"Get ready," Pamela warned me, pricking the plant and injecting it with the contents of the syringe. Literally an instant later, like a predator unaware of danger, I fell into the trap.
Hundreds of thousands of sharply serrated teeth of a merciless trap closed on me at once, piercing my bones, organs, and thoughts. You must understand that after taking Erskine's serum, I literally dulled my pain threshold, and causing me pain was no easy task. But right then I realized I had been overly confident in the supersoldier's power. The pain was excruciating.
I dread to imagine what it would be like for an ordinary person to undergo this procedure. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. The vine, which had ejected thorns with microscopic needles—which, by the way, is completely out of character for its nature—pierced my back and brain painfully.
I suspect the pain was caused by the violent transformation of my nervous system. After all, it's no secret that it is responsible for the sensation of pain in the human body. I don't know how long it lasted, because those moments seemed like an eternity to me. I was ready to tear those hateful vines off myself... But I couldn't. And it's not that I was incapable, it's just that I didn't dare let my friend's efforts be in vain.
Giving up now would mean abandoning my main goal. I need to survive in this world, and to do that, I need to grasp at every opportunity, every straw that will allow me to become stronger and survive even the most hopeless situations. And then, my torment ended. Sweat poured off me in streams. My muscles trembled involuntarily. I collapsed to the floor, exhausted.
"Alex!" Ivy rushed to my exhausted body. She hastily removed the disgusting vines from me. "Are you okay? Tell me something!"
[Your body has undergone forced modification due to exposure to Poison Ivy's meta-gene. There has been a slight increase in physical and mental strength.
+3 Strength
+3 Dexterity
+3 Speed
+5 Endurance
+5 Intelligence
+10 Charisma
Your healing factor has exceeded ten points.
Additional stat unlocked: "Regeneration."
Your body has become immune to most Earthly poisons, toxins, viruses, and bacteria.
An additional development branch for the carrier has been opened: Resistance.
An active skill has been received: "Pheromone Control."
Due to the comprehensive improvement of the carrier, the following has been received: +5 free characteristic points.]
"It's okay, Ivy," I tried to calm the worried girl. "Please, lean closer, I have something to tell you." Pamela obediently did as I was asked, and I couldn't wait any longer; I greedily sank my lips into the stunned dryad's. I gently ran my hand over her smooth face.
Despite my brazen behavior, the girl still didn't break away. She responded to the kiss fiercely and passionately, seemingly unfazed by the sweat that still covered me after the experiment. Perhaps this was the girl's first real kiss in years. Her sexy hips pressed against my body, sending a strong shiver through me and a desire to touch them. But she never let me enjoy them, breaking the kiss and tearing away.
"Ahem, keep in mind, it doesn't mean anything," Lillian stated firmly, proudly adjusting her disheveled hair. "It's just a kiss, don't think that I've fallen in love with you or want to be with you."
I stared dumbfounded at the girl whose words had cut so painfully through my heart. But looking into her eyes, the only thing I could do was laugh quietly. Of course, I knew that the charming miss plant was a tsundere by nature, but I never expected that even after such a painful ordeal we had to go through, she would still behave this way.
Apparently, to completely win her over, I'll have to try hard. It won't be easy to rip off her tsundere mask, but I'm ready to overcome all the difficulties that await me along this difficult path. Our relationship has already made great progress, and one could say, we've crossed the line of simple friendly feelings. But I still won't insist or pressure her.
I respect her decision and will wait until she confesses to me herself. In the meantime, I can only be content with one of the best kisses of my life.
"I understand everything," I addressed her, getting up from the soft grass that had grown so unnaturally through the concrete floor. Ah, the garden of a former eco-terrorist can safely be called a natural paradise. Perhaps someone might think that they have gone a little overboard with the vegetation here, but this in no way detracts from the beauty and grace of this place.
"So, everything went well," the owner of the botanical garden nodded to herself. "How are you feeling?"
"Couldn't be better," I clenched my hands in a vice, feeling a noticeable, albeit small, leap in terms of strength.
"I need to take blood samples from you and test for pathogens. It is possible that your body will begin to reject a foreign substance. In the worst-case scenario, this could lead to death. We should study this issue as soon as possible."
"There's no need to bother," I waved it off. "I feel great and I'm one hundred percent sure that everything went just fine."
"It doesn't matter how you feel, the main thing is what the test results show." Ignoring my words, she grabbed the syringe and prepared to draw blood from me. I didn't resist any more. Even though, thanks to the notification from the system, I knew I was fine, but I couldn't convince Dr. Isley of that. If it would make her feel better, then let her examine it.
