Chapter 34 - Earth Intermission - 1
Curious and puzzled, Vesper approaches the chest and sits in front of it. The black chest measures 80(L) x 60(W) x 50(H) cm, big enough to store two small gaming PC cases. Its cubic shape and surface look like they are made from low-quality plastic, but when Vesper touches it, he realizes that it is pure metal.
Inspecting the box-like chest, Vesper notices a handle. He grabs it and opens the container. Inside the container is hollow as if there is a void inside the box!
Vesper gulps. He glances at his arms, hands, and legs. Although his skin isn't covered by the mysterious black mist anymore, his muscle mass is already proof that everything isn't a dream.
"What about my voice…Oh…"
Touching his throat, Vesper grins. He is no longer muted. In addition, he can see from his right eye. Still, his left eye imbalances his vision because he sees more color when he focuses on his left eye.
Investigating further, Vesper enters the washroom and looks at his reflection in the mirror. His left pupil is now gold.
His eye isn't the only thing that changes. His face looks healthier as he no longer has sunken cheeks. The black eye bags are gone, and his skin becomes as smooth as a baby.
"Wow…"
Astonished, Vesper combs his hair for the first time in months. Looking at his new face, he snickers.
"I wished for this face when I was in high school. To think that I would get this face after that ordeal… Wait."
Vesper remembers something. He tries drawing a square in mid-air and chants, "Status menu."
*DING*
It appears!
A semi-transparent blue window appears and floats in front of Vesper!
A system manifests in the real world!
The system menu shows Vesper's current status attributes and skills.
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Name: Vesper Pallas
Strength: 11.45
Dexterity: 10.26
Vitality: 10.39
Stamina: 9.54
Mana: 8 + 10 (Crystal Wane 4th Grade)
Aura: 4
Energy: 180/180
Aura: 40/40
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Looking at his system attributes, Vesper wonders how his stats compare to the average adult's attributes. Additionally, he can't help but pay attention to the extra bonus from the wane.
Reminded of the wane, Vesper slips his hand into the cloak's inner pocket. The wane is stored in there along with a dagger. He brings the tools out and places them on the floor next to the chest. Sitting next to the chest, Vesper stares into the void inside the box. Mustering his courage, he dips his hand into it, hoping to grab something.
*DING!*
As soon as Vesper's hand enters the void, the system prompts him with a message.
"Oh…"
Vesper pulls his hand out and discovers that his skin is slightly dried and cold. To prevent frostbite, he rubs his hand and gives it warmth. Then, he summons a status window.
The same status screen appears. However, there is an additional tab next to the status attribute tab. Vesper presses on it.
The system screen shows an interior of a white cube, containing floating objects inside. On the right side of the screen, the system shows the number of items and their descriptions.
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Inventory List
3 x Gold Bar (1kg)
1 x 3rd-Grade Weapon Ticket
1 x 3rd-Grade Skill Ticket
15 x 3rd-Grade Rune
3 x Sewing Kits
3 x Black Cloak of Elite Hunter(One Mark)
1 x Black Scythe of Elite Hunter (5th-Grade)
1 x Black Staff of Elite Hunter (5th-Grade)
1 x Black Sword of Elite Hunter (5th-Grade)
1 x Badge of Elite Legion
1 x Auto-Arm Bear Trap (4th-Grade)
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"…Whoa."
A smile spreads across Vesper's face. His instinct drives him to choose a gold bar. The chest immediately spits out a gold bar from the void, landing on his lap.
He picks it up and weighs it with his hands. Even though it is only 1 kilogram, Vesper's arms tremble as if he can barely lift it. It is indeed heavy.
"…I'm rich."
Taking a deep breath, Vesper calms his racing heart. He returns to his computer and searches for the current gold price. It is worth $100,000! Vesper has $300,000 worth of gold with him!
Overjoyed, Vesper cries as he thinks of his daughter. "With this much, I can buy a new house! I can bring Rico over!"
Due to family circumstances and a low income, Vesper's daughter is staying at an orphanage, which relies on community donations. As for his ex-wife, she denies any responsibility for taking care of their daughter.
Although the dream is achievable, there are other circumstances to consider, such as house prices, land prices, taxes, and daily expenses. Vesper bites his lower lip, doubting if $240,000 is enough for a good house in this day and age.
*DING*
Suddenly, the system warns him about an urgent matter as a voice rings in his mind.
"…"
Vesper had forgotten about it. He rubs his left eye in frustration.
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- Eye of Tarnished Saint (Passive) (Cursed)
(General) You can see hidden details in your status screen. You can only upgrade the Eye of Tarnished Saint by committing the same taboo or consuming an elemental talent rune.
(Survivor) You can see the auras of hunters, guardians, traps, treasures, and runes. You can see through walls.
(Hunter) See-through walls, hidden survivors, and traps. Injured survivors leave behind a glowing red mist trail for you to track and follow.
(Cursed) You must sacrifice one skill rune to this eye once every day. Otherwise, one of your equipped skills will be sacrificed to the eye instead. If you fail to sacrifice a skill rune, it will consume your status attributes by five instead.
(Element) Gold (1st Grade) (Upgradeable)
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Vesper reopens the box and fetches a 3rd grade rune. He glances at it and his left eye informs him of the hidden attributes.
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Rare 3rd Grade Reward Rune
This default reward of the hunter's missions grants one of the three choices upon usage:
- Increase a random status attribute by 1.1.
- Heal all wounds.
- Grant one rune skill - Time-Killing. Upon activation, this skill summons a phantom of the opposite gender to assist you in "Killing Time". (Can only be equipped at the crotch socket).
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Vesper dislikes the rune ability at first. But now, he believes that they might be useful in this situation. Without hesitation, he brings this rune closer to his left eye.
The rune vanishes into his left eye, followed by another voice message.
"…"
After all he has been through, Vesper is mentally exhausted. He puts the gold bar back into the chest and closes it. The stash returns to its black box form, and the status window turns off.
Celebrating his success, Vesper decides to eat some healthy food. He leaves the house, withdraws all his money from the ATM in front of a convenience store, and stocks up on beef and ingredients for a hot pot. That night, he eats until his belly bloats for the first time in years.