Thalia stared at the notification blinking in his mind.
"Why are you back so soon?!"
His brows furrowed.
"You didn't bring anything useless, did you?"
The 2,000 euros he had spent felt like an immense weight pressing down on his chest. He wasn't in a position to waste resources, not in Night City.
The dim room seemed to close in on him as his heartbeat quickened. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions in check. His eyes narrowed with a blend of apprehension and curiosity. After another moment of hesitation, he focused on the game interface.
The familiar visuals of Traveling Frog greeted him. His frog cub, back from its journey, sat at its tiny desk reading a book. In the corner, the [Travel Specialty] section blinked with an exclamation mark.
Thalia tapped into it, his hand trembling slightly.
The once-empty slot now held an icon resembling a strange fruit.
"What's this?" His voice was steady but tinged with anticipation. He focused on the details, and the information flowed into his mind.
---
[Magnetic Fruit]: A specialty from the world of One Piece. A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that grants control over magnetism, electricity, and metals. The user can generate magnetic fields to manipulate objects or materials containing magnetic properties.
[Note: Certain drawbacks associated with traditional Devil Fruits have been eliminated by the system.]
---
Thalia's calm expression cracked as a flicker of excitement crossed his face. "Magnetic Fruit... Kidd's Devil Fruit."
As someone deeply familiar with the lore of One Piece, he immediately envisioned Eustass Kid wielding towering masses of scrap metal to create his devastating "magnetic demon."
His grip tightened on the air, his breathing steadying. "Magnetism in a world dominated by cybernetics and metal... This fruit's potential is absurd."
A new system prompt appeared:
[Would you like to extract the specialty (Magnetic Fruit)?]
Thalia's response was immediate. "Yes."
Before him, the fruit materialized, a perfect replica of what he'd seen in manga panels: gray with intricate spiral patterns and jagged thunderbolt-like spikes. Yellow vines coiled around it like strands of magnetic energy.
For a moment, Thalia merely studied it, as though committing every detail to memory. Then, without hesitation, he took a bite.
---
The texture was softer than expected, like biting into ripe, juicy flesh.
"Hmm? It's... not disgusting?" His brows raised in mild surprise. He had braced himself for the rumored horrific taste of Devil Fruits. "Looks like the system didn't just stop at removing the drowning curse."
He devoured the rest quickly, brushing his hands together afterward.
But before he could fully appreciate the meal, a surge of electricity raced through his body. It started as a tingle in his fingertips and quickly escalated to an almost overwhelming wave of energy.
His vision sharpened, sounds became clearer, and every nerve in his body thrummed with newfound vitality.
---
"Magnetism is just energy at its core," he thought, focusing inward. He flexed his fingers, feeling the magnetic pull and push between them. His first experiment was subtle: he reached for a metallic spoon on his desk.
With a faint hum, the spoon jerked forward, snapping into his palm.
Thalia's lips curled into a small smirk. "Good. Now let's push this further."
He placed the spoon on the desk and focused on repelling it. The magnetic field around his hand shifted, and the spoon flew backward, clattering against the wall.
---
After a few minutes of experimentation, Thalia had a clearer understanding of the basics. "Magnetic attraction and repulsion are the simplest applications. But this is just scratching the surface."
He moved to the room's vending machine, the words "Insert Credits" glaring at him from the screen.
Thalia knelt, resting his hand on the machine. He concentrated, sending a controlled magnetic pulse through the device's circuitry. Sparks danced across the screen as the lock disengaged with a satisfying ding.
"Electromagnetic manipulation works as expected." He grabbed a packet of food and stepped back.
---
His next experiment involved levitation.
Thalia sat cross-legged on the bed, focusing on the magnetic field around him. Slowly, he altered the polarity of his surroundings. A faint hum filled the room as his body lifted off the mattress.
The sensation of weightlessness was exhilarating. He adjusted the field, tilting his body forward slightly, mimicking the motions of flight.
But his control faltered.
Boom!
Thalia hit the bed with a dull thud. He exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. "Looks like flight will take more practice."
---
As his experiments continued, he jotted down notes in a notebook:
1. Electromagnetic Speed: If mastered, the fruit could potentially rival light-speed travel.
2. Invisibility: Manipulating light waves through electromagnetic fields could achieve stealth capabilities.
3. Force Fields: By generating concentrated magnetic barriers, he could block physical and energy-based attacks.
4. Wormholes and Black Holes: Theoretical applications if energy manipulation reached its peak.
Thalia paused, staring at his final notes. He shook his head slightly, a rare flicker of amusement crossing his otherwise composed demeanor. "Ambitious, but you have to start somewhere."
---
A growl from his stomach brought him back to reality. The energy expended during his experiments had taken its toll. He finished the snacks from the vending machine, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.
Then, the system interface drew his attention again.
[The cost for the frog cub's second trip is 40,000 euros.]
Thalia's gaze hardened. "Forty thousand. Of course, nothing is ever cheap."
He stood, preparing to leave the room. As he moved, a small object tumbled from the corner of his bed to the floor.
Picking it up, he studied the small chip in his hand. Recognition dawned on him. "A data chip from one of the prosthetics I scavenged. Could be valuable if decrypted."
He slipped it into his pocket and headed out. "Time to make some money. I'll need every resource if I want to climb higher in this city."
As he walked into the chaotic streets of Night City, a faint electricity danced around his body for a moment. The game had only just begun.