He staggered backward, his legs involuntarily pushing with force, and the soft turf easily lifted in a large chunk.
Immediately after, his body seemed to be uncontrollably pulled, sharply twisting backward.
This speed was almost a blurred afterimage in Hen's eyes.
BANG! With a muffled sound, Karl's back slammed into the trunk of another large tree over ten meters away, and leaves fell with a rustle.
But Karl felt no pain at all, not even the corners of his clothes were covered in dust.
Countless pieces of gravel and soil rose from the ground and spun imperceptibly around his feet.
He knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, his hands pressed to the ground.
The uncontrollable flow of energy in his eyes gradually scorched the earth before him, turning it into a charred patch.
"This is... Heat Vision?"
He understood that this sudden maladaptation was definitely not a magical reaction, but the awakening of other superpowers.
He just hadn't expected it to happen at this moment. Karl didn't panic, but forced himself to calm down.
He half-knelt on the scorched earth, closed his eyes, and fought desperately against the tsunami-like flood of sensory information.
In his ears, he could hear the whisper of a river a hundred meters away, the chirping of insects in the grass, and the faint sound of birds flapping their wings at high altitude.
Even nearby, at this moment, it was like the beating of hearts and the rustle of blood flowing through veins.
All these sounds interwove into a noise maddening enough.
"Separate them, filter them, shield them..."
Karl roared in his heart, concentrating all his mental strength, and at this moment, his Super Brain began to work instinctively.
Like the most sophisticated supercomputer, it began to rapidly classify, filter, and denoise this massive stream of information.
He forcibly suppressed the minor, distant sounds, leaving only those nearby that could pose a threat.
As he struggled, the intense agitation that had nearly shattered his consciousness began to weaken and become tolerable.
The field of vision in his eyes, which had been sharply switching between reality and microscopic anatomical views, also stabilized and returned to normal sight.
The uncontrollable red light emanating from his pupils slowly faded, like an ebbing tide.
Immediately after, Karl thought silently to himself, and a pale blue translucent system panel, visible only to him, unfolded before him.
Name: [Karl El]
Energy Pool: [3634214]
Talent Abilities: [Bio-Field Level 1] [Steel Body Level 1] [Super Strength Level 1] [Super Speed Level 1]
[Super Senses Level 1] [Super Brain Level 1] [Heat Vision Level 1] [Frozen Breath Level 1]
His gaze quickly swept over, and sure enough, it had happened.
Apart from the known awakening of the Super Brain, although it was unexpected, it was reasonable to think about.
Without this information processing power comparable to a computer, how could he handle the vast amount of information brought by Super Senses?
At this moment, he didn't consciously rely on the system, only to check his growth.
The results confirmed that even without the system's assistance, his body's potential would naturally awaken through his own training and the stimulation he encountered.
It seemed that he would have to use the skill points as a trump card for critical moments in the future, rather than adding them freely whenever he wanted.
When he stood up again, except for slight shortness of breath and a somewhat unnatural expression, he had essentially returned to normal.
And Hen, who was watching him, frowned, his eyes full of doubt and concern.
He had witnessed changes in Karl that went beyond the scope of magic.
After a few moments of hesitation, he finally spoke, his voice carrying unprecedented caution.
"Karl... your pain just now and this... abnormal performance, are they related to your special physique?"
Karl hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded frankly: "Yes, Teacher. It's related to my physique."
He had already begun to think quickly about how to explain the source of these superpowers if Hen asked for details.
Was it inherited from some unknown lineage, or some kind of ancient blessing?
However, Hen's reaction was completely unexpected after his affirmative answer.
The sorcerer, who had lived for nearly five hundred years, had a clear gaze and breathed a sigh of relief, as if putting down a heavy stone.
He didn't ask a single word, but smiled gently, with wisdom and tolerance in his smile.
"Who can be without secrets? I am no longer one of those curious young people."
"The longer you live, the better you understand the truth: excessive curiosity is often the trigger for disaster and death." Hen's tone became relaxed, with a slight hint of self-mockery.
He looked at Karl meaningfully: "I just need to know that the changes happening to you won't harm you. That's enough."
"As for the rest... that's your own domain. I won't, and I don't have the right to, interfere."
This unconditional trust and respect made Karl's heart fill with a warm current, and at the same time, he admired his teacher even more.
Hen changed his mind, bringing up another topic: "So... let's talk about that sorceress named Keira."
"When I came to get you, I noticed that the protective rune on the back of your hand had been activated."
"Is there some unpleasantness between you?"
At the mention of Keira, Karl's expression darkened slightly, and he no longer concealed it.
He explained how Keira had tried to use her mind to force him to give up the Arzu spells,
how he had seen through her and clashed with her, and how Triss had returned in time to stop it, all of which he recounted truthfully.
Only when he mentioned the "Arzu spells," his tone paused slightly, observing Hen's reaction.
He thought he would hear the names of these two lost, powerful spells.
Even someone like Hen would at least show some interest and might directly ask about the spells.
However, Hen's reaction surprised him again.
Hen simply nodded, his voice even, as if discussing today's dinner.
"So it was the Arzu spells. No wonder they awakened her greed." He even smiled softly, a slight hint of reminiscence in his voice.
"Arzu's Shield and Arzu's Thunderbolt... well, they are very practical spells, but I mastered them over three hundred years ago."
"What?" Karl was truly stunned this time.
Triss had struggled to cast a spell she couldn't even complete, suffering backlash, and Hen actually knew and had mastered it three hundred years ago?
As if confirming his words, Hen casually raised his hand and pointed a fingertip at an ancient tree in the distance that would take three people to embrace.
He didn't even aim deliberately, but quickly and clearly spat out a string of ancient and majestic Elder Speech syllables, which was the full incantation for Arzu's Thunderbolt.
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