"What's a cheat?"
I ask with genuine confusion.
Meanwhile my glare met with Shalvaveesha once more, although I couldn't see her eyes or face in the literal sense, I felt as if she was giving me a deadpan look.
My statement only becomes generally more evident as she responds to my question as such.
"Really Author-sama, you can't be serious."
I look at her intently was the term cheat really a word that was used a lot in my old world honestly, I wouldn't know, if anything I have always been something akin to realist, I didn't waste my times behind a television, nor a computer, I read modern day books, classical one as well my favorite story is the legend of king Arthur.
And the closes things to Japanese genre or sub-genre I have read so far is basically their historical event and also folklore, for example things like the legend of Yokai, or the periods when dragon use to exist in the world.
So as a way to respond back to her, I did it the only way I knew how, which was been honest, there was no need to lie to her, if I didn't know something then I didn't know it's as simple that.
"Please forgive me for been bias to the word cheat, I honestly don't know, if you can kindly explain that would be much appreciated."
I said while bowing my head slightly to show some consideration and respect towards her.
And after a slight moment of silence, I could hear a quiet sigh and a whisper, but thanks to my supernatural senses, my sense of hearing has been enhanced as well.
As I clearly heard her say.
"Sigh... what a hopeless man you are."
A fair argument but I know what I know, it's not like I could do anything about it, but I'm willing to learn about the things that I don't know.
"Ok Author-sama, let this generous me explain to you what a cheat is."
I lift my head up, ready to learn what a cheat is and how I can utilize it, so I can use it to my advantage.
"A cheat is basically what the word implies itself, it unfair, it makes no sense, its hax, in short something unfair to others but useful to you, now put that same context to a skill what do you get?"
It didn't take me long to understand where the conversation was going or what she was trying to imply, as I answer her immediately after she ask the question.
"An unfair skill that benefit me but it's unfair to others."
"Absolutely correct, with that said you know what going to happen next."
"Yes, you're going to give me a cheat like skill."
"Most definitely."
"I see what skill are you going give me, I'm guessing it's relating to death."
"Yes, death related skill is the only skills I'm capable of giving to you, since I specialize in killing things, but a head up, I can only give you a single cheat, reason be I'm literally giving you a portion of my power hence fort the skill I'm giving you can no longer be reattained on my end as it comes directly from my skill tree in a whole."
Upon hearing this my eyes flinch in shocked reason be Shalvaveesha was literally giving me a skill that comes directly from her skill tree, meaning I was soon going to possess one of the abilities of the Goddess of death herself, and permanently at that.
"I see very well then, so how do we do this."
Shalvaveesha then walk in front of me as she stoops down to my level, and place her right index finger on my head.
Was she going to give me directly?
Was what I began to thought, but that possibility was soon ruled out as she start explaining her motive and what she was doing.
"Author what I am going to do is something called an inheritance ritual, basically I'm going to hit your source with mines, by doing that it creates a phenomenon known as the wonders path phenomenon, basically it makes the receiving side take a glimpse into the soul realm of the giver, from there you will see my inner realm and skill tree, on that tree, I will allow you to pick a single fruit that contain a single skill of mine."
And right after you pick a fruit, instantly eat it to inherit the skill, and by eating it, you will be sent back here so we can decide what weapon you want me to create for you.
"I see you can also create weapons that's interesting."
"Fufu! I might not look it, but I'm the third greatest black smith to exist in this world."
"I see that interesting."
"Well anyways prepare for realm jump."
Right after Shalvaveesha said those words a redlight suddenly flash and I passed out, and the last words I heard was the words of someone who was genuinely shock, of course it was from Shalvaveesha as she spoke in a tone that was different from her usual melancholic way.
"W-W-What in the world is going on, what kind of source is this, the mere force it possesses alone is already on par with Elderbriant, could it be a pri...
But before I could even finish hearing what she had said, I fell unconscious as my tired body drop to the floor.
"Haaa... where am I?"
I look around me, and I find myself in waste land full of nothing but bones, flesh, and bodies everywhere, there was so much, I lost count from the moment I lay my eyes on the vast wasteland before me, right away I know my trip to Shalvaveesha soul realm was successful.
But the state it was in was unacceptable, death was all over the places, another minus factor about this place was the fact it reeks of nothing but blood and iron.
Just as how countless bodies lie upon the ground creating many mountains of corpse, they were also countless weapon of all sizes, some broken, others molted, many scattered, majority skewered within the dead corpse itself as well.
The sky was nothing but a dark cloud polluted with blood, and the reason I know this, was because it was slightly raining blood, this place was a damned world, how can a tree grow here.
That what I thought at that moment, the poor conditions this place was in, was unacceptable for any form of life to prosper in the least.
If anything, this realm, itself look like the aftermath of a world changing war that ended in everyone deaths, there was no sign of life anywhere in the least.
I continued to walk and I eventually pass by a river of blood, bodies floating at the surface, both young and old, the faces of these fallen soldier, men, woman, and children all had the face of madness and despair.
