Leonardo stared at his hands, brow furrowed, unsure of how to manifest his skills. He hesitated, his fingers twitching as if the answer lay just beyond his grasp.

  "How do I bring it up again?" he muttered, his voice laced with uncertainty.

  "Think of it right in front of you," Anna said, her tone flat, as if she had explained this a hundred times before.

  Leonardo looked up, confusion still clouding his eyes. "I don't know what it is…" he admitted, his shoulders slumping slightly.

  Anna sighed, clearly trying to keep her patience intact. "Think of your skill set, just think" she reiterated, her voice firmer now, nudging him towards the answer she knew he could find.

  Leonardo focused, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again, imagining his skill set appearing before him.

  The air in front of him shimmered slightly, and then the text materialized, hovering in mid-air, glowing faintly.

  Name: Leonardo Thatcher

  Age: 16

  Story Skill: Tour Guide Practical Officer, Stage 5

  Attachment Skill: Adaptive Evolution

  Unwritten Skill: Priest (3 Unwritten Skills)

  Title Skill: [Uninvited Guest], Champion Stage

  Rasvian Control: Rank: Adept

  Anna leaned in, her eyes widening as she read the information displayed. "Wait, is that a title skill, And at such a high stage? Who are you, really.." she asked, her gaze snapping back to Leonardo, suspicion.

  Leonardo squinted at the glowing text, confusion still evident. "Huh, 'Uninvited Guest'? What does that even mean?" He tried to touch the words, and as he did, more information appeared.

  [Uninvited Guest]: Bestows attributes of unidentified suspicion and authority defiance.

  "I've never heard of you before, yet you have a top-three stage skill?" Anna murmured, her initial disbelief giving way to a slow, sharp smile.

  "The Sage was definitely mentioned talking about you when he mentioned someone being "special".

  She nodded toward the text again. "Click on your attachment skill."

  Leonardo complied, and more details unfolded before them.

  [Adaptive Evolution]: Adaptive evolution is the ability to undergo rapid and targeted evolutionary changes in response to environmental stimuli or threats. This power allows the individual to develop new physical, mental, or biological traits that enhance survival and effectiveness in various situations.

  "I need to know the extent of this ability," Anna said, her voice urgent. "Have you received any notifications or alerts since this manifested?"

  Leonardo nodded, still somewhat overwhelmed. "Uh, just something about 'minimal defense,' whatever that means."

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Anna reached out, pulling his sleeve back to inspect his skin. It was thicker than normal, with a density that seemed almost unnatural. The brown color of his skin was the same, but there was an odd sheen to it now, a subtle change that spoke to the effectiveness of his attachment skill.

  "Is it just me, or is he getting bigger?" Elara observed, tilting her head as she watched Leonardo. "He's grown at least half an inch in the past few days. His hair seems normal, though."

  Anna nodded thoughtfully. "Definitely from the enhancements. It's subtle, but it's there. We might be looking at one of the Tour Guide's direct descendants." A grin spread across her face. "I hit the jackpot!"

  "Hehe.." Leonardo laughed nervously,

  Elara glanced nervously between them. "What are you thinking, Anna?"

  Anna's eyes gleamed with a mix of excitement and something more dangerous. "Let's test this. Elara, I need a blade."

  "Wait, what are you planning?" Leonardo asked, starting to rise from his seat. Before he could fully stand, he found himself stuck, unable to move from the couch. Panic flickered in his eyes as he struggled against the invisible force holding him down.

  "Anna, this doesn't feel right—" Elara started, her voice edged with concern.

  "Bring it," Anna interrupted, her command leaving no room for argument.

  Elara hesitated but obeyed, waving her hand to conjure a small construct: a short knife that gleamed with a faint, ethereal light.

  "Now, Leonardo, stay still for a minute. We need to see how well your adaptive evolution works." Anna's voice was calm but edged with a hint of something sharper.

