Inside the hilltop mansion, Ethan handed the two Stage D zombie crystal cores to Henry and Sean.
Neither of them hesitated. They took the cores with barely contained excitement.
Without wasting time, they sat down cross-legged on the floor. Everyone else gathered around, eyes full of anticipation, as the two swallowed the cores.
Five minutes later, they opened their eyes—almost at the same time.
"Well? Well? What abilities did you get?" the group crowded in, eager to hear.
Sean stood up, looking a little exasperated. "Now I finally get how lucky Ethan is, being able to choose his ability."
He shook his head. "Inside the core, it's just a mess of glowing dots. No way to tell what does what. It's all luck. And mine? Not great."
"Okay, but what did you get?" Chris pressed.
"Wind-type ability. Basically, it boosts my speed when I activate it."
"Uh… that's it?"
"Yup."
"How much of a boost are we talking?" Ethan asked.
