Will woke up slowly; the first thing he noticed was a headache inside his skull.
The pain was not sharp but persistent, like something was squeezing his head from the inside. His throat felt dry, and his limbs were stiff, as if he had been unconscious for far longer than he remembered.
He stood up and grabbed a jug of water before completely chugging down the entire container.
"Ugh… this is the second time this week I've fainted," he muttered in irritation.
His voice sounded weak and hoarse, making him pause for a moment before trying to move again.
He opened his eyes fully and stared at the ceiling above him. It was made of pale stone with faint cracks running through it, clearly old and poorly maintained.
Small enchantment arrays were carved into the corners, meant to keep the room sterile and prevent infection, but their glow was weak and uneven.
The smell of medicine lingered in the air. A mix of herbs, disinfectant, and old cloth told him exactly where he was.
"Public infirmary," Will said quietly. "Of course. I really did make a mess."
He turned his head slightly and took in the surroundings. Rows of beds filled the room, each occupied by injured civilians.
Some were sleeping restlessly, others stared blankly into space, and a few groaned softly whenever they shifted. Bandages wrapped around arms, heads, and torsos.
Will pushed himself up carefully, ignoring the dull ache spreading through his muscles. Nothing felt broken.
No sharp internal pain. Just exhaustion and soreness from overusing his mana and body beyond their limits.
"System, show me my status."
[understood]
------------
Name: William
Race: Human
Age: 14
Rank: F+
Talent: Lawless Adaptation (Supreme)
Affinities: Sun (SSS)
Physique: Divine Sun-God Physique
Techniques:
Tempest Sword Technique
– 1st Form (Perfection)
– 2nd Form (Beginner)
Skills (related to physique): Solar Authority Pressure, Infinite Solar Replenishment, Infinite Solar Regeneration, Stellar Flames, Bane of All Cold, and Absolute Sun Affinity.
Skills (related to talent): Absolute Adaptation, Fate Immunity, Lawless Awakening, Limitless, and Universal Tongue.
Current SP: 0
----------------
"Gosh!! Would anyone believe me if I told them that I ranked up in one week after awakening?" Will smiled wryly.
He finally understood what happened last night. Using the sword technique had drained all the mana in his body, forcing a strain on his mana core.
Normally things would not escalate, and a person would just faint due to mana overuse, but in his case his talent had reacted.
[Absolute adaptation forced your mana core to expand; somehow an influx of mana was generated inside the core, and the core broke.]
[Once the core broke, absolute adaptation worked again by adapting your core for that amount of mana, eventually making you rank up.]
William sighed; normally people used cultivation techniques, also called breathing techniques, to expand and densify their mana cores, eventually ranking up.
"Looks like I need a cultivation technique; this method is painful and dangerous as well."
[Actually it's not, but still you should avoid it unless desperate measures like last night]
"Yeah, you are right," Will spoke, wiping sweat on his forehead.
Then his thoughts snapped back to one thing.
Lia.
His breathing hitched slightly as he swung his legs off the bed and stood up. He scanned the infirmary, his eyes moving quickly from one bed to another. He checked every face, every bandaged figure, and every unconscious patient.
She wasn't there.
His fingers tightened into a fist.
He searched again, slower this time, refusing to accept it at first. He walked a few steps, peered between beds, and even glanced behind curtains meant for privacy.
Nothing.
A cold feeling settled in his chest.
"System," Will said in a low voice, keeping his tone steady. "Is she dead?"
[Individual Lia has consumed part of the host's blood. Do you wish to track her using SP?
Will frowned. "I don't have any SP."
[Quest #1 has been completed.]
[Reward issued: 5000 SP.]
Will paused, then nodded slightly. "Right. Then track her."
[Confirmed.]
[100 SP will be deducted.]
A brief pause followed, long enough for Will's patience to thin.
[Individual Lia has been located.]
[Individual Lia's vitals are stable.]
[Individual Lia is alive.]
Will let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Then the next line appeared.
[Individual Lia is not on the continent of Aris.]
Will froze.
"… What?" he asked.
[Individual Lia has been transported beyond the continental boundary of Aris.]
[Exact location cannot be determined at the host's current power level.]
Will rubbed his temples, his expression tightening as unease crept in.
"So she didn't run away," he said.
"Someone took her."
[Correct]
He remained silent for a moment, processing the information. His mind moved quickly, replaying the events of the night, comparing them to what he remembered from the novel.
"System," he said finally.
"Don't you think the plot has gone completely off track by now?"
The response was immediate.
[The host is advised to stop fixating on the original narrative.]
[As previously stated, timelines possess self-correcting properties.]
[Events may change, but the direction of causality remains consistent.]
Will exhaled slowly.
"That's easy for you to say," he muttered.
Before he could think further, footsteps approached from the entrance of the infirmary.
"Hey, choco boy!"
Will looked up to see a familiar face approaching him. A middle-aged man with a scar on his arm and a wide grin walked over, relief written plainly across his face.
"You finally woke up," the man said. "I was starting to think I'd never get to taste chocolate again."
Will recognized him immediately. This man was a regular customer, albeit one of the louder ones.
"That would've been tragic," Will replied flatly.
The man laughed. "Save the sarcasm. Just give me a discount later."
Then his tone lowered slightly as he leaned in.
"By the way, there are knights here. They want to ask you a few questions. Don't worry, though; I told them you're a harmless kid who sells sweets."
Will's muscles tensed slightly.
"Knights," he repeated.
"Imperial knights," the man confirmed.
Will nodded. "Thanks."
As the man walked away, Will closed his eyes briefly.
He knew what was coming.
"System," he said internally, "I need a talent for lying."
[understood, since the free privilege is gone, you have to use SP now]
"I know," Will replied. "Just show me something under 1000 SP."
A translucent panel appeared in front of him, displaying a list of talents. Will scanned through them carefully: low-tier abilities and passive enhancements.
His eyes stopped on one entry.
---------------
False Calm (B Rank) (passive)
"The truth trembles. His voice does not."
Effects:
- The user's facial expressions, heartbeat, breathing, and micro-reactions are brought under conscious control, creating a perfect poker face.
- Lies spoken by the user do not produce emotional fluctuations detectable by standard truth-detection skills, like magic, aura reading, or pressure-based interrogation (effective against skills of equal or lower rank).
- The user's mental state remains calm and steady, granting unnatural confidence even under intimidation, killing intent, or authority pressure.
- Nervousness, hesitation, and subconscious guilt responses are suppressed, allowing smooth and natural speech flow.
Note: Does not block high-tier mind reading, soul inspection, or direct memory extraction.
Price - 800 shop points
---------------
Will raised an eyebrow. "That's cheap."
[Non-combat talents are priced lower in the shop, but affordability does not imply imperfection.]
"Fair enough," Will said. "Buy it."
The talent activated instantly.
He felt the change almost immediately. His breathing slowed. The tension in his chest faded. His thoughts aligned, clear and controlled.
His face settled into a neutral expression that felt natural rather than forced.
A perfect poker face.
"Alright," Will said quietly. "Let's get this over with."
A medic soon arrived and led him through a side corridor into a smaller, isolated room within the infirmary. The door closed softly behind them.
Inside, a man sat at the table.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and carried himself with calm confidence. A broken sword was strapped at his side, worn openly rather than hidden. It was clear he had carried it for years.
Will recognized him instantly.
Brian, the right hand of Sword Saint Klaus.