Ryan stayed hidden in the thick vines, his super-charged senses from the Resonance Bloom taking in every detail of the fight.
Scarlett "Red" Viper was definitely skilled. Her A-Tier "Shadow Weave" Aptitude was impressive. She moved like a phantom, her red hair a flash of color amidst the shadowy duplicates she conjured.
These illusions danced around the angry Grove Stalker, making it snap and hiss at empty air. It was like watching a very dangerous magic show.
But the Stalker wasn't just relying on teeth and claws. This one was a singer. A very bad, very loud singer.
Every few seconds, it would let out that horrible, warbling sonic pulse that vibrated Ryan's teeth even from his hiding spot.
He could see Scarlett's teammates flinch and stumble each time it happened. Their movements became clumsy, their aim, if they were trying to hit it with their basic knives, went wide.
The sound was clearly messing with their heads, making it hard to concentrate.
"So, that's a sonic disorientation attack," Ryan mused, his newly enhanced Intellect [ now a mighty 17! ] filing away the information.
"Nasty. And very effective against people who need to think straight to fight." Which was, you know, most people.
He activated his basic Lore Scanner function the one gifted to him by the Corrupted Data Fragment from the Precursor Tablet. He focused it on the angry, singing Grove Stalker.
Scanning Target: Grove Stalker [Alpha Variant, Level 3]
Notes: Enhanced size and aggression compared to standard Grove Stalker. Possesses a specialized 'Resonant Organ' used for generating disorienting sonic pulses. This organ is delicate but hard to target.
Potential Loot Drops [Low Chance]:
Alpha Stalker Hide [ Uncommon ]
Sonic Emitter Core [ Rare, 0.5% drop chance,good luck with that! ]
Indigestible Novice Boot [ Extremely Common, if it just ate ]
Ryan blinked. "Alpha Variant, Level 3. So, this is the big brother of the one I fought. And it has a 'Resonant Organ.' Sounds like something a church would have, not a killer lizard-ferret."
He noted the 0.5% drop chance for the "Sonic Emitter Core." "Yeah, not holding my breath for that one. I'd have better luck finding a matching pair of socks in my old laundry pile."
He watched the fight unfold. Scarlett was clearly the most capable of her group. While her teammates struggled with the sonic pulses, she seemed more resistant, her movements still fluid, her illusory attacks precise.
She was darting in, landing quick slashes with her knife, then fading back before the Stalker could retaliate effectively.
One of her teammates, a burly young man who looked like he should be good at hitting things, tried to charge the Stalker.
He got about halfway there, then the Stalker let out a particularly powerful sonic blast. The man clapped his hands over his ears, stumbled, and fell to his knees, looking completely dazed.
The Stalker lunged.
Scarlett moved like lightning. She didn't try to fight it head-on. Instead, one of her shadow duplicates appeared right in the Stalker's path, making it hesitate for a split second.
In that instant, Scarlett was behind it, her knife flashing. She struck a deep blow into the creature's flank, near where Ryan guessed its leg joint would be.
The Alpha Grove Stalker shrieked, a sound far more pained and furious than its sonic pulses. It stumbled, its disorienting song cut short.
Scarlett didn't let up. She pressed her advantage, her knife a blur. Her remaining conscious teammate, a nimble-looking woman, recovered enough to also dart in and land a few quick stabs while the Stalker was off-balance.
Ryan noticed something interesting on his god Interface. As Scarlett and her teammate landed damaging blows, little notifications of "+NP" were popping up next to their names [ or at least, what he assumed were their internal system identifiers ].
When Scarlett delivered what looked like the final, killing blow a swift, precise thrust to the Stalker's neck a much larger "+NP" notification appeared for her, along with another message:
Scarlett "Red" Viper – Assimilation Level Up! Level 1 -> Level 2!
"Aha!" Ryan thought. "So, you get points for contributing to the kill, but the person who lands the killing blow, or maybe does the most damage, gets the biggest share and the level-up progress.
Makes sense. Kill-stealing is probably frowned upon, but effective teamwork is rewarded."
Scarlett stood panting over the dead Alpha Grove Stalker. Her teammates were slowly recovering, shaking their heads as if trying to clear out cobwebs.
They looked exhausted but relieved. Scarlett herself, despite just leveling up, looked tired but focused.
Ryan, still hidden, used his Lore Scanner again, this time on Scarlett. He was curious about what a Level 2 A-Tier looked like in terms of stats.
Scanning Target: Scarlett "Red" Viper [Code-Bearer]
Assimilation Level: 2
Aptitude: Shadow Weave [A-Tier]
Estimated Stats [Based on Current Energy Signature]:
Vitality: 18
Agility: 25
Strength: 15
Intellect: 17
Spirit: 22
[ Note: These are estimates. Actual stats may vary slightly. And no, you can't scan her sock drawer. ]
Ryan whistled silently. Her Agility and Spirit were quite high, which made sense for a stealthy illusionist. Her other stats were decent too, certainly better than a fresh Level 1.
But then he compared them to his own stats, even though he was still officially Assimilation Level 0 [ 70/100 progress towards Level 1 ].
Thanks to the Resonance Bloom and the Sonic Nectar, his Intellect was already 17, matching hers. His Agility, after the Spine Whelp essence, was 14 not too far behind her starting Level 2 Agility. His Spirit, after the first Grove Stalker, was 12. His Strength and Vitality were still at their base 10 [plus that fading temporary +1 Strength from Boulder's boot ].
"Hmm," Ryan thought, stroking his chin [ a new habit he was developing when he was thinking brainy thoughts ].
"She's Level 2, and I'm not even Level 1 yet. But my stats are already catching up in some areas, and even matching hers in Intellect. And that's before I get my own level-up bonuses."
It was a revelation. His SSS-Tier "Ultimate Infinite Extraction System" wasn't just about getting new skills. It was about rapid, diverse growth. While others had to rely mainly on leveling up through combat or completing trials to get stronger, he could suck out permanent stat boosts and even new talents directly from the environment, from creatures, maybe even from items.
If he used his Aptitude smartly, he could potentially grow much faster and become much more versatile than someone who was just relying on a single, powerful A-Tier or B-Tier Aptitude.
His foundation could be broader, stronger. He wouldn't be a one-trick pony, even if it was a very good trick. He could be a Swiss Army knife of awesome.
He grinned. This SSS-Tier power was looking better and better. He just needed to keep finding new things to "deconstruct and assimilate." And try not to get eaten while doing it. That was always the tricky part.
He watched as Scarlett and her team began to examine the dead Alpha Grove Stalker, probably looking for anything useful.
He wondered if they'd find that 0.5% chance Sonic Emitter Core. Probably not. But he knew one thing for sure: once they left, he was definitely going to sneak back and see what he could extract from that Level 3 Alpha.
Waste not, want not, especially when "not wanting" meant "not having cool powers.