Shouts of excitement and joy erupted throughout the room. This wasn't just a personal achievement rather this was monumental.
The emergence of an S-rank mutation was enough to secure not only the future of the individual but also offer political leverage for Earth itself. With such a figure, the Federation could now request increased support and resources from the Galactic Earth Empire.
[DNA recorded. Beginning power analysis.]
[Brain Region Breadth: Abnormal.]
[Gene Core Essence: One Star.]
[Mutation Index: 30.]
[Mutation Ability of S-Rank detected.]
[Ability Classification: Replication | Rank: S-Level.]
[Assessment complete. Subject qualified for Federation Earth Soldier and Intergalactic Combat Zones.]
[Data updated.]
Hex opened his eyes slowly after an unknown period of time. A thick, turbid breath escaped his lips as he stirred.
The helmet over his head disassembled on its own with a soft hiss. As he sat up, Hex was startled to see two individuals standing nearby—both visibly tense, watching him with expressions filled with a strange mix of shock, happiness, and pity.
Hex frowned at their reactions.
"Is there a problem?" he asked cautiously.
Sam sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Ignore him..." Henkui said, stepping forward. "How are you feeling now?"
"A bit relaxed," Hex replied. "The discomfort in my head has eased a bit."
"Don't worry about that. It'll disappear after some check-ups and stabilizing tests," Henkui said calmly. "So... did you hear about your power?"
Hex nodded and turned toward the screen that still floated nearby, data scrolling across it. His Mutation Index had increased, and the recorded power was identified as 'Replication – S Rank'.
But Hex knew something the others didn't.
That wasn't the full truth.
He glanced at Sam, whose face was caught between frustration and regret.
"He's just sad," Henkui muttered beside him.
Hex blinked. 'What does he mean by that?'
"It's because of your power," Sam finally spoke, his voice low and laced with frustration.
"You don't understand what it means to have an S-rank awakened. But the ability you received…" he trailed off, shaking his head, "...it's messed up."
"How?" Hex asked, more curious than offended.
"Do you even know how it works?" Sam asked back, folding his arms.
"I just awakened it… so I haven't gone over the details," Hex admitted honestly.
"Exactly. You awakened it, but you're still in the dark," Sam continued, clearly agitated.
"Replication sounds powerful, right? But here's the catch,it allows you to copy the ability of a person you touch. You can use that ability, yes but only once. That's the flaw."
Hex's brows furrowed slightly.
"And the number of abilities you can store?" Sam added. "That depends on your rank. You're S-Rank, so your limit is higher than most… but still, it's a one-time-use system."
Hex picked up on something Sam had said and asked, "You mentioned abilities with ranks. Does that mean the same ability can differ in rank from person to person?"
"Of course," Sam replied, adjusting his posture before explaining.
"An ability's rank reflects its starting potential. That same ability might perform very differently depending on the person who awakened it. Take pyromancy, for example—someone with a D-rank in pyromancy would need to reach two or even three stars of advancement just to use a basic flamethrower. Meanwhile, someone with an A-rank might be able to unleash it right from the start."
Hex's eyes widened in realization. He hadn't considered that. The information available to non-awakened people was extremely limited. The Sidekick Classes never taught any of this just basic support training and how not to get killed.
"And to make it worse," Henkui added, pulling Hex out of his thoughts, "Replication is one of those abilities that's incredibly hard to evolve."
"You're supposed to train your power," Sam agreed. "But how do you train something that relies on copying others? Copying isn't growth."
The two men kept going, dissecting his ability, pointing out its flaws and complications.
Hex had heard enough.
"Whatever it may be," he interrupted, voice calm but firm, "it's still better than having nothing. Instead of pointing out faults, I should learn how to use it properly. There's no such thing as a useless power—only useless people."
His words landed like a slap of cold water.
Henkui and Sam both fell silent.
"…Alright then," Henkui finally said. "Let's finish up the rest of the tests and prepare him for deployment. He's already eighteen."
The medical tests resumed.
At first, everything appeared fine. But as the scans progressed, the doctor frowned. The results looked too abnormal. And in this world, normal sometimes meant strangely abnormal.
"You're far from ordinary," the doctor muttered.
Hex raised a brow, looking at the scan in his hands. There, nestled between his pituitary gland and diencephalon, was a tiny, glowing object—a spiraling, crystalline core that shimmered with faint cosmic light.
A Gene Essence Core.
"You're already a mutated human," the doctor continued, adjusting his glasses. "Eighty percent of your genetic code matches that of a Carbon Human."
Hex's eyes narrowed.
He knew what that meant.
As humanity evolved and spread across the stars, various branches of the species had emerged.
First were the Standard Humans, tracing their ancestry back to the Earth of the 20th century. Next came the Galactic Humans, who adapted to survive space environments and foreign planetary systems. And above them were the Carbon Humans,beings who possessed sharper instincts, enhanced regenerative ability, and physical power two to three times that of an average human.
Now he understood why he was stronger,sharper and faster compared to peers.
On top of that,after awakening his MI index has risen up to 30.
His Mutation Index of 30, which alone could place him in the top rank of elite class, might be attributed to this bloodline.
"Did you come from one of the high-blood families? Those with strong awakenings?" the doctor asked, eyeing him curiously.
"I'm an orphan," Hex replied.
"That doesn't rule it out," the doctor Marlin responded, pushing up his specs. "You could've been abandoned… or maybe you're the illegitimate child of someone influential."
'Aren't you a bit too blunt?' Hex thought, lips twitching.
He shook his head and pointed to the shimmering crystal on the scan. "What's this?"
"That's the source of your headaches," Marlin replied, circling the area on the display. "Remember this clearly—this is what matters. When someone awakens a power, a crystal like this is formed. It's called the Gene Essence Core."
"It holds the genetic blueprint of your ability. And more than that it stores magical energy or as the Federation officially calls it, cosmic energy. The stronger you become, the more cosmic energy you generate and radiate."
Hex absorbed the explanation carefully. A question itched in his mind, one that had surfaced from earlier thoughts.
'It looks similar to the one I picked from Chaos born.'
"What would happen if this thing… was extracted and implanted into someone who hasn't awakened?"
Marlin's eyes widened for a split second—but then it vanished, replaced by a polite chuckle.
"That's useless," he said, brushing it off. "You can't do that. It won't work like that. If it did, people would be selling essence cores on every black market corner."
But Hex, with his now-sharpened intuition, caught the subtle shift in the way Marlin avoided eye contact, the flicker of nervousness that broke through his calm facade.
'He's lying.'
Hex said nothing more.
He only stared at the screen, his thoughts piecing themselves together.
'I'll look into it myself… eventually.'