One thing that you must have noticed is that there are resistance-related upgrades that clearly don’t follow the usual naming convention. That is because they aren’t upgradable at all, but instead provide a flat amount of resistance based on your… Let’s say, based on your base stats

  As such, they provide a massive boost that will keep getting better as you grow stronger, such as when you evolve

  They can also stack with each other. For example, ‘Reinforced Frame’ and ‘Shock Dampeners’ would massively improve your resistance to fall and impact damage, as the former would stack with the latter, and vice versa

  I do agree with your idea that your ‘Base Form’ should fulfil a non-specialised role, as that is the entire point of having access to other forms–Your ‘Molten Form’ provides access to burn damage, and severely increases your resistances. Your ‘Plush Form’ provides stealth in its ‘Passive State’, and martial prowess in its ‘Aggressive State’

  The knightly form also gives access to further specialisation, as it allows you to learn the special skills of other knights and warriors. Still, it remains that it is intended to allow you to fight like a true knight

  Nonetheless, you are also correct to believe that certain upgrades available in your ‘Base Form’ are required to unlock other forms. So, the proper way to go about it is to both reinforce the fundamentals and pick more exotic upgrades as well

  You are a bit more talkative than usual, Nara.

  The drastic influx of experience has loosened some of my restrictions concerning this topic, although I am still not allowed to give the exact explanations concerning upgrades. I am far less restrained when it comes to advising you and give more general explanations

  Alright then, amidst these twenty-eight options, which ones do you think would be best to pick?

  Let’s eliminate some to get started. I know that you don’t want to modify your limbs, so ‘Drill Arm (R)’ can go

  Also, although ‘More Options’ seems like a meaningless upgrade that only adds more songs to the music box, it is important to note that upgrades to… Well, upgrades, are typically a sign that they are linked to the acquisition of a new form

  That is not always true, but it is important to keep in mind nonetheless

  I see… I guess you’re not allowed to tell which one would actually help unlock a new form, right?

  That is surely something I will never be allowed to do

  Very well, then. I’ll put ‘More Options’ aside for today. Even if it is useful to get a new form, it doesn’t guarantee that this alone will be enough, and otherwise, I would be wasting a choice of upgrade. Getting them will be far too complicated in the future for me to take risky bets like this one.

  ‘Hammer Head’ is still unattractive, so it can go too.

  Now, I was absolutely taking ‘Repair Protocol’. I had already gotten messed up without a good source of steel or flesh to feast upon several times now, having access to a way to rapidly fix myself when in such a situation was invaluable, and it would also allow me to make constant economies on what I devoured.

  With this, I would be able to stock everything I ate, as the regeneration would be handled by this upgrade.

  I wonder if it would have some sort of synergy with ‘Rest Mode’? I hadn’t picked this one when I had the occasion, but it makes me think that it would have a functionality with ‘Repair Protocol’...

  In any case, I selected it without a second thought. This was just a net benefit.

  Now. I think it’s best to just choose one of those maw upgrades and leave the rest for now. What do you think, Sweetie?

  I agree. Your maw is already quite powerful thanks to the ‘Crushing Bite’ upgrade, and this one will keep on getting better. So, I would recommend picking one of the upgrades that focus on the biting part so as to capitalise on the bonuses granted by ‘Crushing Bite’

  It seems like my little sister and I think in similar ways.

  All four of the maw upgrades offered to me are nice, but only one truly increases the pure power of my bite. The rest offered a new way to use it, or a separate bonus that does increase the lethality of my bite, but not through the avenue of a flat power increase. Nara is correct to mention ‘Crushing Bite’. Since I have this one already, I should further invest in the same path rather than spreading upgrades around.

  As such, my choice naturally landed on ‘Hydraulic Bite’. I would be lying if I claimed to know what hydraulic meant, but the description was simple enough for me to get the gist.

  ‘Death Roll Maw’ sounded quite funny to use, but alas… Maybe another time.

  I am left with four more choices, and still a whole bunch of options, even after eliminating a few.

  …I’ll pick ‘Silver Wires’. I know for a fact that ‘Copper Wires’ had counted toward unlocking the ‘Wire Mess Form’. So I might as well continue to go for it. Besides, it would give me more wires to use my lightning with.

  There was no precision in the difference between silver and copper, though. The description was the same, with just one word switched around.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  I remember that automatons use several types of them, and everyone wants to make the most money, so if it were possible to use only the cheapest wires, they would have done it in a heartbeat.

  Thus, there had to be a difference. I would just need to figure it out myself, it seems.

  Three more picks…

  I would recommend both ‘Reinforced Frame’ and ‘Shock Dampeners’, being such general upgrades to the very steel of your body, they should–At least partly–Carry over to other forms similarly to how resistance upgrades remain

  These two are rather uninspired upgrades, but Nara has a good point. Also, they are just good to begin with. As she had mentioned prior as well, simplistic upgrades like this that couldn’t be upgraded brought a greatly noticeable change.

