Chapter 83: Flag
Blade crossed her arms. "I didn’t manage to completely identify it, but it looked like a tentacle, and it was almost colorless. It also possessed the Void Aspect, which should explain why it was so incredibly hard to spot, but it still failed to hide from me."
Night looked at Sara. "Do you know anything about this?"
Sara shook her head grimly. "I am not aware of any beast like this. The fact that it managed to hide its presence while being so close to me means it is atleast a Demigod."
"It just doesn’t make sense for anything else to be able to hide from my senses at that range," she added with a frown.
[Dream]’s voice echoed in his mind. "It must be a Void Creature. It is surprising to see a monster with such capabilities."
Night frowned. "A Void Creature?"
[Dream] clarified, "It is a type of creature that lives in the empty space called the Void, which exists between planets and realms. They are infamous for their unpredictable and crazy behavior. Sometimes they are perfectly calm and peaceful; other times they rage mindlessly like rabid beasts."
Then she added in a uncertain tone, "It is exceedingly rare for one to successfully transcend its nature and act like a calculated schemer. In the wider universe, usually when you spot a creature like this, the first thing you do is run..."
Shaking her head, she concluded, "Since running is obviously not an option and since we are now aware of it, we can come up with countermeasures."
He shared [Dream]’s thoughts with the rest of the group. Unlike the others, who did not want to ever encounter the invisible monster again, he was looking forward to it so that he could teach it a very painful lesson..
Checking the rest of of notifications:
[Ding!]
[Mystic Eyes (Common) (Lvl.1) - 10 EV]
[Allows the user to pry open the mysteries of everything they see.
Note: It will permanently alter your physical eyes.]
[Y/N]
[Dream] urged, "Get it... This looks like it is the reward for devouring that Devil. Permanent Ocular skills like these usually get strong when you rank them up and they cost almost no energy to maintain."
Night happily nodded. "Its name and description are so cool, too!"
( ✧Д✧)
[Dream] chuckled. "I doubt the skill is that broken right at level one. Most likely, you will only see some faint information with these eyes for now. Truly ’prying into mysteries’ will have to wait until they are sufficiently leveled up."
After informing his friends, he purchased the skill.
As soon as he did, he felt an unbearable itching sensation erupt in his eye region. This agonizing sensation only became deeper and deeper as the moments passed, burning as if it had reached into his soul.
[Dream] immediately, "Don’t interrupt it!" just before he could scratch his eyes and maybe even accidentally dig them out.
He gritted his teeth, tightened his hands into tight fists and forcefully stopped himself.
This pain is nothing compared to the earlier transformation, he reminded himself.
The others looked at him in worry. For them, it was the first time seeing him suffering like this.
Just as Sage was about to jump on his lap to comfort him, Blade stopped her. "He is in the middle of an evolutionary process, don’t interrupt him."
She then warned at the others. "That goes for all of you," she added, noticing Lucy and Death anxiously stepping a little closer.
Night held his breath after some time, doing it purely to forcefully distract himself from the itch. But [Dream] said softly, "Don’t make yourself so stiff. Just let it happen naturally. This is something good."
Night slowly relaxed his fists and started breathing evenly again.
He also triggered his [Meditative Stealth]. As his mental perspective shifted into that of a detached observer, the pain started affecting him less and less.
The pain was still fundamentally there, but the profound distance made it so it didn’t cause him suffering anymore. He even managed to sit cross-legged. To the anxious onlookers, it looked like he was finally back to normal.
After some time, the burning sensation finally subsided, replaced by a soothing, cool sensation that made him feel incredibly peaceful.
[Dream] said in relief, "Open your eyes, it’s done."
Ocular skills like these were double-edged swords.
Successfully acquiring them was a massive pain and many times, Evolvers didn’t manage to fully awaken them without causing permanent damage to themselves because they simply couldn’t bear the intense agony.
Night slowly opened his eyes. The world looked blurry at first, but then everything rapidly snapped into clarity.
He blinked, looking around. Everything essentially looked the same, except for his eyesight becoming sharper.
Looking outside the bedroom window, he was able to see the faraway houses as if he were standing right next to them.
It was almost like his eyes now possessed a zoom button, except he still maintained his wide peripheral view as always.
He could also see the sky far more clearly. The colorful aurora that previously blanketed the heavens now looked different; he could visibly see erratic energy flashes and shadowy creatures moving within the boundary from time to time.
Just a small, fleeting glimpse of their terrifying visages gave him chills, making him hurriedly look back down.
