Morning

James Lone woke from his sleep. The past two days had taken a toll on him physically and mentally, and even with a physique of 90, he felt slight fatigue. After a long, restful sleep, he was fully recharged. The side effects of exerting a 500% power burst had also mostly dissipated. Feeling refreshed, he stood and checked the system notifications from the night before:

Ding! 1 day ago, Winnie Morgan consumed a pack of bread, refunding 1,000 packs! Stored in the personal space.Ding! 2 days ago, Winnie Morgan consumed a Snickers bar, refunding 1,000 bars! Stored in the personal space.Ding! 3 days ago, Winnie Morgan consumed a box of milk, refunding 1,000 boxes! Stored in the personal space....Ding! 15 days ago, Winnie Morgan consumed one Enlightenment Fruit - Water Condensation, refunding 1,000 fruits! Stored in the personal space....

Enlightenment Fruit (Water Condensation): 1-Star. Consuming grants the ability to condense water. Repeated consumption of the same fruit can potentially increase its star level.

James Lone took out a Water Condensation fruit and ate it.

Water Condensation: 1-Star. You can extract moisture from your surroundings and condense it into water.

He immediately noticed a new fruit appearing on the Tree of Myriad Abilities. There were now eight fruits, each corresponding to an ability.

"Sigh, so they're not the Seven Dwarfs after all," James Lone thought with slight disappointment.

He raised his hand.

Water Condensation!

A small ball of water gradually appeared in his palm, suspended about 5 centimeters above it, growing larger by the second. After about thirty seconds, he had condensed enough water to fill a 500ml bottle. The stamina consumption was minimal, barely noticeable even with his physique. James imagined that for Winnie Morgan, it would be like running 200 to 300 meters—not too taxing.

Contemplating the floating water ball in his hand, James wondered, "Why does this water ball float? Is this water manipulation by will?"

Releasing his hold, the water ball fell, spilling through his fingers and onto the floor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't regain control over it with his mind.

He realized, "So the water I initially create can be controlled, but once I release it, I can't control it anymore."

What's so different about the water he condenses versus regular water? James pondered, unable to find an answer. After closely observing another water ball with his perception, he still found nothing unusual— the water seemed like ordinary, pure water.

He decided to let it go for now and downed a few more Water Condensation fruits.

As expected, it wasn't until the 15th fruit that his Water Condensation ability reached 2-stars.

Ding! Water Condensation upgraded to 2-stars; condensation speed has increased.

"Seems like my adaptability to Water Condensation fruits is less than Perception fruits, but better than Physique Enhancement fruits," James noted.

Testing his condensation speed, he indeed found it much faster. Now, it took about 10 seconds to produce the same amount of water. "I'll never run out of water again."

Satisfied, James continued consuming Water Condensation fruits. After eating over 60 of them, he finally reached 3-stars.

Ding! Water Condensation upgraded to 3-stars; condensation speed has increased; condensation range extended to 1 meter.

"Hmm?" James was pleasantly surprised.

The range had increased too? Testing immediately, he found it took only about 3 seconds to condense a bottle's worth of water, and the water ball could float up to a meter away from him. Though, as before, once he released it, he couldn't control it anymore.

James, however, mused over additional uses—like generating a water ball under an enemy's nose in close combat. The idea was humorous and fascinating.

Though, for actual combat, 1 meter wasn't quite enough, and the condensation speed was too slow. In rapid hand-to-hand fighting, opponent positions change quickly, making this useful only under specific conditions.

James tried seeing if he could condense water directly in Winnie Morgan's nasal passage. It turned out he could, but the stamina cost was staggering. Condensing less than 1ml left him nearly exhausted.

Concluding, he realized condensing within a body substantially increased energy exertion.

Attempting to condense water in her alveoli was swiftly abandoned, foreseeing he'd pass out before making a difference. Such methods proved ineffective unless his physical power was overwhelmingly superior—and then, brute force would be simpler and more efficient.

