Chapter 25: Increase In Power Index

A System notification suddenly appeared.

[Choice Detected: Serina Blackwood]

[Option 1: Reject Serina and permanently sever your connection with her.]

[Reward: Air-Conditioned Coffin]

[Option 2: Ask Serina for a kiss.]

[Reward: Thermoregulation (Rare)]

Nero stared at the first option in horror.

’Air-Conditioned Coffin?!’

He remembered that reward very well. It had appeared during his very first choice, back when he was lying on the road waiting to die.

And it meant exactly what the name suggested.

Death!

’What the hell? Is this System threatening to kill me if I reject Serina?’

Or perhaps it was implying that Serina would become angry if he rejected her, complain to her father, and have him put inside a coffin.

’No, wait. Why would she even get angry over something like that?’

Nero couldn’t understand the System’s intentions, but he wasn’t interested in finding out what would happen if he chose the first option.

He immediately selected the second one.

"I’ll take the kiss. Same as before."

Serina’s mischievous smile widened at his response.

"My, my. Bold again, aren’t we?"

She stepped closer, clearly amused by his request.

This time, however, she didn’t simply give him a quick peck.

Serina leaned forward and pressed her lips against his cheek, holding the kiss for a little longer than before.

Nero stiffened slightly at the unexpected contact.

’Again?’

Only after a few moments did she pull away, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Alright, I’d better get going," she said with a smile. "She’s probably still looking for me, and I don’t want to get caught."

With that, Serina turned around and walked away.

Nero watched her leave before letting out a sigh.

He still couldn’t understand what was wrong with his System. Why did it keep making him do such ridiculous things?

Just then, a notification appeared.

[Ding! Choice Completed.]

[Reward: Thermoregulation (Rare)]

[Thermoregulation: The user gains complete voluntary control over their body’s temperature.]

[Too hot? Cool down.]

[Too cold? Warm up.]

[The user’s body will automatically maintain the selected temperature and have an automatic inbuilt ability to regulate the temperature.]

Nero read through the description with growing interest.

’Wait, isn’t this actually pretty useful?’

He could essentially turn himself into a human air conditioner whenever he felt too hot. Likewise, he could warm himself up in cold environments or maintain a comfortable temperature while sleeping and training.

It was a surprisingly convenient ability.

"Not bad."

At least the System had given him something useful for his trouble.

With that settled, Nero decided it was finally time to focus on strengthening his body.

He headed toward a herb store to purchase the ingredients required for the body-strengthening concoction contained within the Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge.

Meanwhile, Serina was walking through the campus with a smile on her face.

For some reason, being around Nero made her unusually happy.

She wasn’t entirely sure why.

Perhaps it was because he was such a strange person.

Only a few days ago, Nero had been someone near the bottom of the university’s social hierarchy, known for being timid and powerless.

Yet in just a handful of days, he had changed considerably.

His appearance had improved, and he was no longer behaving like the coward everyone remembered.

More importantly, Serina found his newfound courage rather interesting.

Of course, he still became nervous whenever she teased him, which only made his reactions more amusing.

’Hehe, he’s quite interesting.’

Serina smiled to herself.

She wanted to watch him a little more closely and see just what kind of person he would become.

Elsewhere, Lyris and Richard were walking together through the streets.

Richard eventually noticed that Lyris seemed distracted.

"What happened?"

Lyris stiffened slightly.

"N-Nothing. Let’s go, Richard."

However, she knew that wasn’t entirely true.

For some reason, Nero’s calm expression kept appearing in her mind.

The Nero she remembered had always been timid and quiet, someone who struggled to speak confidently around others.

But the person she had spoken to earlier seemed completely different.

His behavior had changed, and even the way he looked at her was no longer the same.

’Just what happened to him?’

Lyris genuinely couldn’t understand how someone could change so much in only a few days.

However, she soon shook her head.

She had already decided to end their friendship for the sake of her relationship with Richard.

’So why am I thinking about another man while walking beside my boyfriend?’

She pushed those thoughts aside and continued walking with Richard.

Meanwhile, Nero had finally finished purchasing the ingredients he needed.

After leaving the store, he checked his bank balance.

"..."

"I only have $100 left."

Even with the additional $5,000 he had received from the System for helping Lily, the alchemical ingredients had almost completely emptied his account.

They were ridiculously expensive.

However, Nero didn’t regret spending the money.

If he wanted to become stronger, this was an investment he needed to make.

He hailed a taxi and headed toward his new mansion.

Upon arriving, Nero was rather impressed by the property.

Although it wasn’t quite as enormous as the Morgan Estate, it was still a luxurious mansion with everything he could possibly need.

