Gifted Beyond Measure — Gnolls

Lu Yuan flipped his right hand and drew the dark alloy sword from his battle-mark space.

He crouched low and crept carefully toward the Gray Rock Beetle.

When he closed to within about twenty meters, the beetle's steady gnawing on the rock suddenly stopped. Its twin antennae quivered. Then it turned.

*These little things have sharp senses.*

Gray Rock Beetles were roughly the size of a small dog, reaching about knee-height on Lu Yuan. Still, those mandibles were vicious-looking enough to send a chill through him.

*So this is what monsters from the Land of Origin look like.*

Reading about them in posts was one thing. Actually facing one was something else entirely.

The two of them locked eyes. A beat of silence — then the beetle let out a chittering squeal and charged at him, all eight stubby legs churning.

When it reached him, it snapped those savage mandibles toward his shin. Lu Yuan leaped back a step. The evasion footwork built into the Military Body Fist and Military Body Killing Sword served him well: a clean sidestep, and the bite closed on empty air.

*Snap!*

The mandibles clashed shut right in front of his feet. He could see them opening and closing barely an inch away.

He swung the dark alloy sword down onto the beetle's head. It rang out like steel against stone — a dull, heavy thud — and the blade lodged in the shell.

*This is nothing like sparring at the training hall.* Cold sweat stood out on his forehead.

The impact nearly wrenched the sword from his grip. The blade tore free as the beetle thrashed and shrieked, then it came at him again. He gave ground while methodically opening wound after wound across its head.

Fortunately, the beetle's attack patterns were simple. After that first exchange, he had its rhythm.

At the end of the day, it was a mindless creature. That made it manageable.

It took five full slashes before his blade finally punched through that thick armored shell and buried itself in the beetle's brain.

*Squeak.* The body collapsed. Eight short legs twitched and went still.

Dead.

Lu Yuan let out a slow breath and looked at the fallen creature.

*Crack!* A white glow pulsed across the beetle's corpse. The light gathered before it and condensed into a thumb-sized white crystal.

The crystallization of a monster's life energy upon death. A Spirit Crystal — one of the Land of Origin's greatest draws.

He picked it up. Then, using the sword, he pried a thick slab of gray stone carapace off the beetle's back.

*Crafting material. Good money outside.*

Once he stored the carapace, the beetle had nothing left to offer. He moved on.

Before absorbing the crystal, he needed somewhere safe. The beginner posts had said it took at least ten minutes of complete stillness. Out in the open, that was too dangerous.

Before long, he found a secluded cave beneath a stretch of rocky desert. He ducked inside, sat down, and finally took out the Spirit Crystal.

Following what he'd read in the forums, Lu Yuan held the crystal in his palm and activated the Spiritual Energy Guidance Technique.

He closed his eyes.

Then opened them immediately.

Lu Yuan stared at the fine powder sitting in his hand, blinking. His mind hadn't caught up yet.

*...It's gone?*

*Wasn't it supposed to take at least ten minutes?*

Then the sensation registered in reverse: the Spirit Crystal had dissolved into thin streams of Spiritual Energy, been drawn into him, passed through a haze of white mist, and merged into his Gene Chain. The lowest strand of the chain had brightened by a small notch — comparable to roughly an hour of hard cultivation.

He sat there, slightly stunned.

*Wait.*

He thought it through again.

*The posts said sensing and absorbing ambient Spiritual Energy takes several days to achieve. I did it the moment I closed my eyes.*

*Now they're saying Spirit Crystal absorption takes at least ten minutes. I did it in a couple of breaths.*

Then he relaxed. Of course — same as last time. The very first time he'd absorbed Spiritual Energy, it had happened instantly. No warm-up, no preparation needed. His body just... did it differently from other people.

*Do I have a time perception problem? Or is my talent just that absurd?*

Then the implications hit him.

*Wait — does this mean I can hunt monsters, pick up the Spirit Crystals they drop, and absorb them on the spot?*

*And Spirit Crystals replenish Spiritual Energy. So I can spend Spiritual Energy and recover it simultaneously?*

*A perpetual motion machine?*

He forced himself to think it through calmly.

Right now he didn't need much Spiritual Energy. But once he inscribed genes and started using Gene Battle Techniques, he'd need enormous quantities. His cultivation speed was already roughly ten times what it had been. And if Spirit Crystal absorption that took others ten full minutes cost him only a few breaths —

*Won't I grow far faster than everyone else?*

And this was only the beginning. As his strength grew, his hunting speed would increase, and his growth rate would accelerate right along with it.

*"Gifted beyond measure"? Yeah. That's me.*

A wave of excitement washed over him. He steadied himself, left the cave, and headed back out.

The Gray Rock Forest was vast, and solitary beetles weren't hard to find. He moved carefully, always seeking lone targets and staying well away from other people. The Land of Origin drew a rough crowd — when a Gene Warrior died, everything they carried dropped out of their battle-mark space, which meant robbery was a real concern. So Lu Yuan kept to secluded spots.

In a little over an hour, he tracked down seven isolated Gray Rock Beetles.

Nearly every monster dropped at least one Spirit Crystal, some more and some fewer. For something as weak as a Gray Rock Beetle, one crystal was the maximum. After each kill, he pocketed the crystal and cut off the carapace, then moved on.

The battles sharpened his sense of his own capabilities. One beetle was easy; two was manageable; three, and he'd probably need to run. He was clear-eyed about how much ground he still had to cover — a freshly Awakened Gene Warrior was no match for someone who had been at this for months or years.

Still, his chest held a quiet, pleased warmth.

He was doing well.

He was just about to leave when footsteps sounded behind him.

He turned. Coming around a stone pillar were two figures in black leather armor, long blades at their sides.

Gnolls.

Both sides froze.

*Of all the luck. I try that hard to stay clear of people and still run into someone.*

The gnolls glanced at each other. Then they scanned their surroundings, hands tightening on their weapons.

"Well, look what we found—" one began, breaking into a crooked grin. "A lone human!"

"Human," the other said, licking the corner of his mouth, "what do you think we should do about this?"

Finding no one else nearby, the smiles they directed at Lu Yuan slowly twisted into something uglier.

The first one flourished his blade with a lewd grin. "Heh heh heh~ Human, be a good boy and stand right there. My blade's fast — I'll make it quick. You won't feel a thing."

The second one's grin widened even further. He ran his tongue along his lips. "Personally, I'd prefer you put up a fight. More entertaining that way."

Lu Yuan: ...

One look at their gear settled it. He wasn't winning this fight.

He'd actually anticipated something like this happening.

He was self-aware enough to know where he stood — there was still a massive gap between him and Gene Warriors who had been Awakened longer. Taking on two armed gnolls head-on would be suicidal.

So Lu Yuan kept his face relaxed and smiled at them.

"My friends are right nearby. Is it really just the two of you?"

The gnolls' footsteps stuttered. They traded a glance, then peered around the area with sudden uncertainty, gripping their weapons tight.

"Your friends..."

One gnoll was still scanning the surroundings when the other turned back toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan was already fifty meters away and accelerating.

He glanced over his shoulder at the two gnolls scrambling to give chase, and flashed a grin.

"I'll remember your faces! Just you wait!"

"Damn human — you *tricked* us?!" one snarled in fury.

"After him! Kill him!"

*Didn't think they'd actually give chase like a couple of dogs.*

*Can't beat them, so run. Simple as that.*

The dark alloy blade gleamed at his side as the blazing sunlight caught it, a cold flash of light in the scorched air.