While Asuha was sleeping her video of beating 50 instructors spread like wildfire. [Infinity Arcana] was only released for the past half-year and no one expected to see such particular person to appear out of nowhere causing such a stir.
Many immediately began bombarding Neo Generation for answers. Neo Generation tried their best to check out the situation but they hit a wall. The character belongs to a player. Which lead to two things.
Firstly the fact the one who beat the instructors was a player caused an even more up-roar thus people began doubting the security of the game against hackers.
While the other thing is that they can't reveal a Player's data unless they got permission of the owner. They were trying to contact her but unfortunately for them Asuha was sleeping in peace. They got stuck in a rather sticky situation as various medias related to VR-Games began making reports about it and added insult to injury for bad game designing.
Asuha logged onto Elphelt logged on after cooking food for her husband. What greeted her was the usual sight of darkness then a pair of eyes with dark sclera and golden irises opens gazing at her from far away.
"Who are you?"
Asuha asks for the first time without being surprised. After all... this the third time she saw her. The first two when she logged in the first day twice.
"How can I know? Aren't I supposed to you?"
A voice echoes similar to Asuhas but rougher and seemingly more cold in the darkness as golden light flashes purging the darkness. When she recovers from the sudden flash she finds a floating card in front of her that has a golden symbol of a closed eye.
"Who am I?.... I wonder."
Asuha felt strange connection between her and the card growing after she pondered carefully over it. As she recalls that flash of golden light she remembers see more figures of people who had their eyes closed as for the one who had the same voice as hers... it looked exactly like her but she also remember seeing something like chains between them blocking her from reaching over. Then a pop-up appeared in her retina.
[Your soul resonates more with the Lost-Arcana [???} after questioning yourself. Find more about yourself in order to unleash more power of this Arcana. You feel all Arcanas resonating more with you and eachother.]
"Huh?"
Asuha looks confusedly at the pop-up then she notices that she has many more unread pop-ups.
"I should probably read them."
As she reads all her unread-pop ups she finds out more of her Lost-Arcana. First thing first. Her resonance with all Arcanas never wavered once. They all increased. Now this is a big deal. For once a player reached resonated 50% with an Arcana they can awaken an Arcana through multiple ways. For example enlightment during fights which is the method Asuha used to awaken many Arcanas.
And secondly that the first time she awakened an Arcana she reached 100% Resonance during the fight and she felt more natural attacking. For example when she combined five Arcanas to awaken the Higher-Arcana [Nemesis] she felt extreme focus on everything around her in a circle. From mana brushing past her and the wind and everyone's heart beats to space itself. When she focused more certain spaces she felt that if she attacked she can either reach there if she attacked or if she attacked that her attack will reach.
When split her focus on more than three spaces she felt her focus of everything around her lessen but when she attacked all her attacks landed. And the more she fought the more she discovered about that ability of hers as if there was more.
Thirdly, She can see things differently. When she tries to discern things she intuitively knew what to do. Like when she was cycling she felt she was reaching too many things so she lessened the weapons into Sharp-like melee weapons and ended up with five Arcanas resulting in Nemesis. She also felt something Else. A Connection with the basic Arcanas she got when she entered the game.
Everyone outsider has these following Arcanas. [Seeker], [Chaser], [Linker]. They are dubbed by the players as basic Arcanas. They are also known for resonating very strongly with some Arcanas to form a fusion into something far greater.
Famous example is [Wind Chaser] where it makes players inherit beastial traits of wind element that suits the players.
Another is [Shadow Linker] where one can connect himself with the shadows to move inside it there are three players who got it so far but all of them are renknowned assassins.
[Seeker] Arcana fusions are rather tricky ones. A perfect example is [Mana Seeker] where the player just gather mana as they will. No it isn't like free mana potions without cooldown. The player just gathers mana then it disperse if he stops. Just like that. It took over a month for the player to find out various ways to use it to the point of becoming able to reinforce various magical spells and become known as [Running Gale] for his great usage of it along with barrier and wind magic to create foot-hold in the air and rushing through the air as a Swordsman. So far he was the only swordsman who can do something close to aerial battle.
If these three Arcanas fuse people will surely wonder what'll they turn into as everyone has them. When Asuha finally read finished reading the last pop-up she recieved a call.
