[Detected: Two talents in all primary slots. Ability upgrade requirements met.]

The instant the notification rang in his head, Aron felt a bizarre sensation ripple through his body. It was as if invisible chains were snapping one after another. His whole form glowed faintly, like someone had just switched on a divine lightbulb inside him.

--

Far away, in a place beyond the reach of space and time, a colossal castle stretched into infinity. Its marble walls sparkled, shining brighter than stars. Inside the grand hall stood twelve mysterious figures, their entire bodies hidden beneath long veils that draped from head to toe.

At the center of the hall hovered a massive sphere of wool, the size of a galaxy. Each figure wove trillions of luminous strands with only two hands apiece, their motions both mechanical and divine.

Then, fwoosh. One single thread among the endless weave caught fire.

For a fraction of a fraction of a second, the twelve stopped weaving. Then they resumed, utterly unfazed.

Their voices rose in eerie unison, cold, monotone, and inhuman:

"A fate unbound has been detected.

World: 982662828377338, newly awakened.

Threat should be eliminated immediately.

World awakening difficulty increased.

Target: Saint."

As soon as their voices faded, an orb of light shot out of the castle and vanished into the cosmos without a single hitch.

--

Meanwhile, Aron couldn't care less about zombies, or whether his howl had given away his position. His entire focus was glued to his updated status. He howled in excitement like a goat in heat.

****

[Upgraded]

Host Info

Name: Aron

Level: 11

EXP: 132 / 200

Rank: Ascender

Lifespan: 182 years

Mana: ∞

Special Ability: Talent Bank

Sub-skills

Talent Inspection: Check talent ability within 1 meter.

Talent Switch: On/Off.

Talent Socket: Able to keep ∞ abilities active at once.

Talent Vault (0/5): Allows the user to rent stored talents to up to five beings. Each rental costs EXP or lifespan. All gains are reduced by 50%.

Abilities (Active)

Water Control: Control water at will. Mana cost varies.

Stealth: Become undetectable by normal means. Consumes 2 mana/sec.

FortiSphere: A dome no force can bypass. Radius: 1 meter. Consumes 50 mana/sec.

Thunder Manipulation: Bend thunder at will. Mana scales with intensity and creativity.

Sense: Extend awareness up to one mile. Mana cost increases with range.

Abilities (Passive)

Danger Sense: Heightened instincts that alert the user to threats.

Immunity: Unaffected by viruses or mortal diseases.

Abilities (Internal)

Burst: Sacrifice 80% strength to unleash instant power for 2 seconds. Leaves user weakened for 5 hours.

Death Speed: Increases movement speed twentyfold. Each second of use consumes one year of lifespan.

****

The drowsiness that had clung to him earlier was long gone. Aron stared at his status like a man in a dream. To make sure he wasn't hallucinating, he punched himself in the arm.

"Ouch."

The pain was real. His grin grew wider.

Without hesitation, he activated every skill at once.

[-300 Mana]

[-300 Mana]

[-300 Mana]

[...]

The room flooded with overlapping effects. Stealth cloaked him, water moved from cup and sloshed unnaturally, sparks crackled, awareness expanded, a dome shimmered around him, it was chaos incarnate.

And yet, not a single hiccup.

"Pfft.. HAHAHA! My talent is too broken!"

He pushed it further, holding all nine abilities active for over five minutes. Mana consumption skyrocketed to more than 13,000.

His infinite mana bar? remained untouched. Not even a hint of exhaustion. His grin stretched from ear to ear.

Just as he was basking in his god-tier status, a white orb exploded in the sky above, illuminating the dark apocalypse like a second sun before fading. Rain began to fall immediately afterward.

Aron's gaze flicked to the window. He shook his head. "Yeah… whatever that was, it's not going to be good."

But worry? Not even a little.

His grin returned, sharper than ever.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Aron's ears perked up. A faint noise echoed from upstairs, someone hammering at something. Curious, he activated Sense and focused his awareness upward.

The scene unfolded in his mind. A group of survivors stood outside an apartment, hacking and pounding at a apartment door. Their efforts managed only to chip the paint. Frustrated, they turned to the walls, only to discover those too were reinforced with metal.

Aron zoomed in closer with his senses. He couldn't hear their voices directly, but by reading their lips he caught every word.

"Kaiser! We're all neighbors, aren't we? Neighbors should help each other! Just share a little of your supplies, and we promise we won't hurt you!"

No answer.

"We all saw you hoarding food! Stop being arrogant and share with us!"

Still nothing.

"You bastard!" a muscle-bound man roared, punching the door. "Don't think I can't break this piece of junk!"

On cue, the others followed, pounding and cursing in frustration.

Aron couldn't help but chuckle. But then, shifting his senses inside the apartment, his expression froze in shock.

A young man, roughly his age, was lying in bed with a woman clinging to his arm like a koala. Both wore pajamas. Their room was brightly lit, appliances working perfectly, as if the apocalypse didn't exist. To top it off, they were munching popcorn while watching a movie on a giant TV screen.

The contrast between his own miserable room and their cozy setup was like heaven and earth.

Aron had to double-check out the window just to confirm he wasn't hallucinating. Nope. The apocalypse was still outside. The luxury suite was just that guy's apartment.

Inside the apartment the pajama-clad man finally sighed and stood up, irritation on his face. "What a bunch of nuisances," he muttered.

He opened his palm. A metal pipe appeared out of thin air.

Aron's eyes widened. (That talent… could it be a storage talent?)

The man dragged the pipe into the bathroom and connected it to the shower, switching it to super hot. He then carried the other end back, placed a chair under the doorframe, climbed up, opened and inserted the pipe into a small compartment above the door.

The raiders outside, still hammering and shouting, had no idea what was about to hit them.

Fwoooosh!

A torrent of boiling water blasted through the door, drenching them instantly. Screams filled the hallway as they scattered in panic, writhing like pigs on a spit.

"We only came to ask nicely! You'll regret this, Kaiser!"

"You bastard! You can't hide in there forever! The moment you step out, you're dead!"

Curses flew as they fled the scene, dripping wet and howling in pain.

Inside, Kaiser casually shut the compartment, retrieved the pipe, which vanished back into his hand, and returned to his seat beside the woman. Popcorn resumed. Movie resumed. Apocalypse ignored.

Aron's jaw dropped. His heart thumped.

(That talent… could it be storage?)

He shot to his feet, too excited to sit still anymore.

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