35000+ Words Before Locked
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He was Model 72 — a crash test dummy. A being of metal and sensors whose sole purpose was to break and to be repaired. Routine crashes, routine analysis, routine repairs. Until one day, something… went wrong. Or maybe right. Now, he wakes up in Telaria, a unique world of magic and monsters, and in a body that is, for all intents and purposes, terribly inefficient.

Soft flesh. Brittle bones. And as if he weren't fragile enough already, it all came gift-wrapped with something new.

Pain. 

Every jab, scratch, and burn is a revelation. And strangely... irritating.

But Axel is no ordinary human. Hidden beneath his supposedly fragile exterior is a regenerative gift so powerful that each recovery doesn’t simply restore him to his former state.

It adapts his body against the very damage it just endured. 

[Your hand has been impaled by Crystal-Blade Grass.]  
[Host's [Pierce Resistance] has increased slightly.]

[All leg bones have been broken by the ground]  
[Host's [Impact Resistance] has increased greatly : x6]  

[Your face has been burnt by a Fireball.]  
[Host's [Fire Resistance] has increased greatly: x2]  

He hates it. Every injury is just another reminder that his human body is flawed. 

And yet he knows...his body can learn. His body can evolve. 

So, Pain? 

Pain is a problem he intends to solve. And only then, would he truly be complete.

"There will be no need for repairs. No need for pain. No need for regeneration."

"I will simply be unharmable."

The world believes SSS Rank Gifts are the ceiling. The End-All, Be-All.  

Well...

The world hasn't met Axel.

I stood there, gaze flicking between the colossal tower of stone and my System's Prompts.


[You have successfully proven yourself in the Trial of Sand.]


[Time Elapsed: 1 hour and 11 minutes (NEW RECORD)(Previous Record: 6 hours 21 minutes)]


[Will Resonance Achieved: 100% (NEW RECORD) (Previous Record: 50%)]


[The Blacksand Monolith acknowledges these immense feats.]


[Calculation for Reward Distribution has begun...]


I was utterly confused. If the previous record for Will Resonance was only 50%...that meant achieving 100% Resonance wasn't what was needed to clear the Trial...so...how exactly was the Trial of Sand supposed to play out?


Intisak...what the hell have you been planning?


I wanted to figure out just what the hell it was he expected would happen here, but I had no leads. Just the inkling that it should have allowed him to somehow confirm my claims with better veracity than if he had been watching me fight in the wilderness...


Chapter 78 - Chapter 78 - The Gift's Refusal