Three creatures emerged from the fog, and it was the Beast Festival. The three of them growled, a tone that Ophieus recalled but didn't pay attention as he felt more information appearing in his mind.
All while the Beast Festival approached.
Ten feet.
Five Feet.
Three feet.
And then instantly he felt he could move once more.
Just as the lead Beast Festival lunged—
But Ophieus stepped back, leading to the beast crashing into the tree. The trunk imploded with a wet crack, and gray dust erupted from the side. The Beast Festival recoiled but a sword plunged through its head and he ripped it off.
Once more he felt that familiar warm feeling through him as the pain in his chest faded.
[+0.5% Magic Essence absorbed]
A faint warmth spread through his veins.
It was a faint rush of energy but similar to before he felt himself get a bit stronger. He forgot how addictive devouring magic could be.
[+2 Knowledge Absorbed]
And then for a split second, he felt like he was looking through the beast's eyes. And then the knowledge of how it's attacked and weak points clicked inside of him.
Then it was gone.
But the understanding remained.
He stood slowly watching numbers and words flashed in his vision. The two beasts watched him from five feet back and paused. He then glanced at them, making them flinch and rushed away as he raised his sword.
"Good instincts," Ophieus said before glancing at his stats.
He noticed the stats were low but strangely enough they weren't white.
"...So even at my weakest, I've already stepped beyond normal. Are they green because of me or did the original owner have a strange body?"
[It's because of you, Master Ophieus.]
It meant something about what he actually was but he didn't have enough information yet to understand what.
"Do you know the cause? Or will you tell me I'm too weak to know."
The Silver Key didn't respond for five seconds.
[I don't know the cause… All I know is the gap between expected output and actual output cannot be explained by current system parameters.]
"Are you saying something about me contributing to the values and you can't identify it?"
[Yes.]
'Could it have been because I was a high-level Pathfinder before?'
"Does this also have to do with why you're not stable?"
[It has to do with your Syncronization, Master. Originally it should have been a 100% but something about you is making it difficult and requiring time to do so.]
"Which means you will be unstable and can't reveal your full functions, till then?"
[Correct.]
"What's above Boundless?"
[I don't have clearance to answer that.]
"Does she?"
Silence descended for a couple seconds.
[Yes.]
The Silver Key had clearance restrictions. A Relic sent specifically to help him could not show him the top two tiers of the ranking system it was using to measure him. But this also made him wonder, did others before reach those locked levels.
Or was this an opportunity for him to be the first?
Ophieus nodded and said, "Alright tell me what you can't explain on the screen."
[I cannot explain Vessel, Synchronization, and Perception]
"Interesting…" He muttered before looking at the Crest and was a bit surprised. It's the manifestation of a person's desire combined with the magic to produce a unique power. Like a person who desires power and control over others may awaken the power of lightning.
But Deathless Warriors didn't have a Crest because they gave it up in exchange for an extremely strong physical body and breaking rules of death.
"When I killed those wolves, I also gained knowledge when I devoured their magic… was that also a perk from you?"
[Correct, Master. With my help, you devour not just its magic but its based knowledge.]
"And the silver ball is its complete one?"
[That silver light is the same. It only appears when a big enough abomination has been killed at once. They will fuse together and form into one big sphere.]
"Oh? Not bad but it does make me sound like a monster that devours until I'm strong enough to know the truth."
[That is one interpretation. I prefer a record-keeper collecting what the fog tries to erase.]
Ophieus silver eyes slightly narrowed before nodding. "Then why don't I feel stronger after gaining those 18 knowledge? Compared to when I just killed the Abominations."
[Unlike the monsters own, the ones you have can be considered raw knowledge. You need to either wait till you reach the 1,000 requirement to break into Unity. Or you can use them to raise your Individual parameters.]
"Oh? So the raw knowledge can make this body become something useful."
[It can but master. I suggest waiting until you unlock your Crest.]
"Is it because my Crest will give me a boost?"
[Correct. Normally since all Pathfinders before their Crest awaken are in the White and in the limits of humanity. When they do awaken their Crest, their stats jump to green.]
Ophieus nodded, already thinking of ways to awaken his Crest. Instead of using an awakening stone, he could force his Crest open by being put close to death. When one is close to death, their true values will be revealed and their Crest will awaken.
Ophieus instantly paused when he felt the air changed around them.
The screen flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then warped, not in a visually way but structurally like something had change.
[Reward Pending]
The words stabilized—
Then rewrote themselves.
But the screen recoiled.
Because something deeper than him had just awakened.
[Warning: Function Acting Independently]
Ophieus's smile slowly widened.
"…That's new."
[Do you wish to receive it?]
Ophieus didn't hesitate. "But of course."
Silence fell.
Before then he felt something inside this body respond. His hand moved but it wasn't by command or intention, and his sword tilted slowly toward a certain part of the forest.
Toward where the two dark knights had fled.
Ophieus's eyes narrowed slightly. "…I didn't decide that."
[Synchronization: 10% → 15.00%]
"Even my body will also become unstable when this rise…"