FIRST MEETING WITH A SURVIVOR
[The following talents have been detected:
Body Enlargement (A) (Active)
- Purging the path of becoming a Titan, you can now enlarge a part of you body.
Mana Cost: 50
Cooldown: 2 minutes
Taunt (C) (Active)
- You can attract aggro by taunting the target.
Mana Cost: 10
Cooldown: 5 minutes
[Do you wish to switch skill with the nearby awakened?]
[Yes/No]
*gulp
Earlier, Alab didnt switch skill with Nathan as the latter remained his saviour, but now, with the translucent screen displaying the switchable skills of the deceased madman who nearly killed him earlier, Alab met no hesitation. His thought quickly selected the [Body Enlargement].
[Choose a skill to switch:
Skill Switch (S) (Active)
Stone throwing (E) (Passive)]
Without a doubt, Alab selected the [Stone Throwing]. Then, the translucent screen disintegrated into pieces as a marble size white light only visible to Alab escaped the head of the madman. It hurled towards Alab and similarly permeated his head. The light brought a soothing aura as it seemed to tossed off another dimmer light off his conciousness.
The weaker light didnt even struggle as it was ejected from Alab's conciousness. Alab saw the dim light exited from his forehead and traced the same path as the brighter light earlier till it finally seeped in to head of the madman. Then, a system notification rang out.
[You have successfully switched skills with the target]
[Skills:
Skill Switch (S) (Active)
Body Enlargement (A) (Active)]
Alab caressed his head, feeling the soothing aura that shroud him. This aura made him feel more powerful than ever. It gave him the confidence to survive the preceding battles.
"So you have successfully switched skills, huh?", Nathan uttered as he looked back at Alab. His feet kicked the now useless head of the madman, causing it to hurl meters away.
Motioning his body to face Alab, Nathan's azure eyes turned redder as he glanced at Alab's forehead. The latter felt the hair in his body stood. Apparently, Nathan was browsing through his information again.
"Can you please stop using that skill on me. It feels weird"
"Just give me that skill already", muttered Nathan as excitement surged in his body. He couldnt wait to use this A-grade skill.
"Then, can I choose the [Eye of the Truth]?", Alab asked though he was certain with Nathan's answer.
And as he expected, Nathan anwered in no time.
"NO!", he yelled, clearly annunciating his rejection.
In dismay, Alab glanced at Nathan again. He learned a while ago that to trigger the system notification, he had to look at his target. The talent would then activate on its own.
[Ding!]
[A nearby awakened has been detected... Scanning for talents]
[The following talents have been detected:
Eye of the Truth (S) (Active)
- You can peak at the living and non-living's information.
Mana cost: 50
Cooldown: None
Hand of the God (A)
- The ability to heal bleeding till A-grade illness have been bestowed upon you.
Mana Cost: 40
Cooldown: 2 hours
[Do you wish to switch skill with the nearby awakened?]
[Yes/No]
Alab had already seen through this information. Glancing at the [Eye of the Truth] his desire couldnt help but peak up at realizing the omnipotence in this skill.
'He could indeed be the destined villain', Alab thought as such talent could get him a long way.
Still, they had an agreement and as a hero aspirant, Alab had to keep his words.
'Maybe I can convince him to be a hero after exiting this portal? He isnt a bad guy anyways', Alab pondered as he moved his attention to the notification. He then glanced at excited Nathan, his eyes that were dazzling with light, body trembling from thrill, and that drool dripping from his mouth.
'A madman he is, he is so naive and terrible at being villain', Alab pondered for more as he intended to shift his gaze back at the screen but at that time, a small silhouette of a human, flying just meters away behind Nathan caught his sight.
It was a young girl, about 13-year-old with a scythe on her hand. She was gliding mid-air as she closed in to Nathan. The latter yet to feel the bloodlust emitting from his back.
Alab had no time to look back at the system notification as he unconsciously threw his body forward, pushing the excited Nathan to the side. It all happened in mere seconds before the girl raised her scythe, enticing a silhouette of a girl up in the air, with the azure moon behind her, tainting her scythe red.
At this second, Alab saw his entire life flashed before his eyes. His parents who left them to suffer for 8 years. His sister who would be on her own once he died. His dream of becoming a hero...
'At least, I kept my words, sister!', Alab pondered as a gentle smile escaped his mouth. A distinct scene from the past flickered in his eyes.
---
8 years ago, in an Elementary school in Tondo Manila, a fire broke out.
Childrens of 6-9 years old exited their schools, not in care for whoever would get left behind. The fire was getting bigger and bigger that teachers had to evacuate themselves less the fire that covered 1/2 of the school, burn them.
Outside, congested with people waiting for the fire men to arrive, just prayed that no one was left behind. The teachers began counting heads only to come to a realization.
"Alab, where is Alab?", an adviser screamed in search of Alab but no response resounded. The principal with belly protruding his chest making him appeared pregnant, walked towards the adviser. He patted her shoulder as he shook his head.
