Frank looked at the middle of the book, where written in pure white ink the words "ETRE" were engraved on the book.
Frank opened the book and looked at the first and only page containing a few words saying:
[*Time is Meaningless...*]
Frank looked all around the book to find out whether there were any words written around the book but that was all.
Finally about to give up Frank decided to check his status window
[Status
Name: Farnklin
Level: 1
Life: 90 ▼
Class: Half Soul Being
Attribute: Curse of Idleness
Skills: Average Gamer(C), Hesitation(S), Idleness(S+), Escape(F)...
Occupation: Maru's Servant
*You are advised to open the book*]
Frank looked around his status window but everything looked the same until he looked down and saw some new characters at the bottom of his status window.
Frank was feeling confused when he remembered that one of his passive skills gave him the ability to get advise from the system on easy tasks.
He finally decided to open the book again, and again the words;
[Time is Meaningless...]
were waiting for him, holding the open book Frank decide to check his status window hoping he could get a new hint dismissing all that was above the window he looked down and saw some new characters stating.
[...
....
....
*You are advised to close the book*]
Frank hurriedly did that and checked his status window seeing what the system suggests earlier he finally started thinking he might be losing his mind and he felt a strong wave of despair.
After trying opening and closing the book a few times he finally gave up and lay on the floor, thinking about what he must have done wrong.
Frank thought about his life leading up till this moment and felt he deserved the way life was treating him. While thinking, he finally realized something he overlooked anytime he opened the book.
"There was a song playing..."
"...although it was just a few notes it felt like a song"
Frank said to himself, so after waiting for a while he decided to open the book again and listen.
He then heard the notes sounding like
♬ Da Dun♪
When he opened the book and
♪ Dun Dun ♬
When he closed the book.
After opening and closing the book for up to 15 times the notes finally changed to
♬ Dun Dun Dun Dun Da Dun Da Da Dun Da Da Da♪
-click-
Frank heard a clicking sound and viewed numerous notifications after the click
[Status
*Your skill Average Gamer has ranked up!*
Average Gamer (B)]
[Status
*You have learnt the system language*]
[ Status
...Your passive skills and active skill
are combining to form a new skill...
! This has failed !]
[Status
*You can't learn this skill because you do not have enough skill slot for the new skill*]
[Do you want to create the new skill?
Creating the new skill will destroy one of your active skills or destroy three passive skills]
Frank stops to think about what to do and then he decided to destroy his only active skill.
[...Destroying the skill "Escape(F)"...]
[Creating the skill "Meditation(C) Degraded"]
Frank felt a little bit bad about destroying his only active skill and lamented that the destruction of the skill was inevitable while checking the skill description for his new skill.
[Status
Skill Description: Meditation(C) Degraded Lv 1(Active Skill)
*Your first skill born from the destruction of another skill.
This skill represents you and will grow along side you
But the question arises "Who gave you this skill to learn?" and "What would you have to pay to use it?"*
???
*A skill born from your knowledge and perseverance*
Benefits: You feel as if you have finally found a secret of the universe.
!The skill is still degraded so no benefits can be used.!]
"Shit. Shit. Shit" Frank finally cursed, he felt like he lost a few brain cells when he decided to destroy the skill Escape when he realized that he just swapped a useless skill for another useless one.
While feeling shitty, Frank almost missed a notification that appeared on his face.
[An unknown being as found you]
[An unknown being as used ????? ????? on you]
[You have lost 1 of your life span!]
Frank felt like he lost more today than he had ever lost in his life when he heard the words.
[What a perfect being]
[It's a real shame he still has a few long years to live]
[Hi, I'm Death by the way]
[I created that skill book and for the better part of a few 100 years, I've been looking for someone who would sacrifice everything for the knowledge I freely shared]
Frank felt like he was dreaming when he heard the words "Hi, I'm Death by the way", but he quickly shook himself and kept quiet while Death continued talking. Death continued:
[Why aren't you talking?]
[Oh my, It looks like you gave up everything to learn the skill I gave you.]
Death thought Frank gave up everything to learn the skill except his life, imagine the surprise when he finds out that Frank was just a newcomer to the land of souls and that he made a stupid mistake.
-click-
Frank heard a clicking sound and checked his status
[Status
*Death accepts your sacrifice and has rewarded you with more knowledge*
*Death accepts your sacrifice and has rewarded you with lost knowledge*
*Death accepts your sacrifice and has rewarded you with more knowledge*]
After Death, gave Frank some "knowledge" he said the following.
[I'll be off now and hope you die soon so that you can serve me]
[I hope the knowledge I pass to you will be enough help to pass the time remaining in your life]
[Till next time...]
Frank had a confused expression on his face while hearing what Death said but he quickly turned to check the hovering notifications on his face.
[Status
*The skill Meditation(C) Degraded has ranked up*
*The skill Meditation(B) Degraded has ranked up*
*The skill Meditation(A) Degraded has ranked up*
*The skill Meditation(F) has successful been created, the information of the skill has changed*
Skill Description: Meditation (F) Lv 1(Active Skill)
*Death has shown interest in you but you wonder if that is a good thing or a bad thing*
*You finally understand what Death's book means*
*Etre: To be*
*Some soul beings in Darkovia believe in the concept of "to be" although the knowledge is old if practiced well it could be the greatest power after ???*
*Death has restored your lost skill*
*The skill Escape(C) will be generated*
Escape(C)
*You have a 60% change to escape targets on land*
*You will never escape targets on air*
*You will never escape targets on water*
Skill Conditions: You must be meditating for 12 hours for Escape to be activated.
Skill Consumption: - 50 Life
Skill Duration: 3 seconds
Skill CoolDown: 6 hours]
Frank finally had a bemused smile on his face.
His smile lasts for a while before his face changes again.