Chapter 173: The wanderer
After exiting from the private office room, Alen walked through the long corridor. The hallway was wide and seemingly endless; for a moment, it gave him a feeling similar to the long corridors in the Eclipse Spire. But Alen quickly dismissed that thought, as the corridors in that terrible place were dark and grim, and this place was originally a luxurious mansion in the real world.
Alen kept walking while looking at the different portraits and paintings hanging on the walls. Most of the figures in the paintings had pitch-black hair and striking golden eyes, which seemed to be their common genetic traits.
Alen pulled a stray strand of his own silver hair in front of his eyes, looking at it with mild confusion. In a normal sense, back in his original world, most of the people were born with black hair, and of course, their eyes were mostly dark. But in this new world, the colors of eyes and hair were vastly different and vibrant.
If he compared the beauty standards, then this world’s beauty standard was on a whole other level than his previous one.
If he returned to his previous world looking like this, most of the young girls his age would a hundred percent fall for him. But after coming to this place, Alen’s mindset had also changed in a similar way. He did not get caught up by the attraction, lust, or allure of beauty. Or maybe it had been suppressed because of his morals or his respect for others; he didn’t quite know.
So why was he so sure about that? Why was he sure his guess might be correct? It was all because he hadn’t felt anything romantic even after seeing many beautiful women around these places, including Lyris, who was fighting alongside him for days.
’Hmm... Why do they always take me for the son of some big shot or assume I am coming from a prestigious family? It seems the more handsome you are in this world, the more it defines your genetic capabilities...’
’Which means my genes, which might have got mutated after the transmigration, are quite unique and powerful. Well, it also proves why my talent shows up as ’Unknown’. Does that mean if my children were born, they would also be born with extraordinary power because of my bloodline? Well... Can’t be said for sure... Forget it.’
He dismissed the non-essential worries as he decided to check the rewards he got from the recent trial, which he couldn’t look at earlier because he wasn’t in his right mind.
[Ding! Checking your rewards...]
[Ding! Your overall stats have been increased significantly!]
[Ding! Your mana capacity has been increased!]
[Ding! You have obtained a new element: ’Earth’!]
[Ding! Your bond with ’Godless’ has been strengthened. Your mastery over the weapon increased by 1%!]
...
Alen looked at the rewards he got, and he fell into silence as he walked. Not because he felt disappointed about getting such little rewards, but because he was actually quite satisfied with what he had received. Why wouldn’t he be? Even after training to his very core, it was not easy to increase his mastery over Godless. The weapon is too overpowered to master it in just a few days or months.
So, getting his mastery increased by 1% was far greater than any other material rewards he could have gotten.
If he was able to break the next seal of Godless, his power was also going to increase exponentially, even without requiring the Stars to boost him.
’I want to wield it at 100% mastery, and I will do that for sure!’
{Hehe... In your dreams. Many people have already tried it, and failed, you are only one of them...}
’Tchh! Don’t you have other work to do, besides meddling in my mind and trying to hear my internal thoughts?...’
{Mhmm... Well, I have nothing better to do. Besides, you hadn’t put any mental wall up to block your internal thoughts this time, which means you didn’t mind me hearing them... By the way, can I come out?...}
’No, you shouldn’t. She looked at me like I am some kind of interesting element to research...’
{Then that is your problem. Why can’t I come out then...?}
’You stupid little kid, it was all because of you! She wasn’t interested in me; she was interested in you. Didn’t you see her hungry eyes when she looked at the Crimson Essence?...’
{Hmmm... Well, I don’t know, I was taking a nap at that time...}
’You—! How much do you sleep? Haven’t you gotten enough sleep during the trial?’
{Ughh! I am a spirit! I can sleep anytime I want; you don’t get to judge me! Besides, it is so warm in here. I can sleep for years relaxing...}
’Are you talking about the White Heaven? Are you sleeping there...’
{Hmm... What is that name? Well, it sounds cool. Yeah, exactly there. It is peaceful here.}
Alen thought for a second about the space. He knew it was peaceful, as he was there before. He remembered something strange and asked curiously.
’Hey, can you see an ancient-looking throne around there? Something which has seven, or more appropriately, six remaining empty holes right in the center of the throne?’
{Ummm... No, I can’t see anything like that around here. What are you talking about? Did you put something around this place? When?...}
’No, I didn’t place anything there. It is just—well, forget it. I will tell you sometime later.’
{Hey! Don’t keep me in the dark now! You have made me curious, now spit it out!}
’Nah, not now. Sweet dreams.’
{Wait—!}
Before she could continue her complaints, Alen placed a mental barrier between them so that the conversation was over. Alen kept walking, dismissing any lingering thoughts about the mysteries he had seen.
He decided to check his status window, as he hadn’t checked his status for a while.
