"Oh I almost forgot." The man was chewing on beef jerky that Niko didn't know where he gotten it from. Looking over at the man he saw the dark cave expanded behind his tall figure. "You're smart so I'm sure you already know this, don't tell anyone about your flaw. Just have to make sure you know."
"Yeah yeah yeah why would I tell someone my greatest weakness . That seems more counterproductive than anything I could possibly think of at the moment". Niko snorted in the cold emptiness of the cavern.
"Now before i leave you here for a few hours i'm going to tell you one thing" Niko thought to himself "Jesus this man can't shut up".
"Now that you're awakened you previously were just a mortal now that you're awakened after beating the trial, something in your soulscape changed. Most importantly your stats and data.
Niko frowned, his brow furrowing. "Soulscape? Stats? What the hell are you talking about?"
The man ignored the confusion in Niko's voice, as if he'd just dropped a casual observation. "You'll figure it out. Just know that now you're not like before. You're stronger, faster, and more aware of yourself than you ever were. But it's more than just physical. Your mind, your soul—hell, even your very existence—it's all been marked. Everything you thought you knew? It's about to be tested in ways you can't imagine."
Niko wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that. "Great," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "More changes. Just what I needed."
"Oh i'm guessing you refer to your soulscape as whatever environment it is, for example Soul desert. Just letting you know people refer to it as just a soulscape for convenience. Okay I think that's it? Don't die ill be back with dinner in an hour.
With that, he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the cavern, leaving Niko standing there alone.
Laying down against the wall he channeled his essence in his body and directed it to his brain blacking out.
When he awoke, his senses were assaulted by an overwhelming sense of emptiness. He opened his eyes and found himself in an expansive cave, its walls and ceiling cloaked in the deepest shade of Vantablack—so dark that it seemed to absorb any trace of light. The cavern stretched out infinitely in all directions, with jagged, stalactite-like formations hanging from the ceiling, their sharp edges lost in the void above. The floor beneath him was slick and uneven, as if the rock itself was constantly shifting.
A silver box appeared in the darkness. The silver box hummed as it fully opened, revealing not an orb, but a flat, shimmering panel inside. The light from the panel cut through the oppressive darkness, casting faint, silvery beams against the walls of the cave. Text began to appear on its surface, as if being typed by an invisible hand:
[WELCOME TO YOUR SOULSCAPE MENU]
[CURRENT STATS:]
Below that, a list began to form:
Essence Capacity: [35% full]
Mental Fortitude: [Magnificent]
Physical Integrity: [Above Average]
Awakened Trait: [Eternal Darkness]
Flaw: [Click to view]
Job: [Select pathway]
Niko blinked. "A menu? Seriously?" His voice echoed faintly in the stillness of the cavern. He leaned in, scanning the list, his brow furrowing at the question marks. "Helpful," he muttered dryly.
The menu shifted suddenly, the text erasing itself before new lines appeared:
[ABILITIES:]
[Awakening Tier: Phase One]
[Unlocked Potential: 15%]
[Next Threshold: TBD]
Niko tilted his head. "Awakening tier? Threshold? Why does this feel like some bad video game tutorial?"
As if responding to his sarcasm, the menu blinked sharply, the light intensifying for a moment. Then new text appeared, more concise this time:
[ESSENCE CHANNELING PARAMETERS UPDATED.]
A faint hum vibrated through Niko's body, making him take a step back. The sensation was... different. A kind of clarity settled over him, as though the essence within him had shifted slightly, becoming more responsive.
"Well, I guess that's new," Niko said, rolling his shoulders and feeling the faint energy stirring within him.
The menu blinked again, displaying one final message:
[WARNING: DO NOT SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT FLAWS OR MENU ACCESSIBILITY.]
[FURTHER UPDATES WILL BE UNLOCKED WITH EXPERIENCE.]
Then, just like that, the text faded. The box snapped shut with a quiet click and dissolved into a fine mist, leaving no trace that it had ever been there.
Niko stared at the spot where it had floated moments before, his mind racing. "Okay," he said, exhaling sharply. "So my soulscape has a pop-up menu now. That's... something."
"Open menu," Niko stated. The box appeared again with the same glow and the same spot.
[WELCOME TO YOUR SOULSCAPE MENU]
[CURRENT STATS]
Essence Capacity: [35% full]
Mental Fortitude: [Magnificent]
Physical Integrity: [Above Average]
Awakened Trait: [Eternal Darkness]
Flaw: [Click to view]
Job: [Select pathway]
He clicks on Job: [Select pathway]
[SELECT YOUR PATHWAY:]
Healer – A path devoted to restoration and growth, capable of mending wounds, alleviating suffering, and providing healing both physically and spiritually. Your connection to others deepens as you learn to restore balance.
Builder – Focus on shaping the world around you through creation. Whether it's crafting tools, shelters, or complex structures, your ingenuity leads the way for progress and stability in chaotic times.
Peacemaker – A pathway of diplomacy and understanding. Resolve conflicts, foster unity, and bring peace to those torn apart by strife. Your power lies in your ability to connect and soothe the hearts of others.
Educator – The guide and mentor of others. Seek knowledge and spread it, sharing wisdom with those around you. Your path will empower others to learn, adapt, and grow, creating a ripple effect of knowledge and enlightenment.
