It didn't take Kirish long to make his decision. The moment the System finished describing the unique traits of each reward, his mind was already made up.
Shadow Stealth wasn't a particularly special or irreplaceable technique; he could easily purchase something similar from the System store later on.
Besides, he had no intention of wasting one of his two precious elemental slots on a lesser, restrictive shadow element.
As for the second option—the Lightning Hound—Kirish wasn't particularly fond of dogs.
Moreover, the hound was locked at Level 2, which was the exact same level he had just achieved on his own.
Even if it possessed the rare Thunder element, it didn't hold much appeal for him.
That left the tiny insect. While its overall baseline stats were completely useless, its solitary unique skill was incredibly interesting and tailored perfectly to his needs.
'I choose the Ant,' Kirish declared internally.
The moment his choice was finalized, a sharp, crystalline light erupted from the System interface and shot directly into his chest before vanishing.
A sudden, piercing pang of pain flared near his heart, but it subsided into a normal state just a second later.
'System, what the hell was that?' Kirish questioned, rubbing his chest.
["Since you lack practical experience in these matters, Owner, I suggest you take a look inside your Qi Orbit first. You will find a significant alteration there,"]
the System replied calmly.
Recalling the method, Kirish closed his eyes and sank his consciousness deep into his internal Qi Orbit.
There, revolving around a massive, golden star that resembled a scorching sun, he saw two planet-like celestial bodies orbiting in perfect synchronization.
One of them was a vibrant blue sphere, radiating a brilliant, intense light.
The other star, sitting much closer to his central energy core, glowed with a striking, metallic silver-golden luminescence.
This was his newly integrated first element—Summoning.
The System had automatically configured and balanced the entire matrix for him, sparing him the agonizing labor of taming a contract from scratch, aside from that brief flash of pain.
This level of absolute efficiency made Kirish realize just how much terrifying control the System held over his body.
It could fundamentally alter his biology or obliterate him whenever it pleased. Shaking off the chilling thought for now, Kirish pushed the anxiety aside and focused on his next tactical move.
["Owner, you still possess one vacant elemental slot remaining,"] the System chimed. ["Have you formulated a strategic plan for it?"]
Before looking for a new element, Kirish wanted to test the latent capabilities of his newly acquired companion.
The moment he concentrated on the silver-golden orbit, a synchronized dual status window flashed in his field of vision.
[Companion Beast: Down-To-Earth Ant]
Base Strength: 2 Stat Points.
Innate Attribute: Extends 50 times its own base strength capacity (Total Effective Physical Output: 100 Points).
Weakness: Extreme vulnerability to mental and psychological attacks. Excessive weight loading beyond threshold risks immediate cranial collapse.
Innate Skill: [Exchange] (Absolute Execution — Owner retains 100% operational command).
Kirish knew exactly what he needed to do. He had analyzed the behavior of insects enough to know how to channel this trait.
His immediate target was to secure exactly thirty percent of the Ant's structural body strength.
'Initiate Exchange. Thirty percent threshold,' Kirish commanded.
The crimson gears of the skill began to grind, and the sudden physical feedback hit him like a runaway train.
His bones didn't simply fracture; they felt as if they were turning into molten lava, liquifying from the inside out.
His muscle fibers began to violently contract and harden into dense, braided cords, while his body fat percentage rapidly dissolved into nothingness.
The sheer, unadulterated agony of the cellular reconstruction tore him right off the hospital bed.
He crashed heavily onto the floor.
Refusing to let out a weak scream that would alert the entire ward, Kirish desperately grabbed the hospital pillow, stuffing it into his mouth and biting down with maximum force to swallow his cries.
His raw, transforming jaw strength was so immense that the heavy fabric and feathers of the pillow were violently shredded into tatters.
He rolled across the cold floor in silent torture for several grueling minutes until the structural calibration finally came to a halt.
Kirish slowly pushed himself up from the ground, his chest heaving.
He felt like a battered ox that had been brutally beaten and worked to the bone in a vicious arena.
Bracing his hands against the bed, Kirish examined his reflection in the glass window.
He was completely stunned.
His muscle density had compressed to such an extreme degree that his skin felt entirely unyielding to the touch, packed tight with lean power.
A perfectly chiseled six-pack defined his midsection, and his jawline had sharpened into a razor-sharp, lethal contour.
His frame was lean, yet visually wider and more imposing, with a slight, structural adjustment to his overall height.
