Chapter 16 – The Key to Every World
Lucian sat in silence, his breath uneven. The fight was over. The Abyssal Tyrant was dead.
But his mind was nowhere near calm.
Something was still there—something wrong.
A faint pulse lingered inside him. It wasn't just an echo of battle adrenaline. It wasn't exhaustion.
It was alive.
His fingers twitched. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like a war drum. The sensation coiled in his gut, heavy and foreign, an undeniable presence.
Lucian clenched his jaw and shut his eyes.
He reached inward.
And then—
A surge of energy tore through his veins.
Lucian's breath hitched. His pulse slammed against his ribs.
The air around him thickened, pressing down like an unseen weight, like the edge of something vast and unknowable.
The ground beneath him felt less stable—like he was standing between two worlds, caught in the space between reality and something else entirely.
Then—
His fingers twitched.
And in the blink of an eye—
Something materialized in his palm.
A Cube.
Small. Perfectly fitting in his hand. Yet impossibly dense.
Its surface was black, shifting through countless, ever-changing patterns—like it refused to be fully perceived by mortal eyes.
Every few seconds, golden symbols flickered across its skin—ancient script he didn't understand, yet somehow felt familiar.
A low, otherworldly hum filled the space around him.
Not a sound, not exactly—it was something deeper, something that vibrated in his bones, like the universe itself had just acknowledged its presence.
Lucian swallowed hard. His grip tightened as a cold shiver ran down his spine.
"This… was inside me? All this time?"
The thought made his stomach twist. Had it always been there? Lurking, waiting?
His fingers trembled.
His instincts screamed at him. This wasn't normal.
Not an artifact.
Not a weapon.
Not even a legendary relic.
Something about it felt… wrong.
No. Not wrong.
Beyond comprehension.
His breath came faster. His chest tightened.
"I need to know what this is."
With a steadying breath, he forced himself to focus. His hand hovered over the Cube, and—
[Ding!]
Appraisal (EX) Activated.
A thin pulse of blue System light washed over the Cube.
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then—
The air shimmered.
Lucian's vision distorted—the space around the Cube bending unnaturally, rejecting the very concept of being analyzed.
Then, a sound.
A low, static-filled hum that wasn't just in his ears. It was inside his head.
Then—
[Ding!]
E̶R̷R̵O̸R̶… Processing Data…
Lucian stiffened.
[Ding!]
E̷R̶R̸O̵R̷… D̵a̶t̴a̵ C̴o̶r̷r̵u̵p̵t̶i̷o̸n̴ D̶e̶t̶e̷c̵t̶e̷d̷…
What?
His pulse spiked.
The System—his reliable, absolute, infallible System—was breaking apart.
Not against a monster.
Not against a divine weapon.
But against… this.
The Cube pulsed in his palm.
[Ding!]
Bypassing System Limitations…
[Ding!]
Adjusting to Wielder's Authority…
Lucian's stomach twisted.
That… that's not supposed to happen.
The System wasn't supposed to be adjusting itself to anything. It was absolute. It governed levels, skills, reality itself.
And yet—
The System obeyed.
Finally—
[Ding!]
Successfully Identified – Item: [Universe Cube] (??? Rank).
A new window opened before his eyes.
And what he saw—
Shouldn't exist.
[Universe Cube]
Type: ??? (Reality-Warping Relic)
Grade: ??? (Beyond Comprehension)
Owner: Lucian Rengoku (Bound)
Title Granted: [Wielder of the Universe Cube]
[Item Description]
An enigmatic artifact that defies all known laws of existence.
The Universe Cube is not an item. It is not a relic.
It is a fragment of something greater—a piece of a higher plane of reality that should not be contained within mortal grasp.
No system, no deity, no cosmic force can comprehend its nature.
Its very presence distorts perception, forcing lesser beings to rationalize it as nothing more than a rare world-travel tool.
But to its chosen wielder—the one it has bound itself to—its truth is laid bare.
The Cube is alive.
It does not simply respond. It reacts—to its wielder's emotions, will, and determination to defy fate itself.
Its surface shifts endlessly, covered in unknowable glyphs—symbols that no mortal language can decipher, yet its wielder understands on an instinctual level.
A whisper at the edge of thought. A concept beyond words.
To the world, it is an invaluable treasure.
To its wielder, it is something far more.
A cosmic force waiting to awaken.
[Abilities]
[Absolute World Travel]
The Cube grants its wielder the ability to traverse any world, any realm, without restriction.
Unlike conventional travel artifacts, it does not recognize barriers, divine laws, or dimensional locks.
Even realms that should be forbidden, sealed, or unreachable—the Cube will open the way.
[Omniversal Currency]
Any monster drop, resource, or currency obtained in one world can be converted into a universally accepted equivalent in another.
Bypasses exchange rates, barter restrictions, and world-based economies, allowing its wielder to amass infinite wealth across realities.
[Unparalleled Luck]
Probability bends in the wielder's favor at all times.
The Luck stat cannot be quantified (???).
Events that should be impossible happen naturally.
Hidden Effect: The Cube passively reshapes fate itself—not overtly, but subtly, ensuring unseen advantages manifest when least expected.
[Sealed Functions Detected]
Unlocking conditions unknown.
The Cube's true power remains dormant, bound by unknown constraints. Only through experience, willpower, or forces yet unseen will it reveal more of its capabilities.
[Usage Cost]
Requires Monster Cores to fuel world travel.
The stronger the core, the greater the range of travel.
The Cube is a gateway, not a limitless power source.
[Additional Functions]
[Extreme Circumstance Reality Warp]
The Cube does not intervene freely.
However, in moments of absolute despair, when all hope is lost, it may bend reality itself to ensure survival.
These interventions are rare and unpredictable, occurring only when the wielder's will to live resonates with the Cube.
Whether this is conscious will or a preordained reaction remains unknown.
[Title Acquired – Wielder of the Universe Cube]
The Cube has recognized its wielder.
[Effects:]
Hidden Effect – The Cube subtly alters probabilities and shapes fate, ensuring its wielder always has an unseen advantage.
[Information Concealment]
No system, no god, no entity can perceive the Cube's true nature except for its wielder.
To all external forces, it appears to be nothing more than a rare but understandable World Travel Artifact.
Its reality-warping power, boundless potential, and omnipresent existence are completely hidden.
—————————————————
Lucian's hands shook as he reread the information.
His mind screamed at him.
His stomach churned.
This wasn't just a tool.
This wasn't just an artifact.
It wasn't even something that could be defined.
This was wrong.
No.
Not wrong.
Impossible.
Lucian swallowed hard, his fingers tightening around the Cube.
"I have an item that lets me travel anywhere…"
"That lets me turn anything into money…"
"That manipulates fate itself?"
His pulse pounded against his ribs.
Then his eyes landed on one particular line—
[Absolute World Travel] – Allows the wielder to travel between any world, regardless of barriers or restrictions.]
His breath caught.
"Wait."
His chest tightened.
He had fought, bled, and barely survived in this world. He had accepted that escape was impossible.
And yet—
"This thing… can send me back?"
For the first time in a long, long time—
Hope flooded his chest.