Awakening: God-Tier Adaptive System
Chapter 33: A Weird Island Part 1

Chapter 33: A Weird Island Part 1

Neo sprinted through the dense forest. The thick air stuck to his skin, carrying the strong smell of pine and wet soil.

But those things were the least of his concerns.

The mercenaries would spread out quickly at the slightest sign of suspicion. Drones or tracking dogs would make things worse fast.

’I need to hurry,’

Branches snapped under his foot as he pushed forward until he saw an open area in the distance.

A road stretched ahead, leading to a crossing where several signs stood.

Instead of stopping to read them, he scanned his surroundings for cover.

To the right, large boulders sat near a slope, and he decided to take cover there first.

[DING!]

[MISSION: COMPLETE!]

[REWARD: BRONZE BOX]

[REWARD: NEW SKILL}

After hearing the notification, he quickly clicked the claim button.

Once again, gas seeped into his body, spreading through his lungs.

[DING!]

[Strength Level Up]

[Agility Level Up]

[Endurance Level Up]

[New Skill Acquired]

Rushing Steps: Because the host ran for his life, you have gained a new skill to help you survive in this place.

<=====>

Name: Neo Anders

[Attributes]

Strength: D+

Agility: D+

Endurance: D+

Charisma: D -

Intelligence: C+

[Skills]

One Minute Wonder

Good shit

Novice Torturer

Rushing Steps

<=====>

Looking at his stats made him feel more at ease. His strength increased, but as his eyes moved to the other attributes, a bitter realization settled in—he lost a lot after all that experimentation.

For example, though his agility was now D+, he was still slower. That meant his speed was at least C+ to B in the past.

Also, his charisma dropped by a lot.

He attributed it to being bald, which definitely didn’t help, but there was more to it than that.

His way of speaking had changed. When dealing with people, he sounded like a lunatic—unstable, unpredictable.

That might have been the real reason for the downturn.

For now, though, none of that mattered. Survival came first.

’I hope this new skill is at least useful,’

[Rushing Steps: Increases speed by 20% for one minute. Host will not get tired during this duration.]

[Cooldown: 5 minutes]

Neo’s eyes widened. "Finally,"

A 20% boost wasn’t huge, but the lack of exhaustion for a full minute made it sweeter.

If used right, it could mean the difference between getting caught and disappearing into the night.

Though if there was one thing he didn’t like, it was the cooldown. A lot could happen in five minutes.

’This is the second time... I’m beginning to see the pattern now,’ he muttered.

’The system gives me new skills when I complete a mission, and it adapts to what I was doing while completing it. But only bronze rank and up seem to grant them.’

This explained why he got Novice Torturer after torturing his victim to death and Rushing Steps after escaping.

’Perfect. If that’s the case, then I can control what skills I’ll get in the future,’

VROOOOM!

A sudden sound of vehicles stunned him. He ducked behind a smaller boulder, eyes narrowing as bright headlights passed through the trees.

At least eight trucks rumbled down the road, but they weren’t coming from his previous location. They were heading toward it.

Seconds later, gunfire erupted in the distance.

Neo’s eyes widened, and he unconsciously looked toward the source of the noise.

In the distance, an orange glow flickered against the night.

’A fire?’

The gunfire continued, mixed with distant shouts. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t just a small skirmish.

’This is my chance!’

Neo pushed himself up from his hiding spot and sprinted toward the crossing. His eyes scanned the signs, searching for any useful information.

There—one pointed toward a town.

Without wasting a second, he bolted in that direction. A place with a lot of people would be the perfect cover.

He could blend in as an employee and gather information without drawing suspicion.

Along the way, he saw more trucks filled with mercenaries, and even tanks, which unsettled him. It felt like they were heading to war.

The gunfire grew louder, and now explosions echoed in the distance.

’Damn it, why is this place such a mess?’ Neo clicked his tongue in frustration.

Fifteen kilometers to town. At his current pace, it would take over an hour to get there.

But then he remembered his skill, Rushing Steps. If he ran at his peak for one minute and then at his normal pace while waiting for the cooldown, it would reduce his running time.

Though it wouldn’t be enough to decrease the travel time, being able to run for one minute without tiring every five minutes would at least lower the workload.

So, with that in mind, he began his attempt.

Unfortunately, he quickly realized why he chose psychology instead of engineering—he was not good at math.

The plan wasn’t working. Even though he didn’t feel tired when the skill was active, the strain on his legs built up over time.

Eventually, his feet gave in, forcing him to lean against a tree to rest.

If there was a silver lining, it was that everyone was too busy to even notice him.

Still, the sheer scale of the movement worried him.

’Don’t tell me all those drugs ended up mutating someone and turning them into a zombie,’ he let out a chuckle, and quickly regretted it.

Because what if he was actually onto something?

’I should stop raising flags.’

Rested enough, he forced himself up again. This time, he walked to conserve energy.

Slowly, he realized the trees were thinning out.

He moved farther from the road, keeping low as he advanced.

Eventually, he reached a flat area and finally got a clear view of the town. The buildings were taller than he expected, some reaching up to four floors.

From his position, he spotted people moving frantically, boarding trucks that sped off toward the opposite direction of the dump.

’Are they evacuating?’ The thought made him feel more uneasy.

CLACK!

A branch had snapped.

His body reacted and turned around before his mind could catch up.

The wind rustled the leaves, and slowly, a figure emerged from the shadows.

Neo tensed, but he was ready to fight just in case.

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