CHAPTER 5: Strange Concept Ability
[YOU ARE NOW A TERRA SPARK RANK HUMAN.]
Alex froze as the glowing system interface shimmered in front of him. A wave of emotion surged through his chest—relief, disbelief, pride—all crashing together like a storm inside him.
He'd survived. He'd awakened.
Although he had already felt the transformation taking place in his body earlier, this message felt like confirmation from the universe itself. He was now something more than human. The evolution he'd dreamed of, bled for, nearly died chasing—it was real.
But then, another notification appeared.
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A UNIQUE CONCEPT ABILITY: ARITHMETIC.]
Alex raised an eyebrow, his joy taking a quick detour into confusion.
"Arithmetic? That sounds like... math," he muttered, blinking at the strange words.
The cold voice of the system, devoid of emotion, continued.
[ARITHMETIC: Grants you control over numbers and manipulation of the following arithmetic signs: ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION, DIVISION.]
"Huh?"
Alex's frown deepened. He had just become a Terra Spark human and was expecting a flashy or destructive power—not this. Manipulating math signs? What was he supposed to do, calculate the enemy to death?
Before he could dive deeper into his thoughts, a piercing screech shook him out of his daze. The earthworm mutant was still alive—and it was pissed.
Despite being blasted away by the surge of Geo Energy from his awakening, the mutant had survived. Its thick, armored body had endured, and now it was coiled in rage, releasing another deafening screech that rattled the ground.
Alex's eyes narrowed. The flash of trauma returned for just a moment—the memory of being flung, bloodied and broken, against a tree. The humiliation. The fear. The pain.
His grip tightened around his twin daggers.
"You made me crawl through death. Now it's your turn."
Without waiting for the earthworm to make the first move, Alex shot forward. His speed was shocking—even to him. The world blurred around him as he closed the distance in seconds, the wind howling in his ears.
He slashed.
A clean, precise gash opened on the side of the mutant's body, forcing out a stream of thick black blood.
The creature howled and immediately spun, drilling into the ground with terrifying speed. In seconds, it vanished beneath the earth.
Alex skidded to a stop, chest rising and falling. That speed… he hadn't moved like that before. Not even close. His new strength, his upgraded senses, the power pulsing through his veins—this was what it meant to be a Terra Spark.
But he couldn't afford to admire himself.
The vibrations underfoot made his instincts scream.
He twisted around, twin blades raised just in time to intercept the mutant bursting from underground. Its spinning, jagged maw slammed into his crossed daggers, the impact throwing up sparks and forcing Alex back several meters.
The earthworm didn't wait. It drilled back into the earth.
Alex exhaled slowly.
"Still can't let that thing hit me directly while it's drilling. I'd be turned to pulp."
Another tremor. This time from the left.
He pivoted instantly, blades raised. The mutant burst out again. Their weapons clashed. Alex countered, slashing its face and forcing another screech of pain before it disappeared back below.
"So that's your game. Hit and run... trying to wear me down."
Alex gritted his teeth. The mutant's tactic was smart. It stayed underground to avoid damage, striking only when it had an opening. Meanwhile, he was bleeding, his injuries piling up.
But even as he fought, he was thinking.
I need to push my senses further... and figure out how this Arithmetic concept works.
For several minutes, the vicious rhythm continued. Tremor. Attack. Clash. Blood. Repeat.
Sparks flew as dagger met drill. The earth shook with each engagement. Alex ducked, rolled, countered. His breath grew ragged. Cuts lined his arms and side, his body soaked in blood. Meanwhile, the earthworm's wounds were minor. It was working.
But Alex... was smiling.
His eyes gleamed with cunning. He'd achieved what he needed.
Suddenly, with a quiet ripple of energy, two perfect duplicates of him appeared—one on each side. They were identical in every way: weapons, armor, blood, injuries. But more than that, they moved like him. Thought like him.
Because they were him.
The mutant burst from the earth again, roaring toward a position it thought was vulnerable.
Too late.
The two clones moved in perfect unison.
The first slashed low, cleaving through the underbelly of the worm, drawing a scream of agony.
The second followed up a split-second later, leaping with a spinning slash that beheaded the beast in one clean strike.
The corpse crashed to the ground. Motionless.
Silence followed.
Alex exhaled, staggering slightly as blood dripped from his wounds. He leaned against a tree, letting his body rest.
"Perfect."
He watched his clones dissolve slowly into glowing particles, but then—they didn't. They remained.
One moved toward the corpse to scavenge it, while the other stood, staring at him.
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"What? Get to work."
The clone tilted its head.
"Why don't you help us, if you're in such a hurry?"
Alex froze. It talked?
He blinked.
"You can talk back to me?"
The clone shrugged.
"You gave me your mind, didn't you?"
Alex scratched his head, baffled but intrigued.
"Alright then... here, let's speed this up."
He summoned two more clones with a wave of his hand.
"You four handle the body. I need to think."
He slumped down against the tree trunk, panting.
So they can think. Move independently. Use my weapons. Even talk.
He recalled the words of the system.
Multiplication... up to ten times.
He could create up to ten versions of himself. Each armed. Each capable.
Ten Terra Spark humans, functioning as one.
That was the power of Multiplication.
He smiled.
And he hadn't even touched Addition, Subtraction, or Division yet.
His concept ability wasn't just strange.
It was limitless.
But one thing was certain now.
This world, with all its cruelty and danger... had just made its deadliest mistake.
It had let Alex Williams awaken.