"Ouch..."Farouk cried out softly, trying to move his hand to his head, but his body wouldn’t cooperate; a mix of pain, itching, and numbness left it still. It felt like his arms and legs belonged to someone else, lying on the ground like stiff sticks."Am I dead?" His mind was still all over the place. He remembered being out during a thunderstorm subsequently getting struck by lightning, a big shock of blue electricity, and then everything went dark.His thoughts were all mixed up; it felt like his memories were all messed up.Trying hard to open his eyes wider, Farouk tried to understand what was happening around him."Thud!"Another loud noise and his head hit the bed's headboard, causing more pain before he blacked out again.He wasn't sure how much time had passed, maybe a day or a few days, when he finally woke up and started feeling his body again.He heard a soft sound of a door closing."Did Mom leave already?" A girl's voice asked."Yes, she had breakfast before us and went
The second classroom on the second floor had a brass tag reading Grade 9 Class 2 hanging above it.Spectra followed two boys into the class and headed to his seat near the window in the back. He stowed his backpack and began pondering the five attribute symbols at the bottom of his vision. Being introverted and new to the school, he had no friends in the class.The first class was mathematics, with a middle-aged woman as the professor. The material was elementary, so Spectra listened briefly before focusing on his thoughts. The language class followed, teaching the country's language, writing, and literature, but Spectra didn't pay much attention.The third class was etiquette, but instead of listening, Spectra tested the connection between the attributes and his body. Suddenly, the Potential attribute number in his vision shook, grabbing his attention.Startled, Spectra looked around, but no one seemed to notice. He glanced at the podium.The etiquette teacher, a man with an elegant
The martial arts dojos here were like the taekwondo dojos back on Earth. They aimed to promote physical exercise and fitness. There was a ranking system, but most dojos were just for exercise and not lethal, except for the top ones. Martial arts were part of the regular education, like music or dancing, to make children well-rounded.Spectra paired up with the same girl as last time. She was ordinary-looking with a slim waist and flat chest. Her silver hair shone crimson in the sunlight."Rank 15, Daris.""Rank 16, Spectra."They greeted each other by name and rank."Begin!" Veledict yelled.Spectra and Daris focused on each other’s movements. The training didn’t include special moves, just basic exercises, and the Explosive Force Technique. Combat was based on personal experience, but with the technique, their strength could be boosted for some attacks. This was to test their raw strength and potential.Spectra stopped overthinking and attacked Daris. He hadn’t used the attribute enh
"It’s a Panaja Snake, a highly toxic amphibious snake! We need to get the poison out right away!" Spectra immediately recognized the snake and its danger. He hadn't just been living blindly in this new world; he had already learned most of its common knowledge. Plus, growing up in the countryside, the young Spectra had encountered this type of snake before.After he finished speaking, he kicked a cobblestone. Bang! The stone landed near the snake, causing it to slither away into the stream out of fear."How do I detoxify the venom!?" sobbed Brucy's cousin Enna, the only girl who hadn't been bitten."Rinse it with water, find some poplar leaves, then chew them to bits and apply them to the bites!" Spectra instructed.Despite the chaos, Spectra remained calm, contrasting with the overwhelmed students. He directed the boys to find poplar leaves and asked the girls to help clean the bite wounds and squeeze out the snake’s venom. They worked quickly, and though the bitten girls were distre
The old man ran his fingers through his sparse hair. "Look around. Left side, countryside finds. Right, family treasures." He resumed examining the object in his hand.Wearing white gloves, he held a gold pocket watch, studying its mechanics.Spectra scanned the shop, browsing from left to right. An oil painting depicted a siege, with armored warriors and catapults.Beneath it, a dark gold metal sheet featured a smiling human face. Spectra touched it, feeling its rough texture."That's the Totem of the Sun God," the old man explained. "Rare. Valuable. Yours for $35,000."Spectra doubted its authenticity. His special ability confirmed his suspicion.On a redwood table nearby, Spectra found a burgundy emblem, a wine bottle, and a silver cup. Touching the emblem, he felt a surge of potential."This…" Spectra's voice trailed off as he examined the emblem closely."Six grand," the old man declared, interrupting Spectra's thoughts.Spectra hesitated, aware of his limited funds. "I'll think
As soon as the change happened, Spectra felt a tingling sensation all over his body. Suddenly, his blood rushed faster, and the pleasant feeling turned cool and refreshing as his heart pounded rapidly.Watching the attribute column, Spectra saw his strength increase from 0.5 to 0.45 At that moment, his muscles screamed in pain, and a powerful force surged from various parts of his body.His arms, legs, and chest slightly expanded. Exhaling, Spectra felt the warmth of his breath.The elder spoke again, advising them to combine the Secret Method with basic techniques for maximum impact. He emphasized the explosive potential at each stage."There are no shortcuts! Only hard work!" the elder exclaimed, satisfied by the students' response.Everyone cheered, and the elder posted a paper before leaving.Spectra's body bulged with energy, but he didn't feel cold. He relaxed, unnoticed by others caught up in excitement.In the bustling hall, Erwin tapped Spectra's shoulder, asking how he felt.
Suddenly, Spectra felt like half his body was ice and the other half fire. Dizziness overwhelmed him as if someone hammered his head.Bang! Bang! Bang!His heartbeat pounded like a war drum, merging the streams of ice and fire with each thud.The freezing and scorching blood intertwined but remained distinct, forming a delicate spiral inside Spectra. Moonlight scattered through the training hall, casting a white cloak over him.Flushed like a cooked shrimp, he stood before the sandbag, steam rising from his body. Time passed unnoticed.Ka!Joints emitted loud sounds, echoing in the room like popping popcorn. Spectra regained consciousness, walking to the sandbag.Peng!The sandbag flew, passing the qualification line. Spectra examined his crystallized palm, feeling no pain.His Strength grew from 0.52 to 0.53, and Vitality from 0.31 to 0.33.Combining this with Bomber Touch Arts, Spectra felt his skin's durability increase. He approached a rack filled with weapons.Grabbing a silver d
After Spectra left, Old Man Gregor closed the front door and returned to the bookshelf. He opened the black hardcover book, running his fingers over the pages with a complex expression.It took him a while to go through the entire book."I should have expected this, but I couldn't resist clinging onto hope..."He shook his head, closing the pages one by one until he reached the cover. The black text had turned a dark red, as if fresh blood coursed through each stroke, coagulating into a sinister hue.As he stood there, a sense of foreboding lingered in the air, overshadowing the quiet of the night.Meanwhile, Spectra walked through the dimly lit streets, the weight of the book in his bag a constant reminder of the newfound energy coursing through him. Yet, beneath the excitement lay a nagging doubt, a feeling that something wasn't quite right.He couldn't shake off the unease as he made his way home, the streetlights casting long shadows that seemed to dance eerily in the night.Once