"There’s no more pain?"

Niven murmured as he woke up, confused and disoriented. Not in the sense that he had a headache or that his vision was blurred. Rather, he wasn’t able to make sense of what happened just yet. Currently, based on what he felt, all he knew was that he was laying on the ground with his back to the shifting dunes that were the constant fixture of the Divide. He hardly ever needed to stay the night outside the confines of his encampment, but this sensation was too distinct to forget.

As he tried to push himself up, he lost control over his strength and flung himself forward, eating a faceful of sand. Even more puzzled, and with his mind still somewhat foggy, he rubbed his head and slowed down, stopping himself from making any more movements that might muddy the situation even further.

Sitting still, he thought about what was going on, breaking everything down to find a thread to grasp that might explain everything.

Everyone dead. Enemy attack. I survived… What happened after…

His musings were then abruptly interrupted, as a voice distinctly different from his inner monologue rang out in his mind.

『Ah, finally awake, are you? Why don’t we hash out the details of our new arrangement?』

It’s different from before. Not quite as cacophonous or unpleasant. In fact, it was even a little magnetic in a way Niven couldn’t describe. Despite the changes, he was able to recognize the one who spoke immediately.

Wait. Different? No, I remember.

That voice.

That reminder was enough for him. A host of other images assaulted his mind, catching him up.

Right. He saved me. Apollyon.

Much more awake, Niven sat up and swiveled his head to all sides, scanning for his contractor.

Empty sand to the right.

Empty sand to the left.

There.

Sure enough, behind him was something that looked like the spear that he was so used to. Yet it wasn’t the spear that had accompanied him in his past battles. That one was still left back there, in the remains of his post.

This spear… was one that he couldn’t even begin to regard as a spear, no matter how much it looked like one at present.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Before long, it spoke again,『I patched you up. Take some time acclimating to your newfound strength. Progress is not always linear, and with me it is unlikely you will improve at such a snail’s pace again, so get used to it』 Apollyon paused,『It’s a blessing, then, that we are out in the wilderness. Nothing to distract you before you get yourself situated. Before my explanations, I’d recommend you take a look at your status. It’ll save me some effort.』

Makes sense… I can feel the difference, but I can’t seem to put it into words. How much have I changed?

Niven listened to Apollyon’s advice and softly invoked, “Status”.

Name: Niven

Title: None

Total Level: 9

Mana: 1004 / 1004

Age: 19

Race: Human

Racial Skill(s):

[F][Adaptive]:

[F][Quick Learner]:

Main Class: Soldier

Skills:

[F][Phalanx]:

[F][Combat Sense]:

General Skills:

[D][Reading]:

[F][Sewing]:

[F][Endurance]:

[F][Keen Vision]:

General Attributes:

Strength: 15

Constitution: 19

Dexterity: 14

Intelligence: 9

Wisdom: 8

Charisma: 5

Temporary Skills:

[U][Library]

[U][Camouflage]

[U][Storage]

Special Attributes:

Luck: -10

Condition: None

Niven looked at the panel that was both familiar yet foreign. He knew that it reflected his current state, but the values that had stayed constant for so long had made such a dramatic shift that they were almost unbelievable.

First and foremost, his injuries were gone. That explained why it was no longer painful to breathe. Secondly, his original attributes had improved markedly, likely due to Apollyon’s adding onto his.

Lastly, he noticed a number of extra things that were not there before, which prompted Niven to ask, “Why didn’t I have charisma or luck shown before?”

『They weren’t relevant. If the System showed everything it knew about you it would fry your brain before you even went about comprehending anything. But there is a distinction between charisma and luck. Anyone can see their charisma, your society - or maybe your social stratum - just didn’t put much emphasis on it, so you never regarded it as something that you should see.』

『The Supplicant had it, for example. You just have to know that luck is something you won’t be made aware of without meeting very stringent conditions. Conditions that you currently meet.』

Luck is pretty important, then, Niven considered. He knew that coming into this, but having it repeatedly emphasized really put things into perspective. He then looked more closely at his luck stat, as though it would bring up more than just the number it showed. Maybe intent alone was not enough.

He distinctly remembered that by taking Apollyon up on his offer, his luck would have been reduced by 25. Although his only frame of reference was that curse, his original luck seemed much higher than he’d expected.

“So my luck was 15 before? Why don't I feel very lucky?” Niven questioned. Despite being an orphan, he took it upon himself and learned basic mathematics by referencing the books at his orphanage - along with the occasional tutoring by volunteers. As such, he could calculate something like this easily.

