Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion (Book 2) - Chapter 34 - Override Not Recommended

Xavier released a grunt of pain as the hydra fang shard slid down his throat. Far stronger than the Wolven Fang and Wolven Claw, the shard easily sliced him up, leaving blood pouring from the cuts.

He swallowed several times, knowing the wounds shouldn’t take long to heal, briefly wondering if the damned Elemental Hydra had been venomous on top of everything else.

It wouldn’t have been venomous. It was an elementalbeast.

Besides, he hadn’t seen any venom on the fang. Wouldn’t he have seen it?

Just like with the other things he’d swallowed, Xavier could feel its path as it headed down into his stomach. Usually, this was simply a strange sensation, though one he’d been getting used to. This time, it was painful. He gripped his stomach, gritted his teeth, and tried not to make a sound. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Justin staring at him, eyes wide with alarm, forehead creased with worry.

The pain stabbed at him. It reminded him of how bad his lungs had felt earlier that day, when he’d been buried alive. Suddenly it became difficult to breathe.

Is it really harder, or is that only in my mind? God, I shouldn’t have done this…

The shard reached the pit of his stomach, where the pain hit its peak. He could feel his body trying to destroy the foreign invader. Trying to break it down and force the impurities out of his system.

His teeth ground together so hard he felt them chip and heal, chip and heal. He didn’t want this substance to be purged from him. He wanted to use it. Assimilate it. Just because it was painful didn’t mean it wouldn’t work.

He was about to slow the purging process—something he’d gotten a lot better at since he’d started ranking up the Assimilate Properties skill—but he found he didn’t need to.

His body wasn’t strong enough to purge the shard on its own. Which made him wonder what would happen if he wasn’t able to assimilate it…

A few minutes went by as he willed the damned shard to assimilate.

Over that time, his breathing steadied. The pain didn’t lessen, but he became accustomed to it. He didn’t like the pain, but he could take it if he needed to. He figured that had something to do with his massive Willpower stat.

If I can’t purge or assimilate this… will the pain just never stop? He pushed that thought away. Not helpful, brain. Not helpful at all.

Xavier’s mind was still heavily strained, split into two parts. He’d been keeping it that way for a while. It was difficult—and, at times, a little painful—but it had been the only way for him to continue gaining ranks in the Split Mind skill, which he hoped would eventually let him split his mind into more than two parts.

But right now, he needed his mind to be whole.

He snapped the two parts back together. The action was painful. He released a small hiss. Maybe he’d done that too fast. He breathed through it and focused on the shard inside of him.

Come on. Assimilate, damnit.

He’d slowly been learning a way to urge the skill on. It had worked for the other properties—especially the chunks of stone.

But it wasn’t doing a damned thing on this one.

The pain in his mind went away. So did the heavy strain that had been on it since he’d first made it split in two. A sudden clarity overtook him. With his mental stats as high as they were, Xavier was used to having a clear mind. Though his mind hadn’t had any rest for… well, over six whole weeks. So perhaps that clearness was partly an illusion.

Still, the clarity he was experiencing now was… incomparable.

My mind feels lighter.

It reminded him of runners who slap on weight vests or hikers who wear heavy packs. When they take off the weight, they feel lighter and stronger than before. His mind had been straining for the past few hours to keep its consciousness split. Now it didn’t have to strain to do that at all, he could put every ounce of his concentration toward this one task with a renewed mental energy.

He nudged the property into being assimilated and…

Xavier smiled through the pain. A notification appeared.

Attempting to assimilate Unidentified Material into muscular structure…

The pain in his stomach tripled. If Xavier hadn’t been sitting down, he was sure he would have fallen.

He wondered why it said Unidentified Material. He hadn’t been able to identify the items harvested from the wolvens, yet they’d been named. Was it because the Elemental Hydra had been a whole Grade above him?

Error.

The material you are assimilating is of an incompatible Grade.

The impurities are too powerful to assimilate.

Attempting to purge Unidentified Material impurities…

Xavier’s eyes widened as he stared at the text. No, no, no! I’m strong enough! He was sure his stats were high enough to do this—sure his body could take it, even if he wasn’t the same Grade. I may be F Grade, but I’m more powerful than these E Grades!

