In his first life, there was a famous story about Choi Jin-woo, Korea's first S-Rank Hunter.
He was a humble park ranger who, on the day of The Eclipse, had taken shelter in the forest. During the chaos, he'd stumbled upon a golden seed resting on an ancient, moss-covered stone by a secluded lake.
That seed had granted him the S-Rank trait 'Telekinesis'.
Jax was betting his entire future on that story being true.
He intended to get that seed. Not to eat it—he couldn't—but to sell it. In the new world that was about to be born, an S-Rank seed would be a ticket to unimaginable wealth and influence.
A monopoly on power.
He ran through the terrified streets, the grotesque scenes of destruction blurring in his periphery. He forced himself not to look, not to help.
It was a cold, cruel calculus. He had to save his mother, and for that, he needed power. Real power.
He reached the forest's edge, the air thick with the smell of pine and ozone.
The sounds of the city's massacre faded, replaced by the eerie rustling of leaves and the distant roars of beasts.
He pushed deeper, following a barely-there trail from memory, his senses on high alert.
After what felt like an eternity of searching, he heard it: the gentle lapping of water.
He broke through a thicket of bushes and there it was. A small, serene lake, its surface reflecting the blood-red sky.
And in the center of a small clearing, a large, moss-covered stone, exactly as described in the legends.
Resting atop it, gleaming like a drop of solidified sunlight, was a single golden seed.
Jax's breath hitched. A grin spread across his face. It was real. He had done it.
He carefully approached the stone, pulling a small cloth from his pocket to wrap the priceless artifact. His hands trembled with excitement as he reached for it.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him heaved violently. A massive tremor, far stronger than the first, shook the entire forest.
Jax lost his footing, his arms pinwheeling as he tried to keep his balance. He tripped over a root, his body lurching forward.
His mouth fell open in a cry of alarm as he tumbled face-first towards the stone.
The golden seed was dislodged. It flew into the air, and by a one-in-a-billion chance of trajectory and timing, it fell directly into his open, screaming mouth.
He swallowed instinctively.
Horror, cold and absolute, seized him.
No. No, no, no! Pure, undiluted terror flooded Jax's veins.
He clawed at his throat, trying to gag, to force the seed back up, but it was gone.
He knew the law. One Seed, One Soul.
The few greedy fools in the early days who had tried to consume a second seed all met the same gruesome end: spontaneous human combustion.
Their bodies would glow cherry-red for a moment before erupting in a silent, all-consuming flame, leaving behind nothing but a scorch mark and a cautionary tale.
"No!" he screamed, his voice raw with despair. "Not like this!"
He had come so far. Regressed, trained, bled, and sweated for a year, all for it to end in a stupid, cosmic joke of an accident?
He scrambled to his feet, his body tensed, waiting for the searing heat, the fatal glow.
He imagined his mother finding out he'd died, alone in the woods, his dreams turned to ash.
He waited. One second. Five. Ten.
Nothing. No heat. No combustion. Just the frantic pounding of his own heart.
He felt a strange tingling sensation spread through his body, a gentle warmth, not a searing inferno.
And then, the familiar blue window flickered into existence before his eyes.
[Second Seed Detected. Commencing Trait Extraction...][Warning: Host Body Already Contains a Unique Seed Core.][Activating Trait: Unbound. Bypassing Universal Law 'One Seed, One Soul'.][Extracting compatible ability...][Ability Acquired!]
Jax's eyes widened as he read the notifications, his mind struggling to process the words.
Bypassing Universal Law?
The system window updated.
Name: Jackson Lee MercerLevel: 1Trait: Unbound (Rank: UNIQUE)Description: The user is a vessel of infinite potential, unbound by the universal law of 'One Seed, One Soul'.Abilities:Slot 1: Telekinesis (Rank: S)Slot 2: [???]Slot 3: [???]Slot 4: [???]Slot 5: [???]
He stared at the words 'Telekinesis (Rank: S)'.
The S-Rank seed. He had not just survived; he had absorbed its power.
A slow, disbelieving smile spread across his face, quickly morphing into a full-blown, maniacal laugh of pure relief and ecstasy.
His Unique trait wasn't useless. It wasn't a joke.
It was the most overpowered, game-breaking ability in existence.
He could absorb multiple seeds. He could wield an arsenal of powers.
He focused, tentatively reaching out with his mind, picturing a small rock a few feet away.
He felt a new, invisible limb extend from his consciousness.
The rock wobbled, then lifted shakily into the air.
He was no longer a boy with an empty system. He was the possessor of an S-Rank ability, with four more slots to fill.
The world was his oyster, and he had just found the first pearl.