In the game, Mia a.s.signed 500 soldier ants, which had scary status attributes, to protect Shelter 88 and its people. He would a.s.sign more once another batch of his babies was strong enough.

.

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Name - Army Ant C1407

Race – Inferno Formicidae

Cla.s.s – Soldier Ant

Subcla.s.s - Harvester

Level – 15

.

for visiting.

STR – 2,150

VIT – 2,150

STM – 1,500

AGI – 1,500

DEX – 1,500

INT – 200

WIS – 100

Luck – 5

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.

With their strength and vitality, they could serve as meat s.h.i.+elds against bullets or become vanguards for close combat. Also, they could dig tunnels and ambush enemies from the underground.

Crystal gave Mia a repaired Prometheus since he could operate it. In exchange, she wanted him to teach them how they could pilot the remaining five models without the Psionic Link skill.

Inside the new hanger, a new military base that had been newly constructed as an expanded base on the surface, Mia was surrounded by many pilots.

They were admiring the mech, exciting that they might be able to pilot these toys soon.

"Can you teach us the skill? Can we learn it?"

Thorn, Dolphin, and other survivors were enthusiastic about this topic. They wanted to try the esper robots, too.

Mia sighed, "Psionic Link requires telepathy knowledge and sixth sense. It's something that you naturally get during your evolution."

Dolphin was disappointed, "So, we can't learn it?"

"I'm sorry."

All pilots were dejected.

Sebastian also had a headache, "Then, these robots will become junk. We can have it, but we can't operate it."

Mia and everyone were at a loss. They had repaired these robots, but none of them could use it other than Mia and Misha.

Tiny, who was following Mia around, turned to the pilots and crews.

"Does any of you have diamonds?"

Thorn looked back at Tiny, "We have some."

"Then, you should try to contact the G.o.ddess Lilith if she can sell you the necessary skill."

The entire hangar was in an uproar the instant Tiny mentioned that they could buy skills from the G.o.ddess.

"We can?"

"Really?"

"Unbelievable!"

"That easy!?"

Tiny opened her game menu and tried to show it to everyone. However, none of them could see her game interface.

"I see that none of you has tributed diamonds to the G.o.ddess yet. I suggest everybody here to donate 100 diamonds to Lilith, so she can activate VIP1 status for you. After that, you can use a game menu, status menu, game interfaces, and many options. Among the options, you can send tickets to the G.o.ddess if you require help. However, she might charge you diamonds for her advice if the question involves cla.s.sified information."

Crystal also heard Tiny's suggestion. As a frugal woman, she had saved up several thousands of diamonds from her gel-diamond margin trade in secret. She tested the water by donating 100 diamonds to Lilith, activating her VIP1 status.

>

>

Game interface screens and menu appeared before Crystal. Her game-like status attributes, skills, cla.s.s, and option menus flashed one after another.

She also gained enlightenment.

"We're living in a game world, aren't we?"

The harsh truth pained everyone who activated their status menu for the first time. Had this world not been a game, none of these status menus could have appeared. It also explained the existence of otherworlders, the players.

Crystal was a strong woman. She might have a heartache, but she did not despair.

Instead, she believed she had an opportunity to make a difference.

"Let's see. Text the G.o.ddess Lilith? Messenger menu … Friend List … G.o.ddess Inquiry! Found it."

Crystal requested help using the b.u.t.ton [G.o.ddess Inquiry] right away. However, she received an auto-message from the game system.

>

She did not give up. Browsing through the VIP shop, which had expensive retail items for sale, Crystal found her desired skill.

As she had expected, it was unreasonably expensive.

>

>

Crystal bit her lower lips. She would never buy something this overpriced.

Still, her brain did not stop functioning. Crystal was someone with keen intelligence and 2,000 WIS as her highest status. 

She looked at the skill that Mia used to consult with her in the past.

[Mating Season]

Crystal's face blushed.

'Mia has that cross-breeding ability. Will this skill work with him?'

This skill was unique, which only female mutants and monsters could possess.

.

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>

Level 1 / 100

Seeds 0 / 1,000

Automatically activates when the player mates with a spouse of the same race.

Increase the player character's EXP based on (skill level x 10) + (partner's level x (skill level/2)) for each e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n.

Increase the player's stamina and pleasure sensitivity by 1.5 times during the mating activities.

Collective seeds increase each time the player is inseminated by the spouse.

The player can lay an egg once the collective seed reaches 1,000. The player will gain a bonus of one level and bonus free status attributes in random for each egg.

This skill only works at a certain time of year.

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.

Crystal sent a ticket to Lilith again. This time, she inquired if she could copy a skill from her partner by using this skill.

*Aha Meow!?* (What are you thinking, my love!?)

*Aha Meow!?* (Are you really going to get that skill no matter what!?)

"Shut it! I do whatever I want!"

*Aha Meow!* (Unacceptable! You're mine! Mine alone!)

Elvis, Crystal's eggcat partner, was throwing a tantrum in jealousy. His eight tentacle arms behind her back swung up and down, wiggling like a child waving his arms to protest his mother.

