“Yup, it’s impossible for us right now” Kyle replied with a helpless smile as he really hoped that at least one of those skills to be in the human continent.
“Besides, what are those skills?” Isaac asked
“A secret type of skills that only a few people know existed. An awakening skill that boosts the user’s stats and gains a few temporary spells and weapon arts. Basically, a super Saiyan mode if you don’t understand where you become stronger in every conceivable way for a certain amount of time. The two skills that i asked are the most perfect fit for our cursed sacred weapons!” Kyle explained with an enthusiastic tone.
“I see, that is indeed exciting” Isaac murmured
“Right?! It was like your own second form if you’re a boss in a game” Kyle beamed with a big smile. His excited tone is really noticeable as if he can go right now, he will.
“Why not just use it at the start of the battle? since bosses in a game require to have their health lowered?” Isaac asked with clear confusion on his face.
“Well, it can only be activated by having your own health lowered to 50% or 30% so it has this restriction. It can also act as an element of surprise since there is that heavy restriction that avoids us from using it from the very start. This was discovered a long time ago before the eternal war but since it has this restriction, the discoverers didn’t tell it to anyone and only wrote it in a journal. Only a handful have this skill and mostly no one of them will use it unless they are about to die” Kyle said with a smile as he simply didn’t care if it was discovered since they would be dead by the time he activated the skill. Just remembering the past fights where he used that skill to crush his enemies put a large smile on his face. It was a satisfying and addicting skill to use.
“It’s a waste if they didn’t use it to finish a fight” Isaac said
“Well, it was better for them to monopolized such a powerful skill and find the other skills to give to their trusted knights or a member of their family. It’s also the fact that if someone was discovered to have an awakening skill, they would hunt them since the skill will transfer to the killer.” Kyle replied.
“This is the first time i have heard that a skill is transferrable”
“Well, it was given that effect by the system since it was too powerful. " Kyle shrugged while Isaac was getting more confused as to what the system can do or can’t do. It’s like the system was a person controlling everything according to their whims. It’s like a person balancing everything with restrictions and requirements to even out the playing field.
“What exactly is-” Kyle quickly shuts Isaac up by blocking his mouth from continuing talking as Kyle knows what Isaac is gonna ask.
“No, don’t talk about it and don’t question it. " he removed his hand with a serious look on his face.
“Didn’t you have a telepathy skill?” Isaac asked, still confused but by the looks on Kyle’s expression. It seems that there is a large punishment if someone dares to question what the system truly is that even Kyle doesn’t want to talk about it.
“Yeah, but i’m not using it as much. Besides, it will still hear it” Kyle sighed.
“Anyways, why is this book still floating?” Isaac asked while pushing the floating book continuously. As his palm touches the diamond-shaped pattern on the cover of the book, it seems to be pulsing as the pattern glowed every time Isaac touches it.
“I have no clue, i just picked this from the king’s treasury” Kyle recounted on where he got it.
“I see, but my eyes are also pulsing every-” before Isaac can finish his sentence, a blue holographic screen appeared in front of them.
[The special quest has started called “The memories of a forgotten one”]
[In the memories of the truth laid inside the forgotten book, the nameless author suffers from eternal torture. For every blood and tear shed for the purpose of creating the ultimate truth, the nameless author walked the path of desolation and destruction for only his book never resurfacing to the surface. Rejoice for the bearer of the eye of truth who shall see the world in its splendid beauty and its chaotic ugliness. Seek the death bed of the nameless author and find its name.]
[Failure to finish the quest will result in the book of truth’s destruction. You have been warned.]
[29:23:59:59 until the quest fails]
[No questions will be answered for the duration of the quest]
“This is gonna be extremely difficult…” Kyle mumbled to himself while glancing at a small countdown screen on the corner of his eyes.
“Indeed, how are we supposed to find a deathbed and know the name of its author”
“This must be one of the forbidden books of that nameless author. Although i don’t know his name, i read a few of his books. Most of his non-magical books can be found deep inside the elf continent. Which we cannot go for now since elves blocked their sea routes to stop any humans, dwarves, and demons that might enter their continent. " Kyle sighed
“So he’s an elf?” Isaac asked
“No, he’s human by the accounts and books i read. He travels all around the world and into forbidden areas. He’s a powerful assassin that can turn invisible and rumored to be able to escape the eyes of the heaven” Kyle recounted from his library hopping spree in both the elf continent and the demon continent during his last life.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Eyes of the heaven?” Isaac asked once more
“That’s just a word that was used to describe the system during the eternal war” Kyle shrugged
“Anyways, the description said something about the bearer of the eyes of truth. Try using in on this book” Kyle suggested as Isaac nodded since it’s the only thing they can do for now since they have little clues to go on.
He focused his sight on the book as the pattern inside his eyes started spinning. Everything around him starts spinning but he still stared at the book. A sound of a metal lock being bashed by a metal or a rock echoed in his mind as every clanging, his eyesight worsened. He didn’t give up as his eyes started getting teary and patches of blackness started appearing in the corner of his eyes. Finally, a status screen appeared in front of his eyes.
[Book of Truth]
[Written by Almenic D. Gordos the third. An assassin prince who was part of a royal family. As the third prince of the kingdom of Lederion Kingdom, he was far enough in the line of succession that no one cared for him. He was like a stranger to his family and a forgettable person to the kingdom. No one looked at his way and no one acknowledges his existence. During the assassination of the crowned prince of the Lederion Kingdom. He was there during the massacre in the prince’s mansion but no one attacked him. Seeing assassins hiding and killing in the shadow, he was elated to find a purpose for his unnatural talent. He joined the shadow organization and become one of the shadow princes who specialize in gathering information and assassination.
