[DING! YOU HAVE LEVELED UP!]
Remedy dropped to his knees.
His shoulders trembled. His free hand came up to cover his eyes. When he pulled it away, his lashes were wet and glistening.
"Finally..." he whispered, his voice cracking. "Finally, I too... can evolve."
He was smiling. He loved it—this intoxicating sensation of leveling up that he was finally experiencing.
But... his smile wasn't entirely sincere.
Then, he stood up. Mechanically.
His gaze shifted toward the monster corpses on the ground. The smile vanished, replaced by his usual neutral mask.
He sheathed his daggers, then pushed forward.
He lunged. His foot pushed off the ground faster than anticipated—he adjusted his trajectory mid-air. His dagger found the monster's throat before his mind could even finish thinking the movement.
He continued to eliminate the monsters one by one, his body flashing with light at intervals. He was fully testing this leveling experience, squeezing every drop of it out.
As if he were terrified that none of this was real.
After some time, he had cleared the entire dungeon. His level rose all the way to Level 6, with 50% experience toward the next level.
He turned around. The same anomaly persisted.
When a Player kills a monster, the body dissolves, leaving behind experience and loot. So why weren't the corpses of the monsters he killed disappearing? And where was this experience coming from?
These questions swirled in his head. Then:
[The Host did not take the time to listen to all the explanations.]
Do you know the reason, Ely?
[The reason you did not initially receive the system is because you were cast aside.]
Cast aside? Isn't that the case for everyone who doesn't have a System?
[Not quite... Having the system is merely an authorization to evolve. With a strong enough will, anyone can receive this authorization. And you, Host, have willpower to spare.]
Then why didn't I receive it?
[Because you are considered... an anomaly that the world does not want to see evolve. Because it cannot evaluate you.]
The truth hit Remedy like a physical blow. Brutally.
Despite this, his face remained calm.
Is it linked to my powers?
[Yes. But the world still knows nothing of your real powers. If it did, you wouldn't be a mere anomaly; you would be an error. And given your current strength, you would have already been "corrected."]
Remedy walked over and sat on a rock.
I see... Is that why you sealed my primary powers?
[You could say that...]
And now that I can evolve without its consent, does that mean I've broken the rules?
[Yes... and the world will turn against you.]
A truly sincere smile, this time, spread across Remedy's lips.
"To think that something good was happening to me... I thought it was a bad dream. But in the end, it wasn't."
Alright. So what do I do now?
[Since the Host has already broken the rules, reality will track you down based on your growth. I recommend you continue to violate the rules to grow, for there is no point in attempting to grow honestly—the consequences will be the same.]
Yes, that makes sense, if the consequences are based on my level. Alright. Explain it to me.
[Reality is sum of all manifestation Laws. Everything in this world is a reality. Reach a tier and steal the structure of a specific Law. Kill, and the realities of the dead will rightfully belond to you. Devour their reality to reclaim Manifestation Points (MP). Thus, you will be able to manifest your stolen Laws into any target (under certain conditions).]
[WARNING: every theft will be accompanied by a curse.]
[Do you wish to accept this Class?]
Is it the only path?
[Yes.]
Remedy exhaled.
Let's do it.
[CHOICE CONFIRMED. SECONDARY CLASS SELECTED: SCOURGE OF REALITY.]
Scourge of Reality?
Then, his secondary class and its skills updated on Remedy's interface.
═══ STATUS WINDOW ═══
Name: Remedy
Lineage: Human
Tier: 0 — Ordinary Human
Level: 6
EXP: 50% (To next level)
Health: 100%
Energies:
• Mana: 100%
═══ CLASS ═══
• Primary Path: Sealed
• Secondary Path: Scourge of Reality
═══ SKILLS ═══
• Secondary Path: Steal, Manifest, Bind, Devour
═══ INNATE TALENTS ═══
• ???
═══════════════════════════
[YOU ARE AT TIER 0. DO YOU WISH TO PROCEED WITH A STRUCTURE THEFT?]
