"So, what do you think?" Bruce's calm smile carried quiet confidence. "With this ability of mine, I can create as many Steelquill Ravens as you want, and I can assure you, it's not limited to just Steelquill Ravens."
His words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
Of course, he hadn't pulled this off with just his Heal ability and his theories. Creating life out of nothing, no, worse, creating a complex mutant beast from a single cell wasn't something any ordinary Awakened could achieve.
No, this was possible only because of the twin forces that now dwelled in him.
Life's Glance. Death's Glance.
One gave him the power to nurture existence. The other, the power to sever it. Together, they had allowed him to spark creation itself, weaving life from what should have been lifeless remains.
Bruce folded his arms, waiting, his gaze steady. 'Sigh… no title from this? Has someone else in this world… or worse, in this universe, already done something similar?'
A flicker of irritation crossed his thoughts. 'Maybe if I push this further, if I create dozens, hundreds of lifeforms, I'll be able to earn a title. Or maybe the Codex is simply waiting, testing me. Either way… there are still countless uncharted territories in this world. I'll get my titles. One way or another.'
He shook off the thoughts, his expression remaining composed, but his ambition burned hotter beneath the surface.
At his side, Sophie's crimson eyes never left him. She didn't need to understand the full scope of what he had just done to realize it was something extraordinary. Her lips curved into a soft smile, one that carried both awe and affection.
"You…" she whispered, her hand brushing lightly against his arm. "You always manage to surprise me. I thought I knew your limits, but you keep proving me wrong."
Her voice trembled, not with fear, but with pride. The warmth in her gaze said more than words ever could.
Bruce glanced at her, and for a brief second, his stoic mask cracked, just enough to let a genuine smile slip through.
Meanwhile, Jordan was still in awe, his eyes locked on the fully grown Steelquill Raven that had just been birthed before him. His face filled with shock, though Jordan's shock quickly warped into something else... greed. His lips twisted into a crazed grin, his eyes gleaming with barely contained excitement.
"Kid…" Jordan leaned forward, voice trembling. "This unique ability of yours… it's not limited to Steelquill Ravens, is it?"
He already knew the answer, but hearing it again would make the truth undeniable.
Bruce understood the man's excitement, but he only nodded, offering no words. He wasn't about to reveal the scope of his power, not here, not now. Some truths were too great to hand over so easily.
But deep down, he knew better than anyone else that this skill wasn't just "strong." It was limitless!
This was why he felt nothing but vindication when he awakened the Godly Healer class. It hadn't just saved him from poison that day. No, it was the perfect class for him. Perfect for his research, his experiments, his boundless ambition. An EX-ranked class that could break every boundary set by the gods and the Codex itself.
He clenched his fist slightly, eyes narrowing in thought. 'Think about it… if I can perfect this, I could clone anything. Not just beasts, but myself. Perfect clones, carrying not just my body, but my memories, my experience.'
The thought alone sent a thrill through his veins. 'And if mana supply isn't a problem… infinite clones. Infinite me!'
Bruce's lips curled into a grin. "I've already got the perfect name for it…"
[Mirrored Surgeon].
It was the name of a dream he'd once chased on Earth, back before the apocalypse. Back when he was still just a surgeon, experimenting with the limits of biology. He had tried to create perfect human clones through science, living bodies, identical to himself. Cells divided, fertilized, fused, but no matter how precise he was, the result was never perfect.
He could recreate life from sperm and ovum, yes. But a true mirror, a flawless copy with intact memory and consciousness, wasn't something science could ever reach. After countless failures, he had shelved the idea. Not abandoned it... no. Bruce never abandoned anything. He had simply been waiting for the right time, the right tools.
And now, in this world of mana… everything he once thought impossible had just become achievable.
Sophie watched him quietly, her heart swelling as his sharp eyes gleamed with a hunger that both awed and terrified her. She didn't fully understand his thoughts, but she understood one thing: Bruce Ackerman was a man destined to shatter limits.
But there was still one last thing he needed to test…
Then Bruce moved again, this time picking up another fallen feather.
His gaze sharpened. 'No… one cell at a time isn't enough. Let's raise the stakes.'
He focused on dozens of cells simultaneously, healing each one individually yet all at once.
It was like trying to draw ten perfect circles with both hands at the same time, except magnified a thousand times over. Something no sane man would even attempt.
But Bruce Ackerman was no ordinary man. He was a genius forged in blood, scalpels, and impossible surgeries. Difficulties like this didn't exist to stop him. They existed so he could break past them.
And so he did.
One by one, then all at once, the cells responded. Dozens of zygotes formed under his will, multiplying, fertilizing, evolving. Slowly, impossibly, they grew into hatchlings; tiny Steelquill Ravens chirping weakly from the feather itself.
Sophie and Jordan stood rooted to the ground, their eyes wide, their breath stolen away. They didn't even blink.
Above them, the fully grown Steelquill Raven Bruce had created earlier flapped wildly, cawing, shitting, and knocking things over, but neither Sophie nor Jordan paid it the slightest attention. Their gazes were locked only on him.
Then it happened!