A new power (2)
He felt as if he had been in his bed for too many days. Still, it only took him about five minutes to return to working order.
<Is it done?> Erik thought.
<It must be…> Erik felt a vague feeling. Like he knew how to do something but couldn't quite get what it was.
"Status." The usual blue window appeared before him.
(A.N: The status is the same as before, mostly. What changed are the powers and the number of DNA points. It would be useless to put it here again.)
His eyes went on his experience points. He had 40. It would take a while for him to level up. However, he knew what he was going to spend his attribute points on: strength.
Through the creation of new neural links, he could naturally enhance his physical stats. While this choice might prove detrimental in the long term, Erik felt forced to make this choice due to the ongoing bullying he faced.
However, the choice was not as bad as one could think. It was true that what Erik lacked was mana, but increasing the physical stats was as important, at least in his current condition.
Since releasing the video of Logan and his friends setting the bathroom on fire, Erik had been enjoying a brief respite. However, he couldn't be certain how long this peace would last.
If he only improved his energy, he was bound to become a glass cannon since his physical stats were still at rock bottom, at least based on how slow it was to make neural links.
<Maybe the system can make a new technique... I have to ask.>
What good was the power to level a city if any random person could sneak up and slit his throat before he could use it? Without strength and dexterity, he was nothing more than a helpless target.
Of course, that depended on the powers he had. There were some that increased strength, meaning that getting more energy was the same as getting physically stronger.
Besides, this was also true for melee powers. Ranged fighters could... Well, simply blast everything off from kilometers and still be safe. Ranged brain crystal powers were strong—the strongest that existed.
Moreover, in less than three months, he had to go to military school, where things would be much harder.
He would learn how to fight there, and he couldn't risk being every student's practice target. They were bound to have more neural links than him, much more so, meaning they would be much stronger than him. At least, this way, he could level the field a little. Erik didn't want to be someone else's punching bag again.
The second thing he noticed was his new power: Sharpening.
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-Sharpening (Eσ1D-Ranked)
(Makes everything sharper according to the quantity of mana imbued into the item or body part.)
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According to the description, it allowed Erik to make things sharper. However, it also talked about items and body parts. With this, everything could become a lethal weapon, even his body.
<This is going to be helpful.>
However, the power was only D-ranked. Yet it wasn't bad considering the source, a Densoph.
The issue was his lack of weaponry and hand-to-hand combat proficiency. Many of his peers had been learning martial arts or practicing with specific weapons since childhood, but Erik's financial constraints prevented such training. At best, he could use a pencil, but wielding one as a weapon wasn't exactly impressive.
Luckily, Erik had the system. If he could learn exercises by downloading videos and books, what was stopping him from doing the same with weapon manuals and combat tutorials?
The problem was that, even with training exercises, he still needed to master executing those moves. Understanding the theory was one thing, but developing the practical skills was quite another.
This was just one of many problems. Erik's daily schedule was already packed: school, work, developing neural links, completing daily quests, and now training with weapons or martial arts. His agenda was overflowing, and he needed to address his job situation—money was a pressing concern.
<Should I use the system to hack into an ATM?> But he quickly dismissed the idea.
<No… If I do that, must justify where the money came from. could it a couple of times if I'm in an unpleasant situation, but for now, better shirk this…>
"I don't have to choose now." He said. "Now, how do I use this power?"
Erik grabbed a pencil from his backpack; it was made of wood and had an orange and black color.
Erik didn't know how to use his new power yet. Usually, people knew how to use their brain crystal powers innately, but this was anything but natural.
Though the key must have been imbuing mana into the target, Erik did that. He focused on the mana his brain crystal could harness, feeling it travel from his brain to his fingers, and willed it to go into the item.
Erik started feeling a tingle travel through his body. After that, he noticed that a thin coat of mana surrounded the pencil; it was like feeling a magnetic field around it.
Then, without knowing why, he thought about sharpening the pencil. The mana around the item thinned and got a sharp edge.
"Ah, I get it now."
Erik looked at the pencil as if studying an unfamiliar creature. He hadn't used much mana to coat it, so he suspected it wasn't that sharp.
"Let's check this out." Erik grabbed another item. It was a piece of wood he used to keep his door open during the summer to cool down the room.
He slashed at the wood with the pencil. The move carved a two-centimeter-deep gash into the material. Erik couldn't suppress a grin at the result.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Erik said. "I can use this to protect myself. I hope it's enough to keep Logan away."
There was another problem, though.
"I just need to tell my teachers about it. I wonder what they'll do when they find out. They'll probably want to test it. At least I already know it's a D-rank power on the Jorm scale, which is pretty good."
Erik thought about what to do. Since revealing his power was inevitable, why not do it with flair? The right opportunity was within reach—he simply needed to provoke Logan. Yet there was a deeper reason behind this bold choice: vengeance.
Perhaps naively, Erik thought that revealing his awakening to everyone in a grand display might deter future harassment. In his mind, showing his ability to overpower Logan would send a clear message. While Logan was the worst offender, he wasn't Erik's only tormentor, and this might make them stop.
<Time to make my last daily quest and go bed.>
(Author's Note: I've made some changes here. Erik hasn't leveled up yet. I plan to fix this soon, but I'm done for today. If you're seeing this message and Erik has leveled up in the next chapter, I haven't updated it yet. If the level up is absent, it means I've already made the changes. Sorry for this.)