Chapter 116: Awakening the Wood Ability
Lily Hart was a relatively neat eater. It seemed she had a touch of OCD, always eating from the edge of the bowl inward. More than half the rice was still left in her bowl, and you could still eat it if you just pushed aside the top layer.
But Diana Sharp had just filled a large bowl with rice, planning to pig out. She went silent at the suggestion...
The next moment, Frost Shaw took the bowl from her hands. She only heard him say softly, "You eat Boss Hart’s. Don’t let it go to waste."
"Alright." Diana Sharp took Lily Hart’s bowl. She was never picky about such things. Back in the day, when there wasn’t even food to eat, everyone fought over scraps. Who would care about this?
After dinner, Lily Hart started spacing out again, mainly because she was exhausted from the day... She’d really overexerted herself. She got up to take a shower and fell asleep the moment she hit the bed.
She had a very strange dream. In it, she was with the little boy from earlier in the day. They were alone together on a vast, desolate plain.
But in the next instant, a massive army appeared before them. Every soldier aimed their weapon at them, faces full of greed and killing intent, shouting, "Come with us if you know what’s good for you!"
They refused and turned to run. They ran and ran, and the army chased and chased, until they reached the edge of a cliff. Without a moment’s hesitation, Lily Hart leaped off, taking the little boy with her.
The feeling of weightlessness jolted Lily Hart awake. She touched her forehead—’Damn, I’m covered in sweat.’ She sat there in a daze as scenes from the dream flashed through her mind.
’How could I have such a terrifying dream...’
’Being hunted by so many people... where was my system? Where were Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe? We just ran, with no ability to fight back at all!’
’It’s completely illogical!’
The more Lily Hart thought about it, the angrier she got. ’It’s not like I’d ever end up being hunted down by people, right? Honestly, I’m a pretty decent person.’
’I even help out other survivors. Where else would you find someone as great as me!’
’Although the probability is extremely low...’
But, Lily Hart still felt a sense of crisis. If a day really came when the system, Frost Shaw, Roman Rowe, and Leo Colby weren’t by her side, what would she do?
She gave up on sleeping and immediately searched on her Light Brain for how an ordinary person could awaken a superpower.
First, you need a strong constitution to awaken a superpower. Second, it’s a matter of fate. You either have it or you don’t.
In the early days, when people were uncertain, they would test it by swallowing a Crystal Core. After swallowing it, if one could absorb the energy inside and awaken, they would become a superpower user.
She happened to have a Crystal Core on hand and decided to give it a try.
The system stopped her. [Friendly Reminder: Awakening a superpower is life-threatening. Host, please consider carefully.]
Lily Hart was silent, but she felt that no matter what, she needed a way to protect herself. Otherwise, there would be times when neither the system nor Frost Shaw were around.
"I know," Lily Hart said in a low voice. "Let’s begin."
A string of garbled code flashed from the system, its mood rather complex.
Lily Hart found the smallest Crystal Core, but it was still bigger than a normal capsule. "Do you really have to swallow this? How am I supposed to get it down? Won’t it scratch my throat?"
As she said this, Lily Hart tossed the Crystal Core into her mouth, took a big gulp of water, and GULP. It didn’t go down. Another GULP. Okay, okay, it went down.
The sensation of the Crystal Core as a foreign object in her throat was extremely distinct. It slid down her esophagus bit by bit, leaving a burning trail in its wake.
The feeling was even more pronounced when it reached her stomach, like she had swallowed a fireball. It was searing hot. She lifted her pajama top to look, and—oh, this was bad.
A hazy red glow began to emanate from her navel. She activated her Light Brain and took a picture of the moment.
After a while, she couldn’t resist sending a message to Frost Shaw. "When you awaken a superpower, does your stomach always glow red?"
The glowing was one thing, but it was also incredibly painful. It felt like a ball of fire was burning in her stomach, which felt bloated and unbearably uncomfortable. According to her Light Brain, this was only the first step.
You had to endure the pain and absorb the energy from the Crystal Core. Lily Hart cursed out loud, "Who the hell came up with this method first!"
After cursing, Lily Hart focused her mind, crossing her legs and trying to endure the pain just like in the martial arts and cultivation novels...
’And here comes the important part—how to absorb the energy from the Crystal Core. How could they just gloss over such a crucial step?!’
She tried focusing her attention on her navel, attempting to guide the Crystal Core. After a long while, it finally moved.
It moved with her thoughts! Lily Hart was overjoyed and guided it on a circuit through all the meridians in her body.
The process itself wasn’t difficult, just painful. Wherever the Crystal Core went, pain followed. She had to focus on guiding the Crystal Core while also resisting the agony.
In her concentration, she didn’t notice Frost Shaw’s reply.
After the Crystal Core had circulated through her entire body, she felt a faint sense of pleasure in addition to the pain.
Lily Hart lay sprawled on the bed and asked no one in particular, "Does this mean I’ve awakened a superpower?"
Just as she was thinking this, her Light Brain suddenly vibrated. She glanced at it—it was a call from Frost Shaw.
She answered listlessly, her voice weak. "Hello? What’s up?"
Frost Shaw’s anxious but calm voice came from the other side. "Unlock the RV. I’m coming up to you."
The words trickled into her mind. Too exhausted to think, she unlocked the RV on instinct.
Soon, Frost Shaw came up to the second floor. He had even deliberately changed into slippers. He walked over quickly and knelt by her bed on one knee.
Seeing her drenched in sweat, he felt a pang of heartache. "What happened? Did you awaken a superpower? Is it over?"
Lily Hart nodded several times, answering his questions. "How do I know what my superpower is?"
Frost Shaw didn’t speak. He just silently took her right hand and turned it so the back was facing up.
"Look."
A faint green light flashed, and a mark in the shape of a small blade of grass appeared on the back of Lily Hart’s right hand.
"A Wood Ability," Frost Shaw said softly, letting go of her hand.
Lily Hart’s interest was piqued. She rolled over and lay on her stomach. The collar of her pajamas was a little loose, and in the warm light, her skin looked fair and soft.
Frost Shaw averted his gaze, pointedly not looking, and prompted, "Your clothes."
Lily Hart looked down and could see a hint of cleavage. She immediately tugged at the hem, pulling her shirt down.
"I actually awakened a Wood Ability?" Lily Hart looked curiously at the little green blade of grass on the back of her hand. It was incredibly lifelike.
Frost Shaw pointed to the five leaves on the little plant. "Look. One, two, three, four, five. Five leaves means you’re a Fifth Rank... superpower user?"
He sounded shocked himself by the end of his sentence. A Fifth-rank Superpower User right after awakening? That was unheard of...
Lily Hart accepted it quickly. After all, her system was Level 5, and the highest-level superpower she could buy was also Level 5.
Becoming a Fifth-rank Superpower User right upon awakening was world-shaking, but it also seemed... quite reasonable.
"Mm," Lily Hart replied faintly, studying the little plant on the back of her hand. The more she looked at it, the cuter she found it, and the more she liked it.
King, who had been on the second floor with her, came hopping over with sleepy eyes and landed right on the bed.
It squinted to get a good look at the little plant, then hopped right on top of it in a show of extreme dislike, its five petals completely covering the five leaves.
Lily Hart pushed King aside. "Get off... Huh? One, two, three, four, five. You’re a Fifth Rank plant, too?"
King straightened up haughtily and nodded with great reserve, wearing an expression that seemed to say, "So what? Is that supposed to be impressive?"