The system interface bloomed in front of Ishiki, the screen was translucent and platinum hued just as always.

========= Player : ????? ========

Name : Ishiki

Age : 16

Title : [Memory Reaper]

Rank - [Mythical]

Exclusive Skill - [Soul Archive]

Skill Description - [Allows the bearer to chain the very consciousness of the Slain in an eternal collection. The new master can reap the memories within.]

Exclusive Corruption - [Phantom Voice]

Corruption Description - [Listen closely When the Reaper speaks, You may hear the whisper Of everyone they've reaped.]

Synth Reactor Tier - Innate

Level - 10/50

Data Fragments - 180/5,000

Basic Abilities :

Strength : 15/100

Agility : 15/100

Endurance : 15/100

Charisma : 13/100

Protocols : [Recursive Anomaly (Unknown)], [Curse of the Forgotten (Exclusive)]

Attribute : [Half Royalty (Epic)]

Skill Cards : [Ghost Blade (Epic)]

==============================

{Vestiges}

{Relics}

{Shop}

===============================

Ishiki studied the window with a subtle smile tugged at his lips. He was happy with the result, after all he had finally reached level 10.

'About damn time.'

He gained 2 points in all of his stats, not that it made a big difference, but he must be stronger than he was before.

The princess had been at level 16, when she arrived here. And Ishiki had no doubt she had slain many Withering beasts and Demon's alike in the past two months.

He was not too close to the rest of the group. He maintained his distance.

Ishiki preferred staying in the background and receive protection from others.

'That sound's so lazy. But I guess I am lazy.'

Without lingering on it too much, Ishiki focused on the skill [Ghost Blade] and another window describing the skill in details, came in existence.

He didn't bother reading the full description, it was all memorized by now. he just wanted to check the kill counter.

Progress - 22/25

'Hmm... good, just 3 more and it will be level 2.'

He nodded in satisfaction and then moved on and focused on the {Vestiges} option.

The list of his arsenal became visible.

Vestiges - [Aether Blade (Legendary)], [Curved Bone (Rare)] , [Hard Nub (Common)]

Ishiki's all the enthusiasm died right there.

A common rank vestige, the lowest rank. How was this fair? He receives a Vestige after months of hunting, and it turns out to be bottom-tier garbage?

'The System really does hate me specifically.'

Well, whatever. Maybe it possessed some useful ability that compensated for terrible ranking.

'I need to cope harder.'

With increasingly skeptical expression, he focused on the new name.

=================

Vestige - Hard Nub

Type - Artifact

Rank - Common

Adaptability - I

Description - [Remnant of a cursed thing that stalked and killed even as petrification consumed it from within. The body hardens, the soul withers. What use is unbreakable flesh when you can't kneel even in death?]

Abilities -Hardening

Hardening - As long as the artifact is worn, the user's muscles and flesh will harden with each passing second. The effects reset after the artifact is removed.

================

Ishiki stared at the description and the ability for a while. A dark expression was frozen on his face.

"SCREW YOU!"

The shout burst from his throat in an outrage.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I USE SUCH A THING?!"

His new Vestige was useless. Worse than useless—it was actively dangerous.

The system had basically provided warnings about how catastrophically problematic this artifact could become. And what kind of sane person would want to use something that gradually turned them into living statue?

Well, it had some use if used carefully but even a single mistake could change everything. If worn for too long it will turn into a major disadvantage.

Ishiki sighed and called the new artifact. Soon, a very ominous looking metal ring manifested in his hand. It reflected black color from within, whatever that meant.

Examining the ring revealed nothing specific beyond unsettling aesthetic. He dismissed it immediately.

Better yet, he opened the Shop interface and listed the artifact for sale.

Price: 500 NC

Who knew? Some fool might actually buy it. Maybe someone with petrification fetish...

'Not my problem once it sells.'

After that, Ishiki left his cramped room and navigated towards where they usually have a big fire and cook the meat around it.

