—————•Status•—————
Name: Noah Arryn
Race: Human
Strength: 77
Defense: 55
Stamina: 63
Agility: 75
Charm: 180
Intelligence: 141
Perception: 320
Rank: Novice
Potential: Ethereal
Affinity: Ice | Chaos | Space
Constitution: [Locked]
Bond: -
Skills: -
Arts: -
Trait:
—> Shiva's Eyes:
[Shiva's Eyes reveal the vital points of adversaries and expose their deepest weaknesses while capturing a multitude of information. This power also allows one to perceive mana in its rawest form, unveiling elements invisible to the ordinary eye, and it can inflict devastating mental attacks. However, the use of this gift must be controlled to some extent. The more it is exploited, the harsher the consequences. Overusing this power is to risk losing oneself little by little.]
—————•Status•—————
I was momentarily speechless. Perhaps it was at that precise moment that I fully realized I had truly transmigrated to another world.
I took great care to read my status attentively, even though I was familiar with it for two reasons. First, because I had read the original story and was a fervent admirer of Noah, and second, simply because as Noah myself, this information was not entirely foreign to me.
At first glance, one might think I was powerful for a young man who had not yet enrolled in the academy, but that would be a misunderstanding of the novel.
It's important to know that ranks go from Novice, Adept, Advanced, Expert, Transcendent, Master, Grandmaster, Mythical and finally, Ethereal. In terms of potential, I was thus extremely well placed.
However, there was a reason why, in the original story, Noah had struggled to stand out during the first months at the academy and had been perceived for much of his life as a wasted talent. This reason lay in the fact that among his elemental affinities, two of them were not supposed to coexist: chaos and space. These affinities, when present together, damage the mana core so severely that the person dies instantly. Thus, children awakening these two affinities generally died within a minute or, if they were lucky, lost their core, rendering them unable to manipulate mana, which equated to a social death in this world.
It was a tragic fate that very few individuals had lived, a relentless and inevitable reality governed by the laws of mana. The affinity for space required absolute calm and control, while that of chaos embodied destruction and pure instability. This duality meant that the newly formed mana core would implode immediately.
So why did Noah still have his mana core despite the presence of these two affinities? Well, when he awakened his mana core at age 12, an extremely rare phenomenon occurred: Ethereal Resilience Deferred.
This phenomenon, studied and documented by a few respected scholars, is a spontaneous defensive reaction that the mana core can trigger when confronted with energies too powerful to be managed conventionally.
In Noah's case, at the moment of awakening, his core entered a state of temporary stabilization, where the energies of space and chaos neutralized each other, creating a precarious but sufficient balance to prevent implosion. This process massively drained his core and slowed its maturation, leaving a permanent mark that made mana manipulation unstable and laborious.
Although it allowed Noah to retain his core, it was marked by invisible fissures that disrupted the flow of mana. These fissures made precise and reliable control impossible, forcing Noah to exert far more effort than normal to cast spells or advance from one rank to the next, at the cost of significant mental and physical fatigue. Consequently, although his potential looked enormous on paper, his actual ability to use mana remained terribly limited, earning him the reputation of a wasted talent in the eyes of his peers.
As I was lost in my thoughts, a slight smile stretched across my lips.
'Hehe, despite this huge disadvantage, Noah managed to find a way to repair his damaged core... well, I'll get back to that later.'
My eyes continued to scan the details of my status until they reached the Trait section. What I discovered made me catch my breath. The power I possessed was far more formidable than the simple description suggested.
In the original story, Noah had gotten out of numerous desperate situations, often brushing with death, thanks to this unique trait. Only a few rare individuals in the novel possessed such an exceptional and useful trait. However, as the description pointed out, care must be taken in its use. In the most extreme cases, it could even lead to unpredictable degeneration...
In [The Fall of the Hero], traits were considered innate skills granted at birth. Some were born with extraordinary gifts, others with insignificant abilities, and the majority without any trait. Unlike potential and affinities, which could be identified by precise methods, a trait remained a secret known only to its bearer unless the latter chose to reveal it.
In very rare cases, it was possible to acquire a trait otherwise than at birth, but this complex process required exceptional circumstances and a conjunction of factors beyond control.
'Shiva's Eyes...'
I let out a deep sigh and got up. I needed to acclimate to this world. Even though I knew I had transmigrated, the full realization of this fact was slow to sink in. Everything had happened so quickly.
Although I possessed Noah's memories and experiences, I decided to tour the apartment.
This apartment was actually a fairly modest studio, the home of Noah. The exploration of the studio did not take long; there wasn't much to see. Yet, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
As I approached, I discovered a frame resting on a small shelf. Inside was a family photo.
Taking the frame in my hands, I paused for a moment, as if to say something, but no words came out. My gaze was vacant, and I clenched my jaw, feeling a growing pressure inside me.
In this image, a woman with brown hair smiled warmly, holding a small boy in her arms. She looked radiant, visibly happy and looked pregnant. The boy, around five or six years old, wore a mischievous smile, his black hair shining in the sunlight, and his amethyst eyes, of an enchanting color. Beside them stood a man with slicked-back black hair, slightly in the background, a proud smile illuminating his face.
As I contemplated the family photo, my chest tightened. Tears stung my eyes, but I shook my head, trying to force them away. A dull anger began to simmer inside me, a blend of envy and pain that I couldn't shake off. Restless, I started pacing the studio, my movements jerky and uneven. My hands trembled, and my breathing turned shallow, erratic.
My gaze locked onto the photo again, and an unbearable rage welled up within me. The thought that this happiness was out of my reach now burned like acid. A deep hatred coiled around my mind, suffocating me. I clenched my fists, my jaw tightening as heat surged to my face. Every detail of that image screamed at me, mocking me with everything I'd lost and everything I'd never get back.
"No... no, I have to calm down... I can't fall apart now!" I shouted, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions.
I closed my eyes for a moment, struggling to regain a semblance of calm amidst this inner tumult, focusing on my breathing to avoid succumbing to the wave of emotions threatening to engulf me.
"Dammit, I need a smoke!"