85% Synergy with the Gene Fluid.
This was not the highest but a talent above eighty was extremely rare, even in her family, the highest ever had barely been 7th tier.
"Congratulations." The officer said before moving on to the next.
"Damn! 85? And a unique growth type skill? Jane, that's wonderful, wish I could hug you right now." Neil spoke, feeling quite happy.
A growth type skill would grow along with the user, their potential depended on their owner, they were extremely unique.
Only upon hearing his voice did she finally return to her senses. Originally she was worried that if she awakened a low tier talent then she would be left behind and wouldn't be able to stay with him.
But now, they would be together forever, whether it be on the Zoratian Planet or after that.
"Neil…" she called out, really craving his embrace.
Then she walked away to get her status panel update, her body suit was the most expensive available with lots of features.
She wanted to upgrade Neil's too but he didn't want to use that money.
Just as Jane had finished getting the status update, her father and grandfather rushed up to her.
Tred Aven was her grandfather, despite being hundreds of years old, he appeared to be just in his forties.
And Robert Aven was her father, looking like a younger copy of his father but classier.
The two were wearing fancy suits unlike all others, with their battlesuits minimized into the bands on their wrists.
"Truly excellent, my little J! I knew you are going to surpass everyone in the family. You have made your grandpa really proud." Tred said, looking at his granddaughter adoringly.
"…Good job." Robert said, he was of silent nature just like Jane.
"You should get some rest, your lord domain test will start soon after reaching the Zoratian planet." Tred said, patting her head, he only displayed his soft side to his granddaughter.
"Okay." Jane nodded, and without wasting a moment she left the area.
Just as she left, both Tred and Robert took their seats and opened a panel to watch the ceremony in ship number 7.
…
After a while…
"Neil Yate-295!" Michael called out as everyone quieted down, many had already received news of Jane's awakening and were curious about his report.
"If Jane received a unique skill and such high talent, then his will surely be higher." A guy wearing glasses gave his analysis.
Neil stood up, his face calm but his heart was beating at full speed, everyone wanted to know his report.
"You have awakened two unique skills. One is growth type and another is of unknown rank." Just as Michael finished his first sentence, several gasps sounded from around the auditorium.
"I told you, knowing how amazing his parents are, he was bound to get something crazy. But damn, two such skills?!"
"Whoa, this is the first I have heard of this, I wonder what sort of skills he received. Sigh I am so jealous."
"See, what did I say, his parents must be fully confident in him. That's why they didn't even bother coming here."
Instantly, everyone began to chatter loudly, even the people in other warp ships were keeping track of Neil's awakening report.
Michael stood silent for a whole minute, letting the crowd calm down as he gazed at the ethereal screen in front of him.
'Just what sort of awakening is this? Sigh' Michael was frowning at the strangest awakening he had ever witnessed.
It wasn't just his abilities that came in pair but there were two different synergies, it was as if the machine was glitching.
Both numbers were absurd but in different senses, one was reaching as high as 99% while the other was just 11%, and the machine was perfectly fine.
This was the first time Michael had faced such a situation, so he did the obvious thing, he reported it back to the vice leader of E.C.O.
But even after several more tries, the results came out the same from his blood sample already present in the machine.
In the end, they gave up on trying and just gave him a few orders for the time being, things could properly be tested only on the Zoratian planet.
"Your synergy with the Gene fluid is… 32%. A 3rd tier talent." Michael announced and for a few seconds there was complete silence then the crowd burst out in discussions.
"T- Third tier? That's not bad for someone like us but isn't that too low? Was there a problem with the machines?"
"Jane got 8th tier talent, and wouldn't 3rd tier talent stop him at just the Zoratian planet?"
Neil felt his head buzzing, there were too many things dependent on his talent and with such a low talent, everything would fall apart.
He was still alive since the academy protected him, but with such a talent he would no longer get any special privileges.
Not to mention, he might even lose Jane.
"…" On the other side of the call, Jane's eyes narrowed for a moment, she believed that it might be the ECO's strategy.
Normally a person's talent highly depends on his parents, and no way Neil's talent could be so low when his parents are both such legendary lords.
And even if by chance Neil had that talent, she would give up further evolutions and stay on the Zoratian planet.
KNOCK KNOCK
Right then, Jane heard urgent knocks at the door of her room. Opening the door, she found her father and grandfather.
…
"Kevin-296!" Michael announced as a boy with black hair stood up.
"You have not awakened any innate skills. Your synergy with the Evolution fluid is 67%. A 6th tier talent."
"W- What? Even a random poor orphan fat boy has better talent than Neil?"
"Hah! Didn't I tell you, his parents must be embarrassed that's exactly why they didn't show up here."