  Leonardo's eyes widened as the blade approached. "Wait, Anna, I don't—"

  The knife pressed against his skin. It didn't feel sharp at first, just a cold, foreign presence. But then the pressure increased, and it finally broke through, blood trickling from the shallow cut down to his wrist.

  [Adaptive Evolution Taking Effect]

  Leonardo winced, more out of surprise than pain. His skin had thickened enough that the knife hadn't pierced deeply. He watched, almost in fascination, as the blood trailed down, his body reacting with an almost mechanical precision.

  "What will it do? I didn't cut you that deep…" Anna's voice trailed off as she waited for the skill's response.

  Leonardo's gaze flickered back to the floating text, watching as the new adaptation took hold.

  [Slight Reduced Sensitivity to Pain]

  "Reduced sensitivity to pain…" Leonardo muttered, his brow furrowing as the discomfort dulled to a faint throb. It was like someone had turned down the volume on the sensation.

  "That's… impressive," Anna noted, her curiosity unabated. "I would have thought it'd be something like instant healing, but resistance works too. Minor resistance," she mused aloud, pushing a stray lock of her brown hair back as she released her grip on Leonardo's arm.

  Leonardo flexed his fingers, still feeling the ache but not the sharp sting that had accompanied the initial cut.

  "That hurt more than I thought it would," he admitted, glancing at Elara, who was now seated beside him on the couch.

  "I'm sorry!" Elara exclaimed, her voice small and guilt-ridden. She pulled at the hem of her white t-shirt, wiping away the blood and leaving a small, dark stain.

  "There was no need for that," Leonardo said, shaking his head as he reached out to stop her.

  "If it's resistance, you're going to tank a lot of hits throughout this year," Anna said, her voice taking on a practical, almost strategic tone. She seemed to be calculating already, thinking several steps ahead.

  "Oh no," Elara sighed, her shoulders slumping at the thought of more tests.

  "Oh yes," Anna replied instantly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

  "Ragehka," Anna muttered under her breath, her expression hardening for a moment.

  "Huh?" Leonardo asked, looking at her sharply. "What did you just say?"

  "Ragehka? It's just a word," Anna replied, her tone nonchalant but her eyes glinting with something mischievous.

  "It's not just a word, it's—" Elara began, her voice urgent and pleading, but Anna waved her off.

  "Alright, alright," Anna said, laughing.

  "You still have a year to explain everything to me, and I'm still… pretty clueless about most of it." Leonardo asked

  "Don't worry," Anna said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "We have a whole year of exploring the Grand Bibliotheca and testing your skills. I can't wait."

  Leonardo pulled up his other sleeve, exposing both of his arms now. "You seem way too excited about this…" he muttered, shooting her a skeptical look.

  Anna's grin widened, a flash of unrestrained excitement lighting up her features. "I've always been like this, just I would be astronomically easier to do the quest with someone like you, also Deal with it for today" she admitted, shrugging as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Leonardo and Elara exchanged a glance, a mix of confusion and disbelief passing between them. They had not seen Anna smile like that, even Elara, and it was hard to tell if that was a good thing or not.

  Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the room, making them all jump. Anna's expression flickered for a moment, her smile fading briefly.

  "Dad isn't coming back for a while, and Mom's… doing Mom stuff," Anna said with a sigh, her gaze drifting towards outside the open door, the chandelier slightly visible,

  "The training grounds?" Elara asked, her voice soft but curious.

  "Training grounds," Anna confirmed, her tone firm. She pushed herself off the couch, her movements brisk and purposeful.

  "Come on, we need to get moving. I wonder what kind of training kaelan started doing, its just the first day,"

  Leonardo stood up, feeling the weight of everything that had just happened settling on his shoulders.

  His adaptive evolution had kicked in, giving him a taste of what his skills could do, but it was clear there was still so much more to learn—and so many more challenges to face.

  "Alright then," he said, squaring his shoulders and looking at Anna. "Lead the way."

  Anna nodded, her expression serious but with that familiar spark of determination in her eyes. "Don't worry,"