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Dinner behind him, Noanh withdrew to the quiet of his room. Sprawled across his bed, he stared into the luminous system interface, his mind sinking deeper into contemplation.
———————
[Name: Noah Silver]
[Age: 17]
[Gender: Male]
[Height: 185 cm / 6'1"]
———————
[Abilities]
— Hypermotility Lv.1
→ Status: Awakened | 58% XP to Lv.2
— Telekinesis Lv.2
→ Status: Novice | 23% XP to Lv.3
— Genius Intellect Lv.6
→ Status: Master | 79% XP to Lv.7
———————
[System Functions]
Ability Synthesis-Fusion
Ability Upgrade
Auto-Train (1/1)
Mission
———————
[System Data]
Daily Ability Refresh: 3h 55m
Ability Points: 50
———————
Earlier, when he'd faltered at the thought of helping the man, the system had stepped in, issuing a quest that directly clashed with his hesitation, knowing all too well he would eventually accept.
His reluctance had been selfish, he admitted, but he couldn't help hoping the system wasn't built solely around missions of heroism. If it was, then perhaps he could at least use it to gradually shift his mindset from indifference into something more.
Still, if the rewards were grand enough, he doubted he would complain. Shrugging off the fleeting thought, he refocused on the system interface, his gaze drifting from the fifty ability points earned from the mission to the three abilities in his possession.
Testing the waters, he tapped on the Ability Upgrade section. At once, the interface expanded, splitting neatly into two panels. The text that followed read.
———————
Ability Upgrade
[Abilities]
— Hypermotility Lv.1
→ Status: Awakened | 58% XP to Lv.2
Upgrade 100 AP |42| 42% remaining
— Telekinesis Lv.2
→ Status: Novice | 23% XP to Lv.3
Upgrade 250 AP |192| 77% remaining
— Genius Intellect Lv.6
→ Status: Master | 79% XP to Lv.7
Upgrade 10000 AP |2100| 21% remaining
———————
Noah gave a small nod of confirmation. Progress directly dictated the number of ability points required to push an ability to the next level. With his current setup, he could simply wait for the auto-train feature to raise his hypermotility experience to fifty percent, then spend the fifty ability points he'd earned to level it instantly.
But that wasn't his plan. It might save time in the short run, yet in the long run it was hardly cost-effective. In fact, he doubted he'd ever waste points on upgrading abilities at all. His focus, instead, would remain firmly on investing everything into the auto-train feature.
The feature was the true gold mine of the system. It might look unimpressive now, but that was only because it was still stuck at level one. Even so, at its current state it could push a level one ability to level two in just over two days, and a level two ability to level three in a little more than four.
And that was only the beginning. If level two doubled its efficiency, as he strongly suspected, then a level one ability could be trained up in less than a single day. Faster, even, than the rate at which he gained new powers. The thought alone was staggering.
Noah had no doubts. The auto-train feature was the true path forward: cost-effective, reliable, and frightening in its potential.
For now, his points were far from enough to upgrade the auto-train function. The next level demanded a hefty five hundred ability points. For a fleeting moment, he considered wandering into the city's more dangerous corners, hoping to trigger missions.
The thought was quickly dismissed; that wasn't his style. Still, if the rate of earning points didn't improve over time, he might be forced to reconsider.
With that, he decided to turn in early. Tomorrow's ability would decide his schedule, and if it proved useful enough, he might just skip school altogether.
After all, everything he did was for his survival—and, eventually, for the potential of entire planets.
Letting his thoughts quiet, he allowed his mind to grow still, heavy enough to pull him swiftly into rest. Within a minute, his consciousness had already slipped away into sleep.
The next morning was fast approaching, and by daybreak Noah stirred awake, eyelids fluttering against the dim light seeping through his curtains. For a moment, he lay still, disoriented between the pull of sleep and the pull of reality.
Shaking off the morning stiffness, he pushed himself upright, stretched, and immediately summoned the system interface. His eyes darted to the spot where the new prompt always appeared.
---
[Name: Noah Silver]
[Age: 17]
[Gender: Male]
[Height: 185 cm / 6'1"]
---
[Abilities]
Bioluminescence Lv.1 (New!)
