Aurel sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his wristwatch as the notification for Poison/Disease Resistance blinked quietly on the screen. The display had gone dim, but the information was still burned into his mind. Common. His first trait had been ranked as something basic, unremarkable. To most people, it wouldn't have been exciting.
But to Aurel, it was something entirely different.
He leaned back, his hands gripping the edge of the bed tightly, staring up at the ceiling of his cramped apartment. He couldn't explain it, but something had shifted within him. He could feel it. A subtle hum coursed through his body, like a finely tuned machine running at full power. It wasn't visible, not something he could point to, but deep inside, he sensed the changes.
His stomach no longer felt fragile or vulnerable. There was a strange toughness there now, as if his digestive system had been hardened, prepared for whatever might come next. The lining of his gut felt... fortified, the acid in his stomach more potent, able to break down toxins and harmful substances that would have wrecked him before.
It wasn't just his stomach either. He could feel his immune system surging, a low thrum in the background of his consciousness. It was more alert, more powerful than it had been just hours ago. As if the moment he had encountered a threat, his body had analyzed it, adapted, and grown stronger in preparation for the next challenge.
His breath came in slow, controlled gulps, each one more deliberate than the last. He was beginning to understand the gravity of his ability, or at least what little he could grasp of it so far. Adaptability wasn't flashy, but it was infinitely practical. It was survival, plain and simple.
And that made it far more dangerous.
The other students who had undergone their awakening might have gained powerful abilities—fire manipulation, telekinesis, strength boosts—but they all had limits. Defined powers with clear uses. But Aurel's body... his body could adapt. It wasn't about what power he had; it was about what he could become.
The more he thought about it, the more his mind raced. This was bigger than just the traits or the Poison/Disease Resistance. This was a path. A way to climb higher than anyone else expected him to.
He sat up straight, his heart pounding in his chest as the realization hit him like a punch to the gut. There was one month until the university exams. One month until every student's power was tested and ranked. This was the moment that separated the weak from the strong. Those with powerful abilities would be thrust into the spotlight, given the best opportunities, the best training, and the highest status.
Those who failed? They would be left behind, trapped in mediocrity forever.
The University Exams. The two words were enough to make any eighteen-year-old tense up. It was where your future was decided—brutally and without mercy. The exams were designed to push students to their absolute limits, to weed out the mediocre from the exceptional. It wasn't just about written tests or theoretical knowledge. It was about survival. You were thrown into simulated dungeon environments, tasked with overcoming challenges, and forced to face off against your peers.
And every student knew the truth: the exam would be the first real test of their power. The ranking you received wasn't just a number; it was your entire future. The top scorers would be recruited into elite academies, trained by the best, and given access to dungeons and cultivation resources that ordinary people could only dream of. They would become the next generation of leaders, hunters, and powerful cultivators.
The rest? They would be left in the dust, relegated to the sidelines, forever struggling to keep up.
Aurel couldn't afford to be mediocre. Not now. Not ever.
He had lived his entire life on the sidelines, watching other people rise while he stayed behind. He had been powerless for so long, just waiting for his chance to break free. Now, for the first time, that chance was within his grasp. He had Adaptability. He had the ability to gain traits that could make him stronger, faster, better.
But he would need more than just Poison/Disease Resistance to survive what was coming.
Aurel stood up, pacing the small space of his apartment. His mind raced with possibilities. There had to be ways to push his limits, to force his body into unlocking more traits. It wasn't enough to sit back and wait for opportunities to present themselves. He had to take control. He had to make it happen.
"Think, Aurel. Think."
The words whispered through his mind, his pacing quickening as he formulated a plan. His stomach had adapted to poison. His immune system had strengthened. It made sense—his body responded to external threats. That meant, in theory, if he exposed himself to different kinds of challenges, his body would adapt again.
What else could I survive?
He stopped, the answer flashing in his mind. Cold. Heat. Impact. There were countless environmental dangers he could test himself against. His body would have to respond if he pushed it far enough, right?
But this was no game. He had to be careful. He had seen what happened to people who underestimated their limits. You could die from testing your abilities the wrong way. There was no guarantee Adaptability would save him from recklessness.
Still, he needed results. Fast.
He walked to the window, staring out at the city as the night deepened. His red eyes glowed faintly in the reflection, his silver hair catching the dim light. The world had changed drastically in just a few years—monsters, dungeons, mana cultivation. It was now a world where strength was everything.
The entrance exams were the first real hurdle, and the stakes couldn't be higher. If he didn't prove himself now, he'd lose his chance to attend a top-tier university. And that would mean losing any chance at gaining the resources he needed to push Adaptability to its fullest potential. If he ended up at a second-rate school, he'd be stuck with whatever scraps were left. And he couldn't let that happen.
His parents had left him behind, chasing after their own power. Now, he was on his own. And the only way to survive was to make sure he could stand at the top.
Adapt. Survive. Thrive.
He pulled out his phone, checking the details for the university exams. One month left. They would be evaluating everything—physical strength, abilities, traits, mana control. The exam was brutal, designed to weed out the weak, the ones who couldn't keep up with the rest. It was a gauntlet of challenges that would break most people before they even finished.
But Aurel had something they didn't. He didn't need a powerful ability to bulldoze through those challenges. He needed his body to adapt—to strengthen in ways no one else could predict. And he had a month to figure it out.
But how far could he push himself before the exam? That was the real question.
His mind drifted back to the idea of forcing his body into stressful situations. Could he expose himself to more poisons? More toxins? Maybe he could build up an arsenal of resistances. That could be one path.
But he needed versatility. His Adaptability trait could make him unpredictable. Every time his body responded to a threat, it would give him an edge.
"Heat," he muttered under his breath. "Cold. Physical endurance. Maybe even hunger..."
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden beep from his Ability Tracker Watch. His gaze snapped to it, a message flashing on the screen:
Time to increase potential—Don't waste it.
Aurel's eyes widened. The system? But the message disappeared almost as soon as it appeared, leaving him staring at the blank display.
"What...?" he whispered to himself, the words hanging in the air.
The watch wasn't supposed to do that. The system was automated, standardized for all users. But for some reason, it seemed like something—someone—was urging him on. He checked the watch again, but there was no further message. No explanation.
But it didn't matter. The message had given him what he needed. A push. A reminder. His Adaptability trait was more than just survival. It was about increasing his potential. If he was careful, if he calculated each risk and tailored his efforts, he could push his body to adapt faster, stronger, and more intelligently.
The one thing he couldn't afford was hesitation.
That night, as he lay in bed, Aurel's mind continued racing. His pulse thrummed with anticipation, his body still humming with the aftereffects of his first trait. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough until he stood at the top, looking down at the people who had once ignored him.
The future was still uncertain, but Aurel was no longer that powerless, forgotten boy waiting for the world to give him a break. Now, he understood. He didn't have to wait. He would make his own way, carve his path out of the chaos.
And to do that, he had to push his body to adapt, over and over, until it became something no one could predict.