’Status Window... Open!’
[Ding!]
[Status Window]
[Name: Alen]
[Age: 17]
[Titles: The Outlier, The Elemental Master, Illusion Walker]
[Talent: Unknown]
[Rank: B+ (Walker)]
[Elements: Sound, Water, Wind, Darkness, Fire, Earth]
[Physique: Celestial Body (★)]
[Bond: Godless (Second Form) → 15.3%]
[Supreme Ability: Omnipresence]
[ATTRIBUTES]
[STR: 497/1000] [AGI: 499/1000]
[DEF: 498/1000] [INT: 501/1000]
[HP: 2700/10000]
[MP: 4770/12560]
[ABILITIES]
[1. ???? (?)]
[2. Nexus Elemental Art (S-)]
[3. Night Vision (A+)]
[4. Weapon Master (23%)]
[5. Charm (★)]
[SKILLS]
[1. Body Strengthening (Lv. 8)]
[2. Mana Concentration (Lv. 9)]
[3. Phantom Step (A+)]
[4. True One’s Gaze (A+)]
[SHADOW INVENTORY]
> Divine Talisman (S)
> Chaos Shard
> Grimoire of Darkness (A+)
> Spatial rings
...
After watching his status, Alen understood a new thing. Godless had a total of seven forms, and two of them had already been unlocked when his mastery over the weapon reached 14.3%. Yes, he had been able to reach that much mastery under twelve months inside the Eclipse Spire.
After suffering inside the Spire, dying again and again for more than a thousand times and almost losing his sanity, he had killed thousands of monsters. He had tried a hundred different methods to kill opponents, and that was the time he had achieved the fastest growth possible.
Now that he thought about it, he didn’t know what exactly happened that led to his rapid growth. He wasn’t in his right mind until he met Lyris, so he didn’t know much about those dark gaps. But he didn’t want to try that agonizing method ever again, even if it would increase his growth and mastery over Godless the fastest.
He would take it slow. He would use a more sane method rather than choosing to walk down that bloody path.
Even his overall mastery over weapons had increased significantly. It was all because of his master—meaning Lyris’s generosity. If she hadn’t helped him, it would have been impossible for him to develop his weapon arts. She had taught him the use of different methods she knew, and surprisingly, she had known how to use every weapon under the sun. Her skills and techniques were fascinating.
’Sigh... It seems I owe her too much. She was a complete fool to teach me everything she knows without gaining any benefits. Is she not afraid of me mastering everything she has? Or is she that confident that I can’t beat her even if I learn everything she knows? How arrogant...’
Alen dismissed this thought, as he didn’t know what was going on in her mind when she was teaching him her secret techniques. He just knew one thing: if he were in her place, he wouldn’t have taught anyone, not in a million years. That was his own selfish nature.
He finally came forward toward an open area where a grand staircase leading to the bottom floor was situated. Without waiting, Alen started walking down calmly. The main hall was gorgeous, with beautiful crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to illuminate the place. Different expensive furniture was placed throughout the hallway, creating a grand environment and boosting its sheer luxury.
As he walked downstairs, the passing servants noticed him. They paused their chores, looking at his unfamiliar but striking figure.
"Who is he?... Where did he come from? Well, nobody has visited since yesterday, how can he appear out of nowhere?"
"Forget about that stuff, just look! He is so handsome, even more than the young master..."
"Hey, keep your noise down, or you’ll get us killed! But still, you are right. I want him, hehe..."
"But judging by his looks, he must be from some prestigious family. There is no way he is going to fall for us, even if we try to seduce him..."
Several whispers spread around the hallway. Alen walked down the stairs with a blank face, but with his enhanced hearing, he could still hear all of the embarrassing whispers of every servant.
’One disadvantage of having a pretty face noted. Girls and ladies are always flocking around trying to seduce you...’
’Sigh... If I had some Yandere girlfriend like in some novels I used to read in the past, she wouldn’t have let me come out of my room. Also, it would have been a nice feeling if someone that possessive existed in my life. Well, not that I really want to have any relationship with a girl anytime soon. I am not ready to trust anyone with my heart yet... and maybe I never will be, not again.’
Alen stepped down onto the main hallway, looking for which direction to roam around. Suddenly, he felt someone else’s presence coming closer from the side corridor.
"Hey, who are you?"
Alen turned over to look at the person coming toward him. A girl with red hair and bright emerald eyes came into view. She stepped closer to him with a soft, polite smile on her face, which indicated her curiosity.
Alen looked at her beautiful face calmly. He didn’t care if she was beautiful, as he was well used to seeing beautiful girls around him.
’Who is she? Is she some girl who is brave enough to try and seduce me? Let’s play along then.’
"I am Alen. A simple wanderer who just likes to travel around the world. For fun..."