Ding.

  The notification rang in Lance’s skull like a church bell. He stared at the blue text, his brain struggling to compute the sheer absurdity of what he was reading.

  Undying God-Body? Lance thought, feeling a cold sweat prickle his skin. I can regenerate from 99% destruction? So... I’m literally unkillable.

  He tried to wrap his head around the math. 99% damage meant he could be turned into a fine red mist, and as long as a finger—or maybe just a few drops of active blood—remained, he’d respawn.

  And at higher levels? Soul annihilation wouldn't even stop him. He was a glitch in the laws of physics.

  With this talent, dying isn't a risk anymore. It's a luxury I can't afford. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. The System patched a garbage F-Rank talent into a Mythic-tier cheat code. If it can do this to my DNA, what happens when I start patching items?

  He checked himself immediately.

  Chill out. Keep it secret.

  If the Church or the crazy alchemists at the Research Institute found out he was a walking, talking immortality engine, they wouldn't ask him for an autograph. They’d strap him to a table and vivisect him for the next century.

  Wait. Lance flexed his hand. I feel... heavy. In a good way.

  His base strength hadn't just increased; it had skyrocketed. He felt like he could punch through a bulkhead.

  I should be at the Apprentice Warrior level now, he analyzed. But I still can't channel Battle Aura like the others. I need to see the numbers.

  Show me my stats.

  Vrummm.

  A ripple of data distorted his vision. A translucent blue interface materialized over reality.

  [User Status Panel]

  Name: Lance

  Class: Apprentice Warrior

  Constitution: 3.4 (Governs Phys Atk, Def, Regen)

  Soul: 1.4 (Standard Human: 1.0. Governs Mental Power, Magic Res, Willpower)

  Talent: [Undying God-Body] (Rank SSS)

  Passive Effect: Constitution Correction +300% // Soul Correction +300%

  Skills: [Basic Military CQC] (Unranked, Mastery: 12/100)

  [System Note]: The [Undying God-Body] elevates the Host's lifeform hierarchy.

  Standard Scaling: 1 CON = 100kg force.

  Host Scaling: 1 CON = 300kg force.

  Lance read the note twice.

  Okay. That explains it.

  It made sense. An SSS-Rank Mythic talent wouldn't just be a glorified health insurance policy. It came with raw power.

  So my stats aren't just higher; they're worth three times as much as everyone else's, Lance realized, a predatory glint entering his eyes. I can stat-check people levels above me. I'm not just a tank; I'm a raid boss.

  Vrummm.

  The frozen world snapped back into motion. The noise of the crowd rushed into his ears all at once.

  Lance stepped out of the Awakening device, his face a mask of calm. He walked back to his class formation, looking for all the world like a kid who just got lucky with an F-Rank.

  "Hahaha! Lance, you crazy son of a b*tch, you actually did it!"

  His instructor slammed a heavy hand onto Lance's shoulder, beaming. "Good work. Seriously. Don't worry about it being a support talent. Develop it right, and you'll outlast any of those meathead warriors."

  The instructor was genuinely happy. A student awakening was a notch on his belt.

  Around them, the other students stared with green-eyed envy. F-Rank or not, Lance was now an "Awakened." He was part of the club. They were just civilians.

  "I understand, sir," Lance said, nodding politely. "I'll do my best."

  The ceremony dragged on. Six thousand students. Hours of crushing disappointment.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  By the end, only three more F-Ranks and one E-Rank appeared. The Academy leadership was ecstatic. Six Awakened in one year, including a C-Rank and Lance? They were popping champagne in the admin office.

  "All cadets are dismissed!" The Dean announced, looking stern but satisfied. "Prepare for the Unified Federal Exam in three days. Go make us proud."

  As the crowd dispersed, Lance felt a vibration on his wrist.

  [Bank Alert]

  Deposit: 10,000 Credits.

  Source: Academy Scholarship (F-Rank Awakening Bonus).

  Lance stared at the screen. Free money? Don't mind if I do.

  Ten thousand credits. In his past life, that was like finding ten grand in cash. In this economy, professional Awakened were the only ones making real bank.

  Perfect timing. I need startup capital.

  He didn't stick around to chat. He headed straight for the transit station and hopped on the maglev train heading to the city's edge.

  The view outside the window shifted from the gleaming spires of the city center to the grimy, dense skyline of the slums.

  Massive "Hive-Hab" apartments pierced the smog, looking like giant concrete tombstones. Back in the 21st century, this would have been a cyberpunk aesthetic dream. Here, it was just poverty. The rich lived in floating estates miles above the pollution; the poor lived in these pigeon coops.

  Lance navigated the maze of the complex, took a gravity elevator that smelled like ozone and despair, and reached his unit on the 40th floor.

  The apartment was empty.

  Just like his last life, Lance was an orphan. But this time, he had a +1.

