You know, excluding the fact that there isn’t a system in this fantasy setting, this world is something else.
Well, it’s structure anyway.
The knowledge of the world that I know of is basically an incomplete archive. Never complete but never empty. In other words, it’s a mess.
Just the information on wind and air spirits alone is enough to fill a small library. Just Imagine everything else, like the other races which I know for a fact exist. Apart from that, skills also exist, apparently. Though that’s to be expected, I don’t understand how it works without a fully functioning system. Still have no idea what my skills are though.
It’s not like someone just tells you what kind of skills you have. Stupid systemless world.
But yeah, while it’s true I can’t tell exactly what skill I have, I know I have one. Two in fact, sadly, I can only tell what their natures are for now.
One is.. silent? Not making a noise while running. The kind of presence that vanishes in the second you look away. Silent as the wind and deadly like a well sharpened sword.
That is what the skill is. Not that the other is any better.
If the first one was scary, then this is terrifying.
When I focused on the feeling that rose to my chest, I almost, and then eventually, collapsed.
A deep, dark feeling like the glares of a hundred demons bore on my back as I laid on the ground spasming. A familiar feeling, yet, unlike those times long past I felt like I would truly die even as a spirit. Something that shouldn’t exist. An existence of pure, malicious thoughts condensed into a physical form, standing behind me with a judging look.
Fear came first. I panicked.
Fear was followed by anxiety. An uncomfortable feeling arose from my core.
Paranoia plagued my mind shortly after. How much time had even passed? I don’t know.
I mean what even is this? Wasn’t this supposed to be my skill? Why is it affecting me like this? It hurts, it really does, and yet, the feeling of dread that I’m feeling far overpowers it.
Am I going to die for real this time; Is this what death is? Has my time really come?
Then why isn’t it happening already? Do I have to live? like this; With the dread of death on my shoulder, how am I supposed to do that. Isn’t this basically the same as a c-
…
“So that’s what it is”
In a second, everything vanished. All my pain gone. All the emotions that I felt extinguished.
It was a curse.
Of course it was. How could it not be? God must really be on my side. To have been given such a perfect tool, all that cursing that I threw towards his way on my final moments really paid off didn’t it;
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“{Curse}, yeah that sounds about right.” Apparently, now that I had correctly identified my skill, I could actually tell what its effect was.
To damage one’s link with the world, one way or another. Thankfully the curse I had so thoughtlessly cast onto myself was only a temporary one that just distorted my sense of time and induced fear. Meaning that I could have spent even a few hundred years just laying on the ground, though that’s highly unlikely.
After all, one thing that I just know is true is that this is a world where becoming complete is the goal of every living being. No-one would leave a free way to get stronger alone.
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“So like, what now?”
Is what I said. I took a bit to realise it but, what am I even supposed to do here? What is the purpose of a spirit? Is killing to get stronger really all there is to a spirit? For a race that is a true immortal that sounds too bland. It probably is though.
As I already know I’m a lowest tier spirit, {Spirit(infant)} but, I can tell. Just like every other lifeform in the world, to [EVOLVE] is the goal.
A grand and noble goal that follows the principles of the universe. After all, to evolve is to become closer to the perfect existence. Such is the desire, the curse, that every living thing has even more so for a spirit such as myself.
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But still, killing to get stronger doesn’t really sound that great to me.
‘Eh, whatever. I’ll just deal with it when I have to’
It’s scary after all so I'd rather ignore it.
Isn’t it fine if I stay like this a bit longer? I’ve been getting from one absurd situation to another ever since my original death. I want to rest for a bit.
If I just hole up between a rock somewhere, I doubt anyone would find me.
And even if they did I could fight them. Small as I am, thanks to being the quote on quote “weird kid” in school, I’ve gotten used to beating up people.
‘What if something big comes around?’ Well then I’d have to just deal with it. Bend over and die as they say back on earth. Yep, that’s the only solution!
Except it isn’t. After all, if someone like that BAKK guy or whatever came at me to kill, I’d most probably die the way that I am now. That would really suck. I would go to heaven and everyone would laugh at me. “Look, there’s that guy that got to live three lives and wasted them all by doing nothing to get stronger!”, “I heard he’s all talk!”, “Let’s shake him for some money then!”. I bet that would be my fate, to live as an errand boy for a gang of good hearted angels.
“AS IF!”
That’s all the motivation I needed.