Guardian – A protector and defender. Whether through physical might or tactical strategy, you stand as a shield for those who cannot defend themselves. Your path is one of courage, discipline, and unyielding defense.
Innovator – A trailblazer in science, technology, and societal progress. Whether through invention, engineering, or conceptual breakthroughs, you strive to improve the world with your ideas and innovations.
Historian – The keeper of knowledge, the observer of the past. As a Historian, you seek to uncover and preserve the forgotten stories, ancient civilizations, and lost knowledge of the world. Your understanding of history and its patterns allows you to predict and interpret current events with precision. By documenting the past, you ensure that valuable lessons are passed down to future generations. Your power lies in your ability to connect the dots between past and present, using your insights to guide decisions and avoid repeating old mistakes.
Click to see more
"Let's go for historian" clicking on that he saw the info about the job.
HISTORIAN PATHWAY SELECTED
Job Description:
As a Historian, your role is to uncover the untold stories of the world, documenting the rise and fall of civilizations, ancient technologies, and forgotten events. Your knowledge will provide clarity to the present and help shape the future by avoiding the mistakes of the past. The more you learn, the more powerful your insights become, allowing you to alter the course of events based on the lessons you've uncovered.
Abilities:
Historical Insight: You gain an instinctual understanding of past events, seeing connections and patterns in the present world.
Memory of Ages: Access lost knowledge, unlocking details about the world's history, secret locations, and forgotten technologies.
Time-Linked Perception: Briefly glimpse significant moments in history that affect the current timeline, offering guidance and foresight.
Ancient Communication: The ability to understand and translate ancient languages, inscriptions, and symbols, regardless of their age or origin.
Temporal Mapping: Instantly comprehend the timeline of historical events and trace the influence of past actions on present situations.
Echoes of the Past: You can interact with remnants of the past, hearing whispers or seeing visual fragments of what transpired long ago.
Historical Manipulation: With enough study, you can alter the historical narrative, nudging small events in the past to affect present outcomes. (Limited use)
Perks:
Cultural Empathy: You can better understand different cultures, ideologies, and people based on their historical context.
Knowledge Expansion: Your ability to store and process information is increased, allowing you to retain vast amounts of data without mental overload.
Eternal Scholar: Your thirst for knowledge is endless, providing you with the ability to learn faster from ancient texts, artifacts, or conversations.
Historical Immunity: Through your deep understanding of the past, you develop a resilience against psychological manipulation or mind-altering effects. You can recognize when something feels off or out of place in the current world.
Hidden Knowledge: Rare information that is lost or forgotten can be brought to the forefront, sometimes granting you access to powerful relics or abilities tied to ancient artifacts.
Time of Crisis: When facing an overwhelming situation, your historical knowledge gives you the ability to predict potential outcomes and formulate strategies based on how similar scenarios unfolded in the past.
Unseen Hand: You can subtly influence the decisions of others by using knowledge of their historical or ancestral motivations, pushing them toward a predetermined outcome without them realizing.
Niko stared at the long list of abilities and perks, his mind racing. Well, this could be useful, he thought. The more he thought about it, the more he could see how this could turn the tables in his favor. History wasn't just a set of old facts—it was a weapon, a guide, a way to bend the present to his will.
"Alright, I'll take the job," Niko said aloud, as the words of the panel continued to linger in his mind.
"Ah shit i should have checked the rest! Wait? What the…" Looking at the job description he saw that the majority of them were locked!
Niko's eyes narrowed as he scanned the text again, his frustration mounting. He had selected the Historian pathway, sure, but the fact that the majority of abilities and perks were locked made him feel like he'd been handed a half-finished puzzle.
Locked? Seriously?
He scrolled through the list again, more carefully this time, confirming what he already suspected: most of the valuable perks were hidden behind some kind of threshold. There were also some gray-out sections on the job description, indicating tasks or requirements yet to be revealed.
"Well, that's just perfect," Niko muttered. "Another grind, huh?"
He leaned back against the cavern wall, sighing deeply. Time to earn my stripes, I guess.
The menu seemed to sense his frustration, or perhaps it just operated on a set of rules he didn't fully understand. A new line of text appeared, glowing faintly on the panel:
[NEW OBJECTIVE: Unlock all pathways and abilities]
Niko stared at the message. "Unlock all pathways? Great, what does that mean?" His voice echoed in the dark, but there was no response—just the endless black expanse around him.
[Objective: Research the Nameless temple]
[Punishment: Reduction of essence ten percent for the next week]
[Info:The Nameless Temple is a relic of forgotten times, shrouded in mystery and protected by cryptic forces. Legends claim it holds secrets capable of reshaping one's essence. Unlocking its mysteries is critical to progressing your Pathway.]
Niko's eyes narrowed at the screen, the words hanging like a challenge. "Research the Nameless Temple?" he muttered. "And if I fail, I lose 10% essence for a whole week? Fantastic. No pressure or anything."
He couldn't help but scoff. A vague, cryptic temple with no clear location or instructions—exactly what he needed when his survival was already teetering on a knife's edge.
"What kind of messed-up soulscape tutorial is this? At least give me a map or something," he said sarcastically, running a hand through his hair. But deep down, curiosity was beginning to spark.
The idea of a temple tied to the concept of forgotten knowledge resonated with him. As the Historian, this felt almost... destined.
Like he's done it before.
His focus sharpened as he whispered to himself, "Alright, Nameless Temple. Let's see what you've got."