『Well, for one, luck ebbs and flows like rivers and tides. It is not static. However, I’ve determined yours to be generally quite high. While I don’t know the story of your life, based solely on how you were the singular survivor in a direct conflict with someone four tiers above you, you are indeed quite lucky.』

『You point to yourself being an orphan as proof of your misfortune, but that is not necessarily the case. In fact, I’d say those born into a high status are rather unlucky themselves, with the mentality those positions tend to foster. And, if I were to hazard a guess, things up to this point have been going smoothly enough, no?』

Niven fell silent after this revelation. Thinking back…

Indeed, my orphanage had a small shelf of books that were free to read, along with passionate volunteers that came every so often to tutor and help out. I hardly had any obstacles during enlistment, which was how I obtained my class. The training team I was arranged into was dutiful and made sure I understood everything I needed to know. Many of those training with me also entered into the same group afterwards. The battalion we all ended up in was nothing but welcoming.

This outpost was decently cushy despite technically being within the Divide. It was better than the orphanage, anyways. But it's also because it's in the Divide that it paid well...

But…

Doesn't that make their deaths all the more painful?

I remember their names. Elay. Flann. Freyd. Tehma… The dreams we confided to each other. The future we promised to see together.

As Niven savored those memories, he could feel tears welling up that he was unable to suppress. Everything was so chaotic then. The shock and confusion - along with a little head trauma - was more than enough to keep his grief at bay. But as he started processing his feelings, these unchecked emotions swept across him like an unending tide.

Sniffling, Niven whispered, “So I might have survived even without you?”

It seemed luck had played a larger part in his life than he had thought. Yet he never thought to appreciate it until now. And now saddled with this curse, he never will again.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

『Maybe. Probably not. Luck isn’t everything, after all. Overwhelming might, for instance, can crush you regardless of how lucky you are. That supplicant was likely enough at your level. Even if you survived his first strike, you would inevitably succumb to the environment with the wounds his action left.』

『A normal, healthy human at Tier 0 without any assistance would find it difficult to get out of the Divide, even at only this shallow depth. You should know this yourself. Even if an average of 15 luck is far higher than normal people, it’s not enough for a miracle to appear. Or rather, the only miracle that could manifest would be ones that had a great cost - a miracle like myself.』

As Niven took that in, he carefully pushed himself up from the ground and steadied himself. Patting away the sand from his ruined clothes, he looked to the sun hanging high overhead as he wiped his tears.

It's earlier in the day compared to when I lost consciousness. I must've been out for a long while. Maybe even a few days. Not that the date really matters at this point.

Sighing, Niven said, “I understand. Then what should we do now? What do you want me to do?” He now had a new master over his head. It was necessary to acknowledge the situation he was in. That was what he was taught as a soldier.

Yet… 『No, I don’t think you understand just yet. There is no ‘what we do’, Everything is for you to decide. I’m just a tool. As I said, I don’t want a puppet. You’re still you, just stronger, better and capable of doing more with yourself.』 Apollyon chided, 『Are there any wishes you want to achieve?』

Stunned, Niven wondered, He’s actually telling the truth?

Turning around with his back to Apollyon, he closed his eyes.

Thinking back...

He once wanted to be a mage.

He wanted to read more.

He wanted to become stronger.

He wanted to be rich.

He wanted a family.

He wanted…

He wanted…

A myriad dreams he’d once given up on ran through his head, but he couldn’t settle on anything. So many were such simple things. Simple yet so beautiful… yet also so unattainable as well.

At the end of the day, all he ever wanted was to live well. But what did that even mean?

In a daze, Niven replied, “I’m not too sure. Everything just feels unreal. As if all of this - even you - are just products of my delusions.”

『You are free to take as long as you want to think. I’m not in a rush. We have plenty of time.』comforted Apollyon, but Niven wasn’t sure what to make of it. To say that it was kind brought the image of the supplicant to mind. But to say that it was cruel… he really couldn't attach such a label to it.

As his attention wandered in search of an answer, his eyes eventually crossed the wet sand beneath his feet. He came to a realization and made up his mind.

Taking a deep breath, he started saying with conviction, “No. I think I’ve thought of something. I need to find out why. Why did an enemy of that caliber even show up there? Why none of us were warned. Why my friends… Why the man who might as well have been my father… were trampled so wantonly.” As he spoke, his voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was close to inaudible. But Niven knew Apollyon didn’t need to hear him to understand his words.

Gasping for air before continuing, “Even if it won’t bring them back. Even if this is a stupid decision. I need closure.”

After getting his feelings out of his chest, Niven relaxed. Not having his entire body all tensed up made wonders for his coordination, and he turned and walked over to Apollyon without making any mistakes in footing or control.

He bent down, picked it up gently and held it in a resting position, waiting for it to reply.

