Talent: Ghoul Heart

"I think we should get moving. If what those soldiers said earlier was true, then the Incinerator Corps are probably already on their way. We have to cross the Borderline and get out of here before they arrive. Besides, the commotion we just made might bring people to investigate ahead of schedule. I think we should cover our tracks."

Abel was the first to break the silence.

Luo gave a slight nod, agreeing with him.

The two immediately got to work.

First, they used the bodies here to conceal the corpses of the two dead soldiers as best they could. Then they took the jewels the soldiers had hidden on them and scattered them everywhere.

They did all this to mislead whoever came to investigate and buy themselves some time.

After all, those valuable, expensive jewels were far too conspicuous. Just carrying them around was asking for trouble.

Just think about it. Two children in tattered clothes, with no identification and the added fact that they were surviving remnants of the White Town. What would happen if they tried to sell jewels for money under those circumstances?

So, to be safe, they simply threw them all away.

Not long after they left, a group of soldiers arrived to investigate.

They soon found the soldier Luo had shot in the head, but they also found the expensive jewels scattered everywhere.

That was enough to make everyone lose their composure.

Then they remembered that the dead man had barely turned in any spoils, and that not long ago he had made up an excuse to slip away.

Anyone with half a brain could imagine a dramatic tale of a dispute over the spoils—or a robbery gone wrong that ended with everyone dead!

It wasn't that nobody considered other possibilities. The problem was that no one wanted to be the first to bring them up.

On one hand, there was endless trouble. On the other, everyone could quietly get rich together.

Which would you choose?

So the soldiers tacitly pretended they hadn't seen the bodies and hurried to loot the jewels nearby as quickly as they could.

Then the Incinerator Corps arrived, and a great fire burned everything to ashes.

Everyone was satisfied with the outcome.

As thick black smoke rose into the sky, Abel and Luo had already crossed the Borderline and entered the territory of the neighboring country, Sodalanxia.

They had finally escaped that hell.

The two gazed at the distant flames, their expressions shifting as their unsettled emotions showed in their eyes.

After a long while, Abel finally asked, "Luo, what are you thinking about?"

"I want to survive, then turn this hopeless world upside down."

"What a terrifying guy. But it sounds pretty interesting."

"How about it? Want to join me?"

"Then count me in for now. You still owe me a life, after all. I'll have to collect the interest first."

Hearing Abel's answer, Luo managed a strained, awkward smile. "You'd better hurry, then. I only have three years left to live."

Abel furrowed his brow. He remembered that he had only five years left himself, and couldn't help asking, "Is Lead Sickness really incurable?"

Luo shook his head. "I don't know either. Even my father was powerless against this disease. Most likely, all we can do is wait to die."

"Wait to die? Hah, I don't believe it. If I could make it out of that 'hell' alive, then my fate is mine to control! I won't just survive—I'll live longer than anyone else, and live a more exciting life than anyone!"

Abel's words deeply shook Luo, who had already given up on everything.

Although Luo didn't believe Abel could pull it off, he ultimately didn't say anything to crush that hope.

"Maybe... there really will be a miracle."

"I promise you, a miracle will happen! Luo, don't give up so easily. If we're the only two who survived, then there must be a reason we're still alive!"

"Yeah. I'll look forward to that day."

Luo nodded absently. It was as though Abel's fierce confidence had rubbed off on him, and a faint, relaxed smile appeared on his face.

He finally realized that perhaps he wouldn't be alone in the future.

A basic level of trust had been rebuilt between them.

And this trust meant that Gustavus Abel had finally taken his first step in this world. It also marked a new beginning!

In a town in Sodalanxia, Abel was hiding at the end of a dark, damp alley.

Luo had volunteered to go gather information and find them something to eat while he was at it.

Although they had escaped Freyvans, that didn't mean they were completely safe.

Quite the opposite. As two of the "culprits" behind Freyvans's destruction, they would be executed on the spot if soldiers in Sodalanxia found them!

So they had to find a way to leave the island as soon as possible and head somewhere relatively safer.

But before that, Abel needed to do something important: buy the Talent Mutation Ray and awaken his talent.

Since he didn't have much time left, he hadn't gone with Luo. Instead, he had specifically found this secluded spot.

[Talent Mutation Ray] (Purple)

Description: A blessing for the talentless, the ultimate "little pill" for ordinary people!

Effect: Deeply excavates the user's potential and mutates it into their own talent. (Takes effect immediately after purchase. Those who already have a talent cannot use it.)

Price: 2,000 Trade Points (crossed out)

Limited-time sale at the start of the month: 100 Trade Points!

Quantity: 1

Time remaining: 5 hours, 12 minutes

PS: Are you content with being ordinary, or will you dare to take a gamble?!

"No one would be content with being ordinary! System, I choose to buy it!"

Abel bought it without hesitation. His body was immediately enveloped in a beautiful yet perilous rainbow glow.

Under the illumination of that strange beam, Abel's face twisted in agony.

He felt as if his entire body was aching and itching, and even his head was about to explode.

He had no idea how long he remained in that dazed state. At last, the strange beam surrounding his body vanished. By then, his clothes were soaked through with sweat.

But it seemed to have been worth it.

[Obtained Blue Talent: Ghoul Heart (Upgradeable)]

[Description: Mutated from Lead Sickness. In its normal state, all toxins are concentrated in the heart. When actively activated, the toxins spread rapidly throughout the body through the blood, transforming the user into a ghoul!]

[In ghoul form, the user's defense, speed, and strength are all increased by 50%. Pain sensation is reduced by 50%.]

[Side effect: As the toxins erupt and erode the body at an accelerated rate, lifespan is reduced at a rate of 5 days per minute.]

[Upgradeable: Inject three new deadly toxins into the heart, until they have been fully fused and consumed. Toxins fused and consumed: 0/3]

As Abel watched, all the white patches on his arm suddenly disappeared?!

It seemed that all the toxins really had gone dormant in his heart.

But he couldn't bring himself to feel happy.

He had never expected that his new talent would have mutated from the very Lead Sickness he had most wanted to get rid of?!

And it didn't even look that impressive.

(PS: It's a Blue Talent, which is almost the lowest level, so it's obviously limited in strength. You can think of it as foreshadowing. It evolves into a Purple Talent in Chapter 46, and will have more chances to evolve later. It'll keep getting stronger, and its side effects will keep getting weaker. Please be patient. If you really don't like it, you can click the X and leave; there's no need to curse at me.)