In Menono's House
Menono burst through the main gate, kicking it open with a bang. He raced inside, grinning from ear to ear.
"Mother! I know why my talent hasn't awakened yet—the teacher told me everything!"
The house soon filled with laughter and chatter. The four children could hardly sit still. Tomorrow, they would officially begin learning cultivation, and the excitement was overwhelming.
---
Later That Night
Menono whispered across the dark room, "Hey, Zeno… what kind of talent do you want to awaken?"
Zeno rolled over and grinned. "Right now, I can only move small objects… but I want another talent—one that lets me fly across the sky!"
Menono's eyes sparkled. "Really? That's amazing! Hey, Lumo, what about you?"
Lumo sat up proudly. "My talent's called [Eagle Eyes]—I can see clearly up to a thousand meters, every tiny detail."
"Rugo—your turn."
Rugo sighed. "My first form was [Fire Control], but when I was five, it upgraded to second form [Plasmaburn]. I can't control it well—sometimes it even burns me."
Menono frowned. "Your fire's so hot it hurts you? Is there a cure?"
Lumo grabbed Rugo's sleeve. "Tell the teacher. Maybe he can help."
They soon drifted off to sleep.
---
The Next Morning
Menono and Zeno woke up crying so loudly that the whole house tried to calm them down. After an hour, they finally quieted.
Menono wiped his eyes. "My talent core still hasn't awakened… I'm useless."
Zeno puffed up. "I can't fly! I didn't awaken a flight talent!"
Menono's mother smiled gently. "Zeno, when you reach the Sixth Stage, you can fly even without that talent." She turned to Menono. "And you—ask your teacher why your talent hasn't awakened yet."
"Enough crying—get ready for school."
---
On the Way to School
Roz spotted them, their eyes red and puffy. She smirked. "Oho~ What happened to you two?"
Lumo answered instantly, "Menono didn't awaken his talent, so he cried for an hour. That's why his—"
Before he could finish, Menono tackled him and started pounding away.
"I don't care if I have a talent or not—I'm still stronger than you!"
Roz folded her arms. "Just because you don't have a talent doesn't mean you should beat him! He wasn't lying."
Menono: "I beat him because he talks too much. None of your business."
Roz sniffed. "Hmph! Boys are always stupid and unruly. No manners at all… stupid boy."
And just like that, they arrived at school—only to march straight into the teacher's room instead of their classroom.
Inside the teacher's room, Menono asked,
"Hey, Teacher, why hasn't my talent core awakened yet?"
Zeno chimed in, "And why can't I awaken a flight talent?"
Roz looked worried. "Teacher… what should I do with my Flower Bloom talent?"
The teacher said,
"Zeno, your 1st talent—Telekinesis—and your 2nd talent, Gravity Control, have fused into your talent core's second form: Gravikinesis. Now, you can move large objects by decreasing their weight, and when you throw them, you can increase their weight. In the future, once your talent core evolves into the third or fourth form, you'll gain the ability to fly. So don't worry about that for now."
Zeno's eyes lit up. "Really? So in the future, I can fly in the sky? Hahaha! My talent is the best! But… how long do I have to wait to fly?"
The teacher then looked at Roz.
"And Roz, your Flower Bloom talent… by constantly using it and observing the spiritual energy around flowers and plants, you can evolve your talent core into something far more powerful."
Roz bowed slightly. "Thank you, Teacher. I'll try to evolve my talent core to become stronger than anyone else."
Menono stepped forward, a hint of worry in his voice. "Sir… what about my talent? Why hasn't my talent core awakened yet?"
The teacher shook his head. "Your talent core has already awakened, Menono, but your talent is… different."
The teacher muttered aloud, almost to himself, "Hey… mother, how could you do this?"
Inside his mind, his mother's voice echoed:
"Hey, don't blame me! I didn't do anything."
The teacher clenched his fists. "Don't lie. A unique talent should awaken naturally after birth, whether in an animal or a human. I saw with my own eyes that he didn't have any unique talent. Why did you change it?"
"Yes, I changed it. So what? What are you going to do about it, huh?"
The teacher sighed, shaking his head. Then he looked at Menono. "Your talent is unique. Its name is [Champion]. This talent works differently: every time you win a fight, it increases your talent core potential. If your talent core is in its first form, after ten victories, it will evolve into the second form."
Menono's eyes widened. "Really? So if that's true… what will my talent's second form be?"
The teacher shook his head. "unique talent core… never evolves."
Menono groaned. "What the hell?! Does that mean my talent is useless? Why am I so useless?"
The teacher chuckled softly. "Don't worry. Holders of unique talent cores can have more than one talent. I'm going to give you a second talent. Since your talent is unique and special, this second talent will become even more powerful than others. Now… are you happy?"
Menono's face lit up, a huge grin spreading across it.
Inside the teacher's mind, his mother whispered:
"Hey, don't give him any useless talent core… wait, I have a better one for him."
The teacher checked the talent core and clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling up, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. He examined the talent core one last time… then reluctantly handed it over to Menono.
Without hesitation, Menono grabbed the new talent core and tried to consume it immediately.
He swallowed it, but… nothing happened.
"Hey, Teacher! Why isn't anything happening? Don't tell me you gave me a useless talent core!" Menono shouted, panic creeping in.
The teacher shook his head. "I didn't give you a useless talent core. Your new talent is called [Clone]. Inside this talent core is the [Fire Control] talent. You have to channel your spiritual energy into it. Now… do it."
Menono held the talent core tightly and focused his spiritual energy. Within a minute, the talent core transformed—into Menono himself.
"Ahhhh! Why did the talent core turn into me?!" Menono screamed.
His clone folded its arms and scowled. "Hey! You, shut up!"