"A student told me that he was left in the bathroom in the third floor... Its too late for him", the principal muttered as he lowered his head. Contrary to his mourning epxression, he was beyond glad that he was their only casualty in this fire. After all, Alab, who had no parents and impoverished, could do not much harm in their reputation.
As they all accepted the doom of Alab, a girl broke out from the crowd, her silver hair swayed in the fiery air as she let go of the delivery package in her hand. It was the 15-year-old Alexia.
She recklessly dove in the fire, her fair skin burned, her silver hair scorched to ashes but she remained still, striding to the fire.
The scorching heat failed to stop her. Her desperation to find her little brother was too solid that any pain didnt stop her.
Fumes filled her stomach but she persisted...
---
On a comfort room in third floor, Alab held unto his Golden Hero figurine, fitting himself to the locked cubicle. When the fire broke out, he figured out that the door was locked. The young kid could find no means of escape and just wait for his death.
His hold of the figurine tightened as his breathing became heavy. Fumes permeated his nose as he coughed. Holding more to his figurine hero, his mind knew that Golden Hero would come and save him.
"Hero.... please, someone, save me...", murmured Alab as he was closing his end, he just ingested much fumes and was lacking oxygen.
His eyes closing their lids as he succumbed to his inevitable death and in that spur moment, just a millimeter before his eyelids met, a silhouette of a human, hairless, emerging from the fire as she pulled the door open, entered his sight.
"I am here now... Alab", Alexia, all burned, muttered. Along with the burning of her beauty was her dream of becoming a Hero turning to ashes.
Alab woke up in a nearby hospital and heard about what happened. Apparently, his sister inchly escaped her death and could no longer overwork herself. Tha damage she received was irreversible.
And in that same day, Alab cried beside the patient bed of Alexia. Equipments piercing most of her body as to save her. That time, Alab swore...
"I... I shall believe in Heroes once more... I will make your dream happen, sister. I... I will be a Hero"
----
Back to the present, tears escaped Alab's eyes as he could no longer be with his sister. His dream of becoming a Hero and seeking a cure for his sister would now end with him.
"I---im sorry, sister", mumbled Alab, hoping that his words would reach Alexia. He was now nearing his end as his eyes were fixated on the fierce blade of the scythe just a meter away from his head. Seconds seemed to prolong as he hastily rummaged through his system.
He knew that Nathan would encounter the same fate as him due to his lack of attack skill. In that sense, Alab hoped to gave him a saving mercy and rapidly scrolled through his system.
A dazzling notification greeted his sight.
[A nearby awakened has been detected... Scanning for talents]
[Ding!]
[The following talents have been detected:
Eye of the Truth (S) (Active)
- You can peak at the living and non-living's information.
Mana cost: 50
Cooldown: None
Hand of the God (A)
- The ability to heal bleeding till A-grade illness have been bestowed upon you.
Mana Cost: 40
Cooldown: 2 hours
[Do you wish to switch skill with the nearby awakened?]
[Yes/No]
With no hesitation, Alab selected [Yes] and choose [Hand of the God], the prompt of choosing his skill to switch then came and it was at that moment that an abrupt change in the status window occured.
The translucent screen seemed to encounter a bug as it became static, costing Alab another seconds before the static ended and reestablish itself.
However, a new information was now displayed before Alab.
[Ding!]
[The system bug has been fixed.]
[A nearby awakened has been detected... Scanning for talents]
[Ding!]
[The following talents have been detected:
Eye of the Truth (SSS) (Active)
- You can peak at the living and non-living's information.
Mana cost: 80
Cooldown: None
Lord of the Souls (SSS) (Passive)
Archmage (SSS) (Passive)
....
....
...
[Do you wish to switch skill with the nearby awakened?]
[Yes/No]
At this sight, confusion arise in Alab's eyes as the skills now became updated. There were number of skills that Alab could no longer scroll through them nor read their details. He was closing his death after all.
Without hesitation, Alab clicked on whatever skill and exhanged his [Body Enlargement] skill. Upon seeing that the exchange was successful, Alab flashed a relieved smile. Now, he could rest in peace knowing thay Nathan could survive...
His attention then shifted to Nathan whom he thought was still unalarmed by what happened.
"Be sure to survive, naive villain---", Alab was unable to finish his words as unlike his thought, Nathan had regained his composure. Standing tall as he examined himself, feeling something unusual in his body, Nathan glared at Alab fiercely.
His azure eyes fiercer than ever.
And in no time, a tentacle emerged from his back, thwarting the scythe that was only a millimeter before beheading Alab.
Dumbfounded by the turned out of the events. Alab glanced at Nathan.
"You! Give me back my skill! Or I'll KILL you", Nathan uttered as bloodlust emitted from his body.
Trembling, Alab knew that Nathan was no longer joking...
'He... He changed', he thought