Awakening: God-Tier Adaptive System
Chapter 48: The Beginning Part 3

Chapter 48: The Beginning Part 3

THUD!

Neo’s knee buckled after a full one minute. He had no idea what happened.

One moment, he felt unstoppable. The next, his strength vanished, as if he’d run a marathon without a single drop of water.

’What the hell...?’ His breath came in ragged gasps as he struggled to stay upright.

His vision blurred for a second, and a sharp pain shot through his head.

Was it the transformation? Or something else?

His claws scraped against the cold floor as he tried to push himself up, but his body refused to move the way he wanted.

[DING!]

[Host absorbed incomplete parts, resulting in severe backlash and certain limitations.]

’Shit, so that’s how it is,’ he sighed, turning off the transformation.

The moment his body returned to normal, the uncomfortable sensation faded.

’Looks like partial absorption isn’t enough,’ he thought. If he wanted full control over the ability, he needed to either absorb more or find another way to stabilize it.

He turned to the girl and though he did not like taking more than a hand, he needed to get stronger fast.

’She would regenerate limbs right when she transformed, so missing more won’t be an issue,’ he told himself, trying to justify what he was about to do.

He felt bad, but there was no choice.

This wasn’t some movie where being good would benefit him.

No, he was in a situation where the difference between living and dying was a single moment of hesitation.

Gritting his teeth, he reached for her arm again. His fingers trembled slightly, but he forced himself to push forward.

Morality wouldn’t save him here—only strength would.

CRACK!

CRACK!

He took more limbs, carefully severing them and placing them on the floor.

"Devour," he muttered, watching as the black liquid emerged again.

Three minutes Later.

’Yeah, this is more than enough for now,’ he muttered, opening and closing his palm.

He didn’t grow stronger, but he could keep this form for a longer period of time.

With a deep breath, he transformed back into his human form.

Then, he sat on a chair and waited for the girl to wake up.

The silence stretched, but eventually, her eyelids fluttered open, and she groggily glanced around the room.

"Who are you?" she asked with a neutral tone.

She was now wide awake, but she couldn’t move because her limbs had all been cut off.

Interestingly, she didn’t look in pain. Maybe she was just used to it, which was also quite sad.

He couldn’t help but relate to her; he, too, had endured countless traumatic experiences because of the people on this island.

And he was sure she was put to worst situation.

That’s why her face looked devoid of any emotions—probably a defense mechanism, much like his twisted humor.

’Why do I feel my heart beating faster? Do I like her?’

He paused and touched his chin, then shook his head.

’No, what I’m feeling is different.’

The concept he recalled was known as emotional contagion or trauma bonding.

Research in psychology shows that individuals who go through similar experiences, especially traumatic ones, often develop a deeper understanding and connection with each other.

He could feel that connection now—though it wasn’t necessarily romantic, it was a shared understanding of pain and survival.

’I could use this to my advantage,’

Neo stood up and let out a smile that showed empathy. "I mean you no harm. I’m also like you, a victim of their sick experiments in another laboratory."

He raised his arm and partially transformed it, the shift in his form eliciting a reaction from the girl.

Her eyes widened, a flicker of recognition in her gaze, after she saw a reflection of herself in him.

They were the same—both altered, both shaped by the cruelty they had endured.

"I’m sorry, I was late. Those sick scientists cut off all your limbs, but I killed them already." He gritted his teeth and looked away, showing extreme guilt.

It was a calculated move, designed to make her feel sympathy for him, to show that he was affected by what had happened to her, even though he did it.

The girl looked at the corpses with a blank expression.

"I’m used to being cut," she said flatly. "But can you remove this collar? I can’t transform with it on."

"Sure." Neo nodded. He could defend himself now if she tried anything. Besides, she needed to change to regain her limbs.

The collar was strong, so he had to transform his hand before ripping it open.

As soon as he did, her eyes glowed orange, and she began to regenerate.

In real time, he watched as her limbs started to heal, the process unfolding slowly.

The stumps where her limbs had been begun to close up, as cells worked to build new tissue.

Small blood vessels appeared, spreading across the area to bring oxygen and nutrients.

Over the next few minutes, cartilage formed, shaping the outline of her arms and legs. The structure slowly came together, like a framework being built.

Once stable, the cartilage was replaced with bone.

Muscle fibers began to grow, twitching slightly as nerves reconnected, sending weak signals through the new limbs. The muscles and bones grew together, forming something familiar.

Finally, skin spread over the surface, finishing the process.

It took about five minutes for her limbs to reform— a feat that could not be explained by science.

Neo watched in awe, realizing why the people in this place were so obsessed with studying her.

If they figured out how she regenerated, they could create an army of immortal super soldiers.

THUD!

She stood up and began flexing her fingers, as if it were just another ordinary Tuesday.

"What’s your next plan? " She inquired.

Neo was also uncertain, but he didn’t let it show on his face.

"I’m just a survivor like you. My enemy is also the one responsible for making us suffer, so we should work together." He raised his hand for a handshake.

She didn’t respond right away and just stared at him.

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