As soon as the voice echoed in Ethan's mind, he felt a strange, new space manifest within his consciousness.
Inside this space floated a sleek red sports car. Ethan could just about make out the glowing gold logo of a horse on its body.
It was as if the car was waiting for him, ready to materialize at his command.
Excited, he rushed out the door and into an empty lot nearby. Fortunately, his rental apartment was in a secluded area, so no one would notice him acting out.
With a thought, the car materialized before his eyes with a metallic shine. Its streamlined body, luxurious seats, and the iconic roaring horse emblem on the steering wheel confirmed it—Ethan had just summoned a Ferrari!
"Did this come from the mosquito I killed?" Ethan paused, taking a deep breath. "Could this really be my ability?"
Ged and Lynn had said that almost everyone would awaken some kind of power soon, but the strength of each person's power would vary.
"My power's like dropping loot in a game after defeating a monster? And it even has an auto-pickup feature? Wonder what level this is... let's test it out..." Ethan's excitement grew with every thought.
He looked around and noticed an ant colony nearby.
Normally, he wouldn't be so bored as to step on ants, but now, he didn't care. He marched over and stomped hard on the ground.
Crunch!
It was almost as if he could hear the ants' scream as they were crushed underfoot.
And then, a series of messages flooded into his mind.
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned $1. Stored in inventory."
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned a luxury flower-patterned phone. Stored in inventory."
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned a pair of Crocs. Stored in inventory."
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned a laptop. Stored in inventory."
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned $3. Stored in inventory."
The notifications kept coming, one after another, as Ethan's mind processed the flood of items appearing in his mental inventory. There were bills, a phone, a laptop, and more.
"Seriously? This... this is my power? And my drop rate is... ridiculously high!" Ethan could hardly believe it.
While he hadn't gotten another Ferrari like he did with the mosquito, the cash and items he'd gathered were already worth tens of thousands of dollars—just from crushing a bunch of ants!
"This is like something out of a fantasy game!" Ethan thought, grinning.
If this was his drop rate, what kind of insane gear would he get if he killed a mutated monster?
"Alright... let's do this!" With his new goal in mind, Ethan stomped around, following the trail of ants.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned a pack of condoms. Stored in inventory."
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned a pair of oxhide shoes. Stored in inventory."
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned a high-end suit. Stored in inventory."
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned $1. Stored in inventory."
The list of items kept piling up, but Ethan's eyes were still on the prize. His mind was set on getting something really useful—something that could help him survive the upcoming changes.
He had to prepare. The world was about to change, and material things like cars and money wouldn't matter much if the creatures around him were mutating into dangerous monsters.
Just as he was starting to feel impatient, a new notification pinged:
"Crushed 1 ant. Earned the Thunderstrike Bow. Stored in inventory."
Ethan's eyes widened in delight.
In his mental inventory appeared a purple, ancient-looking longbow, covered in mysterious engravings. A faint lightning pulse ran through the bowstring.
"This... this is the real deal..." Ethan's pulse quickened. This wasn't just any ordinary item—it felt special.
He quickly extracted the Thunderstrike Bow and held it in his hands. It felt cool to the touch, and there was an electric tingle running through his fingers.
He pulled on the bowstring. Even pulling it back a little bit was difficult. By the time he reached about 20% of its full strength, he couldn't pull it any further.
He released.
Boom!
A massive crack of thunder exploded, and a bolt of lightning shot out from the bow. The surrounding trees shook as if struck by a storm.
Ethan's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he saw a large stone, once standing solid, now cracked and shattered from the impact.
"Did... did that just happen because I drew the bow?" Ethan stumbled toward the stone, spotting the faint scorch marks from the lightning strike. He swallowed hard.
"This Thunderstrike Bow... it's amazing..." he whispered in awe.
No arrows, no full draw, and still, the damage was massive. If he could pull the bow all the way back, the destruction would be unimaginable.
"Legendary weapon," he grinned, feeling a rush of excitement.
"To think stepping on ants could lead me to legendary gear... this talent of mine is insane. With this, I must be at least an A-class, maybe even Triple A-level, according to the Talent Association!" Ethan could hardly contain his excitement.
After taking a deep breath to steady himself, he placed the Thunderstrike Bow back in his inventory.
The ants had all been crushed, so he hopped into the Ferrari to take it for a spin. The car's keys and documents were neatly stored, and the fuel tank was full.
Ethan revved the engine and zoomed off. The feeling of speed was exhilarating, and after a few rounds, he parked the car, smiling contentedly.
"Awesome."
It was getting late, and worried about the world's chaotic changes, Ethan decided not to linger outside for too long. He parked the car and headed back to his apartment.
As soon as he entered, he flicked on the lights, ready to find a few more mosquitoes to crush.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
"You should stay out of town for a while. Especially avoid the western suburbs," the message read.
It was from Lynn.