Producing fire here was not an easy task, but luckily some guy had a vestige that produced flames. Quite convenient, and so they hunted Withered beasts during the Silver night when the Crimson Canopy slept.

And ate cooked monster meat. It wasn't too much different from normal food from earth, some might not even recognize the difference if not for the fact that dinner came from terrible-looking abomination with too many limbs.

Ironic in a terrible way. The golden blooded dinner that tried to have you as dinner just moment ago.

Nonetheless, there was no fire today.

Ishiki walked towards the group of people standing around the cooking site with a frown. He walked to the person standing farthest from the crowd, Filch.

Ishiki was quite acquainted with Filch. As far as social connections went in this settlement, Filch qualified as closest thing to friend Ishiki possessed.

"Hey, Filch. What happened?" He asked, approaching the man with shoulder length, burgundy hair.

Filch slowly turned back and smiled as he looked at Ishiki, he looked a lot older for his age. Maybe because of his unkempt hair, or the exhausted look plastered over his face.

"Ahh... Ishiki, How are you? Today was your turn for the hunt, how did it go?" Filch asked in a low voice.

Ishiki stopped just besides the tall man and sighed. "It, went very well, to say. Anyways, why is the food not ready yet? Did something happen?"

Filch looked down and then replied with a slight disappointment. "Yes... we are out of firewood. The wilderness that surrounded the temple is gone. So, we are looking for ways to open the temple door, maybe we will find something inside."

Ishiki flinched and looked at him in bewilderment.

'Did... did he just say open the GODDAMN TEMPLE?!'

Ishiki, didn't like the idea even one bit, for some reason. Ishiki was against ever touching that forsaken place that looked like it had frozen at a single point in time.

"Goddamnit!"

Without further conversation, Ishiki broke into sprint toward the settlement's center.

He reached the temple within a minute and came to halt just outside the perimeter, where the metal door lay still on the ground.

He gritted his teeth as he saw five people trying to push open the main wooden doors of the temple building.

'Screwed fools...'

He walked inside the walls and towards the door.

Nina greeted him cheerfully as he reached the stairs leading upward. But he didn't pay her any attention, instead he climbed the stairs and stopped just behind the players pushing the door.

"Stop it!"

His voice carried command that surprised even him.

One of the five turned around and frowned, but then a smile appeared on his face. "Oh, so you have come to help, come on help us open it or we will be sleeping hungry tonight."

Ishiki's expression turned to grimaced. Have these fools lost their mind? or have they gone deaf?

"Didn't you hear me? I said STOP!"

This time all of them stopped and turned around, looking at Ishiki with expression ranging from anger to frustration.

'What... what's up with these dumbasses? '

Before situation could de-escalate, one of them grabbed Ishiki's collar with aggressive motion and spun him around forcefully, making his back face the temple doors.

"What... are you doing?"

Ishiki resisted instinctively, but the Player was stronger. The man slammed Ishiki backward into the wooden surface with a jarring impact.

"Who are you to dare tell us what to do and what not, huh?"

The Player's face was inches away.

"You useless freeloader."

Ishiki gritted his teeth. "Who's a useless freeloader? Bastard! I was the one who accepted you all here."

SLAM!

One of the players on the side, punched Ishiki in the gut. "What could have you done?"

"Guys, hey stop! Please don't fight." Nina came rushing up stairs, but was immediately subdued by one of the Players—grabbed and held back while she protested uselessly.

Ishiki just had to hold on for some time, then the princess would come and give these numbskulls a good beating back to their senses.

Another fist slammed into Ishiki's gut and he coughed up violently. Trying to steady himself, he pressed hands against the wooden door for support.

But...

As soon as his palm touched the gates, a window materialized in front of him.

[Unknown Protocol Recursive Anomaly has been activated]

'*Wait.-'

Before he could think anything else, a sudden spark ran through his body to the doors and a blast echoed through the whole clearing throwing the seven people away from the door.

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