Fate Of A Gamer

"Ack…"

It doesn't actually hurt, not even slightly, but the effect was still somewhat disorienting. Letting myself get used to the normalised pressure, I place my staff back into my [Inventory] as I take in the new room I've found myself in, and-

Oh, wow. There's a lot of artifacts here!

It almost looks like a museum. The room is intricately designed, carved from marble and decorated with lines of gold. Short display pillars are placed by the walls, all with their own artifacts placed atop them, sealed under some unknown magic.

All except one that is.

One of the pillars is strangely empty, the item it's meant to display gone, and the seal broken.

I attempt to use my mystic eyes on it, but much like the flower's strange lack of history, this entire room suffers under the same effect as well.

I frown slightly.

I should've trained my mystic eyes more…

However, what's done is done. I'll make sure to spend some time grinding some Exp to level my [Mystic Eyes of Myriad Perception], but I'll do that later. For now, there's a bunch of artifacts around me, and I can't just ignore them, can I?

I feel kinda bad actually. These seals seem like they're fairly complex, and here I am just overloading them with prana before shattering them, which is basically the magical equivalent of opening a lock by melting it with a flamethrower.

Breaking the last remaining seal, I begin my inspection over the 11 artifacts still within this room.

And...well, most of them are fine. They're pretty good actually, but at the level I'm at now, they don't provide any benefits that would actually help me. Doesn't mean I'll just leave them here though.

There's only two that really stick out.

[Young Dragon Ring]

Rank B-

An ancient ring crafted from the melted talons of a young dragon, and bathed within its flaming blood. As anything crafted from a dragon, it's aura is far too strong for any normal man to wear it, and it's said that those that do are turned into dragons themselves, their blood forcefully converted by the vengeful spirit that lies within the ring.

When worn, triples your Dexterity. If your Dexterity stat is above 100, the effect will begin to degrade, until it gives out a maximum of a 50% increase to Dexterity

When worn, those incapable of withstanding the might of a dragon will be taken down, their bodies converted into that of a young dragon

-Note: Due to the skill [Blessed by Dragons], the secondary effect of this item is nullified-

I think it's quite obvious why this was an artifact that caught my eye. I mean, even with the effect degraded to only a +50% increase to Dexterity, that's still an insane 250 increase! The second effect being negated is also nice, but I'm pretty sure I could withstand the dragon's will with all I've gone through.

Without wasting any time, I equip the ring on my left finger, and I shiver slightly as energy courses through my body.

The effects are immediately clear. My reflexes have sped up even more, shivers crawl up my back as energy courses through my body, and my mind works even faster than it already did.

Now, as for the second item,

[Loom of Neith]

Rank B

A loom once owned by the Goddess Neith. However, much like her nature, the true loom has never been found, lost to the passing of time. Instead, the legends she'd made from the loom materialized into a small charm, one that would bless its wearer with the skill and magic to weave their dreams into reality.

However, something in your soul seems to shine. The [Loom of the Stars], one located within the forge of your heart, cries out, wishing to merge with it.

-Note: The [Loom of the Stars] seem eager to synchronize with it. Something might happen if you do-

The artifact itself isn't all that impressive. [Age of Babylon] pretty much does the same thing on a much wider scale, but that line about how it can merge with the [Loom of the Stars] is the one that's interesting.

Hmm, I wonder what'll happen…

But, that can be saved for later. One of the artifacts is oddly missing, which is most likely those normally harmless spores evolved to become so dangerous. Where that artifact is and who could've taken it in the first place remains unknown, but I can't do much about it now. Maybe once my mystic eyes have leveled up more or some other development happens I'll return.

For now however, it's time to head back.

Which means I'll need to go back through that prana-saturated cave again.

And I also forgot to take pictures to bring back as evidence.

