Chapter 354: The Physical Awakening Serum
"What happened when you came back?" said Alexander, keeping his eyes fixed on Stephen.
"When I returned, everyone already knew what I had done. But my mistake was pride," said Stephen, letting out a sigh. "I thought I was invincible. I thought that with my new strength I had no one to fear, but I bumped into reality: there are terrifying monsters out there. They tried to force me to hand over that weapon... you know, all ’in the name of world security.’ What complete bullshit. All they wanted was to take my creation to study it and use it against their enemies. They managed to corner me and nearly killed me that day, but the leader of the TMC rescued me, and I’ve been under his protection ever since."
"Is the leader of the TMC that strong?" said Alexander, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.
"Strong is putting it lightly," said Stephen, making a dismissive gesture with his hand. "But let’s not get into those details. He doesn’t like me talking about it, he prefers to keep things subtle... A weird old man, if you ask me."
Alexander nodded in silence, stashing that piece of information away, and brought his attention back to the object in Stephen’s hands.
"I see... So, what is that liquid?" said Alexander.
"This liquid is my personal creation. It’s an awakening, but focused on the body," said Stephen, holding the glowing pink vial at eye level. "It makes your body as powerful as a physical super-awakened, but without the need to actually go through a real awakening. Though there’s just one small detail as to why I haven’t used it, not even on myself."
"Which is?" said Alexander.
"In my experiments, every single person who drank it ended up exploding from the overload," said Stephen with absolute calmness. "Through my own skill I’ve managed to obtain a power that rivals a super-awakened, but even so I don’t dare drink it. My body simply isn’t compatible."
"Compatible? What do you mean?" said Alexander, frowning as he looked at the vial.
"This serum is made with elements from the other world. It’s an improved version of a formula belonging to that realm I was telling you about," said Stephen, examining the glowing pink hue under the light. "They used it on their soldiers. First, they subjected them to grueling training for years until they reached optimal physical condition; then they drank it, but even so, they only had a forty percent success rate. The other sixty percent died in a violent explosion."
Alexander remained silent, listening intently to every word.
"I took that formula, deciphered it, and found a lot of flaws in its structure," continued Stephen. "That’s why I created this superior version. However, in all my years as a TMC advisor, I never found anyone who could withstand even two percent compatibility. You, on the other hand... you reached ninety-three percent. Something truly impressive that I still find hard to believe."
"Are you talking about the other liquids you gave me before?" said Alexander, remembering the concoctions he had been forced to drink during his training.
"That’s right," said Stephen with a satisfied smile. "At first, I hadn’t examined you deeply, but as soon as you showed potential, I had to run tests, and the results were wonderful. From that moment on, I decided this final version would be for you. However, back then you were far too weak. Now that you’ve awakened, you’re at the perfect stage. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both of us: for me, because it would give real meaning to my research; and for you, because if you succeed, your body will be something completely out of this world."
his eyes as he looked at Stephen coldly.
Stephen let out a small chuckle and waved his hand dismissively.
"Come on, don’t take it personally," said Stephen, maintaining his calm smile. "That’s how the world works, nothing is free. You want to be stronger, and I need someone to test my creation... We both win, don’t you think?"
"You’re right about that... Sorry for getting sentimental," said Alexander regaining his composure. "How do we proceed? I’m ready."
The radical shift in Alexander’s attitude made Stephen raise an eyebrow with curiosity, but he said nothing about it. He simply reached out and handed him the vial.
"Drink it," said Stephen.
Alexander took the glass vial and downed the pink liquid in a single gulp. To his surprise, the concoction tasted sweet, like raspberry mixed with other fruits; it was actually really good.
However, as soon as the liquid hit his stomach, all hell broke loose inside his body. The pain was so instant and crushing that Alexander could only grit his teeth before collapsing to his knees on the floor.
[Massive energy source detected. Analyzing...]
[Body energy source detected. Absorbing...]
[Energy source exceeds body’s maximum limit. Imminent explosion.]
Alexander couldn’t even see the floating messages through the overwhelming agony clouding his vision; he just writhed on the ground, feeling as if his muscles and internal organs were on the verge of bursting.
[Skill detected: Adaptable Body.]
[Redirecting energy...]
[Failed attempt: 3%]
[Failed attempt: 6%]
[Failed attempt: 29%]
...
[Failed attempt: 99.99%]
[Skill copied.]
[Activating emergency protocol...]
[Severe damage detected. Activating adaptation. Redirecting energy...]
The moment Stephen’s innate skill was copied by the system, Alexander’s body began to adapt at lightning speed. The serum’s violent energy continued to batter and tear through his tissues, but with every passing second, the impact grew weaker as his physical structure absorbed and molded the raw force to his advantage.
Stephen watched the scene in complete silence. Seeing Alexander convulsing on the floor, he felt tempted to step in, but he didn’t dare move Alexander in the slightest, allowing the experiment to run its natural course.
Little by little, Alexander’s body began to calm down. The violent spasms ceased, his ragged breathing stabilized, and the destructive glow that threatened to tear him apart vanished completely.
Stephen, seeing this, finally let out a long exhalation and noticed that his entire body had been completely tense throughout the process. Looking down, he discovered that his fists had been clenched so hard out of sheer nerves that his fingernails had pierced his skin, letting streams of blood trickle down his palms.