracted the hooks at the top of the harpoon and pulled it from the upper half of the ash imp’s body. It snapped back and resettled at his left wrist. So yeah, Grappling Hook Arm could be very useful in combat situations like this. Snagging winged creatures and yanking them down was far more efficient than attempting to leap up and kill them in the air.

Jake then turned his attention to the rest of the ash imps. It didn’t take him long to deal with them. 

Multiple Enemies Killed. +10,250 XP

At some point, Jake came across an island that towered at least a dozen meters high. Since it was so much taller than the one he was on, there was no bridge connecting the two. He stood at the edge, gazing up at the rocky island looming before him. A river of lava separated the two islands. Jake knew he could easily jump across and use Adhesive Secretion to cling to the rocky surface. However, he opted to deploy his Grappling Hook Arm instead.

He launched the grappling hook, which resembled a harpoon, into the air. The tip dug deep into the rock, deploying hooks that anchored securely. Jake began to pull the cord back, feeling the line go taut. He swung across the river of lava and bumped into the vertical wall of the tall island. Continuing to pull himself upward, he advanced along the rough surface, each step carefully placed as he navigated the rocky wall.

After reaching the point where the harpoon was anchored to the wall, he grabbed a protruding ledge with his free hand and disengaged the harpoon, pulling it free from the rock. Dangling from the ledge with one hand, he aimed the harpoon at a higher spot near the top of the island and launched it once more.

The hook soared through the air, embedding itself firmly in the rock. Jake began to retract the line, pulling himself upward while the wind rushed against his face. He was nearly there, the edge of the island within sight. As he reached the top of the island, he gripped the coarse surface and utilized the combination of his strength and the tension from the hook to pull himself up.

After swinging his body over the side, he stood up. He disengaged the hook and retracted it into his wrist. No longer needing the tool, he transformed the harpoon back into a human hand.

A group of dragonspawn was milling around in the center of the island. Taking care of them posed little trouble for Jake. After the fight, he looked around again and noticed a nearby chest. Inside, he found some lesser mana consumables and another familiar item—a rune stone with an arcane symbol etched into its surface.

After siphoning the mana from the consumables, Jake stashed the rune stone in his Inventory and continued to explore the dungeon. He traveled from one island to another, slaying all the monsters in his path.

Eventually, he explored every island and eliminated all the monsters. He also collected three more rune stones, each featuring a different arcane symbol. He knew he needed to use them in the temple he had found earlier. With nothing else left to do, it was finally time to return to the temple and open the portal to the fifth and final level of the dungeon, where a boss fight awaited. 

Since evolving into Stage 3, Jake had leveled up multiple times but hadn’t allocated the earned skill points just yet. He planned to do that after solving the puzzle at the temple. Consulting his mental map to get his bearings, he set off for the temple.

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