NEX was a currency as far as Nav was aware of.

It was granted by the Nexus, and used mostly within the Nexus to purchase land or property within its residential floors, or to trade between fellow Blessed for goods.

It was the sole currency of the Nexus, and the ability she gained raised a few questions.

The implications were a mixed bag for Frost. It either meant that she could gain NEX from the Nexus itself despite lacking access to a Repository, or, that she could accumulate it in some other way.

The latter was the likely answer, considering it was raw NEX… Whatever it meant.

There was ultimately only so much they knew. And Frost had little confidence in their nature, considering that the coins were physically crafted from the living.

These thoughts circulated her mind as they traversed through the boneyard, striding through the barren field beyond.

Surrounding them in this massive sinkhole were walls many tens of meters in height, appearing like a supersized caldera. The golden glow could no longer be seen from here. The only other point of interest now was a grand ravine that split the cliff face into two at the other end.

Frost’s ability to see in this darkness was a godsend. She was their eyes, and Res was their ears. L.S was more or less their VIP. Her skillset and natural abilities were rendered useless here in the darkness.

L.S was the definition of ‘levels do not mean strength’. Most of her levels were in either Support or Exploration-esque Professions. But since she was not a Blessed, there was no real method of figuring out just what her true Profession was, aside from maybe a literal laughing stock.

While normal people did not have defined professions like that of the Blessed, they could still be categorized into one. A swordsman for example was a profession in of itself and did not need to be defined by the Blessing.

Yet the Blessing still did, and it locked people into said Profession until they hit a milestone level and unlocked new professions; whereas normal people had the ability to naturally change themselves.

In a sense, the Impuritas may be something between a Blessed and a normal person. But Frost was hard pressed to believe that without any concrete evidence, although…

Profession. A reflection of your existence. I remember that being its flavor text. It was the first ever answer you showed me as well. Haaah… how long has it already been since then?

“I showed you? You are misremembering it. I wasn’t even conceptualized at the time.”

Maybe not. But I like to think that you were with me since the start. Well, I guess you are the system in a way. Our system.

“Then you admit I am some sort of AI.”

Not at all. You’re you. You’re Nav.

“Short for Navigate... Your taste in naming is as dull as a rock.”

Thank you. I take pride in it.

Frost grinned to herself. Her eyes illuminated her face enough for L.S to catch a glimpse of it. Once again, she easily concluded that Frost had some sort of mental condition.

“On the topic of naming and flavor texts, I believe you should have a look at your new Corrupted Skills. You’ll find them quite interesting.”

< ACTIVE: Stacking Wealth >

< As they stack their wealth, do they stop to think where those coins come from? >

< EFFECT: Coins carrying a converted power may be used. All coins containing a unique power may only be used once >

< Cost: 5,000 MP >

< PASSIVE: Mangled Coins >

< The ancient machine was an impossible relic of an era unbeknownst to us >

< EFFECT: Summon a hundred Touch of Golds. They have come to your aid >

< PASSIVE: Corporeal Value >

< Inherent value was determined through one’s use. Their hearts and souls were never considered as a part of the whole >

< EFFECT: Place a value on all those within sight. The higher their value, the better >

Corporeal Value confused Frost because it was similar to The Language of Greed.

It already allowed her to see the value of people’s hearts, albeit she didn’t exactly know how to do it in the first place.

Nav clarified that the ability was meant to see the cost of swaying a person, whereas Corporeal Value essentially placed a price tag on people, revealing just how many coins they could be turned into.

< ACTIVE: Hired Arms >

< Mercenaries both near and far could not resist. Endless greed fostered civilization’s moral ambiguities >

< EFFECT: Hire an alternate version of yourself with half your stats. It will equip itself with your skillset and possessions. Your Hired Arm will enact your Will at a price >

< No initial cost. Upkeep and skill usage requires coins >

This one caught Frost’s immediate interest. It was essentially a clone of herself, except it operated on coins rather than mana. She had to wonder if it would be… well, little, like the Innocent.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Or maybe an identical copy, although ‘alternate’ implied otherwise.

These skills were certainly interesting and were more utility focused, at least in her opinion compared to the One Thousand Eyed Bird. Having a second her would certainly help in more ways than she could imagine.

And not to mention that this skill was one that scaled as she grew, unlike any of the One Thousand Eyed Bird’s skills.

