[Warning: Soul Resonance Required. Domain Knowledge 'Sloth' Will Be Imprinted.]
Boom!
It felt as if fireworks detonated inside his skull, each burst a violent cascade of light, memory, and meaning. His vision turned white, then bled into a storm of images.
A scholar asleep over burning pages.
A deity watching the world decay without lifting a finger.
A beggar smiling at collapsing kingdoms.
Each image stabbed at his mind, forcing understanding through pain.
A thousand interpretations clawed at him; philosophies, metaphors, contradictions. Sloth was stillness. Surrender. Detachment. A quiet, infinite decay that swallowed all movement.
He screamed, or thought he did. The sound never left his mouth. The knowledge wasn't just entering him; it was rewriting him.
Then, somewhere amid the chaos, a thought resisted.
Another image surfaced: himself, training until his muscles tore, all while asleep at the same time.
Another: himself falling asleep on the field, only to wake in the same position hours later, spear still in hand. Bloodshot eyes staring at another warcall that refused to end.
The next vision struck—of a king doing nothing as his people starved. But Ashen's mind countered with another: him weaving dreams to train while asleep, body and spirit refusing to waste even rest. His version of sloth wasn't mere neglect... it was endurance through stillness.
More images came.
A soldier laying down his sword.
Ashen standing motionless under rain, his body in Trance, completing the task he'd set long before, his consciousness gone, but his will still moving.
The system's flood grew heavier, trying to drown him in apathy. But his soul twisted the concept and defied it. '...Sloth isn't surrender. It's the strength to endure motionlessness. The power to act without acting.'
The paradox rooted itself deeper. The visions and his memories began to merge.
The sleeping scholar became him meditating mid-battle; the beggar turned into him in a Trance, completing what others deemed impossible. Each layer of meaning clashed and fused until there was no distinction between divine stillness and relentless drive.
By the time the final surge faded, he was trembling. The agony ebbed into a profound calm that didn't feel quite like peace, but more of… control.
"Ha-haha..."
A breathless laugh involuntarily left his mouth. He'd always had this uneasy thought that Sloth wasn't actually suited for him, despite the absurdly high compatibility.
And he was right to think so. After all, his actions since he chose the concept were anything but slothful. He sometimes thought to himself that he was more suitable for Diligence than anything else.
He felt that his way of advancing was underhanded, and what he feared most was that sooner or later, he would run out of tricks to advance.
But Ashen understood now: to embody Sloth wasn't to give in. It was to resist movement until movement obeyed you.
[Soul Resistance Check: Passed.]
[Personal Interpretation: Accepted. Standard Imprint Overridden.]
And as the last flicker of pain dissolved, his eyes opened, and for once, they were empty of madness. Instead, a peacefulness seemed to settle.
[You have taken another Step toward Ascension. Congratulations!]
[You are now a Step 6, Idle Chronicler.]
[...]
[Witness. Do not act...]
"Finally..." Ashen didn't feel anything significant yet, but he was sure that, in the coming days, his transformation would start manifesting itself.
His eyes momentarily drifted to the final note. "Witness and not act...?" He asked, but his voice echoed without answer.
He was sure Seraphine didn't get anything of the sort when she advanced, but could only keep the statement at the back of his mind until it made more sense.
For now, he had something more tangible to look forward to.
'Status.'
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Name/Arrival date: Ashen Hart - 2025/02/11
Sex/Age: Male/26
Height/Weight: 191 cm / 88 kg
Current condition:Medium circuit permanent damage
Pathway: 6th Step: Idle Chronicier.
Thema: Bellator
Affiliation: Atlas Defense/Bloodwall Army/Wrath Domain.
