Gathering collections

[DAGGER HAS BEEN ENGRAVED ON THE BODY OF USER.]

"W-Who are you?" He became vigilant again, scanning his surroundings. "Come out!" he shouted.

Silence.

Then, he noticed a transparent window screen floating before his right eye.

He stumbled backward, falling onto the ground. "W-What are you..." The window followed his retreating gaze, unwavering.

['EYE' – AN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CREATED BY THE BAEK FAMILY INSTITUTION IN THE YEAR 3025]

"What?" His movements stilled as he processed the words. "Wait, Eye..."

Like a sledgehammer, realization struck him. His fingers trembled as they reached for his right eye. Covering it with his hand made the screen disappear. Removing his hand brought it back.

"S-So, Eye... Advanced te-chnology?" Confusion laced his voice.

Then, another name caught his attention. "Baek? That's my family name." Yet, he didn't dwell on it too much. After all, his ancestors had built many things.

"And what's with this year?" He frowned. "3025? That sounds ridiculous."

[FUTURE YEAR 3025 – YEAR OF PRODUCTION OF 'EYE']

"Future?" His breath hitched. 'How did my ancestor get something from the future?'

[PERMISSION TO TRANSFER USER MANUAL OF 'EYE']

"Manual? Yes—"

Before he could finish, his mind was flooded with information.

"Kuahhh!" A sharp headache pierced through his skull. He collapsed, gripping his head as waves of knowledge poured into his brain.

[TRANSFERRING INTRODUCTORY MANUAL TO USER]

[STABILIZING USER TO ACCEPT MANUAL]

The technology was directly transferring the manual to his brain, and due to the volume of the information, his consciousness faded again.

Thirty minutes later, he awoke, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Ha... So, you can do all this, Eye?" He exhaled deeply, adjusting to his new knowledge.

Getting up, he glanced at his arms. 'So, the dagger got engraved here?' Yet, his skin appeared unmarked, and he knew why.

'I haven't even gathered a single speck of energy in my energy center.'

That was why he had left home, to begin his training.

He approached the collection closest to the founding ancestor.

"So, what does this do?" He placed his palm over a worn-out brown pouch.

[SCANNING...]

[DIMENSIONAL SPACE DETECTED IN OBJECT]

"Urgh... Can you simplify your words?"

[LOWERING SPEECH STANDARD TO LOWEST]

'Urghh, why do I feel insulted?' Baines frowned

[THE USER CAN FIT MORE THINGS THAN WHAT THE EYE MEETS]

"Oh? So how do I use it?" Baines's eyes widened in surprise.

[ADD DROP OF BLOOD ON OBJECT]

"Blood..." He shuddered at the thought of the blood-soaked floor but steeled himself. "Cut me."

'Eye' followed the command. A shallow cut formed on his finger. Pressing it against the pouch, he watched as a light flickered. Then, the pouch disappeared inside him.

"Whoa..." Information flooded his mind, explaining its usage.

He drew his fingers across the air.

TEARRR...

A space opened before him.

"Whoa..." He marveled at the sight but found he couldn't enter. Still, the discovery thrilled him.

Moving to the next item, a black cloak, he placed his hand over it.

[SCANNING...]

[UPON ACTIVATION, USER CAN USE CLOAK FOR DEFENSE OR NORMAL CLOTHING]

"Nice..." He picked it up and stored it away.

Next, a book.

'A Martial technique?' Baines was surprised.

Martial techniques were fighting methods guided by an aura technique. They were among the things his family traded in. 'This will be useful…' He placed his hand on it,

[SCANNING...]

[TEXTURE OF MATERIAL ESTIMATED TO BE OVER 700 YEARS OLD]

"Seven hundred?!" His eyes widened. People fought over techniques just fifty years old, and this was seven centuries old.

"The name?"

[UNKNOWN MARTIAL ARTS]

"Unknown? Who made it?"

[RECORD DOESN'T STATE IT]

"Hmm?" He also stored it.

Moving on, he found a small box and placed his hand over it.

[PERMISSION TO COPY MEMORY]

"My memory?" He hesitated but allowed it.

[COPYING WORLD LANGUAGE... TERMINOLOGIES... BELIEFS...]

After five minutes, it finished.

[BEAD CAN GRANT USER SECOND ENERGY CORE]

"S-Second... What?!"

Energy core. It was a part of the body. It is a place energy is gathered and is located at the middle of the body, and it was widely known that unlike other parts, if one destroyed their energy core, there was no second chance. But this bead... offered another one?

"How do I use it?" He quickly asked.

[USER NEEDS TO CONSUME IT]

"Okay."

Sitting down, he opened the box. A swirling blue object rested inside.

"I'm starting." He swallowed it.

[USER HAS INGESTED AN ARTIFICIAL ENERGY CORE.]

[SEARCHING SUITABLE LOCATION]

[LOCATION FOUND: HEART]

[TRANSPLANT PROCESS BEGUN]

A blue glow enveloped him for thirty minutes before fading.

[TRANSPLANT SUCCESSFUL]

[ENERGY OF AURA WARRIOR DISCOVERED IN SECOND CORE]

"Nice..." The intensity of the glow had already hinted at something more than just an empty core, but it occurring was something else.

"They...really are collections."

Moving on, another elixir caught his eye.

[SCANNING...]

[HUGE AMOUNT OF HEAT ENERGY CONTAINED]

[NOT ADVISED TO INGEST AT CURRENT STATE]

"So, I'm not strong enough..." He nodded and stored it.

Next...

[SCANNING...]

[MARTIAL ARTS THAT ALLOWS USER TO DUAL CULTIVATE TECHNIQUES]

"Now this is it." He grinned. Having two energy cores and a dual cultivation technique was invaluable.

Then...

[SCANNING...]

[ORIGIN ARTS CULTIVATION – A METHOD THAT GATHERS PUREST ENERGY INTO ENERGY CORE IN THE FORM OF STARS]

[USER CAN PRACTICE ANOTHER CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE ALONGSIDE]

"Hah... I pity those I'm taking revenge on." He chuckled.

Looking around, the rest were just various weapons and books. However, he decided to check only one of them.

The latest collection, his father's.

A sword.

[SCANNING...]

[BLADELESS SWORD]

"What?" He unsheathed it. No blade.

"Hey, 'Eye,' is this sword complete?"

[SWORD IS COMPLETE]

[BLADE APPEARS BASED ON LEVEL OF SWORDSMAN]

'Hmm...' He studied it. His father wouldn't place something inferior in the collection.

'In honor of you, I will learn the sword.'

With that vow, he stored it and the rest without checking them.

'I can't wait here forever.' Standing at the foot of the long stairs, he bowed deeply.

"Ancestors, I will restore our family and create a world where this won't happen again. They will think twice before saying our name, they will risk their generations if they want to speak to us, this I vow."

Raising his head, he ascended the stairs.

WHOOSH...

The lights flickered out behind him.

Reaching the basement, the floor closed behind him.

Then he froze.

"C- C-Cecilia...?" His voice wavered.

Seated in a wheelchair, an older teenage girl looked at him, expression unreadable.