Sumir was in a hurry, but he didn't immediately go to complete his Reserve Players certification.
By the time school finished at the training center, it was already around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Sumir tested the Synthesis Bar, went home to consume a physical crystal, then headed to the Lone Wolf Club to fuck Medis. Afterward, he tested his attributes and sparred with Anderson, all of which had already taken up a significant amount of time.
Now, it was late at night.
Sumir made a reservation for the Reserve Players test at 6:00 AM the next morning, then took a taxi home.
He treated himself to a rare luxury, spending over 800 dollars on four servings of nutrition meals on the way.
These nutrition meals were specifically designed for those looking to train their bodies and push their physical attributes to new heights. The meat in the meals came from livestock with traces of wild creature bloodlines, packed with potent energy.
Not only were the meals delicious, but they also helped replenish the physical deficits caused by intense training.
Back at home, Sumir quickly synthesized the nutrition meals and ended up with a grilled meat platter that exuded an incredibly inviting aroma, looking as translucent and appealing as crystal.
[Nutrition Meal]
Type: Food
Tier: Non-Registered Players
Quality: Gray
Description: A scientifically formulated meal packed with rich nutrients, designed to help recover physical deficits.
Effect: Eating this meal permanently reduces hidden injuries in the body for Non-Registered Players. It also aids in the awakening of higher-tier innate talents, potentially raising innate talents to a B-level.
"Ah?"
"Another item synthesis?"
"Wait, what does this mean? Raising innate talents upon awakening!"
It was late at night, and Sumir was wide awake now.
He only had a vague understanding of innate talents, and it wasn't until he checked his phone on the way home that he fully grasped the concept, all thanks to Medis's earlier promise.
When people pass the trials to become Registered Players, there's a chance they might gain innate talents in the synthesis process. The younger the player is when they become a Registered Player, the more likely they are to awaken innate talents.
Even the lowest-level F-tier innate talents were incredibly valuable, as they provide a unique set of enhancements that are independent of skills, equipment, pets, and other systems. A person without innate talents will always be at a disadvantage compared to someone with them.
The differences between different tiers of innate talents are significant.
E-tier innate talents are 30% stronger than F-tier talents, D-tier talents are 30% stronger than E-tier, and so on.
The highest-known starting tier for innate talents is A-tier.
Note that the strength gap between different tiers of innate talents is a minimum of 30% stronger at each level!
In reality, the effect between two tiers of innate talents can be vastly different.
Additionally, after becoming a Registered Player, one can choose a profession, and professions offer a chance for a second job advancement. It is said that if the evaluation of the job advancement task is high enough, there's a possibility to raise the tier of innate talents by one level.
An A-tier innate talent can be upgraded to an S-tier innate talent!
Legend has it that S-tier innate talents are a necessity on the road to godhood.
Earlier, when Medis asked Sumir to awaken a B-tier innate talent, it felt a bit like an unreasonable demand. But it made sense now: only such powerful innate talents could make someone worthy of being her partner. This explained why Medis didn't bother investigating Sumir's potential.
Her own issues... were not ordinary!
The truth was, Sumir was highly unlikely to succeed.
Because for most people, when they become a player—
Innate talents? Don't even think about it!
Even if they awaken innate talents, they are usually only at the F or E tier. If someone manages to awaken a C-tier innate talent, they'd be considered a genius in New Los Angeles, making waves for a time.
But Sumir wasn't entirely out of luck. There were many 18-year-olds worldwide who became players, and every year, a few of these young players would awaken B-tier innate talents. There were even some who managed to awaken A-tier innate talents!
Sumir had a chance to meet Medis's requirements— it all depended on luck.
But now... things had changed dramatically!
Sumir was overjoyed. The nutrition meals could actually help him awaken higher-tier innate talents??
And as long as he consumed enough of these nutrition meals, he could reliably awaken a B-tier innate talent?!
Suddenly, the alluring image of Medis's beautifully curvaceous body flashed through his mind.
If he could awaken a B-tier innate talent...
This was a sure thing! He was going to win, no doubt!
Originally, Sumir had considered that the Synthesis Bar couldn't determine what quality of innate talent he would awaken, but now...
Who said it couldn't influence it? Of course it could! His cheat ability was just that powerful!