Title: None
[2. Traits]
—Forged Willpower
—Observant
—Liminal Dreamer
[3. Physical Level]
Strength: E | Endurance: E+ | Agility: E+
Perception: D+ | Stamina: D- | Mana: F+
[4. Abilities]
4.1 Innate Powers:
—Beholder's Eyes
—Twin souls
—Equivalent Exchange (0)
4.2 Path Skills:
—Lucid Dreamweaving (Skilled-)
—Trance (Skilled-)
—Somatic Autonomy (Entry-)
—Vital Drift (Entry-)
4.3 Other skills:
—Spear Thrust (Skilled+)
—Spear Slash (Basic+)
—Spear Parry (Basic+)
—Heartforge Cycle (Basic+)
—Grafted fighting style (Skilled-)
—Clean (Skilled-)
[5. Cognitive Depth (Thoughts, Mindset, Disposition)]
— Vigilant / Indomitable / Determined
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"Hmm, Somatic Autonomy and Vital Drift are the new additions... Let's see what they do..."
Ashen decided to check the skills' descriptions since he found himself clueless from just reading the names.
==============================
Somatic Autonomy
A passive evolution of the body's natural adaptive capacity, Somatic Autonomy allows the host's physical and cognitive systems to adjust instinctively to their intentions, environment, and actions.
The body does not replace effort but enhances it, amplifying output, efficiency, and endurance relative to the host's chosen activity. Muscles, organs, and neural pathways adapt in real-time to support execution, reduce strain, and optimize results. Environmental demands, hazards, and resource allocation are also automatically accounted for.
Traits:
Adaptive Amplification – Physical and cognitive actions are enhanced, allowing the host to perform with greater efficiency and reduced expenditure of energy.
Integrated Optimization – Body and mind are aligned to support the host's desired self-image and performance goals, facilitating both endurance and precision.
Automatic Resource Management – The body allocates nutrients, energy, and recovery processes to maximize overall function without conscious effort.
"As an Idle Chronicler, why expend unnecessary effort when the body itself can adapt to serve your will?"
==============================
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Vital Drift
A passive evolutionary power that grants the host the ability to maintain, restore, and optimize vitality automatically.
Muscles repair, injuries heal, and energy reserves replenish according to the host's state of activity.
Recovery efficiency is inversely proportional to exertion: the more idle the host, the faster and more complete the restoration; conversely, active movement or strenuous effort diminishes the passive effect. Vital Drift functions continuously, even during rest, sleep, or Trance states, ensuring the host remains physically capable and resilient over time.
Traits:
Passive Restoration – The host's body repairs and replenishes itself without conscious intervention.
Efficiency of Idleness – Recovery is accelerated by inactivity and decelerated by physical and mental exertion, embodying the principle of Sloth through controlled passivity.
Continuous Vitality Management – Energy, stamina, and bodily health are monitored and adjusted automatically for optimal long-term function.
"As an Idle Chronicler, why waste effort maintaining vitality when the body can sustain itself?"
==============================
Ashen's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he read the first skill's explanation.
"W-what...? Is this real?" Rubbing his eyes, closing and reopening the status window didn't change anything. It only cemented that what he was seeing was real.
"So, do I have some kind of smart body now? How convenient..." He whistled.
It was absurdly surreal. His body would now have a brain of its own, capable of making decisions and running things more efficiently than he ever could.
The second skill didn't sound as flashy, but its nature caught his attention. Healing was always welcome, especially for someone who treated his own body like disposable equipment.
He noted the drawback immediately: the more he moved, the less it healed him.
Still, he couldn't help but grin. "Heh... I can work around that."
He already had an idea. His Daydream state, half-asleep, half-awake, put most of his body to rest even while fighting.
If he could synchronize that with Vital Drift, then the limitation could become its greatest strength. In battle, his body could sustain itself while he fought, endlessly restoring itself through stillness amidst motion.
Ashen tried his damndest not to jump and scream in delight as it dawned on him how busted these two skills were.
He knew that unless he tested them extensively himself, he wouldn't know how good they truly were. Besides, the skills' mastery level was currently at its lowest: Entry-. So Ashen doubted they'd be truly impactful anytime soon.
Still, the grin that kept slowly stitching across his face didn't seem to be abating anytime soon.
'...Now, I'm almost thankful for my high compatibility with Sloth... Almost.'