Chapter 54: A Brand New Home (3)
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║ ⚙ STATUS WINDOW ⚙ ║
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┌───" Character Info "───┐
│ ◈ Name: Nishikawa Hinata
│ ◈ Age: 18
│ ◈ Race: High Human
│ ◈ Lifespan: 19/658
│ ◈ Class: Sorcerer
│ ◈ Rank: Aspirant (Low)
│ ◈ Affiliation: None
│ ◈ Adventure Rank: D-rank
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┌───" Affinities "───┐
│『 All 』
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┌───" Ability Type "───┐
│ ◈ Talent: SSS
│ – The One Who Extracts And Evolves Overpowered Shadows
│ – Slots: 『 0/4 』
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┌───" Evolved Shadows Slots "───┐
│ ◈ None
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┌───" Skills "───┐
│ ◈ Navigation
│ ◈ Mana Master
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┌───" Stats "───┐
│ STR: SSS | AGI: SSS
│ CON: F | INT: SSS
│ AET: F | CHA: SSS
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—
Before Hinata could properly absorb the contents of the status panel, a loud boom rang in his ears, causing him to immediately dismiss the flickering status panel that now shone blue in colour.
The rumbling sound that seemed far away a moment ago began moving closer with each passing second.
Hinata immediately rushed towards the tree bark where the Endless Flask was. On the ground lay not only the flask but also his beef jerky, the gauntlet, Albedo’s ring, and everything that the Slime King had absorbed before.
Hinata picked the brown leather pouch from the ground, dusted sand off its surface, and put each and every one of his items inside it.
The moment he did, the bushes began to rustle violently.
Among the items he had picked up from the ground were the two swords he had just obtained from Aoki. Without hesitation he summoned the 2x gauntlet to his fist then picked up the twin katanas.
Before he could take a stance, two status panels flickered into existence.
One of the two read something that he already knew would show up:
[Your twin Izanagi blades have been imbued with a 2x attack effect.]
However, the second was something he didn’t quite understand.
[You are currently holding a core and precious part of something with a shadow.]
[Would you like to Temporary or Permanently extract and evolve its main trait.]
[Note: Temporary extraction will vanish within three hours of trait deactivation, meanwhile Permanent extractions will automatically fill one of your extraction slots.]
Hinata’s eyes widened as he stared at the blades in his hands. ’What the hell?’
From the little parts he had seen of the system, he had expected his ability to still be the same as his old one, which honestly came as a shock to him since he was no longer using the shadow core. However, from what the system was saying now, it seemed his new ability was very different.
[Projecting extracted main trait.]
[A-rank Glowing Sword.]
[Description: You can make your sword glow with a brilliant light. The light of your sword can cut 1.5x easier through your enemies.]
’System is this the evolved version?’
[No user, the ability will evolve once you choose how to save it.]
Hinata thought for a moment as the rustling sounds in the bushes kept getting closer.
"I’ll save it permanently."
The system went silent for a moment before chiming loudly.
[You have saved A-rank trait: Glowing Sword.]
[Your trait has evolved into: SSS-rank trait: Indomitable Martial God]
[Description: You are a god of all weapons and martial arts. Every martial attack of yours carries a 1.5× effect. As long as your battle spirit does not falter, you shall never die, and your energy shall be continuously replenished. However, overuse can cause permanent mental disorders.]
Hinata’s jaw nearly dropped in astonishment. Before he could say anything, the lush bushes in front of him were pushed aside, and a beautiful young woman with short black hair and blue eyes rushed out.
The young woman held twin daggers in her hands, a small horn protruding from her head.
"Master, you’re alright."
"Nott? Why are you here?"
Hinata’s normally expressionless assistant rushed towards him with hurried steps, her eyes filled with relief. "Master, after you left the cave and lady Tamara returned to Falmouth, we found out that the elders now know of your betrayal. It seems the ancestor sent them a message."
Hinata’s eyes darkened. "And where’s Tamara now?"
Nott took in several deep breaths before replying, her chest heaving slightly. "She left to do what you instructed her."
Hinata’s jaw clenched without him knowing. He hadn’t expected Absalom to actually have a way of contacting the people of Dragonforge.
’It seems I was too rash back then.’
He let out a sigh, lowered his head, and rubbed his temples gently. "Let’s leave for now. We can regroup with Tamara and make our way to the church of the goddess of light."
When Hinata raised his head to look at Nott, he saw that her face had darkened, her fingers trembling around the hilt of her purple daggers. "What happened?"
Nott shook her head. "Well, the Dragonforge family aren’t the only ones surrounding us." Her gaze locked onto Hinata’s before she quickly looked away. "Because of the massive phenomenon you caused, many powerhouses are headed towards here."
Hinata grabbed her shoulder, his eyes blazing with fury. "Then what are you trying to say?! That I should leave you here?!"
Nott’s eyes went wide before softening. This was the first time she had seen Hinata snap at anyone, and he did it now because of her safety.
She placed her hands on her chest as if she was trying to squeeze her heart, her expression softening further. "I’m happy master," she tilted her head gently with a smile. "I’m happy you care so much about me."
She immediately removed herself from his grip and stretched out a paper talisman towards him. "This should be able to take you to where Lady Tamara is."
Hinata stood there, his hands still in the air, shoulders tense. He didn’t know what to say to Nott. He knew fighting the enemies that were coming was a literal death sentence for an Aspirant like him. He knew he couldn’t talk her out of her suicide mission.
Hinata’s teeth gnashed against each other. ’What have I even done for any of them?’
He had never really seen her as anything more than a pawn before, yet she was willing to sacrifice herself for him... What foolishness.
There were the good people and there were the bad people, but there were also the foolish who would lay down their lives for someone who showed them even a bit of affection.
’Idiot,’ Hinata thought to himself. ’I’m such an idiot.’
Hinata couldn’t raise his gaze to face Nott. Seeing his hesitation, she opened his hands and put the talisman into it.
Hinata felt the rough surface of that paper and raised his gaze. The moment he did, he felt a profound sadness wash over him.
Perhaps he could have felt differently if she was selfish or at least angry, but the young woman had a wide smile on her face, her eyes shining with determination, as if she was not about to walk into the face of death.
’Is this how relationships are meant to be?’
Hinata smiled too, which honestly caught Nott off guard. She immediately burst into a quiet laughter. "You have a beautiful smile, master."
’... Yeah, I guess it is."
Immediately this thought flashed through his mind, the talisman activated on its own, and a brilliant surge of golden light enveloped his form.
As the light turned into darkness and the darkness back to light, only one thought rang through Hinata’s mind.
’I hope you have a wonderful second life and never meet an awful man like me, my wonderful assistant.’