『It’s about time you got yourself together. A direction is better than wandering aimlessly. Commendable, after all that has happened to you. I suppose I can give you some help in this regard. Your observation when you arrived was right. The supplicant that attacked your outpost was the one I had subsumed.』

『They provided me with a fair amount of information, one of which can be considered a clue yet not a clue』Pausing, as though for dramatic effect, it continued,『This event was not accidental. They were ordered to do so. But they themselves didn’t know why.』

It really likes talking about nothing, Niven wanted to complain.

However, he still considered this for a moment before reaching no conclusion and ultimately asking, “How does that help? Is that supposed to give a reason for why it happened?”

The voice in his mind laughed,『Oh, it gives plenty of reasons for why. Too many to list with how little we have to narrow things down. It would do us more good to find other details than for me to say all the things that come to mind.』

『But there is one thing those guesses have in common. Based solely off of this, it can be certain the water there is deep. At least beyond what you can surface easily, anyways』cautioned Apollyon.

Niven looked back at the direction he came from. Deep water. In the desert. Hilarious. But he knew the meaning it wanted to convey.

Despite so little time having passed, the traces he left had all been blown away by, his footprints filled by the windswept sands. As with his footprints that were so quickly scattered, so too must the traces of what happened in the background of that fateful incident.

Indeed, impossible for him to surface.

But that would be if he were still alone. He was obviously not, anymore. Thus, he turned to the artifact in his hands before speaking, “But don’t I have you?”

He looked at it with expectant eyes, but the answer wasn’t what he hoped.

『I can’t provide too much help. I don’t want to be contaminated by karma. By connections - positive or negative.』The spear’s point branched out into a myriad threads that wisped all around Niven. They connected and detached, forming a complex ever changing web.

『Life is about ties. About the never ending conflict between different peoples’ desires and paths. But I don’t want to involve myself in any of that.』

『It’s your job now.』

『The help I can extend only encompasses the abilities you see through the System and what you can glean from my words.』

『You’ll understand my situation once you have a better grasp on what luck, fate and causality mean. Although that’s not something I can easily explain.』

『You just need to know that the difference between a mortal suffering bad luck is markedly different from a god experiencing the same misfortune. If I were to be caught up with you, the things coming our way will be far beyond what you can handle. Perhaps even beyond what this world can handle. At that point you’d die from an unknown AOE, and I’d be back to square one.』

Niven’s eyes widened a little at this revelation. But not beyond what you could handle… he wanted to say, but was too busy processing the amount of information suddenly thrust upon him. His empty left hand reached out gingerly towards those threads whirling around him. They attached easily to his fingers. Yet, when he tried to push the pole of Apollyon towards the same threads, both sides repelled each other and never touched.

Niven decided it was best not to try and force them to. He didn’t want his intentions to be misconstrued at this critical moment.

He believed he had a surface level understanding of what it was trying to convey. They symbolized the karma Apollyon wanted him to bear in its stead.

Scattered pieces fell into place before him, creating a semi-complete, still blurry puzzle, prompting him to ask, “Is that why you found me? Because of my high luck? You needed someone to take the fall for you.”

It confirmed,『I suppose that it could be considered the case.』

Niven felt himself being watched despite Apollyon’s distinct lack of eyes. Perhaps it was trying to gauge his reaction.

And, perhaps because it did not receive the one it wanted, it continued,『You’re not willing to stay ignorant, so I’ll be upfront. Maybe with this, you can trust me more. I’m currently in the worst state I’ve ever been in, and hopefully, ever will be. As you can probably guess by now, I did not suffer this -25 luck willingly. In all honesty, I’d rather not screw over my wielder unless I really had to. My plan to grow alongside you and your contemporaries met with… an unforeseen roadblock, which has led to the situation we have now.』

Niven then seemed to hear it curse something under its breath, but he couldn’t make out any words, just the general feeling. Apollyon didn’t allow him to dwell much on that gaffe before continuing,『I’ll be doing my best to alleviate the effects of this curse, but before I adequately study my condition, you’ll have to tough it out.』

With a wry smile, Niven remarked, “So I wasn’t in as low a position as I thought?”

『I won’t stop you from thinking that way. Make your own judgments.』Apollyon stated bluntly. It was strangely receptive to being questioned like this. It acted as though nothing Niven said could catch it off guard or leave it embarrassed.

Hearing this, Niven opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He wasn’t sure if it was being serious or not.

『… Hmm. Do you regret it?』 Asked Apollyon. Niven could pick up a hint of amusement from it.

What am I even supposed to say?

Niven could only give a bitter smile while turning his gaze away. He knew that it was impossible for him to understand such a thing then. Nor could he possibly bargain for better conditions even if he knew. To make a deal in itself was to put himself in the lowest position possible. Apollyon was only this frank because their interests currently coincided.

