Following his order, the Mutagen moved smoothly across the ground.
Despite the short time, Matt already knew quite a few things about his companion.
His personality was carefree, curious, excitable, but above all, loyal.
The surprising thing was that he had emotions just like an ordinary human, and these emotions were closely connected by the bond that united them, so Matt could feel everything his gift felt.
In the same way, he suspected that he also shared his own feelings with the Mutagen.
Although he felt uncomfortable at first, he forced himself to ignore these feelings.
After all, he was his gift, therefore, both were part of the same being, and the first thing the harsh world of hopelessness had taught him was to trust in himself.
The Mutagen climbed over the bodies until it clung to the neck of the unfortunate serpent that had been petrified in a beautiful sculpture amid its fierce battle against the gigantic bird.
Matt paid special attention to this.
Although he already knew that his companion somehow "degenerated" everything he touched from the inside until it turned to dust.
He still had many unanswered questions that would help him determine the extent of his ability such as for example: How much damage did it do? What did it affect and what didn't? How long did it take to degenerate?
Each of these questions was of utmost importance, after all, only by knowing his capacity would he know what kind of battles he could fight and which ones to avoid.
And for that, he had to run several tests.
Fortunately, the golden forest had been a perfect match, providing him with a large number of creatures with which he could experiment.
As long as none of them woke from their petrification.
Under his watchful gaze, the glow of the golden trees was reflected on its opalescent surface, almost blending in with the surroundings when suddenly, its grip tightened forcefully, and then the system appeared.
[20% Of genetic material collected.]
Matt felt absorbed, by the large amount of information that suddenly poured into his mind.
However, it didn't end there.
[30% Of genetic material collected.]
[40% Of genetic material collected.]
[60% Of genetic material collected.]
When the system spoke, dozens of cracks formed around, each one spreading quickly until occupying every corner of the gigantic sculpture.
His eyes opened, feeling a degree of understanding he had never had before.
Somehow, every aspect of the serpent had been exposed before his eyes, like an open book he had read a thousand times.
He knew how it moved, how it acted, its cultivation located in the fifth mundane level, and he even knew what it had eaten in the last few hours before its petrification just by observing.
He knew that its greatest strength was its perception while its weakest attribute was strength.
Even so, that didn't end there, because right above the creature some letters of the same red hue as the system were revealed.
[Great desert serpent]
Matt slightly tilted his head in confusion.
When suddenly, the rock crumbled into a thousand pieces on the ground, dropping the mutagen on top.
The surprise became stronger upon noticing that the petrification had been undone, the sign disappeared, and what was supposed to be mere rock was now countless chunks of flesh covered by the serpent's golden skin.
A river of blood slid over the grass until it touched his feet and a new system message appeared before his eyes.
[You have killed a great desert serpent.]
[Do you wish to consume its blood?]
[Yes] [No]
In that instant, everything else faded away and the only thing that existed was the system message.
A smile appeared on his face and with a thought he accepted.
Suddenly, a mysterious force fell upon the mutilated body, attracting and forming a blood vortex that spun fiercely over the remains.
The image was beautiful and at the same time terrifying, as if it were struggling to concentrate on a single central point. The blood danced in the air until it formed a tiny, and beautiful crimson pill with small details like veins etched into its smooth surface.
Its reddish color contrasted with the golden world.
He didn't know if it was his desire to gain power or if he had fallen under a spell, but Matt was unable to avert his astonished gaze.
'Do I just have to take it… and I'll be stronger?'
His eyes remained fixed on the pearl, while his body slowly approached, driven by a burning desire for power.
He advanced with slow steps, dodging the serpent's remains without taking his eyes off it for even a second.
Finally, he had it in front of him, the crimson gleams shone over his pupils when a dark stain emerged from the ground and swallowed the pearl.
Matt's astonished gaze focused on his mutagen as he watched the crimson glow spread over his companion's surface before disappearing completely inside it.
'EH!?'
Then, the surprise turned into frustration and then gave way to uncontrollable rage.
His face twisted.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" He roared, forgetting about the forest and its dangers.
His feelings were transmitted to his companion when it suddenly shrank and hid behind the serpent's remains.
Feelings of fear and guilt were returned to him, calming his rage just a little.
But not enough.
"Why!? WHY DID YOU DO THAT!??"
He could almost feel a vein about to burst on his forehead.
Power was what he most desired in the world—his family, his home, his beloved, and even his hopes—each of them had been taken from him, and the only way to recover any of it was to obtain strength.
Seeing the opportunity to have it snatched away before his eyes had pushed his patience over the edge.
His chest burned with rage and frustration.
But then, he clenched his teeth tightly and tried to suppress those feelings.
The strange pearl seemed to ignite the desire of all those who looked at it, so his companion must have fallen under the same spell as him.
He couldn't blame him.
The good thing is that, while the petrification lasted, he had dozens of creatures to test on.
When his anger subsided, the mutagen extended a small tentacle behind the serpent's mutilated head, observing its surroundings.
Matt took a deep breath before crouching down and letting out a forced smile in response.
A feeling of desire reached him when the mutagen came out of its hiding place and approached, stretching its tentacle toward Matt.
He felt strange about this, but somehow he understood that his companion wanted to touch him.
'Maybe… Does he want to apologize?'
With a sigh, Matt stretched out his hand in response.
He still felt uncomfortable at the idea of touching his companion, but he clenched his teeth and endured.
In that instant, they touched, and the mutagen submerged into him from his fingers and spread throughout his body, leaving a viscous and unpleasant sensation behind.
But very soon, his body glowed with a crimson radiance, and his soul filled with an unknown and refreshing power, thus driving away the unpleasant feeling.
Then the system whispered to him with its sweet and, melodious voice.
[You have obtained one point of Perception.]