Global Awakening: Infinite Gift Pack System-Chapter 79: The Lone Leader

Kai sat quietly in his assigned room on the second floor of the main building.

Outside, Atom stood guard, with its visor glowing faintly as it monitored the corridor.

By now, everyone in the base had learned of Atom’s presence. Shock had spread quickly, but Kai had calmed them by demonstrating how the Sentinel followed his every command without fail.

Now, alone, Kai finally decided to consume the vial of Prime Gene Enhancement Serum.

[ Prime Gene Enhancement Serum: A rare genetic resource. Permanently increases base stats upon consumption. Small chance of awakening a Gene Skill. ]

It was an item that he looted from Alex. The latter probably didn’t consume it as he reached the consumption limit and had to wait for several days. Unfortunately for him, it was now his treasure.

Thankfully, Kai had nothing to worry about. His passive gene skill, Bio Adaptive Constitution, ensured he could absorb enhancements without risk of overdose or rejection.

Kai lifted the vial, took a cautious sip, and checked the taste.

[ Prime Enhancement Serum Consumed ]

[ +1,800 Experience Points ]

[ Permanent Stat Increase: Health +90, Spirit +9 ]

It was nice...

Encouraged by the result, Kai consumed the rest of the vial in one go. Immediately, a flood of notifications filled his vision.

[ Prime Enhancement Serum Consumed ]

...

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ New Gene Skill Awakened! ]

[ You have leveled up! ]

...

[ You have leveled up! ]

[ New Gene Skill Awakened! ]

"What?! Level 15?! Wait... Did I just get two gene skills?!" Kai’s heart raced. Not only had he reached Level 15 far faster than expected, but he had also awakened two new Gene Skills...

What was even more exciting was the fact that one was passive, and one was an active skill! 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Without hesitation, he quickly checked the new skills!

[ New Passive Gene Skill Activated! ]

[ Skill: Battle Trance (Level 0) ]

[ Description: When Health drops to 5% or below, the user automatically enters a combat trance. In this state, attack power and defense are greatly increased, pain response is suppressed, and survival instincts are heightened. ]

[ Note: Passive skills cannot be deactivated. Leveling requires Gene Skill Points. ]

"This is nice!" Kai muttered as he saw the Battle Trance. Though he didn’t want to be in a position where he had to resort to this method, it was still nice to know that he had a trump card.

Anyway, Kai checked the next Gene Skill...

"It’s really an active skill..."

[ Skill: Spirit Pulse (Level 0) ]

[ Description: Releases a controlled burst of Spirit Energy that can hit a target within a short radius. Consumes Spirit upon activation.

Activation Cost: 100 SP ]

[ Note: Active skills can be manually triggered. Leveling requires Gene Skill Points. ]

Kai’s eyes widened. Finally, an active skill!

It was super expensive, but it was something he could use directly in combat, not just rely on passive boosts. He clenched his fist, excitement surging through him.

He quickly opened his status screen to confirm the changes.

[ Name: Kai ]

[ Title: Survivor, Pioneer, Siege Breaker ]

[ Level: 15 ]

[ Health: 1,200/1,200 ]

[ Spirit: 190/190 ]

[ Physique Rating: D ]

[ Talent: Infinite Gift Pack (SSS) ]

[ Active Skills: Spirit Pulse Lv0 ]

[ Passive Skills: Keen Sense Lv3, Bio Adaptive Constitution Lv3, Fortune’s Favor Lv0 ]

[ Skill Points: 5 ]

Kai exhaled slowly, a grin spreading across his face. "Finally... it looks good now."

***

In the meantime, Arjun sat in the dim shelter of Haven‑19, he was actually very excited right now.

He had just reached Level 9, and soon he would break through to Level 10. That meant entry into the Leaderboard, the system’s public ranking that displayed the strongest survivors across the continent.

For days, only one name had been listed there... Kai.

It was depressing, almost humiliating, that no one else had managed to qualify. Arjun dreamed of seeing his own name beside Kai’s, proof that Haven‑19 had produced someone worthy.

Every night before sleeping, he checked the leaderboard for inspiration. Tonight was no different. He opened the system interface, expecting to see the same lonely entry.

But what he saw made his breath catch.

[ Leaderboard ]

1. Kai - Level 15

Arjun’s eyes widened. "H‑how?!"

He had expected Kai to still be Level 10, maybe 11 at most. But Level 15? That was absurd. Too fast! It was just too unfair.

At this point, he had no idea if someone was just messing with his mind.

Meanwhile, in Haven‑11, Mei also checked the leaderboard. She had known someone with the name Kai back on Earth, before the apocalypse selection.

When she saw his name glowing at the top, her chest tightened.

"Kai... is it really you?" she whispered.

She hoped desperately that this was the same Kai she remembered, the one who had laughed with her, the one who was always so reliable!

If it was him, then maybe there was still hope. Maybe she wasn’t alone in this nightmare.

***

Across the continent, reactions exploded. Survivors in scattered shelters stared at the leaderboard in disbelief.

"Level 15?! Already?!"

"This is broken! How can one person rise that fast?"

"It’s unfair... we’re struggling just to reach Level 5, and he’s already at 15!"

Some felt awe, while others felt jealousy, and many simply despaired at the sight. The gap between Kai and everyone else was starting to get too wide. Right now, he wasn’t just ahead, he was untouchable.

At this point, they could only guess what kind of situation he was in.

Some believed Kai had discovered hidden resources, perhaps a secret vault or ancient ruins filled with rare items. Others guessed he had awakened a unique Talent that allowed him to level up faster, something absurd like double experience, or even triple.

A few of them even feared that Kai had allied with the AI army itself. How else could someone rise so quickly in a world where every battle against machines was a desperate struggle?

In Haven‑7, a group of survivors really wanted to find Kai. "No one should be able to climb that fast!"

In Haven‑12, a young fighter stared at the glowing name with clenched teeth. "Kai... whoever you are, I’ll catch up. I refuse to be left behind."

Meanwhile, others simply gave up hope. "If one man is already Level 15 while we’re stuck at Level 4 or 5... what chance do we have? The leaderboard is a joke."

But no matter the speculation, one fact was undeniable...

Kai was the only name on the leaderboard. And now, he was Level 15.

Ding!

Suddenly, as everyone was thinking that they should work harder to level up faster, a system notification appeared!

[ Global Event is Back! ]