Unconsciously, Niven had already collected a majority of the remains. The place, though dilapidated, no longer looked as though a disaster had just struck. Rather, it radiated the atmosphere of a ghostly, abandoned building, as though it had been hit by multiple rounds of scavengers.

Yet, although Niven’s prowess made the process almost instinctual by now, his mind was not idle.

At this point, with everything that had happened, and having collected a decent understanding of his partner, the last piece of the puzzle was still missing. His situation was still too passive. In this calm, almost serene moment where Apollyon was not buzzing about in his mind, this was the conclusion he had made.

He had thought back to a phrase his leader, Elay DeLane, would often lament, “A pawn should remain a useful pawn before it found the opportunity to become a player, lest it be pushed into sacrificing before said opportunity presented itself.”

The aphorism was a bit of a mouthful, but it was hardly ever said in full, either just the first or second part, depending on the situation. It wasn’t something Elay would press onto him as a way of forcing him to know his place, rather it seemed more like Niven was an outlet for him to vent his frustrations.

The circumstances surrounding the times during which it was said made Niven feel as though that phrase was more so meant for Elay himself than for him to hear. It was just that their relationship was closest in a non-hierarchical setting that he was the one that heard it enough to be burned into his mind.

Before, Niven had never fully comprehended the meaning behind it. After all, they were soldiers. They followed orders, and Niven himself never really had any ambitions greater than the post he was assigned. Such things were beyond his standing. He was an orphan without any backing, and his life before the attack was already far more than he could possibly hope for. This was something he understood early on.

He wasn’t like his captain who had a last name, someone who had a background and connections and thus had the promise for promotion.

Yet, now Niven was able to really appreciate that sentence.

He mulled over Elay’s words, that mantra that was like a tether to his past. “A pawn should remain a useful pawn…” The phrase echoed. He understood now.

It was not said as a reminder of subservience, but instead as a harbinger of potential. Of what was to come. Indeed, it was not the first half that mattered. Rather, what was important was the part that came after.

Despite Apollyon’s repeated chidings and seemingly laissez faire attitude, Niven knew it wasn’t as kind and forthcoming as it made itself out to be.

Yet, based on Niven’s current mental image of his partner, perhaps that being would be happy if he were to attempt to break free from the supposedly irreversible pact. But he was afraid to actually find out its true thoughts. Despite that, it was not wrong to follow the message behind the adage.

There was wisdom in recognizing his current limited status.

Instead of overreaching prematurely, his respected captain’s words counseled biding his time and maintaining utility to those with power over him until an opportunity for advancement arose organically.

Yet before that, he would need to fashion himself into a useful pawn. The best pawn that could not be easily discarded - pivotal and fully in line with his superior’s wishes.

Since Apollyon wanted to be its teacher, then he would let it.

Since it wanted to see him grow, then he would grow magnificently.

Even if the gifts it offered were all coated in a deep poison, he needed to take them with open arms.

Brazenly trying to elevate his position too early could provoke a harsh retaliation. All his testing had only been with words. True interests were not touched at all. Thus, Niven was not deluded enough to think his original luck of 15 made him invulnerable. In order for him to truly break free from Apollyon’s ‘karma free’ puppetry, he needed to carefully increase his potential until the right opening emerged.

This was the shift in mindset he needed in his current situation.

There was no point in moping around. Only by surviving could he preserve the memory of his dead companions. Only then could he demand answers.

There was no point in being guarded. Apollyon likely saw through him completely.

There was no point in being reserved. To do so would only rob him of precious context and leave him at a loss over the bigger picture.

There was no need for embarrassment. His embarrassment was only within himself. Apollyon, with its mentality so alien, likely did not even register it as such. And even if it mocked him, if he were shameless, it would only be it that felt awkward.

There was a wealth of knowledge and power right before him. There was no need to meaninglessly let it slip away.

Niven straightened, his gaze lifting to the horizon where the sky met the scorching sands. “Apollyon,” he called out, his voice steady, betraying none of the turmoil within.

『What?』

“I know—you want me to carve my own path. Yet, you’re still able to influence me through what you teach, right? You want to mold me, create someone who would make the same decisions yet still be divorced from you. You hang over me at a height even greater than that Supplicant, but perhaps because you are so high above that I do not feel the same dread. You’re right in that I cannot hope to grasp what ‘Fate’, ‘Causality’, ‘Luck’ and all that conceptual bullshit is like now.” Niven muttered that last part self-deprecatingly.

Maybe this whole speech was meaningless, but he felt that it was still necessary. Not for Apollyon to understand his change, but rather for himself. To force himself to take the initiative and stop being led around the nose.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, “You ramble on and on about things far beyond my frame of reference, dangling them like bait in the hope that I bite.”

