Global Awakening: Infinite Gift Pack System-Chapter 163: Jonas’ Talent

Kai explained to the group what he had basically done to the enemies over the past few days...

Well, it was quite simple... He had spent days thinning the patrols. He was striking them silently in specific areas surrounding the base, where he wouldn’t get targeted by a larger force.

Now, with their numbers dwindling, the time had come.

The A.I. base, with its fields tended by enslaved humans, was still standing, but its defenses were weaker than ever.

"This is it," Kai muttered as he looked over his map. "One last push."

He looked at his team.... Atom, Claire, Mei, and Jonas.

Jonas still looked nervous, so he approached him and patted his shoulder.

"We will be needing your Iron Stomach Talent later on..."

Jonas finally smiled when Kai patted his shoulder.

The nervousness that had been weighing on him eased a little.

He remembered the times he had explained his Talent to Kai, and how ridiculous it had sounded at first.

[ Iron Stomach (Superior): You can consume and digest non‑food items, and slightly improve satiety. Consume item will be converted into temporary buffs depending on their material, composition, or symbolic value.

Each consumed item grants a unique effect. Buff duration varies depending on its quality and is up to 24 hours maximum only.

Activation costs 20 Spirit Points per item consumed. You cannot gain multiple buffs from the same item type within 24 hours, and consuming an item larger than your body mass will fail. ]

It wasn’t flashy like Claire’s wealth‑driven abilities, nor destructive like Alfie’s combat skills. But it was his, and over time, he had learned that it could be surprisingly useful.

He thought back to the first time he had tested it.

The shelter, Haven-15, had been short on food, and Jonas had been desperate.

He picked up a rusted pipe lying in the rubble, half‑joking to himself that if his Talent really worked, maybe he could chew it down.

To his shock, the system accepted it.

The taste was awful, metallic and bitter, but once he swallowed, a notification appeared...

[ Buff Gained: Rusted Endurance ]

[ +5% resistance to physical damage for 30 minutes. ]

It wasn’t much, but it was real. That was the first time he realized his Talent could turn trash into strength!

Later, he experimented with an empty energy core scavenged from a broken Sentinel... It was heavy, with only faint residual charge.

He forced it down, gagging at the acrid taste of burnt core and digested it...

Then, the system chimed again:

[ Buff Gained: Static Charge ]

[ Minor shock damage added to melee attacks for 10 minutes. ]

He remembered swinging his hammer afterward and watching electricity fly with each strike. It had been clumsy, but effective!

Then there was the time he swallowed a revolver. It had taken him hours to break it down into pieces small enough to chew, but he was determined. The result was worth it:

[ Buff Gained: Gunmetal Focus ]

[ +10% accuracy with ranged weapons for 20 minutes. ]

It was a really fun ability. So after he had it for several days without having to worry about food, he was able to list out the items he must eat to gain specific buffs...

Still, Jonas had laughed at the absurdity of his talent. Eating a gun to shoot straighter... it sounded like a bad joke, but it worked.

Nonetheless, not all of his experiments were combat‑related. Once, he picked up a smooth stone from the riverbank. It was harmless, ordinary, but he wanted to see what would happen.

[ Buff Gained: Stone Calm ]

[ +10% resistance to fear effects for 1 hour. ]

That buff had saved him during a night raid when Sentinels tried to overwhelm them... It happened in the first wave of the Mech Siege Event in Haven-15...

While others were starting to panic, Jonas was able to calmly hide and follow Terrence at that time.

Regardless, the strangest one had been a book.

He had chewed through the pages, gagging on the dry paper and ink, but the system rewarded him:

[ Buff Gained: Knowledge Spark ]

[+5% experience gain for 24 hours. ]

An increased experience gain was too precious, and that was probably the only reason why he was able to keep up with Terrence at that time.

Unfortunately, not every book granted a reward. Some provided no effect at all.

At the very least, he was able to use it for some time...

Then, as he got into Haven-45, he shared what he learned about his Talent with Kai!

Jonas smiled wider as he recalled these moments.

Each item had given him something different, sometimes small, sometimes a surprisingly powerful buff...

His Talent was quite unpredictable, but it was versatile. After all, he had also learned to see opportunity in things others dismissed as junk.

Now, standing with Kai’s team, he wondered what Kai would ask him to eat this time.

The mission ahead was dangerous, and they were about to strike the A.I. base that enslaved humans in its fields.

The machines would surely fight back, and this could become a bloody battle...

’I wonder what he’s thinking...’ Jonas thought.

If Kai gave him a weapon part, maybe he could gain extra strength or precision. If it were a Sentinel’s filled energy core, perhaps he could channel shock damage again.

If it was something stranger like a circuit board, a drone lens, or even a piece of armor... who knew what kind of buff it might unlock?

He even imagined swallowing a shard of Sentinel armor and gaining resistance against their rifles.

Or chewing down a Hound’s sensor and suddenly being able to see heat signatures. The possibilities made him a little excited...

Jonas clenched his fists. "I’ll be ready," he whispered to himself.

Soon, Kai and his team arrived at the vicinity of the A.I. base.

From their vantage point, the fields were visible, dotted with exhausted humans forced to labor under the watchful eyes of Sentinels.

The towers and automated turrets could also be seen in the distance...

He then crouched and laid out the simple map he made.

"Though I thinned their numbers, the base itself is still dangerous. We can’t just storm in blindly." He tapped the section of the map where the main gate was marked.

"This is our entry point."

He then turned to Mei. "Mei... I need your help opening that gate. I don’t want to destroy it if possible. Do you think that’s possible?"