Orion watched as the transformation finalized.

As the body settled, the inherited memories of the newborn consciousness—the ones Orion had just absorbed—flooded his mind. He instantly recognized the specs of this new vessel.

Abyssal Dreadfin.

It was an ancient Siren bloodline, carrying the latent genetic code of a Demigod.

But "latent" was the operative word. Just because the hardware was Demigod-level didn't mean the software was ready. The transformation didn't instantly grant him Demigod power; it only unlocked the potential to reach that tier. It was a Level 1 character with a Legendary stat cap.

Orion felt a wave of buyer's remorse wash over him.

He had lost a highly versatile Mirror Avatar for this.

Breaking down the transaction, the math was brutal. It was a net loss. A bad trade.

First, the Mirror Avatar had burned itself out. That was a fact. It had spammed bloodline sacrifices until its HP hit zero, triggering the [Siren Regeneration] hidden passive.

Second, the corpse mutated into an Abyssal Dreadfin with Demigod potential. The conversion was perfect; the bloodline data was fully overwritten.

Third, Orion had spawn-camped the new consciousness, wiping the drive and taking manual control of the Abyssal Dreadfin body.

So, on paper, he traded a Mirror Avatar for an Abyssal Dreadfin.

But in terms of utility? The Dreadfin was a downgrade.

The deal-breaker was the interface. Now that the transformation was complete, the Abyssal Dreadfin had de-synced from his Data Panel. It was no longer a "skill" or a "summon." It was just... a biological entity. It couldn't share Orion's skills. It wouldn't level up when he leveled up.

That was the tragedy. The scalability was gone.

However, this failure did highlight a massive revelation about the system mechanics.

The Mirror Avatar skill had dropped from the Wolf King's loot box back in the day. Thinking back, the Wolf King—a mid-tier boss at best—had no business dropping a skill with such absurdly high potential.

The math didn't add up, unless...

The loot tables are rigged.

Orion formulated a new theory: Every item dropped from a Survivor's Box, whether gear or skills, was optimized by the Survivor's Platform. The system was modifying the code, buffing the drops to ensure the Survivors could actually use them to their full potential.

Are we Awakened actually getting stronger on our own? Or are we just being patch-buffered by the devs?

Is the Survivor's Platform really just a passive interface?

Orion wasn't the same rookie he used to be. As his power grew, he started seeing the seams in the reality the Platform presented.

And seeing half made him desperate to see the rest.

Let's hypothesize, he thought, staring at the ceiling. When a Survivor hits Demigod, the Terms of Service must change.

Arthas, Leonidas, Alexander, Edward... none of the big bros ever talk about their specific privileges. It has to be an NDA. A literal gag order embedded in the system.

Maybe being an Arch Lord isn't high enough clearance to view those files yet.

Orion had a dozen theories, but he wasn't in a rush to prove them. He already had one foot in the Demigod realm. The truth was inevitable.

He closed his eyes and alt-tabbed his mind into the Survivor's Platform communication interface.

[Alliance Channel: Champions Alliance]

Hulk: Bro, your warning came in a little too late.

Hulk: I got cocky. I underestimated the Unhallowed. The Mirror Avatar I sent to hold the line on the second layer of the Abyss? It's gone. Wiped.

Technically, he wasn't lying. The Mirror Avatar as a system entity was dead. The new Abyssal Dreadfin was completely off the grid. And considering he had to nuke the newborn consciousness the second it spawned, describing it as a "wipe" was accurate enough.

Orion was now piloting a submarine in the deep ocean, but to the chat, he just wanted to report the casualty.

Hulk: To quote Leonidas: for anyone trying to expand into the Abyss, take it from me. Don't try to stat-check the Unhallowed. I just paid the tuition fee, and it was expensive.

He was sharing intel—a perk of being in the alliance. He pinged Kraken, Makareth, and Isabella specifically.

Leonidas: Hahaha! Seeing you suffer really heals my soul, bro. My weeping heart has suddenly dried its tears.

Leonidas: But for real, your body of faith is okay, right? It didn't get scattered?

Leonidas was a classic tank: he loved watching others get hit, but he'd still check your health bar afterward.

Hulk: The body of faith is intact. But the fuel consumption? Insane. Way higher than I projected.

Hulk: I finally get why the Arch Lords and Demigods barely ever deploy their body of faith.

Hulk: I can't afford the upkeep. They definitely can't either.

This wasn't Orion being humble. The battle of attrition had been terrifying. He had assumed a Peak Arch Lord—even a corrupted one—had a limit.

But the Unhallowed was broken. Its combat power was way above a Demigod Phantom. It was pushing into Demigod First Step territory. The resource drain required to put it down still made Orion's wallet ache.

Leonidas: Exactly. Why do you think Deputy Commander, Arthas, and Alexander are always "entering slumber"? It's not a nap, it's battery saver mode.

Leonidas: I can't afford the bill, and neither can they. Hahaha...

Leonidas seemed genuinely happy to have someone else in the "broke on mana" club. Misery really did love company.

Kraken: Hulk. Mak says you were fighting like a literal god down there. You got a speech prepared?

Kraken: Tell us, what's it like up there in the clouds? Do you feel that supreme arrogance? Do we all look like ants to you? Do you feel like you could delete the universe with a snap?

Kraken was trolling, but Orion paused. He thought about the sheer difference in power he had just felt. He typed back with absolute seriousness.

Hulk: If the enemy was you? In that state, I could take ten thousand of you.

Hulk: Actually, make that a hundred thousand. Simultaneously.

Hulk: If you think I'm capping, ask Makareth.

Orion smirked. He was using Kraken's emotional damage to offset his own grief over the lost avatar.

The chat went silent.

Kraken didn't reply. Makareth didn't jump in to correct him.

The silence was the confirmation.

Kraken couldn't ask Makareth, and Makareth wouldn't dignify the question with an answer because the answer was obvious.

That silence hit Kraken harder than any insult could have.

And sensing Kraken's salt... it made Orion feel just a little bit better. Using someone else's pain to soothe your own wounds? He'd learned that trick from Leonidas.

And he was putting it to good use immediately.

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