"Generator?" Steve looked at me, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"Yes, Generator," I answered.
He tilted his head.
"So… what does it do?"
"I have no idea," I admitted.
"There is no description, just the name Generator 1 and something called Essence 0/5."
Steve frowned.
"That's weird. There should be some kind of explanation. Are you supposed to figure it out yourself?"
I shrugged.
"I guess so."
He rubbed his chin, thinking.
"Well, at least from the name, it sounds like it's related to generating something. And that 'Essence' thing? It's probably what powers it."
"Yeah, I think so too. But the real question is, what do I fill the Essence with? And once it's full…what happens next?" I said.
"Should we test it out?" I asked excited.
"No, no, no," Steve hurriedly waved his hands.
"Billion, I need to pack my stuff, inform my parents, and take care of a ton of things. You go figure this out on your own and tell me later, okay?"
I smirked.
"Yeah, right. I'm sure your lazy ass is just going to sleep for half the day."
He scoffed.
"And?"
Shaking my head, I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.
"See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't blow yourself up before then," he called out.
I chuckled as I stepped outside.
I grabbed my bike and sped back home. My house was in a different locality—more private, wealthier than Steve's.
Soon, I reached my driveway, rolling straight into the garage.
My home was a two-story bungalow with plenty of space around it. A private garden, a gym, and even a swimming pool, luxuries that felt empty without the people who once filled this house with warmth.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
For a few moments, I just stood there in the living room, taking it all in. My gaze drifted to the right wall, where a large painting of our family hung.
I walked over and stopped in front of it.
My grandmother, Elena Ironhart, sat in a chair, holding a seven-year-old me in her lap as I made ridiculous faces.
Behind her stood my father, Julius Ironhart, clad in his full special forces uniform…green eyes, brown hair, and a small but proud smile.
Beside him, my mother, Chloe Ironhart, stood tall in her own special forces uniform, long black hair cascading over her shoulders, her dark eyes locked onto me even in the painting.
They met during their probation, fell in love, and built a life together.
I lost them ten years ago. Since then, it had just been Grandma and me.
I hadn't even realized my eyes had grown misty.
I cleared my throat and forced a smile.
"Hey, Dad. Mom." My voice was quiet. "Your son finally awakened."
I exhaled slowly, my lips twitching into a smirk.
"I graduated at the top of my batch, just like you, Mom. I'll make it into the special forces, too. Grandma and Steve are always around, so… life's been going okay."
I took a step closer, my hands curling into fists.
"And don't worry. I'll come and free your souls soon from those Eternal bastards. I've been training hard. Very hard."
"I awakened a talent, too. So just wait for me."
I gave a small bow, then turned and headed straight for the gym.
My gym was a long, rectangular hall, spacious enough to fit at least twenty people exercising comfortably.
I had equipped it with everything I needed to push my stats beyond the normal limit.
After changing into my workout clothes, I started stretching. And, of course, I did squats. Squats were king.
Deciding I had enough I called up my status screen, scanning it again to make sure I hadn't missed anything that could give me a clue about my talent.
"All right, let's see what you can do, Mr. Generator the First."
I focused on it a little harder—boom.
The screen flipped.
A new panel floated in front of me, titled Talent.
"Goddamn," I muttered, eyes widening in surprise.
[Talent]
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Talent Name: Generator
Function: Generates Essence from absorbed energy
Level: 1
Essence: 0/5 units
Level Up Requirement: 100 units of Essence generated
Progress: 0/100
Talent Upgrade Requirement: Talent Level 5
Generator Activation Command: Requires voice command
Recharge Sources: Any form of energy
Abilities:-
Essence Transfer – Can transfer stored Essence to an attribute. After use, 10% of the transferred Essence unit remains as a permanent boost
Essence Infusion – Can infuse stored Essence.
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I stared at the new panel floating in front of me, my eyes scanning every detail. My heartbeat quickened as I processed the information.
My eyes immediately locked onto the function section.
My face went through a whirlwind of emotions: surprise, shock, excitement, and pure thrill.
Controlling essence usually required higher level and proficiency, but I could generate it myself. That was massive.
I immediately moved to the abilities section and read about Essence Transfer. I reread the line twice, then a third time, my fingers tightening into a fist. This… this was insane. I could permanently increase my stats just by using my talent? That meant every battle, every strategic use of Essence, would make me stronger, not just through normal leveling but beyond that.
I exhaled, forcing down the grin threatening to spread across my face.
Then my eyes landed on the next ability Energy Infusion.
Store Essence, generate Essence, and unleash it in an attack. No complicated steps, just raw power at my disposal. Simple. Efficient.
And on top of all that, I could level up my talent.
My gaze flicked to the Level Up Requirement: 100 units absorbed.
I quickly ran the numbers in my head. With a max Essence of five units at a time, I'd need at least twenty full absorption to level up. That wasn't too bad. As long as I kept generating it, I'd get there.
But what really caught my attention was the -
Talent Upgrade Requirement: Talent Level 5.
So once Generator hit Level 5, I could upgrade it into something even stronger.
Damn, that was hot. What would Generator even evolve into?
My mind raced with countless thoughts, but I shook my head, clearing them away.
And I stared at the blinking Essence Activation Command line, rubbing my chin. I needed something simple. Something I wouldn't forget. But also, something that wouldn't make me sound like a total idiot if I had to say it in the middle of a group of people.
I ran through a few options in my head.
"Go Boom? No, that sounded like I was about to explode.
Activate? Too generic.
Juice Me Up? Yeah, no—absolutely not."
Then it hit me.
"Power Up."
It was simple. Direct. And best of all, it had the right energy. I grinned and mentally confirmed the selection. The blinking text on my panel shifted.
Essence Activation Command: Power Up!
Nice.
With that done, I dismissed the panel. The golden text flickered for a moment before fading away, leaving me alone in the gym once more. Now, all that was left was to put this talent to the test.
And I intended to do just that.