Kill to evolve: A system that demands blood
Chapter 45: Ability test

Chapter 45: Ability test

Chapter 45

User: Ronan Vale

Level: 62

Class: N/A

Core Ability: Hidden

Status: Stable

Active Abilities: Locked

What the hell?

Hidden? Hidden?!

Ronan stared at the glowing screen in disbelief. His stats were there, he hadn’t lost anything. But something was different, his abilities were hidden.

"This has to be a mistake," he muttered.

"It’s not," Myles said, already cross-referencing data. "It’s real-time output. You’re not supposed to have anything. But here you are, Level 62, no class, and a hidden core. I’ve never seen this before."

Ronan barely heard him.

His mind raced.

He clenched his jaw, took a slow breath, then did the one thing that had always worked before, when the system was still his.

"System," he said quietly. "Status window."

Nothing.

His heart dropped a little.

Again, firmer this time.

"System. Status."

Still no external response.

"Umm, since when did system users have to call out before accessing their stats?" Myles asked, confused. No one could summon their system that way, infact...it was supposed to be impossible.

But then—

Ping.

The familiar sound came to life.

Like something distant waking from hibernation.

System online.User authorization confirmed.

Core Classification: Hidden. Query access limited.

Ronan stiffened. His breath caught—but only for a second.

It was back, finally.

Relief hit him hard. Not joy nor excitement. Just a cold, quiet stability. Like grabbing the wheel of a car right before it swerves off a cliff.

Myles was still typing, confused. "There’s nothing here. I’m not detecting a live interface."

That’s because it wasn’t speaking to him. Only Ronan could hear.

"Don’t worry, it’s back."

Then, another ping.

Core Ability: Redacted.

Skill Access: Pending unlock conditions.

So it’s locked... but not gone.

He exhaled through his nose and stood up.

"Alright," he said, keeping his tone casual. "Let’s run your tests."

Karla raised an eyebrow. "You sure? We don’t even know what’s inside you right now."

"I’m not glowing, twitching, or drooling blood. That’s already a good start, better than those clones."

"Training chamber’s ready," Siena called out. "Containment field at full sync."

Dez tossed Ronan a pair of gloves. "Try not to explode this time. I just finished repainting that floor."

The training chambers at the observation wing was specifically used for testing abilities, would be the first time Ronan was stepping in.

As they walked down the corridor, Ronan remained quiet, his mind racing, wondering if his abilities remained the same or something had changed.

The system wasn’t saying more, but he could sense it. A hum just beneath the surface. Like pressure building, waiting to explode."

He clenched his fists once.

Warning: Locked abilities approaching sync threshold.

Observe and adapt to accelerate unlock conditions.

So he had to trigger it himself. Like walking around with a bomb inside him, and the only way to defuse it was to poke it until it did something.

Terrific.

They reached the reinforced glass chamber. High ceilings, thick walls, scanner drones hovering above.

Karla looked at him through the glass. "You good?"

Ronan nodded once and stepped inside.

The door sealed with a thunk behind him.

Silence.

A moment later, the walls lit up with scanning lines and drones zipped into position above. Mila’s voice came through the intercom: "Begin at 30% pressure. Let’s see what triggers first."

Ronan rolled his shoulders. The chamber air was heavy, synthetic, ionized.

"System... are you still there?"

Nothing yet. So it was back to ignoring him huh. He smirked, almost a smile.

The first assault came fast, two bots dropped from the ceiling, glowing blades extending from their arms. Training-grade, but still capable of maiming if they caught you off guard.

Ronan stepped forward. One second. Two.

Wham!

His foot slammed down and the floor cracked beneath him.

Adaptive Strength: Active

He blurred forward, faster than the bots could track. His arm lashed out, catching the first one mid-swing, crushing its torso in with a single punch. The second bot tried to flank.

Clang!

Ronan spun and drove his elbow into its skull.

Speed Enhancement: Active

Metal debris scattered across the floor. The chamber lights shifted to red.

"Pressure raised to 55%," Mila’s voice said. "Multiple targets."

Then she turned to Karla..."He seems to have gotten stronger, or am I seeing things?"

Karla just nodded absent mindedly, her eyes fixed on Ronan as she observed him with full attention.

Walls opened, more bots. Bigger, some with plasma blades, others had shields.

Ronan didn’t hesitate.

The ground pulsed beneath him.

Gravity Suppression: Active

A shockwave rippled out. The lighter drones were pinned, collapsing under their own weight. He jumped, high. Higher than he should’ve.

Mid-air, his fingers twitched.

His eyes narrowed.

Telekinetics: Active

Two drones ripped from the wall and slammed into each other midair. Another split in half as he twisted a fist through the air.

He landed in a crouch, the floor denting beneath his boots.

But the system wasn’t done.

Warning: Unstable energy detected.

Suddenly, something shifted.

A ripple of light danced across his chest. His vision blurred for half a second.

Shield of the Fallen: Partial Activation.

A ghostly barrier shimmered into existence around him—then flickered, destabilized, and shattered into dust.

Error: Compatibility weakened.

Ronan grimaced. That one still wasn’t fully syncing, too much strain.

While he was distracted, a blade sliced toward his side. He didn’t move fast enough.

Slash!

Pain tore across his ribs—red stained his shirt.

Then, warmth.

His skin sealed in seconds.

Regeneration: Active.

Great! His regeneration was back too, and even faster than before.

Another bot fired a plasma blast. He twisted and vanished.

Literally vanished.

Spacial Displacement: Triggered.

He reappeared behind it. One palm raised.

His system pulsed again.

New Unlock: Energy Sync Detected.

Ability Unlocked: Force Echo

Time slowed. Or maybe it didn’t.

But when his fist moved, it left a trail behind, like an aftershock of compressed force.

Boom!

The bot didn’t just break, it disintegrated

"Holy freaks." Dez muttered in disbelief.

The room shifted again.

Warning: Core Sync Surging.

Adaptive Core Reacting to Combat Efficiency.

Accessing Lock—Skill Extraction: Ready.

Another drone lunged, this one with an advanced AI core.

Ronan caught it mid-charge, slammed it down, and drove his hand into its chest cavity.

Extracting Skill: Tactical Projection AI.

Skill Acquired: Predictive Combat Algorithm.

That was the first time his skill extraction ability acted automatically without him having to trigger it, and not only people, but he could also extract skills from robots now. This was both incredible and terrifying.

Suddenly everything slowed, not literally, but in his mind.

Every move, every strike, every angle, he could see them before they happened.

The system hummed louder now. Awake, Alive, and growing stronger. He didn’t need just blood to level up now.

User Evolution Status: 12% Complete.

Outside the chamber, Myles stared at the readouts. "He’s not using an ability set, he’s becoming a damn arsenal....I always knew his system was different, but...just what the hell does Ronan weild?"

Karla crossed her arms, eyes wide. "If this is him still locked... then what the hell happens when he’s fully synced?"

Inside, Ronan stood in the debris. Breathing hard. Covered in sweat and ash.

The chamber fell silent again.

The last echoes of combat faded, leaving only the sharp hum of the chamber’s power grid and the soft crackle of sparking metal.

Ronan stood still, head bowed, chest rising and falling slowly.

His fingers twitched.

And just like that, suddenly, the thought bled into his mind without warning.

Bleed something, kill...more.