[You have a call from customers service. Answer? Yes/No]
"Customers service?"
Asuha ponders for a while trying to figure out what's going for them to call her. She decides they probably have an important message to tell all player's so she picks it up without knowing how much they suffered from trying to reach her.
"Hello."
"Hello this is Neo Generation customers service we are contacting you to obtain your permission for revealing your character information in hall of fame. Congratulations on obtaining the rights to enter the hall of fame."
A fememine voice echoes inside Asuhas head. Our naive customers service agent seems to be clueless of whose she's talking to.
"Permission?"
Asuha replied with confusion. Then she asks the important question.
"What did I do to get into hall of fame?"
"Ah wait a moment... it says you have defeated every instructor in a duel on the first floor of the tower in 24 real hours and awakening 50 Arcanas within 24 real hours and fusing 5 Arcanas to make a higher-Arcana [Nemesis]...? Hold on a moment I need double-check this. There might be a mistake with this."
"Okay..."
Asuha begins wondering around the first floor til she found the library filled with dilapidated books. As she reads them while the agent from customer contacts the department chief for verifcation she re-reads her achievements and wonders what the hell did she do. Our young agent here sadly is one of the few ignorant people here.
"Hello this is Customer service agen number 39 I need a verification on a certain characters achievement for hall of fame. Character name is Elphelt"
"Let's see... Elphelt. There we are let's see her status..."
[Elphelt - Lv 1(Sealed)]
[Nemesis - Lv 1(Sealed]
[Title – Challenger, Shameless Student]
[Strength – 5 Agility – 30 Magic – 5]
[Active Skills –Mind Circle Lv 1(Sealed), Space Rend Lv 1(Sealed).]
[Passive Skills – Sealed]
[Activated Arcanas- [???](Yet Awaken), [Linker], [Chaser], [Seeker], [Wanderer] (5/5)]
"Well damn who the hell was she cursed by? Wait Nemesis?... Tell me what were her achievements?"
As the clueless agent listed out her character achievement the department leader immediately took the matter into his hands and politely asked a question.
"Hell is this Nijima Asuha I presume?"
"Yes."
"Thank for playing Infinity Arcana I hope you are having great time now there are few important to discuss. I'm customers service department leader, Takago Hajime. Saa, let's get into business."
"Business?"
"You see we've getting a lot of calls and reports about you and people questioning you. "
"Hm?"
"Perhaps our calls didn't reach you?"
"Oh. No it didn't."
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Of course it didn't reach her since she doesn't use phones, she directly recieves calls from her brain which a secret very few people know and even fewer people now can contact her after she retired.
Takago Hajime seeing the confused Asuha decides to inform her more about the matter.
"There have been player's taking videos of your battle against the instructors and you awakening... Would you like me to show you?"
"Yes."
Multiple links appear as Asuha clicks on all of them sorts them and put play she finds it all of her fighting and awakening like he said.
"The problem is rather you defeating them and along with the fact you awakened many Arcanas rather quickly. So... you are being reported as a hacker that is."
Takago Hajime was feeling his stomach being hit by saying that. Just a look at her status is enough to frighten people out of their wits.
"Hmmm.... and? I presume you have investigated such matters of course."
"Yes we did. But in order for players to understand more about the game and the situation we need to show them both positive and negative effects of an Arcana. As you know an A.I developed Arcanas. According to it the more powerful an Arcana is the higher the restrictions and it's adverse effects. One like yours. Which can be said to be the strongest Arcana even without awakening it yet."
"Hmm... let me think."
Asuha ponders over it for a while and begins reading the comments on various videos the more she scrolls the more she understood she might gone overboard. For one thing having a super-enhanced brain is a cheat by itself but using her previous job abilities in here is a little too much. She sighs and comes to decsion
"Alright. You can reveal it."
"Yosha! Thanks Nijima-san for your cooperation. But ettoo... can you tell us about your Arcana?.. We aren't going allowed to know what they do unless it's a must. So can you share with us your discoveries and explain anything abnormal happening."
Takago Hajime said embarrassedly. On one side he's happy that they'll get to know a very powerful Arcana and on the other he's somewhat embarrassed about asking the question. It's like asking the guy someone on how to use a hammer when you invented it.
