CHAPTER 7: BATTLE SENSE
"Haa!!" Marko sprung back to life. The first thing that greeted him was the ash box displayed over his head. [YOU HAVE AWOKEN FROM SLEEP MODE] [ESTIMATED TIME ASLEEP: 3 WEEKS, 5 DAYS, 2HRS, 19 SECONDS] [ALL BODY FUNCTIONS HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO NORMAL] [PLEASE RECHARGE] "Huff! Huff!" Marko's ash hair had grown a bit. His face was dripping with sweat and a light headache stinging him by his temples. His eyes was weak as he glanced around the room, it was the physician house, the wind curtains whipped the air as wind blew in. "What?" He looked down at himself. He was wearing a thin patients cloth. "Who changed me?" He turned to the bedside where a collection of flowers sat on a tables with a note "GET WELL SOON! HERO!" "Oh God! Mon is going to kill me for running out on her!" He ran his hand down his damp hair and sighed in exasperation. "System?" […] "What are you…?" […] Marko pushed himself up on the softy comfy bed. "As long as I can save the people I care about, it's fine. But taking out of my lifespan is harsh!" He climbed out of the bed with his hand cleched to his stomach. "I better find something to eat before this hunger kills me!" He moved to the window and looked out to the the village standing tall and proud, he could hardly tell a fight went down there. "Come to think of it how am I alive without having tasted anything I so long?" His mouth started to water at the thought of having hot tantalizing food running down his throat. He moved to the door and prepared to exit the room when the door opened on the other end to reveal a nurse wearing her white uniform and carrying a small steel plate with some medical apparatus. She looked about to be in her early twenties and having short brown hair and beautiful eyes. Marko mustered his most confident smile and said. "Sup?!" Out of fear and shock the nurse screamed. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The steel tray slipped out of her hand and clattered to the ground as she took to her heels and ran down the hall. Marko was confused but his ever knocking hunger got the better of him. He stepped out of the room and turned left down the hall, the other nurses and patients all stared at him wide-eyed. TAP!! TAP!! Marko caught sight of two figures dressed in strange uniforms he had never seen before. A tall male and a female about his height. What caught his eye the more was the object in the girl's hand… a roasted corn cob. Moved by hunger he made for it and reached out to grab it, that's was when his screen came on. "What now?" [YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED A GIFTED] [POWER LEVEL MID] "What?!" Marko blared. SWOOSH!! The dust cleared. "How…?" Spoke a lovely female voice. Her eyes were glassy and with a light blue glow, her lips pale, her skin brown and her hair a braided silver white. She glanced back to see a cute boy around her age wearing a patients cloth and devouring her corn cob like a wild animal. "Did that boy just take this from me without me noticing?" She said in a cold almost empty tone. "That const 30 coins from my savings." The tall man next to her wearing the same uniform of silvery white jacket with red striped lines over black trousers. "He's fast!" He remarked in an almost cheery tone. "To take something from you the academy's number 5 strongest he must be a mid rank gifted at least! That's rare coming from such a backwards village!" "Do you think he's the one?" He further asked. She hissed in disgust. "The one that killed the level 4 terror? Sure, it's him!" Marko almost cried as he finished the corn cob still hungry for more when… "SON!!" His mother screamed from behind accompanied by Shayla. Marko smiled as he threw his arms around his mother. "Mom, I'm sorry for making you worry!" His mother broke into a light sob. "You were asleep for three weeks, everyone was worried. How do you feel?" Now that was a question Marko was happy to respond to. "Hungry. Very." Shayla closed in on them and dropped her tired shoulders. "Still the same quirky Marko. Only stronger!" Marko smiled. "Actually my strength is just to keep everyone I love safe!" "Oh! Is that so?" The silver white hairs lady stamoed her foot on the ground. "So you are the so called hero gifted?" Marko peered back at her almost enchanted by her beauty. "Um, who are you?" Shayla tugged at him. "Try to be polite dimwit! They are from the Gifted Academy." Marko looked perplexed. "Nope! Never heard of it!!" "WHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!!!" Almost everyone screamed out, shaking the floors of the physician house. Marko ran his hand down his head nervously. "Hehe! Because I've only just become a gifted I never really put my head in all those nonsensical stuff!!" "Nonsensical stuff?!" The silver haired girl laughed. "Why you little dimwit!!" Shayla frowned. "Hey dummy, that's my line!" "Do you know who I am?" The silver haired girl boomed. "I am Sylvia Crown! Ranked 5th on the Specialist. The strongest gifteds in the academy and in the world." Marko yawned and asked. "Just do you want then…?" "Our academy prioritizes itself in safeguarding as many people as we can by vanquishing