The translucent blue screen hung in the air before me, defying every law of physics I understood. It wasn't really there, not in any physical sense. I could see through it to the forest beyond, to Abel's still form lying in the grass. Yet it commanded my attention with an intensity that made everything else feel secondary.
My hand moved instinctively, reaching out to touch the shimmering surface, but my fingers passed through without resistance. The screen remained, unaffected by my attempt at interaction.
'What is this? Some kind of hologram? Magic?'
The loading bar at the center of the screen filled slowly, a thin line of white light creeping from left to right. Sixty percent. Seventy. The percentage ticked upward with methodical precision, and I found myself holding my breath, waiting for whatever came next.
Eighty-five percent.
Ninety.
One hundred.
Whoosh.
The screen expanded outward, doubling in size, and new text began to materialize across its surface. The words formed one letter at a time, as though being typed by invisible hands.
[Congratulations! You have awakened a Unique System.]
[This system is exclusive to you and cannot be replicated or transferred.]
I stared at the message, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing. A system. Like something out of a game or a web novel. The kind of thing protagonists received when they were transported to other worlds.
'Is that what happened to me? Did I die and get sent here?'
I couldn't remember my death. Couldn't remember anything concrete about my previous life, actually. Just fragments. A sense of familiarity with concepts that shouldn't exist in this world. Knowledge of stories where people were reincarnated or transmigrated into fantasy settings.
But the details of who I'd been before? Gone. Lost in whatever cosmic accident had stuffed my consciousness into Kaine Einsworth's dying body.
The screen flickered, and new text appeared.
[Warning: Analysis of recent actions has revealed a severe transgression.]
[You have committed a Taboo: Murder of a Hero Candidate.]
My stomach dropped. The words seemed to pulse with an ominous red glow, and I felt a chill run down my spine despite the warm night air.
'Of course. Of course there would be consequences.'
The screen expanded again, and a new section materialized beneath the warning.
[Due to committing this Taboo, you have been assigned the following title:]
[Title Acquired: Cursed and Unfortunate]
The title appeared in jagged letters, each word seeming to drip with malevolent energy. Before I could fully comprehend what I was reading, the title itself expanded, revealing a detailed description that made my blood run cold.
[Title: Cursed and Unfortunate]
[Rarity: Unique (Taboo)]
[Description: You have slain one chosen by fate, and fate has taken notice. You are now marked by forces beyond mortal comprehension. This mark cannot be removed, cannot be hidden, and will follow you until death claims you or you transcend your curse.]
[Effects:]
[- Increased monster aggression: Beasts and magical creatures will sense your cursed nature and attack with heightened frequency and ferocity. Their instincts will identify you as a threat to the natural order.]
[- Aura of misfortune: Those who spend extended periods in your presence may experience minor bad luck. This effect is subtle but cumulative.]
[- Hostile recognition: Individuals with strong intuition or fate-related abilities will instinctively distrust or dislike you. First impressions will be significantly more difficult.]
[- Blessing of the forgotten: Conversely, those who society has cast aside, those who walk paths outside fate's design, may feel a strange kinship with you.]
[- Growth through adversity: Experience gained from combat and challenges is increased by twenty-five percent. Your cursed existence forces you to grow stronger or perish.]
I read through the effects twice, then a third time, each pass making my situation feel more hopeless. The system wasn't just telling me I'd done something terrible. It was ensuring I'd pay for it every single day for the rest of my life.
'Monsters will hunt me. People will hate me. This is...'
A punishment. That's what this was. Divine retribution dressed up as a game mechanic.
I wanted to laugh. Or scream. Maybe both.
Before I could do either, the screen flickered again, and the previous text faded away, replaced by something new.
[System Analysis Complete.]
[Current Status: Suboptimal.]
[Beginning optimization process...]
'Optimization? What does that mean?'
The answer came immediately.
[Your current talent has been evaluated and found insufficient for your circumstances. Given the nature of your title and the challenges you will face, a standard talent will not suffice.]
[Initiating talent restructuring...]
Panic surged through me. Talent restructuring? That sounded permanent. Irreversible.
[Warning: Your existing talent will be sacrificed in this process. All abilities, affinities, and enhancements associated with your current talent will be permanently removed.]
