As we went to return to the town, I took the time to check on the notifications.
...
... ... ...
Everything froze as NOIM stopped time yet again, the set of notifications immediately flooding my screen as it did so.
Another Reward? I thought to myself. It was likely Asgard giving out something as a reward for completing the wave as well as to survive the next one. Though I was surprised at the generosity of the System, or rather the kingdom of Asgard this time as the plethora of information displayed allover me.
[Info] Wave 1/5 Completed.
[Info] Item obtained: Insignia of Asgard. Can transform to any form of accessory, Current Form: Ring, 0/5 Asgard Rewarded Skill Slots, 0/100 Consumable Slots, Items will not perrish inside the special storage. Cooldowns temporarily disables all skills. Disintegrates upon the users death or disqualification to Asgard.
[Info] Please select a reward.
-Scan, Small Area, 3 second cooldown
-Disorrient, Single Target, 20 second cooldown
-Slow, Small Area, 25 second cooldown
[Info] Khan's mundane item shop is now open right beside the archway. Discover Khan's Mundane Item Shop, your go-to place for life's essentials, offering a wide range of products from refreshing beverages like water, beer, and ale to normal tasting food, Fragrant soaps and shampoos for everyday indulgence. Visit Khan's mundane item shop right now! *Open for only 2 hours upon successfully clearing each wave*
Making sure to note to buy my self some supplies, I swiped away the advertisement.
Staring at the description for a long while, I imagined myself taking a deep breath, and exhale. Other than the staggering 100 consumables storage, It looks like the Insignia will allow me to use specific skills rewarded by Asgard. Without the cost of mana by the looks of it... There's a cooldown though...
And of course the last line. Well... Given the benefits they provide, it would be a lot more ominous if they gave us items without any requirements or whatsoever. I hypothetically shrugged to myself. Atleast the relationship is sort of symbiotic this way.
Or atleast we know what we're getting into...
Moving to the rewards, *Scan* seems to be more of a detection skill that allows you to scan your surroundings and easily create a mental map out the surrounding area. Useful for searching and even during battle so no one would be able to sneak up on me, and I don't have to constantly look behind.
A soft chuckle sounding in from my memory, made me pause to think about the skill again. This again... I mumbled to myself to the familiar sensation before taking my time to think about it. It wasn't that I was being paranoid, but having the ability to atleast have a better idea of what's happening around you just really gives a certain peace of mind. There wasn't really a specific reason for the skill to be bad, in fact, seeing I was nearly hit by arrows as well as spells from my allies earlier, I think it's the best skill out of the three.
Moving on to *Disorient*, having the ability to mess up your opponent's senses would surely be deadly on a one on one fight, but it's not like there isn't really a counter for it. Also, depending on experience, I could see a lot of experienced targets instantly adapting to it. Sure it could be useful for crucial moments, specially when taking down far stronger opponents through surprise, but I don't think it would be fit for the archetype I'm looking to build for myself.
The last skill Reward is named *Slow* it's an area skill mainly slows down the travel time of projectiles. It also slightly affect the entities around but only for 20th of the affect it would normally have on projectiles. A near neglible amount during the early stages, but would definitely be useful in the long run when my body is fast enough to make use of the miniscule time created by the skill. The 25 second cooldown though leaves a lot to think about. Given that the description of *scan* specifically mentions everything in a 360 degree radius, it would most likely allow me to detect projectiles and evade using my mana enhanced body without the need to evade it. Seeing it's almost non existent effect on living beings or entities, it's clearly not as strong of a disable as *Disorient*.
Oh well. I contemplated several times, almost selecting *Scan* in the process but ultimately trusted the foreign voice seemingly inside of my memories. It just felt right for some reason.
'No time for regrets, I guess...'
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Strangely enough, time continued in a pause as another batch of notifications appeared in front of me.
[Info] Congratulations on being the top contributor on the first wave of the trial. An additional reward has been prepared, based on the users abilities and circumstances. Please choose a reward:
-Skill: Essence Rift, teleport yourself to any place you've been to at the cost of (mana * distance). Cooldown once per day.
-Item: Stat Rending Apple, +20 to all stats.
-Soul Fragment of an Observer of the End (1/5)
My heart stopped as I looked at the final option, I didn't know why but I could feel my tears fall and my heart ache as soon as I saw the option. Why...
I don't understand.
Just why...
My brain overloaded as it kept trying to make sense of the third option but I simply couldn't. My heart ached, my brain, my thoughts filled with frustration and longing to a degree I never even thought was possible.
It didn't matter if the other options offered me plus 20 all stats or allowed me to learn a skill that can rift me anywhere I've been, that fragment is a part of me... A part of us... And I know I'll regret it my whole life if I don't chose it right now.
[Info] You have selected Soul Fragment of an Observer of the End (1/5), please prepare for backlash.
Backlash... What.. -
!!!
An intense pain spread all over everything I could feel. It was as if my soul as being remodeled everything hurt, the feeling a thousand fold greater than the torture I felt during my nightmares.