terrors. To do that we must train as many gifteds as we can. We only recieved news of what happened here a week earlier. About a recently awakened defeating a rank 2 and 4 on the same night." Marko took a step forward. "Get to the point." Sylvia scoffed at him. "The academy wants to know whether it's true. And if it is we w--" Marko cut her off with a wave. "It's not! Now shoo! I want to hug my mother some more." Slyvia shooked her head dismissively. "Fight me, I want to know how strong you are!" Marko sighed. "Let's make this quick." Slyvia chuckled. [USE OF TALENT HAS BEEN PARTIALLY INACTIVE TILL RECOVERY HAS BEEN COMPLETED] Marko hissed. "Um lady, I change my mind. I'm starting to feel sick, you know I just got discharged and all!" Sylvia had closed the distance between them and threw a sharp blow at him. Marko gulped down as he shut his eyes to accept his fate. Shortly after everyone gasped in shock. Marko peeled his eyes open to find out her had actually caught her fist. "How did I do that?" He asked. [YOUR BODY HAS DEVELOPED THROUGH THE USE OF THE TALENT] [YOU CAN NATURALLY USE BATTLE SENSE BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF DATA ACCUMULATED FROM BATTLES] Marko could not help but smile as he did a back flip and touched the roof of the building. He landed on the ground unharmed. "Wow! Not bad!" Sylvia scoffed yet again. "So he has peak strength and to be able to evade me like that…" The man next to her smiled. "My name is Dexter Knox. Your gift is a marvel, such preciseness and power control." The look of shock on their faces when Marko said it. "What are you talking about…? I haven't even used my gift yet!!" Sylvia shook from shock. "No way was that pure muscle strength. Then let's go again, I'll use my gift this time!" "No!" The Dexter spoke. "Your power could destroy the village, you know that!" Slyvia dropped her head in shame. "I'm sorry!" Teresa stepped forward and faced the two gifteds. "Dexter, you've grown." Dexter bowed his head to her. "Yes ma'am. I am now Rank 3 on the Specialist Force." Marko glanced at the huge fella wearing a face cap hiding half his face. "Guess you knew him before I was born?" Teresa did not reply his question and asked Dexter one of her own. "What are you here for!" Dexter drew in a deep breath and spoke. "We of the Specialist Force of Terror Extermination were sent to recruit your son into the Gifted Academy. Order from the principal himself. Since we have confirmed his ability, he can be made into a fine gifted that will shake the future of humanity!" Marko yawned again and said. "I'm not joining your club! I am staying here with my mother!"CHAPTER 8: DISTORTION "And why don't you want to join the specialist forces?" Dexter asked. Marko responded. "It's not like everyone wants to join anyway, as long as I can stay here and protect my home I'm good." Sylvia snorted. "What an half-assed reason to say that." Marko glared at her then turned to face his mother who was staring at him. "I don't want to find my mom or Shayla hurt or the village when I can finally protect them." Shayla lost her composure a bit. "What? Me?!" Market continued. "My whole life people always ignored me, I don't have a father. I'm not strong or smart, I'm just me. And now I can do a whole bunch of things and help people because I want to. If the village protectors did not have me.to help then the life of everyone would have been endangered. I saved them and I will continue doing so." Teresa and Shayla were moved by his words but. Dexter still had a point to relay. "I admire you Marko, I really do." He started in a calm voice. "Let's suppose you
CHAPTER 9: ARRIVAL AT THE GIFTED ACADEMY Marko puffed as he alighted from the carriage. His boots giving rise to a puff of smoke, he stretched his body to relieve it from the many cramps it had suffered on the long journey. He had left his home three days earlier, embarking on the journey to better control his gift and master it. His mother, Shayal, he had vowed to return stronger. Staring at the huge castle before him covering a big space and encompassed by green gardens, a number of pristine fountains. The windows from top to bottom made of glass and shimmering with cascading fractures of light. The sky above flocking with different species of birds he never knew existed. For someone who had never seen anything as such in his village he marvelled and ran towards the wide open golden gates, eyes blooming with youthful vigor. "Woohoo! Academy here I cooome!!" Dexter grabbed him by the collar and raised him off the ground with ease. "For someone who seemed
CHAPTER 10: REVELATION Marko's eyes sprung open. "Where am I?" He asked the old man with long grey hair before him. He had a beard that seemed to go down a long way. Spectacles of two semicircle lenses sat atop the fringe of his nose. He wore a silver robe with gold lines and the crest of the gifted academy on it. On his head was nestled an awkward looking hat. "I am Headmaster Havadr Damocles of the Gifted Academy and this is office", the old man's voice was agee and we'll mannered. His gold eyes observed Marko to be a strong mannered and kind hearted boy, even his face looked like a cute baby that had just been born. But the other… was a brute, delinquent, bad egg, problem child. "WHAT!! YOU JUST WOKE UP YA DUMBSHIT LOSER, I'VE BEEN AWAKE FOR AGES!" Ted screamed as he snarled at Marko with his sharp pointy teeth that could be mistaken for a demon. "Even with the healing factor he still woke up before me?" Marko thought. "Just how thick is his hea
