"Do not fall asleep yet. I have something I need to discuss with the Lord before I can assure you that it is completely safe."
Barely able to keep a straight voice, Mitch stood up and walked a bit further away. He then acted as if he was praying by getting on his knees and interlocking his hands in front of his face.
'{Gene Tree}.'
The familiar red screen containing several models of DNA popped up, but this time there were various exclamation marks in different places on those patterns.
'How do I navigate between the different markers?' He was filled with excitement, but still aware of Madeline's gaze. Mitch didn't want to try clicking it as it would look weird, so he could only hope that there was some other way to interact with this skill interface.
"Just try focusing on one of them and it should open another window with a description of what the mutation entails."
Mitch decided to choose one at random and concentrated on that point. Just as Katherine said, it opened another page.
[Stinger]
[33% / 4% Complete]
[Grow a stinger able to inject victims pierced by it with acid and venom. Mutation includes an acid gland and a venom gland.]
[Time needed in hibernation: 30 days]
Mitch read through the description in awe, but two different kinds. At the start he was in shock that he could gain a stinger just by eating ants. He then became appalled that it would need a month for the mutation to complete.
'If I had the time for it, this mutation would probably have its uses. I have no idea how I would actually use it in a fight, but I could perhaps learn some grappling and implement it somehow.'
"Keep in mind how far you've come on gathering the genetic information required for the mutation too. It says 33%, but that is from one entire ant. Assuming it's linear, that would mean you need to eat two more ants at least."
His face fell as he heard that. He had more or less inched out a pyrrhic victory from just fighting one ant. If he wanted himself and Madeline to both gain this mutation he would need to hunt two more ants at least.
Scared by what he would find, he asked another question. 'Th- then… What is that thing saying '4%'?' Mitch almost didn't even want to hear the answer, for he could already predict what it was.
"The 4% marking is if you wanted to gain that mutation as a germline one. That is, if the mutation would be passed onto your children. The things we do for our kids, am I right? Be a good future daddy and kill something like 25 more ants. Your future children will thank you for giving them a stinger."
'Fuck you! The stinger super situational and you expect me to kill six times as many ants as I almost died to? Are you insane?!' She truly was lucky that Mitch had to keep up appearances before his Legio protege, otherwise he would give her an earful.
"Hahaha. Alright, alright. I'm just messing with you. I agree that the stinger is not very useful, but there should be some other things that will be of more use to you. After all, ants have some pretty interesting traits."
Relieved that Katherine seemed to have recovered emotionally from him barely winning the fight, Mitch looked back at the window filled with DNA.
[Pheromone Communication]
[Cold-Blooded]
[Super Endurance]
[Strong Bite]
Mitch went through all the alternatives one by one and eventually found three that stood out from the rest. He put away the others and focused solely on those three.
[Extreme Strength]
[25% / 1.6% Complete]
[Ants can exert force many times larger than their body weight. Increase the density of the mutated individual's muscles to gain strength similar to that of an ant.]
[Time needed in hibernation: 0]
[Warning: the increase in muscle density leads to a higher consumption of stamina. Higher stamina is not included in this mutation]
Mitch nodded to himself as he read through this mutation's description. No one disliked being stronger, and this trait had a very good synergy with the Devouring power he had gained.
The only bad part was that he needed to hunt at least two more ants just for him to gain the trait, and then another two for Madeline to get it too.
The fact that his body would mutate instantly more than did up for that need however. He didn't have the time to go into hibernation, not yet at least.
[Rapid Healing]
[10% / 0.5% Complete]
[Although ants cannot regenerate limbs, they are known for being able to sustain a lot of damage before being unable to heal. This mutation increases the user's healing factor, allowing them to regenerate otherwise life-threatening injuries.]
[Time needed in hibernation: 1 year]
[Warning: regenerating from any injury requires energy. The mutated individual will expend calories available in their body at a pace proportional to the severity of the injury they are trying to heal.]
He looked below himself, at the grass that was supposed to be green. This entire time he had been bleeding, painting the ground with a shade of crimson red. This trait would be a life-saver if Mitch found himself in another sticky situation.
Mitch then shook his head. Not only did he need to eat nine more ants just for the somatic mutation, he would also need to hibernate for an entire year for the trait to become applicable.
[Reinforcecd Exoskeleton]
[50% / 10% Complete]
[Changed from: Exoskeleton]
[The individual going through this mutation already has an exoskeleton with endurance similar to that of an ant. As such, the positive aspects of both will combine to create an even more enduring shell.]
[Time needed in hibernation: 15 days]
This mutation was probably the simplest for Mitch to acquire. He already had another ant to eat to gain the genetic information necessary, and Madeline had probably fulfilled the condition already.
They could find a well-hidden spot somewhere to complete their mutation and then come back to complete his actual objective, while also eating enough ants for the other mutations as well.
Having formualted a plan in his mind, Mitch slowly stood up and started making his way back to Madeline.
[Tip: To maintain genetic integrity of the user's body, it is recommended to limit the number of mutations received from the same species to one.]
Mitch almost fell onto his face when he read the notification.