Chapter 6- Elemental Arcane
Malice stared at the new window that popped up with clear confusion. There were some numbers and words that he can't read so he couldn't really understand what it was.
"Uh, I can't really read, Avatar. Can you explain?" He asked with an awkward look on his face. He was truly starting to regret the fact that he was illiterate in a world where illiteracy was almost non-existent.
Even those who were homeless like him were able to learn to read, at the very least. But, life wasn't kind enough to give him such a luxury as the others.
[You can use the voiceover function of the Status window.] Avatar replied. [Simply think of it and a voice shall reply.]
'Oh, so there was such a feature in this thing… Very convenient.' He thought to himself before he finally looked at the panel again and followed Avatar's instructions.
Imagining this voice was easy enough for him and surprisingly, it worked from the first try. A robotic voice spoke to him. This one sounded way more monotone than Avatar with some ambiguity about whether it was feminine or masculine.
Listening to the voice read the entire status window, Malice's eyes slowly widened. "Oh… So this is what it was about… A status window, you said?"
Even though he could understand the gist of this panel as he could link it back to the time when he heard those soldiers talk about the status window. But, he still required Avatar to explain what each of these things do.
[Your status window is the world beyond's assessment of you as a Marked one. It takes all of that information and presents it in a window for easier access.] The voice explained.
"And, what do I do with this information?" He asked.
[It is simply there to track your progress as you grow stronger. It also shows you all the things you acquire along the way such as Legacies, Traits, and other things that will be unlocked in the future.]
"Mm…" Rubbing his chin, Malice nodded in acknowledgment. He understood what she was talking about to a certain extent. He could also see why this was important as tracking progress might become ridiculously hard and inconvenient as the individual grows stronger.
'I cannot imagine those wealthy Marked Nobles going out of their way to try and track what they did and didn't.' He mused.
Those people didn't even entertain the idea of walking on the same street as mundane humans, let alone doing something as complicated as this. Shaking his head, he focused on Avatar again.
"So, what are these Traits and legacies?"
[I shall explain in a moment. The first thing is your name. That section shows your current name, Malice.]
"Well… That is obvious enough, no?" With a deadpan look on his face, he replied. Malice knew that he was dumb, but he at least believed that he wasn't completely dumb. Surviving in the slums for this long required some level of intelligence.
[That is obvious, yes. But, in the future, that slot won't show your current name alone. There are things called 'Soul Names' which can be obtained by Marked ones. These names bestow upon them special abilities and many other things, depending on the name acquired.] She said.
"Oh! So even a name can make you stronger?"
[Precisely. You would be amazed by how many things can make you stronger. The world beyond is rich with all kinds of treasures, after all. But, we cannot go through all of them currently. That will be left for you to discover once you go there.] She said.
The World Beyond was already akin to a mythical tale amongst the mundane humans. Malice can't even count the number of stories he heard about that place. It reached a point where he questioned how such a realm could even exist. It was unfathomable.
"If you say so… Ok, what about the Mark?" He asked.
[The mark is your current individual strength, without the use of any external or internal abilities, just pure, physical power.] She said. [When you kill a monster, or a target for that matter, you will automatically absorb their Soul Essence which in turn gives you more strength. The more you kill, the more power you acquire. When you reach a certain threshold after killing enough enemies, you will go through an 'Ascension' which will boost your strength to a whole new level.]
Pursing his lips, Malice took all the information in. "So, all I have to do is kill monsters to become stronger?" He asked.
[Yes.]
"... But, that isn't that easy, is it?"
Even though getting stronger was pretty straightforward, that didn't mean that it was easy. In fact, it was the complete opposite. The monsters that live in the World Beyond are extremely terrifying and deadly to the highest level.
The death rate of the Marked Ones in the world beyond was very high which indicated the nature of that world.
'Can I even survive myself? Even with this Shard Of Hatred giving me all these things. I'm still very weak.' He thought to himself.
The more Malice thought about it, the more he got worried. But, he quickly shook those thoughts away. What happened had happened, he cannot change it now. All he can do is try to survive, get stronger, and perhaps get himself out of poverty.
After all, if he succeeded, his life was basically set in stone. He could get anything he dreamt of. That was honestly a good enough goal for the current him.
A weird glint flashed in his eyes for a moment before he focused on Avatar again.
"Ok, continue, I'm listening." He said.
[The 'Trait' section is your main ability bestowed upon you by the world beyond with an influence from the Shard Of Hatred in your case. Each Marked One is given their own unique ability. Yours is 'Elemental Arcane'.]
"Elemental Arcane? What does it do?" He asked as he looked at what he assumed to be the trait. The word 'Arcane' was completely foreign to him and so was the word Elemental. So, he was completely clueless as to what that meant.
[You can access the information of your trait with a simple thought. All you have to do is focus on the words.]
Hearing that, Malice looked at his trait with focused eyes. Instantly, another window popped up in its place. So, he used the voiceover to read it.
[Trait: Elemental Arcane
Description: A being once willed nature into existence. Its presence filled the entire world, and its powers captured unwanted eyes. So, to stop the greedy hands from reaching it, the being willed for its powers to be sealed, only to remain dormant for a long time.
Ability: The user can use all elements in nature such as fire, water, earth, and many others, and bend them to his own will. However, the user can only use an element when they have sufficient comprehension of its nature, effects, and causes. The more understanding he reaches, the better he can control it.]
Hearing the information in his ears, Malice frowned in confusion. "Uh, that wasn't what I expected…"
Rubbing the back of his head, he gave the trait another listen. Even though he understood the Ability and what it does, he was confused by its description. It sounded like a fairytale of sorts.
"What being willed nature into existence? God? And who wanted to take its powers? Even more importantly, what does that have to do with the trait itself?" A lot of questions popped into his head with no answers.
"Do you have any idea, Avatar?"
[Unfortunately, I do not have access to such information. Take it as you will.] She replied.
"... Well, at least I understand what the trait is. This is quite strong." A small relieved look appeared on his face.
'I know that fire can be quite strong and the other elements have their own strengths, I'm sure. This could be quite good. But, the fact that I have to learn how they work properly first will take time.'
Even though Malice knew these elements, he didn't actually have an in-depth understanding of how they worked and why they worked like that. He will have to somehow learn that if he wants to use his trait.
'I don't even know how to read, let alone understand how elements work.' A wry smile appeared on his face. "This is a problem…"
(A//N: Sorry if the first few chapters are a little slow, I wanted to set things up early so that when the story picks up pace, It won't stop. Anyway, don't forget to support the book if you like it.)