CHAPTER 11: COBALT BLUE Marko and Ted were filled in on the rules of the academy and it's setting. They were both informed that they were joining the first year at the middle of the semester. They would be forced to catch up with the others from the very first day. Dexter Knox ushered them down the halls after being excused from the headmaster, taking them down a long hall. Marko was lost in thought for a while Ted oogled every artifact, statue and painting in the castle. "Um, Dexter was all the headmaster told us true?" He spoke softly amd in a polite manner. "About us being the last line of defense humanity has?" Dexter tried to keep his eyes on Ted as they continued. "Without a doubt it is. But keep your head high, your are strong in terms of power, precision and stamina but you are not quite on the first years level." Ted stopped before a huge glass window and looked down at the huge training field below where a number of gifteds displayed their skill
CHAPTER 12: ULTIMATE BRAWLER SHOWDOWN Selena chuckled lightly as she raised her hand to her forehead and pushed the strands of hair from her face. With it came a sudden personality change. Her eyes flooded with deep killing intent as her smile faded. "Very well then, it's been a while since we crushed some impertinent newbies." Ted cracked his knuckles and snarled again. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS." Marko felt a bit at ease with Ted taking the charge, even if he was a hothead he was strong but the problem was the girl. Ted had trained himself without any external help from anyone, emerging as a prodigy but the academy had tutors with the same powers as them. WHOOSH ! Marko was startled as all the Cobalt Blue members started to flock over like insects drawn to the light. "What ! This doesn't seem fair !" "HEY SCRUB ! REMEMBER WHAT MR BEARDED GLASSES SAID ?!" Ted said in a confident stance, his palms generating black smoke. "YOU CAN'T
CHAPTER 13: FLAMING FIST !! "FLAMING FIST!" Rings of flame coiled around Ted's clenched fist that reached her face. Again she side steped and slapped him on the face. He stumbled backwards unevenly. "How is it that you can see my attacks coming, HUH ?!" Selena smiled jovially as she opened her eyes. "In addition to enhanced physical capabilities and endurance gifteds normally have there is a power only those who have attained the peak of their gifts can master. We call it aura manifestation." Ted responded gruffly. "WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS ?!" Selena answered him in a threatening tone. "For a buffoon like you who is over reliant on your gift and brute force you are pretty easy to read. I haven't even used my gift yet, how pitiful." "WHAT !?" "YOU BITCH, YOU BETTER BE READY FOR TH--" STEP ! STEP ! "Huu !" Marko huffed out as he walked forward. "Pardon me for intruding." Marko could not have someone soiling his frie
CHAPTER 14: THE BOY WHO KEEPS GETTING STRONGER (1) Marko dashed through the air like one with the wind aiming to close the gap in the least possible time. [You Have Activated Eye Of Power] [You Can Now Utilize Infinite Strength] Selena could not help but but gasp in shock. "This kid, how the hell is he so fast?" Ted who had firsthand seen the full might of Marko's power easily shook off his wonder effect and moved to attack a still dumbfounded Selena with one of his flame bomb attacks. "JUST WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING AT BITCH !! I'M YOUR OPPONENT !" Selena shook herself back to reality and evaded the flame ball hurtling past her head yet her eyes dared not stray far from the overwhelming figure approaching he-- FWOOM !! Marko appeared before her looking a ghost put of thin air. His hair danced in waves with crackles of electricity his eyes empty and his face carrying the strong visage of a domineering figure. For a moment Selena was forced
CHAPTER 15: THE BOY WHO KEEPS GETTING STRONGER PT (2) Selena watched Marko standing idly like a log of wood. A thought crossed her mind on what he was thinking at the moment. In truth, this physical strength was astounding but brute strength alone was wasted against Terrors which could think and act individually. A slight smile drew itself on her face almost barely noticeable. She could see herself in him. Because of her gigantification gift she had also been overly dependent on her brute strength from start. She easily dominated most of the first years earning her the name the Giantess. It was after she met her mentor, Valtor Rose. He was a senior who had taught her not to just rely on brute strength. Compared to the specialist force he could be said to rival them. He taught her the secret to fully utilize gifts in a gifteds body. Only a handful of gifteds get it in their first year causing them to repeat, she would have stopped her dangerous experiment if the