I screamed and shouted to the literal empty nothing, my body not even existing in this darkness but I felt all of it. All of it and beyond even my body, up to my very soul. I tried my best to hold on not willing to miss what comes afterward, but my vision darkened further as my conciousness faded.
.....
... ...
………………………… …………………………
“William.”
A voice called over in my head. I could tell that it was coming from the Woman at the center. As I looked closely I noticed that a tear was forming in the woman’s eyes.
Suddenly, the woman’s eyes opened and as it did, the scenes around me shifted.
…
When my vision returned, I noticed that I was on a hospital bed… Or rather… The current body I’m in…
“What’s the matter with you? She’s our child. It doesn’t matter if she’s born this way. Please tell me we’ll find a way.”
“Bah. Not even the best doctors of the World Government were able to heal her. Nor the strange magic inside that game.
We’re in frightening times dear. What if a portal is breached and this place gets attacked? Do you think those monsters will feel remorse or guilt and not kill her?
We can barely defend ourselves! We can’t carry extra baggage as we flee!”
“She’s our child!”
“What do you want to do with her then–...”
I could only watch everything as the couple screamed and shouted at each other. In this body, I couldn’t do anything. I could listen and see them, but other than that. I only existed…
Just like the tower…
The tower…
Suddenly I heard a voice in my head and the scene shifted back to where I originally was. I was once again facing the woman bound by golden chains.
“They would always fight in front of me like that. I couldn’t blame them though. Ever since I was born, I was already like this.”
“I couldn’t cry, nor could I move. I could only continue to breathe. Unable to do anything.”
“I simply existed.”
The scene shifted again before I could say anything. Once again I was in the woman’s body. She was a bit younger this time.
This time, there was no one else in the hospital. Only the TV was open. And on air was me…
“I watched you all the time you know. All of your matches. Interviews. How you tried your best to fight against the waves.”
“...” I couldn’t say anything my eyes still focused on the TV, first it showed my old matches before I retired, then it showed a struggling version of myself. Fighting waves and waves of horrors I couldn’t recognize.
‘Just like the nightmares I’ve been having…’
If this is the case then…
I continued to listen to the voice, this time more attentively now.
Then it really was sad wasn’t it? Even as a girl that could only exist. She had to…
“That’s right…” The voice wavered as she seemed to have read my mind. The scene on the TV shifted again. This time it was showing humanity’s forces getting overwhelmed.
“Up until my last breath, I could only watch the world burn through this old TV.”
“Reception was even bad sometimes...” The woman reminiscenced as the whole place shifted and changed.
The whole building was now collapsing, muted screams echoing everywhere. People fleeing for their lives.
“And I… I… didn’t even managed to watch until the end.”
And then she cried, tears fell down her cheeks but her eyes held firm as she watched her final moments.
The ceiling collapsing.
Monsters slaughtering everyone.
She watched all of it in bravery.
Even when one of the horrors noticed her unmoving body.
Even when one of the horrors tore her limb one by one she continued to watch.
Even after that.
Until her very last breath she watched.
And then it all went dark.
…
… …
When my vision returned I was once again on top of the crumbling tower. The woman bound by golden chains now had her eyes red.
“It must have been rough.” That’s the only thing I could only say.
She laughed before replying:
“I know. Even NOIM couldn’t help but feel sad about me. It tried to reincarnate me into it’s world but alas it turned out that I wasn’t a complete soul if it truly did try to reincarnate me…”
“Then the same thing would just happen to you all over again.” I went ahead and finished for her.
“It told me that it could try to fix my soul, but that would inevitably replace who I am. So instead, it offered me something else.”
“It told me that there would be a chance soon. And if I want to, it could send me to the past as a part of a person I trust.”
“And you chose me?” I asked with both a smile and a frown.
“I didn’t really have a chance to talk to much people did I?”
“You didn’t.” We both chuckled as we continued to look at each other.
We didn’t say a word for a while.
Looking at her, though the chains still bound her, it seems that she was able to move now.
She clumsily moved her body, stretching, and doing all odd motions in her hand. As if a new born child. Noticing my gaze, she looked back at me before saying…
The scene gave me peace for some reason. It’s like I’m watching a friend get better from an illness. Like she’s always been close to me.
After a while she finally spoke up.
“But you know William, Seeing your struggle was enough for me.
Unlike you… all of them gave up in the end. Some of them even betrayed humanity itself.” A cold glint can be seen in her eyes as she said this.
—“It’s gonna be different this time.”
“It will.”
“You will pour out your heart and soul.”
“Just as I have emptied mine.” I mumbled inaudibly. Before grabbing the hand she offered.
There wasn’t anything to be suspicious about. Not just because of her past life, or what she told, but because it was her. The one that has been with me since the very beginning of my life.
The one who’s warmth covered my soul whenever I cracked from the visions I kept seeing. A part of my soul that has always been there for me.
I’ve finally met her.
—- “We’ll have to work harder from now on okay?”
“Yeah.”
Finally the chains break and then the tower crumbled.
then it was darkness all over again.
…
… …
To be continued.