As I opened my eyes to a new day, the sun shining through into my hiding spot, I realised that I had cried myself to sleep last night. Feeling at the dried parts of my cheek, I tried to rub off whatever had gotten onto there the best I could, not willing to waste precious water. My eyes drooped with exhaustion, not allowing me much in the way of lucidity, perpetuating my drowsiness. I got up slowly, feeling my cramped muscles and aching back in full force from the stone walls and floors of the ruins, their lack of softness a far cry from anything I had slept on before. Thinking was slow, I absently noted, while I did a few more stretches to iron out the knots in my muscles. I stepped out after taking a quick sip of my canteen, through the creepers and vines, and was met with a beautiful dawn in all of the splendour of the new world. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, I allowed myself a moment where I just closed my eyes and took in the morning noises and the warm sun on my skin. What was supposed to be a peaceful moment of rest quickly turned to horror as I realised that I had just taken a breath of air. A regular breath of air.

I braced for a pain that never came, confusion overriding my panic at the lack of anything that had come from not breathing correctly. At least, I thought I had done it incorrectly. I couldn't quite believe myself as I breathed in 'regularly' once more and, as I inspected myself, found that the so-called mana channels had processed the air without my guidance. Did... did my body consider this 'regular' breathing now? It made sense, as I thought it over, still sluggish, that my body would default to [] when it was trained enough with it. Didn't I realise last night that my body was supposed to be doing what the Skill had forced it to do all along? Why would it revert back to the 'inferior' way of breathing then when my body had gotten well practised with it?

I checked my notifications for information on [] and, lo and behold, there it was. A long series of level-ups.

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...

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Staring at the number my [] had reached, I grimly recognised that despite its constant use, it was still only my second highest level Skill. And, unlike with this, [] wasn't a Skill I could channel unconsciously, at least that's what I believed. It meant that I must've channelled it for so long that it had erased all of the beginning growing pains of getting used to []; growing pains that had taken me an entire night of sleep to get rid of completely instead of simply mitigating them. Diving deeper into the Skill's implications, I came to the realisation that I must've channelled it consciously for more than an entire night's sleep worth of time, which meant it wasn't a simple Skill that erased the pain completely, hence erasing all my memories that time due to how much pain the was. No, it erased my memory of the event as an effect, not a consequence. Then what was the purpose of such a Skill? It seemed too abstracted from the meaning of resilience that it felt closer to an Active Skill than an Adapted one. All of my Adapted Skills kept closely to the origin of its adaptation, yet this was the only one that strayed from that path; as if the Skill was stronger than all the ones I currently have. Was this what Rank meant then? Could have [] started off at a stronger base Rank than all my other Adapted Skills and therefore had an enhanced effect? Then what was the difference that caused [] to start off so much more potent?

I spent a long time standing there in the sun, pondering over the intricacies of the Skill, but none of my possible explanations seemed sufficient. I was missing something crucial, something I was sure I could find in the Skill's description. I almost reached for the appropiate command before that same sense of foreboding stopped me. No, I couldn't open it, not yet. Not until I was ready to face what that feeling conveyed. Even if I didn't have a good description of the Skill, I resolved myself to never use the Skill again. Last night, I had made a similar promise to myself, but now, after truly contemplating the effects of the Skill, I realised that it wasn't as simple as not touching the Skill. From now on, I couldn't even think about the Skill's existence, fearing that, if I did, I would eventually use it, and I wouldn't even remember doing so. And if I fell into some sort of loop, forgetting that I had used the Skill and using it again and again, a loop I suspected I had fell into last night? Then, I might die, perfectly healthy in one remembered instant, starved and dehydrated in the next.

In immediately following my resolution, I banished the thoughts about the Skill from my mind and did something I should've done as soon as I realised the possibility even existed. Retreating back into the safety of my hiding spot, I went through my Skills, from lowest level to highest, and opened their descriptions.

"Skill Swordsmanship Description."

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Adapted from your minor talent and basic training in the sword, this Skill will guide you towards better practise with the blade, enhancing your current skill and ensuring your training with the blade doesn't harm your future.

Rk.0 Effect: Monarch's current skill in the blade is enhanced while training becomes more focused and fruitful.