The pain was so intense it was making it hard for him to think.

Error.

Unable to purge E Grade impurities in an F Grade Denizen.

Calibrating…

Calibrating…

Xavier bit his lip. Strained his mind. The notification confused him. The first time impurities had been purged from him, the notification said it couldn’t do it because he was an F Grade Denizen.

Yet he’d been able to do it since then.

Am I already doing something I shouldn’t be capable of? If so, then maybe I can push this further. Maybe I can force my body to assimilate an E Grade material…

A voice of reason sounded in his mind, asking him if it was worth it. Asking him what might happen if he managed to do this. What the consequences might be.

Xavier gritted his teeth. Perhaps this was a bad decision. Perhaps he should listen to the notification and try to help his body purge the impurity. But he was so sure of himself—so confident that this would work—that he ignored that supposed voice of reason and pushed onward with his initial plan.

He fell into a deep meditative state, and pushed his mind as hard as he could, prompting the notification to appear once more.

Attempting to assimilate Unidentified Material into muscular structure…

It’ll work this time, he assured himself. I’ll make it work.

Error.

The material you are assimilating is of an incompatible Grade.

Xavier didn’t let up. He pushed the process forward, willing it with everything he had. He focused on the shard inside his stomach. The pain dulled to nothing as his concentration sharpened.

Attempting to assimilate Unidentified Material into muscular structure…

Error.

The impurities are too powerful to assimilate.

Error.

Purging interrupted. F Grade Denizen attempting to override.

Override not recommended.

Purging recommended.

Do you wish to proceed with the assimilation attempt?

Xavier’s eyes widened. Override not recommended. Was… was it letting him do it? He bit his lip so hard he felt it bleed. The System itself was telling him this was a bad idea. That he shouldn’t do this.

But Xavier never much liked being told what he could and couldn’t do. His mother had tried to tell him that, back when she’d told him he couldn’t be a writer. He hadn’t had a chance to find out whether he would have made it or not. The System had gotten in the way when it had integrated Earth.

And now, it was almost like the System recommending him notto do this spurred him on. No, it wasn’t almost like that—it was definitely like that.

Xavier hoped his stubbornness wouldn’t get him into too much trouble.

Purging successfully overridden.

Assimilation in progress…

Assimilation in progress…

The material you are assimilating has various properties.

You may only draw from one.

Choose from the following:

Error.

Two of five options unavailable to F Grade Denizen.

Only one possible viable option:

1. Tissue Regeneration.

Xavier frowned. The pain had flooded back, stabbing at his stomach once more. He thought Justin might have said something, but he was too focussed to know what it had been. He stared at the singular option.

Tissue Regeneration.

Xavier had been hoping for something else. He had three different stats he needed to bring up to their 1,000-point thresholds, and something told him Tissue Regeneration wasn’t going to get him there. Still, it interested him, and it was his only option.

Is that how the Elemental Hydra was able to grow back its heads? And if so, does that mean I’ll be able to do something similar?

He had trouble imagining him being decapitated and growing back his head. Besides, if he grew his brain back, would it still even be him? Was that why the powerful Elemental Hydra hadn’t seemed as evolved in its intelligence as the other E Grade beasts he’d encountered, because it kept growing back its head and never retained its same consciousness when it did?

Xavier shook his head. Even if he could grow his head back with this property, it wasn’t exactly something he was willing to test. He wouldn’t even want to test regrowing a finger.

Hopefully I’ll never find out just how effective this is.

Xavier willed the selection.

Pain flared over every inch of his body. Every one of his muscles contracted, feeling as though they were on fire.

Assimilation is complete.

Biological impurities of Unidentified Material have been assimilated into muscular structure.

You have gained the trait: Tissue Regeneration!

You have gained +20 Strength!

You have gained +20 Toughness!

You have gained +20 Willpower!

Assimilate Properties has reached Rank 5!

…

Assimilate Properties has reached Rank 10!

Warning: E Grade Unidentified Material detected in F Grade Denizen’s muscular structure.

F Grade Denizen’s muscular structure considered volatile.

Degeneration of F Grade Denizen’s muscular structure may begin within 48 hours.

Degeneration Countdown Timer: 47 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds.