CHAPTER 49
'Now shall we see the second category? I'm really excited about this one for some reason…'
[Affirmative.]
[Absolute Physical-Function:
Description: This is a personal gift from the system to Host.
Abilities;
1. Perfect and absolute muscle memory— Once Host performs or observes a physical action, he can perfectly memorize and replicate it instantly.
2. Boosted senses— One of Host's bloodlines deals with physique. Hence, the system has decided to enhance Host's senses to the maximum limit it can manage.
He can see clearly in the dark without any hitch. Can smell from far away, and can also pick up even the faintest sounds with his now highly sensitive ears.
3. Weapon mastery— This will grant Host a fifteen percent instinctive mastery over all weapons. The remaining percentage depends entirely on Host.
4. Thermal vision— This will help Host view the aura and heat signatures of all living beings. Can see through barriers with this ability. Nobody can hide from Host with this. (To activate and deactivate, double tap the gap between eyebrows)]
______
Ray's mouth was slightly agape as all the displays floated in front of him.
For a brief moment, his head felt like it was spinning as he tried to properly wrap his mind around the sheer value of this gift.
'Hold on, system. Aren't all these a bit overpowered? Fifteen percent weapon mastery? Perfect muscle memory? Thermal vision? Yo! The hell?'
[I think the system can perfectly recall when you were cursing at it for being weak and not having any overpowered skills. Now that you've got something decent, you're whining?]
Ray let out an inward, awkward chuckle as he rubbed his hair while staring at the system screen.
'I'm sorry. Thank you for the gift. This is lovely, and I promise to use them to grow better and stronger so I can eliminate all Aberrants from this world.'
[Nice. Time to go ghost. If you have any questions, ask now.]
Ray thought hard about anything else he might want to ask, his thoughts turning over slowly.
However, only two questions surfaced in his mind.
'My first skill… it mentioned something about "energy." What is that?'
[Check your full status tab. Your question will be answered there.]
'One more thing… are these skills I'm receiving part of my bloodline?'
[Yes. The first two skills you received, along with your lightning ability, are all part of your three bloodlines.]
'So they're just the basic package, eh?'
[Correct.]
Ray exhaled deeply as he rubbed his temples, sinking into quiet contemplation.
He searched his thoughts again, but nothing else came to mind.
His head felt strangely empty, as if the information overload had momentarily drained his curiosity dry.
So he waved his hand dismissively, imagining the system floating in front of him.
'... You can leave now. I need some time to myself.' he mused inwardly, and then his head fell silent.
Sigh—!
He let out a quiet breath as he followed the system's instruction and pulled down his status tab.
__
[Status]
[Name: Ray Dawson]
[Age: 15]
[Race: Tribrid]
[Level: 2]
[Exp: 70/150]
[HP: 50/50]
[MF: 50/50]
[Energy: 100/100]
___
"Oh. There it is. Energy." He muttered softly as he stared at the line for a few seconds longer before his gaze drifted to his new race.
'A Tribrid, eh? I wonder what that really means for me… but first…'
He lifted his index and middle fingers, placing them over his temples, precisely around the bridge between his eyebrows.
Tap. Tap.
He tapped it twice and immediately, his vision changed hard.
It felt like he was seeing the world in a black-and-white state, stunning him completely and even throwing him off balance.
His mind spun, information reeling through his thoughts, almost overloading it.
Turning his gaze towards Kai, he could see his friend's aura.
Calm, steady, and serene, with a fiery yellow glow around his abdomen that flickered with every breath he took.
The fiery aura was as big as a cooking pot.
His head then turned towards Van, who was sleeping peacefully. He could see his childhood best friend's small, flickering aura.
It was yellow like Kai's, but much smaller.
Almost the size of a glass cup.
Then he shifted his gaze towards his own body and, strangely, he half expected something different.
But his own aura was yellow as well.
Not as big as Kai's, but definitely larger than Van's.
'I wonder if these auras deal with how strong we actually are.' he mused as his gaze lingered around the room.
It was now that the description of this 'Thermal vision' became clearer, as his sight seemed to bypass all forms of barriers.
Even when he stared at his roommates, he was unable to see their bodies— only faint outlines shaped entirely by their yellow auras.
And now, as he focused on the room itself, he noticed that the walls were gone.
He could see with this strange vision as far as his normal eyes could reach, which was far greater than when he had still been human.
He could easily make out the auras of the militants patrolling all around the area.
In fact, he could even see outside the gate for a few metres before his vision finally hit its limit.
"Ba… thump…"
A sudden thump slammed into Ray's head, causing him to almost scream as he grabbed his skull tightly in pain.
His teeth ground against each other as he fought back the urge to cry out loud.
[Foolish Host. Deactivate the ability now. You have hit your limit!]
The system chided in Ray's mind, prompting him to hurriedly tap his temples twice, deactivating the skill.
His vision snapped back to normal, allowing him to see the walls, beds, and even the bodies of his friends clearly once again.
A sharp headache struck him as he tried to focus and readjust to his normal sight.
It only took a few seconds for his vision to stabilize, and the headache gradually receded.
"One minute, huh? That's my limit." He muttered with a dissatisfied sigh.
'I guess that's my cue to sleep.'
"11pm"
'With this absolute bodily function, I guess it's time to breeze through all my trainings.'