'I've got the cheat that I was promised, so...'
Xenos, who was sitting on the side of a small grassy hill, lay his back on the ground, his eyes locked towards the sky.
'…Guess I'll have to hold my end of the bargain too.'
Or rather, they were locked on a projection in his mind's eye.
'But first, let's see what I've got.'
—
╔═══════════════╗
║{Game System Online}║
╚═══════════════╝
{Level: 1}
[• EXP: 0 / 10 •]
{Health Points}
[• HP: 75 / 75 •]
{Divinity}
[• D: 45 / 45 •]
{Statistics}
{Map}
{Inventory}
{Runes}
{Runic Path}
{Titles}
{Soul Glyphs}
{Reputation}
{Quests}
—
He nodded, pleased.
It was as he expected, not too different from the game.
Having an inventory would be incredible, saving him the trouble of carrying everything on his back.
It was basically giving him a Space Rune for free, which was very good, as he certainly wasn't going to get one. He honestly didn't really care for the Space or Time Rune.
These two were too… boring.
What was once so rare became common, leaving what was so common, now rare.
That wasn't exactly a dig at this world, Runethera, but at most novels he read.
'It's a bit ironic, eh~?'
Xenos personally found it hilarious, but thought nothing more.
He knew he had better move on before a witch cult came after him.
And what better way to 'move on' than to realize that this little feature couldn't be used.
It was grayed out, and he barely felt a connection to it, but he knew that'd change soon.
—
{Inventory}
[• Level: 1 / 10 •]
—
Very soon... it was pretty easy to 'level up' in the early game.
His system wasn't going to help with that, as from what he understood, once it fully initialized, it wasn't going to be the overpowered type, only assisting him in accomplishing his main quest.
Yes, he was going to gain 'experience' and 'level up,' but that was something that everyone could do in the world, gaining the Soul of those they slew, strengthening their own.
This system basically gamified that... if that was even a word.
There were no stat points he could allocate, either, at least not himself.
—
{Statistics}
[Strength] F (World Avg: E)
[Intelligence] E (World Avg: F)
[Willpower] E (World Avg: F)
[Speed] F (World Avg: E)
[Endurance] F (World Avg: E)
[Appearance] B+ (World Avg: C)
[Personality] G (World Avg: D)
[Luck] B (World Avg: C)
—
With every 'level up,' the stats that Xenos focused on would increase.
His only advantage here was that he'd gain such 'experience' from Quests.
He didn't know how that worked exactly and where this 'experience' came from, but it definitely related to the Space Soul Glyph he likely had, the one that begged to be seen, pulsating.
Curious, Xenos leaned in mentally and opened the {Soul Glyphs} tab, scanning the new Script before him.
—
[Rule Breaker]
—
'Hm, not too bad a name.'
And of course, this wasn't the only Soul Glyph he had, as just below it was another.
—
[Beholding Eyes]
—
'Ah, so that's what helped me read those Runes.'
Beholding Eyes did just as the name implied, allowing his eyes to Behold all that was, meaning that he, just by focusing on an object or enemy, could know what it was and what it could do, unless what was before him stood too strong, hiding from his gaze, much like in most MMOs.
This system of his was just that, a Soul Glyph, a mark upon his Soul, changing how his body carried Divinity, the mana of this world.
Yeah, this was it.
This was his somewhat golden but not-so-much finger.
Again, it was obvious his system was on the less-op side.
The first and quite obvious sign of that was the lack of a shop.
He didn't care for one; that shit was wack in his opinion.
Fuck every system with a shop in it!
Oh, and fuck every gift package system!
He would die on this hill!
'Actually...'
Well, maybe there were a few decent ones with such a system feature, but he wasn't going to admit that now.
[Yeah, fuck'em.]
Xenos's head spun in all directions.
"…Are you a sentient system?"
[…]
He squinted his eyes.
"I know what kind of system you are."
[…]
"Staying silent is a smart choice. I hate those types more than the shop systems."
[…]
"Good."
But hey, 'They' weren't too lazy, 'They' even added some new tabs.
{Titles} and {Reputation} weren't there in the game before.
Maybe because now the stakes were real?
'Probably.'
Finally done checking it all out, his eyes lowered to the final tab.
'Let's see if it's there...'
—
{Quests}
{Main Quest: Break The World.}
—
…So 'They' really wanted that.
He didn't bother thinking why; one simply does not pry into the secrets of Gods.
Rather, he was more focused on the fact that there wasn't anything else.
Xenos personally didn't actually have a proper grand goal.
His family... he didn't even care enough to beat them up.
He only wanted to have fun and thrive…
Was that bad?
He didn't know.
Maybe that'll change in the future, but for now…
'Let's go have some fun.'
Pushing himself up, he started heading back home.
...
But of course, before he could even pass through the manor's gates, someone blocked his path.
That 'someone' was his father, Vaynar, and that rooster bastard Draven.
Xenos casually paused before his father, already knowing what he was going to say.
"This evening, I'll have Theodore of Lower House Gift visit the manor."
But this time, he was completely gobsmacked.
"I'll wed you to his bastard daughter to strengthen our relationship. We can't have our hold on our vassel Houses loosen. Especially not after your disaster of an Ascension today. After you meet your fiancée, you'll be sent to one of our far estates. Starting tomorrow. Once you finish eating, start packing. The maids won't help you."
Indeed, this took him off guard.
Veynar was a lot cooler-headed than he expected, though Xenos still didn't let his surprise show on his face.
For that to happen, the entirety of Runethera would need to fall.
And that seemed to completely vex Draven, who had only come here to see the look of failure on his brother's face.
After all, he, a child of a Main House, marrying a bastard from a Lower House would forever bind him in the lower caste of Runebearers for the rest of his measly life.
Of course, Xenos could still climb out of there, getting more Runes and raising his land, but Draven never thought that possible.
Luck was useless!
"Hah! I knew you'd never be a Primary Element! Earth is too good for the likes of you!"
Xenos stared at his brother...
Why?
Why did this little thing have such animosity towards him?
He could only come to one conclusion.
"Are you Chinese?"
Veynar immediately wiped his face, knowing where this was headed, as Draven, his face confused as ever, stepped towards his brother.
"What did you call me? I don't know what that means, but I'm sure it's an insult made by that trash brain of yours. Trash!"
Veynar sighed, as did Xenos.
"You are pitiful. If I were an Author, I'd be depressed after writing that dumb shit you just spewed out of your whore mouth."
His father's head snapped up at that, as it seemed that Xenos had hit Veynar's limit too, holding Draven quiet with a single gaze.
"Boy, don't trouble me any further. Apologize to your older brother right this moment."
Xenos grinned.
"Or what?"
He stepped just before his father, needing to look up slightly.
"What? What will you do? You'll kill me now? Hours before this marriage, you pushed on me? Yes, they are our vassel House, a Lower House, but even then, it's not in our best interest to go around making enemies, right?... Our owners wouldn't like that."
Veynar's brows flinched a little at those final words.
"Besides, strategically speaking, shouldn't you wait? I might be a 'lost cause,' but I'll still get into the Pluto Academy, my name alone will allow me to get that second Rune and become a Disciple."
His grin widened.
"Of course, you could bypass their contract by killing me outside Academy grounds. So... wouldn't it be a real waste? Abusing the Rune-Leash Decree this early? And just for a Luck Rune, might I add."
Finally, he paused and glared at the still surprised Draven.
"…Will you do it?"
Neither of them said a single word.
"That's what I thought."
Xenos walked on, a drop of sweat trailing down his face.
'I survived.'