“And you’re right. I’ll bite. I’ve always wanted to learn more about the wider world. About real, tangible things rather than mere hearsay. I’ve finished every book available to me at my orphanage, yet I’m not satisfied. I won’t shy away from you anymore. Teach me. I’m willing to listen.”

It wasn’t like he could get very far by himself, and Apollyon would try to influence him regardless. It was better to lay his hand on the table first. That way, Niven hoped, the situation would be presented more clearly, rather than through this current maddening barrage of half-truths and obfuscations.

Finishing his words, Niven awaited Apollyon’s response with bated breath. Yet, despite the nerves, for the first time in his life, Niven felt at peace, as though he had finally made a decision for himself.

He and Apollyon could do this song and dance of sounding each other out, but that in itself was rather useless.

Even if this decision might not have been the best choice, it wasn’t like he was simply surrendering. He needed information. He needed a foundation to not be so confused. This necessitated letting Apollyon influence him to some extent.

『What a sudden shift in mentality. You couldn’t possibly have made up your mind by yourself, right? Whose words did you remember?』 The voice within seemed surprised, though not completely caught off guard. It was even able to immediately identify the fact that Niven didn’t come to this conclusion on his own.

But we are made by our environment, aren’t we? Niven thought before answering, “I was a soldier before I met you. This you know well, with where we are right now. I was taught that, ‘A pawn should be a good pawn’ - simple as that.”

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Niven didn’t feel comfortable reporting the whole sentence. While he felt Apollyon might even be happy to know he was looking to truly stand as its equal, he wasn’t willing to lay everything bare after only knowing it for a few hours. But, it seems it was unnecessary. After all…

『That’s not the whole aphorism, isn’t it? It feels too short, almost as though there is a second half.』 Apollyon goaded.

Another bullseye. Niven fell silent. Even if it had its suspicions he couldn’t admit it.

So he wouldn’t.

『Well, whatever.』 It sighed, 『Keep your secrets. It’s only fair I suppose. I tend to say only half a sentence, as well. I won’t complain about you now that you’re finally willing to be less guarded around me.』

『But, you’re right to be wary. Even information itself can be dangerous. Like the System.』

“You still can’t help dropping hints, can you?” Niven said exasperatedly. Was it really useful for him to say he wanted to learn so straightforwardly if this was the kind of lesson he was going to get?

『Indeed. That’s just my character. I’ll be more direct for things that actually matter in our current situation. Let's see… You’re quite close to your first Rank Up. Level 9. Just a single level away. Congrats. Yet you probably think you won’t be able to take that step immediately after getting that level, right?』

Another leading question. Since he couldn’t change it he’ll just have to accept it.

Niven considered it. He’d been LVL 9 for quite a while now. But… he was a soldier. A class that grows through regimented fighting. He had lost his captain and his company. Even if he were to fight, it was unlikely for him to level up quickly. Plus, there were other things he needed even if he were to reach LVL 10.

“Yeah,” Niven confirmed, “I’ll need a consecration back at a church to become a [Hallowed Soldier]. I was told this when I reached 5.”

Anything beyond that was still in the fog. He didn’t know the ins and outs of the System well. Even if he had a good relationship between his compatriots and his captain there were some things they were unable to divulge.

『Then you must first understand where paths come from. They are directions people take in their journey to sublimate the self. Paths are understandings others have about the objective Truth. About the world. We are all lenses that understand the objective Truth through our own perspective.』

『Conscious beings are blessed to recognize what the self is, and thus are able to iterate upon it and choose what portions are necessary and what are not. As such, you don’t necessarily need to follow the one laid before you. Especially one which leaves you under the thumb of another person. Rich, coming from me, but choosing a path is a rather big deal. You became a soldier out of circumstance. So think about your current circumstances.』

Everything is out of circumstance, Niven thought.

And indeed, it was the best available route for him to take at the time. The army was recruiting, and veteranship was essentially a guaranteed way for him to jump into a much higher social circle.

His mindset had always been framed around the teachings in the orphanage - making some pocket change as an amateur sewist repairing cheap clothing whilst dreaming of saving enough to open his own shop someday. That kind of life was enough for him back then.

Yet now he saw a far wider world before him.

As he thought about it, did he really need to follow the future he had once planned? Was the sum he was to be rewarded for his service really all he needed?

It was as though that attack had overthrown everything about his life, but with everything overturned he now had a chance to start over.

Even if he was still committed to giving himself and his compatriots peace, Apollyon had made it abundantly clear that it would be a long-term task. Transcendents, though walking on the same earth, might as well have lived in a separate world. He had caught a glimpse into that world, and that left him both frightened and intoxicated.

He needed to find a direction in the short term while he worked on his overarching goal of answers.

Now the question became whether he should discard his old life and leave it all behind. For all intents and purposes, the Niven of the past was already dead.

