Chapter 12: Discern Loyalty
In the barn, Lee and Clementine's breathing gradually became long and steady as they fell asleep.
Hanks had no desire to sleep. Leaning back against the dry haystack, his consciousness sank into the system interface in his mind.
"Open status!"
Seven Days to Die Alpha 23 System
Name: Hanks Adolf
Level: 4
Experience: 15/30
Attribute Points: 7
Perception: 1/10
Strength: 1/10
Fortitude: 1/10
Agility: 1/10
Intelligence: 1/10
Specialization: Discern Loyalty (Locked)
(Unlocks when Agility reaches level 7)
Hanks focused on the specialization.
This was a unique police profession ability—the power to see through whether someone was loyal or treacherous.
"Discern Loyalty..."
His thoughts raced.
In an apocalypse where order had collapsed and morality decayed, the wickedness of human hearts was probably more terrifying than walkers.
Trust became the most luxurious commodity. One wrong step could cost your life.
If he could see through whether someone genuinely cooperated, harbored ill intentions, or played both sides...
This ability would be god-tier if he ever planned to build a team!
"I have to unlock it!"
Hanks made up his mind instantly. "Let's test raising it one level first."
Agility Level: 2/10
Instantly, a strange sensation flooded his entire body. Not pain, but an intense feeling of accelerated metabolism!
His body temperature rose slightly. His heart rate quietly increased. Blood flow speed elevated.
It felt like taking some powerful stimulant, but without agitation—rather a lucid sensation of bodily functions being activated and optimized.
His muscles, especially legs and core, transmitted slight soreness and burning.
Like he'd just finished intense interval sprint training.
Muscle fibers were being rapidly remodeled to adapt to faster explosive power and finer coordinated movement. His joints became extraordinarily flexible!
He could even hear the subtle sound of synovial fluid lubricating inside joint capsules when he moved his wrists lightly.
Almost simultaneously, intense hunger and exhaustion slammed into him!
Hanks felt like he'd consumed massive amounts of stamina without warning. His muscles transmitted a faint emptiness like after heavy exercise.
His stomach contracted violently, producing clear gurgling. Saliva production went crazy. The craving for energy instantly occupied his brain.
"Figured as much..." He immediately understood the side effects.
Attribute increases didn't come from nowhere. They came at the cost of burning stored energy in the body like crazy.
Without sufficient energy and nutrition to replenish, not only would he fail to grow stronger—he'd become weaker.
Hanks immediately grabbed his backpack and pulled out various foods, wolfing them down while uncapping a water bottle to chug.
Cold meat chunks and water hit his stomach. The insane hunger was slightly suppressed. A warm current spread from his stomach throughout his limbs and body, replenishing the rapidly consumed energy. The muscle emptiness began to ease.
Hanks felt the accelerated metabolism gradually stabilize, but that agile, keen sensation remained.
He also discovered new changes in his interface!
Agility: 2/10
Passive Talents Activated
Speed: 1/5
(Your lower body speed far exceeds normal people)
Parkour: 1/5
(You have one-fifth of Jackie Chan's moves)
Stealth: 1/5
(You can climb over widow's walls without anyone noticing)
"Three agility passives?!"
His eyes lit up. Eager to test them, he carefully stood up.
Trying not to make a sound to avoid waking the exhausted Lee and Clementine beside him.
Hanks slipped from the barn like a shadow, melting into the cool moonlight and reaching the open field.
He took a deep breath, assumed the stance from muscle memory, then explosively sprinted forward!
WHOOSH!
Wind rushed past his ears. The ground beneath his feet seemed to fly backward.
He'd never felt his body so light, his stride so powerful and coordinated.
This speed far exceeded his previous level—definitely more than doubled!
He instinctively sidestepped in a sliding motion, easily avoiding an unclear pit in the ground.
The movement flowed as if practiced a thousand times. His body's control over balance and center of gravity had reached a new height.
"Just one point of Agility, and the improvement is this huge!"
Hanks's gaze swept over some abandoned barrels and a low wall stacked near the barn. An idea emerged.
He backed up several steps and sprinted again. Approaching the barrel, he suddenly leaped, both feet precisely pushing off the barrel rim. His body soared into the air.
Both hands easily grabbed the barn's outer wall eave nearly three meters high. One pull-up and he flipped onto it.
The entire sequence flowed like water. No hesitation!
Hanks crouched on the eave. His field of vision opened dramatically. The farm under moonlight filled his sight.
The distant forest swayed with the night wind, bringing a hint of coolness and faint rot from afar.
"This feeling... incredible!" Hanks tried moving along the eave, footsteps extremely light, silent as a feline.
Thanks to the Stealth passive, his control over footsteps and breathing greatly enhanced.
After a round of experiments, he roughly gauged the attribute point improvement magnitude—a full double!
Massive energy consumption hit again. The brief test had once more accelerated metabolism. His stomach began protesting.
"Looks like I can't add attribute points carelessly. Must ensure sufficient supplies before safely improving."
Hanks patted his gurgling stomach again, spotting a corner below piled with soft hay.
He lightly leaped down, landing with a forward roll that perfectly dispersed force. The sound was barely audible.
He brushed hay off himself and plopped down, pulling out a can to continue eating.
Though the adding process was taxing, the feeling after pulling through was fantastic.
So he ate ravenously while adding points!
Agility: 3/10
Agility: 4/10
Passive Level Insufficient
Agility Attribute Upgrade Failed
Remaining Attribute Points: 4
"Huh??"
Hanks had been eating and enjoying himself, his whole lower body trembling with pleasure from the upgrades, when the notification yanked him from ecstasy.
His mouth kept chewing while his brain ran at high speed. Before long he'd figured out the system logic.
Main attribute skills and attribute passive skills complemented each other, keeping the body in healthy evolution!
"But... too slow!"
Hanks grabbed the mineral water and chugged several gulps.
He only had four attribute points left. Raising all three passives to level 2 would only bring Agility to level 5.
If he hadn't guessed the logic wrong, upgrading from 6 to 7 would probably require raising passives several more times.
And attribute points were getting harder to obtain. Each level required killing dozens of walkers to advance!
Too slow!
Especially in the crisis-filled apocalypse, time was life. He had to grow stronger faster!
Hanks looked at his remaining 4 attribute points. A bold idea suddenly invaded his mind:
"What if... I add points to other attributes?!"
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