From Ant to Whale
In the end, I failed to create a new sword technique for the Monster Flower. I had such grand ambitions, but it all went to shit in spectacular fashion.
Still, I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I'd be. Instead, Hope was buzzing with excitement, humming like a chainsaw.
"It's okay. It's not just today, right? There'll be another chance next time."
I soothed the revving Hope. Even at a glance, this upgraded version of Hope—which I'd hammered into shape a hundred times over—wasn't traumatized by the beatings. No, it was pissed that it hadn't even landed a single hit. Like a Teemo matchup for poor Gabung. It must've been extra heartbreaking that it hadn't even hit level 6, so it couldn't use its ultimate, which has a five-minute cooldown.
I stroked Hope, channeling the feelings I'd have watching Gabung charge in yelling "Do not fear!" and Q-ing into the fray. "Next time'll be different," I comforted it.
Thankfully, Hope settled down after huffing for a bit.
With silence settling in, the empty, hollow quiet of the shelter finally greeted me. Now I felt like I'd come back to myself.
After a solid night's sleep, I woke up refreshed. Creating the new sword technique had taken days, and I'd slept in between, but this post-resolution slumber was on another level.
I stretched out luxuriously on the top-grade mattress I'd moved to one corner of the shelter, then sat up with a big yawn.
"Phew, what a refreshing day."
In this world, the gallery clock—which saved me from wasting pricey batteries—showed I'd burned a full 24 hours on sleep. No wonder I felt so damn good.
Anyway, with my head crystal clear from the beauty sleep, I kicked off my daily routine. First thing upon waking: a light patrol around the shelter to check for issues.
In an apocalypse where losses are near-impossible to recover from due to seed scarcity, spotting early signs of trouble and prepping fixes is essential for long-term survival.
Of course, even I can't inspect the whole massive shelter solo every day, so I divide it by zones on a schedule. Today's target: Yoji, the shelter's critical water source.
If something goes wrong here, we're toast—no other zone needs checking more often.
But then, "Huh?"
What's this?
The last time I'd checked here was when I gave Hope the shelter tour. I'd been thrilled to harvest the Spirit Spring Stone Mushrooms that sprouted then—my first yield.
"What kind of moss grows fruit?"
Now, right in the center, a red fruit had popped up.
I snapped a photo and pinged Pill Master right away.
And just like always, our pill expert Pill Master didn't let me down.
"Yes! Yes!!!! You're the best!!!!"
This is yes. Mmm, yeah, this is it.
"Exactly."
Honestly, I'd felt the bad luck was overkill lately. Think about it: Thought it was nuclear apocalypse, nope—frost apocalypse. Thought frost, nope—bio apocalypse. Thought bio, nope—mutant junkie evolution apocalypse.
Even if the meta's all about crossovers mixing everything, this felt like they threw in whatever they felt like, skipping nothing fun, resulting in a disgusting, exhausting stew of random crap that just fatigues you.
Forced to survive endless escalating difficulty, shouldn't item drop rates go up accordingly to balance it out?
I hesitated at first—what if I botch the elixir and go into qi deviation or some shit? Wuxia novels always warn about that.
But Pill Master guaranteed it'd be safe.
'If Pill Master's vouching for it like LH housing insurance, it's good.'
Okay, dilemma solved. Time to eat.
I plucked the Spirit Spring Stone Fruit and sat cross-legged in front of Yoji, ready to dive in if shit hit the fan. As the king of spirit springs, it'd save my ass at least once, right?
"Here goes."
Fully prepped, I tossed the fist-half-sized fruit into my mouth. It melted on my tongue instantly, sliding down my throat.
And then—grrrrrumble!
Massive medicinal power erupted.
'Focus now!!!'
Pill Master had stressed this before taking elixirs. No matter how good, absorption rate depends on your skill. Some take 100%, others just 10% and shit out the rest.
'Not wasting a drop.'
I clenched every sphincter, vowing total absorption, and circulated the Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture to expand my "vessel."
Rooooar—
The fruit's power rampaged like a roll guy storming a sushi buffet, poking every meridian it could find.
Any other art would've panicked—power veering off-path is like a drunk stabbing the wrong hole on wedding night.
'Not for me.'
The universe's most harmonious art, Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture, effortlessly guided it no matter the chaos, with veteran poise.
I herded the wild power to proper channels without killing its momentum. It rampaged cluelessly until the scripture's solar flow tamed it, blending seamlessly.
The fruit couldn't defy top-tier arts—it fully merged.
"...Spirit Spring Stone Fruit, absorption complete."
100%. Hell, 120%.
"Nice."
Internal scan showed clear before/after: Meridians thicker overall, paths chewier. Meaning: Faster inner energy flow without strain, quicker peak output. Zero-to-hundred in 10 seconds? Now 8.
But the best? Instantly obvious.
"My dantian's... bigger!"
My inner universe had doubled in size!
Not just bigger mana tank—this changes everything.
"Come."
Absorption Great Law. Activate.
Suuuuuck—!!
Like a deep breath, it filled my freshly expanded, empty dantian with dense inner energy. Twice as fast as before!!
"Kya!! This is it!!"
Base stats up means everything scales. Can't compare an anchovy slurping mud microbes to a whale vacuuming krill swarms.
"Forget yesterday's Jung Kkeokma..."
No more ant Kkeokma. I was reborn Whale Jung Kkeokma!
Momentum like an S-rank cool beauty!
I tested more moves too.
Pop pop pop! Hopping around.
Shoo shoo shoo! Bare-fist punches and kicks.
Kaboom kaboom kaboom!!! Sword qi barrages with Hope.
Everything upgraded! Deep gashes in floor and walls proved power, speed, precision—all incomparable to before.
Sub-weapons forged during technique breaks? Movements sharper too.
Dantian drained dry, but who cares? It confirmed everything.
"Fuuu..."
Deep exhale. Destruction around me was proof.
This was enough. Totally doable.
"Monster Flower."
Tonight. I'll take you down.