"I was right!" James exclaimed. "Even with the same reward tier, I got better stuff."

Next to him, Elaine sighed, shaking her head. "If you call a few more Virality Gems and some weird pants 'better,' then sure, let's go with that."

"Someone's jealous, princess," James teased. "If you ask nicely, maybe I will give you one gem. What do you think? Just say please."

Elaine narrowed her eyes, her fingers twitching. Seeing this, Isaac quickly stepped in before a fight could break out. While the woman could take a joke or two, she didn't appreciate anyone stepping on her pride. In that way, the two of them were quite alike—at least now that he found his place in the world.

"All right, enough of that," he said, raising his hands to stop the duo. "What else did both of you get?"

After shooting James a glare, Elaine listed all of the stuff in her Storage Brand, which pretty much amounted to Virality Gems, Inferior Ascension Fruit, and Virus Blueprints that taught her the remaining Viron filtering techniques. Finally, just like him, she had also received an item that would allow her to temporarily improve her connection to her Origin.

James went next, and true to his earlier boast, his rewards were a little better. In addition to everything Elaine had gotten, he had two extra Normal-grade Virality Gems and sleek dark blue pants that apparently could stop most blades below Superior-grade.

All in all, not a bad haul.

"What about you, Mr. Number one?" Elaine asked, tilting her head. "What did they give you?"

Isaac looked down at his Storage Brand and pushed out the feather. "This," he said, holding it up. "And"—he gestured to his boots—"these. Other than that, it's pretty much the same stuff as yours. Only I got no blueprints, and my gems were of Superior-grade."

James let out a low whistle. "This thing can advance your Legacy? Holy damn. Arcane-grade, huh? Just how high is that?"

Isaac frowned. "Good question. Gimme a second. I have an idea."

With that, he sent the Interface a command—something he should have probably tested a long time ago. More so because it worked.

Interface: Grades.

[Grades - a simple system used to define how rare or powerful an item or skill is. Currently unlocked: Inferior - Normal - Superior - Mystic - Arcane - Eternal - ???]

Huh. Isaac blinked, his gaze dropping to the crimson tattoo on his right hand. That's nice. And to think that Root of War still outclasses everything I've gotten so far.

For some, Root of Blood might not seem that special for an object with such a high grade before its transformation, but he disagreed. The blade was still the most valuable weapon in his arsenal. Its sheer power, constant guidance on how to wield it, and the potential to grow stronger beat anything the Interface had given him up until this point.

Without it, he would have never been able to become a one-man army right after returning from the Pioneer Trial. That was a fact, one he understood very well. After all, where else would he have found a weapon that sliced through flesh and bone like a hot knife through butter?

Nowhere.

"Isaac?" Elaine nudged his shoulder. "Everything all right?"

Pushing thoughts of the Root out of his mind, he nodded. "Yeah, sorry. Was just checking something with the Interface."

He then proceeded to explain to them what he found about the grades. It wasn't much, but still a useful bit of knowledge.

"Eternal," James muttered. "At least it sounds cool… Makes you wonder what comes after that."

Isaac shrugged. "Only one way to find out. Doubt we will see it anytime soon, though."

"With how fast you're progressing?" Elaine said, smirking. "I give it two weeks, maybe three." She gestured to the object in his hand. "Are you using it now?"

"I probably should, huh?" he muttered, quickly glancing at their surroundings. Still no Wretched in sight. "Cover me just in case. Knowing the Interface, I'm in for some pain again."

James snorted. "Honestly, man? I think that's just your Origin. Neither of us had it half as bad as you did."

"We will see after Elaine unlocks her Legacy," Isaac grumbled, preparing to transform. "Maybe you were just lucky."

"What is that supposed to mean?" The woman crossed her arms, almost pouting. "Are you wishing pain on me now, Isaac? What was that about starting over?"

Instead of answering and potentially digging himself a deeper grave, he just shifted into his Legacy form and cawed once at her. Elaine snorted.

"Coward."

Isaac didn't grace that with an answer and turned to the red feather that now lay before him. He took a deep breath, gathered Viron around his beak, and poked the object.

Nothing.

He tried again.

Still nothing.

"Uh, boss," James cut in. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

Isaac shot him a glare, squawking. The man raised his hands in surrender and backed off. "All right, all right," he muttered. "You do you then. We will be right here… watching. Definitely not judging."

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Scowling, Isaac picked up the feather and turned away from his grinning teammates. It wasn't his fault the Interface gave instructions on how to use its items only half the time. He would have liked to see them doing better in his place.

Okay, I could try eating it, but that just sounds like a terrible idea. Let's leave it as a last resort, he mused. Maybe I need more Viron, or…

He paused as a thought struck him.

Damn, I'm stupid. Freedom mode.

Pure Immortal Mana flooded his body, and without waiting for the inevitable pain to come, Isaac slammed his beak on the feather again. This time, the effect was instantaneous.

The massive feather shattered into a cloud of crimson particles. At first, they just swirled in place, but after a few seconds, they all shot toward him. He closed his eyes and braced himself. This wasn't his first rodeo, after all.

As predicted, sharp pain erupted from his chest—from his Origin and the spark holding his Legacy. He squawked and fell beak-first on the ground as an inferno spread through his veins. He felt his body shift, bones breaking and muscles tearing before rebuilding themselves into something new, something stronger.