...Joy.

~~~

Just an hour passes, and their device lights up. Fruel swiftly rises from his seat, awaiting for the girl who'd taken up this task, and out from the light comes Hanami, looking none worse for the wear. If anything, she looks strangely excited, giddy to try out something. She then stops, sees the people around her, and quickly schools her features as she coughs.

"Well, everything worked out." She says with a shrug, earning questioning looks from the others.

"Did you find what caused it?"

At that, Hanami frowns slightly. "Not...quite." She says slowly, before elaborating. "I found the big Rafflesia monster, and I also found this room filled with artifacts, but aside from that nothing else." She reaches into her pockets and pulls out several snapped pictures, mixed with them a single slip of paper, one that has a bright and colorful flower drawn on it.

"One of the artifacts is missing though, so that might be one of the causes, but aside from that, I got nothing."

Fruel takes the pictures and observes them. As she's said, there are pictures of a cave, a carved corridor, and a room filled with artifacts, one of them strangely missing. He ȧssumes the flower was this 'Rafflesia' monster she'd encountered. It isn't quite a picture, but as she must've been fighting it at the time, her not being able to snap a picture isn't all that strange.

Still,

"Could you have not used your...mystic eyes, was it?" Fruel asks, internally wincing as pressure slammed down onto him at even the slight mention of those enchanting eyes.

Hanami blinks. "Oh, well, I tried, but the whole area is...sealed? I'm not too sure, but when I try to use my eyes on them, their history is empty, somewhat like the flower." She then shrugs. "Might be able to get more information when I train my eyes more, but for now, I can't get much."

"I see…" In the end, more questions are made. What is this flower? What is that strange room Hanami had found? Who'd made it? Why is one of the artifacts missing, and who'd taken it?

Fruel sighs. He really wishes he'd bought that bottle of wine.

~~~

By the end of the day, not much progress is made. He'd found out of the flower's name, but that only led him to question the whole situation. The spores that it releases isn't capable of interfering with organic materials. It can only grow on dirt and rocks, and its capability of absorbing magic only extends to the energies in the atmosphere. It shouldn't be able to take over an elf's body and corrupt their magic.

It shouldn't, but it somehow did that.

That missing artifact might have done something, but without them knowing what that artifact is in the first place, they couldn't do much.

Which was why Fruel disbanded the investigation early for the day. If there wasn't much they could find, they might as well spend the rest of the time doing something else more productive than simply sitting around frustrating themselves.

That was when Hanami had brought out a cake from...somewhere, saying that it was a treat for the day. Everyone had been eager to dig in, tired from their jobs, but they immediately ran into a problem.

The cake was too fancy, too detailed, and definitely not fit for underpaid elves such as them.

Fruel had swiftly asked how much she'd spent on it, to which she'd sent him a confused glance, stating that she'd made the entire thing on her own. That was a surprise, but he stifled his feelings with a cough and gratefully accepted the slice she'd cut for him.

The taste was wonderful. There were simply no other words for it. It reminded him of the food served at the great banquets he'd occasionally be invited into.

And just like him, the rest of his co-workers expressed the same feelings, praising her for the wonderful cake she'd made.

Surprised by the praises, the girl's cheeks pinked slightly, but she'd turned her eyes away and remained skeptical. "I-I don't think it tastes all that good. Shirou's taste so much better after all…"

Most dismissed it as her being humbled, but Fruel couldn't help but wonder how amazing this Shirou's cooking is. She'd once described him as the ultimate chef, one who's cooking could satiate even the most powerful and demanding of kings, one that caused Hanami to stop and simply shiver in delight at the sheer thought of it.

How godly must his cooking be?

Fruel shivered at the thought.

Time passed. The cake was swiftly finished, and Hanami was ready to bid farewell, her magic activated as she began to rise into the air.

Then, she said that she'd be busy looking for islands to claim one for herself.

Fruel went rigid.

"...Hanami, you have an [Island Claim Key]?" He'd asked, already feeling the incredulity building once again. Hanami had tilted her head in confusion before she nodded, bringing out the famed item.

Everyone went silent. Fruel himself went near catatonic.

He was pretty sure he heard someone faint behind him, but he didn't bother to look to see who it was.

