Rebirth: The Shadow Of Greed

...."Boss, I'm okay, I'm just sleepy. Let me go to sleep."

Odrunn said before shutting his eyes.

"Damn it!"

Z shouted as he stood up post haste. He stared down the lumbering bear that had just hurt his friend as his eyes tinted red.

Z took the initiative this time as he dashed towards the bear, prompting it to swing to hit him. Holding the shield up to his body he blocked the bear's hit while jumping up into the air. Dodging to the back of the bear.

Instantly Z mounted himself onto the bear and grabbed on to the dagger that is lodged into the bear making it turn around in circles.

"Soli! Ground!" immediately, an ice path appeared on the ground making the bear slip on the ice and falling face-first onto the ground. It struggled for a bit, it's paws pushing against the ground only fall with a loud thud.

Still, on the bear's back, Z immediately Dislodged the dagger, as he jumped upwards and using the downward momentum, he plunged the dagger straight into the back of the neck of the bear, severing the spine and effectively killing it.

Z picked out the dagger from the back of the bear's neck as he ran over to the wounded Odrunn that's on the ground. He put 2 fingers onto the neck of Odrunn trying to feel his pulse, but unfortunately, his fats were so thick, Z couldn't feel it at all.

"Boss... I'm sorry... I'm useless. I want to be stronger! Is there a way I can be stronger?"

Odrunn started sobbing as he lay down on his side. He had always been in a sheltered family all his life, everything had been taken care for him. Coming to the military academy was a huge 180 degrees change for him. He didn't expect it to be so tough. But still, he persevered doing the b.a.r.e minimum to get through. But this time, he got hurt and although he didn't die, he realized that it was his calling to help save people, to stand in their way preventing as much damage as he can.

Z smiled as he looked down on the sobbing Odrunn. His thoughts drifted to a time not too long ago somewhere in the rebel HQ.

________________________________________

'Boom!' The bodies of 10 resistance fighters were sent flying with a single hit. As they soared through the air, their limbs were flopping in the wind.

Z stood there dumbstruck at the scene in front of him, was that a human being or a cannonball?

"So, I hear ye have the manifest that takes other people's manifest eh?"

A large scraggly old man standing at 2 meters tall with a beard and one eye asked Zero.

"Yes, that's right Hirgarm, my abilities allow me to copy other people's abilities."

Zero replied politely to Hirgram. Hirgram Blackbrand, one of the generals working under X in the resistance, Codenamed Mad bull.

Trained in the ancient arts, Hirgram seemed to have a strength augment that grants him seemingly boosted strength and unlimited stamina, rushing into crowds of enemy manifesters, his abilities allow him to easily take out entire platoons.

"Ye care to have a spar with me? Young'un?"

Hirgarm laughed as he challenged Zero to a spar.

Z smiled, ready to take on any challenge that was posed to him as he started running through the scenarios through his head.

"If I can take his strength manifest, I shouldn't have an issue fighting against him on equal footing. Through my training with X, I should be able to use my ancient arts to a similar extent to his."

"Sure, let's spar old man!"

Zero spoke with some confidence after going through his thought process.

Hirgram threw the first blow, his fist whistling past the face of Z who was already prepared yet still surprised by the sudden attack. Dodging it slightly, he easily avoided the force of the blow. The force of his fist, uprooting a tree behind Zero as cold sweat started to pour down the back of Z.

He was in shock thinking that if he just had gotten hit once he'd definitely be severely injured. Taking the opportunity, Z extended his hand as he attempted to reach Hirgram.

Z used his palm and tapped onto Hirgram's outstretched arm activating <Avarice> as contact was made.

"Hah! Thanks for your manifest old man, I will make use of it well."

Z grabbed onto the burly arm and as soon as he attained the manifest, he was prepared to throw him against a tree.

[<self-heal> manifest attained]

"What the heck!" Z, still holding on tried exerting force to no avail, a burst of loud resounding laughter sounded out Z was violently flung to the ground.

"HAHAHA, now that you have my manifest young'un, you should heal yourself up no issue"

Hirgram laughed as he raised his feet.

Zero, lying on the ground bruised and beaten, looking up at a humongous boot coming down to his face, closed his eyes embracing for the hit as he lost consciousness.

"DAMMIT!"

Z's eyes opened as he struggled to sit up.

"How long was I out?"

Z asked Hirgram who has been sitting beside him after adjusting to the situation in the room.

"For long enough! With my healing ability, ye should have woken up hours ago. Pfft" Hirgram replied as he sneered in contempt jokingly. He took a pipe to his mouth as he drew a long deep breath blowing out thick smoke. His single eye trained on Z's body as he smiled and shook his head.

"Can I get an explanation? Where did your humongous strength come from, how are you only with a self-heal manifest?"

Hirgram laughed as he strolled to the side of Z. He sat down on the old stool with a thud as his heavy body weight rested on the rickety stool.

"HAHAHA, things aren't always that obvious on the surface. My manifest is and always will be a <self-healing> manifest."