Almost reflexively, he plunged his entire arm in, as if testing some dare, ignoring every warning instinct in his mind.
The liquid thrashed and splashed like a stubborn octopus, latching onto him with a tremendous force.
His arm jerked forward violently, the pull so sudden it felt like his shoulder was about to rip free.
His body flipped halfway over, boots skidding against the ground, and for a breathless moment he nearly toppled headfirst into the sea—before catching himself, barely, at the last instant.
The sight of the black, writhing surface waiting below made his gut twist.
"That was kinda unnecessary, but still… I didn't have anything bigger. And it worked well too, to confirm my suspicions."
Aziel grinned, shaking his hand sharply up and down to fling away the black liquid stubbornly clinging to his skin.
A faint burning sensation prickled across his hand, spreading slow like embers under the flesh.
However, besides that, there was no mistaking it—he couldn't just leap into this sea and swim through like it was any ordinary water.
A chill crept down his spine as his imagination betrayed him, painting the image of his whole body sinking beneath that surface, being dragged into its depths with no return.
"I've explored enough of the land. Now it's time for the water… well, at least what I think it is."
Aziel muttered, his voice half-dry, as he pulled the system screen open in front of him.
"It's racist to assume that every species lives on land just because humans do."
[ Host is recommended to change the skill name! ]
"Why? Does it irk you?"
A wide grin spread across his features, dismissing the notification like swatting a fly.
'It's about time I should begin the process. Not like waiting any longer would help—at least not here.'
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[ View skill description ]
L Chameleon's Acrobat :
Type: Adaptive — Passive/Active
Description:
● By assimilating a genetic anchor belonging to another species, the user may overwrite their own phenotype to mirror the donor. Physical form, organ functions, and adaptive traits may be reconstructed accordingly.
● Inherited abilities tied solely to physiology may manifest.
● Evolutionary abilities born of external forces, ancient accumulation, or unique energy reserves will not transfer.
● Complex phenotypes carry higher risk of instability, mutation, or rejection.
Note: Weak lifeforms yield safer transformations. Stronger lifeforms demand a stronger vessel
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"There is no cooldown… for something like this?"
Aziel wondered, his eyes scanning the skill description to make sure.
Prior to this, he had tried to create another, similar but more powerful version of the skill—and failed.
'This one isn't half-bad either.'
He glanced toward the hole made by the plasma in his severed arm.
The aurora-colored energy remnants lingered there, tangled with his own blood.
Carefully scraping his shoulder with his hand, he brought it closer to his mouth.
"I'm literally going to do this."
He muttered, unnervingly, as his hands met his mouth and he absorbed the goo, inhaling the escaping gas.
'Let's just hope it really is its cell or something.'
A sense of vertigo washed over him from the taste.
[Ding!]
[Conditions met for Chamaleon Acrobat]
[ Species : Plasma ]
[ Phenotype structure : Complex ]
[ Would the host like to procees further and activate the skill?]
"For sure, let's just see how fucked up my body can get."
[ Skill 'Chamaleon Acrobat' Activated ]
A faint pulse throbbed beneath his chest.
Heat and light flickered under his skin, like molten veins pressed against fragile glass.
Pain tore through him in jagged, unrelenting waves. Muscles convulsed, bones shifted audibly, and joints popped as if being rewired.
His vision blurred.
Shapes wavered, the edges of his body stretching and contracting against his will.
"Fuck… it hurts… just stop… stop!"
He screamed, clutching his head, teeth grinding as a sharp pain shot down his arms.
His fingers twitched uncontrollably, nails elongating slightly before snapping back.
Hair bristled, standing on end, his skin prickling as it adapted.
He felt his senses recalibrating—light heavier, sounds sharper, his heartbeat syncing strangely with the faint energy pulsing through him.
Tendons thickened, organs subtly realigned, and his muscles bulged in ways that weren't entirely human.
Each breath was a struggle as his chest reshaped itself, expanding, compressing, adjusting.
For a fleeting second, he felt completely alien, limbs jittering, posture unsteady, like the world itself had let go of him.
Then, slowly, the chaos subsided. His body solidified, humanoid once more—but now with changes.
The faint shimmer of energy along his skin, reflexes tighter, posture more coiled, movements ready to spring.
Every nerve pulsed with the inherited adaptability of the plasma being he had seen before, quiet.
He shivered.
"That… was way too intense."
Aziel muttered, flexing his fingers experimentally,
feeling the difference in his strength, his reach, the sheer potential coursing through him.
[ Congratulations! Host has become one with the most common state of matter in the universe ]
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[ Additional information will be provided as a reward ]
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[ Tap to see who you have become! ]
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Click.
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[Species Overview: Plasma Being]
■ This species is constituted entirely of plasma, a semi-cohesive, energy-saturated form. Their bodies constantly hum with chaotic energy to the point of super - saturation, seeking release.
■ Containment is precarious—without a vessel or outlet, the energy may erupt, leaving only faint echoes behind.
■ Interaction is hazardous, as their unstable form radiates raw, almost blinding energy, yet within it lies a strange, hypnotic allure.
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Aziel's eyes scanned the system description, the words blinking against the surface.
"Figures...That explains why that thing was looking, as if writhing in pain...and how did he create those whirpools and tornadoes of energy"
He muttered, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"This also ensures that there are more of these bullheads for me to kill, except myself of course, but how the he-"
Everything was fine...
Until it wasn't.
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Thanks for reading.