Chapter 124 - 122: Difficult Choice

Rusty controlled the pair of hands, reaching into the alloy interlayer of the wall. They grabbed the lemon fruit he had failed to pull out earlier and yanked it out with ease.

With his first success, his body suddenly felt lighter. It was as if he had formed an indescribable connection with the alloy interlayer.

He maneuvered the hands to effortlessly pull out a clump of metal from the wall, molding it into a second lemon fruit, then a third, until he had sculpted a total of twelve! They spun in the air before him like a flock of little sprites affectionately clinging to their master.

Looking at the hovering fruits, Rusty thought it would be best to have a tree to hang them on. He sculpted a tree and attached all the fruits to its branches. Since it was a tree, it naturally needed a planter. So, he molded a metal planter box and placed the tree inside, finally feeling completely satisfied.

Having fulfilled their purpose, the hands—composed entirely of metal particles—began to slowly fade, on the verge of dissolving.

Panic gripped Rusty as he watched them disappear. He had no idea where his adoptive mother got that gray bead, but it had to be incredibly precious. It was the only reason he had managed to manifest these metal-controlling hands for the second time, and he absolutely refused to let them dissipate just like that. He had to hide them in the safest, most accessible place possible.

In his desperation, he thought of his own heart. Using his willpower, he forcefully dragged the fading hands toward his chest, locking them in place over his heart. Rusty "saw" that while the hands finally began to dissolve, his mental lock prevented them from truly vanishing. Instead, they spread out evenly over the surface of his heart, forming a layer of golden armor.

He didn’t know it yet, but this golden armor was a life-saving technique he had inadvertently grasped. In the future, every time he advanced a Level, another of his internal organs would be coated in metallic armor, ultimately making him the strongest defender of the Gold Element.

A heavy wave of drowsiness washed over him. Rusty’s head slumped to the side as he fell fast asleep.

Watching him sculpt a tree out of thin air left Sev Steele shocked speechless. Rose, standing beside her, had been too scared to make a sound. It wasn’t until her oldest brother was sound asleep that she whispered, "Mom, is Rusty really strong? Can he mold lots of plates and bowls from now on? Then we won’t have to spend money buying them."

Sev didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Could the girl not see that their wall was completely mangled? Well, none of that mattered. At least the wall hadn’t collapsed; they could always patch it up later when they had free time.

What puzzled her, however, was that most people would immediately think of forging weapons when they saw a Gold Attribute Ability. Yet, her two children were wholly unconventional. Rusty used his Ability to forge a tree, while Rose wanted tableware!

However, thanks to the little girl’s interruption, the anxiety Sev had been harboring finally dissipated. She glanced at the sleeping Rusty, who was still emitting a faint golden glow. This was likely his Gold Attribute Ability unconsciously overflowing from his body. From this, she could deduce that his awakening was a true success.

The most ruthless of the four future major villains had awakened his Ability a full five years earlier than in the original novel, and he had succeeded without any real danger. Remembering the brutal methods he used against his enemies in the novel sent a chill down Sev’s spine.

As his adoptive mother, she had a long and arduous road ahead; she had to correct his worldview step by step. Even if she couldn’t raise him to be a hero who saved the world, she at least had to ensure he didn’t turn into a sociopath who couldn’t tell right from wrong.

Once she relaxed, Sev finally noticed her youngest daughter’s pale face. She hurriedly told Rose to take one of the Wood Element Crystal Cores Rick Kaye had given them and absorb it. The girl had clearly overdrawn her Ability. Fortunately, it wasn’t too severe, so replenishing it quickly should leave her perfectly fine.

After settling the two children, Sev went to check on Rick. Finding him still fast asleep at the table, she gritted her teeth, scooped him up into a princess carry, and moved him to the bed.

After all that commotion, Sev returned to her Arhat Bed in the living room. She was just about to lie down and rest when her watch lit up. Seeing that it was Doctor Jenkins calling, she answered it in a foul mood. "Your hindsight is impeccably timed. I couldn’t reach you when all hell was breaking loose over here, and now that the hole’s been patched up, you finally show your face?"

"Shut up! Get over here right now. It’s urgent!" Doctor Jenkins said impatiently.

"Get over there? Where?" Sev asked, stunned for a second.

"Mr. Fuller’s house!" Doctor Jenkins replied.

Sev’s heart sank. Had something happened to her Firestone too? She took one last look at the sleeping adult and three children in her home, reminded Rose to stay put and not run around, and then stamped her foot in frustration. Locking the door securely, she hurried toward Sector A.

When she arrived at Mr. Fuller’s house and rang the doorbell, it was Doctor Jenkins’s face that appeared on the intercom screen.

As soon as she entered, he looked at her with grave seriousness. "This is an emergency. Firestone is currently facing two choices, and we must ask for your opinion as his adoptive mother..."

Doctor Jenkins explained the situation concisely. It turned out that Firestone had eaten far too much of the diced meat that carried a "delayed kick," which triggered his body’s Fire Attribute Ability reserves.

With his massive physical capacity, he was supposed to naturally awaken his Ability through the gradual accumulation of Energy, eventually achieving a qualitative transformation. However, consuming so much diced meat from the fat worm was like drinking potent liquor. It didn’t do much when first swallowed, but its effects continued to ferment and release over time, reaching a point of overwhelming intoxication.

Since Firestone was still young, his body couldn’t withstand the continuous shockwave of releasing Energy. This prematurely activated his Ability reserves, forcing an early awakening. Unfortunately, his stored Energy wasn’t enough to sustain the awakening process, nor was his body strong enough to endure the impact of such powerful Ability potential.

If they provided him with enough Fire Attribute Crystal Cores, his Energy reserves would naturally be sufficient, but his body still wouldn’t be able to handle it. In the best-case scenario, his meridians would be torn apart. In the worst-case scenario, every bone in his body would shatter, leaving him bedridden for life, or he might even die on the spot.

However, if they didn’t supply him with Crystal Cores, the awakening would inevitably fail halfway. That would permanently damage his meridians, destroying any hope of ever awakening his Ability.

Before Sev arrived, Doctor Jenkins had completely enveloped the boy in his Jelly Cradle. This could only temporarily halt the fermentation of his Ability, acting as a pause button. But a pause was only temporary; it didn’t solve the root of the problem.

The moment Mr. Fuller saw Sev, his face was riddled with guilt. "I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault for being careless. I let the boy eat too much diced meat..."

"It’s not your fault. None of us knew that the Energy it contained would release continuously," Sev said. "After all, it was only a First Tier mutated larva."

"Can we find a Fire Attribute Ability user to come over and constantly absorb the excess Ability Energy in his body?" Sev asked tentatively.

"In theory, yes. But it would have to be a Fire Attribute Ability user whose control is precise to the very millimeter. To reach that level of control requires someone at the Sixth Tier or higher," Mr. Fuller replied. "But in District Nine, the highest Level for a Fire Attribute Ability user is only the Fourth Tier. It’s simply impossible."

"In that case, give the boy to me. I’m taking him home," Sev said decisively.

"Home? You can’t! You’ll kill him!" Mr. Fuller cried out.

"I’m his mother; I would never hurt him. Believe me, taking him home might be our only sliver of hope." Sev looked at Doctor Jenkins, her eyes carrying a complex emotion.

Doctor Jenkins understood her look instantly, realizing she must have some hidden method she couldn’t disclose. He immediately said to Mr. Fuller, "Don’t worry, I’ll go with her. Even if it fails, I’ll do everything in my power to keep the boy alive."