Chapter 26: The Auto-Upgrading Extraordinary Ability
“Two hours…”
That was quite a while. But even though the game was currently upgrading, her two familiars didn’t seem to be affected at all.
“I wonder what changes the upgrade will bring.”
With nothing better to do at the moment, she decided to head upstairs to find Shen Jinwen and fulfill her promise.
When Xu Zhi knocked on the door, Shen Jinwen was fretting over the power outage.
The backup power had also run out. From today onward, she’d be living without electricity, gas, or water.
Hearing this grim news, Xu Zhi didn’t feel too troubled. After all, unlike Shen Jinwen, she no longer needed food or water. The real issue was the electricity—because the entire city was shrouded in black fog, even during the day the light was weak. Once evening came, there was no hope of reading.
Thankfully, the game console didn’t require charging. Otherwise, Xu Zhi would’ve had no reason to smile right now.
As usual, Shen Jinwen poured her a cup of mineral water in a paper cup. She still looked unwell—her wounds had been treated, but they were clearly serious. Even walking looked like a struggle.
“Are you alright?”
Out of basic decency—and though this was a transactional relationship—Xu Zhi figured they at least had some kind of bond by now, so she should show a bit of concern.
Shen Jinwen was momentarily stunned by the unexpected question, but Xu Zhi’s tone was so flat and lacking emotion that it sounded more like politeness than genuine care. She simply nodded, “I’m okay. It’s not too bad.”
She had deliberately stocked up on supplies in advance, and they were enough to get her through this recovery period.
Xu Zhi’s unexpected concern made the atmosphere a little awkward. But having never been very social, she didn’t notice the subtle change and still thought she was being a thoughtful partner. After the concern came the real reason she’d come—business.
She began by honestly sharing the information Shen Jinwen wanted, but she didn’t go beyond that.
For example, she explained that eating the core could trigger an illusion, and warned Shen Jinwen to “stay rational” if that happened. But she didn’t mention what those illusions might look like—only that they could vary depending on the attribute.
She also gave a tip based on her own experience being awakened by Gouzi’s bark: if one’s willpower wasn’t strong, it was best to have someone nearby when consuming a core.
Where would Shen Jinwen find someone else to help her right now? Xu Zhi knew full well—there was only her.
So if she stayed to watch over Shen Jinwen during the process, the girl would owe her a favor.
Though Xu Zhi wasn’t looking to build a full team, she did need some capable human companions aside from her familiars. And so far, Shen Jinwen seemed like a decent candidate.
Even if her strength was modest, she could handle things the familiars couldn’t. And more importantly, the two had built a basic level of trust and understanding. Based on her observations, they were the only two people around—no sudden strangers were likely to swoop in and take Shen Jinwen away.
Still, Xu Zhi wanted to be sure, so she probed gently, “Maybe there are actual survivor settlements somewhere else. Do you want to go?”
Shen Jinwen wasn’t sure what Xu Zhi was thinking, but after a brief moment of thought, she shook her head. “I told you before—I don’t want to leave here.”
Perfect. Xu Zhi didn’t plan on leaving either.
“Then can you tell me how you obtained your ability? What exactly is it?”
Xu Zhi looked at her with curiosity. She’d wanted to ask this before, but it would’ve been overstepping back then. Now… they were basically friends, right?
This time, Shen Jinwen didn’t dodge the question and answered clearly. “I awakened my ability about a week after the city was sealed.”
“It was around 5 a.m. I’d just woken from a strange dream.”
Her expression turned thoughtful as she tried to recall the dream.
“I only vaguely remember that it suddenly started snowing in the dream. I don’t know where I was—it looked like a vast plain. The snow was heavy, piling up on my head and shoulders. It felt like I’d turned into a drifting snowflake myself, wandering aimlessly across the plain.”
“Then I woke up—and somehow just knew I’d become an ability-user.”
“My ability is really weak, though, and it’s passive. If it had a name, it’d probably be ‘Sharpness.’ That’s what my subconscious tells me.”
“It slightly increases the sharpness and durability of blades I use.”
Shen Jinwen didn’t hold anything back, and Xu Zhi picked up on several familiar details.
“Sharpness, huh…”
That was familiar.
Both of her familiars had a passive ability called [Sharpness]—though in their case, it enhanced their claws and teeth. Shen Jinwen, meanwhile, used it with blades.
It seemed that extraordinary powers manifested differently in humans versus mutated beasts.
And the dream… reminded Xu Zhi of the illusions she experienced after consuming a core.
So that was another common thread.
Xu Zhi thought for a moment and advised her, “Your attribute is [Winter], so it makes sense your awakening dream reflected that. The illusions you get from consuming cores might also relate to it. Just my theory, but it’s something to keep in mind.”
Shen Jinwen nodded, then suddenly added, “Lately, I’ve felt like my extraordinary ability is about to upgrade.”
“Hmm?” Xu Zhi made a curious sound, prompting her to go on.
“There may be certain conditions involved, but ever since awakening, I’ve felt that the extraordinary energy in me keeps growing—constantly. I’ve experienced this kind of upgrade once before.”
“And now I’m feeling it again. I think in the next few days, I might be able to level up my ability again.”
“This time the process feels slower, though.”
Xu Zhi’s eyes widened slightly.
Why didn’t she feel anything like that?
Since obtaining [Eye of Secrets], she’d been able to sense the energy within her—but it definitely wasn’t increasing on its own.
What made her and Shen Jinwen different?
Was it that Shen Jinwen had awakened naturally, while Xu Zhi had to eat a core to awaken her powers?
Or was it something else entirely—
Like the game system?
Xu Zhi didn’t have the answer yet, but she wasn’t upset. After all, what she’d gained through the game far exceeded Shen Jinwen’s slow trickle of energy.
Still, she needed to figure out what was going on.
