When he said that his time was short, he meant it quite literally.
Seeing the Apostles descend and disappear after their announcement, a flash of anger appeared in his eyes.
At that moment, he felt a strange feeling course through his body...
He brushed aside his vengeful thoughts for the moment and fully focused on the changes in his body.
A feeling of sublimity coursed through him.
Zold closed his eyes, letting the spiritual energy enter his body.
Ordinarily, this would've caused some mental discomfort, as if something sticky was entering his body. But to him, spiritual energy was already like air to him.
The moment spiritual energy washed over him, he felt his entire physique transcend a level.
First stage, [Awakening].
If earlier he was just a normal college student, right now he felt like he could bend even the hardest metal with one hand.
Yet that was the least remarkable effect of spiritual energy.
Zold suddenly felt his soul stir.
Deep within him, two special objects appeared.
'Two?'
Zold was shocked, but simply observed the changes.
The two objects dwelled deep in his soul, intertwined within his very being.
One of the objects was a Golden Key, shining with incomparable brightness.
[Limitless Potential — The ability to learn and master everything.]
These objects were "talents" and [Limitless Potential] was his talent in his previous life.
It allowed him to progressively increase his strength throughout the calamities.
But the other one…
Zold frowned, observing closely.
The second object was a colorless hand, ethereal in appearance, and seemingly underwhelming compared to the Golden Key.
[Hand of Evolution — The ability to increase certain attributes in the user or anything he touches.]
Crack!
Even with almost a century's worth of experience, Zold couldn't calm himself down.
He was overwhelmed in disbelief.
'This second talent… it's a conceptual one. A talent beyond S-rank!'
His first talent [Limitless Potential] was already beyond S-rank, but now he obtained another one?
Moreover, it paired well with his [Limitless Potential]!
'Why is this happening?'
Instead of feeling excited, Zold's face darkened.
Due to his experiences, he never believed in something like a sudden lucky opportunity!
He calmly analyzed in his mind.
'Talents are analyzed to be connected to one's soul. As humans only have one soul, they usually only have one talent.'
This was not absolute, as there was a case in another universe of a lifeform possessing two talents from a forceful implant.
But ordinary awakenings absolutely only give one talent.
This was a fundamental law.
But now it was broken right in front of him!
Zold was no stranger to breaking rules , but even for him, this far surpassed anything he could have imagined!
'Then, is it because of my Regression? No, that doesn't change the fact that I only have one soul!'
'If it were possession, then it would make sense… but that's impossible, I'm still in my original body, so my soul is fundamentally the same. What is it?!'
Feeling his emotions fluctuate, Zold forcefully calmed himself down.
'... I'm missing something crucial.'
He lacked information about talents in general to make a proper guess.
Not just him, but even in the past timeline, no one understood how talents originated.
Ancient Heir Lofas and Übermensch Fabian, the best minds in their group, had once collaborated to study the soul and awakener's talents.
Remarkably, they understood the soul, but talents were still amiss for them.
It was as if a haze was covering it, preventing them from learning its true nature.
'These damn mysteries…'
Zold couldn't help but inwardly sigh, feeling helpless.
Whether this talent was beneficial to him or harmful, he didn't know yet.
'Unless I'm absolutely certain or I have no choice, I won't use it for now.'
At that moment, [Hand of Evolution]'s description entered his mind.
The way [Hand of Evolution] works is that it allows him to use "evolution points" to improve certain attributes.
He had 10 starting points.
With a thought, he could allocate these points.
It was similar to an RPG system in a game.
That was merely one of its skills, there was still another one that also used evolution points.
'Good. It's not something that activates on its own.'
Having understood this, Zold wasn't in any rush to use it.
When the process of awakening finished, he returned to reality.
But to his surprise, Maria was also back, wearing a hesitant but confused expression on her face.
Zold immediately formed a guess, his heart skipping a beat.
"Zold, you're done."
Maria glanced at him, relieved.
Before Zold could say anything, she let out a decisive breath.
"Something strange happened in my awakening." Maria spoke with bewilderment, "I awakened two talents."
This woman…
Why did she trust him so much?
Zold felt a headache from her words. Maria wasn't dumb, surely she knew the risks of saying that, but still…
"Why did you tell me?"
Maria suddenly paused, looking at him. "Why not? We're peers. I trust you with my life."
Accompanying each other for Ninety-Nine Era Ending Calamities, if she couldn't trust Zold, then who could she trust?
"I see."
Zold let out a small sigh, suddenly realizing something he overlooked.
Now he understood his disconnect with her.
To her, their time together in their previous life formed an undeniable bond of life and death.
But to him, their time together was nothing short of a coincidence, a use-you and use-me basis relationship.
Beyond that, he didn't imagine anything more.
He also thought Maria was the same.
'... I took her too lightly.'
Zold shook his head, falling into silence.
After a moment of silence, he glanced at Maria again.
"In truth, I also awakened two talents."
"What? Then…"
Maria widened her eyes, but before she could continue, Zold stopped her.
"Wait for me to finish. This doesn't mean it's safe."
"... Oh."
Maria nodded, seemingly understanding his words.
"Then, do you think I shouldn't use it for now?"
She asked thoughtfully.
"That's your judgment to consider, Maria."
Zold shook his head. He continued:
"But the two of us awakening two talents is also good news. That means it's very likely that the others also experienced the same, if we meet up with the Übermensch and ask his thoughts about it…"
"I'll handle that."
Maria nodded, both of them immediately forming a plan.
"Alright."
Zold sighed in relief. He was also grateful that Maria awakened two talents, as that meant he wasn't a special case.
In this damned, accursed world, being special could often mean being targeted.
That aside, since the First Disaster had already begun, he had no time to waste.
"Let's separate from here. I'm going to the Zoo."
Maria nodded, not asking why.
"Do you need help?"
Zold smiled at her before shaking his head, "No, I'll handle it. But if you can, order me some weapons and firearms while the world is still in chaos. I'll pay you back with interest."
"Then, I'm relieved." Maria smiled at him, "I can do that. My family has a few connections I can use."