Rk.1 Effect: [REDACTED]

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It was exactly as I had expected, almost identical in format to that of the [] description I had pulled up previously. Although, I suspected the next two descriptions would be more interesting.

"Skill Path of The Gentle End Description."

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Adapted from your bare-bones impression of a disciple's mockery of a Blademaster's path, this Skill embodies your mastery over the renowned Path of The Gentle End. Despite your utter lack of any proper knowledge of the path and complete disrespect towards the intent of it due to your other Derivative Swordsmanship Skill, you will find yourself better able to practise the Path of The Gentle End and epiphanies related to this path are enhanced.

WARNING: Due to the antagonistic existence of the Derivative Swordsmanship Skill Path of Endless Suffering, this Skill's effectiveness is reduced. Forsake and or abandon the other Derivative Swordsmanship Skill in order to correct this.

[]

That... isn't that a bit harsh, Monarchy System? Not only had the description mocked me for trying to turn the path into a Skill, it wasn't even that good! The existence of my own path hampered this one and I couldn't even begin to decipher what it meant about epiphanies. It had to be something that came up when you're more skilled in the blade, not something someone as untalented as me should know. The only good thing about the description was that it wasn't partial, likely due to the fact that these Derivative Skills didn't have Ranks. Something told me though that the Skill would grow more in scope though as it levelled, even with the lack of a proper Rank to formalise that growth. Moving onto the other Derivative Skill, I expected to see the same warning, but was instead met with something more personalised. Much more personalised.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Skill Path of Endless Suffering Description."

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As a Monarch of Envy, your jealously knows no bounds. One may think that jealousy is a weakness, an insult, but not you. You have embraced the horrid envy within your heart and twisted it towards your own desires. For your first true step as a Monarch, you have created your own path. While many witnessed the Path of The Gentle End and deemed it perfection, the pinnacle of what true swordsmanship can achieve, you thought it weak. In its creator's unwillingness to embrace the darker aspects of what such a path could achieve, they have crippled it. You, however, have done what even a great Blademaster didn't dare to do, no puny limitations like morals standing in your way.

Focusing and building on the epiphany that the Path of the Gentle End is built upon, the destruction your blade can display is unparalleled. Slicing apart the very atoms of the world, the damage caused by the 'explosions' created by this are small. However, there are no things greater in number than the atoms that make up everything, and when combined, these miniature 'explosions' of released energy will cause ruin. The only thing that will limit you is the thickness of your own blade, but even that can be used for your purpose as you have experienced first-hand already, even if you haven't realised how yet.

Unlike your other Skills, this Skill does not enhance your actual skill in your path or the effectiveness at which you train in it or even the epiphanies it is built upon. Though the Monarchy System has Adapted this path, as the path's creator, only you can affect it, not the Monarchy System. Think of the level of this Skill not as the effectiveness of the listed effects, but instead the relative strength of it in comparison to your overall Adapted Skill Swordsmanship.

WARNING: Though this Skill isn't necessarily antagonistic towards the Derivative Swordsmanship Skill Path of The Gentle End, if it is neglected in favour of the other Derivative Swordsmanship Skill, it will eventually crumble, your path forever lost. Lost, even to you.

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To say I was conflicted upon reading the extremely long description was putting it lightly. You could say I was glad that the path was forever my own, unable to be altered by the Monarchy System without my knowledge. However, you could argue that I was disappointed at the fact the Skill did nothing, acting only as an indication of its strength, and nothing more. Either way, I moved onto the rest of my available descriptions and found more of the same. [] and [] were relatively self-explanatory, doing a similar job that [] did in enhancing my current capabilities and helping me become better in doing them faster and correctly. Their Rank 0 descriptions were basically copies of the same thing, only the specifics having been changed. [] though was more unique.

"Skill Mana Breathing Description."

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Adapted from your natural, and previously inactive, mana conversion, this Skill will assist your natural mana conversion and increase its efficiency beyond your body's limit. Due to this increase in efficiency, more mana than usual will remain inside of your body. Too much unused mana in the body can be dangerous and cause mana poisoning, however this is mitigated because of improvements made by this Skill to your body, increasing your resistance to such effects. Excess mana can also be [REDACTED].

