บท 39: Chapter 39: The meaning of Hollow

"Nothing special. I can do even better!"

Palin widened his eyes, trying to appear ferocious as he looked towards the person that said those words, only to see Felix Walken staring at him, and Palin hurriedly looked away from him without speaking.

'Damn! I can't afford to get in trouble with him,' he internally thought.

Palin was just a middle-class commoner–who was born with metal elemental ability cells as both his parents were ability users–and he couldn't afford to offend the fourth great royal family's head youngest descendant Felix. It wasn't just because he was a commoner, but also because he knew that Felix was far stronger than him, and offending a vengeful and arrogant person like him will make his life difficult.

Ability cells are passed on from parent to child. It can be said that abilities are inherited genetically through the passage of ability cells from one's parents to oneself. A child will either inherit the father's ability cell, the mother's ability cell, both of their ability cells to possess two abilities, or possess a brand new ability formed by the fusion of two different types of ability cells.

Naturally, the stronger the ability, the better the ability cells passed onto the child. Felix was born between the head of the Walken family and the saintess of flames. Any person with a sane mind can instantly determine that this arrogant brat was born with a powerful fire elemental ability.

"Didn't you want to say something?" Felix taunted as he looked at Palin while walking towards the front of the crowd, unhurriedly.

He was acting arrogantly, yet the girls couldn't come to dislike him as he was very charming. His skin was as white as snow and his lips as red as rose, and this was the type of guy that most of the girls like to ogle day and night. His red hair reached his waist. His reddish-gold eyes were blinding to look at. He was also wearing a luxurious silver robe with tight sleeves, decorated in reddish-gold patterns of a fiery dragon. Basically, he was both rich and handsome.

"Little silk pants, shut up and take your turn. We don't have time to spare!" Kayle shouted. Her voice sounding sweet to the ears of the student down below the raised platform.

Felix internally rolled his eyes as he thought that it's hateful and embarrassing to have an older step-sister like her. She just ruined his display of might, after all.

"Let me show you how it is done!" He exclaimed, raising his hands to face the huge iron wall.

He used the magic power settled in his body to activate his ability cells. The temperate around him increased as fire was expelled from his hands and gathered in the center of his palm to create a swirling current of fiery energy that condensed to create a small fireball. The fireball grew increasingly as he channeled magic power into his fire cells with no intention of stopping, the destructive power of his attack increasing rapidly.

"Greater Fireball!" He exclaimed the very moment when the fireball has reached five times its initial size.

The fireball in the form of a giant orb shoot out of his hands and maintained its shape until hitting the iron wall.

Bomb!!!

A resounding reverberation sounded as the greater fireball exploded upon contact with the iron wall, causing fire to burst outwards. The range of the attack spread to the bystanders but they were protected by something that seemed like an energy barrier.

"270 points!" The system announced the force of strength behind Felix Walken's elemental attack as three red numbers also appeared on the counter.

His single elemental attack was 27 times stronger than a normal human.

Varth Hollow eyes brightened as he looked at Felix Walken. In the eyes of the young boy wearing three watches, Felix seemed no different than a treasure that will give him a free ride to the skies. "Haha, found my trump card!"

"I've aced the test. Out of all these trash cans, none can deal a damage better than me," Felix shouted as he raised his head, smiling and muttering something along the line of how cool and invincible he is. His fire elemental attack was powerful enough to create many dents on the iron wall and one could also see crater on the ground. Though the damage done by his attack simultaneously healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"You passed," Alex said as he motioned Felix to move back to the ground so that the next person can come and take the test.

As he was walking back to the boisterous crowd, Varth came towards him, an excited expression on his face as he looked straight into his reddish-gold eye and said,

"You were amazing! I almost couldn't believe what I saw."

His thin figure was cladded in all black. A black coat was draped over his body. The coat hid most of his body, one could only make out the black trousers and a black necktie that he was wearing. A black mask covered almost all of his face, and only his swan-like white and slender neck and the right side of his face could be seen.

Felix glanced towards him with squinted eyes, only to feel discomfort assaulting his senses when he saw Varth's grey eye staring right at him, but he didn't hurriedly looked away from him as his pride didn't allow it.

"What is the need to state the obvious. One-eye freak!" Felix said as he intentionally brushed past his shoulder.

Varth grinned happily as he looked away from Felix's eyes. A pleasant monotone voice belonging to the Galactic Analyzation System rang in his ears.

‹ You've stared into the eyes of a fire ability user for five seconds ›

‹ The conditions to use the Ability Cell Replication ability has been met ›

‹ Transforming Hollow cells into Fire cells ›

‹ 1%… 30%… 100%. You have become a fire ability user ›

‹ Time left before fire cells return to Hollow cells: 6 hours ›

‹ Daily Ability Copying Chance: 2/3. Reset after 30 hours ›

Varth Hollow was a member of the second great royal family. The hollow family possessed special hollow cells that can replicate the cells of others, and this very ability was one of the three reasons why they managed to earn the title of a great royal family. Though there was a condition to use this ability. Varth needed to look in the eyes of an ability user to copy their ability. He wanted to copy Felix's ability and that's the only reason why he acted like a fool swayed by the coolness of an arrogant bastard.

"I still want to give you my thanks for letting me borrow your ability. I will ace this test, all thanks to your innate fire cells!" Varth Hollow shouted at Felix Walken, as he then raised his finger, pointing it at the iron wall that was a few meters away from him.

Felix turned to look at him, only to see that his grey eye has turned red and a red tattoo has appeared above and under it. He instantly realized what Varth did as he knew about the special ability of the Hollow family.

"Don't you dare!" Felix shouted angrily.

By that time, a very bright and small ball of flame was flickering above Varth's index finger

"You're too late to ask for me to stop!" Varth said with a laugh as he flicked his index finger forward.

"Anshun!"

The small ball of fire shot forward like a beam and landed on the center of the iron. As soon as it landed, almost instantaneously, a dull thud resounded.

"That's it? Hahaha, see that? Even if you copy my ability, you won't be able to utilize it correctly," Felix roared as waves of laughers escaped from his mouth.

Kayle slapped her head, thinking why her stepmother didn't slap some senses into her young, useless, and stupid stepbrother.

The examiners sitting on the chairs, the ability user standing beside them, and the students who were paying close attention to the trajectory of his attack like Vincent could clearly see that Varth has condensed all the fire into a single small ball. It was so powerful that it has drilled a hole in the iron wall. One could even see the back from the hole.

"377 points!"

Felix felt as if he have slapped himself on the face when the system announced the force of strength behind Varth attack.

"What? What the hell!?"

The eyes of most of the students opened wide and their gape as they looked at Varth with a bewildered expression. How could he do that? How is he able to use fire ability? Why did that tiny fire ball contain such a devastating might?

"Awesome!" John and Leilani beamed a smile, clapping hands in the air. It felt oddly satisfying to see someone arrogant like Felix getting fooled and losing face.