He felt exponentially stronger than before.
As his status window updated, he saw his base strength multiplier—which previously sat at a meager six times that of an ordinary human—had skyrocketed to a staggering eighteen times thanks to the thirty percent body exchange with the Ant.
Twisting his torso to look at himself from all angles, Kirish let the tattered hospital robe slide off his shoulders.
His physique was taut, dense, and packed with defined muscles at every junction.
The faint, silver stretch marks from his rapid growth spurt remained etched across his skin, giving him a distinct, dangerous, 'bad-boy' aesthetic.
Adjusting his posture, Kirish smirked internally. He noticed that the System remained entirely silent, refusing to volunteer any information until explicitly prompted.
Kirish knew the greedy machine had expected him to ask about cultivation, fully intending to mock him because the side effects of the previous pills were supposed to keep his energy permanently halved.
But with this total physical restructuring, his previous biological weaknesses had been entirely wiped clean.
Not only could he cultivate normally now, but he could also endure high-intensity training for extended periods without fatigue.
Having fully shed his weakness, Kirish requested a formal meeting with the attending physician to sign his discharge papers.
The doctor walked in and stood frozen, staring at Kirish in absolute disbelief.
He was utterly baffled by how rapidly the young man had recovered, and the sudden, dramatic physical transformation that had occurred in a matter of hours left him completely speechless.
"Mr. Kirish... physically speaking, you are completely cleared and in perfect health," the doctor stated, clearing his throat as he adjusted his glasses.
"However, due to the protocol surrounding your admission, I must consult with your designated temporary guardian before I can officially authorize your release."
Kirish had a very solid hunch about who that guardian might be, but he decided to play dumb.
"Could you clarify who exactly is listed as my temporary guardian?"
A nervous, helpless smile broke across the doctor's face. Rising from his chair, he raised a hand.
"Give me just a single moment. Let me contact them directly first."
Right in front of Kirish, the doctor dialed a secure military frequency.
"Sir? Yes, the patient is asking for your identity... Yes, yes, sir, I understand. Also, sir, he is requesting an immediate discharge. I have personally conducted a thorough examination, and his vitals are entirely stable. He is in pristine health!"
Hanging up the call, the doctor let out a breath and wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead before sitting back down.
"To answer your question, Captain Arjun Khanna—the officer who personally brought you to this facility—has registered himself as your temporary guardian. In fact, while you were unconscious over the past week, he dropped by once or twice to check on your recovery status."
Kirish's hypothesis was spot on.
Thanking the physician, he requested to borrow the doctor's mobile phone to make a quick external call. He suddenly remembered that he didn't have any spare clothes at the hospital.
Dialing Kevin's number, Kirish instructed him to head over to his rented apartment and retrieve his belongings—specifically his old casual clothes and his official first-year College Uniform, a mandatory dress code that all freshmen were legally required to wear throughout their inaugural year.
True to his word, Kevin arrived at the hospital a short while later, carrying the uniform garment bag.
When Kirish mentioned that today would be his official first day stepping onto the campus, Kevin eagerly insisted on driving him.
"Senior, let me drop you off at the gates! It'll be much faster," Kevin insisted.
Realizing that taking a ride would significantly cut down his commute and ensure he wasn't late, Kirish didn't overthink it and nodded in agreement.
While Kevin stepped aside to make a quick phone call, Kirish unzipped the garment bag and changed into the uniform.
The attire was styled like a pristine, high-collared white-feather military uniform, tailored perfectly to fit an elite student.
When Kirish stepped out into the hospital corridor, the visual impact was staggering.
Coupled with his newly acquired height, razor jawline, and radiant, flawless complexion, he looked like an absolute walking disaster for anyone's peace of mind.
He was breathtakingly handsome.
Kevin hung up his phone, turned around, and completely lost his words. His eyes went wide as saucers. "Senior Kirish... holy crap, you look insanely handsome today!"
Kirish entirely ignored the compliment, turning his head away.
It wasn't because he was arrogant or conceited; rather, he was completely unaccustomed to receiving such direct praise, and if he listened to it any longer, he would probably die of embarrassment.
He managed to shut Kevin down with a cold glare, but as they walked out of the facility, the way the passing nurses, patients, and ordinary citizens turned their heads to gawk at him made one thing painfully clear.
With these new, otherworldly looks, he was going to walk straight into a mountain of troublesome attention the moment he set foot in college.
[To Be Continued...]