[Enhanced Reflexes - REMOVED]
[Minor Wind Affinity - REMOVED]
'Wait. Wait, hold on—'
But the system didn't wait. It never asked for permission.
A sensation bloomed in the center of my chest, warm and bright, like a spark catching fire. It spread outward through my torso, down my arms, into my legs, until my entire body thrummed with energy. It wasn't painful, exactly, but it was intense. Overwhelming.
I gasped, dropping to one knee as the feeling intensified. My vision blurred at the edges, and for a moment I thought I might pass out.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
The warmth remained, but the overwhelming intensity faded to a manageable simmer. I sucked in air, my lungs burning, and looked up at the screen.
[Talent reconstruction complete.]
[New talent generated based on your unique circumstances, potential, and the system's requirements.]
[Talent Acquired: Chaos Element]
Chaos Element. The words appeared in elegant script, glowing with a prismatic light that shifted between colors too quickly to track. Red. Blue. Green. Gold. Black. White. Every hue imaginable, blending and separating in an endless cycle.
The title expanded, revealing its description.
[Talent: Chaos Element]
[Rarity: Mythical]
[Description: Chaos is the primordial state from which all things emerge and to which all things return. It is fire and water, light and darkness, life and death. It is the roaring inferno and the crushing wave, the cutting wind and the unyielding earth, the brilliant radiance and the consuming void. Chaos is not a single element but the potential for all elements, the raw, unrefined essence of creation itself.]
[As a wielder of the Chaos Element, you stand at the beginning of a long path. You do not yet command chaos in its true form. Instead, you possess the seed of infinite possibility. Through training, combat, and understanding, you will gradually awaken affinity with each individual element: fire, water, earth, wind, light, darkness, lightning, ice, and more.]
[Each element must be learned, mastered, and integrated into your being. Only when you have harmonized all elements within yourself, balancing their conflicting natures into a perfect whole, will you truly awaken the Chaos Element and wield the power of primordial creation.]
[Current Progress: 0/9 Basic Elements Awakened]
[Warning: The path of Chaos is arduous. Each element will resist your attempts to control it. Each mastery will demand sacrifice. But should you succeed, you will stand above all other elementalists, wielding powers they can only dream of.]
I read the description three times, my mind reeling from the implications. This wasn't just a powerful talent. This was something beyond comprehension. The potential to use every element? To eventually wield chaos itself?
'But I have to start from zero. I can't use any elements right now.'
The realization was sobering. I'd traded enhanced reflexes and a functional wind affinity for the promise of something greater. But that promise was distant, uncertain. Right now, I was weaker than I'd been before.
The screen flickered again.
[As a result of acquiring the Chaos Element talent, your body has undergone fundamental changes.]
[Physique Acquired: Primordial Chaos Physique]
Another expansion. Another description that made my head spin.
[Physique: Primordial Chaos Physique]
[Rarity: Mythical]
[Description: Your body has been reforged to serve as a vessel for chaos itself. Where normal physiques specialize, yours adapts. Where others have limits, yours evolves. The Primordial Chaos Physique is not bound by conventional rules of elemental affinity or mana circulation.]
[Effects:]
[- Omni-elemental adaptation: Your body can process and contain any form of elemental mana without rejection or damage. You will never suffer elemental poisoning or incompatibility.]
[- Accelerated element comprehension: When exposed to elemental phenomena or engaged in combat against elemental opponents, your understanding of that element increases at an enhanced rate.]
[- Chaotic mana circulation: Your mana pathways are in constant flux, reorganizing themselves to optimize for whatever element you are currently channeling. This makes your power unpredictable to opponents and difficult to analyze.]
[- Physical resilience: Your body is significantly more durable than normal humans of equivalent level. It must be, to withstand the strain of channeling multiple conflicting elements.]
[- Instinctive balance: Your physique naturally seeks equilibrium. When one element grows too dominant within you, your body will crave exposure to its opposite to maintain balance.]
[- Chaos regeneration: When critically injured, your body can draw upon the chaotic potential within you to accelerate healing. This process is automatic but consumes significant mana and requires rest afterward.]