Infinite Awakening: 10,000x EXP Converter!

The third session was completely different. Alvian noticed it right away when he walked in.

Serah cleared the central table, pushing the clutter to the walls. In the center sat an oversized glass plate mounted on a heavy steel base, positioned right before a screen displaying two side-by-side body maps.

”What is that?” Alvian asked. He pointed at the map on the right.

”A dormant energy channel,” Serah said, her voice tight with exhaustion. ”I found it yesterday while mapping your scar. It is a second power conduit formed when you awakened, but it never activated.”

She tapped the grey map on the screen. ”The initial energy was supposed to open this line, but it hardened into a blockage. Your Clearwater power has been running at half capacity since day one. Maybe even less.”

Alvian stared at the grey map in shock. Half speed! His bad E-Rank power was broken from the very start. It was not bad luck. It was just a simple block that no doctor ever checked for.

”Can you fix it?”

”I can clear the block, but I have to expand the main conduit and open the dormant line at the exact same time,” she paused. ”I have never done this before. No one even knew these hidden lines existed until two days ago.”

”What happens if you fail?”

”If I break the second line, the wild energy could burn out your power completely. It will be gone forever. You can never get it back.”

”Do it,” Alvian ordered.

Serah lifted her tools: eight power-infused needles set in a perfect circle. Along her arms, the wires burned a vivid blue, brighter than ever.

”Do not move at all. Stay perfectly still. If you feel sharp heat on the second line, tell me right away. That means the block is fighting back, and I must change the pressure.”

She started.

The feeling was nothing like the first two days. He felt the buzzing, but there was also a huge, heavy pressure. The heat went up slowly. But the second line was worse. The pressure there was painful.

”Sharp,” Alvian groaned through closed teeth.

Serah moved the tool. The pressure changed direction and pushed hard. Suddenly, something inside his arm broke open! It was an explosion of energy. The sleeping pipe was finally open!

Clearwater energy rushed through the new pipe like a massive flood!

Alvian took a sharp breath. A thick slime burst from his hand. The acid power had doubled!. It was thick and sticky. It wrapped around his skin like a dark armor. It stuck to things instead of splashing away.

The glass plate on the table started to smoke heavily.

”Ssssssss!”

The slime spread over the clear glass. It ate the glass in seconds. It did not just make holes. It did not just crack the glass. It completely erased it! The glass simply melted away. The sides curled up and dripped onto the table like hot candle wax.

Serah fell backward in panic. She knocked her chair to the floor. Her screen beeped loudly with red warning lights. She caught the screen just before it fell off the table. Her eyes were wide with shock.

Then the blue screen rang in his head.

[Ding!]

[Clearwater Talent resonance surge detected!]

[Source: Dormant secondary channel activated]

[Hydroxyl radical concentration doubled]

[Carrier medium viscosity increased]

[Talent resonance threshold breached!]

[Second Skill unlock available!]

[Skill: Clearwater Coating (E-Rank)]

[Cost: 1,000 EXP from EXP Bank]

[Accept? Y/N]

”Accept,” Alvian said right away.

New knowledge flooded his mind, unlocking a complete mastery of his power. He could now manifest [Clearwater Coating] a thin layer of acid applied to any surface, including weapons, armor, or his own skin, that lingered for thirty seconds and slowly melted everything it touched.

If he put it on a sword, every swing would deal terrible acid damage. If he put it on his skin, it became an armor. Anyone who punched him would have their flesh burned to the bone.

Serah stared at her screen. Her hands shook very badly. The glowing wires on her arms were completely dark now. The tough job had drained all her power.

”Your power just made a second Skill from one single session,” she said. She spoke in a very quiet, scared voice. ”That never happens. People have to use their powers for weeks to get a new Skill. It does not happen from one table session.”

She looked up from the screen. Alvian had never seen her look like this. She was not just curious. She looked like she was staring at a monster. It was a mix of pure shock and fear.

”What are you?”

The room went silent. The melted glass dripped slowly onto the metal table.

”I guess I am just lucky,” Alvian said calmly.

It was true. He just did not tell her the whole truth.

Serah stared at him for a long time. She was smart. She knew he was hiding secrets. She picked up her chair, sat down, and started cleaning her tools like a robot.

She stopped, then kept talking. ”Finding this sleeping line changes everything. My facts show that E-Rank students probably have many blocked pipes. This means the school’s ranking system is completely wrong. E-Ranks are not actually weak. Their bodies just did not open up fully on the first day. The weak energy during the test left their pipes blocked.”

Alvian laughed internally at the dark irony. For three hundred years, the academy’s elite scholars had played God, blind to the truth right in front of them. Every E-Rank student was treated like garbage. But they all might have hidden powers that nobody ever checked. The school was not just wrong about his acid. They were wrong about everything!

—-

Alvian walked home through the dark school halls. His hand still buzzed from the new open pipe. The acid slime was gone, but he could feel it waiting just under his skin. It was ready to cover anything he touched.

Back in his room, he sat on his bed and opened his blue screen. The contest was tomorrow. He needed pure, heavy power for the coming fights.

He spent 5,000 EXP on Strength.

[STR: 20 -> 23]

The new strength entered his muscles like thick steel ropes! His fists clenched, his shoulders broadened. His energy also pulsed. Opening the sleeping pipe pushed his magic power higher.

[Essence: 12 -> 14]

He pulled out his new steel short sword. He bought it with his hard earned money. It was real steel, not cheap trash. He held the handle and turned on his Clearwater Coating.

”Hiss!”

For the next thirty seconds, every swing would deliver deadly, burning damage.

He held the sword up to the dim light. The sharp edge looked wet and deadly. It was a beautiful tool for killing.

┌──────[ Profile]──────┐

│ [Host]: Alvian Vance

│ [Level]: 19 (Mortal Tier)

│ [Talent]: Clearwater [E-Rank, D-Rank effective]

│ [Skills]: Clearwater Palm [E-Rank, Enhanced x2]

│ Clearwater Coating [E-Rank, NEW]

│ [STR]: 23 | [AGI]: 25 | [VIT]: 35

│ [INT]: 13 | [Essence]: 14

│ [Karma Points]: 0

│ [EXP Bank]: ~60,000 / ∞

│ [Re-Roll Token]: 1 (Active)

│ [System Shop]: Unlocked

└───────────────┘

Martha coughed. The sick, dry sound bounced off the thin walls. Leo mumbled in his sleep. He dreamed about bugs and swords.

Alvian leaned back, the hissing blade resting across his chest. Tomorrow was the tournament, and Darius Magnus would be waiting. Alvian was ready to melt his face off.