"But this Synthesize nutrition meal absolutely cannot be exposed."
"Resources that improve innate talent awakening might be something new, something I've never heard of before."
"But wasn't there a news report a few years ago about the legendary Eastern Continent powerhouse 'Jin Mingxiu'? His daughter only had an F-tier innate talent."
"This shows that even top-tier powerhouses can't help their descendants improve the awakening of innate talent tiers!"
"This batch of items I just synthesized—it's something incredible!"
Sumir's eyes sparkled with excitement.
He immediately thought of two things. First, he had synthesized just four servings of the nutrition meal, and it resulted in a gray-grade item. What if he synthesized more servings? Would the effect be even stronger?
Could the limit for B-tier innate talents be broken!?
The second thing was...
The Synthesis Bar possessed the magical ability to turn the mundane into the extraordinary!
For Sumir, the nutrition meals were a great find, but for the rich second-generation heirs, they had already eaten so many of them that they were close to vomiting. The meals had lost their value in terms of physical enhancement and had become nothing more than a means to stave off hunger.
But what seemed like such a plain, ordinary thing had, through the Synthesis Bar, transformed into something that could improve innate talents—something truly terrifying!
"Anything that can help me grow stronger, I should try synthesizing." Sumir thought to himself. "There might be some unexpected surprises!"
As these thoughts raced through his mind, he quickly jotted down the list of ingredients for the four servings of nutrition meals he had purchased earlier:
Three pieces of Salamander Beast Meat
One portion of Crystalline-colored Pollen
Three cucumbers, six cherry tomatoes, five servings of blueberries
A small dish of vinaigrette
The preparation of these nutrition meals was similar to making a salad—once the ingredients were gathered, they could be assembled without the need for extra cooking. This convenience was a great advantage for Sumir, since his Synthesize system could only synthesize identical items. The salad-like preparation method allowed him to order the same dish from multiple stores simultaneously.
Sumir quickly dialed the phone.
The first call: Strengthening Muscle Nutrition Meal Specialty Store.
"I'm sorry, we're already closed."
"How much?"
"I'm not sure what you mean. Do you want us to make the meals based on your list? We can make as many as you want."
"Do I get a tip?"
"Got it! We're still open! We're still open!"
The second call: Delicious Fast Food.
"Fuck you, calling this late at night for... what?"
"No, man. Are you serious?"
"Understood! We're happy to serve our customers."
The third and fourth calls...
Sumir didn't stop there. He called every nutrition meal specialty store he could find. He demanded they prepare specific packages and deliver them immediately.
This batch cost him over a hundred thousand dollars and he bought more than five hundred servings of the nutrition meal!
The more than two hundred thousand dollars he had just received was almost entirely gone!
But his eyes sparkled with excitement as he waited eagerly.
...
Half an hour later...
Boom!
With a loud rumble, a delivery truck pulled up near the garbage station by the subway station.
"Is this some kind of scam?"
"Why would someone buy so many nutrition meals and choose to make the trade here?"
A young man in a green uniform looked around in confusion, his unease growing as he took in the desolate surroundings.
However...
Thud, thud, thud.
"Who's there!"
The young man turned around in panic, his eyes widening as a figure suddenly appeared. He hadn't heard any footsteps.
Ding!
"Your account has been successfully credited..."
Before the young man could react, the figure dashed forward, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The card reader on the truck went off with a beep.
"Huh?"
The young man stood there, bewildered, but the figure turned back, a look of mild annoyance crossing its face.
"What are you standing there for? Help me unload!"
"Oh! Oh! Coming!"
Seeing the money had been transferred, the young man didn't think twice. The customer was always right, no matter where the transaction took place.
...
Three hours later, Sumir checked his phone. It was 4 AM.
His tiny apartment was now filled with boxes of nutrition meals, leaving him no room to move around.
He knew his actions were a bit conspicuous, but it didn't matter. In the modern world, cameras were everywhere. Even if he bought the meals in batches, his activities would be exposed. It was better to be bold about it.
Most likely, resources that weren't related to becoming a Registered Player wouldn't attract much attention.
"Medis has some serious secrets behind her. If I need to buy more precious resources in the future, I'll definitely attract suspicion. I'll have to use Medis's identity as a shield."
Sumir's eyes glinted with a calculating look.