**** Billion's PoV
A sharp, burning pain jolted me awake.
My eyes fluttered open, and my vision blurred before slowly sharpening.
I was airborne.
The realization barely had time to settle before I crashed into something hard—debris, metal, stone. My body finally came to a stop, pain exploding across every inch of me.
I gasped, trying to process what had just happened.
Then, a sharp screech cut through the air.
Memories flooded back.
Me. Open area. Walking. Gravity shift. Smash. Boom.
Then pain, pain, and more pain.
"Yeah… worst night ever," I muttered.
A strange sensation ran through my body—my bones itched, shifting slightly with an unsettling creak.
The passive ability.
I didn't have time to analyze it.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself onto my feet, unsteady but standing.
A heavy, rhythmic thumping reached my ears.
I turned my gaze toward the sound, blinking rapidly to clear my vision.
[Level 37]
The massive bat Abomination sprinted toward me.
"Did I… miss you while crossing the area?" I muttered.
'How long had I been out?'
I had no time to think, the bat snatched up a slab of concrete and hurled it straight at me.
I dove to the side.
The impact against the ground sent a fresh wave of agony through my body. That probably hurt more than just tanking the hit.
I quickly checked my Essence reserve. 22/35.
My heart radiated heat, steady and constant. The core was still running, absorbing energy to generate Essence.
I took a deep breath and stood up tall, eyes locked on the Abomination.
'Might as well try diplomacy first.'
"Bro, I'm really not in the mood right now. Can we just… not?"
I spread my arms in what I hoped was a peaceful gesture.
"I just want a nap. Five minutes. That's all I ask."
The bat screeched, flaring its wings before charging.
I sighed. "I guess that's a no."
My hands rose, palms facing forward.
"Blazing Sfera."
Essence surged from my core, rushing through my arms, pooling at my palms. A small purple sphere formed, spinning like a miniature galaxy.
Then, fire.
Flames ignited within the sphere, feeding off the spinning energy, growing, strengthening. I kept my concentration tight, my will locked onto it as the fire swelled into a blazing inferno.
I stood still.
Eyes closed. Heart calm. Body aching.
My perception tracked the bat.
It wasn't stupid. The moment it saw the burning sphere, it adjusted course, sprinting to my left.
I didn't move.
The sphere grew—one foot, then two, then three.
The bat finally turned, committing to a charge from my left.
He must've thought he was so smart.
I waited.
Four feet away.
My will flared.
The sphere shot left, straight at the bat.
It barely had time to react.
Just as the fireball reached it, I whispered, "Explode."
Boom.
The sphere compressed, then erupted outward. Fire roared in all directions, consuming everything in its path.
The shockwave slammed into me, sending me sprawling. I hit the ground, dazed but conscious.
I raised my head just enough to check the aftermath.
Only a pair of charred, burned legs remained standing.
I let out a breathless chuckle and let my head drop back down.
[Level Up!]
[Level 32 → Level 33]
I exhaled, my breath slow and steady.
It was still dark. That meant I hadn't been out for too long.
First, I transferred 10 units to Constitution, pushing my body into recovery mode. Warmth spread through my limbs as the changes took effect.
I focused on my injuries.
My right forearm, fractured from that brutal gravity smash, was already more than halfway healed. I clenched and unclenched my fist, testing the muscles. There was still some tightness, but the improvement was obvious.
I pulled up the description of my passive ability.
[Passive Ability Acquired: Apex Body - I]
[Stage I Unlocked: Adaptive Skeleton]
[Your bones can now adapt to any environment, granting increased durability, flexibility, and impact resistance. Damaged bones will reinforce upon healing, becoming stronger against similar injuries.]
A small, tired chuckle left my lips.
"Well, at least the gravity did help with something."
Next, I checked my status.
[Status]
----------------------------------------------
Name : Billion Ironhart
Race : Human
Class : Essence Noblesse
Laws : N/A
Rank: Mortal
Level : 33
Talent :
- Generator 4
- Essence : 2/35
Attributes :
- Strength: 147.2
- Constitution: 134
- Dexterity: 126
- Psynapse : 198
Skills:
- Essence Shaping (Innate) Level 3
- Psynapse Boost (Innate) Level 6
- Essence Shift (Innate) Level 4
- Seismic Burst Level 4
- Blazing Sfera Level 1
- Blitz Hakai Level 2
Abilities:
- Apex Body – I (Passive)
--------------------------------------------------
Things were moving fast.
Psynapse was nearing 200. Strength was hitting 150.
I took a deep breath, adjusted my mask, dismissed the interface, and pushed myself up—slowly, carefully. My body was still aching, but it was manageable now.
I scanned the area, stepping over shattered debris and broken slabs of stone, searching for my staff.
It took a few minutes, but I found it.
Gripping the staff tightly, I moved forward, dragging my feet through the rubble until I reached my destination.
I stopped right in front of an invisible line, where I knew the gravity anomaly began.
Then, without hesitation, I sat down, staff resting across my lap.
And I waited.
Time passed as I remained alert, my focus locked on the area ahead while my body recovered bit by bit.
But the sensation of my bones creaking, like a broken door swinging in the wind, wasn't exactly pleasant. Every small movement sent a dull ache through my limbs, reminding me that my passive ability was at work.
An hour passed, yet nothing in the area changed.
No strange forces. No sudden spikes in gravity. No signs of disturbance.
The Essence around me remained calm and docile, completely different from the violent way it had thrown me around earlier.
My Essence store had filled up again, so I added 10 units to my Psynapse, increasing it to 202. As soon as I made the adjustment, a familiar warmth spread through my skull, subtle at first, then growing more intense. My senses sharpened, my perception stretching farther than before.
The transformation lasted a full two minutes, during which I remained still, letting my body adapt to the changes.
Once it settled, I extended my perception toward the area ahead, searching for any irregularities. But even with my increased Psynapse, nothing seemed different. The terrain was the same, the air was still, and there were no ripples in the Essence flow.
That left me with two options:
Cross the 500-meter stretch before the two-minute mark—before the gravitational force had a chance to activate again.
Stay here and try to figure out what was causing the anomaly.
The second option might give me answers, but I wasn't keen on getting slammed into the ground again just for the sake of curiosity. I had some plans that I needed to execute.
So, I chose the first option.
I was confident I could clear the area long before the two-minute threshold passed.
Without hesitation, I stood up, storing my staff inside my ring. I pulled my necklace over my head and tucked it away as well.
Then, I checked my body's condition.
I wasn't fully healed, but I was at least 50% recovered. More importantly, my legs were in good enough shape to run.
I exhaled and activated [Psynapse Boost] to check the area again, just to be sure. But the Essence remained silent, flowing naturally as it had been.
"Alright... let's do this."
My eyes locked ahead as I bent my knees slightly, then surged forward, sprinting. My feet crushed the rubble beneath me as I ran, senses fully alert.
I activated [Seismic Burst]. The ground erupted behind me, propelling me forward.
I landed and immediately sprinted again.
[Seismic Burst]
Boom.
Once more, I launched myself through the air, crossing the halfway point.
I kept my perception honed around me, and I was grateful I did.
Out of nowhere, the Essence went wild. The glowing green hue shifted to a deep silver, then rushed toward me like a tidal wave.
I cursed under my breath.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, I crouched low and fired another [Seismic Burst] from both legs this time.
Boom.
The explosion was much stronger, and I was thrown further into the air. Behind me, the silver Essence surged, gaining on me.
Midair, I gritted my teeth and fired off one last [Seismic Burst].
I accelerated, pushing myself harder as I finally crossed the area and crashed directly into a building.