Sacrifices To Jupiter XV
"You've shown me your other gifts, but what about The Devil's Wrath? Also that Villain title, what does it do?" she asks, her smile thinning as she backs away.
…
"Umm…" Mari blinks repeatedly, stepping back, her back arching. "You okay…?"
…
Mari purses her lips, instinctively waving her hands in stopping. "It—it was just a prank! A prank, yes?! A farce, a sham, a joke! If you punch me again, I'm really gonna die! It's a miracle I didn't break last time—"
I run a hand through my dark hair, the black strands obstructing my vision, some reddish and some brownish in between.
To that, she freaks out. Then sighs in relief.
I sigh.
"Here,"
The Devil's Wrath |E|*
Aura +60%
Sanity -40%
Potential: SS
Oh? How simple. Aura of sixty percent… So was that red glow that my body secreted my aura? And sanity of forty percent… I basically go berserk when I use it, then.
"That's the best E-rank skill I've ever seen…!" Mari approaches, pointing at the aura attribute. "Wrath Sin was always known to be the best at close combat among the Archdemons… no wonder. With a skill like that…"
"Yeah, that's wonderful indeed," I say calmly, "But what's that thing near the rank?"
"You mean the symbol before the rank of your skill?" she asks, her voice quivering. Her hands shake as she awkwardly points at my skill, a fake smile put on her face.
The Devil's Wrath |E|*
"Not before, but next to it," I correct her, lightly flicking her head. "See that star-like thingy? What's that?"
"Ah! That?" Mari stumbles, resting her hand on my shoulder to refrain from falling. "That means that the system doesn't fully understand the gift's effect."
Indeed. Sanity aside, I felt weird when using it. As though I wasn't myself. As though there was another soul controlling my body in my stead. Perhaps the reason why Wrath dies first lies therein…
"This blue box, wasn't it status? It's the second time you call it a system. Why?" I ask, looking down at her, who stands in front of me.
Mari glances up at me, her eyes teary. "Umm…"
"The window is called status, while the mechanism behind it is the system. Imagine a library. The building is the status window, while the books and the materials inside those books are referred to as the system as a whole," she states, blinking rapidly.
I then focus on my sole title.
Villain |F|
—
"It's not showing anything. What does that mean?" I ask, creasing my forehead.
"...I haven't seen anything like this before," she says, righting her head.
Didn't she say she was smart? Where did all the knowledge go?
Not only do I not know what shenanigans my sole semi-useful gift pulls, I don't even know what the title does. Great. Fantastic.
"Hey, Mari," I call her. "Why are you crying?"
Silence befalls.
"Why… Why are you crying?" she asks me the same.
Am I?
Ah.
"I'm sorry…" Mari mutters, pressing her pointy fingers against each other, her head hung low. "I won't do that again…"
"You said I look young, right?" I ask, closing my eyes and brushing the sole tear on my cheek.
"Yes…?" she responds, hiccuping.
There it is. That is the answer.
During the inauguration ceremony, that short girl called me an uncle. Why? I'm sure I had the same body as I have now. Young.
She knows something. She knows me. Otherwise, why would she call someone young an uncle?
I'm not sure about others, but my appearance has completely changed from my previous life.
I didn't have such pale skin, such thin stature, such height, or such long hair.
I'm completely changed.
And the one who cried. Wasn't me.
I don't feel sad, and I don't feel perturbed at all.
It was the human inside of me.
Human… Am I?
Am I really not? I want to be a human.
Why? Is humanity my weakness, or the only strength remaining inside of me?
The only part of me that remains.
I pat her head, smiling warmly. "We were both in the wrong. Friends oftentimes argue, but it's fine. I won't hold any grudges. You shouldn't either."
She nods slowly, repeatedly, sweeping the tip of her palms over her eyes.
"Well, we're done with the status, or system, or whatever this is. I don't really get it. Please explain to me what the dungeon core does," I say, and with that, the human is gone once again. Vanishing like a ghost. Leaving me. Alone.
I feel apathetic. Indifferent. No, rather, I feel malicious. Indiscriminate.
"I'm sorry…" she whispers again.
I hate fucking children. I hate dealing with them…
…
That tree girl. I have many questions for her.
"You need to press your hand against the orb and channel your will…" she finally mutters, her lips down.
I do as she says. Easily enough.
This time, it's neither a gray type of hologram that formed before Mari nor a blue one that materialized next to me. A crimsony one, rather.
Dungeon of Wrath
Lvl. 1 |0/100|
Create |E| |CP: 30|
Domain |E| |DP: 30|
Summon |E| |SP: 30|
Alchemy |F| |AP: 30|
Troops:
Vassals: 0/3
Familiars: 0/3
Subordinates: 0/20
Medallions:
Wrath x1
Luck x1
Life x1