[Mana Core (Enlightened) absorbed]
[Mana +500]
Aron immediately summoned his status.
****
Host Info
Name: Aron
Level: 8
EXP: 147,225 / 45,600
Rank: Awakened
Lifespan: 72 years
Mana: 1035 / 1200
Special Ability: Talent Bank
Sub-skills:
Talent Inspection: Check
Talent Switch: On/Off
Abilities:
Mana:
[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: Heightened instincts warn of nearby threats, ambushes, traps, or hostile intent.
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's face shifted from disbelief to shock. Suddenly, he burst out laughing.
"Haaa! Haaaaa! Haaaaaa! I'm rich! I'm so fucking rich!"
His laughter roared through the car, but he wasn't worried, Nule was soundproof.
After a while, he calmed himself and returned to the screen. The notification showed a +500 increase to mana, but his status reflected a gain of +1000.
He frowned in confusion. Then a memory flashed in his mind. Back when he had 100 mana, copying another mana ability had increased it by 100.
Aron's eyes widened. Does that mean if I copy another mana-related ability, it'll go up by 600?
His heart raced. If that's true, the more mana talents I gain, the larger my reserves will become.
The thought thrilled him. He imagined walking the apocalypse, dome active, untouchable, roaming freely without a care in the world.
After a few minutes of daydreaming, he suddenly remembered the unclaimed mana skill. He quickly consumed 500 EXP.
[Ability Claimed: Water Control]
He opened his status again.
****
Host Info
Name: Aron
Level: 8
EXP: 146,725 / 45,600
Rank: Awakened
Lifespan: 72 years
Mana: 1134 / 1300
****
His excitement crashed. The ability had only increased his mana by a measly +100.
Aron felt a wave of frustration. If he had known how his talent worked, he would've claimed the ability before using the crystal. His mana would have been +1500 instead of +1000.
With a sour mood, he continued.
[45,600 EXP used – Level +1 → Level 9]
[91,200 EXP used – Level +1 → Level 10]
[Congratulations! You are the 7th person to reach Level 10 on Solara. Sub-skill upgrade +1.]
[Congratulations! You are now an Ascender. Lifespan +100 years.]
[Congratulations! Level 10 unlocked: Planetary Group Chat.]
[All Sub-skills upgraded.]
[New Sub-skill unlocked: Talent Socket.]
One notification after another flooded his vision.
Aron's body trembled as power surged through him. Black ooze seeped from his pores, releasing a foul stench that filled the car. The smell was so disgusting he gagged repeatedly. He ripped off his clothes and threw them out without hesitation.
[Self-Cleaning Activated.]
The car whirred. Tiny spider-like machines emerged, crawling across the seats and floor, sucking up the filth. They climbed over his naked body, scrubbing every pore before retreating back into the car's panels.
[Energy: 66% | Estimated: 19 days left]
The sudden drain hurt his heart, but he didn't regret it. The smell had been too unbearable.
Aron pulled on fresh clothes from the warehouse stash, feeling refreshed. His body felt brand new. Fatigue from battle and weakness from Burst were gone. His new strength surged so much he felt like he could crush a hundred of his old self without effort.
He summoned his status once more.
****
Host Info
Name: Aron
Level: 10
EXP: 14 / 100
Rank: Ascender
Lifespan: 172 years
Mana: 1035 / 1500
[Solara Group Chat]
Special Ability: Talent Bank
Sub-skills:
Talent Inspection: Check talents within 1 meter
Talent Switch: On/Off
Talent Socket: Keep 3 abilities active at once
Abilities:
Active:
Water Control: Control water at will. Mana cost varies.
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: Heightened instincts warn of nearby threats, ambushes, or hostile intent.
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 couldn't hold back his smile. Relief washed over him.
The greatest flaw of Talent Bank had always been the limit of one active ability. Now, with Talent Socket, he could keep three and even more in the future if he upgraded again. The urge to leap up and scream in victory nearly overwhelmed him.
Talent Inspection's range was only one meter, but even that upgrade pleased him. At least now he didn't need to touch someone to know if they were Awakeners.
What did puzzle him was the EXP reset. Requirements had dropped back to 100. He didn't know why, but he would find out soon enough.
His mana had climbed by another +200. Still, what truly drew his eyes was the new icon flashing on his panel:
[Solara Group Chat]
...
..
.
****
Shameless Author:
Bruh… this was supposed to be out at 00:30 Webnovel time, but your genius author scheduled it for the next day. Yeah… I basically fought the system and lost 😭.
Anyway, chapter's here now, so no excuses, drop a stone or Aron's gonna use FortiSphere to block you from the next release 😏.
Stay strong, stay rich in mana, and keep reading 💎.