I Can Assimilate Everything Chapter 1: Life is fickle! I
Standing outside a hospital room.
A young man was engrossed in his phone, fixated on the most recent update to his bank balance.
$19.
It was a paltry sum, yet he continued to gaze at it, as if expecting a miraculous change at any moment.
However, the figure stubbornly remained unchanged no matter how much time elapsed. The phone's bright luminescence only served to highlight the helplessness, anxiety, and fear etched in his eyes.
"Hey, are you even listening?"
A doctor, clad in a white coat, let out a sigh nearby. He caught sight of the phone screen and the balance in his peripheral vision, but repeated his question nonetheless.
"We can only keep her here for three more days. That's how long the payments that have been processed will cover her stay. After that…"
He trailed off, sighing once more.
The doctor, adjusting his stance, glanced at the chart in his hands. It displayed a photograph of a strikingly beautiful young woman in her twenties.
This image was a stark contrast to the woman lying in the hospital bed inside the room, whose appearance suggested decaying skin and a gaunt, sunken stomach.
She was a victim of an Evolutius Leyline Fracture, an event that permitted terrifying Evolutius Beasts to breach into their world, hunting everything in their path.
Despite the swift response from the Advanced Humans, casualties were an unfortunate reality whenever such incidents occurred.
This particular woman had been afflicted by a beast wielding a particularly venomous poison, necessitating a substantial financial investment for treatment.
Her options were limited to either purchasing a Synthesized Potion or engaging the services of an Advanced Human possessing a Healing Factor.
Yet, for an Unawakened Human, unless they were employed by the Government or hailed from a notably affluent family…
Such a luxury was utterly unattainable.
The doctor shook his head, acutely aware of the exorbitant cost associated with the required treatment. He attempted to offer some solace to the man before him, speaking with a tone of manufactured empathy.
"Achilles, isn't it? I notice you don't share her last name, so you might not be related. To be realistic, she hasn't got a chance with your current resources. I wouldn't keep torturing myself if I were you. Just… pull the plug. Move on with your life. Just–!"
The doctor's back slammed forcefully against the wall as the man he was addressing, Achilles, collided with him with all his might!
Achilles' eyes blazed crimson as he glared at the doctor, his anger palpable.
The doctor returned the furious gaze as he shoved Achilles away.
"You idiotic fool, I was just trying to help you! She's going to die in three days. What possible difference can someone like you, who hasn't even awakened into an Advanced Human, make?! Get out of here before I call the guards on you for assaulting a medical professional."
…!
The doctor continued to glare menacingly at Achilles, who, rendered helpless, could only retreat.
His footsteps felt heavy, devoid of any discernible direction, yet he eventually found himself outside the sprawling hospital complex.
Outside, a downpour had begun.
The darkened night sky was illuminated by the steady glow of Aerieal Evolutius Vehicles soaring overhead, while an abundance of Modified Evolutius Cars clogged the streets below.
The sky shimmered spectacularly, adorned with the vibrant neon lights of advanced technology and ethereal fantasy.
Flying vehicles, their engines emitting a low hum fueled by burning purple or blue energy, cast beams of light downwards as they traversed the heavens. These hums had coalesced into a cacophony that Achilles had grown accustomed to, a siren song that had become the backdrop of life for everyone in the Colony City of Neon.
Aerial Vessels zipped back and forth incessantly, transporting Advanced Humans from one locale to another.
The hospital itself was but one structure amongst the multitude of towering edifices that dominated this particular sector of the Colony City of Neon.
A Colony City operating under the strict jurisdiction of the Lunaris Colony Overseers.
It was here, in the Undercity, that Achilles resided, with the sole individual close to him whose life had not been tragically extinguished by the Evolutius Beasts.
"Rose…"
He uttered her name softly, overwhelmed by his profound inability to offer her any aid.
Even if he were to toil for an entire year, he still wouldn't amass sufficient funds for the desperately needed treatment.
He berated himself for his inadequacy. He cursed his fate, unlike so many he knew, he had never awakened to achieve the status of an Advanced Human.
He had always acknowledged the inherent unfairness of life, but did circumstances truly have to culminate in such a tragic manner?
Must he endure the profound grief of losing everyone he held dear?
He stood there, enveloped by the relentless rain and the kaleidoscopic flashes of neon lights, feeling as though the brilliantly illuminated night threatened to swallow him whole.
CRACK!
A resounding crackle of thunder and lightning jolted him, causing him to nearly stumble backward.
This was no natural atmospheric event. His gaze ascended, revealing an Advanced Human enveloped in crackling blue lightning, descending from the skies. In his arms, he carried another injured Advanced Human.
Around him, other onlookers paused their routines, their gazes flickering briefly with astonishment and reverence, before they resumed their daily activities.
Indeed. This had become the new normal for them.
Their world, Ethemia, had always been an immeasurably vast expanse, as far back as historical records could recall.
Yet, mere decades ago, their world teetered precariously on the brink of annihilation, threatened by the ravenous Evolutius Beasts that roamed the treacherous Evolutius Catacombs sprawling across Ethemia.
However, it was the Advanced Humans who provided the salvation.
Cities were subsequently rebuilt, and governments were revitalized, emerging even more potent than before.
Colony Cities were established atop the labyrinthine Evolutius Catacombs that descended into the earth.
Yet, within these perilous Catacombs lay the sole reason for the congregation of all Advanced Humans within the Colony Cities.
Evolutius Crystals.
These crystals were the indispensable element required by every Advanced Human to elevate their power to astounding new heights, serving as the ultimate currency for ordinary humans.
But such a treasure remained impossibly out of his grasp.
Discovered deep within the Evolutius Catacombs, Evolutius Crystals were typically found in areas guarded by formidable Evolutius Beasts.
For an ordinary human, encountering one of these beasts was tantamount to a death sentence.
It was precisely such a beast that had initially wounded Rose, following an Evolutius Leyline Fracture – a rupture within the Catacombs that surfaced, unleashing Beasts into the Colony City.
These thoughts swirled through Achilles' mind, accompanied by a profound sense of helplessness regarding his options.
Could he sell organs?
Unless one was an Advanced Human, his body parts held little value.
Loans? Such financial assistance was strictly controlled and reserved for Advanced Humans.
Family? He had none.
Friends? Absolutely none!
It was only him and Rose.
She had cared for him when his family was gone, during his darkest hours.
And now, could he truly stand by and do nothing for her?
"..."
His expression of helplessness gradually shifted, hardening into resolve.
Life was indeed unfair.
But he could not simply wallow in despair.
If Rose were to be denied the essential care sustaining her life, her demise would be swift.
If she died, what purpose would remain for him in this world?
He clenched his fists, contemplating the only means by which he could save her.
Evolutius Crystals.
The very Evolutius Catacombs where Advanced Humans roamed!
A flash of determination ignited in his eyes as he cast one final glance at the hospital before walking along the neon-lit streets towards his destination.
He retrieved his phone and accessed the application released years ago by the Lunaris Colony Overseers to all inhabitants of their numerous Colonies.
The application's initial screen posed a single question.
[Have you awakened to become an Advanced Human? (Y/N)]
A straightforward query on the screen.
And today, he intended to provide a different answer!