"Yes… initiate," I had already decided.
The system responded instantly.
[Initiating Talent Detection…]
[Scanning Host…]
The air around shifted.
At first, it was subtle, a faint warmth brushing against my skin, but within seconds it intensified, a golden glow forming around my body, rising from the ground like a slow-burning fla.
The glow thickened, wrapping around my body, and then it went further. I felt it reach inward toward my soul.
For a brief mont, everything else faded, replaced by a strange clarity, as if sothing was observing every part of at once. It didn't hurt. But it wasn't comfortable either.
It passed through like a current, scanning, asuring, judging.
[Identifying Talent…]
The glow pulsed once then vanished.
A new notification appeared.
[Talent Acquired]
[Na: Overdrive]
[Description: Through combat, the host accumulates energy, stored as a chargeable Overdrive Bar.
Energy is generated through:
→ Receiving damage
→ Delivering impact
→ Sustained combat engagent
Stored energy can be released to temporarily enhance physical and cognitive attributes.
[Overdrive Scaling:]
50% Charge → 10% Stat Increase
100% Charge → 20% Stat Increase
150% Charge → 30% Stat Increase
200% Charge → 50% Stat Increase (Maximum Capacity) ]
[Mode Selection: Only one mode can be active at a ti. Each mode enhances two attributes.
[Berserk Mode]
→ Strength ↑
→ Dexterity ↑
[Fortress Mode]
→ Vitality ↑
→ Endurance ↑
[Focus Mode]
→ Intelligence ↑
→ Dexterity ↑
[Note:]
→ Higher charge results in greater strain on the body
→ Improper usage may result in instability
"Wow… did I just receive another version of the Generator Core?" the thought surfaced almost imdiately, though this ti it didn't carry the sa certainty as before, instead lingering as I stood still and carefully went through the details again.
The resemblance was there, but only at a surface level, because the more I looked at it, the clearer the difference beca, and it was a significant one. The Generator Core had always been about permanence, using essence o drive so stats permanently, whereas this system felt far more restrictive in comparison, limiting everything to the mont rather than allowing it to carry forward.
Everything that was gained would be used and then lost, the enhancents tied strictly to the duration of the Overdrive itself, which ant there was no long-term advantage built into the ability beyond how well I could use it in a fight.
Even so, I didn't dismiss it, because the raw numbers alone were enough to make that impossible, and as I looked at the scaling again, I could already see how much impact it would have in actual combat. A twenty percent increase at the base threshold was already significant at this stage, but pushing it further to thirty, and then all the way to fifty percent at maximum capacity, ant that even in this weakened state, I would be able to create a noticeable gap between myself and anyone operating at a similar level.
Against soone on the sa level, it would tilt the fight heavily in my favor, and against soone stronger, it created a window, a brief but critical mont where the difference in strength could be compensated for through timing rather than raw power.
My attention shifted toward the mode selection next, and this ti I slowed down even further, reading through each option.
Berserk Mode was the most straightforward of the three, amplifying both strength and dexterity in a way that would directly translate into faster attacks and heavier impact, turning each strike into sothing harder to block and harder to recover from, which made it ideal for ending fights quickly or overwhelming opponents before they could stabilize.
Fortress Mode, on the other hand, shifted everything in the opposite direction, reinforcing vitality and endurance in a way that would allow to absorb damage, remain stable under pressure, and continue fighting even when the situation turned unfavorable, making it less about ending the fight quickly and more about refusing to lose it.
Then there was Focus Mode. Intelligence and dexterity together didn't just an faster reactions or better movent, but cleaner execution, sharper decision-making, and the ability to reduce wasted effort in every action, which in a prolonged fight could matter more than raw strength ever could.
Power when I needed to break through.
Endurance when I needed to survive.
Precision when I needed control.
The limitation of only being able to enhance two attributes at a ti was there, but it didn't feel restrictive as much as it felt intentional, forcing a choice rather than allowing everything at once, which in turn ant that using it properly would depend entirely on timing and awareness rather than just activation.
A faint smile ford without realizing it.
"Ti to test it."
I moved deeper into the forest in a random direction.
Then I felt sothing move behind . There was no warning beyond instinct. By the ti I turned, it was already too late.
A thick root burst out from the ground and drove straight through my side stomach from behind, the force carrying through my body before stopping midway, leaving suspended for a fraction of a second as the impact tore through muscle and flesh. The breath left my lungs instantly, the world tightening around the sudden pain as warm blood spread across my skin.
My hand shot back instinctively, gripping the root as I twisted my body off it, tearing free with a sharp motion that dropped to one knee the mont I landed. Blood followed imdiately, heavier this ti, dripping onto the forest floor as I forced myself upright.
I turned.
The tree stood still at first glance, but the mont I focused, I saw it. At the center of its trunk, partially exposed through cracked bark, a brown core pulsed faintly, like sothing alive buried inside wood.
[Monster Bilboa – Level 5]
Before I could fully adjust, the ground shifted again.
Another tree, just a few steps away, reacted at the sa ti, its roots tearing out from the soil and shooting toward in a sweeping arc. I pushed off the ground imdiately, stepping aside as the root slamd into the space where I had been, the impact cracking the dirt beneath it.
[Monster Bilboa – Level 5]
There were two of them. The first root ca again, faster this ti, aiming lower, trying to pin my legs. I stepped over it, bringing the sword down in the sa motion, the blade cutting through the root cleanly as it recoiled, the severed end thrashing briefly before going still.
Another followed imdiately.
Then another.
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