"Throw icicles?" I asked Cedric, my confusion evident. He quickly explained.
"Well, Marcos, Miss Sylvia's gift isn't 'passive' like super strength; it's 'active.' She gains physical enhancements and the ability to summon up to 3 ice icicles. She can throw them for long-range attacks and, if things get tough, use them in close combat. It's a complete gift."
"Truly impressive," I thought, but then a doubt arose.
"If Sylvia has an 'active' gift… Why could she transform before going through the gift activator?" I asked, hesitantly. I didn't want to offend anyone with my question.
"Well, the answer is quite simple, actually. Miss Sylvia was one of those 'fortunate' cases who activated her gift without assistance. You see, she awakened her gift naturally—at the age of 12! But even though she knew she had a gift, she didn't know its function until a month ago," Cedric paused briefly to catch his breath.
"She transformed when bandits attacked her carriage on the way here. Upon arriving at camp, she didn't tell anyone about fighting off the bandits using her gift (though those who witnessed it already knew about her abilities). Her transformation surprised us, but what amazed us even more was discovering she could also throw ice icicles." Cedric concluded his passionate explanation about Sylvia.
"Frankly, I didn't need all that information… I just wanted a brief explanation about gifts," I sighed, realizing I was tired and hungry after the intense physical training. Now I had more information than necessary.
"So… her gift allows her to partially transform into an unknown creature, enhancing her physical abilities and enabling her to throw ice icicles, correct?" I summarized, hoping to impress Cedric. He looked at me strangely—probably taken aback by my concise summary.
"Yes, you could summarize her gift that way," Cedric replied, sounding somewhat deflated, which made me feel a twinge of sympathy.
"Enough explanations. The other recruits are waiting outside. Hurry up and check what gift the lad has," Lucio suddenly interjected. He had remained silent all this time.
"Right! You're absolutely correct!" Cedric perked up again, imagining what kind of abilities Marcos might possess when they checked his gift.
"Marcos, please place your hand on the crystal ball," Cedric pointed to a crystal sphere above the "gift activator" machine. It was a simple crystal ball embedded in metal.
I followed his instructions and placed my hand on the ball. Cedric typed on the magical keyboard projected from the gift activator. After a few seconds, a tingling sensation started in my fingers, spreading throughout my body. It lasted only an instant, but it felt like something had been unleashed.
Suddenly, a rush of information flooded my brain, causing a sharp headache. Fortunately, it faded quickly.
I glanced at my hand and was surprised to see a faint white light glowing on my right palm. I was amazed until Cedric interrupted the wondrous moment.
"Fabulous! What will your gift do exactly? Oh, forgive me, Marcos—I almost forgot to mention something, but you've probably already noticed," Cedric said, taking a deep breath to calm himself, though his excitement still showed.
"When you activated your gift, you likely received a sudden influx of information, right? That's what we call a 'revelation.' Everyone who awakens a gift, whether passive or active, receives all the necessary information to use it. So, Marcos, what does that information tell you? How does your gift work?"
"Uh-yo-yo," I stammered, overwhelmed by everything happening. The truth was, my gift surprised me—I never expected it to be like this.
Nervously, I noticed the faint light on my hand fading, but I was too caught up in the moment to fully register it. Fortunately, Lucio noticed my disorientation.
"Cedric, calm down a bit. Can't you see the lad is overwhelmed? Give him some time to process things," Lucio interjected.
"You're right, Lucio! Marcos, recover quickly so we can find out what kind of gift you possess." Cedric's final words sounded serious, but at that moment, I was too busy trying to make sense of everything swirling in my mind.
After a minute of rest, I could finally provide the eagerly awaited answer.
"My gift allows me to imbue inanimate objects with specific attributes. The attributes I can bestow are Hardening, Sharpening, and Penetration." I glanced at Lucio, who regarded me sternly, then turned to Cedric, who was excitedly jotting down notes in a small notebook.
"The Hardening attribute makes anything much tougher. Sharpening enhances an object's sharpness, and lastly, Penetration—well, it's the most special, in my opinion—allows an enchanted object to pierce through any enemy's defenses and cause damage."
As I finished explaining, Cedric seemed on the verge of bursting with joy; his face turned red, and tears welled up.
Lucio, on the other hand, appeared somewhat astonished by my gift. I couldn't help but smile—I felt proud of my unique and powerful ability.
"Well, it doesn't directly increase my personal strength since I can't apply these attributes to my own body. But at least it'll enhance the power of my weapons."
With that thought, I began answering Cedric's questions. I was genuinely excited because my gift had three distinct functions. I felt confident it wouldn't pale in comparison to Sylvia's.
"Marcos, what's the name of your gift?" Cedric asked eagerly.
"Name… well, during the 'revelation,' I had this feeling that the name of my gift is… Damn."
"Damn? What an odd name…"
"No! It's not really called that. It's just that…" I rarely used strong language, but in this situation, I couldn't help it. My cheeks flushed, and steam seemed to rise from my head as I thought about the ridiculous name my gift had. I couldn't bring myself to say it—no, I absolutely couldn't.
"I won't reveal the name of my gift. It doesn't seem necessary, right, Mr. Cedric?"
"Well…" Just as Cedric was about to come up with an excuse to coax the name out of me, Lucio interrupted.
"It's not mandatory. Now let's go outside—your fellow recruits are waiting for the other tests." With that, Lucio guided me toward the exit. Cedric didn't get a chance to say anything.
"Seriously, I can't know the name…?" Cedric asked himself out loud