36 A new neural link
When the feeling reached its climax, Erik felt the mana surge inside his brain and rapidly flow inside his body.
Then, he realized he had made another Neural link, the first one he had ever made. Erik felt indescribably happy at that moment.
It wasn't only because he had a new neural link but also because his life was starting to go on the right track; he was starting to take control of his life, and the feeling of finally having accomplished something he was unable to until now made him ecstatic.
Erik then concentrated on this new neural link; he had to understand to what brain crystal power it was related to.
After channeling mana several times, he discovered the new neural link related to his birth brain crystal power.
<I wonder what kind of improvement this neural link will bring to my power,> Erik thought.
It was clear that having more Neural links made mana flow more easily inside one body, improving one power, but what about the ability itself? Neural links improved mana circulation and decreased the amount of mana needed to use the brain crystal power, but they also had other unpredictable effects.
"Status," Erik said. He was curious to see how things changed.
(A.N: Ok, from here, I will return the status. Honestly, I can't make everyone happy. Some people don't like it; some others say they like it. Most Authors place the status in, so I will do the same. The status here ensures that people on mobile do not have to switch to the Status page (a bother on mobile), which would not be practical. I can't put the status in the comments since the formatting gets jumbled up, but I will place a compact version of it. If you do not like the status, skip forward.)
____________________
[Host Information]
NAME: Erik Romano
AGE: 16
SYSTEM LEVEL: 2
EXPERIENCE: 40/250
DNA POINTS: 50
HEALTH: 220/220
MANA: 150/150
{Attributes}
STRENGTH: 9
INTELLIGENCE: 7
DEXTERITY: 5
ENERGY: 6
Available Attributes point: 0
[Powers]
{Biological Super Computer Powers}
…
…
…
{Host's Powers}
-Rapid Growth [Plants] (Eσ2E-Ranked)
(Allows the host to make Plants Grow Faster)
-Sharpening (Eσ1D-Ranked)
(Makes Everything sharper according to the quantity of mana imbued into the item or body part)
{Skills}
-Kyokar hand-to-hand style (BEGINNER)
(A military fighting style developed in Frant)
____________________
As he did expect, his overall stats increased. Since Erik had nothing more to do and would have to go to school the following day, he went to wash and sleep.
***
The next morning, Erik woke up feeling refreshed, having enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep. He had slept soundly throughout the night, and this sense of rejuvenation was a welcome change.
After getting ready for the day, Erik checked and accepted his daily quests. Completing the first one as he sat down to have breakfast.
He then left his house and headed to school as usual. Once there, the wide gate was open, and students were rushing in, some arriving in flying cars that gracefully touched down to drop them off, some by walking.
In the past, Erik would often feel jealous and bitter about his circumstances compared to those who had better means of transportation. However, he noticed that his anger issues had remarkably diminished since gaining the system. He no longer harbored resentment towards them because he now possessed something they didn't—a newfound power and the biological supercomputer.
As he approached the gate, he sensed several people looking at him curiously, perhaps intrigued by the changes they observed.
"He came; the trash is here."
"He got awakened and still got an E-ranked brain crystal."
"If I were him, I would be so embarrassed to die."
"What a useless trash; not even an awakening could fix him."
Erik was well aware of the comments being thrown at him, and to some extent, he knew they were correct. Typically, awakeners experienced significant jumps in their brain crystal mana capacity upon awakening.
However, in Erik's case, he had not undergone awakening in the traditional sense, as he had obtained the new brain crystal power through the biological supercomputer. As a result, he didn't experience that substantial increase in mana capacity accompanied by the phenomenon. However, his lack of mana was bound to be short-lived.
But people around him were unaware of this fact. They believed Erik to be defective, not realizing he had been fortunate enough to chance upon something they would never have.
Despite the hurtful comments, Erik ignored them and proceeded through the gate. On his way, he noticed Conal, Orson, and Logan walking toward the entrance of the building. Their gazes turned towards him as they overheard people talking.
Their expressions conveyed a sense of animosity towards Erik, which wasn't surprising since they had to endure a week of cleaning the school as punishment for their fight against him at the cafeteria. They saw him as the school's trash, and they felt humiliated.
Erik paid no mind to their hostility and calmly entered the building, proceeding to his class as usual. Throughout the day, people continued to stare at him, making him feel uncomfortable, but aside from that, he managed to have a relatively peaceful day.
<I can finally go to the farm,> the young man said while leaving the class. As he did, Amber, Floyd, and Gwen heading to the cafeteria, saw him leaving the building.
"Hey, Erik!" Amber shouted, leaving all the people present astonished.
"Erik!"
But he couldn't hear her; he was too far.
"Amber!" Gwen almost shouted.
"What?"
"Pay attention to where you are!"
The young woman looked around and saw multiple people looking at her with disbelief; she, the school Goddess, was calling for Erik, the trash.
When did they know each other? Why him and not them? Amber blushed and stopped immediately yelling. She then headed to the cafeteria with her friends.
***
An enigmatic creature stirred amidst the rustling bushes and towering trees in the forest surrounding New Alexandria.
Resembling a hedgehog in some aspects, it exceeded average size by several times. Verdant green spikes, adorned with faint black hues at the edges, covered its stout body while its feline-like face exuded an aura of mystery.
Though its legs were slightly elongated, the deadly spikes retained their hedgehog-like nature. Despite lacking exceptional speed due to its stocky build, the creature possessed formidable, lethal defenses.
Known as a carnivorous thaid, this Thaid inhabited the forest, preying on any living being it encountered, including humans.
Unbeknownst to the residents of New Alexandria, the creature was now on a westward trajectory, steadily approaching the city. Its eyes glowed like fiery red fireflies, hinting at its impending presence.
As it ventured further, the creature stumbled upon a small clearing amidst the dense woods, revealing a vast expanse of golden wheat fields. Intrigued, the beast cautiously approached the place, its senses keenly searching for potential prey.
Moments later, it detected a scent that triggered an instant response. Bolting into action, the creature charged forward but abruptly collided with an invisible obstruction, eliciting a pained grunt. Perplexed, it raised its head, unable to discern what had impeded its advance.
Undeterred, the creature attempted to move forward again, but an unseen force barred its path. It pressed its body against the intangible barrier, attempting to break through, but to no avail. Determined, the beast persisted, walking for kilometers until, almost miraculously, the mysterious obstruction disappeared.
Now free to proceed, the creature ventured into the golden wheat field, slowly vanishing amidst the dense stalks, leaving no trace of its passage. The enigmatic being disappeared, its presence shrouded in the forest's secrets.