  Lillian. His sister. Two years younger. They’d grown up together in a War Orphanage. In this chaotic era, kids like them were as common as dirt.

  She’s probably out, Lance thought. He walked into his tiny bedroom and locked the door.

  It was time to experiment.

  Let's see what this System can really do.

  He sat on the edge of his bed. If it can fix abstract concepts like 'Talents,' surely it can fix physical objects, right?

  He pulled off his wrist communicator. It was an archaic model, battered and scratched, barely holding a charge.

  System. Scan this.

  Ding.

  Item Detected: [Obsolete Civilian Magic Wristband]

  Scanning...

  1,548 Exploits Found.

  Execute Repair Protocol? [Y/N]

  Lance smiled. Jackpot.

  "Fix it," he whispered.

  The system chime rang in his mind, crisp and immediate.

  "I knew it." Lance’s eyes narrowed. "It works. But... only 1,548 exploits?"

  He compared it to the staggering 12 trillion exploits found in his [Minor Cellular Activation] talent. The difference was astronomical.

  This wristband is old junk, sure, but it's still a piece of precision alchemy. Is it lower level than an F-Rank talent? Or maybe... Lance rubbed his chin. Maybe the number of exploits correlates to Potential Cap.

  It made sense. The more holes there were to patch, the higher the ceiling for perfection. If that theory held, he could use the System as a radar. Scan an object, count the bugs, and instantly know if it was trash or hidden treasure.

  I don't know if there's a cooldown or a limit on this ability yet. I need to be careful.

  His gaze drifted from the wristband to his own hands.

  If I can fix abstract rules like Talents, and physical objects like gear... what about the hardware running my soul? Can I patch my own body?

  The thought sent a jolt of adrenaline through him. If he could patch his genetic code, could he brute-force his way into being a genius?

  He looked down at his chest.

  System. Scan me.

  Ding.

  Target: [Host Physical Vessel]

  Scanning...

  14.5 Million Genetic Defects & Structural Exploits Found.

  Execute Repair Protocol? [Y/N]

  The mechanical voice was music to his ears.

  14.5 million? Lance smirked. It's not trillions, but patching ten million defects has to count for something, right?

  He didn't hesitate. "Do it."

  [System Command]

  Initiating Genetic Recombination Protocol...

  BOOM.

  The familiar, overwhelming pressure of mana energy descended. It wrapped around him like a cocoon.

  Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

  Pain exploded in every nerve ending. It felt like every cell in his body was dissolving into soup and then knitting itself back together. Disintegrate. Rebuild. Disintegrate. Rebuild.

  Thick, black sludge began to ooze from his pores—toxins and junk DNA accumulated over years of living in the slums, being purged in real-time.

  Simultaneously, his senses expanded. He could feel the [Aether Particles] (Mana) floating in the air. Before, they were faint, distant wisps. Now? They were a roaring ocean.

  The mana didn't just drift; it swarmed him. It hammered against his skin, desperate to get inside, flooding his meridians like a dam breaking.

  Before this, Lance had to use the Federation's standard [Basic Body Forging Method], meditating for days just to coax a single thread of energy into his body. Now, he was a black hole for mana. His base stats were climbing so fast he could practically hear the level-up noises.

  Ding.

  Genetic Defects Repaired.

  Physical Vessel Evolved.

  New Trait: [Elemental Saint Body] (Rank SS)

  [Elemental Saint Body] (Rank SS)

  Type: Legendary Constitution.

  Effects:

  Elemental Affinity: +1000x

  Cultivation Efficiency: +1000x

  Scaling: Bonuses increase with Host Rank.

  Lance stared at the blue box, his jaw going slack.

  "Another SS-Rank? And... one thousand times efficiency?" He started to tremble. "That is... that is actually illegal."

  He did the mental math. One thousand times speed meant one day of training equaled three years of his previous effort.

  In the last three years, stripping away eating, sleeping, and classes, he’d probably clocked in maybe seven or eight months of pure meditation time.

  With this new body? He could replicate three years of grinding in six hours.

  Six hours to gain 300kg of force.

  One full day of non-stop grinding? That was a literal ton of raw power.

  In three days... I won't just pass the exam. I'll hit [Bronze Rank · 3-Star].

  He gasped, the air hissing through his teeth.

  A 3-Star Bronze Warrior usually had decent stats. But Lance? Lance had the [Undying God-Body].

  With his 300% stat correction, a 3-Star Lance would hit with the force of 9,000 kilograms.

  That was peak [Bronze Rank · 9-Star] territory.

  He wouldn't even need gear or high-level techniques. He could walk into the ring and stat-check opponents five or six levels above him. He wasn't a prodigy anymore. He was a monster.

  Wait. His eyes darted around the room, landing on a shelf of old data crystals.

  If I can patch my body... what about knowledge? Can I fix the bugs in a [Skill Book] or a technique scroll?