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Chapter 5 - Adaptation in Motion

Aurel woke to the soft glow of sunlight filtering through the window, his eyes slowly fluttering open. For a moment, he just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, his mind still foggy with sleep. But then, as if a switch had been flipped, the memory of everything that had happened came rushing back—his awakening, the Adaptability trait, the message on his watch, the sudden shift in his body.

Aurel sat up quickly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, his heart pounding with anticipation. Today, he needed answers. More than just vague ideas about how Adaptability worked—he needed a plan.

The exams were looming, only a month away, and he had no time to waste. He needed to learn everything he could about traits, about what was possible, and more importantly, how he could make those possibilities his own. If he could find a way to acquire traits systematically, to push his body beyond its limits, he might have a shot at standing out—maybe even securing a spot at a top-tier university.

Aurel's eyes flicked to the small desk across the room, where his Ability Tracker Watch sat charging. He grabbed it, strapping it onto his wrist before opening the holographic interface. He searched for the database of known traits—a resource the government had made public after the Mana Awakening. The list was extensive, constantly updated as new traits emerged and were cataloged.

Aurel's fingers flew over the watch interface, scrolling through the database, reading every entry carefully. There were the common ones, like Enhanced Strength, Speed, Heightened Senses. Traits that made people physically better than they were before. Then there were the rare ones—Mana Affinity, Elemental Resistance, and even Regeneration, which allowed someone's body to heal at an accelerated rate.

He paused at the entry for Regeneration, reading it twice.

Trait: Regeneration (Rank: Rare)

Description: Grants the user the ability to heal injuries at an accelerated rate. This includes the rapid recovery of wounds, bruises, broken bones, and internal damage.

Aurel's eyes narrowed at the word "adaptability." The connection was obvious, almost too clear. If he could push his body to adapt quickly enough, would it be possible to unlock a similar trait? Regeneration would be a game changer. If he could heal almost instantly, he could take on more risks without worrying about getting knocked down.

And then there were the more obscure traits, the ones that only a few people had ever managed to acquire: Thermal Resistance, Electricity Absorption, Mental Fortitude. They all had one thing in common—they represented the body's response to stress, to extreme situations that pushed someone past their natural threshold.

Aurel felt a slow grin forming on his face. He had an idea. If his trait allowed his body to adapt, then he could force it to adapt by exposing himself to different forms of stress, just like he had with the spoiled food. He needed to think of his body as an experiment—a vessel that could be molded and reshaped with the right stimuli.

The key was finding those stimuli. It was dangerous, sure, but that was exactly what he needed. The exams weren't going to be easy, and neither was the world beyond them. Monsters, dungeons, mana beasts—they were all waiting, ready to rip apart anyone too weak to stand against them.

The faster he adapted, the stronger he'd become.

But first, he needed a place to test his theory.

The local gym was just a short walk from Aurel's apartment, nestled between a convenience store and a clothing outlet. It was nothing special—an old building with a flickering neon sign that read "Citico Fitness." Most of the equipment was secondhand, and the weights were chipped and rusted. But it had everything Aurel needed. Weights, machines, and space to push his body.

The gym was almost empty that early in the morning, just a few regulars going through their routines. Aurel slipped in quietly, paying the small entry fee before making his way to the free weights section. He had been here a few times before, but only occasionally. Before his awakening, his body had been average at best. No matter how hard he trained, the gains were slow, his muscles sore for days afterward.

But now, things were different. Adaptability was different.

He grabbed a pair of heavy dumbbells, feeling their weight in his hands. His muscles tensed, and he began a set of bicep curls, his eyes focused, his breath steady. He could feel the strain immediately, the pull of the muscles, the way they worked against the resistance.

The weights moved smoothly, up and down, the rhythm almost hypnotic. He pushed himself harder, moving to the bench press, adding more weight than he ever had before. His heart pounded, his breath quickening, sweat beading on his forehead.

And then, something strange happened.

The familiar burn that usually accompanied lifting heavy weights—the ache of muscles tearing and straining—it wasn't there. Or rather, it was there, but only for a moment. He felt the tension, the resistance, and then... nothing. His body adjusted, the pain fading almost instantly, replaced by a sense of strength, of power.

He racked the barbell, sitting up and staring at his hands, flexing his fingers.

There was no soreness. No lingering pain. His muscles, instead of feeling fatigued, felt stronger. More solid.

Aurel's eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat. He grabbed more weight, adding plates to a barbell until it was almost double what he had ever lifted before. He lay back on the bench, gripping the bar, his breath steadying as he prepared himself.

He pushed.

The bar moved, slowly at first, the weight bearing down on him. But again, the strain faded almost as soon as it began, his muscles responding, adapting, growing stronger with each rep. There was no need for rest, no need for recovery time. As long as he kept moving, kept pushing, his body just... adjusted.

Aurel sat up again, his chest heaving, a smile spreading across his face. It worked. His body wasn't just adapting to threats like poison—it was adapting to anything that pushed it beyond its limits. He could grow stronger, faster, without the usual constraints of exhaustion or injury.

He stood, moving to the squat rack, then to the pull-up bar, then to the deadlift platform. Each time, he added more weight, pushed himself harder, testing the limits of what his body could do. And each time, his body responded, the strain fading, the strength growing.

By the time he was done, the gym was beginning to fill with the usual morning crowd. Aurel wiped the sweat from his forehead, his muscles still feeling fresh, energized. He had been working out non-stop for over two hours, lifting more weight than he ever thought possible, and yet he felt like he could keep going.

He caught sight of himself in the gym's mirror—a reflection of someone he barely recognized. His silver hair was damp with sweat, his red eyes bright, his muscles more defined than they had been just the day before. He looked... powerful.

But it wasn't enough. Not yet.

This was only the beginning. He had one month until the university exams—one month to push his body to adapt in every way possible. Strength was just one piece of the puzzle. He needed more. More traits, more adaptations, more power.

He left the gym, his mind already racing with plans for what he needed to do next. He had to find new challenges, new ways to force his body to adapt. The Poison/Disease Resistance had come from exposure to spoiled food—maybe he could find other toxins, other harmful substances to build up his resistances.

Heat and cold were next. He needed to find ways to expose himself to extreme temperatures, to force his body to adapt to environmental stressors. If he could develop Thermal Resistance, it would give him an edge in the exams, where environmental challenges were common.

And then there was endurance. He needed to push his cardiovascular limits, to run until his lungs burned, until his heart threatened to burst. If his body could adapt to that, he might unlock a trait for Enhanced Stamina, something that could keep him going long after others had collapsed.

Aurel's eyes narrowed as he walked through the streets of Citico, his mind focused, his heart pounding with determination. He had spent too long being ordinary, too long watching others surpass him while he stayed behind. Now, he had the power to change that.

Adapt. Survive. Thrive.

This was the path he had chosen. He would push his body to its absolute limits, and then beyond. He would become something more—something no one could predict, something no one could control.

The exams were coming, and Aurel intended to be ready. He wasn't just going to survive them. He was going to dominate them, to prove to everyone—his parents, his peers, the world—that he was more than they had ever expected.

And nothing was going to stand in his way.