Everyone’s dead. Someone like that shouldn’t appear here!

Why?

Why?

Why!?

That was the only thought running through Niven’s head as he leaned against a halfway demolished wall in the second ring of palisades along the perimeter. The outpost that he had guarded was attacked. Their assailant was only a single person, but that singular individual was able to wreak havoc and obliterate their battalion of 1,000 men with ease.

They were a [Supplicant], a Tier 4 elite mage that served directly under a [Soul King]. An overwhelming force, given the fact that the strongest person here was only Tier 2.

An enemy of that caliber showing up without notice represented a complete failure on the part of military intelligence. Beings of such strength should have been intercepted and countered by those that could face them. Barring that, if such a thing were impossible, then pawns like the battalion Niven was a part of should have been evacuated long ago.

An event like this was not supposed to happen without early warning, especially with their post being so far in the back.

After all, it was unthinkable for them to be sacrificed as fodder in such a situation. They could not hope to even delay this kind of adversary, with the massive gulf that existed between them.

But that was the ideal.

And his current situation was anything but ideal.

Now Niven was the only survivor, surrounded by numerous perfectly spherical marbles that were once limbs and fortifications. Some of the desiccated corpses of his friends and compatriots had large spherical holes in them, though most were pressed into a marble in their entirety.

He didn’t understand why exactly he was the only one that lived through this disaster, and he wasn’t quite in the mood to care.

But as he gauged his injuries, it was looking more and more unlikely that he would survive long. His left arm was gone, reduced to tiny pebbles, and his legs were unresponsive - completely paralyzed. Perhaps he wouldn’t even endure long enough to convey what had happened here.

Though such an eventuality wasn’t something Niven was wholly opposed to. He was an orphan, and his closest ties had all died during that attack.

He’d joined the army early into his life under the promise of food and shelter. Both were found in ample supply.

And to top it off, his captain was about as kind as any father could ever be - at least, that is what Niven believed, having never experienced it before. That, along with the comradery fostered with his brothers and seniors through numerous deployments and training sessions…

They all knew that their lives were on the line from the moment they stepped into The Divide, but none of them wanted to go out in such a ridiculous way.

There was no glory in a death like that.

Some were even younger than him. They were slaughtered like pigs, denied from putting into practice all their hard work.

Being 19, Niven had already fought a fair share of battles. He had even seen from afar the ravages of higher tier transcendents, which was why he was so sure the other assailant was a [Supplicant].

But this was the first time he had experienced it so closely. It made quite the impression. It frightened him, mostly.

Was that the kind of power that people can possess? That I could have possessed had my life been different?

No. Maybe I could have become an [Anointed Lieutenant].

“Hahhhh,” Niven let out a deep sigh.

What am I thinking? I must really be delirious.

I’m just waiting for death, too afraid to finish myself off. Maybe I should just indulge in daydreaming. At least it’ll distract me from this pain.

Though he could feel his life - his existence- slowly fading away, he stubbornly held on, even knowing that support would not come soon enough to rescue him.

So with the System I could have become strong like that one day.

The only instruction about confrontations of this nature was to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible.

Looking back, that advice was false hope at best. Their fate was sealed the moment they came within sight of the [Supplicant]. There wasn’t even a chance to think, let alone run.

One moment he was dozing off and the next moment everything around him went *crunch*.

...

After sitting around for what felt like ages, Niven finally mustered up the courage and murmured softly, "St-status...", his voice hoarse. Perhaps it was due to his dry throat, or maybe it was his trepidation, though it was likely a mixture of both. Regardless, even if his pronunciation was not up to par, a screen he so fondly recognized popped up.

Name: Niven

Title: None

Total Level: 9

Mana: 1 / 2

Age: 19

Race: Human

Racial Skill(s):

[F][Adaptive]: Expand?

[F][Quick Learner]: Expand?

Main Class: [C][Soldier]: Expand?

Skills:

[F][Phalanx]: Expand?

[F][Combat Sense]: Expand?

General Skills:

[D][Reading]: Expand?

[F][Sewing]: Expand?

[F][Endurance]: Expand?

[F][Keen Vision]: Expand?

General Attributes:

Strength: 10

Constitution: 14

Dexterity: 9

Intelligence: 4

Wisdom: 3

Condition: Bleeding, Lost Limbs, Organ Failure... (Expand?)

Browsing it for what was likely to be his last time, Niven mused, I was so proud then. Awakening my status.

There was no grand coming-of-age ceremony or the like, but he celebrated the occasion with his friends back at the orphanage. It was a period that felt like a lifetime ago. Had the others also found their own path? Did it lead them to a happier destination than his current one? Could they say that they were proud of what their status showed? So many questions, but it was unlikely for him to be able to catch up with any of them.