"Keep eating!" Encouraged, he ate up to the point of nausea, finally greeted by a system prompt:

Ding! Water Condensation upgraded to 4-stars; you can expend more stamina to increase condensation speed; condensation range extended to 5 meters.

Power and distance both increased.

James, delighted, noted, "I lack many things, but stamina isn't one of them!"

And being able to condense from 5 meters away?

He moved to the window and focused all his effort:

Condensation!

A head-sized water ball manifested instantly outside the window.

The rapid manifestation could catch opponents off guard almost instantly. Such a large ball could be used offensively, suffocating and blinding briefly.

But, the speed came at a substantial physical toll—even James with his physique felt drained, taking several seconds to recover. For Winnie, it'd result in unconsciousness.

Notably, the ability penetrated barriers to form water.

James chuckled.

Combined with his Perception, creating water through walls became a potent ambush tactic.

His first elemental attack method was a promising supplement to his arsenal, albeit appearing rather mundane.

Observing, he found water condensation drew from environmental moisture, tightly linked to the surrounding humidity. The more he condensed, the drier the air became, increasing the effort needed as it went on. Near bodies of water, the speed might surpass anything he's done yet.

Meanwhile, in the Forest

An elite team, fully armed, pushed through the dense woodland.

Leading were a man and a woman, both soldiers.

The man was immensely strong, standing at least 1.9 meters tall. Covered head-to-toe in shimmering silver armor, he wielded a massive axe to clear their path.

The woman was slender, donning a sleek black military outfit, with a handgun at her waist. She held a thin rope, connecting a string of metallic platforms behind her. Each platform, about 2 meters long and a meter wide, was laden with heavy weaponry and supplies. Although appearing weighty, they floated eerily, and the woman effortlessly tugged them along.

Seated on one of these platforms was an elderly scholar with gray hair and several assistants. Flanking the convoy, ten heavily armed soldiers protected their progress.

The rope-toting woman's breathing grew labored, eventually raising a hand, pale, "Colonel Hughes, I need a break."

The armor-clad man, named Edgar Hughes, halted, his armor morphing like liquid to reveal a rugged, tanned face. Concerned but constrained, he issued, "Everyone, ten-minute break! Team 2, stand guard!"

The soldiers swiftly complied, five of them forming a protective perimeter.

Other soldiers clustered the metallic caravan, forming a circle with the woman and scholar at its center.

As the woman let the rope slacken, the platforms settled heavily, pressing deep marks into the ground.

Relieved, she sat on one of the platforms, catching her breath.

Shortly, a giant bat appeared from behind, transforming into an unassuming soldier once it landed. Edgar Hughes offered him a cigarette with a smile, "Here, Dayan, take one and relax a bit."

Dayan grinned, "Thanks, Colonel Hughes."

The people on the platforms dismounted to stretch, eat, and rest. Edgar, meanwhile, drank some water and returned to securing their perimeter, face masked once more in armor.

The gray-haired scholar passed a water bottle to the woman, "Major Barnes, thanks to you and Colonel Hughes, we're alive."

Sofie Barnes accepted the water, gravely responding, "Academician William, no need to thank me. I'm just following orders."

Hector William shook his head, "Doesn't diminish the fact Hughes and Barnes risked everything to extract me from the Oceanic Institute. I'm at a loss for how to express my gratitude."

Barnes reiterated sincerely, "I'm a soldier, and you're our nation's pillar—a leading biological expert in New York State. The resolution of the violet mist event hinges entirely on you. Truly, our lives are of little consequence."

"The violet mist..." Hector William sighed, scanning the surroundings, "I'm none the wiser even now. The lengths gone to save me—I can't shake the guilt."

After resting, the team prepared to press on.

Hughes repeatedly consulted a map, trying to determine their location through the dense purple mist. Pointing in a direction, he stated, "We won't reach the New York Pearl TV Tower tonight. We'll have to find somewhere to rest and should arrive by midday tomorrow. We'll contact the base, and they'll send an extraction team. Let's push another kilometer, and we'll rest."

Barnes grasped the rope, the floats bobbing to life as the convoy resumed its march.