โญ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐: ๐๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฏ โ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ค โโบโโถโโ โบโน
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Jay sat quietly by Kayโs side, his gaze drifting over his brotherโs peaceful face. Kayโs chest rose and fell steadily, the rhythmic sound of his breathing offering a small comfort to Jay, who hadnโt left his brotherโs side since they returned home.
Five hours had passed since he began administering the sap of the High Vitality Fruit, one drop at a time, every hour. He watched in silent as Kayโs body mended itself with each passing momentโcuts closing up, bruises fading, and even the missing fingernails regenerating, perfectly formed.
Not a single scar remained. The wounds, both fresh and old, disappeared without a trace. It was as if the tortures Kay had endured never happened, his skin smooth and unmarred, as though untouched by suffering. Yet, for Jay, the images of what his brother had to endure still haunted him.
His mind drifted back to the events that had unfolded just a few hours earlier, right before they had returned home.
Jay reached the Syndicate's underground base, hidden deep in an isolated area at the cityโs outskirts. Without MJโs guidance pinpointing the exact location, he knew he would have never found it. The baseโs entrance was sealed by a thick metallic door, but it posed little challenge.
With a single strike, Jay unleashed hisโSword Auraโand enhanced it withโAura Extensionโatop theโStream Wind Swordโ, slicing the door apart with ease.
As soon as he stepped inside, chaos erupted. Syndicate members pointed their guns at him, but they never stood a chance. Jay activated theโWind Sheathโskill, commanding the blade to dart through the air with lethal precision, piercing the heads of anyone who raised a weapon in his direction.
Bullets rained down, but Jay effortlessly used a fallen Syndicate member as a human shield, advancing further into the base. Each time someone attempted to throw a grenade, Jay reacted with lightning speed, launching fireballs to neutralize the threat before they could act.
His Hydraulic Leap closed the distance between him and his attackers with ease, and within moments, he was in the thick of melee combat. One by one, the Syndicate members fell.
Out of the 34 criminals, none remained intact, their limbs and heads scattered across the blood-drenched battlefield. Those unlucky enough to fall to hisโFireballโattack were at least spared the gruesome dismemberment, but the rest met a brutal end.
Despite the carnage around him, Jay felt no satisfaction. Unlike in the Trial World, he didnโt receive any Life Energy from their deaths. However, something unexpected happened. His Innate Talent,โLOOTโ, seemed to respond to the bloodlust clouding his mind, somehow activated on its own.
Although the Syndicate members were two stages lower than him, Jay still managed to loot stats from each of them, gaining 3โฏ per kill. By the end of the massacre, he had collected 102โฏ in total, though none of their skills transferred over.
MJ quickly explained that skills learned before System assimilation werenโt recognized as official System Skills, and Jay dismissed it without a second thought.
At the end of the hallway stood the vault door, thick and imposing. Even for Jay, it took five strikes to break through. On the final strike, he had to channel theโStream Wind Edgeโskill alongside his Lv.14โSword AuraโandโAura Extensionโto split it open.
When the door finally gave way, Jay stepped inside and making use ofโWind Sheathโ, he spun the sword so fast it created a shield-like barrier, deflecting the bullets from the remaining Syndicate members in the room.
But Jay barely noticed the gunfire. His eyes locked onto Kay, who was strapped to a metallic chair, his body hooked up to wires meant to electrocute him. The sight of his brotherโs broken form sent a surge of rage through Jay.
Kayโs face was swollen, beaten until his skin was torn and blood vessels had ruptured beneath. His fingernails were missing, replaced by dried blood, and his frail body was riddled with cuts and bruises. Kayโs eyes were barely open, clouded with pain, but in them, Jay could see his brotherโs silent suffering.
For a moment, Jayโs mind went blank, his fury overwhelming his senses. Then, something strange happened. The world around him seemed to fade into an endless pitch-black space, and at the center of it all floated a small, golf ball-sized Orb. It pulsed with shifting colors, each pulse sending a familiar, intimate energy through Jay. He instinctively recognized itโhis Innate Talent,โLOOTโ.
Circling the Orb were ten glowing, milky-white paths, like planetary orbits around the sun, each one radiating with a quiet power. The vision was brief, and before Jay could fully comprehend it, a series of notifications flashed before his eyes, pulling him back into reality.
โญโโ โ โ โโ โฉ โโ โ โ โโโฎ
๏ดพ Congratulations! You have earned an Super-Cluster Level Achievement by opening your own Spirit Space while just being in Tier-2 ๏ดฟ
๏ดพ Due to causing a Super-Cluster Level Achievement, You will receive a random reward one grade above your current Tier ๏ดฟ
๏ดพ Since you are a Tier-2 Lifeform, You will receive a random Rare Grade Reward ๏ดฟ
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
๏ดพ Congratulations! You have received an accessory type Spirit Item,โDebuffer RingโโงผRare Gradeโงฝ ๏ดฟ
โฐโโ โ โ โโ โฉ โโ โ โ โโโฏ
The instant Jay regained his senses, his Innate Talent reacted to his unchecked fury, automatically activating theโINVERSEโmode. His body tensed as a tsunami of pain crashed over him from the sudden spike in his stats. Even with his Lv.50โPhysical Pain Resistanceโ, the agony was excruciating, gnawing at the edges of his sanity.
But Jay held on, focusing on the image of his brotherโbattered, tortured. The rage fueled his resolve, and he clung to consciousness by sheer force of will. His mind clawed through the torment, and with each agonizing second, hisโPhysical Pain Resistanceโlevelled up, climbing five times in rapid succession. The unbearable pain dulled, washed away like a receding tide.
