In truth, it wasn't just Dead-binding that attracted monsters.
Live-binding and transformations caused the same thing; performing such actions in monster territory was equivalent to activating an “aggro” effect.
This was why, during her time in the Phantom Realm in her past life, she had rarely switched her Live-binding slots unless it was absolutely necessary.
For instance, Dead-binding was directly related to growing stronger, so it was a must—but it also required clearing the area beforehand.
And now, hearing the footsteps and digging sounds from above, Mo Shao knew she had been targeted.
Hilichurls naturally possessed a digging behavior, so this kind of operation wasn't beyond their capabilities.
However, it didn't matter. She had no interest in fighting these guys right now; her “surgery” wasn't finished yet.
She would just dig a tunnel and slip away, leaving them up there to be slowly bewildered. Oh, and she would block the dirt back up behind her as she went.
Since the Dead-binding process had already finished, they had lost her exact position; they were only digging downward based on instinct now.
After digging for so long without finding anyone, if Hilichurls had complex emotions, they would probably be cursing right about now.
“Why did you just run away?! That's not how it's supposed to go in the apocalypse!”
Well... that was a bit of an abstract thought.
...
After tunneling away from the ruins, Mo Shao found a secluded corner to begin her final operations.
First, she had to shrink the Jewel of Life a bit. This was simple.
Since it was already Dead-bound to her, her “permissions” over the object were at the maximum. Manipulating it was naturally very easy.
Of course, it was easy for a “veteran” like her—most beginners wouldn't be able to pull off this kind of maneuver.
The second step... As everyone knew, Dead-bound items could be directly merged into the body, so she only needed to make some fine adjustments.
Mo Shao closed her eyes, sensing the Jewel of Life with her mental strength and slowly controlling its movement within her body.
After about three minutes, Mo Shao successfully moved it to the position of her liver, located below her right lung.
This area had the lowest priority for attacks on the human torso and was also the place where she could best protect its safety.
The final step was to slowly transition the Jewel of Life out of its special state and into a physical integration.
This step required the most caution; going even slightly too far would result in her liver being directly crushed.
Mo Shao spent about half an hour on the fusion, and the moment it was complete—energy began to circulate through her body!
A surge of vitality quickly filled her entire being. Mo Shao raised her hand, and five types of energy interwove within her palm, exceptionally magnificent.
...
However, she wasn't done yet.
The [Liver · Jewel of Life] was complete, but her Soul Gem hadn't been protected inside it yet.
Mo Shao first used mana to create a sterile vacuum in her immediate surroundings to prevent any potential contamination.
The next move required some ruthlessness!
Mo Shao took off her clothes, enchanted her fingertips with Dragon energy, and tore a small rift into her skin just below her right breast.
Then, she took her Soul Gem off its necklace and forced it into her liver!
“Sss—!” Even with Mo Shao’s endurance, she couldn't help but suck in a cold breath, her face twisting in pain.
The pain was staggeringly extreme, especially since she had been a motorcycle in her past life—her perception of pain then couldn't compare to now!
Fortunately, under the powerful vitality provided by the Jewel of Life and the supply of her own mana, she managed to complete the task.
Soul Gem + Jewel of Life—this way, as long as this core remained, she could always come back to life.
From now on, this would be her true Life Core; her heart was just for show... well, not entirely for show.
The functions of this physical body still required the heart.
She could only say that if her current skills weren't so underdeveloped, she would have liked to create a second heart here.
However, placing it at the liver had some additional effects.
Metabolism, digestion, detoxification, immunity, coagulation, regulation... she had gained significant enhancements in all these areas.
The increase in her life force was the most obvious; by the time she used mana like thread to sew the opening shut, a scab had already formed.
At this rate, it would probably be fully repaired in a short while.
...
On a more transcendent level, she had obtained energy of five attributes: Water, Earth, Grass, Thunder, and Dragon.
Although she hadn't gained any specific spells or skills yet, she was already capable of some basic operations.
Creating water out of thin air, stimulating plant growth, releasing electricity, generating earth and stone... though she was still a bit puzzled regarding the Dragon attribute.
For now, she could only gather Dragon power to fire off some energy attacks—like a Dragon Magic Missile.
But this was enough for now, because the lethality of a Dragon Magic Missile was indeed quite high.
Among these five attributes, without a doubt, the one Mo Shao would use most frequently in the near future was the Thunder attribute.
Water, Earth, and Grass weren't for dealing damage, and the Dragon attribute would require some contemplation since it was indeed a bit ethereal.
If she could find a few Dragon-type Pokémon and study them, she could probably speed up her progress.
On the other hand, for Thunder, even without spells or skills, she could just discharge electricity—simple, crude, and high damage!
Furthermore, there were very few carbon-based organisms that weren't weak to Thunder, not to mention it could also hit various ghost-type monsters.
The Thunder element truly had so much potential!
...
And that wasn't all. Aside from her offensive capabilities becoming much stronger, her defense also received a significant boost!
She was now immune to attacks from these five attributes!
Of course, it wasn't as exaggerated as it sounded, since attacks in the real world weren't pure elemental damage.
Most carried physical impact effects; she could block elemental damage now, but she couldn't block physical damage.
As for what attacks the Dragon attribute could block?
First, it could naturally block Dragon-attribute attacks from the Pokémon world, just like the other attributes.
Since they shared the same origin, it was only natural.
Against external forces—it would likely provide some damage reduction when facing attacks from monsters certified as “Dragons.”
However, there was still one flaw—she could currently only call upon one attribute and be immune to one attribute's attacks at a time.
After all, even Arceus in the games had to switch Plates; a novice among novices like her naturally couldn't do it all at once yet.
But she could probably manage it once she developed further; only the Arceus in the games had to switch Plates.
How could the real Arceus be that weak?!
Fantasy and reality were not to be confused!
Rate on N.U.