"...How rich are you…?" Fruel croaked out, a headache throbbing through his head.

"Eh?" She'd looked at him, confused. "I mean, it's just a [Tier 2] though?"

Everything went silent again.

He was so done with this.

"Are you part of a royalty?" He'd jokingly asked.

"Well, I have a friend who is."

Fruel internally sighed at the answer.

He was so done.

He was fairly sure his co-workers initiated some other conversations with the girl, but Fruel had pretty much tuned out the world at that point. "There are two types of wealthy individuals: Those who flaunt their treasures, and those who don't understand how truly wealthy they are." His teacher had told him, and he finally understood what he meant by that second example.

They'd soon bid farewell with one another, and Fruel went on to drop by the bar he'd always found himself in. It's a quaint little thing, located out by the northern edge of the island, but it was his little abode, his little escape from all the hustle and bustle.

Fruel sips on the bottle of wine and sighs.

[Esia], a monstrous flower that absorbed the surrounding magic and spread its spores. Mostly harmless, but is extremely hard to fight using magic alone. There is no mention of it being capable of taking control of an organic body, no less one that belongs to a nature elf.

And then there was that strange room Hanami had found, with one of its artifacts oddly missing. He deeply wishes the missing artifact is but a coincidence in this entire case, something that didn't really matter, but he knows not to tempt fate. The worst possibilities happen the most often, no matter what he feels about it.

Hanami had theorised that it might be an artifact that forcefully causes something to evolve past its limits. Such an artifact would be extremely dangerous, no matter who uses it. Could that be why it was sealed within that room along with those other artifacts?

But none of the other artifacts Hanami had brought back from there came even remotely close to how powerful this theoretical artifact is.

Questions after questions after questions.

It frustrates him.

"Bad day?" The bartender asks, his lip quirked upward to a small smile, clearly enjoying the suffering and exhaustion etched onto his face.

Fruel sighs, nursing the bottle of wine he'd been drinking. "Not...bad. Tiring." He says as he takes a swig.

The bartender hums. "A lot of work today? You're one of the ones trying to find out what happened below, right?" Fruel blinks, then nods. "Well, I heard a strange rumor that a human had just recently became a citizen, and that she's working to aid your case. That rumor got any foundation?" He asks.

"It's true. She's the one helping and diving into the world below." He says with a shrug. News of Hanami's citizenship isn't supposed to be some grand secret, but the council are wary of releasing the news. Elves and humans don't have some grudge against one another, but having a human suddenly integrate into [Pito'Kraul] would definitely spark up some controversy, or so they say.

Fruel doesn't really care. Even if people began targeting the girl, he somehow doubts the girl would mind-

"Wait, how did you know?" Fruel asks, narrowing his eyes. Hanami's presence has never been broadcasted to the populace, and the girl herself has never gone and interacted with elven kind. Whenever she wants to leave, she'd simply teleport, leaving behind no trace.

How did he know?

The bartender raises his hands in peace. "Calm, sir. Calm. I'm not planning to spread it, so don't worry."

Fruel maintains his stare, and the bartender finally sighs, putting down the glass he'd been wiping. "Some men from the council dropped by yesterday, spoke about how the human girl was a surprise and all."

"And? I doubt that's everything."

"Made some plans on how to deal with her if she becomes a danger, talked about sending some 'Enforcer'." He hastily adds, but Fruel keeps his stare.

"How many people were there?"

"Three." The bartender smiles wryly. "That's it. I've got nothing left."

Hearing that, Fruel leans back and takes a deep breath, taking into consideration what he'd just heard. The council were preparing countermeasures in case Hanami became an enemy, which made sense, but why were there only three of the 12 councilmen? Did they just happen to discuss their plans further on their own, or is there something else afoot?

As much as he hoped it was the former, his gut told him otherwise.

Sighing, Fruel takes another swig before he stands and leaves, dropping several [Point Chips] by the counter for the payment.

