Global Awakening: Infinite Gift Pack System-Chapter 65: Operation Blackout ( Part 4 )

Claire immediately sat against the damp wall of the sewer as she tried to catch her breath.

’I’m alive...’ she thought. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

She also noticed that they were already safe, and only the remains of Sentinels surrounded them.

Their mechanical bodies lay scattered across the tunnel floor. It seemed the group had already looted them as well, stripping their weapons and parts before gathering around her.

"Claire... That wasn’t Physical Strengthening. What the hell was that?" Ralph muttered.

Before she could answer, Wallace jumped in, unable to contain his excitement.

"That was so cool! You’re like a gladiator! I think that cost you something, right? How many Spirit Points do you need to use that? Can you use it again?"

The others surrounded her with their faces filled with curiosity. Yet their expressions weren’t marked by anger or betrayal for keeping her real ability a secret.

After all, they had seen her save Terrence, and that was enough for them.

No one really cared that she had hidden her Talent. As a matter of fact, it also suited her explanation that her Talent was related to Physical Strength.

They just hadn’t imagined it could reach such terrifying levels.

Anyway, they couldn’t help but feel curious about what else she was hiding.

Claire lowered her head as she felt guilty. "I... I lied. My Talent isn’t what I told you before."

Terrence, who had only heard from Wallace that her Talent was Physical Strengthening, curiously asked. "Then what is it? Ahem... If we can ask you."

Seeing her hesitation, Kai also stepped closer and patted her shoulder.

"Don’t force yourself. You don’t owe us an explanation right now."

Of course, Kai said this to guilt‑trip her a little, pushing her toward revealing the truth instead. Thankfully, it worked.

Claire shook her head firmly. "No. I need to say it. You all deserve to know. It’s called Fifth Sin. Epic rank."

The group exchanged glances, stunned by the name and rank of the Talent.

Kai’s eyes lit up. It was better than he had expected.

’Perfect...’

"Epic? That’s... way beyond what you said before."

Claire nodded slowly. "I just didn’t want to make it seem like I wanted to hoard food or money. My Talent helps me grow stronger as I accumulate wealth like food, weapons, and resources. But there’s more. I can let the spirit of the Fifth Seen possess me. That’s what you saw just now. It gives me super strength, but every time I use it, I lose permanent health points..."

Silence followed as they processed the information.

Terrence couldn’t help but frown at the price she had to pay. "You mean... you’re burning away your own life just to fight like that?"

Claire sighed and nodded. "Yes. And I didn’t want anyone to know. I thought... if I kept it hidden, I wouldn’t be tempted to use it. But tonight, I had no choice."

Kai studied her carefully. His Keen Senses picked up the strain in her voice and the fatigue in her body.

He finally spoke. "Then you’ll get priority for the next Gene Serums we find. That’s my promise. If you’re sacrificing your health for us, we’ll make sure you recover as much as possible."

Claire’s eyes widened slightly. "Kai... thank you."

Kai nodded at this, since if she grew stronger, it would also benefit him. But he was curious about one thing.

"Fifth Sin... Isn’t that Greed?"

Claire lowered her gaze. She had already thought of this before, but she never dwelled on it. "Yes... I suppose it does match. The more I hoard, the stronger I become. Food, weapons, valuables... it all feeds into the Talent."

The others exchanged uneasy glances.

Wallace scratched the back of his neck and muttered...

"Greed... huh. That actually makes sense. I mean, it explains why your strength skyrockets when you’ve got resources stacked up."

Now, Terrence also realized how good this Talent was.

"If there’s a Fifth Sin, then... what about the others? First Sin, Second Sin, all the way to Seventh? There must be more Epic Talent holders out there."

"Seven deadly sins, huh..." Ralph muttered.

The group fell silent for a moment, each imagining the possibilities. The idea of seven Epic‑grade Talents tied to sins was both fascinating and unsettling.

Claire sighed, as she had also thought about this before.

"I didn’t want to be defined by that word. Greed... However, it saved us today."

Kai gave a thumbs up and nodded.

"Names don’t matter. What matters is how you use it. You didn’t hoard for yourself anyway... You even saved us all. I can also help you with that Talent of yours and make you even stronger... You can be our best fighter, you know?"

Wallace chuckled, unable to hide a little jealousy. It couldn’t be denied that Claire’s Talent was incredible.

"I hope that the one using Wrath will not be our enemy..."

Kai laughed and shook his head.

"We’ll think about that later. For now, let’s take care of these things... We can’t let them go to waste."

As he said this, he gestured at the remains of the Sentinels, including the plasma rifles in their possession.

The group nodded. They began stripping the Sentinels’ bodies and collecting anything useful. Even damaged armor plates were pried off, stacked, and carried. Nothing was left behind.

They planned to return to Haven‑45 after this.

After all, the Sentinels wouldn’t just run out of power in a day or two. Even if the generator was gone, Kai believed that those older generations or D‑Grade Sentinels could still function for several days.

"Alright! Let’s get to work. I’m sure those guys in Haven‑45 are worried," Ralph said, knowing that Victor and the others were just praying for their safe return.

***

In the meantime, while the survivors regrouped in the sewer, the machines in the A.I. Base outside continued their programmed routines.

The generator was gone, and a huge part of the area was consumed by fire. Yet the Sentinels did not abandon the base!

After they put out the fire and cleaned the area, they actually stayed around. It was as if there was no protocol for retreat, no command to abandon the compound!