Though... even now, if given the chance, he would answer those questions by saying that he was still rather proud of the path he had tread.

There were four general skills to his name. Such a feat already made him far above the average person his age, not to mention ones in a situation which provided little resources to get ahead.

It was comforting, getting his progress validated every so often. It felt like there was someone looking over him. Someone that noticed and catalogued his steady improvements. Almost akin to a watchful parent in a way. But at this moment, the overwhelming dread trumped that pride. It was why he hadn’t called his status up until now.

At the very bottom of it was his current state spelled out in crystal clarity.

Condition: Bleeding, Lost Limbs, Organ Failure...

Or rather, he knew it full well and didn’t wish to recognize it. After all, the Status never reported things one couldn’t perceive for themselves.

Deep down, everything was as clear as day. It was only he who dreaded acknowledging the writing on the wall. He wished to ignore his impending demise, as if denial would make it cease to exist.

And now, after all this time alone to stew with his thoughts, Niven wished that there was something, anything that could save him from this destined end. For this, he would give anything.

Elay always said that only when you stared death straight in the eyes that you understood what kind of person you truly were. So am I a coward, then? Just a few hours of sitting here made me lose my will to die with them?

Then maybe I am a coward. I am afraid. Yes, now isn’t the time to lie to myself. I’m terrified. I don’t want it to end. I don’t want to die so uselessly. I don’t want to leave just yet. Even if I don’t…

Then, as if in direct response to this idea, a voice resounded within his head.

『Find me, if you wish to live. Show me the perseverance, the will to survive for a little while longer. Break your limits. Reach me.』

『Show me once again the infinite potential of the soul. You have proven yourself to be so much more than this. You just need to demonstrate it once more.』

On again and off again. The voices paused before each sentence. But even in his delirious state, Niven was able to make sense of them with perfect clarity. It was such a departure from his slow and steady mental decline that it scared him.

『A bright future awaits.』

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

『Just ahead.』

『Come.』

『Come.』

『Believe.』

Something called out to him. It was an ethereal, cacophonous thing, reminiscent of his inner monologue during his most ill of fever dreams. The voice's sound was in strong contrast to the intent he understood.

How can something be both turbid and clear? Niven wondered.

Through those solicitations, Niven felt a strong, almost physical calling. Pulling. Dragging. It beckoned in the direction he faced, further into the Divide, and away from his post.

It drew him in the direction the supplicant had left in.

Normally, he knew better than to trust strange voices in his head, but he didn’t think there was much to lose.

It didn’t take a genius to realize that staying here meant certain death. Maybe not now, but soon. An hour, two hours. He didn’t know the exact amount of time he could bleed out for. He only learned basic first aid. Anything beyond that was for the healers to study, not him.

The only thing he knew for certain was that he was running out of time. Maybe whatever called out to him could break this dead end. Things that were capable of telepathy were already far beyond his ken. If nothing else, moving towards it gave him something to distract himself from his rapidly spiraling thoughts.

What beings are capable of sending me a message like that here? He wondered.

Perhaps he was delivering himself straight into the jaws of some titanic Psi-Lurker that he was warned about, but that was something he was willing to risk.

Plus, he heard that those that died in their maws did not feel any discomfort at all, their minds at peace in their final moments. It was a terrifying prospect when he first heard it, but he was not bleeding out then.

He was now.

With his mind made up, he crawled forward with his single functioning arm. With a frenzy befitting a man on his last rope, he feverishly made his way toward the source of the voice. As he moved, the chorus would continue to echo out in his mind, affirming his course.

『Forward.』

『Forward.』

With numb hands slipping against the sand, he continued to drag himself forward. Wriggling, writhing. Grasping, clawing. Every movement he could make to gain even an inch of ground in his current position, he did.

Time seemed to slow as his distance from the devastated camp stretched farther and farther.

With time, his mind went numb as well. However, miraculously, his single-functioning limb continued on.

『Forward.』

Forward.

『Forward.』

At a certain point, he was unsure whether the voice compelling him forward was his possible savior or himself.

Delirium taking hold, his thoughts synced up and repeated the same mantra, unable to think of anything else. Niven wasn’t sure how he was able to go so far, only that his body was filled with energy, allowing him to continue on.

『Forward.』

『Forward.』

『Forward.』

Finally, he reached the thing that contacted him.

His form crumpled in front of a bloated corpse.

