Chapter 24 - Aspect Enhancement
I sat quietly in my bedroom, staring at the two cards.
One was my newly issued Bronze Hero License.
The other was a business card of Aaron.
Or more precisely, the Hero Association’s recruitment card.
He had told me to contact him if I ever wanted guidance or wished to officially join the Association after graduation.
He even said he could recommend me to a Hero Academy.
"..."
It seemed he was the only one interested.
The agency recruiters hadn’t even approached me after the examination.
"Makes sense."
From their perspective, there wasn’t much to see.
An ordinary-looking Aspect with no reason to invest resources.
I slid both cards into my desk drawer before reaching underneath my bed.
From there, I pulled out the airtight white case I had stolen from the underground laboratory.
Inside, the two serums rested.
My eyes lingered on the crimson vial.
"This one is literally career changing."
According to the game, that serum could permanently erase a person’s Aspect.
The mere idea sounded absurd.
An Aspect was considered part of one’s very existence.
Yet someone had somehow developed a method capable of removing it.
"What kind of monster was that scientist?"
I slowly closed the case.
The red serum was far too dangerous.
For now, only the blue one mattered.
I carefully removed the sapphire-colored vial as the liquid shimmered gently.
"Artificial Aspect enhancement."
Even now, the concept sounded impossible.
Every textbook agreed on one thing.
Aspects couldn’t be strengthened through external means.
Heroes had to deepen their understanding through experience and repeated use.
Only then could monster crystals help them in evolving their aspect.
Otherwise one could simply purchase a large amount of monster crystals and instantly become the highest ranking hero.
Science had found a shortcut.
And this serum rejected that entire notion.
I uncorked the vial as a faint metallic scent escaped.
I drank it in one smooth motion.
The taste wasn’t unpleasant.
It simply left a strange metallic aftertaste lingering on my tongue.
For some time nothing happened as I began to doubt its authenticity.
’It didn’t expire right?’
The thought had barely crossed my mind when.
"Ah..."
A wave of warmth spread through my body which was almost intoxicating.
It felt as though every muscle had suddenly relaxed at once.
My heartbeat accelerated.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Each beat echoed throughout my body.
The room around me gradually dissolved and my perception changed.
Everything became energy.
Countless invisible streams intertwined to form my surroundings.
’This is a familiar experience.’
Just like when I took the High-grade Monster Crystal.
Except this time, I wasn’t merely observing.
I understood what I was seeing.
And without even trying, my senses stretched far beyond my apartment.
My awareness spread throughout the entire building.
Then beyond it, across nearby streets.
I saw people, animals and vehicles.
Electrical currents hidden inside walls.
And every living being radiated a unique pattern.
It felt as though an entirely new dimension had opened before me.
’This is insane!’
The temptation to continue expanding my perception was overwhelming.
I felt like if I simply focused hard enough, I could perceive the entire city.
But I had to pause as several presences reacted.
They were mostly Heroes.
They weren’t especially close, but the moment my awareness brushed past them.
Their energies subtly shifted and one abruptly looked around.
Another placed a hand on the weapon hanging from his waist.
A third frowned despite apparently sensing nothing concrete.
’Did they feel that...?’
Even if they couldn’t locate me, they had definitely sensed something.
Without hesitation, I withdrew my awareness.
Outward observation could wait.
Instead, I focused entirely inward.
The moment I did, an exclamation left my mouth.
"Whoa!"
The word escaped before I could stop it.
They say the human body is a macrocosm.
Now I finally understood why.
Unlike the outside world, where I saw people due to light, the inside of my body was shrouded in darkness.
It felt like gazing into the endless expanse of space.
At the center of that darkness was my heart.
Every beat felt like the birth of a new universe.
BUMP!
Blood surged through my countless veins like galaxies spreading across the cosmos.
BUMP!
The rhythm repeated, carrying life to every corner of my body.
Yet something caught my attention.
The flow, it wasn’t perfect.
Some streams of blood moved with slight inefficiencies, as though tiny imperfections had existed for my entire life without me ever noticing them.
On instinct, I reached out with my consciousness.
I guided the flow ever so slightly.
BUMP!
The blood responded.
BUMP!
It began circulating more smoothly, more naturally, as if it had always been meant to follow this path.
A pleasant sense of relaxation spread throughout my body.
Then the real changes began.
Like a grand machine correcting itself according to a hidden blueprint, my body started reorganizing.
My posture subtly shifted.
The arrangement of my veins changed ever so slightly, allowing blood to circulate with greater efficiency.
Even my muscles and joints seemed to settle into a more harmonious alignment.
Everything was becoming... balanced.
But the most fascinating sight was my brain.
Suspended within the darkness were countless tiny bursts of light.
They appeared and disappeared endlessly, like stars flickering across a night sky.
At first, they fired without any apparent pattern.
Then, little by little, they began synchronizing.
Each pulse aligned with the rhythm of my heartbeat.
The chaotic flashes became orderly.
My entire body was gradually becoming one perfectly coordinated system.
I had no idea how much time passed as I silently witnessed my Aspect evolving.
’If I hadn’t gained this perception, would I have ever noticed these changes?’
Probably not.
I would have simply sat here while my body quietly transformed itself, completely unaware of the miracle unfolding within.
When I finally opened my eyes again.
Night had already fallen.
A small smile formed on my lips.
It had been a fruitful evolution.
Not because I had merely become stronger.
But because, for the first time, I had truly begun to understand my Aspect.