Additional Skills: [3]
1. Quadra-Limb Adaptation
Description: The user gains two additional arms made of condensed frost-alloy.
These arms can act independently or in sync with the main limbs, allowing for faster attacks, defensive manoeuvres, and weapon manipulation.
2. Frozen Spires
Description: Clenching all four limbs together will automatically activate this ability, which summons towering spikes of ice from the ground, capable of impaling enemies and forming defensive barriers.
3. Cryo-Eternal Devourer
Description: The user becomes a walking entropy sink, forcibly absorbing all thermal energy—not just freezing enemies but outright stealing their heat, rendering them into frozen husks.
This ability doesn't just stop movement; it drains reality itself, turning living beings into brittle, lifeless statues as their energy fuels the user's Physique Core.
Warning: This skill has an insane drawback—if overused, the user's own body begins breaking down under the weight of the stolen energy.
Maintaining a thermal void to store energy warps the user's very existence into an unstable, undying state, leading to a fate worse than death—eternal stillness, trapped between life and oblivion!
The system's grave warning rang out along with the notification as Ryuk's eyes gleamed. He made sure to store the Cryo-Eternal Devourer skill's drawback in his mind.
"Still, this is far beyond the level I previously was," he mused as he closed his eyes.
Suddenly, tendrils of nanotech and frost-covered energy began moving out from his back, appearing before Ryuk, all floating around him.
Each of these tentacles seemed to be even easier to control than his hands.
When he made one of them land in his grasp, it was like holding onto an entire mountain.
Its pointed tip gleamed with an incredible amount of hardness, with the slightest flicker enough to rip the air apart.
To top it all off, he had four of these.
"The Frozen Physique… Not bad, not bad at all!"
"Hehehehe!" Ryuk let out a loud laugh, unable to hold back the joy surging within him.
---
DRIIIIIIIIIIIIING
DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING
Suddenly, the sound of something vibrating rang out as Ryuk looked to the side and found an object on the ground.
It was none other than his Apex watch. Immediately, one of his tentacles lashed forth, wrapping around the Apex watch, while another swiped it to the side.
He made sure to use just enough force not to crush the watch into nothing, and surprisingly, he was able to pull that off.
When he looked at the name on the watch, his smile receded a bit.
The ice mask on his face began retreating into his body.
His sharp claws withdrew into his fingers, opened up and swallow them back in.
His glass-like skin became covered in another textured layer of natural warmth.
On his back, the slates disappeared, and the tentacles began slipping themselves back into his skin. Soon, they completely merged with his body.
A layer of Nanites appeared around his back before it faded, leaving his skin flawless and snow-white once more.
With a single will, Ryuk had shifted from his previous form back to his normal human form. His eyes flashed when he realized—
He was completely naked.
Quickly, he brought out clothes from his storage space, putting them on.
Then, he returned his focus to the holographic watch, where the words flashed:
"Morgaine."
"Video Call."
[Accept] [Reject]
Ryuk's hand was just about to press [Accept] when he paused.
A bad feeling stirred in his gut and he couldn't help but ask the system:
"Hey, system. How long has it been?"
[3 Weeks, 2 Days.]
"Holy Mother of Sweet Monkey Milk!"
Ryuk screamed out loud, eyes flashing in horror. He barely managed to rein in his emotions, his mouth widening until all of his thirty-six teeth were exposed.
Before he could hesitate further, he swiped the button up.
Instantly, the screen opened, revealing a face that seemed to be staring into the distance, not focused on the device.
Morgaine.
Ryuk's face paled a bit when he saw the already worried expression she wore.
It was the face of someone who had dialled the same number again, and again, and again—until they'd lost hope of ever getting a reply.
"Hey, system. How many times has the Apex watch rung while I was evolving?"
[763 times.]
"Fuck.". Ryuk immediately put on his best boot-licking smile.
"Hmmm-hmmm, if it isn't my soon-to-be Queen…"
Morgaine's eyes jerked to the screen, her pupils flashing in shock.
She blinked twice when she saw Ryuk grinning widely at her.
But contrary to Ryuk's act, Morgaine's expression did not soften.
"Huuuuuu," she exhaled loudly, taking several deep breaths before opening her eyes again.
Ryuk swallowed.
Her gaze was filled with pure, golden fury—so sharp it could have flayed the soul from his body.
[Oh-oh.]
"You! You dickhead!"
The scream was so powerful that Ryuk felt his eardrums tremble within his body. The entire ice plain around him quaked. He shut his eyes from the noise, but no words came out after.
Slowly, he opened one eye, finding Morgaine practically glowing red with rage.
"Look, Morgaine, I have something ultra-important to tell you," Ryuk said, drawing her attention just for a bit and managing to suppress the pressure—albeit a little.
"You remember the first day we went to Ascension Academy? You remember the three-day grace period we were given to familiarize ourselves with the academy?"
Morgaine nodded silently.
"And you remember how I crashed through the window just one second before being late to class? You still remember the reason for my lateness, right?"
Morgaine furrowed her brows, her memories rewinding back to that time.
Then, a loud snort burst out of her mouth.
"No, Ryuk! No!"
"You promised a week! A week was the deal!"
"It's been three weeks, two days, and seventeen hours! There's no way you've been in slumber for three weeks straight!"
She took a deep breath before narrowing her eyes.
"Be honest with me, Ryuk. Are you purposefully trying to keep your distance from me?"
"Or…" She hesitated.
"Am I pushing you a bit too hard?"