Solo Cultivating in Superhero Academy
Chapter 53: Scary passive

Chapter 53: Scary passive

As the last message finished processing, Elius’s eyes locked onto a shimmering golden icon that gently pulsed with celestial light.

It wasn’t red like the curse notifications, nor green like the cultivation buffs. No, this was a different kind of glow. Calmer. More regal.

New Passive Ability Acquired: [Solarion Drive]

He squinted as the screen unfolded, showing layers of fine detail written in a luminous script that curled and twisted like solar flares captured mid-dance.

[Solarion Drive] — Passive Ability (Hybrid Evolution):

A unique hybrid response system born from the intertwining of Solarion Pride and Human Adrenal Response.

The Solarion race possesses an ancestral pride embedded in their very genes, compelling them to never retreat when challenged, and to elevate themselves above all threats. Combined with the Human Race’s evolutionary adrenaline surge — a biochemical trigger for physical and psychological enhancement under threat — this power has evolved into a volatile but devastating system.

Effect:

When the host is under extreme mental pressure, physical threat, or psychological instability (rage, humiliation, fear, desperation), the Solarion Drive may activate. The effects are random but extremely powerful, including but not limited to:

— Temporary power surges (Qi and physical strength multiplied)

— Immunity to pain and debuffs

— Mental clarity or berserker wrath

— Instant breakthroughs or overclocked martial techniques

Warning: The host may disregard personal safety, ignore strategic judgment, and pursue objectives with reckless abandon.

This state is not invincible and may result in death if not managed. The stronger the emotional trigger, the more unpredictable the Drive becomes.

The only counter to loss of control is Mind Cultivation.

Elius didn’t move. He just stared at the words for several long seconds, mind racing.

So that’s what it was. That moment during his fight with Lava Scissor. That utter detachment. That surge of unstoppable rage. The refusal to die. The refusal to care about the Earth’s safety. His body had moved on instinct, drawn not from some planned technique or battle tactic but from an ancient, primal command:

Win. Survive. Kill.

He’d felt unstoppable.

He also hadn’t cared if he’d died doing it.

"That’s dangerous..." he whispered to himself. His throat felt tight again. Not with fear this time, but with dawning realization. He had a ticking bomb in his veins. A gift of power, yes. But also a curse of its own.

He suddenly remembered Keith—his brother in this world, the golden child of the comic world, the one who was supposed to be the real protagonist.

Elius had read the arcs.

Keith had awakened Solarion Drive in Volume 23, during the War of Seven Moons. He had fought like a literal sun avatar—flames erupting from every pore, strikes faster than sound, light flashing with each breath.

And then... he had nearly burned their mother alive by accident.

Keith had gone mad. Unconscious rage. Blinding pride. No strategy. No concern.

The only reason Keith survived was because he was trained by an Esper when it comes to Mental Fortitude, channeling the mind like a still lake amidst storms.

Elius took a breath, then let out a dry laugh.

"Ha... Mind training, huh? I guess I’ve got an advantage there, don’t I?" he muttered.

He was a cultivator now.

He could train his mind. Meditation, soul-discipline, internal cleansing arts... That was textbook foundation stuff. He wouldn’t let this power eat him alive. It would serve him. Not the other way around.

"Still... scary as hell."

He shook his head, coughing once, and then chuckled to himself.

"Welp. Time to go."

He closed the system screen with a mental swipe and turned back toward his room. His tray of food sat half-finished, toast going cold.

Without hesitation, he sat down and began wolfing it down like a man who hadn’t eaten in days. His appetite had roared back.

He devoured the remaining eggs, gulped down the juice, and licked the buttery crumbs from his fingers.

As he stood, the door opened.

His mother, Shannon, peeked in with her usual towel slung over one shoulder, eyes scanning the now-clean plate.

"You’re... up and moving already?" she asked, blinking.

"Yeah," Elius said, grabbing his bag. "I’m going to school."

"But your father said—" she began.

"He said I should rest. And I did. I’m fine now," Elius interrupted, slinging the bag over his shoulder with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

Shannon frowned softly. "You sure?"

"I’m sure," he said, opening the door to the hall.

His mother stood in the hallway, arms folded. "Your dad won’t be back for three days. Said you did something to the world he needed to fix."

Elius paused.

The core of the Earth.

Lava Scissor’s death must’ve caused something to destabilize. His father, Radiant Man, had probably flown into the mantle to clean it up with whatever tech or god-tier superpowers the Solarion Empire had provided him.

"Alright," Elius muttered.

With that, he turned, waved half-heartedly, and stepped out the front door.

"Be safe," Shannon called after him. But she sighed, it feels like her son still couldn’t accept that his father is the number one superhero Radiant Man.

"I will," he replied without looking back.

The morning wind greeted him, cool and light. The sky was mostly clear, but a faint haze lingered toward the eastern horizon — a sign of a breached dimensional rift being sealed overnight. The smell of ozone still tingled in the air.

Elius stepped toward the bus stop and stood silently, arms folded, eyes scanning the distant roads.

He wasn’t going to stay idle.

Not with this curse. Not with these buffs.

He’d train.

He’d cultivate.

He’d dive into dungeons like a man possessed.

But not just any dungeons.

No fire. No earth.

He chuckled to himself, eyes glinting with cunning.

He’d take wind, ice, shadow, even toxic gas dungeons if needed. Anything but fire and earth zones, lest he accidentally trip the wrong alarm and bring a Herald of Flame crashing down on his head.

And as for gaining fire or earth abilities?

He had a plan for that too.

He’d just recruit sidekicks with elemental abilities.

Let them be the conduit. Let the system recognize their powers. He’d inherit the buffs, train the techniques, and keep the benefits — without ever entering enemy territory.

It was a loophole.

A dangerous one.

But a smart one.

He wasn’t about to let his curse be his weakness.

He would turn it into a training arc.

"Cultivate, cultivate, cultivate," Elius muttered like a mantra. "I’ve got no time for games. I need to level up. Fast."

He checked his internal system again. Qi capacity was rising. His foundation was stabilizing from last night’s breakthrough. The sidekick bonds were still dormant, but he could rebuild those. He would.

Elius looked up as he heard the dimensional vibration.

The ground trembled faintly.

A shimmer appeared in the air.

With a phasing hum and a flicker of color, the dimensional bus blinked into view once more, hovering slightly above the ground. Its faintly cracked windshield shimmered with protective energy fields. He could already see silhouettes of other students inside — some chatting, others quiet.

Hisssshhhkk—

The door began to open with that familiar electronic hiss.

Elius adjusted his bag, narrowed his eyes, and stepped forward.

It was time.