Grey chose his Mechanical Jaw Frame. Then, without hesitation, he poured all of the streaming bits of lightning trying to fill every crevice of his Neural Frame toward one, singular direction.

It overflowed and Grey felt tingles all across his jaw, his eyes constantly flashing with arcs of lightning again, and again, and then again.

Was it the choice that would give him the most immediate power boost? No. It would not.

However, Grey didn’t feel like he needed the Core Sync upgrade for his Last Paladin Frame right now. It could be said that Last Paladin was already beefed up enough between his Bringer of Light gloves and the Imperial Bloodline he had stolen.

Would he become several times more powerful taking that route? Yes. But then what?

From what Grey could tell, his Mechanical Jaw Frame was a key. It was a potential gateway to fixing the problems he had with his body, he just hadn’t been around it for long enough to unlock all of its secrets.

But if he could, there was a world where his Mechanical Jaw could be the reason all of his Frames hit a completely new ceiling.

Taking a risk like this one right now would be foolish... if he was literally anyone else.

What was the worst case scenario?

He would die.

And then he would come back with a fucking vengeance.

This was the real reason that Grey had made this choice. He had realized that the odds he was stacked up against were far too tall. If he didn’t have Prometheus, his story would have come to an end a long time ago.

The odds he was stacked up against were far too unfair. Sure, the world was unfair by definition. But honestly... it was like the Genesis System was specifically tweaked and formed to screw him over.

The one trump card he had against all the bullshit was coming back continuously. And as long as his soul held up and his willpower still blazed along...

He would keep doing it.

That said...

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Grey opened his mouth and bit down at empty air, the clattering of his teeth sounding like steel clamps stomping together. The connection between his mouth and his belly grew firmer, and he didn’t need to eat anything to know that the efficiency with which he ate and digested things had just touched onto a whole other level.

—

[Ability Detected. Modifying Status Screen]

—

[You have awakened the Body Enhancement Ability {Belly of the Forge} to Level 1]

—

Sparks of lightning arced from the corners of Grey’s mouth and eyes. He instantly reached Active Link, and then soared past to reach Core Sync.

And then, he began to feel it rise.

—

[Body Enhancement Ability {Belly of the Forge} has reached 10% Core Sync]

—

[Body Enhancement Ability {Belly of the Forge} has reached 30% Core Sync]

—

[Body Enhancement Ability {Belly of the Forge} has reached 90% Core Sync]

—

[Body Enhancement Ability {Belly of the Forge} has reached 100% Core Sync]

—

Grey released a growl beside himself and then he looked down at the ground. The bits and pieces of armor were all that was left of the Volthari, but right now...

He was hungry.

The metal shot up from the ground and into his hand. He didn’t hesitate for even a single moment to take a bite out of it.

His teeth ripped through the metal like it was a piece of bread, the resistance small and fleeting.

The chewed pieces dropped into his belly like molten hot iron.

Grey felt like he had taken a seat at a gourmet restaurant, his body flying on cloud nine as he was pumped with potential.

However, his actual strength gain seemed limited, even after he finished eating through the entire thing.

But when he did finish, he stood there, clenching his fists as power rolled through him.

He was patient as he stood. He could feel that something was about to happen, something big, something truly shocking.

It was just taking some time for his belly to finish digesting, and he innately understood that focusing on his stomach right now instead of getting distracted by other things was of the utmost importance.

Time passed by almost too slowly, but because Grey was actively focusing on it...

—

[Lv1 Belly of the Forge > Lv10 Belly of the Forge]

—

[Lv10 Belly of the Forge > Lv20 Belly of the Forge]

—

[Lv20 Belly of the Forge > Lv30 Belly of the Forge]

—

[Lv30 Belly of the Forge > Lv31 Belly of the Forge]

—

Every level up, the digestion accelerated to another level. And for the first time...

Grey felt what it was like to have a Vanguard Class Ability.

And his body thrived on it.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The power exploded and flooded into his veins. Impurities were burned away, the soot, ash, and smoke that was left of them zipping out of his pores without even a foul odor. If anything, Grey felt cleaner now than he ever had before, his body floating on cloud nine.

And yet, the power he should have gained still wasn’t yet there. It was like this was clearing out a path toward power instead of handing it to him.

But then... then it came.

—

[+4,113 Free Stats Awarded]

—

Grey grinned ear to ear. "I’m a fucking genius."

The Free Stats weren’t the best part of this at all. Grey had over 2000 Free Stats sitting in his status screen that he hadn’t used. The reason for that was because the sheer difference he experienced by having his stats integrated into his body by the Last Paladin Trial versus just letting the Genesis System do it was like night and day.

There was a reason that Edmun told him to be patient when using his Free Stats.

But now... he didn’t have to be cautious anymore because his Mechanical Jaw Frame would clear out the path for him.

Now he had over 6000 Free Stats and a body raging with hunger for them.

"Oh this is gonna be good."

—

[Champion "Vengeance of the Ashen Arc" has been slayed by Champion "Udon’s Daddy"]