It seems he won't be sleeping tonight.

~~~

[The winds stormed in wild abandon, uncaring for any that dared come its way. Day and night blended in twilight as the two birds stood atop the cliff. They could hear the distant crashing of the waves, the brash swaying of the grass. To jump off would mean death, to fall into the oceans and be crushed by the unrelenting waves.]

[But Barbatos had said to them, told them the secret to allow them to take off to the skies, and the twin birds swallowed their fears, and leapt.]

[They opened their wings, feeling their feathers torn as the winds cut into them, before they're suddenly picked up and set high into the skies, rising past the thundering clouds. There, high above, the birds watched in awe over the distant line of the horizon, seeing the beauty of the setting sun that'd hid behind the veil of thunder and rain.]

[In elation, they flew back to the home they'd come from, and they cried to Barbatos in happiness. "We did it! All we missed was wind!" One of the birds exclaimed happily, and Barbatos gently laughed, cradling two of his creations.]

[With a kind smile, he said to them, "No, it was not the wind that you lacked, but courage to take off." He gently pet their wings, and above, the thundering clouds drifted away, the curse broken. "To live your life, to fly to distant horizons, be brave, and I shall be there." He said, and the two birds looked to him in wonder.]

[Barbatos smiled once more, for that was the promise he'd given, one he'd give, then, now, and onwards until the end of time.]

Courage, huh…

Wanda sighs softly, turning to look at the elaborate ritual circle she'd drawn on the floor. It's design is complex, a combination of three circles stacked over one another, with odd sigils drawn in the gaps. She's rather surprised she even managed to draw it without completely botching up the process.

Before Ms. Hanami had left for [Pito'Kraul], she'd given her this book, one that had the magic circle drawn on its first page and its details written in the pages after. It describes a ritual to 'grant one a pair of wings to fly'. Whether those words are literal or not, she didn't know, but Ms. Hanami had said that it'd be beneficial if she was to venture out onto the other islands in this world.

The circle has already been drawn, and the reagent to initiate the ritual is readied.

All that is left is to step in, and activate it.

And Wanda is unsure, afraid of the unknown outcome. Even if Ms. Hanami had said that it was safe, even with how much she's grown since Ms. Hanami first began tutoring her, she was still afraid. What if she did something wrong? What if the ritual was incompatible with her? What if the ritual doesn't work entirely?

But,

"Tell me, why do you want to be strong?"

She remembered that day, when her family was splintered, when a piece of her life was broken apart. She wished to be able to do something, anything. She wanted to go to her sister and take her back, to protect her, much like she'd done for her.

She wanted to fly away.

"It was not the wind that you lacked, but courage to take off."

She'd made her promise before.

She won't back down.

With a deep breath, Wanda steps forward into the center of the drawn circle. With hope and anxiety brewing in her heart, her magic circuits flare to life, her skin burning with bright blue lines, and prana surges out from her and into the magic circle under her.

The sigils come to life, the pair of [Golden Primic Feathers] she placed on the two ends of the circle floats into the air.

And Wanda cries out in pain as the magically enchanted feathers shoot into her back, digging through her flesh and connecting with her magic circuits. Her body burns, her senses blurs, and she can only grit her teeth as the world begins to turn.

It hurts. The girl grit her teeth, grinding her jaw together, but she remains standing. She won't fall, she won't let herself fall. She'd decided to do this, even with her worries pulling her back and Ms. Hanami telling her of the possible dangers this process might bring. It might hurt, so much she wishes she'd drop dead, but she won't fall.

Because this was nothing compared to the loss she'd suffered long ago.

So she remains standing for what feels like hours, fighting with her everything as the ritual continues. Distantly, she feels a strange feeling growing on her back, feels her balance slowly shifting back, but she ignores them.

As quickly as it began, it ends, and Wanda finally allows herself to fall onto the inactive circle.

Then, with her heart brimming with excitement, she smiles. Slowly, she stands, stumbling slightly from the shifted balance she'd undergone, but she only smiles further.

Because as she looks at her back, she sees a pair of golden wings, shining with magic and life.