The system notification that echoed in his mind didn't surprise Richard.
When examining the system description earlier, he'd learned that it would provide prompts at certain intervals. According to its explanation, whether fighting or practicing, each use of his skills would improve their proficiency.
Additionally, using skills consumed mana.
The Octoslash he'd just performed, for instance, consumed 1 point of mana with each execution. Not just Octoslash—all his level 1 skills like Gravesong, Skyshatter, Zanshin, and Shift Slash required the same cost.
Simply put, his current mana pool of 30 points allowed him to use skills exactly 30 times before depletion.
While using skills required mana, this limitation provided another benefit: it prevented others from replicating his abilities. Even if someone perfectly reproduced the movements of techniques like Octoslash or Heavenquake, without mana, they could only mimic the form—never achieving the same devastating power.
Though he hadn't cut anything physical, Richard's intuition told him the Octoslash he'd performed could easily slice through reinforced concrete buildings, just as Sephiroth had demonstrated in "Advent Children."
Beyond combat techniques, mana could also fuel energy attacks or magic skills. However, that wasn't something he needed to focus on immediately after his transmigration.
His current template fusion was only at 5%, and he hadn't yet awakened magical abilities. From the system's description, the Sephiroth template he possessed resembled the character from the remake version of Final Fantasy VII. Beyond physical techniques like Octoslash, he would eventually gain access to magic like Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, and Aeroga.
Richard ignored the proficiency notifications in his mind and continued practicing Octoslash in the bedroom.
"Octoslash Proficiency +1"
"Octoslash Proficiency +1"
"Octoslash Proficiency +1"
After performing Octoslash multiple times and raising his proficiency to 10 points, he reluctantly ended his practice session and returned the eight-foot Masamune to his system storage space.
With the blade stored away, he made his way to the bathroom.
Silver-white hair, light green eyes, strikingly handsome features...
Examining himself in the mirror, Richard smiled with satisfaction.
Being powerful was a matter of time, but being handsome was a lifelong asset!
Though the original Richard had been quite handsome himself—somewhat reminiscent of a young Jaime Lannister—his hair had been blonde rather than silver. The eye color remained mostly unchanged; both were light green.
However, compared to his original body, his pupils had transformed into vertical slits, resembling those of a predator.
Satisfied with his appearance that would appeal to people of all ages, Richard returned to the bedroom, removed his pajamas, and changed into casual clothing.
After dressing, he didn't immediately leave the bedroom. Instead, he sat in a chair and considered his situation carefully.
According to the memories inherited from the original Richard, this world was indeed the Marvel Universe, but not purely the MCU or X-Men movie continuity. This world contained Avengers members like Iron Man and Captain America, alongside the X-Men, Brotherhood of Mutants, Hellfire Club, and Fantastic Four.
Most significantly, the United States government had enacted legislation called the Mutant Restriction Act.
This act had two primary provisions:
First, all mutants must register and submit to the oversight of the Mutant Affairs Department.
Second, except for mutants with official authorization, all others were strictly prohibited from using their powers in public.
Failure to register or unauthorized use of mutant abilities resulted in arrest by mutant agents and imprisonment in specialized mutant detention facilities.
This Mutant Restriction Act reminded Richard of the Mutant Registration Act from the X-Men films. However, while the movie version had failed to pass, this world's legislation had been successfully implemented.
The original Richard's father—a mutant who opposed the Mutant Restriction Act—had refused to register as required. Furthermore, as a billionaire, he had established an underground organization called "Crimson Manor" to aid and shelter other mutants who opposed the legislation.
The manor where Richard now found himself served as the headquarters of "Crimson Manor," housing over fifty mutants.
Two days ago, the original Richard's father had left with three other mutants for Los Angeles to welcome new members into the organization. However, information had leaked from an unknown source, resulting in their arrest by agents from the Mutant Affairs Department.
Though he now occupied the original Richard's body, the father remained essentially a stranger to him. Of course, if his abilities permitted, he wouldn't mind rescuing the man as recompense for taking over his son's body.
However, given the current circumstances, even if he wished to repay this debt, he couldn't do so anytime soon. He had no knowledge of where the father was imprisoned.
More critically, he lacked the power necessary for such a rescue operation.
He was willing to repay debts, but not at the cost of his life.
After reviewing the original Richard's memories and understanding his situation, he opened the attribute panel and examined the X-Gene Mutant Power section.
When he focused on the word [Plunder], the system immediately provided an explanation:
[Plunder: Acquire the mutant powers of those you kill. Can evolve. Current level: Beta]
[NOTE: You cannot plunder mutant powers that exceed your own level]
The system's explanation was concise—just two sentences—but sufficient for him to comprehend the original Richard's mutant ability.
Simultaneously, he understood why the original Richard's father and associates believed he had never manifested mutant powers.
Plunder the mutant powers of those you kill!
Since the original Richard had never killed anyone, his Plunder ability had never had an opportunity to activate.
Although the system didn't explicitly explain how to upgrade Plunder, Richard could make an educated guess.
Absorb other mutants' powers!
Once he accumulated a sufficient number of plundered abilities, Plunder could potentially evolve from Beta to Alpha level.
This world classified mutants into five tiers.
The official designation ranged from Level One to Level Five.
Professor Xavier and Magneto had previously advocated for a different classification system: Epsilon, Delta, Beta, Alpha, and Omega—the last symbolizing ultimate and infinite potential.
Despite the five-tier structure, most mutants preferred Xavier and Magneto's terminology—Gamma, Beta, and Alpha—when describing their power levels.
This preference stemmed partly from most mutants' distaste for the Mutant Restriction Act and its official classifications. Additionally, terms like Beta, Alpha, and Omega simply carried more weight than Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5.
Although power levels existed, they didn't directly translate to combat effectiveness. Not all mutant abilities were suitable for battle.
After closing the attribute panel, Richard recalled the conversation he'd overheard before fully awakening.
While he couldn't identify the speakers, one thing was certain: they intended to expel him from the manor.
The moment the original Richard's father had been captured, they wanted to abandon his son!
These people certainly knew how to "show gratitude"!
Just moments ago, Richard had been wondering where he might acquire his first mutant power through Plunder.
Now, he had potential targets!
If these individuals—taken in and protected by the original Richard's father—were truly so ungrateful, then they couldn't blame him for showing no mercy after he'd inherited this body!
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