[The Greatest Thief System greets its Master.]
I wasn't surprised at all when the blue windows took over my vision. This was precisely what I wanted to happen, what I was here for. The next step was just as natural. For anyone who gained a system, the first thing they had to do was ritually ingrained in them.
"Status."
With that word, another blue window opened.
[Status Window
Name: Specter
Species: Earthling.
Class: Thief(?)
:Stats:
Str - 9
Int - 24
Agi - 7
End - 7
Dex - 29
:Skills:
N/A
:Class Abilities:
N/A
:Modifications:
N/A
==]
[Updating Status]
[Unique Ability Detected]
[:Unique Ability:
Wisdom of Babel (EX-Grade)
-- You have the ability to understand every single language in the universe. A Unique Ability only possible for a descendant of the owners of the Tower of Babel. {Further information is impossible in the current state of control over the Akashic Records}]
I raised a brow, impressed.
The Akashic Records were said to be a record formed along with the creation of the Universe. An 'entity,' if it could even be called that, which contained all the knowledge in the universe. A power like a system was one of the ways the Akashic Records, which had broken up into many pieces, now chose hosts in hopes of connecting itself back.
A mutually beneficial relationship, if you will. The Akashic Records would try to gather itself back and take over the host, and the host would willingly gather all of the Akashic Records in hopes to have control over all the knowledge in the universe.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Who wouldn't want to take the chance? Knowledge is power. The person with all the knowledge in the universe would also be the most powerful person in the universe.
My goal was no different.
"Alright, now then." I pushed myself off the ground, completely ignoring the woman. I wasn't sure what planet or species she belonged to. "Time to get out of here."
A terminal like the one outside wasn't in the cell, but I could definitely see the machinery on the top and the bottom of the door which maintained the invisible force field.
"An invisible wall like this definitely uses some kind of Aether-based spell..." I said, peering at the walls with my hands above my eyes like an old man trying to look into the distance. If it was a spell, it would be 'written' or 'engraved' to invoke Aether. And if something was 'written,' it could be 'read.'
[Ding! The Greatest Thief System issues the first directive.]
[A thief must pry open closed doors, unlock paths as if they were never locked. You must learn the skill too.]
[Class Ability {Lock Picking (Lv 1)} added!]
[Quest: Access the terminal and use the integrated skill {Lock-Picking} to escape the cell.]
A smile spread on my lips as my eyes widened slightly. The system was on track as well.
I quickly checked through the blue windows and inspected the added Class Ability.
[:Class Ability:]
[-Lock Picking (Lv 1)]
[-- You can pick locks with more efficiency and skill.]
Time to put this into practice right away. The skill activated on its own when I decided I wanted to break out of the cell. For some strange, intuitive reason, I felt like I knew which part of the wall I had to get through to find the spell used to create the cell.
"This... will be difficult to break."
There were hundreds of prisoners here. If it was so easy to escape, wouldn't they have already? Just getting through the wall would take me weeks, then analyzing the spell would take another couple of months.
What a hassle, but I had to start right now if I wanted to get it done.
"Hey, Earthling."
I turned back, realizing I had been speaking the woman's language since I had met her. Every language was so comfortable that I rarely reverted to an 'original' one.
"You think you can escape this place? It's not so easy. The Sermentali's Aether Spells come all the way from the New Outer," the woman said as she slowly stood up. Even though her words were dismissive, she was clearly hopeful.
"It will take time, but I'll figure it out. Spells are a way to communicate with Energy, after all." A sigh escaped me. "But this wall is far more annoying. This place is limiting everyone's abilities, isn't it?"
I reached into my pockets and pulled out a laser pointer. This thing was actually a small plasma gun I would have used to cut the wall or make changes to the spell, but...
—Click. Click.
No matter how I turned it on or off, nothing happened. Electronics were jammed, though I couldn't use any magic personally, all kinds of Spells were probably blocked by the Aether too.
"All we have is our physical strength to go with."
"If I... break the walls for you, can you take me with you?"
"Break the walls? It isn't so easy to break aether-reinforced metal with your hands alone—"
The woman completely ignored my words and walked past me, toward the metal block I had been staring at moments ago. She swung her hand back, wrapped her fingers into a fist, and at a speed the eye could barely see, punched the damned wall.
As if a bomb had exploded in front of my eyes, a boom resounded through the tiny cell, bouncing back in my ears. My hair flew back from the wind, and goosebumps rose on my skin.
The metal block had curved inward.
My jaw dropped to the ground. What the actual fuck was this? Could anyone have this kind of raw strength?
"Estrella," she said. "That's my name. An Hesterian."
"O-oh..." I gulped. "Spectre. That's my name."
"An Earthling named Specter? Strange name for Earthlings."
"No, a thief. A thief named Specter."
Estrella wore a soft smile at my words. I could tell there was a sense of smugness in her.
"I am sure we can be of use to each other, Specter."
And that smugness transferred right back to me as the goosebumps turned from fear to excitement.
"Oh, you bet. A lot of use."
It was time to escape this place.