Thus, Niven reasoned that it was best not to push it. Its current attitude was leagues better than being too stuck up for him to get any information at all.

This revelation at least settled a knot inside Niven's heart. Their relationship was unlikely to change anytime soon, as all Apollyon seemed to want was time to heal, but he could never be certain with a being so different.

A little speechless, Niven started walking towards the outpost he came from. Equipment battered, it was bare feet against scorning sands. Yet there was no sense of discomfort. This alone demonstrated the change he had experienced. The comprehensive boost in all his stats the contract with Apollyon imparted already made him far stronger than the Niven from more than a day ago.

Feeling the strange atmosphere building up, Niven changed the topic, "Since you're not going to influence my choices, let's go back and give everyone a proper burial. Maybe there would also be a lead there we could follow."

His state is vastly different from before, and now he had someone else to survey with him. Perhaps a more thorough search would unearth something he’d originally missed. No, it was more like it was certain they'd find something. Even if there wasn't, he still had unfinished business there.

….

Though Niven himself only knew the general direction by referencing the sun, it was enough. Seeing as how he made the journey with his deep wounds, they could not be too far, anyways.

Eventually, sometime into their walk, the lull was broken by Apollyon,『It’s a good idea to leave. The Divide is probably the most dangerous place in the world. Though, I can’t help but notice something. You don’t seem afraid of me anymore."

“You don’t have a reason to harm me,” Niven retorted. Around him were only waves upon waves of yellow sand flowing with the wind. He was like them. A single grain of sand. Inconsequential and impossible to distinguish. There’s also not much I can do even if you wanted to harm me. Our relationship hasn’t suddenly changed just because we opened up to each other, Niven mused, but he knew better than to give voice to this thought. Even if they both knew it, maintaining this thin window paper was better for both of them.

『Admirable. Though how can you be certain what I said was the truth?』 Apollyon teased.

Niven was starting to get used to his partner’s poor humor. In a neutral tone, he replied, “It makes sense for now. I at least have a reasonable explanation for why you chose me of all people.”

He had always been a rather grounded person. All his life he had worked hard for what he received, and knowing he was paying a price for Apollyon's assistance was enough to assuage most of his doubts. At least now he knew there was a line in the sand to tread around. It was far better than worrying about pits every which way.

『Huh. You’re no fun.』It complained.『You know, you remind me of myself.』

“Like a tool?” Niven blurted out too quickly to catch himself. This wasn't the captain he already built a strong rapport with. He didn’t know what could have possessed him to make such a reply. Maybe Apollyon had just been too carefree.

But lesser words have gotten others killed. His nerves were too taut before, and everything was catching up to him all at once after winding down a little. He’d unwinded way more than he should have. Thus, he wasn't able to fully gauge his humor and made a reply he didn't know was appropriate or not.

However, to his surprise, Apollyon took it well. And it seemed to strike a chord.『Heh. You really are like me. Indeed, maybe that is the case. Maybe I have been a tool all my life. Serving the illusory dream that is [Detachment]. Though is that so wrong?』

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Niven asked. He suspected that he had heard something amazing but lacked the necessary background to understand it. To be something even this unfathomable being felt was an impossible dream had to be tantalizing.

『Nothing. Nothing you can come into contact with just yet. Survive this tutorial and I’ll explain everything to you. Slowly and in a manner better than any teacher this world could offer.』

A rather heartening response, all things considered.

After all, it had essentially just admitted, albeit in a roundabout way, that it was receptive to the idea of helping Niven navigate this fuzzy situation he found himself in. That alone made this a better result than he could ever hope for.

Smiling, half genuine and half out of relief Niven remarked, “You’re rather arrogant.”

He was mostly just glad his momentary lapse in judgment hadn't set their relationship back after all their talking. It was also relieving to hear that his partner had a desire at all. Even if he didn't know what it meant, it was a first step. He learned that knowing the goals of his superiors made working under them much less stressful - and Apollyon was looking to be something that sat atop him for a good while yet.

『The difference between confidence, arrogance, and recklessness is foundation, and I have the capital to back my claims. You’ll see.』

And Niven was looking forward to that demonstration. Although he was still wary, as it was impossible to lay his guard down completely, he was at least able to derive a morsel of comfort by Apollyon's presence. Because he still needed to get used to his newfound strength, their pace wasn’t hurried. Rather, it was even slower than usual. It was surprising, then, that they reached the ruins of Niven’s outpost without incident. Niven had been waiting for his newfound 'bad luck' to strike, but nothing stood out.

Perhaps what awaited them at the outpost was unlucky enough.