Awakening: God-Tier Adaptive System
Chapter 63: Open Hunt Part 2

Chapter 63: Open Hunt Part 2

Neo smiled casually while maintaining his professional demeanor.

"Good to finally meet you in person. I’ve heard a lot about your work here."

The supervisor’s face stayed blank, though a flicker of curiosity crossed his eyes.

"Likewise. Wasn’t expecting anyone from the Main Sector today, though."

Neo chuckled and leaned back in his chair. His eyes landed on a name tag sitting on the desk. Dominic Cord.

"We’re not here on official business, per se. But we did want to talk with you regarding your... performance."

Dominic raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "My performance?"

Neo nodded firmly. "Yes, well... let’s just say that you have been doing a good job lately. We have taken notice, so we came here to see it for ourselves."

Lyra stood silently behind Neo; her eyes fixed on their target, showing no emotions.

The supervisor’s gaze darted between them before focusing on Neo again. "And what exactly does that mean for me?"

Neo shrugged nonchalantly. "It means that there are talks of promoting you to the Main Sector. You’d be overseeing more... important projects instead of staying in this boring place."

Dominic’s eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise crossing his face before he quickly composed himself.

Neo caught that flicker of emotion and smiled inwardly. He read the atmosphere correctly.

To him, awakeners placed in the main sectors held more rank and status. They also received better housing and extra perks.

So, it was safe to assume that those given menial tasks or posted elsewhere were either too weak or lacked value.

He targeted that gap, knowing that even if he was wrong, Dominic would likely just scoff at the offer.

Plus, at this distance, both he and Lyra could take out their target, as long as they did their best.

However, the risk was still present, and it would be far more beneficial to minimize it

So, instead of rushing in, Neo took a moment to observe their surroundings, searching for anything that could give them an edge.

"So, what do you think? Interested in taking on more... responsibilities? Don’t worry, there’ll be more benefits for you too."

The awakener steepled his fingers together as he considered the question.

"I’m flattered by the offer," Dominic responded. "But I have to admit, I’m a bit surprised. I didn’t think my work here was... notable enough to warrant attention."

Neo chuckled. "Let’s just say that we’re always on the lookout for talent, no matter where it is."

He paused, watching Dominic’s reaction. Then he subtly glanced at the coffee machine.

The other party unconsciously followed his gaze.

"Oh, where are my manners? Please wait, I’ll prepare some espresso." Dominic stood and turned his back to them.

That was a mistake.

In less than a second, Lyra sprang into action. Her clawed hand tore through his stomach, ripping through his internal organs like a butcher.

At the same time, Neo grabbed Dominic’s face and snapped his neck with a twist of his wrist.

CRACK!

Neo released his grip on the corpse’s face and let it fall to the floor with a soft thud. He then stepped back, surveying the scene calmly.

"Nice work," he said quietly, nodding at Lyra in approval.

"But there’s still a lot of work to do. Stay by the door. We’ll wait here until night," he instructed.

He just realized he’d come here too early... His Gluttony skill still needed time to cool down, a reminder that rushing wasn’t always the best choice.

It was done, though, and there was no choice but to adapt to the situation.

Now, he just needed to hope the mercenary team leader wouldn’t check on them for a while.

If there was a silver lining, it was the reward button floating in front of his face. He chose to head to the bathroom first before claiming it.

The familiar gas reached his nose. He felt it kick in right away.

[DING!]

[Agility Level Up]

[Charisma Level Up]

[Essence Level Up]

[Essence Level Up]

This time, though, it hit harder. His muscles ached like they were being stretched from the inside.

He staggered to the sink, gripping the edges for support. A sudden wave of nausea hit him, and he leaned forward, coughing hard.

Thick, black sludge poured out of his mouth and splashed into the basin.

It burned on the way up, bitter and sour, like something rotten that had been stuck inside for too long.

It didn’t stop right away. More of it came out in heavy bursts, each one leaving him a little weaker, but also... lighter.

Like his body was forcing out something it didn’t need. Impurities.

By the time it stopped, he was sweating and gasping for air, but he could feel it—his body had undergone another big improvement.

[Congratulations, Host.][You got an A Rank attribute.]

[This rank marks the threshold between human limits and the supernatural.]

[From this point on, every increase above A will grant a massive boost, but the requirements for ranking up have now doubled.]

Neo raised an eyebrow and began jumping, feeling his body lighten with each motion.

’Does this mean I’ll be faster than Lyra when I transform?’ he wondered to himself. The possibility thrilled him.

He remembered how, when they were traveling, Lyra barely exerted any effort. She actually slowed down to stay with him, showing the gap in their speed.

’Damn, I want to head to the forest right now and start testing it,’ he sighed.

But he knew better than to be too greedy.

Next, he checked the skills he gained.

[Backstab - Surprise attacks now deal 20% more damage]

[Silver Tongue - Increases chances of convincing others by 20%.

Limitations: Has no effect on targets significantly stronger than the host.

Success rate depends on the host’s manner of speaking.]

"The Backstab skill looks like something out of a role-playing game," he chuckled to himself.

It was funny, but a 20% damage boost was no joke.

Add that to his Bloodbath skill, and any opponent caught off guard wouldn’t know what hit them.