Maybe James was right, he thought through the pain. Maybe my Origin really hates me.

Thankfully, before long, the inferno ravaging his body faded, leaving behind a dull, almost comforting ache. Isaac slowly opened his eyes and raised to his two little feet.

Oh…

Why a reaction like that? Easy. Everything around him was no longer as massive as before. Sure, it was far from the perspective of a grown human, but it was still a definitive improvement to his size. He could easily reach Elaine's knees now.

"And there goes your cuteness. It was nice while it lasted," the woman stated as she crouched before him. "Feeling good there, Isaac?"

He blinked and nodded with a caw. Though, only about half of his attention was on Elaine. The rest was locked on the notifications hovering in front of him.

Congratulations! Your Legacy has advanced to its next growth stage (Adult). Your resistance to Pure Immortal Mana has been slightly enhanced. Thanks to consuming the Blessed Feather of Bloodraven, you have unlocked a new Inheritance, Rootveins.

[Inheritance: Rootveins] You have now adapted the Rootveins of a Bloodraven. With them, control over Viron and Mana becomes slightly easier. Additionally, thanks to this enhanced system, your body will heal a bit faster. Affects both forms.

Weird name, but okay. Anything that helps with control and regeneration is welcome, Isaac admitted internally, dismissing the notification. With a sharp tug on his Legacy, he transformed back into a human.

To his surprise, there was no pain involved. That said, he felt different, or rather his Viron did. It flowed slower, moving along pathways that definitely weren't there before. The Rootveins.

Nice, he thought before looking up at his teammates. "Something's on my face?"

Elaine furrowed her brow. "You could say that… Check your arms, Issac."

What?

Still, considering how serious they both looked, he did as was told, letting his gaze drift lower. Then, just as his eyes fell to the bit of skin that was left uncovered, he couldn't help but gasp.

"What in the hell…"

"Took the words out of my mouth," James said, a weird look on his face. "Boss, you turning into an alien or what?"

"No idea," Isaac muttered, gazing upon the crimson veins that now glowed faintly underneath his skin. Normally, they should be blue or green, yet somehow, his new Inheritance must have changed that, too. "Guess now we know our Inheritance can affect our appearance too."

"Is that what this is?" James asked, getting a nod in return. "Damn, now I'm worried. I swear, if I start growing horns or something, you better chop them off. Deal?"

"Why?" Elaine raised an eyebrow, a grin playing on her lips. "I think that would be an improvement. What do you say, Isaac?"

He tilted his head, pretending to consider it. "Possibly."

James clutched his chest in mock horror. "That's betrayal, man! Where's Ari when I need her? She would never say such hurtful things to me."

Isaac stifled a snort. Yeah, doubt that. Still, he refrained from saying that outloud and instead settled on. "All right, ignoring that I'm now a walking glow stick, let's head back."

The others nodded, and the team turned to leave.

The temporary camp for the wounded hadn't changed much during their absence. More people milled about now, and a few extra makeshift tents had gone up, but otherwise, it was still just a ruined street lined with the injured… and the dead.

"He's inside," Linda told them once they stopped before one of the few tents. "He's still weak, so please make it quick, okay?"

Isaac nodded and ducked inside, the others following close behind.

As the woman said, the Colonel was waiting inside, sitting up on a makeshift bed made of debris and all kinds of clothing. His torso was wrapped tightly in bandages, and it was immediately clear that his right arm was missing.

"Ah… I figured I would see you three sooner or later," Williams rasped, his voice hoarse. "I heard what happened to Mr. Thomson. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks, old man," James muttered. "Though you're not looking too great yourself."

Williams smiled wryly. "But I'm alive. An arm is nothing compared to what we lost today." He sighed. "But I'm pretty sure you didn't come here to be reminded of that. So what can I do for you?"

"We're leaving," Isaac stated, not beating around the bush. "People in Galt need to know what happened here."

The Colonel nodded. "I expected as much. But we also both know you don't need my permission for that. So what is it?"

"We just didn't want to leave without a word," Elaine stepped in. "One of our reasons for coming to Sacramento was to make contact with other survivors. We're hoping you won't be against working with people of Galt if they arrive here."

"Not an issue," Williams replied. "Even if the task is finished, humanity still needs to stand united. You all saw the notification. Integration's just beginning. I will welcome anyone who wants to help with open hands… well, hand now."

"Then that's all we wanted." Isaac nodded. "We will be on our way. Wish you a fast recovery."

The older man chuckled. "Thank you. And safe travels, you three."

With that, the trio left the tent. Once outside, James let out a snort. "Well, that wasn't awkward at all."

Yeah… Isaac grimaced. Diplomatic, he was not. He turned to the only woman on the team. "Elaine. From now on, you do the talking. I'm too blunt, and James will just land us in a fight."

"Oi! That's slander!" the older man protested.

Elaine, though, ignored him and sighed. "Fine, but it's not like my people skills are that much better. If I fuck something up, it's on you."

Isaac shrugged. "I can live with that."

"Of course you can," she muttered. "Are we running straight to Galt?"

He shook his head. "Supplies first. Then we run."

Just like that, they left the camp behind. They had about eight hours left before the Integration stage would begin. Isaac just hoped it was enough time to reach Galt on foot with their enhanced bodies.

We will see, I guess…

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