Even in his completely exhausted, nigh-delirious state and with the corpse so utterly deformed, he was able to recognize it as the [Supplicant] that attacked them immediately. That kind of garish clothing was simply unmistakable.

With its back to the ground, the supplicant’s four limbs reached backward, digging into the sand like roots. Their body sprawled out, their ribs extended outward in all directions. It was oddly harmonious, possessing a grotesque beauty bringing to mind a picture of a flower in full bloom.

In the center of the corpse’s ribs, replacing the heart, sat what seemed to be a core of a grayish slime, arranged like the pistil of a profane flower.

He could see that it was not the extent of the being as well. Tendrils of the grayish slime poured from every orifice and wound of the corpse, burgeoning as if it could not fit itself entirely within its host - expanding then shrinking rhythmically, struggling to contain itself.

Was this what one of those mutated beasts he was cautioned about?

To be able to do such a thing to a supplicant...

He was obviously unable to [Identify] the goop and didn’t make the attempt for fear of somehow angering it. And, he didn’t need to make such a move to remind it that he had arrived. It was able to sense his approach.

The rousing mantra that had been burned into his mind over the journey stopped as soon as he caught sight of the thing, but he still felt a faint echo ring inside him. As he inched closer, it spoke to him once again.

『What are you willing to give for life?』

『The help I extend to you will be determined by how much you pay.』

『But remember, things you value may not be very precious to me.』

『I will give you three chances to strike my fancy.』

It was strange, communicating with such an inhuman thing, but he’d settle with anything at this point. His ilk wasn’t qualified for an afterlife in Othos’ divine kingdom anyways, so what was there to lose?

However, faced with this question, he was honestly stumped. He was prepared to follow the arrangements of the being that called him, but it suddenly flipped the script. What did he have that the thing would call him especially over for?

Niven’s mind blanked.

He defaulted to something that was driven into his mind from a young age.

Is this perhaps an avatar of a god? He had learned about many of them, but none of the ones that came to mind quite fit the image of the being in front of him. However, he knew that those he recognized were not the full extent of deities that oversaw the world.

They took up all manner of strange shapes that corresponded to their dominions, something Niven could never fully understand, so that might explain its figure.

“My faith. Would devoting myself to you for the rest of my life be enough?” Niven asked nervously. He wasn’t entirely confident in his answer, but he had to start somewhere.

『An interesting offer. But sadly, I have no need for such a thing. I have tried it before, but divinity does not suit my path. I have passed the point where I need the affirmation of others. Try again. You have two chances left.』

Rebuffed, Niven fell silent.

So not a god. A monster native to the Divide, then?

Maybe it wants to parasitize me? The way it clings to that corpse looks similar to how the hivers near my city build their nests.

“Then how about I let you take over my body?" Niven proposed, gesturing to himself, "It’s not much in its current state, but you could fix it up right?” It was a rather outrageous idea… but he didn't want to slip into the nothingness after death. Even being a visitor in his own body wasn't all too bad a prospect to him at this moment. It might have been extremely shortsighted, but he also had to admit his mind was less than clear right now.

Though... it seemed rather amused by his second answer.

『Let me? Now, why would I need your permission to do such a thing?』

Niven then heard a few sounds that were reminiscent of laughter, but they didn’t seem mocking.

『While I indeed have a compassionate heart, you have to look at things from my perspective too, you know. As alien as I may look, my thoughts also have a human bias as well.』

『However, that was close to what I had in mind. And your will to survive has impressed me. So, I’ll give you a hint.』

『Permissions are what I’m after, but it’s nothing physical. I do not wish to pilot a puppet.』

『Two strikes. Make the last one count.』

Unwilling to just die, Niven’s anxiety broke through his mask of calm. Where before he was still able to think somewhat rationally in spite of the ridiculousness before him, his emotions started to take center stage.

But how could he not be in a hurry? A miracle was right in front of him, but it was quickly slipping away.

Permissions. Non-physical… The soul or spirit? What was the distinction between them again? Gah, I should have paid more attention back then. But how would anything to do with those not make me into a puppet?

The more Niven thought, the more his mind ran in circles. While the thing before him hadn’t shown any indication of running out of patience, no response was sometimes more nerve wracking than a clear increase in annoyance. At least then, he would know where the line was.

As he was now, he had no idea when the being would declare that time was up, or if it would at all.

Thus, as he pondered longer and longer, the pressure became more than he could bear.

Perhaps if he were smarter.

Perhaps if he were not so tired.

Or perhaps if he had more knowledge he’d have been able to find an answer that satisfied the thing, but he couldn’t meet any of those conditions at present.