Rk.0 Effect: Monarch's natural mana conversion is improved and made more efficient. Monarch's mana poisoning resistance is increased. Excess mana stored due to increased efficiency remains in the body and [REDACTED].

Rk.1 Effect: [REDACTED]

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Not only did the Skill do more than just activate my latent mana conversion capabilities, but it also hinted at another use for the mana that remained within me after a long time of conversion. Just to make sure that I was understanding correctly, I opened my status once more.

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  Name: Thanren of Aldfield

  Pure Sin: Envy

  Alignment: 100%

  Body: Critically Damaged

    Stamina: 3/3

  Mind: Severely Disarrayed

    Mana: 3/0

  Soul: Normal Condition

    Will: 6/6

  Skills: Entries Collapsed

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My other Resources had been restored as I now expected after I rested and my Mana had even gone up one point while I was asleep. It seemed I was correct in thinking that the 'excess mana' was taking the form of extra Mana points. Though the how and what of its use was redacted, even the possibility of a use for these points caused my imagination to run wild. If not for recovery, could I use the mana to cast spells? What about infusing my body with the mana, making myself stronger? While I would've loved to let my mind run wild with possibilities, indulging myself in fantasies that had crumbled long ago, I had more important things to do. With my entire Skill list described, all that awaited me was the descriptions of my individual Resources. Yet, in a way, I didn't feel like I needed them. Unlike the sometimes ambiguous nature of Skills, my Resources all represented something I instinctually recognised within myself, and as such were plenty descriptive on their own. So, I decided to come back to them later, seeing no harm in putting them off for now.

As I emerged from my hiding spot once more, the sun was much higher in the sky and so more unsavoury beings were awake and on the prowl. I could already see a flock of winged demons patrolling the skies, not far from where a different kind of demon had warred with the castle made of clouds and their troops of storms. I kept myself close to the creepers, not willing to go much further, but using the opportunity granted to me, I inspected my surroundings properly. The ruins sprawled out from the mountains for miles, descending down until meeting the treeline, further sight of the white stone structure disappearing under the greenery. More like a maze than anything, the ruins climbed and curled in all directions, seeming less like something anyone would reasonably live in due to its complexity, and seeming more like something built for purely decorative reasons. There were no obvious rooms to hide in, only alcoves like this, or depressions in the walls that might've led further inside but were obscured by moss and vines.

Investigating more, I felt emboldened by the possibility of exploring these ruins and uncovering ancient treasures and mysteries that had been locked away within this plane. Despite that all though, something still hanged heavy over my thoughts. Something disturbed me about the way the first paragraph of the [] description described me. I wasn't mocking the greatness of someone like Irene Bagonid, right? I wasn't spitting in the face of my morals, the morals that had been taught to me by my parents, in order to pursue my own path, right? I wasn't embracing the jealousy that had haunted me all my life... right?

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Wait, haunting me? Why would it ever haunt me? The Monarchy System had proclaimed it so, I wasn't controlled by my jealousy, no, I was the Monarch of it. I owned Envy itself and used it however I liked. Why would it ever cause me harm?

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Yes, I was the Monarch of Envy. I wouldn't shy away from the truth of it anymore. In a way, it had never clicked for me before. When the Monarchy System declared me as such, I never tried to truly interpret what that title meant. It was just a title after all, imaginary, something that couldn't affect anyone. I wasn't a king who could strut into a town like Aldfield and have them scuttle and grovel to please them. I was just a child, way in over my head, trying to play as a Saviour when I would never be one. I was always going to be their Chaperone, ignored, discarded and forgotten about when I had fulfilled my purpose. Yet, I now had irrefutable evidence that this title was something more. I wasn't a king who ruled from afar, claiming that I owned land that I had never seen or walked upon except when it was for my own benefit. No, I was a true Monarch, ruling over an emotion. In the face of such a core aspect of human existence, what does land or wealth even mean? It was Envy. A Sin. A Pure Sin. Unlike the land a king rules over, unlike the petty manners and laws they enforce like not walking in front of them in a speech, what I ruled was incorruptible, unchangeable. And even if it could, I wouldn't let it.

I am the Monarch of Envy, after all.

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