There was a private swimming pool, an entertainment area, spacious rooms, and a fully furnished modern kitchen.

It even had its own training room, complete with a Power Assessment Dummy and several training modes similar to those available at the Morgan Estate.

Nero was more than satisfied.

’This is more than enough for me.’

After examining the property, he headed toward the bathroom to begin preparing the body-strengthening concoction.

He filled the bathtub with hot water before taking out the ingredients he had purchased.

According to the Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge, each ingredient served a specific purpose.

One stimulated Mana circulation, allowing the energy within the ingredients to become active and spread through the hot water.

Another improved the body’s ability to absorb Mana, while a third allowed the energy to penetrate deeper into the muscles and connective tissues.

There was also an ingredient responsible for breaking down damaged cells and removing accumulated impurities.

The remaining ingredients stabilized the reaction, preventing the concentrated Mana from damaging his body.

Nero had also purchased the final stabilizing ingredients in larger quantities, knowing that his current body wouldn’t be able to withstand too much Mana.

After all, he hadn’t even reached the level of a proper half-awakened individual.

Once everything was prepared, Nero began adding the ingredients to the hot water according to the instructions in his mind.

Almost immediately, a reaction occurred.

Mana began spreading throughout the bathroom as countless active particles gathered around the bathtub.

The water gradually became denser with Mana, forming a mixture rich in energy.

Nero examined the reaction using the Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge.

The Mana wasn’t simply floating inside the water. It was continuously circulating through the mixture, creating an environment capable of refining the body from within.

’Looks like everything is working properly.’

Satisfied with the preparation, Nero removed his clothes and stepped into the bathtub.

The moment his body entered the water, concentrated Mana began pouring into him.

His breathing changed instinctively as the active particles entered through his mouth and nose, passing through his respiratory system before spreading into his bloodstream and Mana pathways.

A warm sensation quickly spread throughout his body.

Then the refinement began.

His muscles tightened, and faint cracking sounds came from his bones as they gradually adapted to the energy entering them.

Old and damaged cells were broken down, while healthier cells were stimulated and reinforced.

The impurities accumulated within his tissues were slowly expelled as the concentrated Mana continued nourishing his body.

His blood circulation improved, his muscles became denser, and even his bones were gradually strengthened.

"Ugh..."

Nero gritted his teeth.

The process wasn’t exactly pleasant, but he could feel his body changing with every passing moment.

It was almost as though the Mana was rebuilding him from the inside.

He endured the discomfort and remained inside the bathtub, allowing the refinement to continue.

Several hours later, the water had become noticeably clearer.

Most of the active Mana had already been absorbed, and the reaction was finally coming to an end.

Nero slowly stepped out of the bathtub and examined his body.

"...Whoa."

His physique had undergone a considerable transformation.

His muscles were now much more defined, with a clearly visible six-pack. The veins along his hands and forearms had become more noticeable, and his entire body looked leaner and more athletic.

Nero clenched his fist a few times.

He could immediately feel the difference.

For the first time, his body actually looked like it belonged to someone who was seriously training to become a powerful Awakener.

"Not bad."

However, appearances weren’t enough to satisfy him.

He wanted to know how much his physical strength had actually improved.

After getting dressed, Nero headed straight toward the mansion’s training room.

He approached the Power Assessment Dummy, positioned himself in front of it, and threw a punch with all his strength.

Bang!

The number appeared on the display.

[0.9]

Nero’s eyes widened.

"0.9!"

He had actually reached the peak of ordinary humans!

A Power Index of 0.9 represented the natural upper limit that humans could achieve without awakening.

Someone with physical capabilities like his would have been considered a peak human.

At his current level, Nero could even run at speeds of 30 mph without much difficulty.

And he had achieved all of this in a single refinement session.

’The Alchemy Emperor’s Knowledge is seriously overpowered...’

Nero couldn’t help feeling excited.

If he could achieve this much with his current resources, what would happen once he obtained better ingredients and more advanced concoctions?

The possibilities were enormous. But of course, he couldn’t just do it repeatedly. He needed to wait till the medicine settled or it can cause impurities to form in him.

After examining his physical condition a little further, Nero decided it was time to leave.

It was already getting late, and he had promised to continue teaching Lilly the Mana Cooking technique.

As for the mansion, he didn’t plan on telling anyone about it just yet.

There was no reason to reveal that he suddenly owned such an expensive property unless it became absolutely necessary.

With that decided, Nero left his new mansion and headed back toward the Morgan Estate.

When he finally arrived, he noticed Lilly standing near the front entrance.

She wore a simple blouse and a short skirt that revealed her pale thighs, while her blonde hair hung loosely around her shoulders.

Judging by the way she was standing near the entrance, she seemed to be waiting for someone.