The soft glow of morning light barely touched my room, but before my eyes, a translucent panel shimmered into existence, floating silently in the air.
This was new—a window into my quirk's progress that had never been there before.
At the very top, my own face stared back at me, alongside the essentials:
Name: Yuto Nakamura
Age: 12
Quirk: Trait Absorption
Stat Permanent Temporary (When activated)
Strength 5 6
Speed 8 10
Reflexes 9 11
Vitality 5 6
Endurance 6 7
Stamina 7 9
Natural Healing 7 9
Average stat for human = 4
Below, a tidy list of species I'd absorbed appeared, each marked with progress and permanence.
At the very top of the list stood the sparrow, proudly marked:
Sparrow (100/100) (Permanent)
A compact note accompanied it:
The sparrow's traits have fully integrated into the host body, enhancing speed, agility, reflexes, balance, and stamina. Their grace and quickness now pulse silently beneath my skin, shaping host movements and senses alike.
Toward the bottom of the list was another fully absorbed species, showing its quiet but steady impact:
Grass (100/100) (Permanent)
The panel described it simply:
Endurance and healing run deep in the grass's steady life force, granting me improved stamina and a gentle boost to natural healing wherever I go.
Other species still in progress blinked patiently:
Fish (Salmon) (18/100)—Temporary respiratory benefits available while active.
Cicada (45/100)—Temporary reflex enhancements accessible when toggled.
The panel was clean and straightforward, a living ledger of my growth. There were no complicated maps or hidden milestones—just pure progress, uncovered and undeniable.
Shifting to the "Active Skills" tab, I saw the powers born from these traits, waiting to be summoned or set aside at will.
The permanent skills were clear and constant:
Skyborne Grace (Permanent)
A natural gift of speed, reflex, and nimble movement inherited from the sparrow that had become part of me.
Earthbound Resilience (Permanent)
A quiet stamina and healing ability, drawn from the unyielding life in blades of grass. When the host rests in one place like grass.
Temporary skills shimmered softly—tools to be used and rested as needed:
Water Pulse (Temporary)
a breath-control skill from the fish, active only for limited periods underwater or in humid air.
Wing Flicker (Temporary)
Bursting muscle reflexes, borrowed from the cicada, usable but fleeting.
I toggled Skyborne Grace first. Light filled my limbs, my steps barely touching the floor. My senses sharpened, my body moving with a newfound fluidity and speed—quick and precise, like the little bird I had absorbed so fully.
Switching to Earthbound Resilience was like drawing slow warmth beneath my skin. Fatigue melted away and wounds felt lighter, swept away by nature's steady pulse.
The panel was more than numbers and bars.
It was a mirror, a map, a testament to how far I had come—and where I could still grow.
Mom peeked in with a gentle smile, seeing the screen and feeling the weight of my quiet triumph.
"This is your story, Yuto," she said softly. "The progress you make, one piece of life at a time."
I nodded, filled with a calm resolve.
The path was clear now—not just to grow stronger, but to build a legacy.
One permanent trait, one earned skill, one careful step at a time.
100 PS = 1 BONUS CHAPTER
200 PS = 3 BONUS CHAPTER