Yes.
[STRUCTURE THEFT IN PROGRESS... (THE STOLEN STRUCTURE WILL BE RANDOM)]
[LIMITATION: ONLY ONE STRUCTURE THEFT IS PERMITTED PER TIER.]
[THEFT COMPLETE. YOU HAVE STOLEN THE STRUCTURE OF THE LAW: THE WEIGHT OF A FEATHER.]
Immediately, a flood of knowledge poured into his mind. An alignment of unknown runes etched themselves into his brain.
[EXPLANATION: THIS IS THE LAW THAT CAUSES A FEATHER TO POSSESS ITS EXACT WEIGHT.]
Remedy took his water bottle and took a few sips. Then:
Manifest.
He activated the skill. His mana dropped: 100% ➔ 80%.
He felt that portion of his mana turn into a sort of ink, etching the exact same runes from his head onto a metaphysical page, right below another alignment of characters—likely the law of the bottle's weight.
Even though he could only sense their presence, he knew it worked.
So this is how manifestation into a target's reality works?
[THE MANIFESTATION LEVEL OF THE "WEIGHT OF A FEATHER" LAW IS 1, EQUAL TO THE TARGET'S LEVEL. MANIFESTATION SUCCESSFUL. WARNING: IF THE MANIFESTATION LEVEL IS LOWER THAN THE TARGET'S LEVEL, MANIFESTATION WILL FAIL.]
[USE MP TO INCREASE THE LEVEL OF YOUR MANIFESTATIONS.]
Bind to me.
He felt himself tethered to the manifestation. Instantly, the weight of the water bottle in his hand vanished, becoming impossibly light. He tossed it in the air. He couldn't feel its usual heft.
Then, tossing it again:
Bind to gravity.
The bottle hovered in the air, levitating. It drifted down very slowly, the air pushing it from left to right, exactly like a falling feather.
Then, his manifestation vanished from the metaphysical page, and the bottle dropped back into his hand.
[THE DURATION OF THE MANIFESTATION (10 SECONDS) HAS EXPIRED. THE MANIFESTATION HAS VANISHED. WARNING: MANIFESTATIONS PERFORMED WITH MANA ARE TEMPORARY AND WILL DISAPPEAR AFTER THE DURATION. DURATION DEPENDS ON THE AMOUNT OF MANA INVESTED.]
[FOR PERMANENT MANIFESTATIONS, PLEASE USE MP.]
[NOTE: BINDING CONSUMES NO RESOURCES.]
Remedy stood up and stretched.
[DING! YOU ARE BEING PUNISHED FOR YOUR CRIMES. THE WORLD HAS CURSED YOU.]
[CURSE 1: DURING ANY CONFRONTATION, ALL STATS OF YOUR OPPONENTS WILL BE MULTIPLIED BY 2.]
He stared at the message. For a single second, his fingers tightened white-knuckled around his daggers. Then he exhaled slowly, and his hands relaxed.
He packed his things and turned toward the exit.
Devour...
The monster corpses vanished. But unlike before, the particles didn't dissipate into the air. They migrated toward Remedy's shadow, which swallowed them whole.
MP: 18,000.
Tell me, Ely...
[Yes?]
What are gold coins?
[They are rewards attributed to players by reality.]
Then why doesn't reality reward me?
[Because you are the anomaly reality wants to eliminate. You only receive curses from it.]
And why is that?
[Because you are... the Scourge of reality.]
He stepped out of the dungeon and tilted his head toward the sun, which was still high in the sky.
"The Scourge of Reality, huh?!"
He threw on his cloak and resumed his walk.
Tell me, Ely...
[Yes?]
Don't you think it's cold?
[The sun is still shining in the sky.]
"Is it really?" he asked with a forced smile on his face.
Then, a cloud of icy mist escaped his mouth.
"But it's freezing, though..."
Then he walked away, leaving those words floating, cold, under the burning heat of the sun.
End of Chapter 4