Exactly 10 minutes passed before he opened his eyes, feeling a newfound sense of profound clarity wash over his mind.
"My consciousness has expanded
..it’s fifty percent larger than its previous size. Not too shabby."
’System, how much of an improvement will I gain if I digest another one of these thing?’
[ The diminishing returns are terrible, Host. Your body would only be able to absorb half of the efficacy compared to the first dose... ]
’Is my affinity really that awful? What is the absorption percentage of a normally talented individual?’
[ A normally talented individual can consume at least two more doses before the effectiveness begins to drop. ]
’...’
Urek didn’t even bother voicing his complaints aloud.
Its truly hopeless; his baseline talent was so exceptionally shitty that he would apparently need to devour an entire mountain of rare treasures just to move an inch forward.
’Is this baseline strictly because of my fate?
[ Yes. You are fundamentally cursed, so your physical vessel’s natural talent doesn’t matter. Your fate is actively sucking everything dry...it is not that your talent is naturally garbage, but rather that it is being suppressed by your role as a doomed villain.]
’So that’s the trick... Now I finally understand why the antagonists in other web novels spend a hundred years training in seclusion, only to get effortlessly obliterated by the power of friendship.’
Urek sighed, realizing the reality of his predetermined destiny was like a wrecking ball smashing straight into his face.
His sheet didn’t even bother displaying a value; it was simply written into the system as an inevitable death.
’Another question, System.’
[ Ask whatever you desire... ]
’If I successfully alter my destiny to a normal baseline, will this parasitic suction force disappear?’
[ Yes and no... ]
’Okay, please elaborate on that vague answer.’
[ As of right now, the color of your clover is black. ]
’Great... please don’t start reminding me of that famous series.’
[ .... ]
A long pause stretched between them before the system’s text interface popped up again.
[ There are currently eight distinct colors for a soul’s fate clover. The clover itself represents an entity’s fate, while the specific hue signifies its rarity and strength... ]
’Hmm, go on.’
[ The tiers are categorized as: Black, White, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Gold, Crystal, and finally, a prismatic combination of all hues. ]
[ The black signifies a doomed existence. Those who bear it have already been entirely forfeited to the cruelest laws and scripts of the world...and that is your exact situation. ]
’Understood. That part makes perfect sense.’
[ In order for you to reclaim your suppressed talent, you must plunder the destiny of others, precisely as you accomplished earlier this evening. ]
’So that fifty-point fate bonus I siphoned from Wenya... Well, that tracks.’ Urek analyzed every piece of information the system provided.
[ To answer your original question: you must continuously drain and steal fate from individuals tied to the hero, particularly the protagonist’s close inner circle and his future heroines. For your inherent talent to permanently stabilize, you must elevate your clover to the Gold clover. Only then can you fully exert your true potential without penalty. ]
’So that’s the catch. Any temporary stat buffs are completely useless or negligible as long as my clover remains lower than Gold clover.’
Urek picked himself up.
Even though their mental exchange felt lengthy, only a few seconds had actually ticked by in reality.
"Now, let’s get to work... The quest’s time limit might be a full week, but I have no intention of sitting around waiting for the clock to run out."
Urek sprinted and dove off the edge of the high-rise ledge.
As usual, he wanted to test out one of those effortlessly cool aura-farming entry tropes...and leaping dramatically from a skyscraper was right at the top of the list.
Fwoshhh... BAM!
"Ugh, fuck me sidewards, that hurts..."
Well... too bad. It was a total, painful failure.
....
"Boss!!! Boss!!!" the rat-faced thug screamed as he tore through the dim corridors of the syndicate’s underground hideout.
He didn’t care about the bewildered glares of the guards as he blitzed past them, drooling slightly from sheer exhaustion, huffing and puffing like an absolute madman.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Dammit... what the hell do you want, Rat?! I’m plowing right now! Do not interrupt me!" a booming voice roared from the other side of the heavy door.
"B-boss! Forget about plowing right now! I had a terrifying night!"
"Hah... let me finish first! Stopping midway causes a stomach ache, you know?!" the man growled from within.
He was right on the verge of exploding when the thug’s panicked voice had shattered his focus, causing his momentum to completely recede.
"B-but Boss! This is life-or-death information... I don’t want to die tonight!"
"Shit! Ohhn!! Ohnn!! Just give me a damn second... Uhnn!"
’Shit... why the hell are you moaning like you are the one getting plowed?!’ the Rat thought, biting his nails raw as pure panic drilled holes into his sanity.
He felt an eerie sensation, as if an invisible pair of eyes were boring into his back at this very microsecond.
The horrifying shivers he had experienced in the alleyway returned, crawling up his spine like icy centipedes.
"Ughnn!! Ah... ah... fwohhh! What do you want?! Your timing is absolutely garbage, Rat! Right when things were finally getting fierce, you barge in like a literal rodent!"
The syndicate leader finally swung the door open, buck-naked and visibly infuriated by the terrible interruption.
"Uhh... Boss, why is there something white dripping down your thighs?"
"Fuck! don’t look at that! Oh—I mean, that’s my own!"
"Then... why is it flowing from your backside, Boss?"
"You piece of shit rat, just spill whatever you came to say!" The boss snapped, his face flushing with irritation at the never-ending questions.
It was perfectly normal for a workout to end like that... right?
"Y-yes! BOSS, you have to save me! I encountered a literal demon on my way home after winning a massive sum at the arena! He wanted to slaughter me!"