When he was three meters from impact, he activated Burst, the monsters instincts immediately screamed danger. Before it could move out of his trajectory, it was already too late.
Aron, knife pointed at the octopus monster's body, closed his eyes as he crashed down.
Boom!!!
Not only the knife, his entire body tore through it, blasting the monster apart.
[Claimable Talent Detected: Water Control]
[King Octopus, Level 31 killed. 130,000 EXP gained. Enlightened-tier core can be extracted.]
Pain exploded through him. It was so severe he couldn't even register the notifications. The octopus's body was soft, but falling from that height was still brutal. Even with his strengthened body, he was bound to get hurt.
He sank into the river, forcing himself to stay conscious.
(I feel like shit…)
His body screamed. After using Burst, his strength had multiplied tenfold for two seconds. Two seconds of feeling like a god. But the moment it ended, he fell into weakness, 80% of his strength stripped away. From heaven to hell in an instant. It was the most unpleasant feeling he had ever endured.
But the talent had saved him. With it, he had only broken a few bones.
Battling pain and weakness, Aron switched his ability from Danger Sense to Breathing. His hand on the octopus monster, he slowly swam toward shore. Dragging the corpse behind him, he finally lay on his back, staring at the sky. Only now did his brain register how close he had been to death.
This battle made him realize just how godly his talent was. He had killed a monster twenty-two levels higher than him. Luck played a role, but that didn't erase the fact.
Aron pushed himself up. He was too vulnerable to remain in the open. Even a level 2 zombie could kill him now. His knife was gone from the fall, but he didn't need it. From the octopus's minced head, a blue crystal jutted out, glowing like flowing water.
He pocketed it and staggered back to where he had parked Nule. Thank god he had secured the car before this hunt, without it, things would have been much harder.
The car scanned his bloodied hand without issue, unlocking instantly. Aron slid in and drove to a secure-looking building. Using stored water, he washed away the gore and blood on him and in the car. The car could clean itself, but that cost energy. He hadn't found fuel yet, conserving power was a priority.
After changing, he slid back in and drove to the custom wearhouse stocking on some things before crossing the bridge, and leaving Zone C.
As expected, the gas station where the zombie truck had headed was destroyed, charred ground, scattered corpses of zombies. The truck itself was nowhere to be found. Aron didn't stop. He simply drove past the scene.
"Activate self-driving. Alert me to anything suspicious."
"As you command, Your Majesty," the car replied instantly.
[Self-driving activated.]
[Alert mode activated.]
The car drove itself smoothly along the road. Aron had loved this feature since the first time he saw it.
[Energy: 75%. Estimated duration: 19 days.]
Activating self-driving instantly cut the estimate by four days. Still, Aron wasn't worried. At this pace, he would reach Zone B in three days at most.
The road wound through a forest of tall trees. Before the apocalypse, hunting and logging had been forbidden here. The government had preserved the land, only paving a single road to Zone B. Now, with the mutation of creatures, Aron knew the journey wouldn't be smooth.
What he needed most was strength.
He pulled out two crystals, one black, one gold, both glowing faintly.
[Internal core found. Absorb?]
He chose to absorb the black one first. A cool, soothing energy spread through him, nourishing his body, the feeling was so addictive.
[Internal Core (Awakened) absorbed.]
****
Host Info
Name: Aron
Level: 8
EXP: 147,225 / 45,600
Rank: Awakened
Lifespan: 72 years
Mana: 34 / 200
Special Ability: Talent Bank
Sub-skills:
Talent Inspection: Check
Talent Switch: On/Off
Abilities:
Active:
[Water Control claimable 500 exp]
Stealth: Cannot be seen, heard, or detected by normal means. Consumes 2 mana/sec.
FortiSphere: A dome no force can destroy or bypass. Radius: 1 meter. Consumes 50 mana/sec.
Passive:
Danger Sense - Grants heightened instincts that alert the user to nearby threats. Provides a chance to detect ambushes, traps, or hostile intent before danger strikes.
Immunity: Unaffected by viruses or mortal diseases.
Internal:
Burst: Sacrifices 80% strength to unleash instant power for 2 seconds. Afterward, user is weakened for 5 hours.
****
Aron stared. The only change was the added lifespan. He had expected reduced cooldowns, longer duration, or something to burst. But lifespan? What was he supposed to do with that?
He couldn't deny his disappointment.
Still, he took out the golden crystal, the one from the octopus. He lowered his expectations, holding it a little tighter.
[Mana Core found. Absorb?]
Absorb.
But this time there was no physical changes. Just a flicker across his panel.
[Mana Core (Enlightened) absorbed.]
He glanced at his panel, then burst into wild laughter.
"Haaa! Haaaaa! Haaaaaa! I'm rich! I'm so fucking rich!"
****
[Host Info]
Host: Aron
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