Chapter 102 - Killing Star?
For a moment, Roderic fell completely silent.
It felt like he was staring at a future mass-murdering maniac, or at least something in that area.
As the equipment popped up, his suspicions only seemed to get confirmed.
[Equipment Body Compatibility]
[Possesses the potential to develop a lean, densely muscled frame with exceptional explosive strength, speed, flexibility and reflexes.]
[Recommended Equipment: Scythe, Small Knives, Light Armor.]
Roderic couldn’t help but scratch the back of his head.
’I was kind of joking at first...’ he thought. ’But this is... worrying?’
For several seconds, he truly had to think everything through.
Then Roderic shrugged casually.
’’Whatever he’ll be, he’s fiercely loyal to me. And that’s all that matters.’’
Without another thought, the system shop popped up in front of him.
Roderic added several filters this time, all related to Paul’s crazy traits.
But as he pressed enter... something strange happened once again.
—————Techniques & Spells—————
[Killing Star Inheritance] - Special Grade
[Killing Star: Awakening] - Earth Grade - 2000 Throne Coins
[Killing Star: Pursuit] - Heaven Grade - [Locked]
[Killing Star: Blood Reaper] - King Grade - [Locked]
[Killing Star: Demonic Domain] - Saint Grade - [Locked]
[Killing Star: Heaven’s Executioner] - Divine Grade - [Locked]
- - - - - - - - - - -
Roderic blinked once.
’’What on earth is this?’’ he muttered, his gaze sweeping across the options. ’’There’s a special grade? And what is this killing star stuff?’’
He tried scrolling further down.
But no other techniques appeared.
’’System, are you playing a joke on me or something?’’ he asked, swallowing hard. ’’You’re really trying to make him look like some serial killer...’’
Unfortunately for Roderic, no response ever came back.
Glancing back at the techniques, he truly didn’t have much of a choice.
’On the upside, it seems like this is some kind of inheritance that goes all the way up to the divine rank.’
That was two entire levels higher than his own technique.
At least if it worked the way he thought it would.
’I guess I’ll figure it out along the way,’ he thought, pressing on the first manual.
[Would you like to purchase the [Killing Star: Awakening] technique?]
[Yes] [No]
Roderic pressed the [Yes] button without much hesitation.
[Purchase Successful.]
[-2,000 Throne Coins]
[Transferring Killing Star: Awakening...]
Unlike last time, complete silence fell around him.
Roderic glanced around, confused, half-expecting his surroundings to change.
[ERROR!]
Roderic’s brows furrowed.
’’What is this now?’’
Another set of windows instantly popped up in front of him.
[Technique transfer failed.]
[Host does not meet requirements to experience the technique.]
[Required: Killing Star]
Roderic stared blankly at the words.
’’The fuck is a killing star?’’ he asked, scratching his head.
But the system didn’t give him an explanation.
Instead, something completely different appeared.
[Host can create a Technique Manual for free.]
[Warning: Those who do not possess a Killing Star will be unable to comprehend its contents and may suffer from insanity.]
With that, silence fell around Roderic once more.
’’Suffer from insanity?’’ he muttered, tilting his head. ’’What is this batshit crazy system up to now?’’
His gaze slowly shifted towards Paul in the distance.
The man was still training completely normally, completely unaware of the increasingly concerning discoveries Roderic was making about him.
For a moment, Roderic considered digging deeper into what kind of existence Paul truly was.
But in the end, he just shook his head.
’’Whatever it is doesn’t matter right now,’’ he said, glancing back at the system. ’’Create me the manual.’’
[Generating Technique Manual...]
A faint red glow appeared between his hands.
Moments later, a pitch-black book materialized in his grasp.
Unlike Frederic’s manual, Roderic didn’t even bother opening this one.
He wasn’t about to risk going insane just because he was curious.
’’That’s your problem now, Paul.’’
Even though he said that, Roderic was more than confident Paul could deal with it.
His traits were the reason he even ended up on that manual anyway.
Roderic quickly stored the manual away.
Then his attention shifted back to the two remaining system screens.
’Alright,’ he thought. ’Two more.’
After everything he’d just seen, Roderic was desperately hoping these two would be a little more fucking normal.
[Peter]
Age: 19
Race: Human
Current Rank: One-Seal Knight
Knight Talent: High
Minor Traits: [Observant], [Quick-Witted]
Medium Traits: [Adaptable], [Opportunist]
Advanced Traits: [Survival Instinct]
...
[Equipment Body Compatibility]
[Possesses the potential to develop a lean, agile frame with excellent coordination and dexterity.]
[Recommended Equipment: Spear, Short Sword, Light Armor.]
- - - - - - - - - - -
[John]
Age: 17
Race: Human
Current Rank: One-Seal Knight
Knight Talent: High
Minor Traits: [Steady Footing], [Sharp Hearing]
Medium Traits: [High Stamina], [Fast Reflexes]
Advanced Traits: [Weapon Master]
...
[Equipment Body Compatibility]
[Possesses the potential to develop a balanced, athletic frame with excellent stamina, reflexes and physical coordination.]
[Recommended Equipment: All Weapon Types.]
- - - - - - - - - - -
Roderic’s gaze moved back and forth between the two screens.
’They seem relatively normal?’ he thought. ’I guess John is a little different, but not crazy.’
Peter had the exact traits that were expected from the child of a hunter’s family.
Quick-witted, observant and definitely good at taking advantage of opportunities.
’Makes sense why he became a mercenary in the future.’
Only John bothered him slightly.
The trait [Weapon Master] and his weapon recommendation were a bit troublesome.
’Don’t they always say, jack of all trades, master of none? That seems kind of...’
Roderic paused for a moment.
Scratching his cheek lightly, he sunk deeper into thought for a moment.
’I guess I can’t judge them by Earth’s standards. There’s aura and magic here, which can make the impossible possible.’
Maybe the answer was simply to let John figure that out himself.
Roderic shook his head and reopened the system shop.
’All I can do is support them with techniques and weapons,’ he thought. ’The rest... they’ll have to figure out themselves.’
Some answers needed to be found that way regardless.
Thankfully, finding techniques for the remaining two proved far easier.
Before long, Roderic had settled on two pretty pricey Heaven-Grade techniques.
The [Wandering Wolf Art] perfectly suited Peter, combining rapid switching between his spear and short sword.
The [Myriad Weapons Art] perfectly suited John, containing methods for training and fighting with dozens of different weapons.
Roderic rubbed his eyes with a sigh.
’There goes another chunk of Throne Coins.’
Still, that was all four of them dealt with.
Roderic closed the system shop and pushed himself away from the tree.
As his gaze settled on his retainers, a small grin appeared on his face.
’Alright,’ he thought, beginning to walk toward them. ’Let’s go give these guys their presents.’