"For one thing I can't level up."
Go figures. Her growth is completely sealed.
"I see. But how may I ask how exactly did you defeat the instructors while being sealed?"
"Hmm... it's little strange everytime I awakened the Arcana will have ??? before them for the fight and my instincts takes over and I attack. It'll appear something along the lines [??? Nemesis]. And when I use those Arcanas as a class their level is like wise ??? along with my stats."
"That is certainly powerful a powerful Mysterious-Arcana..."
"Mysterious-Arcana? Oh no all I have is a Lost-Arcana and bunch Arcanas and a Higher-Arcana. No mysterious-Arcanas."
"Etto... for sake of confirmation your Lost-Arcana is [???] right?"
"Yes."
Takago Hajime hesitated for a while as he pondered whether he should ask more about it question for this is going against the rules. But considering the situation they are in he decides to ask away.
"Now this question is something you can answer on your own volition and choose whether to reveal it or not but what did you do to get an Arcana like that? Was there anything special happening when it appeared?"
Takago Hajime worries aren't unfounded. After all those who got Mysterious-Arcana are generally appearing ever so randomly faintly resonating with the player granting them powers as long it's activated. Many player's have such Arcanas and when it awakens it changes from Mysterious-Arcana to Higher-Arcana which is nothing to sneeze at. Now there is even Lost-Arcana if that was awakened that is already powerful when it yet to awaken.
"Well... I guess you could say I had a strange dream of sorts. I saw a beautiful red haired lady in a noble clothing humming a melody while playing a piano. As she played that the scenery began changing in the dream.
There were people walking around in the kingdom with guards patrolling and children playing and people bartering with eachother then it changed again to a bar filled with adventurers who were drinking while laughing and dancing. Then it changed into a library filled dilapidated books with an old man writing and people reading.
Then it changed into a picture of a woman of white haired woman with golden eyes that has white horns protruding from her temples pointing upwards along with a shirtless man who had scars ridden all over his body along with a mark on his chest. Both the man and the woman were smiling as they held eachothers hand but then the humming and sound of piano stopped.
There were people running away, as the same scarred man but with a dark sclera was surrounded by strange dark monsters as he fought against them til they were extinguished. The white-haired woman held onto the scarred man who was resisting the strange darkness that is invading while as tears spilled from her right eye and blood from her left eye that had now black slcera instead of white. The man were becoming like those strange monsters as she cried some people pulled her away and yelled in a strange language as she was pulled further from the scarred-man she saw the people cutting him into pieces without hesitation til he was extinguished.
Seeing that the woman white hair and horns turns dark as her both scleras became dark. She fought against those who killed him not caring for any wound cutting them a black blade. Even after a sword pierced her heart she didn't die despite her mortal injuries. She fought even while being exhausted massacring them til they finally caught her in chains and sealed her away because they couldn't kill her or get near her.
Then I saw her eyes opening and glinting in darkness which caused me to wake up and find four cards in my hand. the three basic Arcanas and the Lost-Arcana. Then I did the tutorial and got myself a name."
Takago Hajime broke into cold sweat because of three things. All Players supposedly previously find themselves waking up with 3 Arcanas and pretty much every outsider had except her so that builds up many theories. She seems to recall something or dreaming very vaguely before waking up and having an additional Arcana boosts and her being sealed from growing further boosts that fact about her own origins as the white-haired woman.
Secondly there is a possibility of that Arcana being related to that strange darkness... which considering from what she said she 'can't' be killed.
Thirdly because of Asuha got very cold and emotionless voice which made him really scared of her. In truth Asuha is really a sucker for that scarred guy... because he looked like her husband and that white haired woman and red haired woman look like her. Which further caused her to think it is her and her husband. Oh how she wished to cut and beat them and skin them in every horrible way possible. Still she kept it vague as a dream because she has no solid proof of what she saw as real thing or not.
But still... such a valuable information opens a new possibility for players to discover something big so Takago Hajime is trying muster up her courage to ask for permission to reveal it. If any of Asuha's former co-workers were in his situation they wouldn't even think to ask anything heck if they had to choose between asking something that might annoy her or skinning themselves with a rusty knife they'll choose the latter quickly. Because even if it is a chance they don't want to gamble with it. So to them Takago Hajime the fact of considering such thing can earn respect for his bravery among them.
