Transforming Succubus: Almost Doomsday

Mutated talent?

Zhou Baiyu furrowed his brow, not quite understanding this concept.

Sister Lin explained:

"Each of the nine professions has its own unique talent. Mutated talent is exclusive to Mutators. When they see an item, they can see a brief note about it."

"It describes the item's function and tells you if it can be mutated, the deviation rate, and so on."

"But as I've said, our god is the most playful among the nine old gods; he inherently dislikes anything standard."

"That's why Mutators are known as the most unstable profession, because... no two Mutators are the same."

"Mutated talent will merge with your personal traits to form a unique style."

"Just like your true self, both coy and deceitful... haha, the descriptions of the mutated items you see will probably also follow that style."

Zhou Baiyu blushed, Sister Lin, your last remark was really an eye-opener, blatantly obvious.

"So, different mutated talents lead to different information being seen, and with different information comes varying amounts of it. And you, you get a lot of information, which is what they call exceptional talent."

Sister Lin's words helped Zhou Baiyu understand why sometimes the notes he saw on items seemed... even more useful than those seen by the Sky Eye.

"But since we've come this far, let me give you a bit more information for free. Each Mutator's direction of mutation is also different."

"What does that mean?"

"Hmm... let me think, which of the dead Mutators was most typical? Ah, the one called the Warrioress of Love."

Sister Lin seemed to recall a very interesting person:

"There was once a Mutator, quite talented, who loved music so much that whatever item he mutated, it always had something to do with music."

"He mutated a sword that could play different tunes depending on the personality of the person being chopped."

"He also mutated a singing pot."

"And one from the more distant past, called BirdZ. Since he loved women, 80% of his mutated items were somehow related to amusing women."

"Things like a whip that hardens on sight of a woman, a flashlight that can project the perfect makeup look, or a raincoat that makes you invisible. On the battlefield, he had a spear that would make enemies emit loud moans when touched."

Zhou Baiyu was stunned.

He generally understood now that the direction of mutation could also align with the owner's personality.

"The style of notes you see, the tendencies of your items to mutate, that's your talent, something that once you become a Mutator, can't be changed. Even if you later try to develop it intentionally, it can't be changed."

Zhou Baiyu frowned, if so, what was his direction of mutation? It seemed that the items he had mutated before... had no specific nature?

It also seemed that he didn't particularly like anything.

Sister Lin seemed to know the answer, but she just smiled, saying nothing.

She pulled out a cup of wine.

"This wine will cost you all your advance points, and I won't tell you what it does. That's how our profession works~ win, and you're with models in a mansion; lose, and you serve models in a mansion."

Zhou Baiyu seriously suspected that this cup of wine was overpriced.

But as with gambling, one could also win by defying fate.

Zhou Baiyu just hoped that after drinking this wine with a dark golden hue, it might bring him decent benefits.

He hesitated for a minute, but finally, he raised the cup and gulped down the eerie liquid.

At that moment, purple patterns appeared on Zhou Baiyu's face and arms.

They resembled some kind of ancient script.

When Sister Lin saw this scene, her pipe fell onto the bar.

"Absolute Moment. This is fantastic! You've acquired a really powerful Mutator skill.

Let me enlighten you a bit, if you evolve step by step, not taking any risks, you'll most likely become a proficient Mutator or a dead one.

But if you're lucky with your bets and gamble in every situation, you might... instantly become a dead one~ or, you might become a great Mutator, acquiring some powerful mutated skills.

Such as—Absolute Moment. Simply put, this ability's activation chance increases with changes in your emotions, life points, and luck.

Normally, its activation chance is almost negligible. But once initiated...

In a short period of time, your probability of positive mutation hits its peak! "

"Is that Absolute Moment?"

Lin was startled. The cost-effectiveness of this cup of wine was actually not high. Indeed, there was a chance to obtain something valuable, perhaps similar to slashing a few thousand yuan in cash vouchers on Pinduoduo.

It was basically a gimmick.

The patterns on Zhou Baiyu's body faded, as if they had never appeared. He recalled the description in his mind and felt delighted:

"After being so unlucky for so long... Finally, finally, I produced something of value!"

It took Lin a while to accept this fact, and then she nodded:

"Indeed, once Absolute Moment is triggered, it's much stronger than 'One Shot Soul,' 'Sixth Time's the Charm,' or 'Mutator Expert.'"

"Of course, the aforementioned abilities are also great, but they just can't compare with Absolute Moment... Even though I'm a fourth-tier being, I don't possess Absolute Moment."

"But, little brother, you need to understand something, this ability greatly epitomizes the gambler's nature, and you might never be able to activate it in your lifetime."

Absolute Moment certainly has a place among the top hidden skills of Mutators.

But the conditions for its activation are extremely stringent, and neither Zhou Baiyu nor Lin could grasp them clearly—

During the ancient war of the gods, a Saint who worshipped the God of Difference and Chaos managed to activate Absolute Moment at the last minute.

In that brief moment, through infinite perfect mutations... the Saint created more than a dozen rule-level items and slaughtered three new gods in a row.

"To put it simply, this cup of wine seems like a real bargain?"

"Indeed, it's a real bargain because if it doesn't activate, it's almost like you didn't drink this cup of wine at all."

Zhou Baiyu suddenly felt enlightened:

"To a gambler, the difference between one percent and one hundred percent is just a single step."

...

...

Zhou Baiyu soon left the transfer station, having done everything he could do there.

Next, he needed to handle some issues in the original world.

Looking around the rental house, with various "real" items, he suddenly realized...

He was already living another magical life, leading the kind of existence where one's head is always at risk.

The endless mode still frightened Zhou Baiyu. He was worried about being banished to that world.

Originally, the plan was to visit the Wuren Hospital and then return home.

Now, Zhou Baiyu thought it over and decided to go home first to see his parents.

This was the most instinctive reaction when facing danger, to see the people who made him feel safest.

Zhou Baiyu arrived at the transfer station earlier than Ling Hansu. After sending Ling Hansu a message, he hurried out.

Youke New Town in Linxiang City was where Zhou Baiyu's parents lived.

Usually, when Zhou Baiyu faced difficulties, not monetary ones but rather things he couldn't figure out, he would return here to see his parents.

Interestingly, he always managed to find a solution to his problems during these visits, seemingly enlightened unexpectedly just by being with them.

His extremely lively mother and his overly serious father didn't even need to ask what problems he was encountering.

It seemed that just spending some time with them and observing their behavior in the moment could lead him to the answers to his problems.

In the elevator of Building 13, Zhou Baiyu watched many middle-aged people squeezing into the elevator, complaining in authentic Linxiang dialect about trivial daily matters such as groceries.

His mood suddenly improved. This strong sense of life made him feel relaxed.

Building 13, floor 21, apartment 21-5.

Zhou Baiyu had just approached the door when he heard his mom playing games, the sound coming loudly through external speakers. The noise was so loud that it was audible outside the door.

It sounded like some action game where the protagonist was slashing at people with a broadsword.

Zhou Baiyu knocked on the door and then heard the age-ambiguous voice of his mother shouting:

"Surname Zhou, open the door!"

"Why don't you open it if you're in the living room? In terms of efficiency, you'd be quicker."

"I'll say it just once. Zhou Zeshui, if you don't open the door, I might not be able to turn a blind eye to the 205 yuan hidden under the sofa cushion."

Click, Zhou's father swiftly walked out of the study and opened the door.