'Function' made Tatehan's mind tense with suspense and anticipation, and he hoped that whatever came from the core would be good.

[Ability Enhancement Core]

[Effect: Upgrades existing compatible ability by 2 levels]

Tatehan stared at the words in shock.

"What the fu—"

He felt a brief flicker of disappointment. This was completely unexpected.

Ability enhancement cores? Wasn't this the type he got from the lunatic carapace brutenecks?

Why was a serpent tail variant now containing the same thing?

It just didn't make sense.

From what he knew, specific types of creatures on this planet (at least the ones he had fought) came with the same cores.

The carapace brutenecks came with the same type of cores (the mode restoration cores). Any carapace bruteneck he killed would carry just the mode restoration cores and nothing different.

This was the same with the lunatics, they came with upgrade glowing cores and all of them had the same thing.

This wasn't an exception with the knight brutenecks either; their cores all served the same function for him. They all powered his kinetic absorption armor, bringing it to life.

And just when he thought it would be the same process with the serpent tail brutenecks, it was suddenly different. These creatures had broken the pattern, and now instead of the second creature's core granting him an ability just like the first one had done, it was for upgrading the levels of his existing abilities?

'Wait…'

The description of the core had shown:

[Effect: Upgrades existing compatible ability by 2 levels]

The one word that caught his attention here was 'Compatible'. This meant that the cores couldn't just upgrade a random ability but only the one it was compatible with.

Maybe the core was different after all.

While the upgrade glowing cores upgraded any of his abilities, this one only upgraded the one it selected—the one it was compatible with.

But then, that didn't change the fact that it should have done what the other serpent tail bruteneck core had done.

[Compatible ability detected: Heightened Perception (Level 1)]

[Absorption will upgrade Heightened Perception to Level 3]

[Warning: Absorption is irreversible]

[Recommendation: Absorb to strengthen newly acquired ability]

Tatehan's eyebrows rose in a not-so-excited manner.

So an upgrade for the one he'd just gotten. Two levels worth of improvement immediately, jumping from Level 1 to Level 3.

With a shrug, Tatehan decided to just go with the flow.

It would have been good getting overpowered this early but then… whatever.

He decided to actually see this core in a positive light, shifting from the negative way he was currently perceiving it.

Getting a brand new ability to Level 3 immediately was incredibly valuable. It would take time and effort to level up abilities through normal use. This was a shortcut that would make Heightened Perception far more useful right away.

"Better duration, shorter cooldown, more precise enhancements," Tatehan said, reviewing the description again. "Yeah, I'll take it."

Without hesitation, he focused on the core.

The same process repeated, the glow intensifying, the warmth spreading, the core dissolving into pure energy. But this time, the energy didn't flow into his body. It simply dissolved and was gone like that.

Text appeared:

[Ability Enhancement Core successfully absorbed]

[Heightened Perception upgraded!]

[Level 1 → Level 3]

Ability Name: Heightened Perception (Level 3)

[Description:]

[This ability allows the user to perceive the world in extreme slow motion. While the environment continues at normal speed, their senses are heightened so that time appears to slow down dramatically from their perspective. This enhanced perception grants the user the ability to detect minute details and subtle changes that would otherwise go unnoticed.]

[Effect on Movement and Reaction:]

[The user's physical movement speed remains unchanged. However, thanks to their already enhanced reflexes, they can react far faster to threats or opportunities since their brain processes sensory input in slowed time.]

[Duration and Cooldown:]

[Can be activated for 3 minutes per use.]

[After use, requires a cooldown period of 1 hour before it can be used again.]

[Additional Enhancements at Level 3:]

[Visual acuity enhanced—can track objects moving at high speed with perfect clarity.]

[HOST STATUS]

Name: Tatehan

Level: 7

Species: Human (Enhanced)

Knowledge: 108/200 [+5]

Repair Points: 47/100

[ABILITIES]

• Gravity Manipulation - Level 7

• Regeneration (Partial) - Level 5

• Enhanced Durability - Level 0.9

• Heightened Perception - Level 3 [NEW!]