In all of his life, he only has one friend that can always see and acknowledge him. It was a friend who has the eye of truth that can bypass his talent. On a starry night, the both of them were discussing the truth of this world. This conversation was recorded inside the book. ] The book opened and flips the pages by itself, a few seconds later. A holographic screen appeared in front of the book. A red-haired middle-aged man that has a diamond shape pattern on his eyes can be seen standing and crossing his arms while staring in the sky full of stars. A young man wearing a black cloak can be also seen sitting in the patch of grass while also staring into the sky.
“Hey, Deidricht. Do you know what our purpose in life is?” the young man asked without taking his eyes off the sky.
“No clue. I think that we don’t have any purpose in life. We are only living for the sake of experiencing what living truly is. The emotions we shared and hid, the pain that we felt, every decision we made, and the feeling of getting our desires and needs. We don’t live our life for our destination but the journey we partake. " the middle-aged man smiled.
“Many people die without knowing what their purpose is so who cares if you know it or not. I personally don’t care about mine” Deidricht shrugged
“I see…”
“It seems that you might have a different opinion” Diedricht grinned
“N-no, it’s just that i thought that i have found my purpose when i joined the shadow. Now, i feel amazing to find something that i can do that can help others” Almenic said
“That’s amazing. You’re quite lucky to have something that you call your purpose”
“Not really” Almenic replied in a low voice while gazing at the ground.
“So now that you have a purpose, what is your dream?” Diedricht asked
“Dream?” Almenic asked as he tilted his head.
“For example, i want to uncover the truth of this world. The system and everything about it”
“I don’t have one..” Almenic murmured to himself but Diedricht can hear it audibly.
“I’m sure you’ll have a dream. Maybe not now but maybe in the future”
The hologram suddenly switched to the middle-aged man crushed with pillars made of light with chains made of metal locked on his limbs as Almenic falls to his knees staring at his friend’s cold corpse. His tears have dried up but he still cried and grieved. The melancholic last words of his friend lingering in his mind.
“The system is a creature” he murmured before falling unconscious.
The holographic screen disappeared as the book closed and falls to the floor. Isaac and Kyle were stunned at what they just saw. Something clicked inside Kyle’s mind as he remembered where those chains and pillars still remain.
[The name has been found]
[Congratulations!]
“I think i know where those pillars and chains are situated. If i remember correctly, it’s in the middle of the human continent. Just a few ways away from the ruined kingdom of Verenian.” Kyle recounted his past life exploration of the ruins of the destroyed kingdom of Verenian and he saw that exact place without the pillars but there were unbreakable chains that he can’t destroy without being warned by the system.
“It would take us weeks to reach there if we go now and we would have enough time to explore it before the timer runs out” Kyle continued as Isaac listened to him.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go” Isaac stands up only to find himself dizzy and nauseated from forcefully unlocking the book of truth. He stumbled towards the door before propping his back on the nearby wall as every step he takes, the closer he’s about to fall on his knees.
“We need to take a rest for now, i saw that you didn’t drink the potion they gave you. So here” Kyle sighed before throwing Isaac a red potion only for the potion to fall to the floor and break while spilling its contents.
“You expected me to catch that?” Isaac sneered
“I actually did. Here” Kyle walked towards Isaac before handing him a red potion. Isaac activated his eyes and after seeing that it was a normal potion. He grabbed it off Kyle’s hand before drinking it while Kyle gazed at him before sighing.
“You know you can trust me right?”
“I decide whether i trust someone or not” he coldly replied as his wounds started healing.
“Well, you do you i guess. Rest here for now, i’m gonna discuss this with Cellica and the others.” Kyle patted Isaac’s shoulder with a cheeky smile on his face before opening the door and leaving.
“I can’t trust you yet without telling me what you really are” Isaac murmured to himself while glaring at where Kyle was just a second ago. He fumbled slowly towards the bed before laying down. He gazed at the empty ceiling as the fatigue has caught up to him. His eyes were heavy before closing them as he falls asleep quickly.
Meanwhile, Kyle is walking through the hallway with his hand holding his chin. His squinted eyes and his frown were the results of thinking about what the author said in the end. He was terrified and baffled, since if it’s false. The system wouldn’t activate its original spell, called banishment from the living. A sure kill spell that can kill anyone or imprison them. It burns the body and the soul as he remembered seeing it up close. That power still terrifies him to this day.
“It seems that my hypothesis is right. The system is indeed….” he frowned without finishing his sentence. If the system is a creature, then is it possible to kill it? He chuckled just thinking about it since even the gods rely on and follow the system. Even killing a god is near impossible. What about a creature higher than them? He doesn’t want to think any of it. The thing that baffled him the most is that it wasn’t a god but a creature and the fact that Diedricht knows about it despite his name never appearing in any books and scripture except the book of truth was suspicious, to say the least. It’s like everything about that knowledge was erased and forgotten by everyone.
Now, Kyle was having any doubts if he would give this knowledge to anyone. In the end, he decided to never say it to anyone as there would be a chance of the system punishing both of them. His hands are shaking from fear just knowing that the system might punish them for knowing the truth.