~----~
[Kairo Vale]
[Ability: Muscle Genesis]
>Ability to grow and control muscle.
[Rank: F]
[Stats:]
*Strength: F+
*Agility: F-
*Stamina: F
*Vitality: F
*Intelligence: F-
*Mana Capacity: F-
>Class: [Warrior lvl. 1]
~----~
The first time, due to his grand ambitions of breaking the great divine and all that, Kairo didn't pay full attention to the system information. It was only after that he paid attention to it, and he couldn't help but pause.
"Ability to grow and control muscle… what the f*ck!" He was speechless.
"Grow and control muscle, how am I going to get strong with that? F*ck! I've been scammed!"
"Why not turning muscles to stone or steel or something?"
It was while he lamented that the system lit up again.
DING!
~----~
[System Hint: Work out]
~----~
"Huh? Work out? Just that?"
Despite the fact that he still felt cheated and he began to understand more while those nobles and other teenagers mocked him, Kairo listened to the system hint still and decided to work out.
Afterall, hope was the only thing he had going for him.
He began basic squats. As soon as he started, the dull ache in his muscles returned with full force, turning acute again.
Groaning, he pushed through it, gritting his teeth.
One… two… three… ten.
He collapsed at the tenth squat, rolling on his back.
Kairo's eyes widened as he gasped for breath. "T-this…!" Before Awakening, he could do far more squats, so why did he seem to have become weaker after Awakening.
But then he remembered that his muscles seemed to have grown. Heck, he was now even a few inches taller. "Wait, more muscles mean more effort to work out with them or…?"
The system interrupted him.
DING!
~----~
[Training Detected: Muscle Conditioning Complete]
Analyzing stress points… adapting growth patterns…
…
Kairo waited, then waited some more, even more, than…
…
[Congratulations! You have unlocked Skill: Hypermuscle Creation]
>You can now consciously grow and harden new muscle fibers to enhance strength temporarily. Growth requires mana input and recovery period.
~----~
Kairo stared with wide eyes. "My first skill!" He yelped in excitement.
Yes, outside, he was the silent and cold loner, but who cared about stoicism when he was alone? It was when he was alone that he got to express his true self.
And that was why he didn't mind expressing his excitement.
"Wow, just like that, I got my first skill".
Having read a lot of comic books about ability wielders, he knew that every ability comes with its own grown pattern and system directive. He also knew that most abilities come with skills attached to them that Awakened unlock with training.
He never expected to unlock his first skill so early.
"Yes!" He pumped a fist in excitement.
And that was when he felt it, something shifted inside of him. It was like a new organ had grown in his soul.
Talking of new organs, Kairo already felt the presence of his mana core, the organ that every Awakened get that permeated his body with mana, making him F Rank. As an F Rank, though he was still 16, Kairo was pretty sure that he was stronger than every thug in his neighborhood now.
'If they try me again, they better be ready for a nasty surprise'.
Removing all distractions from his mind, Kairo finally looked down at his arm. As a slum rat with no tutorship, he was literally grasping at strays with his ability.
But following the little knowledge of how ability wielders use their abilities that he read in comics, he focused on his arm and then, VOOM, his bicep expanded.
"Wow!" Kairo gasped.
His breath froze as he watched his veins bulge, the skin stretching tight.
"T-this…" Kairo felt power thrumming inside his hand as his strength spiked.
He blinked. "So this is the feeling of power?"
At that moment, the system lit up again.
~----~
[Due to your low mana capacity, your use of Hypermuscle Creation is limited. You can only use 5 charges before your mana is fully depleted.]
[Muscle Charge: 1/5]
>Each Charge increases strength by 30% for 10 seconds. Overuse may result in muscle tear or temporary paralysis.
~----~
Kairo conveniently ignored the paralysis part as he stared at the 30% strength increase part. His first real weapon was born. He slowly grinned, which gradually turned into a full-blown smirk.
"Hahahaha!" He laughed.
"MUAHAHAHAHA!"
"This daddy is now an Awakened warrior!" He howled at the sky in excitement.
His excitement was understandable. Unlike nobles, majority of slum-borns never even try awakening because from history, they almost never have the talent.
For someone used to mundane life like him to suddenly get so much power in one go, his excitement was understandable for a 16 year old.
…
Later, returning to his ruined home, Kairo examined the system interface again as he tried to understand everything about himself that the system displayed.
Compared to before, it now showed his new skill.
~----~
[Skills:]
>Hypermuscle Creation.
…
But apart from the skill, the system interface showed something else. It didn't just show it; unlike the other texts that were written with white font, this one was written in red, and bold, and it pulsed ominously.
…
[WARNING: Nutritional Deficiency Detected. Ability Efficiency dropping.]
>Current Intake: 267 kcal/2,000.
…
[System Remark: Look at me… you think you're some mage? If you don't want to faint and find yourself in heaven, find food!]
~----~
Kairo blinked.
The system remark… that was rude, but he kind of liked it.
"Hehe," he chuckled, flexing his hands as he looked at them, marveling how much he'd grown within just a day of awakening his ability.
One question lingered in his head though, where to get food?
Food was indeed a problem. Having grown used to going 0-0-1, an acronym for an eating schedule of Morning-nil, Afternoon-nil, and eating only in the evenings, at first, Kairo felt stumped.
But once he looked at his hand again and flexed his muscles, he grinned.
"I think… I have a solution".