Muiyan Faye frowned, absorbing Leo’s words carefully before offering a rare solution.
"There are ways to unlearn a passive skill,"
"I… I can help you remove it from your subconscious if you want me to." She offered while hesitating, as Leo simply shook his head in dismissal.
"While it’s true that I don’t particularly enjoy having my range of emotions limited to this degree— as it makes me feel less alive—I also can’t ignore the obvious benefits that it brings." Leo replied in an eerily calm voice.
"In this state, I can meditate better. Learn new techniques faster and push myself harder in training.
My focus is absolute. If this is my permanent mental state, then at least in the short term… it’s an advantage I don’t intend to discard."
He exhaled slowly, tilting his head slightly as he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
"And as for the long term…" He trailed off before looking back at Muiyan Faye, his gray eyes unreadable. "I think I will learn how to activate and deactivate this skill at will once my genetic awakening is fully complete."
His tone carried a certainty that left little room for debate.
"Just like my other skill—[Parallel Processing]—which I only had partial knowledge of before this first dose, I have a strong feeling that my current understanding of [Monarch’s Indifference] is also incomplete." Leo said, as he flexed his fingers slightly, testing the unfamiliar sensation of his new body.
"I am confident that I will learn more about this skill once I undergo additional awakenings, but for now… I’ll keep it as is— even if I don’t like it." Leo concluded, as his indifferent voice made it clear that there was no room for arguments or negotiations.
"Very well… if that’s what you wish for, then I will respect your choice," Muiyan Faye said, as she let out a deep sigh.
On a personal level, she did not like these changes in Leo, however, if it brought significant advantages to him, then Muiyan Faye was definitely not going to stop him from making rapid progress.
"Well… what’s the other skill you picked up?" Muiyan Faye asked, her curiosity piqued as she inquired about the second passive ability Leo had acquired. However, Leo simply shook his head in quiet refusal.
"If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep that private. I don’t want to reveal all my cards to anyone—including you," he said, his tone firm but not unkind.
However, the moment those words left his mouth, Faye’s expression darkened. Her jaw tightened, and for a split second, she looked as though she was about to explode.
The frustration burning in her eyes was unmistakable, but just as quickly as the emotion flared, she forced herself to hold it back, inhaling sharply through her nose.
"Look—" she began, her voice laced with restrained irritation as she raised a single finger in the air.
"I need to know what skills you’ve awakened because they may or may not be a security threat to you.
Your bloodline is special, Leo. There are people—many people—who can identify your origins just by observing the skills you display.
So you will tell me what ability you’ve awakened because I need to determine whether it’s safe for you to use or if you should hide it from the universe like your life depends on it."
Her tone had shifted—firm, authoritative, almost parental, like a mother scolding a reckless child.
For a long moment, Leo stared at her, weighing his options. Could he trust her? Should he trust her?
But in the end, faced with the sheer intensity of Muiyan Faye’s motherly gaze, he exhaled softly and relented.
"My second passive skill is called [Faster Regeneration]."
Faye’s expression flickered with interest, but she remained silent as Leo continued.
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"It allows my body to heal from injuries at an accelerated rate and expel toxins from my bloodstream in case I’m ever poisoned.
However, in exchange, my metabolism has skyrocketed. My appetite has tripled, and my body now burns through energy at an insane rate. I’ll probably need to eat a lot more just to keep up," Leo admitted.
A deep sigh escaped Faye’s lips as she ran a hand through her hair, nodding slowly as the pieces fell into place.
"So that’s why you’re not disoriented after your first awakening…" she muttered. "Your [Faster Regeneration] must be helping you recover at an unnatural speed."
She folded her arms, glancing at Leo with an unreadable expression before finally nodding in approval.
"Both of these are great skills. You’ve gained a lot from this awakening," she admitted before stepping forward, closing the distance between them.
Then, with a serious expression, she looked Leo directly in the eye.
"Six months."
"You have six months until the final Circuits Team selection. You must find a way in, Leo. For the sake of the mission, you have to find a way in.
There is no other option." She said, as she gave him a subtle yet firm push towards his goals.
She tacitly did not bring up the topic of his loss to Khyaal, however, the implication behind her words was clear— as she asked him to not fail again, no matter what.
"Don’t worry. I’ll make it onto that team for sure." Leo said emotionlessly, as he kept a straight face.
It was his personal goal to make it to the circuits team, and even without Muiyan Faye’s push, that was exactly what he intended to do.
*Sigh–*
Faye studied him for a moment longer before stepping past him, heading toward the door. But just before she exited, she paused.
"One more thing," she said, glancing over her shoulder.
"Throughout the year, whenever you awaken a new skill—you must inform me."
Her tone left no room for argument.
"Don’t act like a stubborn brat and keep things from me, as whether you believe it or not, I’m looking out for you.
I’m trying to keep you safe and alive in a very dangerous world, so you better believe that I’m on your side." She said, as with those final words, she stepped out the door, leaving Leo alone to dwell on them.
—--------
Once Faye left, Leo sat down on his bed after grabbing a dagger from his closet, as he studied the weapons edge carefully.
’Sorry Faye, but the voice in my head tells me to trust no one. Maybe it’s paranoia. Maybe it’s wisdom. Either way, I’ll listen’ Leo thought, as he activated his third skill that he had gained from this awakening, called [Dark Blade].
This was an active ability, which increased the lethality of his daggers by a hundred fold when activated.
Whether used to throw daggers, or used to slash at close range, [Dark Blade] was a move that significantly improved the blade’s destructive power, by infusing it with the ’Darkness Element’.
’Faye’s right…. I don’t know enough about my background to show my true skills recklessly.
Hence, it’s best to not reveal this skill to anyone, unless it’s my very life on the line’ Leo concluded, as he decided to hide the presence of [Dark Blade] in his arsenal completely.
He decided to not use it within the academy, and not reveal its presence to Faye either, as he reserved it as a hidden card known only to himself.