Though the entire experience lasted only a second, it felt like an eternity to Jay. When he finally gathered his awareness, his body had fully enteredโINVERSEโmode. Because of the 102 Looted stats he obtained earlier, his five main attributes under theโLOOTED STATUSโhad climbed to 81โฏ in each of them.
With the equilibrium between them, his Rare Skill,โHarmonyโ, activated automatically. A strange calm settled over him. The chaos in his mind was snuffed out, and all emotions were forcibly suppressed as the perfect balance of his stats stabilized him.
His perception of time shifted. Everything slowed to a crawl as his senses heightened, and his awareness stretched. With his time perception increased to 8.1 times the normal rate, the world around him seemed to move in slow motion.
His total combined stats under theโLOOTED STATUSโreached a staggering 405โฏ, just 45 away from crossing the threshold into becoming a Tier-3 Lifeform while inโINVERSEโmode.
Unconsciously, an immense pressure emanated from him, the natural byproduct of his near Tier-3 stats. The Tier suppression radiated outward, enveloping the entire area. He quickly controlled the oppressive force, ensuring it wouldn't affect his brother.
But the remaining criminals of the Syndicate, none of whom had assimilated with the System, werenโt so fortunate. To them, Jayโs presence was overwhelming. Those below Tier-1 had no resistance to the crushing weight of his Tier Suppression.
One by one, they collapsed, their bodies buckling under the sheer magnitude of his power. They couldnโt even move, reduced to trembling on the ground.
Jay shoved aside the barrage of notifications that flooded his mindโmentions of Spirit Space, a Rare Grade Spirit Item, and other details that would have intrigued him under different circumstances.
None of it mattered to him in that moment. He stepped through the lingering steam, his body still radiating an eerie calm as he made his way to Kay. Gently, he placed a single drop of the sap from the High Vitality Fruit onto his brotherโs lips.
As the drop entered his body, the effect was immediate. Kayโs wounds began to heal, his torn flesh mending slowly. His breathing, once labored, softened, and he drifted into a restful sleep, no longer in immediate danger.
Jay stood over him for a moment longer, the weight of his earlier rage still simmering beneath the surface, though muted. By the time he reverted fromโINVERSEโmodeโ11 standard minutes laterโhis mind had already sifted through the information heโd extracted from the base.
The names of those responsible for Kayโs kidnapping burned in his memory, and the remaining criminals, once the tormentors, begged for death.
Jay granted them no mercy. He returned every ounce of suffering they had inflicted on his brother, each one meeting a cruel end. When their broken bodies no longer drew breath, Jay summoned the skillโFireballโ, reducing all traces of them to ash. No one would ever find evidence of what had transpired within those walls.
Upon exiting the Syndicateโs hidden headquarters, Jay was greeted by a stroke of fortune. Three more of their members had arrivedโsent to procure evidence and to eliminate him. They were unaware of the doom awaiting them. Before they could even comprehend their misfortune, they had become part of his Looted stats, adding on to his growing power.
Afterward, he contacted MJ, ensuring all digital traces of the incident were wiped clean so that no would be able to link the Criminal Syndicateโs fall back to him.
As Jay sat in the stillness of his home, his mind drifted back from the events that had transpired just hours earlier. The memories slowly faded as he returned to the present, his gaze once again lingering on his brother.
Kay, who had always been frail, his body weakened by Polymyositis, seemed stronger. His usual sickly frame appeared healthier, and the pale complexion Jay had grown so used to was gone, replaced by a more vibrant hue. It was a change Jay hadnโt expected, but the sap of the High Vitality Fruit had done more than just heal him.
Curious and hopeful, Jay activated his SkillโInspectโto confirm his brotherโs improved condition. Yet, when the results flashed before his eyes, all he could see were Kayโs name and species. No detailed stats, no indicators of health, nothing that would confirm what his eyes already told him.
He furrowed his brow, confusion creeping in until MJโs familiar voice echoed in his mind, breaking the silence, "Master, itโs because your brother is not yet connected to the System."
The small, floating baby flew up to Jayโs side, puffing up his chest with exaggerated pride. "But, with me here, Master doesnโt need to worry! I can simulate anyoneโs Status even if theyโre not assimilated with the System. The only condition is that they must be lower leveled than you,"
Jay couldnโt help but glance at the baby version of himself. MJ was a part of him, a fragment of his soul given form, but the contrast between them often struck him. MJ had felt the fury that had boiled over during the battle at the Syndicateโs base. Yet, through their soul connection, the little guy refrained from his usual childlike, mischievous demeanor, sensing the seriousness of Jayโs emotions.
The memory of those momentsโthe fury, the blood, the satisfaction of vengeanceโstill clung to Jayโs mind, even if he held no regrets about ending the lives of the Syndicate criminals. Yet, as the adrenaline faded and the rage ebbed away, a subtle heaviness settled in its place, a weight he hadnโt anticipated.
It was MJ, in his innocent way, who had begun to lift that burden. After they returned home, MJ had taken it upon himself to lighten the atmosphere. With his playful antics and cheerfulness, he slowly brought Jay out of the brooding cloud that had lingered over him, easing the tension he hadnโt realized was so heavy on his chest.
Jay looked at the floating baby, who was eagerly waiting for praise. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he reached out, gently ruffling MJโs hair. The baby giggled, clearly enjoying the affection.
"Show me Kayโs simulated Stats," Jay requested, his voice steady once more. "And explain the types of Achievements. Iโve already encountered three different levelsโUniverse level, Supercluster level, and Galaxy level."
MJ nodded enthusiastically. With a wave of his tiny hands, a translucent notification tab appeared above Kay, hovering in the air like a System Status tab, except that one bore MJโs signature touchโhis initials, large and bold, filled the background of the simulated display.