At wit’s end, he made the only choice he could. Or rather, the only choice he thought he could make. He decided to just give whatever the thing wanted. And, since he wasn’t sure what it wanted, he’ll just give everything. He came here with nothing, and his knowledge of esoteric things like magic or gods ended with stories of famous mages or tedious religious studies. At the very least, by ceding all of him, he was certain that he’d get to live on.

“Then, how about I give everything? Surely that will be enough for you. While my life may be worthless, you called me here for a reason, right?” He resigned. Following that, Niven sensed the slime smile, though he wasn’t sure how it did so. Was it the telepathic link?

『A wise albeit desperate decision. Though, I won’t complain. And… nor will you. With me as the playwright, your life will go far indeed.』

『This world shall become your stage, and together, we shall enact a play to shock the heavens.』

『All shall come to revolve around you, my dear actor.』

『Come. Wield me. Claim your destiny.』

Upon delivering the picturesque scene of the future that awaited him, the slime creeped toward him. Niven couldn’t quite come to believe those words, but he was in no position to argue.

As it grew closer and closer, he came to understand just how massive it truly was. Even as a monstrous, almost all consuming clump of viscous slime pooled right before him, there was still a seemingly unending mass that kept exiting the corpse.

It just grew and compacted, becoming denser and denser as time passed, going at a remarkably slow rate as if purposely allowing Niven to take it all in.

Was a part of it underground before? It looked like it only came out from the Supplicant’s chest, though.

Soon enough, the monster towered in front of him. A tinge of regret flashed in his mind, before being quickly quashed. There was no point in second thoughts. Niven pushed himself up with his one arm to get a better look and embraced the fruit he himself planted.

Just as he thought it would consume him entirely, the slime quickly condensed into a simple cast iron spear, identical to the one he was issued. The sheer speed it had occurred made the whole presentation before that much more theatrical.

Niven stared blankly at the… thing… that rested with the pole end pointed towards him, as though inviting him to hold it.

It looked so familiar. From the color to the sheen. The weapon before him was as exact a replica to the one in his mind as could be.

However, the difference between the two was greater than the distance between heaven and earth. Perhaps beyond even that of him and Othos.

He started to reach out gingerly, before hesitating. Even knowing it wouldn’t work, he threw an [Identity] its way.

However, to his surprise, despite the gulf he assumed existed between them, he was able to see its details.

Name: Apollyon

Total Level: 1

Mana: 1000 / 1000

Artifact Type:

Soul - Bound Intelligent Weapon:

Does not take up a equipment slot

Grows with wielder

Chooses user

Attribute Boost:

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 5

Constitution: 5

Intelligence: 5

Wisdom: 5

Charisma: 5

Equip Requirement: None

Special Attributes:

Luck: -25

General Skills:

[U][Library]:

[U][Camouflage]:

[U][Storage]:

『Like what you see?』 asked Apollyon.

Niven was a little stunned that it was so willing to show itself to him before everything had been finalized. Perhaps it was giving him one last chance to back out. Or perhaps it was to give that final push to allow him to surrender in peace. The boons it promised were tantalizing, indeed.

But if it were trying to achieve the latter… viewing the status brought to mind more questions than it answered. There were so many things on it that were different from a traditional status that he was rather skeptical.

For one, how was it possible for something at only level 1 to kill a [Supplicant]? But that question in particular wasn’t relevant to the current situation, and he was the weaker party. The less he questioned, the less likely for their mood to change. Since he had no intention of backing out, personal matters like that could be saved for after they knew each other better.

After all, it wasn’t like it’s answer would change his decision, anyway.

However, there was one thing he felt he needed to ask, “What’s with the -25 luck?”

Rather than receiving a roundabout refusal to answer like he had expected, it responded immediately.

『Good. You're not stupid.』 Apollyon seemed to have expected the question. Rightly so, as it could be considered the only downside to accepting it - aside from the loss of agency that came naturally with inviting a higher power to one’s side, but that did not need explaining.

『The difference between misfortune and fortune is strength. Even if others conspire against you, if you are strong enough, isn’t that just a justification to take their things as compensation for their aggression?』 The artifact lectured, 『In my opinion, it’s much more aggrieved to have no luck or misfortune at all. Doesn’t that just make for a boring life? If you wish to reach the top, resources are necessary. Calamities can become opportunities with the right maneuvering.』

It paused for a moment, seemingly to allow Niven to comprehend what it just said.

『So, what d'ya say? Care to become my contractee?』

Do you wish to become [Soul Bound] to [Apollyon]?

This process is irreversible

Niven felt the weight of the decision before him. However, he still nodded without hesitation.

"Yes," He answered solemnly.

And everything turned dark.