Chapter 84: Breakthrough and Lasers? (PS Bonus)

Warmth spread through Nero’s body as the cuts across his skin began to close.

His cells rapidly compressed, then expanded and split to form new ones. Mana surged through the Gate and poured into him, wrapping his body in a blue cocoon.

His torn muscles healed. Fresh Cell Energy filled him as the pain faded, leaving a pleasant warmth beneath his skin.

Moments later, the light broke apart, and Nero opened his eyes.

[Rank: E → D.]

[Power Index: 2.1 → 4.0]

[Cellular Energy: 400]

A smile of relief spread across his face. He was now more confident in using Cellular reservoir.

He had been afraid because he entered this place with the Talent he had the least mastery over. However, defeating the Piglin Leader, who possessed immense killing intent, had given him all the confidence he needed.

The energy within his eyes felt more potent, but the real shock came when he stood.

His body felt so light right now. It was like all the invisible luggage he was carrying was gone.

"So this is a 4.0 Power Index."

He clenched his fist and felt the strength packed into his arm. Compared to the 0.9 he had reached before awakening, this was a whole new realm.

He hadn’t tested himself yet, but he felt sure he could run at around 120 kilometers an hour. He might even be able to lift two tons.

Jumping three or four meters into the air no longer seemed absurd either. As for a brick wall, he was sure he could punch straight through one.

’The power of an Awakener really is no joke.’

Yet this was just the start.

D-Rank began at a Power Index of 4.0 and ended at 8.0. How much stronger would he be once he reached that point?

With Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge, he had good reason to think he could get there fast.

His mind held recipes for medicines that could speed up his growth. With the right supplies, raising his Power Index below 10 wouldn’t be too hard.

Beyond 10 Power Index, however, things changed.

That was where the body reached a natural limit. The usual means of growing stronger would no longer work as well, and medicine alone wouldn’t be enough.

He would have to push himself much harder from then on.

There was a reason people called C-Rank the true starting point where your Power Index reached 12.

’Speaking of which, my Telekinesis needs to reach D-Rank too.’

With the Eyes of Origin helping him spot his mistakes, training it should be much faster now.

But first, he needed to get back.

When Nero stepped out of the Gate, Edward was resting on a recliner with a coconut in his hand.

A straw stuck out of its shell.

’Where did he even get that?’

Edward took another sip before looking him over.

"Congratulations. Looks like you didn’t die, kid."

Nero chuckled awkwardly. "I guess."

"Alright, that’s good enough." Edward set the coconut aside and rose from his chair.

"Come with me. It’s almost time for dinner, and I’ve made us some food."

At the mention of food, Nero’s stomach growled.

For once, he had no complaints.

Soon, he sat before a plate of roast beef, potatoes, and carrots, all covered in warm gravy.

He had barely taken three bites when Edward dropped another thick slice of beef onto his plate.

"Eat lots, kid. You need to grow bigger."

"What are you, my dad?" Nero raised an eyebrow at his words.

"Eat your food, kiddo."

Edward added another slice.

The same man who had sent him into a Gate without a care was now making sure he ate enough.

Maybe the old man wasn’t so bad.

"Oh, there’s something I forgot to mention."

"What?"

"If you fail to meet my training requirements, I won’t feed you."

"...What?"

"I’m only treating you nicely because you managed to control your Cell Energy. Want another meal like this? Do well tomorrow."

’Forget it. I take it back.’

Nero took a large bite before Edward could add any more rules.

Still, the food was good.

As he ate, his thoughts returned to the fight. He had used his hands to release Cell Energy, but there were cells throughout his whole body.

His feet, his chest, even his face.

"Hey, old man. I just realized something."

"What?"

"My eyes have cells too. Doesn’t that mean I could shoot lasers from my eyes?"

Edward chuckled. "Do you think real life is a movie?"

"Hey... I just thought it would be cool."

Usually, people with Cellular Reservoir could only release blasts from their palms and soles.

"It’s possible," Edward replied after some consideration. "But in real combat, it’s a bad idea to shoot energy out of your eyes because you’ll be blinded while using it. If you have a Talent like Mind Perception or Mana Perception, then it could work."

"Mana Perception? I’ve heard of that before."

It was a really good Talent. Basically, if someone had Mana Perception, they wouldn’t even need their eyes.

Mana Perception allowed its user to perceive their surroundings in all three dimensions at the same time. Every small movement, even sneak attacks, could be detected by it.

It was a range-based Talent, and its range increased as it grew stronger.

Maybe he could acquire it from the System one day and start shooting lasers at people?

’That would be pretty cool.’

Just then, Edward asked, "Did your mana increase with the breakthrough?"

Nero hadn’t received any notification about his mana increasing, so he quickly checked his status.

It was still 21/21.

"It really didn’t increase." Nero sighed. He had expected this.

This was normal. An Awakener’s mana usually didn’t improve unless their Talent depended on mana for every activation. His barely used any for activation and was fully reliant on Cell energy and he was sure that Eyes Of Origin don’t count as a talent it was artificially given to him after all.

"Well, don’t worry. There are ways to raise your mana, and it’s actually quite important to do so," Edward sighed as he patted his shoulder. "Usually, this means you have poor talent... but don’t worry. Under my guidance, you’ll thrive."

"Cellular Reservoir can help you, but not right now. You need to evolve even further."

However, Nero’s attention was still on something Edward had said earlier.

"Wait, does that mean people with good Talents will also experience an increase in mana even when their Talent doesn’t require mana to activate?"

"Yes."

Nero sighed hearing this. He knew he wasn’t that talented, but he would still strive to become stronger.

Edward then stood up. "Alright, go to bed now. I’ve arranged a place for you to sleep. Starting tomorrow, you’ll learn how to make forcefields."

Nero went to the room Edward had arranged for him.

It was a small room beside Edward’s, and surprisingly, it had a comfortable bed.

However, he didn’t immediately go to sleep. He spent some time in the Plane of Telekinesis before finally going to bed.

This was just his first day, and he had already reached D-Rank. Now, he planned to use medicinal herbs to strengthen his body.

He wanted to reach C-Rank as quickly as possible. Of course, preparing the medicinal herbs would be a lengthy process.

Just like that, a month passed.

[A/N: Thank you for the PS and GT till now. Side Note: GT Bonus will be next month. If we can reach a High enough rank in the Golden Ticket Ranking. I’ll do a huge mass release probably.]