Chapter 2 — shadow Affinity
Lin Mo woke up to silence.
Not the hollow, exhausted silence he was used to—but something sharp, clear, and alert.
His eyes snapped open.
The ceiling above him was the same cracked white it had always been. The cheap fan still hung crookedly, unmoving. The faint smell of detergent and old books lingered in the air.
Everything looked normal.
Yet something was wrong.
Lin Mo sat up abruptly.
His body responded instantly—too instantly.
No stiffness. No dull ache in his joints. No lingering soreness from years of poor sleep and stress. His movements were smooth, light, almost… eager.
He swung his legs off the bed and stood.
The floor was cold beneath his feet, but his balance was perfect. His heartbeat was steady. His breathing deep and unstrained.
Healthy.
No—better than healthy.
He clenched his fists. Muscles tightened effortlessly, strength flowing naturally instead of straining like before. His senses felt sharper too. The faint hum of electricity in the walls. The distant sound of traffic three streets away.
Lin Mo swallowed.
"This isn't a dream…"
Last night's memory surged back—black clouds, the vortex, lightning descending like judgment itself.
And then—
Talent.
His gaze instinctively dropped inward.
A familiar panel flickered into existence before his eyes.
---
[Talent Status]
Name: Lin Mo
Rank: F
Core Condition: Stable
Borrowed Talents: None
Active Authority: Copy / Refine
---
Still F-rank.
Lin Mo exhaled slowly. "So I didn't suddenly become some chosen hero."
That made sense. If the system—or whatever this was—worked that easily, the world would already be broken.
He glanced at the time.
7:10 a.m.
Late.
He moved quickly, washing up, changing clothes, grabbing a slice of bread. His body flowed through the routine like it had practiced it a thousand times more than it actually had.
While tying his shoes, a thought surfaced.
Copy.
His heartbeat quickened.
If last night wasn't a hallucination, then—
"I should try."
---
The morning streets buzzed with activity.
Students in uniforms clustered at bus stops. Office workers walked briskly, communicators glowing on their wrists with news updates about newly discovered secret realms.
Lin Mo walked among them quietly.
As people passed within arm's reach, his vision flickered.
Panels.
Not everyone.
Only some.
---
[Talent Detected]
Target: Zhang Wei
Talent: Enhanced Reflexes
Rank: E
Copy Available — Yes / No
---
Lin Mo nearly stopped walking.
It's real.
Another panel appeared almost immediately.
---
[Talent Detected]
Target: Liu Fang
Talent: Minor Strength Boost
Rank: F
Copy Available — Yes / No
---
His breathing quickened.
The panels didn't obstruct his vision. They hovered cleanly, waiting patiently, as if responding to his awareness rather than demanding attention.
He passed a dozen people.
Talents ranged from F to E. One D-rank popped up briefly—Elemental Water Control, low-grade.
Lin Mo ignored them all.
Something inside him remained unmoved.
Disappointed.
So this is how it feels…
Back when he was still dating Liang Xue, she used to talk about talent like it was destiny itself. About how some abilities resonated with you, calling to you like fate.
Now he understood.
These talents weren't enough.
He wanted more.
---
The school gates came into view.
Students streamed inside, laughing, talking loudly about rankings and secret realm trials. As Lin Mo walked past them, panels flashed intermittently.
E-rank perception boosts. F-rank stamina enhancements. D-rank minor flame control.
None of them stirred his interest.
Until—
He slowed.
An old man stood near the gate.
No uniform. No communicator. No obvious affiliation with the school. He looked out of place among the teenagers—thin, hunched, dressed in a faded black coat despite the mild weather.
He seemed… quiet.
Too quiet.
Lin Mo walked past him.
Then stopped.
A panel had appeared.
---
[Talent Detected]
Target: Unknown
Talent: Shadow Affinity
Rank: B
Copy Available — Yes / No
---
Lin Mo's heart slammed.
B-rank.
His breath caught as he slowly turned around.
The old man was already looking at him.
Not with hostility.
With interest.
Their eyes met.
For a brief second, Lin Mo felt like the shadows around them deepened subtly, stretching just a little too far, clinging to corners that should have been lit.
The old man smiled faintly.
A knowing smile.
Lin Mo's instincts screamed.
Danger.