Niven turned to the spear in his hand. At this point he’d already basically made up his mind, yet he still wanted to confirm its opinion, “So you don’t want me to go back. You don’t want me to follow the path that had been laid out for me before?”

『Well, if we just think things through from a more pragmatic point of view… Your situation is rather tricky, all things considered. First of all, how can you explain how you alone survived where even all your superiors died?』

『Perhaps it could be glossed over by a simple, ‘I don’t know’, but… I can hide myself, sure, however, can you hide your expressions and speech? What awaits you is certainly not just a single round of questioning. You haven’t been taught these things, and while it’s never too late to learn, isn’t it quite wasteful?』

Niven found himself unconsciously nodding a little. He really wasn’t all too interested in learning such a boring thing. He was already annoyed enough by other people talking in circles. If his thoughts were to take up that kind of structure he felt that he would really go crazy. Apollyon was enough of a riddler for the two of them.

“But you haven’t told me how to rank up without a consecration. I know there exists a class after [Soldier] - that being [Hallowed Soldier] as well as the tiers after that. There is already a well-established path to take. I know that other classes exist, but I don't know anything about them.”

『Are you qualified to walk that 'so-called well-established' path?』 It chided,『I’m sure you’ve already internalized the fact that established systems will crowd out those that are not already within the group or at least do not have some headway within it.』

Niven knew that. It was why he never pursued a promotion even after serving for six years. After all, even if he was lucky to receive one, he wasn't sure it would land him a better lot than his current place. However, while that was the case before, Niven now had Apollyon. He was as qualified a genius as any other. Sure, it was difficult to explain, but surely they'd be able to think of something by the time they arrived.

“Then how would being under their thumb be any different to being under yours, if I choose to follow the path you give me?" He questioned.

『Ah. I suppose this is where we have our misunderstanding.』

『No, I am not directing you towards any path. Nor will I be giving you anything. When you reach the threshold to Rank Up, the System will give you options. None of it is from me. You’ve trusted it all your life, are you going to stop now?』

So all that Apollyon meant was that his progress was not wholly reliant on Othos and his Pantheon? Their blessings and this screen before me are different things? Fortunately I was never very faithful, or else our relationship would have deteriorated completely here.

“If that were possible, then why was I,” Niven corrected himself, “Then why was everyone led to believe they could only go through dedicated channels?”

『Because classes are rather difficult to resonate with. They are seeds that represent the information contained within the System in its most distilled form. And… saying the System has a lot of information is putting it lightly. As such, it takes a bit of effort to tap into a class that fits. Blindly flailing about will oftentimes not result in anything showing up at all.』

『The consecration you speak of is essentially loading the information - along with a tether - into the Semi-digital shell that has overlaid you ever since you ‘awakened’ the System. Have faith in yourself. You’ve led a rather exciting life. I’m sure something will show up.』

“Then should I try to level up here? I remember there were monster dens nearby that needed culling every so often. Although I used to take such a task with a group, it should be fine with you around.” Niven asked, his eyebrows raised with interest.

If there was anything that could lighten up his mood after such a somber event, it would be taking his first step into becoming a true transcendent. It was common sense that levels 1 to 9 were preparatory, and it was even reflected in how it was categorized - Tier 0. By all accounts, people in this rank were as good as those that hadn’t even awakened the System at all.

Though, to his surprise, Apollyon only responded with『No need.』

“What?” Niven murmured, confused. He didn’t expect to be rebuffed so curtly. It was so completely unlike how Apollyon would usually respond that he was taken aback a little.

『What I mean is that there’s no need for that. Something’s coming our way.』

It laughed.

『I was wondering when we would have our first fight. Your luck held out longer than I expected. In a place as hostile as this, not only did our first encounter happen so late, but it also only attracted something of that caliber. Well, consider this your first test. Handle this mindless beast yourself.』

Niven clutched his spear tighter out of nervousness.

“Hey, couldn’t you give me some more information than just that?”

No response.

"That damn… throwing me to the worms like this..." Niven cursed Apollyon under his breath, but those words did not bring much relief. Nor did its casual dismissal of the oncoming threat provide any comfort to Niven’s mind. Things his partner would consider inconsequential could very well prove fatal to him.

Yet that curse seemed to provoke a reaction. Though nothing useful, just a smug smile projected into his mind. Understanding that he was truly on his own, Niven calmed himself down. His instincts and military training took over once he sensed the very real, physical threat approaching.

Since it wanted proof that he was worthy, then he would give it a show. He wouldn’t let his previous speech be false bravado. He would demonstrate with his actions that he had the potential to stand as its equal. With his senses on high alert, he soon felt slight tremors beneath his feet.

Niven took on a stance and pointed the tip downward, ready to intercept anything coming from the ground.

As seconds passed, the shaking grew stronger and stronger.

Sand burgeoned from the cracked foundations, a portent of what was to come.

Something was indeed approaching.

And it was big.