UNLOCK: I CAN SEE MY STATS

chapter 36 : invincible!

Marcus’s eyes widened in shock.

"Hah... completely immune to injury! That means... literally invincible!"

He couldn’t help but stare again at the three strange drugs inside the chest.

"I wonder... could one of these be that terrifying elemental type?" he muttered under his breath. For a moment, he imagined that if he found an elemental drug among them, he would swallow it without hesitation. But then he shook his head with a wry smile.

"Look at me... what an idiot. Why would I risk taking one and give myself the ocean’s curse when I can simply have the bracelet copy the genetic imprint of these powers?"

He laughed at himself for the stupidity of that thought, taking a Dream-Bringer drug that would give him a fatal weakness, when his bracelet could just copy these abilities, as it had with Eren. It was even now storing another DNA temporarily, and could also copy his mother’s power whenever he wanted.

Most importantly, there was that enormous discovery that had shocked him moments ago when he saw the bracelet react to the drugs inside the chest... he had never imagined the bracelet could copy the composition of a drug directly, just like it did with humans.

His mother’s voice suddenly broke through his thoughts.

"Did you know... that friend of yours, the freckled boy... he’s also a user of that rare type."

"What! Eren...?" Marcus’s mouth fell open in surprise, his huge body shuddered.

"You mean Eren is using an elemental drug!" he asked, trying to keep his excitement in check.

Susanneth nodded and smiled when she saw Marcus’s glowing expression. She knew exactly why. He had already told her he succeeded in copying Eren’s powers.

"Yes, I can’t mistake it. I saw him get injured, but instead of bleeding... electricity sparked from the wound."

"That means... this power is mine now too," Marcus whispered in delight. If he wasn’t afraid of sinking the boat, he would have danced right there. According to his mother’s words, he now had an invincible power.

After he calmed down a bit, he spoke bitterly.

"If only I’d known that when I faced that dog from the Marine Army..."

Susanneth laughed softly, then suddenly stopped and spoke seriously.

"Marcus... don’t ever think this power makes you completely untouchable."

"There are ways to hurt even elemental users... one of them is the sea itself." She gestured toward the blue waves surrounding them. Then added in a lower tone.

"And beyond that... there’s a special metal called antiurium. This metal can completely neutralize Dream-Bringer abilities, making its bearer as powerless as if drowning."

"But mother..." Marcus spoke up suddenly, making her eyes widen as her hand rose to her mouth in shock.

"My goodness... I completely forgot about that..." she whispered in wonder.

"You... can use your powers in the sea without sinking or losing them. Maybe even the antiurium itself won’t affect you."

Susanneth couldn’t help but reconsider her son’s bizarre abilities.

From transforming into Sea Kings, to copying the powers of drugs, and even potentially holding multiple abilities in one body, something that would kill any normal person who tried two drugs. All of this pushed him beyond the bounds of normal understanding.

If this secret ever got out, it would spark massive panic, making Marcus a target for people who could crush him easily in his current state.

As she thought of her son’s possibilities, her shock faded into seriousness. She opened her mouth and spoke firmly.

"Remember... never tell anyone about this, not even your siblings."

"And it’s best that you don’t show you can use multiple powers in the future... not until you’re strong enough to ignore the consequences."

She then stared at him steadily and added.

"Know this... there has never been anyone in history who could use the powers of two different Dream-Bringer drugs without their body exploding. And if there was, he’d still suffer the same weakness to the sea and antiurium."

"But you... the sea and those cursed stones don’t affect you."

Marcus nodded, fully understanding what his mother was warning him about. He almost told her that he could even copy the powers of the drugs in the chest, but swallowed the words.

"Don’t worry... I’m old enough to understand."

Susanneth laughed despite her exhaustion, then stretched and said.

"My son... I feel a bit tired. I’ll take a short nap. Make sure we don’t stray off course." She pointed to the compass hanging over one of the chests.

"Leave it all to me."

...

Far away on the ocean’s surface, aboard a small sailing boat cutting through the water at remarkable speed as if slicing it open.

"Dais... do you think Marcus’s mother survived?" Eren asked from the stern, sparks of lightning crackling from his hands like a living engine propelling the boat wildly against the wind.

Dais shrugged and said uncertainly.

"I don’t know... we both saw her fighting like a madwoman, but that man from the Marine Army could fly, and they had more numbers."

Then he rubbed his beard and muttered.

"But didn’t we see Marcus again in that Sea King form? Most likely he and his mother managed to finish them off."

Dais sighed and added bitterly.

"What puzzles me... why is there such enmity between the Chosen government and Marcus? Even his mother got caught up in this."

He shook his head.

"What a crazy family."

Then he sighed again and added.

"Anyway, forget it, it was just an unexpected incident... the important thing is that we survived. Now, captain, where do we go from here?"

Eren pointed ahead, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"To the Deep Sea!"

Dais’s smile froze for a moment, then he sighed and said in defeat.

"Captain... you’re actually pointing in the wrong direction."