SSS-Rank Awakening: My Infinite Absorption System

Chapter 78: The Predator Path

"Sit on the stool, Fin, and stop pacing like a caged lynx."

The morning sun cast long geometric slats of light across the scarred laminate table of apartment 4B.

"I am not pacing, Ruby, I am getting used to the weight of my own boots."

Outside the street-facing window, the distant hum of municipal repair trucks signaled the start of another recovery shift.

"Your boots weigh the same three pounds they weighed yesterday, kid."

"They feel lighter, like the floor is half an inch closer than it used to be."

"That is what thirty points of agility does to your inner ear, so sit down before you kick over Jolly’s porridge bowl."

Jolly leaned across the table, sliding a steaming bowl toward Fin’s elbow with two hands.

A faint wisp of cinnamon steam curled toward the low ceiling plaster.

"Eat your oats, Fin, Sefu said people who skip breakfast after a breakthrough get dizzy spells."

"Sefu says a lot of things, most of them designed to steal extra butter rolls."

"He was being serious this time, he said Rank C mana cores run twice as hot as ordinary ones."

"He isn’t wrong about the heat, little sister."

’The steady hum behind my sternum felt like a miniature furnace idling on low coal, radiating a persistent, dry warmth into my ribs.’

The wooden stool creaked slightly under his weight as Fin pulled his chair forward.

[ Rank C Specialization Pending ]

[ Available Pathways: Guardian | Stalker | Predator ]

[ Warning: Selection is permanent and mutually exclusive ]

"Fin, you have that glazed look in your eyes again."

"Just reviewing the options on the table, Nila."

"What are they offering you?"

"The usual trifecta for frontline fighters... heavy defense, stealth infiltration, or active pursuit."

"Do not pick heavy defense, please, we already have Ruby to carry an iron wall."

"Hey, I resent that description, my shield is high-grade tempered composite, not an iron wall."

"It functions as an iron wall, Ruby, and you know it."

Ruby tapped the side of her ceramic coffee mug against the tabletop with a dry chuckle.

"What does the defense branch actually offer, Fin?"

"It calls itself the Guardian path... heavy focus on threat redirection, defensive barriers, and passive damage mitigation for nearby squad members."

"Sounds practical if you want to stand in front of a gate and take punches all day."

"That is the problem, Nila... it locks your mobility down to stationary defensive zones."

’I couldn’t afford to be locked down, not when Tartarus proved how fast Genesis could move their shipments between city districts.’

A fresh breeze through the open window rattled the aluminum blinds against the sill.

"What about the stealth branch?"

"Stalker path... concealment shrouds, suppressed sound signatures, and bonus penetration on surprise attacks from behind."

"You are not a backstabber, Fin, your hatchet doesn’t really whisper when it cuts through bone."

"It certainly doesn’t whisper, Jolly."

"And if you are sneaking around in shadows, who is going to stop the monsters from running straight past you toward the extraction vans?"

"Exactly, Jolly, which brings us to the third one."

"The third one?"

"The Predator path."

A quiet stillness settled over the small kitchen, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the electric stove clock.

"That sounds aggressive, kid... what are the mechanical terms?"

"It is designed for continuous pursuit, single-target suppression, and targeted extraction."

"Does it come with any mental corruption warnings?"

"Zero corruption flags, it specifically requires conscious intent to trigger, and it permanently excludes sapient species and registered allies."

"So you cannot accidentally use it on people?"

"It locks out humans and beast-folk entirely, strictly hostile monster classifications."

"That is a relief, the last thing we need is the Association claiming your class makes you a public safety hazard."

Nila crossed her legs, leaning her shoulder against the whitewashed pantry cabinet.

’I focused on the details of the active ability attached to the Predator package.’

[ Class Ability: Apex Gaze (Rank C) ]

[ Cost: 10 Mana ]

[ Range: 6 Meters Radius ]

[ Duration: 3 Seconds ]

[ Effect: Emits a concentrated predatory pressure that disrupts enemy focus and interrupts active skill casting ]

[ Constraint: Opponents of comparable or superior rank may resist or reduce the duration ]

[ Note: Non-lethal psychic disruption without mind control or physical paralysis ]

"The active skill is called Apex Gaze."

