Cheat Item [3]
Leon stood amidst the aftermath, his breaths ragged as he looked around the chamber.
The oppressive energy was gone, and the room now felt eerily empty.
He glanced at his bruised and bloodied hands, flexing his fingers as his body stopped glowing.
"Haha, So that's what it feels like... to actually win," he muttered, letting out a shaky laugh.
His voice echoed faintly in the cavern, only adding to the stillness.
From his hiding spot, Kiel's heart was racing.
This isn't right.
None of this makes sense.
Leon wasn't supposed to have activated Asterix yet.
That artifact should still be locked away behind the massive stone door the Void Spawn was supposedly guarding.
Kiel's eyes darted to the door as Leon limped toward it, his movements cautious.
The large, rune-etched surface loomed before him, silent and still.
Leon pressed his hand against the door, but nothing happened.
His brows furrowed as he pushed harder, his mana flickering faintly.
"Why won't it open? I thought– " he murmured, frustration creeping into his voice.
He traced the runes with his fingers, his expression shifting between confusion and irritation.
"What's the point of guarding this if it won't even open?"
Kiel's heart sank.
It's supposed to open.
The artifact should still be in there! But clearly, that wasn't the case.
Leon eventually stepped back, sighing in defeat.
"Guess I'll have to come back later."
He turned, his gaze briefly scanning the room before settling on the door again.
His shoulders stiffened for a moment, then relaxed as he shook his head.
Kiel held his breath, remaining perfectly still as Leon began limping toward the exit.
Kiel ducked into a dark corner in the dimly lit cave and watched as Leon left.
It wasn't until Leon's footsteps faded into the distance that Kiel finally exhaled, his tension easing slightly.
But the questions didn't stop hammering in his mind.
How does Leon already have Asterix?
What could've changed in the story for this to happen?
First it was Leon's confidence.
Second it was Asterix
Something didn't feel right.
Leon was supposed to win but not like the way he did now.
He was supposed to be at the brink of death then he would use a mana bomb to disrupt the Spawns body then smash its core with his sword.
But he wasn't with a sword and Kiel didn't him use a mana bomb— although Kiel thought Leon wouldn't need it since he already had something that would give him a sure win.
But that was the problem here.
He waited a few more moments to ensure Leon was truly gone, then carefully emerged from his hiding spot.
His eyes immediately fell on the locked door.
Kiel stepped cautiously toward the massive stone door.
His fingers brushed the intricate runes etched into its surface, their faint glow completely extinguished.
He furrowed his brows, his mind racing.
If Leon already has Asterix, then the others probably weren't in there too.
That defeated the purpose of Kiel coming here to begin with.
Although he did get to see something interesting so he wouldn't call that a complete loss.
The locked door loomed over him.
Kiel frowned, scanning the edges for anything he might use.
The door only resopoded to mana and he supposedly didn't have any.
'Might as well try and see if it works.'
Sliding his fingers along the cold stone, he noticed faint scratches near the bottom of the frame.
They looked too deliberate to be natural wear.
He crouched down, tracing the marks with his hand.
"That's weird..." Kiel muttered under his breath.
His gaze shifted to the side of the door, where a section of the wall didn't quite match the rest.
It was subtle—almost well hidden—but the stone there seemed smoother
Newer.
"Guess they didn't want anyone getting in without a key," Kiel said, smirking.
He pressed his ear to the door, knocking lightly along its surface.
The sound changed—a dull echo just to the left.
Bingo.
He reached into his pocket, pulling out the small, folded pocket knife he brought from home.
He wedged the blade into the narrow seam where the newer stone met the older structure, applying steady pressure.
It took a few tries, but the hidden panel slid open with a soft click.
"You ended up being useful, huh?" Kiel said talking to the knife, all the while grinning to himself.
Behind the panel was a small mechanism—a strange combination of gears and glowing, crystal-like fragments.
It was an ancient locking mechanism, powered by residual mana.
But some of the crystals looked cracked, their glow almost gone.
Kiel frowned.
The system was barely functional.
Almost like someone tampered with it.
"This explains why Leon couldn't get it open," Kiel said.
He examined the mechanism more closely, searching for a manual override— if there was any.
His gaze landed on a thin rod near the center.
With a quick twist of the knife, he managed to pry the rod loose.
The gears groaned to life, the crystals flickering weakly as the massive door shuddered.
Dust and debris rained down as it began to slide open.
Kiel coughed, waving the air clear.
"Well... Here goes nothing."
He hesitated a bit before stepping inside.
◇◇◇
The room beyond was bathed in a faint, ethereal glow.
Rows of shelves lined the walls, filled with what looked like ancient books and artifacts, their purposes unknown.
At the center of the room, a pedestal stood and as expected it was empty.
Kiel's heart sank.
He expected this outcome but the reality of it was way more than his heart could handle.
'If they're all gone then why did I even bother coming here' He sighed.
There were supposed to be at least three out of the five "cheat items" here.
He thought he could at least get one of them and that it could help him survive in this world.
But reality had a way of mocking people with high hopes.
His gaze swept across the room again, desperately searching for signs of anything else.
Nothing.
Only books and valuables— antique looking cups and plates, some ceramic vases and some wine which Kiel could tell would be worth a lot of money.
"No way," Kiel muttered.
"They couldn't have just disappeared."
.
.
.
After nearly 30 minutes of searching every inch of the room, Kiel felt his frustration boiling over.
He couldn't find anything that he could call a "cheat item."
"This is such a waste of time," he swept his hand through his hair.
He turned to leave, already planning his escape route back to the surface when–
Crack!
His foot landed on something small and brittle.
Kiel froze.
He glanced down, frowning as he saw something glint faintly in the ethereal light.
"Hm? What's this thing?"
He crouched, picking it up.
In his hand was a hexagonal-shaped crystal, no larger than a 4 inch coin.
The crystal pulsed faintly, as if alive.
Its glow was different from Asterix—more chaotic, like a storm trapped in the glass.
Kiel turned it over in his fingers, examining it closely.
The edges were chipped, and a thin fracture ran across its center, as though it had been damaged in a struggle.
Suddenly a loud voice rang in his head, sending sharp pain shooting through his entire body.
[Suitable host detected. System initialization commencing.]
The words slammed into his mind like a tidal wave.
"Argh—what the hell?!" Kiel cried out, clutching his head as the overwhelming sensation forced him to his knees.
The crystal in his hand pulsed violently, its glow intensifying until it was almost blinding.
Intricate violet lines began to etch themselves along the back of his palm, in a burning pattern.
Each new mark sent another wave of agony through him, as if his very essence were being rewritten.
"Make it stop!" Kiel gasped, his voice barely above a whisper.
But the process continued, merciless and unrelenting.
[Synchronization in progress. 10%... 25%...]
The voice rang out again, each word stabbing into his skull like a dagger.
His vision blurred, and his entire body shook as the energy coursed through him, threatening to tear him apart from the inside.
[50%... 75%... Synchronization complete.]
The back of his hand was steaming.
His skin searing with intense heat as a glowing symbol appeared on his flesh.
The mark— unmistakably a Sigil in this world, burned with a brilliant violet light.
[Well, isn't this just delightful?]
A voice chimed mockingly.
[Hello, Master. My name is Hyphen. And I'll be your system/babysitter from now on.]