"I assume you want permission to reveal that? You are more than welcome to."
The man thanked the heavens that she's a very understanding person. Only her husband and friends knew how unreasonable she can be. For she switches personalities very randomly. In one moment she's caring and understanding and the other she is cold and ruthless. It's just that due to living in peace with her husband in blissful happiness she's repressed her cold-self.
All it needs pissing her off and she'll immediately become a different person. The main reason she's in the library is looking for remnants of the past that includes an inkling of such events but unfortunately not. In this is in a scale more than 10 worlds with all kinds of history. Having a super enhanced brain sure is useful to multi-task and read more than 10 books in 30 seconds.
Since she can't find what she's looking for here she might find it else where and why not spread it to see what people might know of historical events.
"Once again thank you for your cooperation Nijima-san."
"Anything else? I have to go soon."
"Etto.... is there any other abnormal feelings you had while playing? There are cases where player's with more powerful Arcanas having abnormal feelings towards something. For example people who have Higher-Arcana [Darkness] feel tension or hostility when Light is used near them."
"Yes. I think I'm currently experiencing that right now."
Takago Hajime gets a little taken back with immediate reply so he ponders whether he should what she feels like. Because of that strange dream he doubts what she feels is going to be good. He decides to ask hoping it isn't something bad.
"That is the last question. How do you feel?"
"Intense hatred and anger towards Angels and Goddesses. Especially right now..."
If Takago Hajime could see Asuha right now he'll probably ask a completely different question altogether. Asuha was currently falling from the sky. Unfortunately for Asuha she can't see herself right for she is overlapping with a transparent figure of a black-haired woman from her dream. Asuha is trying to compose herself while currently as she feels anger rising by the moment. But when she remembers the face she saw earlier earlier she failed and got consumed by her anger.
"I'll kill that shitty goddess!!"
[I'll kill that shitty goddess!!]
Two different voices echoes across the world as Asuha loses control of herself. Asuhas sclera turns pitch-black as she a pitch black katana materializes she grips it's handle and violently swings it all around her while falling causing a tearing to appear in the sky.
As more tearings apear in the sky Asuha converges all the darkness around her in the blade and swings her blade sending a black wave across the sky to Genesis knows where.
After Asuha unleashed that attack she felt her conscious going away as she continues to fall a man with black hair and white horns catches her. The moment she saw his face she was surprised then her lips couldn't help but turn into a lovely smile as she lost her consciouness.
Her last thoughts were 'Those horns looked cool on darling.'
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The man with white horns was standing in middle of a crater while carrying Asuha in a princess carry position.
"This brings back memories."
The man said as he jumped from the crater while carrying her then put laid her down beside a tree. He then looked into the sky.
"Woah."
There were many feathers falling from the sky as he caught one that fell towards him he then proceeded inspecting it.
[A feather of an angel always some contains the holy power of the goddesses they serve. This feather however has all it's holy power drained from it by a mysterious power. The owner of this feather has died by this very mysterious power.]
A man's voice echoes inside the man with horns head.
"Do you know what kind of mysterious power it is?"
[The darkness of the abyss. I remember it being unable to be controlled though. It usually spreads til it consumes almost everything including souls. But she controlled it to consume only life and power itself and killed them with that last attack...]
"Still what the hell did they do to make her angry?"
[[Still what the hell did they do to make her angry?]]
Two voices echo as the man put his hand on his head you can see 2 forms overlapping with man with horns. One of those figures was a shirtless man that scars all over his body and the other was a man in a noble clothing that had golden eyes.
[Hm? This is...]
The transparent form of the man with golden eyes appears in front Asuhas as he looks at her closely he suddenly looked back at the man with horns.
"What's wrong?"
[I can feel it... that 'Arcana'... she's close to awakening it too...]
"Oh... Looks like I'll stay out of this one then. Let's go Gerald, Leo. We'll watch her from there."
The man with horns took one last look at the global announcements before turning into particles of light and disappearing.
[Global announcement: Warning for all Players in the world Sendra, 6 Forgotten worlds are in process of merging together with them. Due to the time difference in each of those worlds they'll appear periodically so be prepared.]
End.