The inscribed rune on his chest glowed beautifully in a spectrum of colors, reminiscent of the twinkling stars scattered across the galaxy. Yet, around its edges, dark lines marred its brilliance.
These dark lines, with tiny gaps between them, crawled from the sides of the exquisite rune like a creeping corruption. They expanded as if attempting to envelop the skill rune in a sinister embrace.
Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from his chest, forcing him to throw his head back and scream. The pain did not relent; instead, it surged through his veins and spread across his body like a rampaging storm.
All his muscles became rigid.
Cyrus fell stiffly from the chair, coiling on the floor, his mind consumed by a single thought: wishing for the pain to stop.
But his wish couldn't alter reality. The pain tore through his organs, forcing him to growl like a rabid beast, his eyes bloodshot and wild.
Veins bulged along his neck and forehead as he clenched his fists. He continued to spasm on the floor, the agony wreaking havoc through his body, making him hug himself tightly in a fetal position. Soon, he lost his voice, and his growls devolved into unintelligible gurgles.
Time stretched endlessly as Cyrus writhed on the cold floor, each rugged breath escaping his lips like a desperate whisper. After what felt like an eternity, he slowly regained his senses. An aching heaviness enveloped his muscles, and his head throbbed mercilessly.
With great effort, he sat up and leaned weakly against the steel chair.
Feeling an intense parched sensation clawing his throat, he pushed himself to his feet and climbed the stairs instinctively, emerging from the basement into his shop. Grabbing a bottle of water, he gulped it down in eager swallows until it was empty. He repeated the process with another bottle, feeling his tense, dehydrated body begin to refresh.
Then he slumped down in a customer chair, taking deep, measured breaths to steady himself.
"That… was dangerous," he said between breaths, lowering his gaze to his chest.
A grimace crossed his face at the sight of eerie black hues squirming around the edges of the skill rune as if they were alive.
Cyrus quickly summoned his Power Module to view his stat.
—
POWER MODULE
[Name]: Cyrus
[Age]: 20
[Race]: Human
[Rank]: Awakened
[Title]:
[Class]: Artificer
[Talent]: Peak
[Etherion]: 0/1000
[Skill]: [Artisan Scribbler] [Eyes of Void] [Artifice Flame] [Extract] [Chained Lock] [Nullfire]
[Corruption]: 1%
[Doomed Fate]: +0
—
Cyrus was shocked because there were many new things in his Power Module.
"Title? I've never seen that column before. Isn't that what only Archon possesses?" he mumbled, his tone uncertain. He chuckled upon reading the title assigned to him. "Defiance against rules, huh? It seems my rebellious streak from childhood hasn't faded. Let's see what this entails."
—
[Defiance Against Rules]
[Description: A lucky renegade soul that survived committing a Taboo and going against the rule.]
[Augmentation: Sealed due to low rank.]
[Penalty: Sealed due to low rank.]
—
"So, it is still sealed. What about the other one?"
His eyes went downward on the stat.
Cyrus felt like collapsing when he saw the figure of his Etherion. "All my Etherion…" he muttered absentmindedly.
First, his etherion value, which was almost filled, disappeared and returned to zero. Since humans can't absorb mana naturally from the atmosphere, they have to hunt beasts, who can absorb mana directly from the atmosphere and store it in their core. Then absorb the mana and convert it to etherion using the innate ability that everybody possessing a Power Module has — [Extract]. However, the beasts were naturally stronger than the humans, so hunting in groups was usually encouraged.
Those hunting them alone were madmen… and he happened to be one.
That's why Newly Awakened chose the academy, which will provide beast cores for you during the beginning phase. Besides, they also provide an environment to connect with like-minded individuals.
But now, all his hard work has gone to waste.
"...but thank goodness I have new abilities. I knew I would get the ability if I succeeded, which is [Chained Lock]... but what the hell is [Nullfire]?" Cyrus whispered, confusion evident on his face.
"...lastly, corruption and doomed fate?"
Then he clicked on [Chained Lock], followed by [Nullfire]:
—
[Chained Lock]
[Rank]: Awakened
[Description]: This ability allows the user to send a chain from their palm to anchor a single target within a 10-meter radius, using their position as the center. Due to the absence of a matching Class, the user can only manifest 75% of the ability's full power
—
[Nullfire]
[Rank]: ???
[Description]: Flame, born from the seed of the..? It has multiple functions, which are …?
Be warned: All Void beings will kill for this flame.
—
"What the heck is that question mark? Dude, then why did you talk about the Nullfire if you don't want to explain it thoroughly? And Void Beings?"
Cyrus' face was etched with uncomfortable annoyance before he tried clicking on the corruption.
—
[Corruption]
[Level]: 1%
[You committed heresy by playing the role of a creator and tainting the physique of Null. The Power Module deemed you cursed with a doomed fate, but your path was interfered with by a corruption that attempted to devour you, dampening its full effect. This corruption, which originated from the depths of …? now lingers within you.]
Be warned: If your power stagnates, the corruption will grow stronger.
—
"What the fuck?" Cyrus finally snapped. "Seriously? Another question mark? Sister, are you telling me to use my head to solve the puzzle since I claim to be able to fix skills? I apologize for my disrespectful act sister.
But… from the way she wrote it, the corruption was not done by her."
He had already assigned a female gender to the Power Module, believing it held a grudge.
After cursing for a while, Cyrus relaxed and decided to look at the corrupted skill rune on his chest with his Eyes of Void. Activating his Eyes of Void, all he saw were black lines—his eyes can't break down runic lines, seeing it as a single entity.
Leaning back, he stared at the ceiling for a moment, his heart racing and his gaze unfocused. "Is this it?"
He couldn't shake his doubts about the decision he made, but the disorientation in his gaze soon faded, and his resolve strengthened. "No, when I began this, I anticipated that it might lead to this outcome—even if my predictions weren't entirely accurate. I even envisioned a scenario where I might die. So, I can't let this deter me. I just need to find the cure."
"And here comes the last one, and I could swear, the name says it all. It is nothing good!"
—
[Doomed Fate]
[Level]: 0
[Dabbling with the work of creation that was meant for the gods, you are cursed with +10 ill luck. This misfortune will lead to your eventual destruction and the cessation of your heretical creations.]
—
"So, it is literally misfortune dressed and posed with a cool name? Should I be thanking the corruption for dampening my misfortune?"
Cyrus shook his head, not ready to think much.
"Now, let's move to the exciting part. Let's see what my skill can do because it looks like the Power Module is going around the corner, not doing its job properly of delivering proper explanation and concise limitations. No wonder it gave me a Peak talent but an Artificer class. Well, it is left for me to discover it myself."
His eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought of exploring new skills. Artificer is a cursed class because people who possess the class can never learn another skill, just stuck with repairing low-level equipment. It has plagued him for years.