Why did her realm take such an ominous form?
Why was it so disgusting?
What were realms anyway, because it appears everyone has one?
These question along with many other plagued my mind for countless reason, the biggest reason was her realm the representation of her power, or is a representation of her herself.
And what was crazier was the fact that the deeper I go the more sinister and creative each person death became, I see many people nailed to crosses, I see many people especially pregnant woman been hanging from a tree with their own intestines.
I see many people being cut from limb to limb as their own heads were gently place on their limbless upper body as if it was to make an example of them.
I see many people skewered upon spares all facing the east.
I see many people being hang from thick ropes with both their hands tied behind their backs, and dirty sacks over their heads, as their blood pour from through the holes that were in them.
All I saw was misery, despair, hate madness, warfare, and overall death.
I walk in this realm for about an hour straight, till I eventually saw a bright orange light over the horizon as lit up with brilliance.
"What is that?"
I ask with a questioning voice; something up ahead was shining with a blazing orange, and when I reach to the source, I found something rather odd.
Before me was a woman covered with a white veil, she had a cross in her hand holding it in a praying position, she was tied to a stake, she didn't had legs, it almost look like they were cut off to prevent her from escaping from something.
She was naked and the only thing she had for clothes was the veil itself, her skin was scared, abusive, dismantle, and used, if anything the girl look like she was humiliated before succumbing to her death
But what was the most surprising thing isn't the girl itself no! it was the thing growing around her, because around the bright flaming stake and the girl itself was a giant set of roots that form, a giant fleshly tree that reach the heaven itself.
Right away I know this was Shalvaveesha skill tree, so I began getting a good grip so I could balance myself as I began climbing the tree.
My lord it was a long climb, honestly speaking I don't know how longs I was climbing for, if anything I was confident, I was climbing this giant ass tree for a week straight without stopping.
And after a total of two months, I finally reach the very top of the tree itself, the leaves were pitch black in color, but they all have blue veins that seem to pump blood through the tree itself.
But what made these blue vein specials was the fact that they were glowing, and right after I reach the very top of the tree itself, I began walking on a huge branch that was at least as wide as a skyscraper.
I began walking for a couple of minutes, and it didn't take long before I find the fruits that possess skills that she was telling me about, they were all black in color, and took the shape of red apple with a menacing eye at the center of each them, they were easily thousands of them.
This alone gave me a slight glimpse of how strong Shalvaveesha truly was, but what was even more breathe taking was the share size of each and every one of them, they were as large as small house.
"What the hell is up with these oversize fruits?"
I asked in shock, reason be these fruits were too large for me to eat, much less for me to pull off the tree itself.
But I felt like I spend too much time here already, so I didn't lament nor did I take my time to look around and decide which fruit I want, they all look the same anyway.
So, I walk towards the nearest one that was hanging off a branch, I then touch it to see how it feel and honestly it felt disgusting, it was like holding chunk of flesh in your hands.
I had a rather sick and unpleasing look to my face, because I know I would have to eat this giant fruit, that was most likely going to taste horrible.
"Agk... just looking at is making me want to vomit my guts out, but the bigger question is, how the hell am I going to eat this big fruit, it's too big even for someone like me to consume."
And just when I ask this question, the giant fruit before my eyes, started to compress and shrank to an apple size fruit, with its disgusting features still present as clear as day, it shocked me a little, but I didn't pay it mind for too long, reason be the fruit started to slowly float towards me.
And when it was in arms reach, I grab it, and for been a fruit that was the size of a small house, it weighted around the same weight as normal apple would have weight.
"Sigh I can't believe I have to eat this."
I said pure disgust as I place the apple to my mouth, and took a huge bite and my god was I right, this thing was disgusting, it tastes like raw meat that was left in the sun for six weeks straight, I tried so hard not to vomit it back out.
And with effort I somehow manage to not vomit my stomach out on Shalvaveesha skill tree, I gave the fruit one last look, as I took a deep breath and began to eat the apple, ignoring the taste, and in a mere 30 seconds it was gone but my god, I had to take a seat after that.
"Oh god... don't throw up digest it, digest it, digest it!"
Eventually I composed myself, my back against the tree and after about five minutes or so I began to hear World's voice rang in my head once more as he said.
[Inheritance ritual complete]
[You have inherited a God rank skill from Shalvaveesha the primordial Goddess of death]
[God ranks skill Ouroboros gate has been added to your acquired skills]
"Ouroboros gate, what the hell does that do?"
『Ouroboros gate』
. A God rank skill that offer it user absolute defense as it summons a circular snake like gate that look like a snake statue that is biting down on its own tail, any attack that passes through it will die before it reaches the other side as the gate have the ability to kill any and all attack that passes through it instantly before reaching the user, of course to summon this gate it requires the user to sacrifice ten years of their life span, but in return the gate that can kill any and every attack perfectly could be summon for one minute at a time, although once summon the user will have remained in that one spot till the gate itself is de-summoned, in return any amount of these gates can be summoned to the battlefield.