Chapter 129: Whisper
[Name: Death Coin]
[Death Coin cooldown has been reset]
Wielding the Death Coin in his hand, Cillian recalled his failed attempts at the flips, which might have somehow helped him back at Hensel Hospital. Alas, it was one of the things he couldn’t fully utilize because of his bad luck.
Who knows if he had to flip up to the 24th hour because of its one-hour cooldown?
Maybe it wasn’t really bad luck, but just unfortunate timing.
’Heh, without the system, I wouldn’t have known there was a cooldown on such a busted Artifact that grants luck if the coin lands on heads. Pretty much Artifacts that have been made were either analyzed beforehand or were simply discovered through use, which is also part of an Artisan’s job.’
While analyzing the Death Coin in his hand, a business idea suddenly crossed Cillian’s mind, one that he could add to the future Investigative Crew.
’Yes, I can become an appraiser for people who don’t know the good and bad effects of their Artifacts. I can guarantee an Artifact’s effects using Inventory without having to test it myself. Then, I can put Vin and Phillip to work.’
Artifacts might be that rare in the eyes of people who have never wielded one, but for Cillian, who kept encountering Shepherds and seeing them produce Artifacts as if they were nothing, he knew that shouldn’t be the case for everyone else. At least the number of people he had met who possessed Artifacts that didn’t belong to his enemies could be counted on one hand.
’Hmm, I’ll put this idea aside for now. What I need to think about is whether I should let the main character flip it or continue risking it myself when I need everything I can use to help us through this problem.’
Cillian was quite in a dilemma.
Aster didn’t seem that unlucky since he had the qualities of a main character, and they usually had the best of luck. Either Cillian could let Aster borrow it for a moment and flip it, or he could continue risking it himself, hoping that it would land on heads.
’Even though I stopped thinking of this world as someone’s book, I have to be careful of calling his name. Calling him the main character should be fine but...’
But whether Aster was called the main character or not was not the point here.
’Heh.’
Why was he even thinking about it in the first place?
This was an Artifact given to him by the System.
Did he just doubt himself because of a few unlucky tries?
’I’m going to keep trying until I fucking make it.’
Cillian placed the Death Coin on his thumb while they continued running before flicking it into the air.
[Death Coin is being flipped]
Cillian didn’t deny that he deeply needed that good luck. If it turned heads, he hoped to at least increase it to ensure that everything he did from then on could be called a lucky encounter.
It didn’t have to be a hundred percent luck... though, Cillian didn’t mind having that huge amount of luck at all.
Cillian can also handle the bad effects. He definitely had a plan in mind, but how would he do it?
Simple.
He’ll just finish everything in an hour.
That’s why...
’So please, land on heads. We’re running out of time.’
Without rigging it or forcing it to land on heads, since the Artifact might not accept that as a ’fair’ flip, the Death Coin soon landed in Cillian’s hand.
"Hahaha..."
[Result: Heads]
[Ding!]
[Death Coin is releasing a ’stroke’ of luck to Cillian Sparrow]
[For the next hour, Cillian’s luck is increased by 45%]
[1:00:00]
[0:59:59]
’I have my plot armor now...!’
Clenching the Death Coin tightly in his hand, Cillian placed his Artifact back into his inventory before shifting his attention toward Arthur’s Marked Flag, which was getting closer and closer the further they moved forward.
’I’m coming, you fucking bastard.’
...
Arthur slowly levitated in the air at the center of the open-view shrine, along with the victims he was about to offer to the Hidden One. Above his already bald head floated a broken halo, resembling a half-formed circle.
The nearby White Shepherds and an elite group of Black Shepherds watched as they witnessed a ’God’ being summoned by a Heretic, something they hadn’t seen in a long time.
After all, summoning a ’God’ required a lot of people, whether for the needs of the ritual or for those being offered. Yet one person, Arthur, whom they knew possessed a Half-Possessive Piece [Eight], had done it all alone after being informed by the Brown Shepherd.
And they were about to kill it.
This was one of the biggest missions being carried out by their organization at the moment. Failure to do so would only make the Brown Shepherd disappointed.
’Hurry up...! We’re almost surrounded, and it won’t take long before they catch up! It’s going to be a problem if that happens!’
Every Shepherd stationed at the shrine right now wanted Arthur to finish it fast.
’These Shepherds... You think I haven’t noticed you?’
Arthur, whose face had formed cracks, mused inwardly and wanted to scoff at them, only to be met with a sharp pain from within his body as if it were about to be torn apart.
’Shit... I’m going to lose control over the offering! Not yet... please, not yet!’
Arthur felt his control over the Piece’s manipulation powers was weakening. He had already exceeded his limits, yet he didn’t understand how he was still able to hold on.
He knew that he should’ve already lost control an hour ago.
Yet why was it showing a loss of control over his Piece now?
A whisper inside his head answered on his behalf.
This time, it wasn’t merely a figment of his imagination. It was a real voice, one coming from an actual entity.
-"I see. No wonder my Manipulation chose you after countless trials that happened within my Gate. You are truly the perfect vessel for me. Hmm, so that’s everything that happened, huh."
The voice acted as if it was trying to look through Arthur’s memories, using them to gain some sort of understanding of what had actually happened.
Arthur froze.
For some reason, he found the whisper inside his head odd by mentioning his Piece.
"What are you talking about?"
The whisper inside his head grew more certain with every passing moment, seemingly mocking Arthur as it continued.
-"Hah! I don’t know, really. This ruin is just something I used, it’s not like it belonged to me. This shrine in particular was something I spread around before I was sealed. It looked like my time had come to leave this sealed place, as both Manipulation and the shrine were here!"
Then, the whisper inside Arthur’s head started acting strangely. It seemed particularly happy.
"You... you don’t understand how many centuries I have spent preparing for this day...! Has it already been hundreds of years? I’ve lost track of time. Oh, but don’t be mad. It’s just a deal between the Shepherds of Creation and me. Heh, though I’m not planning on holding up my end of the deal with those stupid shepherds."
Arthur still couldn’t make sense of what the whisper was talking about until a sudden realization finally hit him in the end.
Maybe it was because he was desperate to bring everyone back, but Arthur knew that dealing with unknown entities, especially so-called Gods, would only bring danger.
Especially if this was an ancient ruin from a past era, where Heretics were rampant.
Many realizations started to hit him.
’The diary...! I’ve written that sometimes my actions are not mine and felt like someone within me is controlling me...! No, no... Don’t tell me my Piece and the ’God’ I’m trying to make a wish with is one entity?!’
Arthur felt his heart sink.
Then, Arthur clasped his hands and begged.
"Please... please... I have prepared everything you need. J-just bring my wife back."
Soon, the air fell silent. Arthur desperately tried to salvage everything, even though the situation was becoming hopeless.
The quiet surroundings were soon broken when the whisper inside Arthur’s head laughed.
"Hahahaha! Hahh... How amusing. I’m indeed a ’God’ in a sense. But I might be able to do it, yet I don’t want to."
It paused.
"I mean, why would I?"