  It feels a little weird to pick these when there are more entertaining options, but it is about my survival here, so I’ll go with them.

  Alright… One more pick.

  It was a hard one. There were still several upgrades that were quite good.

  I notice two that have to do with magnetism. A concept I know only a little bit about, but the theme makes me think that these upgrades might have to do with a form… ‘Gyroscopic Balance’ sounds quite good as well.

  Being able to take hits but not fall could prove invaluable in a fight. It might not sound like much, but when you hit an enemy with an attack that should definitely knock them on their butt, you're likely to momentarily relax and end up exposing yourself to a fatal counterattack.

  Urgh… I feel like overthinking is doing me no good. I should just pick whatever my guts tell me is best. Let’s just pick something that sounds nice… Just give me ‘Hydraulic Limb’, and let’s put it on my right arm.

  I want to see how hard I can punch with this thing.

  I made the choice to focus on improving the basic aspects of my ‘Base Form’, only picking one upgrade with the intention of working toward a new form.

  It felt a bit lame at the moment, but I knew for certain that once I tested my ‘Base Form’, I would find the seemingly lame changes to be incredible.

  The sweet agony did not reach me since I was still in my knightly form as I made my choices. I will get to enjoy the pain of progress tonight.

  You know, it still worries me that you came to enjoy pain, Mara. Pain is supposed to indicate something bad. You aren’t supposed to like it

  Don’t worry about it. Your Big Sis knows what pain means, even if I find it greatly enjoyable, I never forget for a moment what it is meant to indicate in the moment.

  I still find it a bit odd–Oh

  Someone triggered their final nightmare? Mmh… It feels like several people did, actually… How do so many people fall asleep at the same time in the middle of the day? That seems too big a coincidence.

  In the next moment, I disappeared from where I was, allowing myself to be transported into the nightmare world.

  Everything felt completely different compared to last time. Absorbing so many curses had indeed had a rather profound impact on the nightmares. Everything felt more… Refined somehow?

  At the moment, I was floating in some sort of endless void of darkness. Floating letters began to appear before my eyes, moving into position to form words.

  It looked just like a system window once it was done.

  Welcome to the incomplete nightmare world

  Several compatible victims have been detected at the same time. A special Nightmare Trial has been triggered

  Oh wow, this is definitely way more advanced. The previous times, I had just been thrown into the nightmares without explanation, and now I was learning that it could come with special trials?

  The special Nightmare Trial’s goal for the prey is as follows:

  Survive a date with Mara Nebulo

  …Hoi. Is this thing saying that going on a date with me is a nightmare?

  In the next moment, I appeared inside a room distinctly lacking in rust. I was sitting in front of a mirror.

  Seriously, did it just imply that?

  Surely, it is merely a nightmare because the prey are unlikely to meet the proper requirements to court you!

  Thanks, Nara. I appreciate you trying to comfort me.

  Anyway… What am I doing here?

  Just as I asked this, the information flowed into my mind. At least, even if it had insulted me, the trial had the decency of providing all of the information required.

  The trial was simple. One of the victims and I would be put into a date-like situation. Their goal would be to go through the whole date without doing something that I would consider a deal-breaker. If the trial detects one of such instances, I would just be allowed to kill them.

  This room I was in allowed me to choose an attire and pretty myself up before each date.

  Right now, I was looking just like my human self, wearing my typical, long dark coat.

  Seems like the first date will be a classic face-to-face dinner. I did go on quite a few of those during my days of seeking a husband, and usually, I would dress like… This.

  A burgundy-coloured dress with just my usual hairstyle. I quite liked this dress because it simultaneously highlighted my hips, but also revealed my bare shoulders. So I could show off both my femininity and muscular physique.

  Although my dates had never gone anywhere, the men I had had dinner with had seemed quite captivated by my looks.

  You look very pretty

  I am sure you would be even prettier.

  I also put on some high heels. Those are typically a type of shoe I wouldn’t usually wear outside any sort of formal events, but I always quite liked how they made me even taller than I already am.

  In this pair, I go from one meter and eighty-five centimeters to one meter and ninety-five centimeters. Ten centimeters made a pretty big difference, and that was without mentioning the heels that made me two meters tall.

  Anything above ten centimeters just starts to feel weird, though.

  Once I was ready, I was instantly teleported to my seat, sitting across a shivering idiot. The bastard was already scared about the nightmare, but somehow, seeing me across the table made him even more nervous.

  What’s up with these young men who are more scared of a woman than getting murdered? Who is raising these fools?

  I just stared at him. You are the man. I am the woman. You are the one who should speak first and take the lead. This is a damned restaurant scenario, pick up the freaking menu and ask me what I want! Be fucking assertive!

  “I… Huh… Hello?”

  Permission to kill has been granted