"Sounds dramatic, what does it actually do in a fight?"

"It projects a brief shockwave of predatory pressure within six meters, lasting three seconds."

"Three seconds is enough to interrupt a charging beast or break a spell cast."

"Does it freeze them solid?"

"No, it isn’t magical paralysis or mind control, Ruby, it just throws their balance off and ruins their timing."

"And what happens if you glare at something bigger than you?"

"Creatures with equal or higher rank can shrug it off or cut the duration down to a blink."

"Fair enough, no free miracles in this city."

"What about the harvesting rules, Fin? Does the class change how your core interacts with fallen beasts?"

"It sharpens the selection process... called Predator’s Claim."

"Does it give you double drops?"

"No, the existing single-category harvest rule stays exactly as it was, and the paid log fees are unchanged."

"Then what is the point of the name?"

"It prevents core degradation during extraction, keeping the quality clean so the system doesn’t introduce parasitic impurities."

’That was the real value... no dirty resonance bleed like the experimental graft the Chairman’s Hound had suffered from.’

The smell of toasted wheat drifted up from the bowl as Fin took a deliberate spoonful.

"Sounds like the only honest choice for how you actually fight, Fin."

"You agree, Ruby?"

"You never were one for sitting behind a trench, and you don’t have the patience to crouch in bushes for six hours waiting for an ambush."

"I have plenty of patience."

"You tapped your foot forty times while waiting for the kettle to boil, Fin."

"The kettle was taking an unreasonable amount of time, Jolly."

"It took three minutes!"

A quiet laugh escaped Nila’s throat as she poured herself a fresh cup of tea from the pot.

"If you pick the Predator path, Fin, do we get any team buffs or speed auras?"

"None at all, Nila, it is strictly personal combat mechanics."

"No free team healing either?"

"Not a single point of healing, our medical supplies still come out of the operating budget."

"Good, because magic that heals without medicine always makes my skin itch with suspicion."

Fin looked down at the interface hovering beside the rim of his oat bowl and placed his intent upon the selection icon.

[ Confirm Specialization: Predator Pathway? ]

[ Confirming will permanently seal Guardian and Stalker pathways ]

’Confirm.’

[ Specialization Accepted: Predator (Class Certified) ]

[ Unlocked: Predator’s Claim (Passive) ]

[ Unlocked: Apex Gaze (Active, Level 1) ]

[ Attributes Unaltered ]

[ EXP: 0 / 250,000,000 ]

A faint, crisp vibration ran through the tips of his fingers, sharp and cool like touching a block of dry ice, before settling into quiet stillness.

"Did it take?"

"It took."

"Did your hair turn white or your eyes turn yellow?"

"Look at me, Jolly, do I look yellow?"

"You look like Fin, just need to brush your hair."

"I will brush it before we leave for the guild office, don’t worry."

Ruby drained her mug and set it down on the table with a firm, solid clatter.

"Now that your class is locked down and your ribs aren’t whistling, what is our next contract?"

"Maya sent over two certified quarry permits this morning from the municipal remediation board."

"D-rank or C-rank?"

"Official C-rank contracts, licensed for deep quarry sweeps outside the western breakwater."

"The monsters there are D-plus quarry carvers, pack hunters with heavy chitin shells."

"Sounds like a proper testing ground for that three-second glare of yours."

"That is the plan, Ruby... we see how the new rank handles real shell armor before we take on another offshore installation."

"What about our auxiliary gear, Fin?"

"Standard loadout, two flash canisters, three thermal bandages, and five extra mana ampoules for Nila."

"I packed the shock flares in the side pouch, captain."

"Good, make sure the safety pins are wired shut so they don’t pop when you drop into a ditch."

"I haven’t dropped into a ditch since District Four, Fin, and that was because someone left an open sewer grate in the fog."

"It was an educational ditch, Nila."

"Very educational, especially the part where I had to wash my boots in the rain for an hour."

Jolly collected the empty oat bowls, stacking them with a neat, practiced ceramic click.

"Be careful out there, Fin... don’t let the big crabs bite your shins."

"Crabs don’t bite shins, Jolly, they pinch them."

"Then don’t let them pinch you either."

"Deal."