Aurel sat cross-legged on the floor of his apartment, the dim light from the window casting long shadows across the room. The events of the past week weighed heavily on his mind, each memory playing through his thoughts—the fights, the training, the sheer effort it had taken to get this far. He had pushed himself to his limits, broken barriers he hadn't known existed, and come out the other side stronger than ever.
But now he found himself at a crossroads.
He stared down at his watch, the stats glowing faintly in the dim light. All 99s—strength, agility, endurance, perception, mana. He had reached the ceiling of what was possible with his current genetic lock. It was clear now that no amount of physical training or mana consumption would raise his stats further. His body had grown, had adapted, had evolved—but it was limited. He had reached the point where he couldn't grow any stronger without taking the next step.
He needed to actualize his next genetic lock.
It was something he had been thinking about for days now. The university exams were approaching, and the competition would be fierce. The pre-awakeners—the ones who had been born with power, who had already actualized multiple genetic locks—were so far ahead. Some of them, like Yujiro Lang, had already unlocked five genetic locks. The difference in strength between each lock was like the difference between night and day.
If Aurel wanted to compete, he couldn't stay where he was. He needed to evolve further, to reach the next level, to push his limits once again.
But there was a problem.
When he had first received the Mana Vaccine, the nurses had been stunned by the changes to his body—his silver hair, his red eyes, his increased physical strength. They hadn't told him how many genetic locks he had broken, how many he had the potential to actualize. Trying to actualize a lock that wasn't broken was dangerous—it could lead to serious injury, a significant loss in power. It could set him back, possibly permanently.
But Aurel was out of options. He had maxed out his stats, reached the peak of what was possible in his current state. He could continue gaining traits, could continue pushing his body through training, but without another genetic lock, without the boost in power that came from actualizing it, he would fall behind.
He needed to take the risk.
The method to actualize a genetic lock was something they taught in schools—a process that was dangerous, painful, and difficult. Drawing mana from the atmosphere, oversaturating the body with it, directing it to the heart and brain, and then releasing it. For 50% of the population, it was impossible—either because of a lack of mana control or because their bodies simply couldn't handle it. But Aurel had Mana Sensitivity. He had the control, the ability to feel the flow of mana, to harness it.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, his body relaxing as he let the tension drain away. He could feel the mana around him, a soft hum that filled the air, that flowed through the room like an invisible current. It was subtle, faint, but it was there.
He focused on it, drawing the mana toward him, feeling it gather around his body, the air growing heavy, thick with energy. He had done this before—during his training, during his battles. He knew how to pull mana in, how to let it flow through him, how to use it to fuel his growth. But this was different. This was about pushing the limits, about filling his body with as much mana as it could hold, and then pushing it even further.
He could feel the mana gathering, the energy building, his body starting to tingle, a faint warmth spreading through his limbs. He kept his breathing steady, his focus sharp, his senses open. The mana flowed into him, filling him, saturating every cell, every muscle, every fiber of his being.
The warmth grew hotter, the pressure building, his heart pounding in his chest, his breath coming in slow, deliberate draws. He had to concentrate, had to control the flow, had to make sure the mana moved where he needed it. He couldn't afford to lose control. Not now.
Slowly, Aurel began to direct the mana inward, focusing on his heart, feeling the energy moving through his chest, gathering around the center of his being. The warmth became heat, a fire that burned from within, his heart pounding harder, faster, the mana condensing, pressing inward, filling him until it felt like he might burst.
His head began to ache, a sharp pain that spread through his skull, the pressure almost unbearable. But Aurel gritted his teeth, his eyes clenched shut, his focus unbroken. He had been through worse pain before—had endured the fire of the mana stones, the searing agony of the red flower. This was just another challenge. Another wall that needed to be broken.
The mana gathered, condensed, pressing against his heart, against his brain. The pain was excruciating now—a searing, blinding pain that tore through him, that made his entire body convulse, his muscles tensing, his breath caught in his throat.
And then, with a deep breath, he released it.
The mana surged, an unstoppable force that exploded through every cell of his body. Aurel felt it instantly—his entire being thrown into chaos as the energy erupted, filling him, flooding every inch of his muscles, bones, and nerves. It was like being caught in a storm—a violent, unrelenting torrent that tore through him, leaving no part of him untouched.
He gasped, his back arching, his hands clawing at the floor beneath him, his fingers digging into the wood as if trying to anchor himself. The pain was indescribable. It wasn't just his heart or his head—this time, the agony consumed everything. His bones felt like they were being crushed, reshaped, reformed. He could feel them shifting, the marrow burning as the mana twisted its way into his very structure, making them stronger, denser. Every snap, every crack felt like a hammer blow—an endless series of impacts that pounded through him.
His muscles convulsed, spasming uncontrollably as they grew, tore, and then healed, the fibers knitting together with a new density, a new strength. It wasn't like anything he had experienced before. The pain was deeper, more profound, as if his entire body was being stripped down, dismantled piece by piece, only to be rebuilt from the ground up. His skin burned, his blood boiling in his veins, the mana pouring through him like molten metal, changing everything it touched.
He tried to breathe, but his lungs felt like they were on fire, the air he drew in doing nothing to ease the suffocating heat that enveloped him. It wasn't just the physical—the mana wasn't content to change just his body. It dug into his mind, his consciousness, pushing at the boundaries of his thoughts, forcing them open, expanding his awareness.
It was overwhelming. Every part of him screamed, every nerve alight with agony. His vision blurred, darkness encroaching on the edges of his sight, but he refused to let go. He clenched his jaw, his eyes squeezed shut, his entire body shaking as he endured the torrent.
The process dragged on, far longer than he had anticipated. They had taught this in school—taught that actualizing a genetic lock was painful, but quick. A couple of minutes, they said. Intense, but manageable. But this—this felt like it had no end. Minutes turned to hours, the pain unrelenting, his body caught in an endless cycle of breaking and rebuilding, the mana reshaping him over and over again.
He lost track of time, lost track of everything but the pain, the mana, and the faint, stubborn thought that he could not let go. That this was his path, his choice, and he would see it through no matter the cost. He could feel Adaptability working, the trait that had brought him this far, fighting alongside him, helping his body adjust, change, evolve. It was the only thing that kept him from falling apart, that held him together as the mana tore through him.
Finally—when it felt like he couldn't take any more, when the agony had become a constant, throbbing presence that consumed every thought, every breath—the pain began to fade. Slowly, gradually, the fire in his veins dulled, the storm inside him calming, the torrent of mana easing.
He gasped, his body collapsing, his forehead pressing against the cool floor as the last waves of pain washed over him, leaving him shaking, exhausted. He could feel the difference already—the strength in his limbs, the density of his muscles, the power that thrummed beneath his skin. Everything had changed. His body was no longer the same—it had been reforged, transformed by the mana that had consumed him.
His vision swam, his mind struggling to clear, but through the haze, he heard it. The faint beep of his watch, the soft chime that broke the silence of the room.
A notification.
Aurel blinked, his eyes focusing on the glowing screen, the words slowly coming into view.
Genetic Lock Actualized: 2
And then, the world went dark