While Elvis was panicking, Lilith answered them.

[Once Mating Season reaches level 50 or higher, you can copy one skill from your partner. However, you will also have to get your seed collection to 1,000 as a condition. The cooldown of copying pa.s.sive is ten years.]

Crystal's brain continued to calculate. She thought that if she and Thorn could grind this skill to level 50 first, then she might be able to cheat the game by taking Mia's seed to fill the 1,000 quotas.

Unfortunately, Lilith had detected her cheating plan.

[A note for this skill. Mating Season can only be used with one spouse. Should you mate with your second spouse after you have activated this skill, you will not get any EXP or ability from your partner.]

Crystal was shocked. If this skill only worked with her first partner, then her relations.h.i.+p with Thorn might get complicated.

She could be honest and give her body and her soul to Thorn, but Crystal would not get the expensive Psionic Link skill from Mia.

Had she chosen to obtain the skill through Mia, she would have had to get pregnant to get the ability. Then, her relations.h.i.+p with Thorn might fall apart.

Crystal sighed, 'I'm not a s.l.u.t. I can't do it after all.'

In the hangar, Crystal was not the only one with this idea. Many female pilots and hangar workers had a similar thought.

While everyone hesitated, one of the girls approached Mia.

Boldly, she asked him with her reddened face, "Castellan, do you have time today?"

Mia turned to the mutant girl. She was a demi-human, who was working in this hangar as a reserve mech pilot.

"I do. Can I help you?"

The girl stuttered in a quiet voice, "C-Can you make me pregnant?"

Although the voice was almost silent, all mutants here had enhanced five senses that they could hear every word that she said.

All male pilots stared at her with their mouth agape.

For a whole minute, the buzzing noise of all workers silenced.

As if she boosted all courage of the other female mutants, more female pilots shoved men aside and hugged Mia.

"Mate me, please! I'll use my [Mating Season] on you!"

"No! Pick me as your spouse! I won't disappoint you at night!"

"I-I'm a virgin! I'll give you my first time. Give me your baby, please!"

Mia widened his eyes and gawked at all-female mutants with [WTF] expression on his face. Thorn, Dolphin, Sebastian, and every man were the same.

"What's this about? Why do you want my baby!?" Mia was baffled by the development. He turned to Tiny, requesting her aid with his gesture.

Tiny coughed as she used her telekinesis to yank all girls from her husband, "You girls sure got guts flirting with my husband. What's wrong with you!?"

The girls shrunk back in shame. All of their courage disappeared like smoke.

However, one of them confessed in desperation.

"Our [Mating Season] skill can copy a skill from our first spouse. I-I want to copy Sir Castellan's Psionic Link, so I can pilot the Prometheus."

Everyone was enlightened. Most men had their jaw dropped on the floor from the shock.

Sebastian's eyes darted between female pilots and Mia. The corner of his lips revealed a faint smile.

"Ladies, can you tell me about this [Mating Season] skill that you have?"

The brave girls explained the details and shared their status menu with Sebastian.

After he had heard enough, the butler coughed, "Lord Castellan. I have an idea."

Mia's eyebrows twitched, "What? Don't tell me that you support this?"

"Exactly! We can select promising female pilots from our crews and create a new platoon specifically for Prometheus pilots. You should know that 20,000 diamonds are not easy to come by. We should save these diamonds for other consumable items rather than investing them to pilots. Moreover, none of us would have that amount anyway."

The female pilots gazed at Mia with hope while the men despaired. Many of these men were pursuing these girls, while some of them were already in a relations.h.i.+p.

At this moment, Crystal broke through the crowd, "Alright, let's stop talking about this matter for now. How about this, we'll postpone this decision for a week and give Mia some time to think? Is that fair, Mia?"

Mia nodded. Tiny and others did not have a problem with it.

Crystal continued, "As for men, you have a week to gather 20,000 diamonds. You can pool your diamonds together if you want to support someone to be a pilot of Prometheus."

At this moment, Brim, Dolphin's crew, raised his hand.

"Excuse me, if I can buy the Psionic Link skill from the shop, can I transfer myself to this new platoon with the new mechs?"

"Yes, you can."

"Alright!"

Unlike the others, Brim was a role model pilot. He had saved up gels and diamonds that he could buy a skill from Lilith.

Other pilots asked Brim in curiosity, "How many diamonds do you have? That's 20,000 diamonds, you know!? It's enough to buy VIP10!"

Brim laughed, "Ah, I was lucky during the free hunt period. I got many zombie hordes."

He flashed the number of his diamonds to his friends in secret.

22,500 Diamonds!

"Y-You have enough!"

"Shhh!"

"Whoops!"

Brim and his gang retreated from the crowd. Although many people heard them, Dolphin glared at anyone that expressed a funny idea about his crews. As a result, they walked away from troubles.

Mia and Sebastian sighed in relief.

"At least, we have one pilot guaranteed."

"Yeah. By the way, Mia. Please consider my suggestion."

"… I will."