Not the violent kind—but the kind that told him this man was not ordinary.
He swallowed and answered the panel mentally.
Copy.
---
[Shadow Affinity — B Rank]
Copy Successful.
---
The panel vanished.
The old man blinked, his smile fading just slightly.
"Hm," he murmured, almost to himself.
Lin Mo didn't wait.
He turned and walked into the school grounds, heart pounding violently.
---
All morning, his mind was in chaos.
He taught classes on autopilot, words flowing from habit while his thoughts spiraled inward.
B-rank.
Shadow.
The panel had copied it effortlessly.
No pain. No backlash.
But something lingered.
A heaviness.
Like a sealed door inside him.
During lunch break, he locked himself in the empty staff restroom and focused inward.
The panel appeared again.
---
[Borrowed Talent Stored]
Shadow Affinity — B Rank
Merge Option Available
Warning:
— Merge Conditions: None
— Physical Reshaping Required
— Success Rate: 10%
Proceed? Yes / No
---
Lin Mo stared at the warning.
10%.
Most awakened wouldn't dare take such odds unless forced.
But he laughed quietly.
"What is pain?"
He remembered kneeling outside the Xiao Clan's hall years ago—back when the world had just mutated—begging for a second test.
Remembered the cold eyes.
The verdict.
F-rank. No potential.
Pain?
He'd lived with it his entire life.
"Even if it's one percent," he whispered, "I'd still take it."
But not here.
He dismissed the panel and finished the day somehow, barely registering the looks students gave him when his gaze seemed sharper, his posture straighter.
The moment the final bell rang, Lin Mo left.
---
He ran.
Not walked.
Ran all the way home.
He slammed the door shut, locked it, pulled the curtains tight.
Only then did he summon the panel again.
---
Merge with Shadow Affinity — B Rank?
Success Rate: 10%
---
His finger trembled.
Then—
"Yes."
---
The pain was immediate.
Explosive.
It felt like his skeleton shattered all at once.
Lin Mo screamed as his bones cracked, twisted, and reformed violently. His spine arched as if pulled by invisible hooks. Muscles tore, then stitched themselves back together wrong—only to be torn again.
Blood rushed to his ears.
His vision blurred.
"Ghh—!"
He collapsed to the floor, convulsing.
Shadows surged around him, crawling along the walls, thickening, pressing inward. They didn't feel hostile.
They felt hungry.
His ribs snapped.
Reformed.
Snapped again.
His organs shifted painfully as his body tried—and failed—to accommodate something it was never meant to hold.
Is this how it ends?
His thoughts fragmented.
No…
"I can't die like this," he rasped.
Images flashed.
His parents' tired smiles. Their promise to leave the countryside one day. To enjoy the city life they'd never known.
His sister's laughter—before it turned distant.
"I promised… Pa… Ma…"
Another wave of pain crushed him.
"In the end…" his voice broke, "…am I still a loser?"
Darkness crept into his vision.
But something deeper stirred.
The borrowed shadow reacted.
Not violently.
Protectively.
The pain peaked—
Then vanished.
---
Lin Mo gasped.
Air flooded his lungs.
He lay there, drenched in sweat, chest heaving violently.
Silence.
No pain.
No pressure.
Slowly, he sat up.
His body felt… right.
Stronger. Denser. Grounded.
The panel appeared.
---
[Merge Complete]
Shadow Affinity — B Rank → Refined
Rank Advancement: F → D
Condition: Stable
---
Lin Mo stared.
Then laughed.
A loud, uncontrollable laugh that echoed off the walls.
"I have talent," he said hoarsely. "I actually have talent."
He staggered to his feet and walked to the mirror.
Then froze.
The man staring back at him wasn't the Lin Mo he knew.
His posture was taller. His shoulders broader. His skin clearer. The tiredness etched into his face was gone, replaced by sharp, defined features.
He looked younger.
More alive.
His eyes were deep—dark, with something subtle moving beneath them when the light shifted.
"I can't believe it," he murmured.
His fingers brushed the mirror.
"All of you…" he whispered softly. "Those who looked down on me…"
A slow smile curved his lips.
"I'll return it a hundredfold."
His communicator buzzed.
Time.
8:30 a.m.
"Damn."
He grabbed his bag and bolted.