When I woke up, I began thinking about everything that had happened to me since I came to this world. Eyes were killed by molten gold, someone I didn't even know killed me, and I almost died because of a senile old man and a group of foolish Dothraki who aren't afraid of magic. They made me their leader... What is all this chaos? I just wanted to learn some magic. I kept thinking: What should I do? I wanted someone to advise me, then the voice came:
"Host, what advice do you need?"
I was shocked by the speaker; there was no one in the tent. Then I said:
"The system?"
"Yes, host."
I said to it:
"I didn't think you could speak."
It said:
"Host, I can speak. You just never asked."
Then I said:
"Show me my status. I haven't seen it since I got fire magic."
"Very well, host."
---
Physical Skills (Linked to Endurance and Speed):
Body Resilience:
Gives you a physical structure resistant to blows and impacts, by enhancing bone toughness and muscle cohesion.
Pain Tolerance:
Increases your ability to endure injuries and torture without losing consciousness or focus.
Quick Reflex:
Enhances your reaction speed to attacks or sudden events, giving you a chance to dodge or make a surprise counter.
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Acquired Skills:
Fire Magic (Locked):
A primitive and unstable skill that allows you to use fire energy in a basic and weak way. Slightly increases your body heat and strength, but quickly drains your energy and exhausts your body upon use.
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Owned Skills:
The Library:
A mental skill that allows you to store and recall everything you learn or observe with extreme precision. It appears as a library inside your mind, which you can enter at any time to review information, skills, maps, or even books you haven't finished.
It saves everything you see, read, hear, or touch that you choose to store.
The information is organized into sections and shelves that expand as your experience grows.
Information cannot be altered or deleted but can be freely analyzed and reviewed.
The Black Box:
A unique skill that allows you to store anything you touch inside a private dimension only accessible to you.
It has unlimited space, and no living being other than you can enter or interact with it.
Inside, the ground is black and the sky is a clear grey.
You can shape the black floor into tools or weapons using your will.
Living beings cannot be stored.
Time inside the box moves normally, and it does not preserve items in their original state.
Items made from the black floor cannot be taken out of the black box.
Return:
A rare skill that activates automatically upon your death, returning you to the day before the moment you died, with your full memories intact—while no one else remembers what happened.
Returns you to your body as it was 24 hours prior.
It doesn't affect world events, only your awareness and timeline.
Unlimited activations.
Gives you a chance to change fate or fix mistakes based on what you learned.
---
I said: Why did some of the skills change?
The system said:
"Some skills can evolve, host, like Inventory which evolved into the Black Box. Some skills cannot evolve, like the Library. Evolvable skills are very rare, and some can only evolve once."
I said: So, what happened to the Inventory after it evolved?
"Not much changed, host. Only the things you used to create from the black floor would be destroyed when taken out. Now, they can remain for as long as you wish."
---
I stopped and exited the tent. I found the man with braids and said to him:
"Did the men return from the mission?"
Braids smiled a mad smile, and I shivered when he looked at me and said:
"They returned... or rather, some of them did."
I furrowed my brows:
"How many?"
"Six... out of twenty."
I looked at him coldly:
"And… was there biting?"
He nodded while laughing:
"There was… and it was brutal, Ashborn. One came back without an ear, the other without a mind. He kept repeating: Ashes and laughter… ashes and laughter… until he passed out."
I stood silently for a few seconds, then said:
"Good... the first successful step."
He stared at my face, stunned. Then I said:
"Now we know how and where to hit them. Bring all the survivors. We're planning to strike the nearest bandit group."
Braids stared at me for a few seconds as if trying to see if I was serious, then burst into laughter:
"Are you insane? Half the men didn't return, and the other half can barely stand after the last battle. The new ones are either injured or untrustworthy!"
I looked at him coldly and said:
"Which is why we strike now. The enemy thinks we're broken… let's show them how crazy we are. We'll burn them, bastard."
He fell silent, then nodded in admiration:
"You're truly insane, Ashborn… but I'm starting to see why the magic chose you."
I thought to myself:
"Damn you, bastard, and your dead magic."
Then I asked him:
"Which group is closest? And what's their leader's name?"
Braids pointed west and said:
"The nearest group is half a day's march away. They're camped near the ruins of an abandoned temple… a cursed place no one dares approach."
He fell quiet for a moment, then continued in a low tone:
"Their leader is called Karga the Scarred. An old butcher, a former mercenary from one of the Free Cities. He enjoys torture and believes that pain leads to truth—and that torture is the true comfort."
I trembled as I thought to myself:
"If he tortures me instead of killing me outright, it'll be a deadly experience. I don't want to know what he calls comfort."
But I smiled. A small smile I couldn't control. Braids looked at me in shock, but I didn't speak. I lifted my head and started thinking.
Why did I smile?
Maybe because my fear had begun turning into something else… excitement? A desire to experience it? Or just increasing madness? I don't know.
I said to Braids:
"Gather the men. Everyone who can stand—even those barely breathing. Tonight, we plan. Tomorrow… we burn Karga and his cursed temple."
Of course, I had no plan.
But… if it worked the first time, it'll work the second.
He laughed loudly this time, then said:
"You're not a leader, Ashborn… you're a curse walking on two legs."
I laughed and walked into the tent.
---
I entered the tent and sat on the ground. The old rug beneath my feet reeked of old blood, urine, and rotting rain. I sighed and started drafting an actual plan using the map one of the vagrants had drawn.
Then I whispered:
"System, open the Library."
It appeared before me, as always, a shelf standing empty. I walked until I found the shelf with the books from the land. I focused on one of the books—just looked at it. I wasn't searching for information… I was looking for something else.
Was I looking for… comfort? Distraction? I don't know.
I said:
"Do you think this plan will work?"
The system replied in its calm voice:
"Success probability: 23%."
I smiled, then said:
"Excellent, higher than I expected."
I went quiet for a few seconds, then whispered:
"What's the probability of dying in a horrible way?"
"78%."
I laughed… a small, quiet laugh, but it escaped easily.
"What promising odds… Death doesn't bother me. But if I get tortured to death, that's a real problem."
That is a problem… If only I could know the layout of Karga's temple and area...
Then I whispered:
"System… can I read someone else's memories through the Library?"
The system replied immediately, as if it had been waiting for this question forever:
"Not possible, host. The Library is bound to individual consciousness. You cannot access the minds of others… unless you obtain the Mind Reading skill."
I raised an eyebrow in disbelief:
"Such things exist in this world?"
Then I remembered that strange giant.
I said:
"And can I obtain it?"
"Maybe. If you survive Karga's temple, you may find an ancient book there that contains the basics of this art. And if not, you can study it elsewhere… perhaps in Karth."