[System Window: Host Ability Detected]
[System Window: Host's Awakened Unique Ability is…]
[System Window: Starfall Greedy]
I froze, staring at the window that suddenly appeared before me.
"Eh? Ryuumin, what's wrong? You look surprised… did you just awaken an ability?" Hyuri asked, approaching.
"Y-yes…" I stuttered, my face flushing with embarrassment.
"WHAT?!" Hyuri and Jong Jun exclaimed almost simultaneously.
"W-what power did you gain?" Jong Jun looked at me curiously.
"St… Starfall Greedy," I said quietly.
They seemed about to ask further questions, but the bell suddenly rang—forcing us to return to class.
As I stepped through the school gates, the system appeared before me again.
[Ability User Detected]
[Greedy Shooting Star Trigger]
[Ability Detected]
[Gale Maniac]
[Want to Devour Ability?]
[Yes] / [No]
I was stunned. Isn't that... Jong Jun's ability? How could the system detect it?
Heart pounding, I immediately chose No and continued walking to class.
But throughout the lesson, my mind was in disarray. It wasn't because I was sleepy, but because system notifications kept popping up, informing me about the abilities of the people around me.
How could I focus on studying if every time I looked up, that window reappeared?
During my first break, I sat a little away from the crowd and opened the Profile Window.
[Profile Window]
[Name: Kang Ryuumin]
[Title: -]
[Unique Ability: Greedy Starfall]
[Strength: 10]
[Stamina: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Starfall Greedy]
[Type: Unique]
[Description: Allows the user to devour 25% of the opponent's abilities and weakens the opponent's unique abilities by 2%. Grants the user this ability for 1 hour. Devoured abilities are stored in the Ability Subspace]
I frowned. "What do you mean by devoured abilities are stored?"
Before I could think further, Hyuri and Jong Jun appeared at my desk.
"Looks like someone's happy after waking up." Hyuri put down her lunch box and sat down with a cheerful face.
"So, your abilities are good?" Jong Jun was also curious.
"Not really... just ordinary abilities," I replied briefly, trying to cover it up.
The bell rang again, and we started walking toward class. But halfway there, we stopped.
Several students from other classes blocked our way. One of them stepped forward, a tall, muscular boy.
"Hey Junior, which class are you from?" his voice was deep and challenging.
"Class D-5," I replied.
"I'm not asking you. I'm asking the one to your right," he said, pointing at Hyuri.
"You mean me?" Hyuri pointed at herself, confused.
"Yes. I'm Goo Beom Seok. What's your name?" he said, patting Hyuri's chest confidently.
"I'm Kang Hyuri, from Class A-5. Nice to meet you," Hyuri replied politely.
"Go on a date with me."
We were all surprised by her sudden boldness. But Hyuri smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I don't think I can."
It was understandable. Hyuri was beautiful, with a slender body and a sweet smile. No wonder so many boys wanted to approach her.
"Wh... why?" Beom Seok looked disappointed.
I quickly interrupted. "Let's go back to class. Can you make way?" I asked politely.
But as we were about to pass, Beom Seok shouted. "Stop!"
He pointed at me. "You're blocking me from seeing Hyuri, right? Do you dare fight me?"
I sighed. "It's not like that. I just don't want to be late for class."
"Enough reasons! I challenge you to a match!"
Unable to refuse, we finally made our way to the sparring field.
I stood tall at the edge of the arena, my black hair blowing in the wind. From across the field, Goo Beom Seok—over two meters tall—stared at me, his athletic build brimming with confidence.
"Whoever wins... will go on a date with Hyuri!" he shouted loudly.
I stared at him grimly. "She still thinks I'm Hyuri's boyfriend..."
The referee gave the signal. The match began.
Beom Seok immediately struck out with his fists. I parried, but the force pushed me back.
"Damn... he must have passed through the gate before."
Beom Seok smiled arrogantly. A black aura enveloped his body.
His body began to transform as if he had just finished exercising.
[Active Unique Ability: Muscle Addict]
"Haha! I'll finish you with this!"
He quickened his pace. Just as his attack was about to arrive, my system reactivated.
[Detection Ability]
[Starfall Greedy Active]
[Devotable Abilities]
[1. Muscle Addict]
[2. Gale Maniac]
[Select Ability to Devour]
My finger instinctively pointed to Beom Seok's ability.
[Want to Devour Ability?]
[Yes] / [No]
Without thinking, I chose Yes.
[Devote Muscle Addict]
[Muscle Addict]
[Description: Awakens an aura of muscular beauty. Increases Strength, Agility, and Stamina by 15% of the user's stats. Decreases the stats of opponents intimidated by the muscular aura. This skill decreases the user's Intelligence by 2%.]
My body trembled violently. My veins bulged, and a strange aura enveloped my entire body. Goo Beom Seok glared.
To be continued.