It went without saying that the unique skills of Greed Counter were Empowered and False Diamond. Fortunately, an opportunity to utilize these skills had yet to arise. But knowing her encounter rate with trouble; it was only just a matter of time.

They eventually reached the cliff face. The gorge was large enough to comfortably fit two caravans side by side. The spaciousness was combated by various protruding rocks. They were like punji sticks and grew from the walls unnaturally.

Crystals came to mind, but upon analyzing it, she confirmed that they were indeed normal rocks. Although, the red glow was concentrated at their tips, making them appear like coarse gemstones.

“L.S. Hold onto my shoulders and duck to around my height. The rocks here will take an eye.” Frost warned, sharing a nod with Res.

“Ahaha. They’re a useless organ down here anyway.” L.S tapped at her temple, missing her eyes.

“Just get down and follow me already. C’mon.”

Once her hands were firmly placed on Frost’s shoulders, they began to traverse the uncharted world ahead.

Two walls of bedrock flanked them, climbing so high that the ceiling was only barely visible. Silence followed them wherever they went. Their footsteps and each other’s warmth were the only source of comfort.

Res stuck uncharacteristically close to her. She was like a lost puppy, with her ears and tail perpetually saddened as her mind was clogged with concern over her missing sisters.

Seeing her like this always hurt Frost, and so, she spoke to Jury and inquired about Cer’s condition.

“She’s fine, but she’s in a similar state to Res. They’re communicating by carving out words into the floor. Cer passes a message:

Tell Res that it’s not her fault.”

Of course it wasn’t Res’ fault. The only person to blame was the Bloody Herring. But she could understand how someone as diligent as Res would blame herself for something out of her control.

Frost hummed to lighten the mood a little, catching Res’ attention before smiling softly at the little wolf.

“Hey. Res? You ok?” She warmly asked, her voice and tone like that of a sincere mother.

“… what a funny thing to ask.” Res tugged on her sleeves and nodded once.

“I want you to know that I’ve spoken to Jury just now. Cer says she's fine. She even passed on a message for you… she says that it’s not your fault.”

“… Cer would know how I feel… Ber is probably thinking the same thing about me. Idiots…” Her ears twiteched happily. “Any news on her?”

“I’m sorry. Nothing’s come up yet. But we’ll find her. Believe me Res; I won’t leave until we find her.” Frost assured the pained wolf, causing her to smile at her warmth. “What about you? Do you have anything to tell Cer?”

“To not antagonize Jury. She’s there to help her.”

The message was promptly relayed without a hitch. Many more messages went back and forth between Res and Cer. It went from simply ‘are you ok?’ to pleasant jokes, invigorating their spirits.

Res’ tail finally stood proudly behind her, and Frost gladly acted as their mediator, as did Jury.

The triplets were friends, and their separation tugged at their heart strings. She could only imagine how she would have dealt with her own separation if it weren’t for Nav. In that case, she realized that Res actually took this pretty well.

At least compared to what Frost imagined herself doing…

Because she couldn’t imagine being in the dark without Jury by her side.

* * *

Res eventually returned to her normal demeanor. The only issue now was Ber’s whereabouts and their reunion. The ravine eventually saw an exit at the far end. The golden light could be seen once again. It was vibrant and exuded a certain siren’s call that beaconed them to follow.

In this last stretch, Frost finally took out the feathers taken from the Black Forest and began to inspect them, gathering the interest of the others.

“Those are from that Corrupted. The One Thousand Eyed Bird, was it? From the Black Forest. You did what no Moon could against that thing. I know it’s late, but congratulations.” Res sincerely praised, understanding well of the feat that Frost had accomplished.

“The Black Forest!? Surely you jest! Those look soft enough to belong to one of those giant birds of Grandis –!”

Frost, brandishing the giant feather of the Accusers, merely dragged it along the jutting rocks and trimmed them like they were no more than blades of grass. They trickled heavily beneath them, shattering like glass as L.S was rendered speechless by its sharpness.

She momentarily removed her hands from Frost’s shoulder in fear that her feathered coat would do the same to her fingers.

“But it’s still weaker than most weapons. Appraise Object.”

< Accuser Feather >

< An accursed feather >

… that’s it?

Frost’s disappointment was immeasurable, and her glee was nearly ruined by this lackluster reveal. Her face shifted so quickly that Res had to wonder just what was revealed.

