The moment I crossed the threshold, a strange sensation spread through my body.
My core pulsed once.
Then twice.
And before I could even react, an uncontrollable heat surged through my veins.
I staggered, barely managing to sit down on the rocky ground before my body completely locked up.
The pain came next.
It wasn't the burning pain from the lava.
No, this was something far deeper. It felt like every cell in my body was being torn apart and reforged from the inside out.
I gritted my teeth, refusing to scream as my muscles tensed and veins bulged out under the pressure.
My skin heated up, turning slightly red as steam began rising off my body.
I could feel the heat energy I had absorbed from the lava spreading through my flesh, melting away the imperfections and rebuilding me from the ground up.
I clenched my fists as my veins glowed faintly with a crimson hue. The Generator Core in my heart spun wildly, absorbing Essence directly from the atmosphere and distributing it through every inch of my body.
My muscles grew denser. My bones hardened. My skin thickened, becoming more resistant to extreme temperatures.
But that wasn't all.
My internal organs began adapting as well. My lungs adjusted to filter out the scorching air around me, allowing me to breathe in high-temperature environments without burning my throat.
My blood flow slowed slightly, becoming more efficient in carrying energy throughout my body.
Even my nerves dulled the sensation of heat, allowing me to function under intense pressure without breaking focus.
I could feel my body adapting to the situation around me.
Something built to survive in fire.
To thrive in it.
The lava pool beside me bubbled and churned, radiating intense heat, but for the first time, I didn't feel overwhelmed by it.
I felt.....comfortable.
The heat wrapped around me like a warm blanket, no longer burning, no longer unbearable.
As the process slowly came to an end, I exhaled heavily, steam escaping from my mouth.
I stood up and did a couple of squats, stretching my body a little to get a feel for the change.
Closing my eyes, I focused inward and observed my body.
It was an upgrade for sure.
My stats hadn't increased, but my base body had been reforged, which in return gave more value to my existing stats.
I had expected to gain a boost in stats but maybe there was something else at play.
I could feel it in the way my muscles moved, the way my breath flowed more naturally, and how the heat around me didn't feel as unbearable anymore.
I focused on the crimson particles in the air. When they drifted near me, they felt gentler, less violent, and if I didn't want to absorb their heat, I could simply let them pass by.
I opened my eyes and looked at the lava pool again.
Two of my stats had crossed the 50-point threshold — Constitution and Psynapse.
The next closest was Strength, sitting at 43. Just seven more points to hit the threshold.
But before that, my talent was only 20 units of Essence away from leveling up.
That was my next goal.
Without hesitation, I moved toward the lava and stepped directly into the pool.
The heat immediately wrapped around me. My skin burned, and the sensation of molten rock pressing against my flesh was still painful, but it wasn't unbearable. I could withstand it.
I walked deeper slowly and sat down cross-legged inside the pool.
Closing my eyes, I activated my talent.
The Generator Core inside my heart roared to life.
I focused on it and began pulling the heat particles from the lava around me, guiding them into the core.
Time passed as I fell into a steady rhythm absorbing energy, converting it into Essence, and adding it to Strength.
10 units.
I immediately pushed all of them into Strength and continued absorbing more.
Another 10 units.
And the moment I reached the limit, my heart thumped violently.
A heavy pulse echoed through my chest as the Essence inside me stirred uncontrollably.
My eyes snapped open as I hurriedly stood up and leapt out of the lava pool.
My body was glowing red-hot, steam rising from my burned skin, but I ignored the pain and focused on the notification that appeared before me.
[Requirement completed]
[Talent Leveling Up…]
Suddenly, the Essence around me surged toward my core, but this time, something different happened.
Along with the Essence, I felt traces of heat particles being sucked into the core as well.
I closed my eyes, and stayed perfectly still. My heart heated up, its frantic beating hammering against my chest.
The process continued for about two minutes, the sensation intense but not unbearable. Then, just as suddenly as it started, everything settled.
[Talent Level Up!]
[Generator 2 → Generator 3]
I exhaled and excitedly pulled up the talent panel to check the changes.
[Talent]
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Talent Name: Generator
Function: Generates Essence from absorbed energy
Level: 3
Essence: 10/20 units
Level Up Requirement: 400 units of Essence generated
Progress: 0/400
Talent Upgrade Requirement: Talent Level 5
Generator Activation Command: Power Up!
Recharge Sources: Any form of energy
Abilities:-
Essence Transfer : Can transfer stored Essence to an attribute. After use, 30% of the transferred Essence unit remains as a permanent boost
Essence Infusion : Can infuse stored Essence.
Particle Absorption : Can directly absorb energy particles from the environment.
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I stood silently, my body still hot from absorbing energy from the lava pool.
I focused on the Generator Core inside me and carefully examined the changes.
At Level 2, the Generator could absorb energy through physical effort.
The more I moved, the more energy I generated. Fighting, running, or using a skill like [Seismic Burst] allowed me to absorb the energy released during impact.
But that process was slow and limited.
Now... it was different.
I closed my eyes and focused on my core. The Generator. It pulsed in sync with my heartbeat, but this time, there was something different.
Something new. I activated the talent.
"Power Up."
The familiar hum spread through my body, but as I focused, I sensed it.
Particles. Tiny crimson dots of heat energy, floating in the air around me.
They shimmered in my senses, moving lazily through the atmosphere.
I raised my hand and focused on them.
The moment I willed them toward me, they responded.
Slowly at first, then faster, the particles began flowing into my body, sinking into my skin and rushing toward the core. I felt them being broken down, converted into Essence, and stored within me.
One unit and that too within 3 minutes.
My eyes widened.
I hadn't even moved. No fighting, no running, no physical effort. I was absorbing energy directly from the environment.
Of course, the availability of so much heat energy allowed for fast absorption, but it still worked effortlessly for me.
Before, I had to create energy through action. But now... I could absorb energy directly from the environment. This was the real difference between Level 2 and Level 3.
It wasn't just an increase in capacity or speed.
It was a change in how the Generator functioned.
At Level 2, I was like a machine that converts fuel into Essence.
At Level 3, I became a magnet... directly pulling energy from the world itself.
And there was something else.
At Level 2, when I transferred Essence to my stats, only 20% remained as a permanent boost. But now... it was 30%.
That meant, with every 10 units of Essence I absorbed, 3 units would permanently stay in my stats.
My growth rate just increased.
Not only could I generate Essence faster, but the permanent boost I gained from each transfer was now higher.
And lastly, the capacity.
From 10 units... to 20.
In short, everything improved.
I exhaled slowly, feeling my body already adapting to the heat around me.
I wondered if this was only Level 3... what the hell would happen when I reach Level 5?
I stood at the edge of the lava pool, feeling the intense heat radiating against my skin.
"This... This changes everything."
I activated [Psynapse Boost], enhancing my perception.
The world around me slowed, and suddenly, I could sense more than just heat. The wind carried tiny kinetic particles, faint traces of electricity crackled in the air, and deeper underground, I could feel the vibrations of the earth itself.
But I couldn't absorb those. Not yet.
But the heat...
I was already standing inside a massive energy source.
The volcano itself was a generator, pumping endless heat into the air. And now, with Particle Absorption, I could directly pull that energy into my core without lifting a single finger.
A grin spread across my face.