[INVENTORY:]

[Shadow Goblin Cores: 56 total]

[Tri-Edge Shadow Chakrams]

[Map]

[Shadow-Forged Blade]

[Kinetic Absorption Armor]

[Devastator Hand Cannon]

[Mode Restoration Cores: 3]

Tatehan grinned widely.

Three minutes instead of one. One hour cooldown instead of two. Track high-speed objects perfectly?

This was no longer just useful, it was actually powerful to an extent.

Just when he had thought the ability upgrade cores were useless, it had proved to be effective.

Though he would have preferred the ability-granting cores anytime, any day. But this was great… to an extent.

"Perfect," Tatehan said aloud.

He looked down at the two massive corpses, then back toward the route that led to the Spaceship.

Today had been a good day. A very good day.

When he had told the Spaceship's AI that he was going on a walk to kill some brutenecks, the AI, as always being cautious, had told him that it didn't think it was such a good idea. That he needed to rest and blah blah blah.

But now see what he had achieved during this little walk to kill brutenecks, something he intended to be a light exercise.

Mode restoration cores acquired, new species of brutenecks discovered, new ability acquired, and immediately upgraded to Level three.

Tatehan started walking back, his mind already planning how and when to use his new power.

If he had gotten this ability before he fought Mub, it would have been really helpful in the fight. He might not even have needed Riven's help with the earbud stuff.

If Mub threw a punch or swung his axe at him, Tatehan would simply activate the ability, dodge, and throw hits with his enhanced reflexes before Mub did anything.

He would have made the fight less painful for himself and more painful for Mub.

Basically beat the hell out of the guy, then use the one-punch finisher.

It would have been really cool. At least he wouldn't be so sore and in enormous pain after the fight like he had been.

During the trip back to the spaceship, he didn't encounter many brutenecks, and surprisingly he knew his way better than usual.

Before, he always found his way, but this was different, he seemed to know the exact route to follow.

This wasn't because of his enhanced brain or anything but simply a common thing.

He had passed this place so much he seemed to have registered the route in his mind (thanks to his enhanced brain though).

Overall, he encountered five common brutenecks heading to the Spaceship. He didn't even bother to fight them properly. All he did was summon his chakrams and threw them both at once. That single throw killed all five brutenecks.

Then he met three carapace brutenecks, which he used a single bullet for.

The…

THOOM!

...had ended all three of them.

The earlier adrenaline in him before he left the Spaceship to do some actual fighting had left him. He still fought though, but now did it the easier way, using his chakrams and his gun.

He decided to do things that easier way. There was no point in waving his sowed and doing fancy good looking fighting when he had weapons that could make it easy.

The gun was actually very useful now that it had been upgraded, and even prior to the upgrading it was actually good. The nurse had given him a very valuable tool.

He thought of when he would go to the Red Crest clan again and decided he would have to do so very soon, even before he engaged in any core hunting business with Riven.

He had not seen Lyra in a while, so he'd like to do so soon, though seeing her would put some guilt in his heart because he was the one who killed her father. But he was over this guilt stuff.

Kael wasn't the only human he had killed on Mars now—Mub was now an addition, and the clan wasn't against him after.

Though he was sure they'd be against him for killing Kael.

'They'll never know,' Tatehan thought.

Kael had told him to forgive himself and not think so deeply of it, and that was what he would do going forward.

Now seeing the Spaceship in the distance, Tatehan sighed softly.

Words appeared across his retina:

[HOST STATUS]

Name: Tatehan

Level: 7

Species: Human (Enhanced)

Knowledge: 108/200

Repair Points: 47/100

[ABILITIES]

• Gravity Manipulation - Level 7

• Regeneration (Partial) - Level 5

• Enhanced Durability - Level 0.9 [+0.2]

• Heightened Perception - Level 3

[INVENTORY:]

[Shadow Goblin Cores: 56 total]

[Tri-Edge Shadow Chakrams]

[Map]

[Shadow-Forged Blade]

[Kinetic Absorption Armor]

[Devastator Hand Cannon]

[Mode Restoration Cores: 6] [+3]

He acquired three mode restoration cores from the three carapace brutenecks he killed; now he had six in total.

What he wondered was whether they'd be able to restore a new mode.

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