“What does it say?” She had to ask, expecting some sort of grand reveal.

“It must be incredible!” L.S added.

“… it’s just feather.” Frost nonchalantly revealed, putting the thing away.

“Oh… ahaha.”

“… well, on the bright side it confirms that it is a feather.” Res joked, causing Frost to deeply sigh as she appraised the other feathers one by one.

And unfortunately, many of them had little to note. That was until she appraised the golden feathers of the One Thousand Eyed Bird’s innards.

< Feather of a Throne >

< Belonging to a thousand-eyed creature >

And this was not the only one with a unique flavor text. Or description? She didn’t know.

< Righteousness Feather >

< It is attuned to the truth >

This likely meant that her coat was made from a combination of these two feathers, and there may even be a possibility to creating another Coat of Prejudice. Although, the question of how would understandably be unanswered.

But Res was smart. Unlike her sisters, she was quick to pick out that the feathers matched Frost’s apparel. When she pointed it out, she then mentioned something interesting.

“You call that coat a Corrupted Object, correct? There are other strange items like that collected from defeated Corrupted. The items gathered afterwards can usually even recreate much weaker variants to the original.” Res explained, knowing well of Frost’s ignorance.

“With a crafting skill, I’m guessing.” Frost wrongly guessed.

“No! Ever heard of ImpulseWorks!? Many of our weapons and apparel are created by our friends over there!” L.S answered before the words could even leave Res’ lips.

“That’s correct. ImpulseWorks is responsible for creating my eyes. They gauge a person’s desires and create a weapon best suited for them.” Res added. “Those items gathered from a Corrupted can be repurposed. But it requires a lot of NEX. Looking at around several million. They don’t do anything for free unless you’re close to them. Or if you’ve recently graduated as a Moon or Star.”

“And we Exalted only get apparels. It’s so heartbreaking!” L.S fake cried.

The topic left Frost pondering on the possibilities of creating additional Coat of Prejudices. Or perhaps Corrupted items for people she trusted, which was already concerningly low. It opened future prospects, but of course, it would all depend on her relationship with ImpulseWorks.

In the end, Frost put the feather away and pulled Jury’s tail from the Dimensional Storage.

“Oh and that reminds me! Speaking of the Black Forest – the story itself was always an odd one. The crying child never made any sense! How out of place, don’t you agree?” L.S suddenly brought up as they neared the end of the massive gorge.

“In what sense?” Frost had to ask.

< Feathered Tail >

< It radiates an aura of divinity >

Divinity? Huh!?

“Unknown. Jury does not understand either.” Nav swiftly answered as they reached the final few steps before entering the coldness coat of the golden light.

“That the child tried to warn people to stay away. A Corrupted warning people of a Corrupted. How can there be such a thing!? A Corrupted would never lend a hand to a person in need!” L.S boldly proclaimed in the face of Frost.

“Well, you haven’t met the ones I’ve met.” Frost spoke fondly of her lover and her fuzzy friend. “If you did, then you’d have a lot more hope.”

She hid her smirk well under a stoic veil as they entered new territory.

What humored her was the fact that it was Jury who saved her from being killed outright by her own hands. But the mention of Jury being misplaced in the tale irked her a little.

Because L.S was right in a way.

Where did the crying child fit into the tale? Who was this crying child? At no point did Frost ever hear of people actively trying to ward others away from the forest in the past events that transpired in the Black Forest.

Additionally, Jury’s chimera-like appearance also made it difficult to determine just what race she took after.

There was a gap in the tale of the Black Forest. Furthermore, Jury had lived as a Corrupted for 26 years. She recalled the very words that were shared with her by one of the village women.

‘But we’ve never actually seen the source of it before. For 12 years it’s been like this…’ So what the fuck happened to Jury for the last 14 years prior?

“Jury remembers that much. She says she was always waiting in the dark. For something.”

“Wait a second. I’m hearing something ahead! Stay close to Frost!” Res exclaimed as the whispers of chatter began to emit form somewhere outside.

“But then one day, she was awoken by a strange light. It was a streak of light that crossed the dark sky.” Nav described a similar sight that Frost saw in her dream just moments before Nav itself came to life.

They finally stepped into the light, and in that moment, a hundred panicked voices surrounded them.

As did the sound of unsheathing blades and clashing metal.