Sara asked in relief, "How do you feel?" seeing him finally back to himself.
Looking back at her, he said, "I feel fine. My eyesight is a lot sharper and I am able to see much more clearly, that’s all. Oh, I am now able to zoom in on things as well!"
However, as he focused his new eyes on her, he could see a wave of very subtle energy continuously leaking from her body.
His eyes widened in shock. Not wanting to arouse suspicion about her injured soul, he acted as if he was just widening his eyes to see if it would change his new vision.
Sara smiled in amusement. "You look comical. But your eyes look weirdly beautiful now... though I think from now on you might have to wear some sunglasses to hide them."
Night looked at her in question, only for Lucy to pull out a hand mirror from her shadow. Looking at his face reflecting in the glass, he saw it clearly.
( ꒪ ⌓ ꒪ ) 🪞
In the mirror was a child’s face that looked a little mature for someone his age. The only thing making it look innocent was his chubby cheeks and cute appearance. His white hair looked like it was spun from pure snow and his eyes...
"Damn... where are my pupils?!" he screamed in terror.
( ꒪Д꒪)ノ
He was instantly met with the unrestrained laughter of everyone in the room. Sara was laughing so hard she looked like she would fall right off the bed. Blade laughed with slight restraint, but it was comical nonetheless.
Eve and Lilith covered their mouths as they tried to appear as graceful as possible, but their flashing optical lights completely gave them away. Death, Lucy and Sage were practically rolling around, laughing as if someone was relentlessly giving them belly tickles.
( ≧ ▽ ≦ )
He looked at them blankly and returned to staring in horror at the mirror. His irises were technically the same color, but they were a solid matte blue now and the dark pupils within them had completely disappeared.
System Girl chimed in, "Hehehee... It honestly looks very good on you, Night," she tried to console him.
It might have actually worked if she had managed to hide her obvious giggles.
[Dream] scoffed smoothly. "Ignore these ignorant creatures. Your eyes have become very powerful, I can feel it. I feel like you might eventually be able to use them for far more than just prying into mysteries."
"Also, a fair warning: sometimes, seeing too much is as bad, if not worse, than seeing nothing at all. Some things in the cosmos are much better left unknown until the right time," she added solemnly.
Night nodded gravely in agreement.
[Dream] then added, "Hehe... but I really do think you should consider purchasing some sunglasses so as not to arouse suspicion."
Night’s eyebrows twitched... you too?
He quickly opened the System Shop, rapidly looked through the accessories section and found a suitable pair of glasses.
[Song of Death (Rare) (Lvl.50)]
[Description: Made from the remains of a Bone Crow. It produces a calming effect on the eyes and also helps to hide the user’s eyes.
Expiry Date: Triggers at random. When triggered, allows the user to see when the target will die.]
[Cost: 100,000 SC]
He purchased it immediately.
In his hand appeared a pair of sunglasses with a pristine white frame; looking closely, one could see they were meticulously carved from small bones, and the lenses themselves were a solid matte black.
As he looked closely at the artifact, it gave him a weird feeling, as if there was far more to it than what he had just read in the System description.
[Dream] said, "You are right. As I guessed, your new eyes are not simple. This artifact is indeed made from the physical remains of a Bone Crow, which had somehow degraded in item quality due to some unknown reason. This specific Bone Crow was a God when it was alive."
Night was amused. "Wow. I didn’t know these glasses had such an interesting past."
As soon as he slipped them on, he instantly felt the difference. His eyes felt soothed and relaxed as if he had just woken up from a very long, refreshing sleep. He immediately fell in love with them.
The others finally calmed down from their laughing fit and looked at his stylish new look curiously.
Not wanting to be made fun of anymore, he casually checked the very last notification.
[Ding!]
[You have awakened a new constitution.]
[Natural Calamity Physique]
[Natural Calamity Physique: A type of physique previously only seen in the infamous Dragon race; it is as ominous as its name suggests. The holder of this physique is destined to become a calamity to himself and everything around him. Bearers of this physique are usually scorned and outcasted because of their troubled destiny, often by people making a desperate attempt to not get caught in the calamity themselve....only to fail miserably.
Kneeling in a broken palace, in a ruined world, in the Tower of Games...
_______ said to _______ with a hoarse voice as tears streamed down their cheeks:
"How can a calamity be a calamity if you can escape it so easily?"
"What you give to others is what you receive. Karma is fair."
"How can a calamity escape a calamity?"]
All the color drained from Night’s face upon reading it.