The golden touch and the copper mask

Kyle was staring at the old ceiling of a modest inn's bedroom, his thick black hair falling back while his blood-red eyes gleamed with a quiet, terrifying calm—like a beast patiently watching its prey.

He slowly moved his fingers over his chest, then exhaled a faint sigh before murmuring to himself in a low voice, as if testing the echo of his words in the darkness:

"It seems this is the work of the 'Cold Heart and Mind' trait, which turned my chaotic thoughts and turmoil into an icy calm."

The traits Kyle possessed were divided into two types:

A positive type that needed to be activated, such as Appraisal and Natural Body; for example, if he needed to evaluate something like equipment or enemies, he had to actively trigger it. The Natural Body itself was split into two parts: healing wounds required directing aura to activate it, unlike endurance and physical strength, which operated passively at all times. Likewise, the Golden Touch needed to channel aura to awaken its latent effect.

The second type was passive—always active and requiring certain conditions without consuming aura; such as Cold Heart and Mind, which kept him calm under any circumstances; Adaptation, which allowed him to adjust to his surroundings or during combat; and Resistance, which gradually developed his body to withstand poisons or curses. His Unique Talent let him learn and master many things after practicing them several times, but naturally, not everything could be learned—magic, for instance, required certain conditions to acquire, as did Emotion Insight and Danger Sense.

But the most important thing he had, the one ability that filled his own heart with dread even before others, was that single trait capable of turning this world upside down—Anti-Fate. One must know this world was full of Judges watching from the shadows, and anything that disrupted their system never escaped their eyes. Even if he could avoid them, he'd need extreme caution and thorough preparation—he couldn't trust such solutions blindly. After all, these were Judges who possessed the greatest power in existence.

Kyle tilted his head slightly, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them slowly and whispered in a calm voice that sliced through the silence:

"It seems I need to adjust my plans a bit... but the path won't change. Wherever this road leads, I have faith... No, not faith—an unshakable certainty... I'm sure of it... I'll stand at the peak of this world."

A sharp light flickered in his blood-red eyes, revealing a cold conviction and wild arrogance befitting a beast proclaiming he would reach the summit and overturn this world. He slowly clenched his fist over his chest, feeling hot blood rush through his veins like a burning ember. He didn't fully know why, but he felt his path would be thorny and harsh, that everyone would try to stop him. Even so, if this entire world stood against him... he would overturn it.

Quickly, Kyle adjusted his posture and turned his gaze to the table where there was a vase of flowers, a hairbrush, a necklace, and a mask.

Immediately, a screen appeared before him displaying information:

[Name: Moonlight Flower Vase

Type: Antique

Description: Dates back 500 years to the Renaissance Era. It originally belonged to the ducal House of Orin, but after their destruction in the Great War against the Kingdom of Astalia, all traces of that family vanished.]

[Name: Silver Hairbrush

Type: Antique

Description: Dates back 100 years to the Renaissance Era. It belonged to a notorious Countess famed at the time for her beauty that captivated all, especially her blood-red hair, but no one dared approach her out of fear of her power and bloody methods.]

[Name: Necklace of Life

Type: Antique

Description: Once owned by the Saintess of the Temple of Life 300 years ago, who cherished it dearly. It vanished when she was assaulted by the leader of the Black Flame Pirates.]

When Kyle read the information about the Necklace of Life, fragments of that incident resurfaced in his mind.

For the Judges, the ranking system was sacred; the highest rank was the High Priest, alongside whom stood the Saintess. Back then, the Saintess of the Temple of Life was favored by the Goddess of Life herself and adored by all her believers, enjoying a captivating beauty. But the leader of the Black Flame Pirates set his eyes on her and sought to claim her. Because the Saintess must remain pure, he violated her, and as a result, she took her own life.

Because of this, the Goddess of Life was enraged and sent her messengers from the Heavenly Kingdom. The kingdoms that worshipped the Goddess were also outraged, hunting down the Black Flame Pirates and destroying them one by one. That incident also marked the end of the Pirate Age forever.

Kyle tilted his head slightly and sighed:

"Honestly, there's so much about this world's history that I don't understand."

Kyle suffered from a serious lack of information about this world, so he decided he needed a period to study its history in depth.

After that, he shifted his gaze to a simple-looking copper mask.

[Name: Copper Mask

Type: Alchemical Work

Description: A mask crafted by ten Grandmaster Alchemists, but this masterpiece was stolen by a famous thief known as the King of Thieves and founder of the Thieves' Guild, and so it disappeared into oblivion.

Function: Conceal aura or alter it.]

Kyle reached out and gently touched the mask, feeling its chill seep into his skin.

"This mask is the only item with a clear function..."

He stared at it for a long time, studying its simple details that hid a great secret. For ten Grandmaster Alchemists to gather and create a single item meant this mask was destined to be one of the greatest pieces ever made by human hands.

"So, should I try the Golden Touch on this mask to see its true potential?"

But before he used the Golden Touch, he needed to make sure no one would discover what he was about to do. He had no idea what might happen, so he quickly went to the window, pulled the heavy curtains tightly shut so no light or curiosity could leak through, then lit a small candle—because the magical lamps operated on a timed system and would turn on automatically at night.

He returned to the copper mask, extended his hand, opened his palm above it, closed his eyes, and murmured in a deep, steady voice:

"Golden Touch."

A golden light shone from his palm and began to slowly merge with the copper mask, quietly and steadily. Kyle felt his aura drain from his body at a terrifying rate until it was completely depleted.

The golden glow faded from his hand, replaced by a copper gleam in the mask, which now displayed runes dancing like serpents across its surface.

Kyle staggered back and sat in a chair, his skin as pale as it had been before becoming a Low-Rank Bronze Knight. Yet he didn't blink—he kept staring at the mask, his eyes blazing with excitement as his body slowly recovered its energy thanks to his natural abilities.

New words appeared on the screen:

[Function: Conceal or alter aura / Change face, age, and gender as long as a complete DNA sample can be copied.]

When Kyle read that information, he burst out laughing—a long, chilling laugh that shattered the stillness of the room:

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

When he finally calmed down, he grasped the copper mask in his hands. The glow had faded from its surface, but its luster now radiated with even greater power and mystery.

He stared at it, his eyes shining like blood:

"With this mask... and the Anti-Fate trait... I can do whatever I want."

Kyle wanted to use the Golden Touch on the remaining items, but he realized he didn't have enough energy for that yet. He stopped at the copper mask for now and began thinking about how to devise a plan to exploit this mask, his traits, and the items to their fullest potential.