Chapter 24 – Experimentation (Part 2)
Zane's ears rang painfully as he was hurled to the ground, rolling several feet away from the explosion's origin.
"Agh!!" he shrieked, his body convulsing from the shock. "That hurts!" he groaned, clutching his side and coughing violently. Slowly, he forced his eyes open, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The blast had come out of nowhere, catching him completely off guard. He had merely opened his eyes to check on the ball—how could he have known it would explode the very next second?
'That was deliberate! It had to be deliberate!' he thought, gritting his teeth and peeking at the spot where the energy had landed.
But the sight that greeted him made his entire body go still.
A wide hole, nearly 30 inches across and a few inches deep, had been carved cleanly into the floor. The pen was nowhere to be seen... It had been completely pulverized.
"..."
For a whole minute, Zane just sat there in stunned silence, his eyes locked onto the crater. His lips parted, but no words came out. Eventually, his expression snapped back to life.
"What… what the hell?!" he shouted, jumping to his feet and rushing toward the crater. "Oh no! No, no, no! Why did it make such a huge crater?! The energy ball was literally the size of a pea! How did it make such an explosion?! I'm so screwed!"
He had expected some kind of explosion, sure—but nothing this massive. His face turned pale as the consequences sank in.
'I can't pay for this! They'll kill me! They'll definitely kill me!' Frantically, he ran his fingers through his hair. "Man, why did I even do this? I'm so stupid."
He collapsed back onto the floor and let out a long sigh. "Though…" he mumbled, glancing at his hand, "for such a small ball of energy to cause that kind of damage… this is insanely strong. I can't even imagine what would've happened if I threw the larger ball. Nuking the entire apartment would've been very possible."
A chill crept down his spine. For the first time since awakening his powers, Zane truly grasped just how dangerous this was. This wasn't some game. This wasn't a cool party trick. These powers were not just beyond him—they were lethal.
'If I hadn't hesitated just now… I could've killed someone. Maybe worse.' He clenched his fists tightly, eyes narrowing as he looked at the floating system box. 'This power… It's too abnormal, even by the highest standards. The system itself is an incredibly dangerous weapon.'
His mind buzzed with conflicting emotions. "This is just the beginning," he muttered, "and I already feel like I'm a walking weapon of mass destruction. The Core Energy you gave me is seriously ridiculous, system."
The floating box said nothing, as always, hovering silently in the air. But somehow, its presence felt heavier—more ominous—than before. As if it was telling him 'Your power is only going to be more and more destructive the stronger you get.'
A suffocating silence took over the entire room, making Zane purse his lips. Eventually, he shook his head and brought himself back to reality.
"Okay… lesson learned. Don't use this energy inside your house," he said with a deep breath. "I'll just focus on channeling it and forming shapes in my hand. That shouldn't cause any explosions."
With that, he picked up the potato again.
"Let's try the main thing. My Core Stigma," he said, tossing the potato up a few times in his hand. "If the energy alone can be that destructive… then what is my actual ability capable of?"
Just thinking about it made his throat dry. He instinctively gulped.
'DNA Manipulation… I don't even want to imagine what that could do.'
Still, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. 'It'll be fine. It'll only affect the potato, so nothing bad should happen… probably.'
Focusing all his thoughts, Zane centered his mind on the name of the ability: DNA Manipulation.
A moment later, he felt his energy begin to stir—but it wasn't the smooth flow he was used to. Instead, it started shifting direction wildly, spiraling chaotically through his body.
Panic flared in his chest. 'Am I losing control?!' He nearly opened his eyes out of reflex. But just as he reached the brink, he felt the energy suddenly lurch—shooting straight into his hand.
The hand holding the potato.
The energy wrapped around it instantly, enveloping the vegetable in a gentle, glowing purple aura.
And then… something changed.
His consciousness shifted. He wasn't looking at the potato anymore—he wasn't even seeing the real world. In his mind's eye, a tiny white dot appeared. Distant. Isolated. Yet… strangely connected to him.
Then the dot became two. Then three. Then ten. Then a hundred.
What's… happening? Zane watched the vision unfold, both fascinated and unnerved.
Before long, his entire mental space was covered in glowing white dots, sparkling like stars scattered across a night sky. In seconds, Zane found himself surrounded by them—immersed in a galaxy of light.
"..."
He stood there silently, eyes wide in quiet awe. A strange warmth filled his chest. Somewhere deep inside, he knew what these were.
'The code of life… All these stars… they're the potato's DNA!'
He wasn't sure how he knew it—he just did. And the dots responded as if confirming his conclusion, glimmering gently at his recognition.
"These are the particles that define every part of the potato… its shape, size, taste, even texture," he whispered.
The realization shook him.
To think something so plain, so ordinary, held such a vast, intricate world inside it. It was stunning. Beautiful, even.
Then, curiosity stirred inside him like a spark. 'Can I touch one of them?'
Compelled by that question, he felt his body float gently forward through the void. One star loomed closer than the others, glowing softly.
Zane reached out. His hand extended, his finger poised.
He touched it.
Instantly, the star shattered like fragile glass.
He didn't even have time to gasp.
A flood of information rushed into his mind—overwhelming, rapid, and disorienting.
"What's happening?!" he cried, clutching his head as the knowledge surged through him like a wave.
Staggering slightly, he tried to focus through the torrent. And then, like a puzzle snapping into place, it clicked.
'I… I know how a potato tastes! I can taste it in my mouth!'
It wasn't a vague memory. It wasn't guesswork. He knew, with total certainty, how this potato would taste. So clearly that he could practically feel the texture on his tongue.
The surge of information finally eased, and Zane let out a long, shaky breath.
'Did breaking that star let me understand the potato more?' He wondered. 'It felt like my brain was just force-fed an entire book on it…'
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. He looked at the potato still resting in his hand.
"But… did breaking that star change anything?"