While she was trying to insert a needle into my skin, which she wasn't very successful at due to my increased durability, I decided to examine the changes my body had undergone. Physically, there weren't many improvements.
Adding three to five attribute points didn't significantly improve my strength. Although, after taking the super-soldier serum, increasing my attributes by even one point through simple exercise became an impossible task. So I should be happy about at least this improvement. Besides, I got a new line in the status window.
[Regeneration: The regenerative healing factor allows you to regenerate damaged or destroyed body tissue and lost internal organs many times faster than your human counterpart.]
It appeared after my healing factor exceeded ten. After Dr. Erskine's serum, my regenerative capabilities increased fourfold compared to a mere mortal. Now, they stand at eleven, meaning Pamela's formula has increased this statistic by seven.
From now on, my recovery will proceed eleven times faster than this body's original capacity. This may seem like a lot, but in reality, compared to the capabilities of Wolverine and Deadpool, such rates are simply laughable. I don't know how much time and effort it will take me to even come close to their values.
Moreover, the description states that I can only regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue and internal organs. But there's no mention of severed limbs, meaning I'm incapable of regenerating body parts. Ah, well, I'll settle for that. The next major addition is the newly unlocked system development branch.
[Resistance:
Poison/Toxin/Virus/Bacteria – 19%.]
So, that's my poison resistance, which I got from Pamela's meta-gene. But only 19%... Are you serious?! In the comics, Poison Ivy had virtually complete immunity to all toxins, viruses, and bacteria. Wouldn't it be more logical if this figure were closer to ninety percent?
My indignation knew no bounds. I was ready to rant and rave until the system decided to explain the problem. It turns out that the 19% figure covers not just our humble planet, but the entire universe. In other words, my body is now capable of resisting nearly nineteen percent of all poisons in the entire universe.
If that's true, then one can't help but admire such a powerful immunity from the former villain. Our dear dryad is a veritable walking antidote, and this despite having acquired such a heightened immune system without ever leaving the confines of Earth.
Still, I should think about how to increase that number. I wouldn't want some parasite from outer space poisoning me. Well, we'll worry about that later. Now it's time to learn about the new skill the system mentioned. Come to think of it, it's the first active skill I've ever acquired.
[Pheromone Control : You've mastered one of Poison Ivy's basic skills, allowing you to seduce and control both males and females by secreting plant pheromones from your body. Effects: +100% Charisma.]
Well, I didn't expect that. This skill literally doubles my charisma, significantly increasing my attractiveness. Thanks to Ivy's injection, my charisma increased by ten points, reaching 42. I wasn't at all surprised by such a sharp increase in this stat.
A living example of charm and unbridled attractiveness sat before me. Her beauty was captivating. It was as if the gaze of not just a beautiful woman, but an otherworldly goddess was upon you. Pamela confidently ranks among the most attractive women I've ever seen. Therefore, to me, the figure of ten points is simply laughable.
Apparently, because it was just a simplified meta-gene formula, I didn't get the full package. But even so, after I activate the skill, my charisma will increase to 84. I'll become incredibly attractive: everyone will be able to see in me the traits that captivate them most. But I don't really need it yet. Girls like me just the way I am, and I have no intention of using this skill to seduce new ladies.
Why bother? If I'm already doing so well. I'll hold off on it for better times. Who knows, maybe one day I'll meet someone consumed by the desire to kill, who won't listen to me under any circumstances. In such a situation, this skill will come in very handy. As the saying goes, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Finally, last but not least: an additional five stat points. Without thinking twice, I invested all five into Intelligence. So, let's take a look at the changes.
[Status window:
Name: Alex Reath
Race: Perfect Human
Age: 21
Strength: 133
Speed: 84
Dexterity: 83
Stamina: 172
Intelligence: 94
Wisdom: 106
Charisma: 42
Regeneration: 11
Combat Proficiency: 28
Fencing Proficiency: 20
King's Wives: 7
Resistance:
Poison/Toxin/Virus/Bacteria: 19%
Free Points: 0
Achievement Points: 0
Skills:
Passive: "Gamer's Mind", "Super Soldier"
Active: "Pheromone Control"
Achievements: " Batman's Apprentice", "Great Harem King", "Sage", "Sword Master"]
This is the best Christmas present I could ever ask for... Thank you, dear Pam.
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Thank you all for your support please vote with power stones.
You all can read extra chapters on [email protected]/annihilator009
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