Kael sat on the cold stone floor of the hidden shelter staring at his empty hands.
Five minutes ago there had been a sword there, not just any sword but a Divine Hero Sword. In the future probably the main character, the chosen child, God's chosen or some incarnation basically the HERO with destiny loaded has it's own theme music aura farming sword and its been erased by me, that platform has nothing, it's gone and erased. And in exchange the tower had given him a second new talent Eraser F-.
Kael laughed, he didn't smiled awkwardly. He laughed like a man who had just watched his future and also someone's destined future burst into flames and politely wave goodbye.
"...You're kidding me" the echo bounced around the architect's shelter mocking him.
[Talent Acquired: Eraser Rank F-]
No hallucination, no mistake. He dragged both the hands through his hair and leaned back against the stone pillar staring at the ceiling.
Kael knows he's repeating this word multiple times but "So let me get this straight" he muttered "Some legendary hero sword meant for a chosen savior...recognizes me...then deletes itself....and I get a new talent called Eraser".
The tower naturally did not answer. Kael groaned and slid down until he was lying flat on the floor.
"This is worse than the line drawer talent" he said aloud "This is actively insulting".
A faint pulse ran through the shelter, the runes on the walls shining softly reacting to his presence or maybe laughing at him too.
He sighed and closed his eyes. Calm down. Panicking won't help. That was something his mother used to say. She had never been a awakener just a ordinary woman in the early Tower era working two jobs raising a kid who kept coming home with scrapped knees and broken dreams and now my mother died because of overwork.
'If you can't control the world, control yourself' she'd said. Kael exhaled slowly and sat back up.
"Fine" he muttered "Let's see what kind of trash you are"
[Status Window]
[Name: Kael Ardent
Age: 20
Level: 1
EXP: 95/100
Class: Delimiter ( Hidden )
Title: ????? ( Sealed )
Talents:
1) Line drawer F-
2) Eraser F-
Sub skills:
1) Tap F-
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Endurance: 6
Mana: 9
Control: 12
Condition:
Minor Fall damage ( Healing slow )]
Kael stared at the numbers and his attributes but he see's a one more different stat which was never seen before CONTROL "...Hmm what is this new stat called control and why its higher than everything else?".
A bad feeling settled in his gut. He tapped the word eraser talent. For half a second nothing happened, then a tiny tool tip appeared flickering like it didn't want to exist.
[Eraser:
Effect: Removes the target
Scope: undefined
Cost: undefined
Restriction: Authority based]
"That explains nothing". Kael pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Removes the target? Removes what? Dust? Existence? Homework?"
He looked around. The shelter was empty except for stone pillars, glowing runes and the door where the sword was erased.
Very carefully he reached out and tapped a small crack in the stone floor, nothing happened other than the information about the stone cracked floor.
"...Good. that would've been awkward".
He exhaled and pushed himself into his feet testing his balance. Because of the training of posture balance he got used to line drawing but his legs still ached from the fall through the hidden door and his back throbbed faintly. He could still feel the recoil effect while drawing the line.
That was the problem, Line drawer worked, yes but against monsters stronger than him it didn't negate the force it just redirected it.
And the force of rebound had gone straight into him. Kael clenched his fists "If I cant handle the recoil , I will die by the recoil force". The shelter pulsed again.
Then without warning the runes along the walls shifted, stones scrapped against the stone.
A section of the wall slid open revealing a circular chamber beyond it. Kael froze "That was not there before".
He approached cautiously. Inside was a wide empty room. The floor was etched with overlapping geometric patterns, lines, angles intersecting again and again like a madman's blueprint.
The air felt...dense but not hostile but focused.
A new message appeared
[Architect shelter -- Training zone activated]
"You're telling me this whole place is the training place in the name of shelter??? I feel like I'm in the tutorial zone".
A translucent construct rose from the floor, it was a humanoid creature without any face, expressions like a robot, its level floated above its head.
[Training Construct -- Level 3]
Kael instinctively stepped back. "Oh hell no". The construct moved, FASTTT.
Kael barely had time to react. He drew a line in front of himself. The construct slammed into it and the impact detonated through his arms like a hammer "AGH!!!!"
He flew backward and hit the wall hard and coughing. Pain exploded in his ribs.
[Damage taken: Minor]
The construct reset to its starting position and stood motionless. Kael lay there staring at the ceiling breathing heavily "Okay that was definitely not a minor damage, damm it!!!"
He pushed himself up slowly thinking about the posture balance training "I have to apply my outcome from training here".
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed weakly.
"Great!! lets try again" Kael shouted.
The construct activated. Kael stood with the posture with slightly bent knees and this time Kael didn't draw the line in front of himself, he drew it at an angle.
The construct charged, the moment it hit the line boundary, its momentum slid sideways instead of back, it got stumbled, Kael still felt the recoil but now less compared to last time.
"Oh?" his eyes lit up "Okay....okay. So its not about stopping, Its about redirecting".
The construct reset again. Kael tested again with different angles with different postures, different placements. Each time the recoil lessened as he adjusted. His body screamed in protest but his mind raced.
This place, this shelter isn't teaching me to fight, Its teaching me to think.
Minutes passed , hours passed, Kael continued his training and finally feeling the hang of it. Time didn't feel real inside the shelter. By the time the construct finally deactivated. Kael drenched in sweat, bruised, exhausted and grinning like a idiot.
"I'm not dying" he panted "I'm finally learning"
A soft chime sounded.
[Skill Proficiency Increased]
[Line Drawer- Control Improved]
[Control +3]
Kael collapsed onto the floor, laughing "Worst gym ever" he muttered "Zero safety regulations"
He stared at his hands, they were shaking but not from fear but from excitement. Then his gaze drifted back to the door which was empty the place where the sword had been.
"...Eraser" he whispered, he still didn't understand it, didn't trust and didn't want it. But something deep in is chest told him whatever he had erased just now.... the tower allowed it.
No
The tower had accepted it.
Kael swallowed "If that sword was meant for a hero" he murmured "Then what am I supposed to be?".
The shelter did not answer nor did the tower.
But somewhere, far above him on the floors where gods walked, On the floors humanity coudn't reach. Something shifted.
And for the first time in fifty years....
A system that had waited patiently.....
Smiled.