Chapter 9 : The Spark of Leech
The soft hum of the hologram pulsed in the background as I sat cross-legged on the bed.
Ten pulls. Ten powers. Ten questions waiting for answers.
Now came the real test — assimilation.
If the Conquest Gacha wanted me to play, then I needed to know exactly what I was working with.
I opened the inventory interface, and a cascade of icons filled the air — Abilities, Items, Templates — neatly organized, glowing faintly like they were waiting for my command.
"Alright," I muttered, rolling my shoulders. "Let's start with something simple."
I focused on the first entry: Yuuki Rito — Template available for assimilation.
That paradoxical, walking disaster of luck. If anyone could keep me alive by sheer absurdity, it'd be him.
[Assimilate Template: Yuuki Rito?]
[Confirm?]
"Yeah, go for it."
Nothing happened.
No flash, no warmth, not even a sound. Just… silence.
I blinked at the hologram, waiting, half-expecting some dramatic transformation or at least a faint glow. Nothing.
No surge of energy, no dizziness — absolutely no change.
I sighed, slumping back slightly. "Well, that's underwhelming."
Even though I hadn't expected much, the total lack of sensation felt… disappointing.
I stared at my hands for a moment, half-hoping for some hidden spark of luck to reveal itself. Still nothing.
When I glanced back at the display, the Yuuki Rito icon had dimmed slightly, the tag shifting to [In Progress].
"…Figures," I muttered. "Guess it's a slow download. Seventy percent, and still nothing. Guess luck takes its sweet time showing up."
Still, it was progress. Even if I didn't feel different, something was happening beneath the surface.
"If I couldn't feel Rito's luck yet," I murmured, smirking faintly, "maybe I'd feel Leech's silence."
My eyes drifted to the next template: Leech (Earth-58163) — the mutant who could nullify powers.
If I could make that one work, it'd be a game-changer in a world full of superhumans.
[Assimilate Template: Leech (Earth-58163)?]
[Confirm?]
"Yeah. Do it."
The moment I tapped confirm, a faint vibration ran through the air — soft, almost imperceptible, like static brushing my skin.
It wasn't painful, but it carried weight, a subtle pressure pressing down on everything around me.
Then it was gone.
No flash. No aura. Just quiet.
I exhaled slowly, feeling oddly grounded.
If Yuuki's template felt like nothing, this one felt like… silence.
Not peaceful silence — emptiness, like the world had just stopped breathing for a second.
Curious, I reopened the Status Tab.
[Name: Alexander Orzat]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 18]
[Abilities: — None —]
[Template (In Progress): — Yuuki Rito (70%) / Leech (Earth-58163) (10%) —]
[Template (Assimilated): —]
I stared at the panel for a long moment.
Two templates running at once — but not progressing at the same pace.
Yuuki Rito's assimilation had already climbed fast; he was just a normal human, after all.
Leech, on the other hand… a powerful mutant with a reality-affecting ability. No wonder his template crawled forward like molasses.
"Alright," I murmured, "so the stronger the template, the slower the integration. Makes sense."
Just as I was about to close the display, something shifted — a faint, almost intangible sensation spreading from my chest outward.
It wasn't light or sound, not even temperature. More like… a pressure at the edge of awareness, a subtle distortion in the air.
The space around me didn't change — it just went quiet.
Not the room, not the world — me.
I frowned, focusing on the feeling.
A field, invisible and weightless, expanding and contracting with my intent.
Then I realized: this was the beginning of Leech's mutation.
It didn't affect the physical world — no flickering lights, no rippling air — but within that one-meter sphere, I could sense the absence.
Like a vacuum where power couldn't exist. A void where energy and ability simply stopped being.
I concentrated, and the sensation faded. Focused again, and it returned.
Activation. Deactivation. Primitive, but real.
"So that's how it starts," I whispered. "A null zone… just small enough to matter."
I closed my eyes, recalling what the real Leech could do — suppress powers across kilometers, mask his X-gene from detection, and even fine-tune who his field affected.
Compared to that, my version was a spark next to a storm.
But even a spark could save your life in the right moment.
I focused on the field again, this time keeping it active. The quiet hum at the edge of my perception returned — not sound, not pressure, just a subtle awareness that something within a one-meter radius was muted.
No spark, no flow of power — only stillness.
I decided to keep it running. If I was going to rely on this ability, I needed to know what it cost.
I sat still, concentrating, feeling the edges of that invisible dome. One meter in every direction — stable, steady, constant.
"Alright," I muttered, a small smile tugging at my lips. "No drain, no side effects. Guess that's a good start."
If this was what one-tenth of Leech's power felt like, then the full version must've been terrifying.
Still, for now, I could handle this much — a small, silent shield against a world that played by no rules but its own.
A grin crept onto my lips.
"Alright, Leech… one percent at a time. Every percent closer to control."