“Alright!”
“For the sake of lazing around and killing smug guys like them with a wave of my hand, I will become stronger. Even if I have to kill everything in this realm to do it!”
Not really though, for real.
And just like that, I made a vow to become stronger.
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“How do I get stronger though?”
Should I just continue using my skill and just hope it gets stronger? It probably will. I could also try to figure out my other skills, if I have any. That certainly is a good idea, good job me. Won’t it still take too long? Despite being a spirit I can still feel death's hand after all. Staying stagnant isn’t an option.
How about killing others then? I mean, I still don’t know how it scales but from my previous encounter I know for sure. When I kill something I get stronger.
Alright.
I’ll go kill something.
What should I kill then? The only thing I know exists is those creepy things that look like me. The lowest spirits. There were plenty of them last time. What if they are stronger than me though? I don’t want to die yet! But I will just get killed by something stronger than me either way if I don’t do anything.
Fine.
Lets’ go!
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I’ve been walking for a while now but didn’t really find anything. I already knew this but, this place really is boring. I mean, there is literally nothing to look at! On top of that there isn’t even a speck of color to be seen other than the different shades of grey!
To think this is the equivalent of what an afterlife would look like back on earth. All the dead people must be as bored as me.
I wonder when I’ll be able to leave this place. I mean, isn’t it common practice in those isekai that spirits can be summoned? The knowledge had something like that too! Will I be able after I evolve I wonder;
It was truly an important thought that caused me to stop for a single second. Unfortunately, this single second was enough for my stalker to attack.
*Swoosh* “Shit”
Out of nowhere, a creature even smaller than me attacked. It was slightly faster than me, so I barely dodged out of the way. Well, ‘dodged’ is a stretch since I flung myself out of the way and landed on my behind. Let’s not talk about that though.
As for the being in front of me it was, different to say the least. It didn’t look like me at all, instead, it appeared more like a furball with jagged, long teeth protruding from its mouth; thing it had.
It didn’t look particularly strong or anything. Still, how did it even grow fur?
Just as I was thinking about such things, it got up and started running towards me.
Should I try cursing it? I need to practice after all.
It kept running to me and just before we collided I jumped out of the way. It fell again.
I landed with a sharp sound and turned around and.. how do I use skills again? Ehm… yeah, that’ll work!
“Go blind you ball!”
And, I couldn’t help but scream. Pain. Pain much alike when I cursed myself rushed in the area around the eyes as I tried to process what went wrong. I had done this before but it wasn’t the same. Was this because I’m fighting now? Can I not use it on stronger opponents?
Wait.. Fighting?
And with an audible chomping sound, I felt something missing from my leg. What though?
As I looked down I only saw fur with a stump in its mouth. No wait, that isn’t a tree stump is it; Hah..
“YOU PRICK”
Suddenly, as if I was interrupting its meal, it turned to me with a glare in its small, beady eyes and started walking towards me.
“Oi! Give me my leg back you asshole!. W-wait, no don’t come closer I’ll- I’ll kill you, you know!”
Yet its march continued. With nothing to stop it.
“Wait, we can make a deal right?”
The closer it got the quieter I got. What can I do against this murderous furball?
Wait, murderous?
Ahh… there was that girl too, filled with the desire to kill me. To prove something. Both were strong, unbelievably so in fact… yet, the result will be the same. Like her it is confident it can win, not for a second believing that the weak looking me would fight back and kill it. Power brings forth confidence, those that lack control will become arrogant. Right now, it was but a wall to overcome in order to get stronger. My first real opponent.
‘He will die’
It pounced on me. It tore my cloak and bit my leg. It hurt, yet, surprisingly not too much and at that moment, a burning feeling taking its place instead . And it was with that feeling that I felt omnipotent. With power overwhelming.
I knew better than to believe I actually was though. What I truly felt was pure power. The ability to alter the world within the domain of Air as I wish. That was what I could achieve. So that’s my limit… for now.
“I thank you”
I said such words amongst the battle and, with the blowing of the wind, I had bisected the furball.
“[Cleave]”
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It was truly brutal, the aftermath I mean. Both my eyes and leg respectively regrew and healed. I have no idea how but I was way too tired to deal with that. Somehow, I had gotten a bit taller. I also felt faster than before, like I could match the ball.
“So this is the world's meaning to becoming stronger through killing. It’s quite addicting”