"Miracle of the Holy Spirit."
Kenmei Isayama clicked to view the details.
Origin, Score, Usage... everything was just "???"
Every time he clicked, a prompt popped up: [Access Denied: Insufficient Clearance]
He asked the Warhammer System what the deal was. Apparently, this was a "breaking the game" level reward given for his MVP performance during the Ork Empire's war against the Tyranids. His contribution to that epic "WAAAGH!" was massive.
The [Miracle of the Holy Spirit] was definitely top-tier loot, but it was way above Kenmei's current pay grade—so much so that he wasn't even allowed to know what it did.
If he didn't want it to just sit in his inventory gathering dust, the System suggested he smash it directly into his [Psychic Codex].
As for what would happen?
God knows.
The [Psychic Codex] was basically a compilation of knowledge Kenmei had scraped together from his mentor, Ahriman. Since his master's knowledge base was ridiculously huge, it manifested as a special "Codex" type item.
Codex: A carrier for essential lore. A super rare, conceptual item (doesn't have standard item levels or scores).
This was where Kenmei unlocked all his telekinetic spells.
Soon, a massive, floating book made of brass appeared in front of him. The words [Psychic Codex] on the cover were burning with terrifying psychic fire.
It recorded parts of Ahriman's research into psychic powers and the Warp, covering most of the Black Corvidae Cabal's teachings and a complete collection of psychic spells.
Because Kenmei's own psychic level was still pretty low, he only had "Read Only" access to a fraction of it.
This wasn't a restriction; it was a safety rail.
Some of this knowledge was so dangerous that even Ahriman had to handle it with kid gloves. For a noob like Kenmei, just looking at a single rune could cause unpredictable flesh mutations or make him explode into a fine red mist. Standard hazard.
Kenmei had explored less than one percent of it—probably closer to 0.00something percent.
Since the System suggested smashing the [Miracle of the Holy Spirit] into the [Psychic Codex], he figured, "Why not?"
Kenmei tried to move the [Miracle of the Holy Spirit] from his inventory to his hand, but he couldn't even do that. A warning flashed instantly, saying the item's tier was too high; his current dimension couldn't handle its physical existence and would crash if he took it out.
Just as Kenmei was trying to figure out the UI, the System jumped in.
[Apply "???" to the Psychic Codex? Warning: This process cannot be undone!]
So, even the name [Miracle of the Holy Spirit] might just be a placeholder or a censored name the System made up to protect his sanity.
[Using "???". Commencing fusion with [Psychic Codex]...]
The floating [Psychic Codex] in front of Kenmei began to morph. The pure, pale blue psychic fire that usually wreathed it changed violently, becoming tainted with something... foul.
It was the chaotic, evil power of the Warp—chaos beyond imagination, an existence completely outside Kenmei's comprehension.
A terrifying, shifting flame completely incinerated the [Psychic Codex]. Through the twisting projections in the fire, Kenmei glimpsed a world behind a set of double gates.
He saw a massive labyrinth of blue crystal, pulsating with infinite chaotic energy. It was filled with bizarre illusions and countless monsters—beasts corrupted by Chaos beyond all reason, demons imprisoned for their failures, twisted souls screaming for freedom. It was a cacophony of despair.
Deep within that madness, Kenmei vaguely made out a mass of shifting, iridescent light. He blinked, and it instantly snapped into the form of a gargantuan, unimaginable two-headed raven with multicolored wings. It had a vulture's beak, and its feathers were in constant flux, forming strange shapes, mocking faces, and a kaleidoscope of burning colors that dazzled and confused the mind.
The moment he saw the symbol of "The Changer of Ways," Kenmei felt like thousands of needles were being driven into his brain. Blood tears streamed from his eyes. He couldn't even stand; he curled up and vomited a massive pool of blood.
When the burning book re-emerged from the flames, it had transformed into a pitch-black metallic tome, radiating the chaotic power of "Change" and an overwhelming sense of despair.
The transformation wasn't over. On the cover of this heavy, hopeless black book, several blood-red symbols surfaced—they looked like the Rubric.
[Conversion Complete]
Thud.
The transformation finished, and the book dropped heavily to the floor, right in front of the half-kneeling Kenmei.
When his blood-stained hand touched the book, the info popped up immediately.
The [Psychic Codex] had been converted into [Redemption of the Rubric], spelled out in large, crimson letters.
Because he had looked directly at the unknown change, Kenmei had suffered severe corruption from Chaos energy. The System's heal this time was on the house.
[Redemption of the Rubric]
"If the path of redemption leads through the halls of purgatory, then I accept it."
The inscription on the title page looked as if it had been hand-written by Ahzek Ahriman himself.
Opening the first page, there were hundreds of sigils. Their structure was complex and arranged in perfect order. When Kenmei poured his psychic energy into them...
The moment the first sigil lit up, a massive download of information flooded his brain, nearly blowing it apart.
Kenmei grit his teeth and tanked it. But when the second sigil lit up, he knew he was at his limit and immediately cut the power connection.
That [???] item hadn't just turned the Codex into something more terrifying; it had stripped away the System's safety protocols.
If Kenmei hadn't let go just now, his brain really would have popped.
[You have unlocked all Psychic Spells.]
[First activation of "Redemption of the Rubric".]
[You have obtained: Rubric Marine (Damaged)]
"..."
Kenmei had absorbed way too much info for one night. He didn't even want to read the descriptions right now; he felt nauseous.
He needed to go out and kill a few Specters to settle his nerves.
Walking down the street, Kenmei pulled his hood up and stayed silent.
His mentor, Ahriman, had fallen completely to the Chaos Gods after the "Burning of Prospero." The remnants of the Thousand Sons Legion had been turned into walking dust-golems by his Rubric.
What was meant to be hope for salvation turned into an even deeper despair.
Sensing something nearby, Kenmei—hands buried in his pockets—ducked into a narrow alley.
Deep inside the winding path, he saw a skull-faced Specter voraciously gnawing on something. Flesh and blood were scattered everywhere; it looked like a gruesome crime scene.
"Late to the party, huh?"
Kenmei just glared at it. Instantly, the feeding Specter looked like it had been T-boned by a semi-truck. It went flying and smashed heavily into the wall.
BOOM!
A massive circular crater appeared in the concrete, with cracks spreading out fifteen feet in every direction. The Specter was pinned in the center, limbs splayed, letting out a wretched shriek but unable to move.
[Talent 'Soul Siphon' triggered. Restored 8 Mana.]
Just as Kenmei was about to ramp up his psychic output and crush the Specter into dust, a gentle, polite voice came from behind him.
"My bad, excuse me... but do you mind if I take that kill?"