→ Status: Awakened | 1% XP to Lv.2
Hypermotility Lv.1
→ Status: Awakened | 58% XP to Lv.2
Telekinesis Lv.2
→ Status: Novice | 23% XP to Lv.2
---
His expression soured the instant his eyes landed on the new entry in the ability tab.
"Bioluminescence," he muttered, the word leaving a bitter taste as he sank into thought.
Yet almost as quickly as the scowl had come, it faded, replaced by a sharper focus. Possibilities began to unfold in his mind as he considered the ability's potential applications.
——————
Bioluminescence Lv.1
Status: Awakened | 1% XP to Lv.2
Description: The ability to generate and emit visible light from the body.
——————
He paused for several seconds, fingers stroking his chin, brows knit in thought. Maybe this isn't useless after all, Noah mused, a spark of possibility flickering in his mind.
Driven by curiosity and a surge of excitement, he lifted his right hand and willed the ability to awaken. In an instant, his palm flared with blinding brilliance, flooding the room with light as sharp as a bare bulb.
The sudden glare hit his unprepared eyes like a strike. Fresh from sleep, his vision screamed in protest. Noah winced, clenching his hand to smother the glow. It took several long, stinging seconds before his sight steadied and the afterimages faded.
"That was bright," he thought, a small smile tugging at his lips. Just as he'd hoped.
This ability, bioluminescence—the power to generate and emit visible light from his own body—could prove far more useful than it first appeared.
Humans were already faintly bioluminescent by nature, but the glow was so weak it could only be detected by ultra-sensitive cameras. With his ability, however, Noah had shattered that natural limit, transforming a hidden trace of biology into a tangible, potent force.
Once again, he raised his palm, this time concentrating on control. A soft glow bloomed in his hand, spilling gently into the room. Unlike before, the light was subdued, easy on the eyes, allowing Noah to gaze directly at it without flinching.
He switched between both hands, experimenting with the flow for several moments. But then, without warning, his stomach lurched. A wave of nausea crashed over him, his vision swimming as dizziness threatened to pull him under. He staggered, nearly collapsing back onto the bed.
The glow in his palm flickered, then dimmed to nothing. Noah immediately dismissed the ability, already aware of the cause. The nausea ebbed at once, but the hollow ache gnawing at his stomach drew a heavy sigh from him.
He sat still for a moment, letting the weakness settle into something manageable. Then, with a sudden burst of urgency, he pushed off the bed and all but sprinted out of the room, heading straight for the kitchen.
Yanking open the fridge, he spotted last night's leftovers. Without hesitation, he piled a plate full and shoved it into the microwave, standing silently in front of it as the hum filled the room. The moment the ding rang out, he moved in, ready to devour it.
He shoveled the food down, desperate to fill the gaping void clawing at his stomach. Bite after bite, the emptiness slowly ebbed, until at last his body began to settle and his thoughts could catch up.
"Never again," Noah muttered inwardly, wiping the cold sweat beading on his forehead. The memory of that sudden, crushing hunger still lingered, sharp and unpleasant.
Once his breathing steadied, his mind turned to the cause. He already knew the culprit—the bioluminescence. But why had it drained him so quickly? He mulled it over, his thoughts circling deeper until, all at once, the realization struck him like a spark snapping into place.
Humans, while technically capable of producing light, aren't truly bioluminescent. True bioluminescence requires a fully functional luciferase system. That said, human cells do contain enzymes that interact with oxygen and energy molecules.
While these aren't sufficient for actual light production, theoretically, if luciferase were introduced into the human body, bioluminescence could become possible.
Noah's thoughts clicked into place. Proper bioluminescence works by converting chemical energy into light energy. In humans, the primary source of chemical energy is calories—digested food.
That explained the sudden, overwhelming hunger that had hit him; his body had essentially burned through its fuel to power the light. Especially when he had just woken up with an empty stomach.
The more he thought about it, the more Noah considered discarding the ability in exchange for ability points. In all its glory, bioluminescence was essentially an energy devourer.
The brighter the light, the more energy it drained, and that meant he could probably only use it in short bursts.
At his current level, he was almost certain that any attempt would result in nothing less than blinding light, limited entirely by his body's energy reserves. The cost, he realized, might outweigh the benefit.
However, the potential applications of the ability made him hesitate.
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🔫 Make sure to drop your power stones before you leave 🔫