He looked around the clearing and his eyes landed on a thick, woody fungus growing on the side of the Heartwood Tree's root, about forty meters away.
The fungal plate was as hard as old oak.
Without a second thought, he lifted his right hand, pointing his index finger at the target.
He channeled a small amount of life energy, feeling it flow through the newly formed pathways in his arm.
A tiny, almost black speck of hardened spore materialized at his fingertip.
It was smaller and denser than what he made before, its tip gleaming faintly with a sharp glint.
With a mental push, he launched it.
There was no sound, not even a whisper of air. The dart vanished from his fingertip.
An instant later, a dull thunk echoed from the fungal plate.
Embedded deep in the center of the hard fungus, right where he had aimed, was the dark spore.
It had punched nearly three to four inches into the tough material, a feat that would have required a hammer and nail.
He pulled his finger back, a deep sense of satisfaction warming him from the inside.
He looked at his hand, then back at the quivering spore embedded in the fungus.
Among all the genes he possessed, Spore Dart clearly had a larger and faster scope of improvement compared to the others.
It was a simple, direct skill, and its effectiveness grew exponentially with each level.
And all he needed to do to improve it further was grind more and more.
Just by using it, he could raise the experience points enough to reach Level 5.
The thought of what a Level 5 dart could do—the range, the speed, the sheer piercing power—was intoxicating.
Then the feeling hit him.
A sudden, hollow emptiness in his chest, as if a vital part of him had been scooped out.
It was the backlash from the energy cost. He quickly checked his status.
His Life Energy bar had plummeted. Firing that single, tiny dart had cost him nearly 34 points of Life Energy.
He did the math in his head.
His Level 3 Mycelium Heart and Level 3 Bull's Frame had boosted his reserves, giving him a total pool of around 48 points.
That single shot had consumed almost 80% of his entire supply.
He felt the huge energy drain acutely; a moment ago he felt like he could lift a boulder, and now he felt winded, like he'd just run a hard sprint.
With the increase in the level of Spore Dart, its energy consumption had also increased significantly.
One shot was enough to leave him dangerously depleted in a prolonged fight.
But just as the worry began to set in, another sensation took over.
A gentle, persistent warmth began to pulse from the center of his chest, spreading through his veins like a warm drink on a cold day.
It was the improved recovery effect from the Level 3 Mycelium Heart kicking in.
The emptiness began to fill, slowly but surely.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the rate of recovery; it was far faster than his old, un-upgraded body could have ever managed.
After some quick calculations, he found that, with his current recovery rate, the 34 points of energy would be fully restored in about twenty to thirty minutes.
"Hahhaaa.." A slow smile returned to his face.
Even though the Spore Dart wasn't a weapon for rapid-fire combat, it was more like a sniper's rifle.
If it can be upgraded further, he could open a fight from a distance, hidden by his new camouflage, and take out the biggest threat before the enemy even knew they were under attack.
Or use it directly next to the target to cause huge damage, together with an invisibility cloak.
Feeling a surge of energy from his slowly regenerating reserves, Scott decided to put his new body through its paces.
The hazy blue and violet light of the Sporos morning was growing stronger, and the shelter was stirring back to life around him.
He found a relatively clear space between two of the Great Tree's massive roots and began to move.
He started with what used to be a grueling workout for the old Scott. It was not just him, there were many others who were exercising nearby, however they were just ordinary spore born.
His arms, powered by the Bull's Frame, felt like tireless pistons. He moved on to sprints, dashing back and forth across the clearing.
His legs ate up the ground, each stride a controlled explosion of power that left the world a blur.
He then returned to the large boulder he'd lifted earlier.
This time, he didn't just lift it. He hoisted it onto his shoulder, stood up straight, and carried it around the clearing, his feet sinking only slightly into the soft earth.
The strain was immense, a deep burn in his muscles and a pounding in his chest, but it was a good feeling. It was the feeling of pushing his limits.
As he held the crushing weight, a notification flashed in his mind.
[ First Order Foundation Gene: Bull's Frame gains +3 Experience Points. ]
A moment later, as his heart thumped to pump oxygen through his system, another message appeared.
[ First Order Foundation Gene: Mycelium Heart gains +2 Experience Points. ]
Scott lowered the boulder with a grunt of satisfaction.
So, simple training worked… Upgrading those Foundation genes not only just increased his ability to recover his life energy… It also made it easier for him to earn those random upgrade points.
Well, even though it was slow, a mere handful of points for a massive effort, but it was a reliable way to grow stronger without having to kill something.
Content with his morning exercise, he brushed the dirt from his hands and headed back towards his small home.
As he approached the familiar, wooden house woven into a thick branch of the Heartwood Tree, the sound came again—a soft, and familiar contented coo.
He pushed aside the thick, woven-leaf curtain that served as a door and stepped inside. The single room was warm and smelled of dried herbs and sweet sap.
The coo came from a nearby cot, carved from a single piece of wood.
His son, barely two years old, was awake, his big, curious eyes tracking the motes of glowing pollen dancing in a beam of the hazy morning light.
Scott's steps were silent on the wooden floor.
A wave of the original Scott's memories washed over him—the joy of the boy's first laugh, the terror of his first fever, the simple, overwhelming love of a father for his son.
But beneath that was his own reality: this child wasn't his… Physically the baby was his, but mentally, it was different. He was a stranger looking at another man's son.
He reached down, his movements careful. Picking him up felt different now.
It wasn't just the strength; he was acutely aware of the power humming in his arms and the need to be gentle.
It was the emotional disconnect. The memories screamed 'love,' but his own heart felt a strange, detached sense of responsibility.
The boy, however, felt no such conflict.
He gurgled happily, his tiny hands grabbing onto Scott's finger, his toothless smile filled with pure trust and dependance.
Looking at that innocent face, a piece of the wall around Scott's heart crumbled.
It didn't matter whose son he was originally. He was here now. This was his life, his responsibility, and his own son.
"He seems happy to have his father back."
Scott looked up. Elara had turned from the small hearth, a wooden spoon in her hand and a small, tired smile on her face.
She looked at him, then at the child, her eyes soft.
"He's a good kid," Scott replied, the words feeling borrowed but true. He gently rocked the boy in his arms, the motion coming naturally from the body's memory.
Elara tilted her head, her gaze soft but searching. "You seem... different, Scott."
"Calmer and more confident than before.."
"After everything... I expected...but promise me that you won't act reckless anymore." She trailed off, not knowing how to finish the thought.
"Hahaaaa... I promise." He offered a faint smile, bouncing his son gently as he laughed.
Why would he not be confident, he now has a Golden Finger by his side and even though he was slightly scared of the world Spores and its dangers, with the Shelter Core helping him, he was confident enough to survive any hardships.
Elara accepted it with a nod, with relief. She walked over, placing a hand on his arm, her touch warm and grounding.
For a moment, they stood there as a family, like a quiet island of calm after the storm.
But the world outside wasn't finished with them.
Looking at the beautiful woman in front and the small baby in his hands, Scott also tried hard to calm his racing heart down with some difficulty.