POTLS - Chapter 10: Talent

When Paul woke up, Michael had already left for work despite being completely drunk the night before.

As he passed by the refrigerator to get some water, Paul noticed a message his friend had left.

"Daily Reminder: Do Not Die."

Paul laughed out loud before downing his water in one gulp. He tried to clean up a bit before giving up; there were simply too many things scattered around the apartment. People often say there's a system in chaos, and he worried he might disrupt the papers arranged across the floor.

Paul went to refill Momo's food. The dove, with its rare cream-yellow plumage, didn't fly away but allowed him to stroke its head and neck. Its round black eyes seemed to send a signal reminding him to return. Though it disliked the human, it certainly enjoyed being fed.

Next, Paul sat down to fix the chair that was nearly broken. He made a mental note to replace it with a new one for his grumbling friend once he had some money.

Michael always made a point to be home when his friend returned alive from a Portal. His work kept him increasingly busy as the System chose more and more Survivors, leading to greater social disruption and creating more issues that needed resolution. He had stayed home the previous night partly to confirm Paul was still intact and hadn't been captured. If not, he would have gone searching or called the police, however ineffective that might have been.

Usually, Michael lived at his office—sleeping, bathing, and eating hurried meals there. That's why his place was such a mess. Normally Elaine would help clean up. But not anymore.

Paul thought he should try to reconcile the young couple because he was fond of the girl, much like how he still liked Momo despite its open hostility toward him. Simply put, Elaine was understanding; she admired Michael's work and his caring nature without judging him based on his past or circumstances.

Though he hadn't said anything, Michael must be suffering. He had just pushed it aside because it seemed trivial compared to the impending doom his friend faced.

Leaving a note below Michael's message that read, 'See you in two weeks,' Paul headed out.

He maintained heightened vigilance as he moved through the streets. After all, his 550 essence was still valuable enough to hunt down. If not the Crouching Tiger, then some other group would be after him.

The morning sunlight brightened Paul's face, lifting his spirits. He treated himself to a lavish breakfast of a hotdog and a coffee he would never have bought before at $10. After the first sip, he stuck out his tongue—it was mostly sugar and cream. But after getting used to it, he found it oddly satisfying.

He zigzagged through various turns until he reached an area several blocks from Michael's apartment. It was mostly warehouses and manufacturing workshops for rent, making it relatively deserted. Only a few drowsy faces passed by in the early morning.

Paul jumped over a fence around one building and made his way to the back door. He inserted a key to enter.

A dust shower greeted him. Covering his nose and futilely waving his hand through the air, Paul searched for the switch to activate the ventilation fans in the spacious room.

He turned on the lights, revealing a dream space for any gym enthusiast. Equipment ranging from treadmills and weights to advanced machines were installed throughout.

David had emptied his savings to build this place after being chosen. He had generously invited his newly formed team to train here. He'd even made three spare keys so anyone could access it without needing to contact him.

Since he'd paid for a six-month lease, the place hadn't been reclaimed yet. David's parents either didn't know about it or were too disheartened to deal with it right now.

Paul planned to rent it himself once he saved enough money. Currently, he always paid the utility bills when they came due.

He glanced at the spot where Kate and Lina used to sit, gossiping while lifting hand weights. The barbell rack was where David had shown him how to train properly to avoid injuries.

Now, dust covered everything.

He spent about two hours cleaning. Then he turned on an energetic playlist. Four speakers in the corners pumped out pounding bass.

After warming up, he threw himself into various exercises, interspersed with breaks and meals.

The government stipend wasn't even enough for Survivors to meet their most basic nutritional needs. To improve survival chances, the first thing individuals needed to do was enhance their physical condition.

Five hundred dollars a month was truly a joke.

But it was better than nothing.

This was why many Survivors had to sell gold to meet their needs.

There were six stats in the system: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck. Each played different important roles. To this day, no one had fully analyzed how these stats affected a person.

Only one conclusion was clear: F-Rank individuals couldn't have any stat exceeding 10.

Below that threshold, stats could be increased through training. Strength and Constitution were the easiest to improve, though "easiest" still demanded considerable effort from Survivors. The other stats remained mysterious, especially Intelligence and Wisdom. Internet rumors hinted at extreme methods being secretly applied to high-Ranked individuals. Some theories suggested mental torture or life-threatening simulations to stimulate brain function and mental fortitude.

Generally, F-Rank Survivors like Paul didn't focus much on Intelligence or Wisdom since Portal challenges didn't demand them heavily. As for Dexterity, they improved it if possible, but it wasn't critically important at this stage. Paul's Dexterity was already quite high due to a lifetime of trouble requiring quick reflexes.

Paul ended his day exhausted from training, sweat everywhere. He ordered a pile of meat to replenish himself. Food inside Portals sometimes had adverse effects because its composition wasn't suitable for human absorption. If the System didn't cleanse each survivor after completing a run, hospital gastroenterology departments would be overwhelmed.

The following days repeated the same pattern. Paul focused on maintaining his stats rather than trying to increase them. According to one D-Rank Survivor at the Support Center, both he and David had already reached their maximum potential. Unless he joined some professional program, he couldn't push higher. And such programs wouldn't yield quick results, not to mention their costs had skyrocketed with increased demand.

He finished a safe week hiding in the gym, never once foolishly returning to his rented room. The enemy might not be staking out the place anymore, but his cold-blooded neighbors would certainly sell him out. The bounty for information about him had likely spread throughout the neighborhood.

Paul returned to the school grounds where the Portal had reactivated after recharging. He entered the registration tent and received a questioning look. However, people who regularly threw themselves into danger often made strange decisions, so the staff member suppressed their curiosity and accepted Paul's supplies.

Wearing only comfortable cotton clothes, Paul stood aside waiting for other Survivors to arrive.

The Portal would open for one day and would only transport survivors at the designated time. Afterward, it would close, reopening seven days later.

Survivors who didn't enter this portal could go to another or wait. The System allowed enough waiting time for individuals to arrange everything and recover to peak condition before entering.

Around noon, the jagged edge of the Portal began to move, signaling the appointed time had arrived.

Paul lined up with other survivors, all similarly carrying only basic clothing. Extra items like knives or phones would simply be swallowed by the portal anyway.

People entered one by one. Some trembled with fear, others exuded confidence, and some held strange-looking objects while surrounded by teammates. Artifacts were no longer rarities. No one dared steal here with staff supervision.

The rest were like Paul—cold, somewhat sad, yet carrying a strange courage. The determination of those on their final lives.

When it was Paul's turn to step into the Portal's black hole, everything seemed to pause for a moment.

Before him appeared a system message.

//

<<Activating Rank Transcendence Token>>

Your rank increased from F to E.

Each of your stats has increased by 4.

Strength: 8 => 12

Constitution: 7 => 11

Dexterity: 8 => 12

Intelligence: 6 => 10

Wisdom: 6 => 10

Luck: 5 => 9

Talent unlocked due to Rank change.

Your Rank E Talent is: [Steady Progression]

Effect: Each successful run will grant you one stat point that you can freely allocate.

//