Neil couldn't hear anything in the surrounding, it seemed everything would come to an end even before it started.
In a daze he moved away from his seat, heading to get the update, feeling countless gazes that seemed to be full of mockery.
Though it wasn't a surprise, people always enjoy it when someone high and mighty falls, the same things they used to pray would turn into their jokes.
'Sigh Poor boy, if we announced 99% or anything above 49% then he would be killed by other races, I guess a bit of humiliation is better than dying. And he would get to know his real result pretty soon anyway.' Michael thought, before silencing the crowd and continuing.
Neil barely had any memory how he arrived into his room after getting the update of his status.
Sitting on his bed, he stared into the empty air and opened his status panel.
『
[Name]: Neil Yates
[Race]: Human
[Rank]: None
[Class]: None
[Talent]: 3rd tier (32%)
[Skills]:
(Aquamorph)
(Skill Description): The ability to synthesize, manipulate, and create various chemicals, toxins, and fluids at will. This skill allows the user to generate compounds with precise control over their properties and effects.
(Analyzer)
(Skill Description): The ability to examine and understand situations or fights in detail and do better next time.
[Domain]: (LOCKED)
[LOCKED]
…
』
Neil observed his status; most parts were locked since he hadn't yet become a lord. Reading his skills, Aquamorph seemed quite good and Analyzer also seemed useful but what's the use?
With his low synergy he would barely have any energy to use them, even his growth is limited.
He laid back, as his headache kept increasing.
The worst part was, either he and Jane must separate or Jane would have to sacrifice her future to stay together.
And there was no way he would choose the latter so the choice was obvious.
'Maybe this is how it all meant to be, it seems happiness and love is a luxury I can't afford, at least not in this life.' Neil thought but then remembered, his call was still connected to Jane.
"Jane?" he called out.
"The call is on a hold." Nemo spoke.
…
On the other side, Jane's father and grandfather were in a fight with Jane.
"This is for the good of you both, you should end this relation immediately!" Robert shouted at his daughter, for the first time.
"No!" Jane refused outright.
"So you want to ruin your life because of him?" Robert questioned, glaring at her.
"I am not ruining anything, I will just stop at the 5th Origin class." Jane replied instantly, she had no interest in any of it to begin with.
Neil was the sole reason she would even put any effort in becoming a lord.
"You…" Robert was shaking in rage but Tred gestured for him to stop.
"Oh my little Jane, I know you love him and he just might be the perfect guy for you. But this report changes things…" before Tred could finish, Jane interrupted.
"But Grandpa, we don't…"
"Let me finish first. As I said, now things are different. That boy has countless enemies, not to mention if you are still in a relation with him, all those reckless rich suitors of yours would try to hurt him. And even then…" playing the good guy, Tred began to poach his granddaughter.
And Jane couldn't refuse those claims, Neil really was in danger after this.
Her brows furrowed as she gritted her teeth, she didn't want to separate from him but didn't want him to get hurt either.
"Alright then let's make a deal, until you reach the 5th origin class, you two won't be together and until then I will keep the boy safe and find a way to increase his talent." Finally Tred said, pretending as if the cunning fox was really making a big loss.
"…" Jane couldn't make a choice, she didn't want to separate from Neil at any cost, all the power and status seemed meaningless without him.
But Tred wasn't wrong either, such a situation really put her in a dilemma, she wanted him to be safe while also not losing him.
***
Neil sat up, he disconnected the call to Jane and got a hold of his mind, getting a shit talent wasn't the end of the world.
"It is fine, I have heard ways of increasing talent though it is extremely rare in the entire Zoratian planet, but sulking will result in nothing." At least his skills seemed pretty useful.
"But with such low talent, targeting the Gold class Domain would be very difficult and dangerous." Neil sighed again, too much depended on just the synergy alone.
Despite the setback, Neil wasn't going to just accept it, it is what losers do. They adapt to living with their situation, blaming everything while very few work to overcome the challenges and change their fate.
Even if there is failure at the very end, at least he would have lost against the gods, not just against a part of his thinking that just wanted him to give everything up.
Only the weakest would choose the Bronze tier, when they had made their minds to always stay inside the Zoratian planet.
Silver is considerably better and most go with that class, while gold on the other hand was a lot dangerous but also more rewarding.
Originally, Neil wished to try the diamond but that was just suicide now, with such low talent silver would suit him the best.
'Haa Gold it is then, I would be dead anyway if I am just ordinary.' He thought and lay back onto his comfortable bed.
The same status of his parents was like a blade hanging over his head now, there will surely be many people who would try to kill him.
But first he needed to talk with Jane, he had complete faith in her but not in her family, and for now separation might be their only logical solution.
He was sure after this her family will openly oppose their relation.
❖❖❖
Thanks for reading...