Chapter 8: Chapter 8
Blake's ribs were broken, his wrist cracked and there was unidentified poison spreading through his body. Yet, Blake felt like the state of his body was little of concern.
There, standing in midst of dead bodies, Blake couldn't help but clutch his head in confusion. It felt like alien thoughts were forcing themselves into his mind, and he tried to fight them with everything at his disposal.
'This doesn't seem to work.' Blake sighed, accepting defeat. He had been getting this headache for a long time already, and it only got progressively worse. Right now, it felt like someone torched his forehead.
So, Blake stopped resisting. Even though he had to quickly figure out what to do about that poison, he felt like dealing with these unfamiliar thoughts first was the right choice.
Immediately, Blake felt much more at ease, his eyes sobering up. He looked over the battlefield, noting the staggering amount of bodies. Most of them were dead, some barely breathing.
Why did they keep breathing? Survival was not an option anymore, especially with such injuries. Yet, they kept fighting, trying to survive. What was so beautiful about living that they didn't want to move on it from it?
Or... was it death, the unknown, that was so frightening to them? Blake felt like he knew an answer, or maybe he didn't. It was so peculiar. He felt like the truths of the world were slowly opening up to him.
And Blake... he wanted to know more, so he started walking toward the dead. They were all different in appearance, however, they had the same frightened expression on their faces.
Some were clutching their weapons, some were holding onto their companions, but some simply extended their hands, as if accepting the upcoming doom.
Then, Blake encountered a human different from others. In his hand, there was a picture of a kid. Staring at it for a few moments, something suddenly clicked in his mind.
It was their past that kept humans so willing to live. It was the memories, the people that had been met. Without them, humans would be a pitiful existence, not even scared of death.
As the realization struck him, Blake fell to the ground, his mind calming down.
'The hell was that?' Blake cursed, glancing around once again. He was no longer in that... state. Everything was much clearer right now, yet so different from before.
Blake felt like he had gained something important.
Something that could possibly help him find a cure for the poison.
Thus, Blake focused on the screen in his mind.
--Status---
Name: Blake Howard
Age: 34
Level: 14
Class: Shadow Demon(Unique) - D-Grade
Skills: Shadow Movement; Shadow Augment; Mind Castle(LOCKED)
Authorities: Authority of Time(Early); Authority of Karma(Early)
---
Strength: 12=>22
Dexterity: 15=>57
Recovery: 16=>30
Endurance: 15
Chaos Energy: 10=>52
Luck: 38
Free Points: 4
---
Pending Quests:
None.
---Status End---
Blake was pleasantly surprised at how much he had grown over this short period and felt even better when seeing the number of levels he had gained from killing Ogami. From the earlier battle, Blake understood that free points were indispensable.
Then, Blake focused on the new authority, which he presumed was the cause of all of this.
-
[Authority of Karma(Early)]
The Karmic warriors are also the fated ones. Surrounded by death, they managed to understand the meaning of life. All living beings eventually have to face their end, but their memories remain forever. Those, utilizing Karma, can glimpse into the past of the dead through their souls.
-
To say Blake was shocked was an understatement. He thought that Authorities were something extremely hard to obtain, but perhaps he had overestimated himself. Still, he had never met anyone with an authority in the real world. Maybe it was somehow triggered by his other authority, as they both seem to operate on time.
Anyway, Blake couldn't say he wasn't happy. Being able to read the memories of the dead was extremely convenient, and perhaps he wouldn't have to torture anyone anymore. It was even more convenient now that he had been poisoned, and had to find a cure as fast as possible.
It was, honestly, even a bit suspicious. It felt like some force was pulling the strings behind the scenes, or was it his luck that came into play? It did seem quite high, but Blake didn't understand the exact way it worked.
He couldn't even allocate any free points to this attribute.
"Focus, Blake," Blake grunted as he stumbled against the wall, rising back to his feet. It was a hellish experience, and Blake simply wanted to fall into a cozy bed, but his life was on the line after all.
He glanced at the dead once again, this time something completely different. It was not the bodies that had changed, but Blake's perspective of them. Some of the bodies were radiating a light that was constantly drifting into the sky, while some did not, empty.
"Is it their souls that are getting summoned somewhere?" Blake mumbled, walking up to an 'empty' corpse, and he truly felt nothing. Then, he walked up to a body that was bathed in light and reached out.
The sight before Blake flashed a few times as he saw himself standing in the middle of a village. Then, the surroundings changed, and he saw a beautiful woman with tears in her eyes. Finally, the vision shifted toward a man standing before Ogami.
Blake felt a severe headache but remained standing. He didn't know whether he would wake up if he lost consciousness once again. The obtained authority was powerful, maybe even more powerful than his former one.
He had seen the entire life of this man in a matter of a few seconds, somehow being able to comprehend it, while also not frying up his brain. Though most of that information was slowly drifting away, and only memories he harbored truly remained in his mind. It was almost like waking up after a long dream, which gets forgotten after a few moments.
'It was quite dizzy, but it works, so at least this much is good.' Blake thought, glancing at the huge body in the middle of the enclosure. Ogami was still shining, and Blake sprinted up to him before that light dissipated.
It was his best shot at finding out anything about the poison, so Blake didn't waste any time, grabbing onto the monster's body. Immediately, he saw a man standing before him.
An extremely creepy man. Long hair, pale skin, and a dangerous gaze. Orochimaru. The memories continued, and finally, he found what he looking for, but was severely disappointed.
The poison was called [The Conjecture of Death], and it was created by that psycho Orochimaru, who didn't even bother to create an antidote. Still, Blake didn't lose hope as he continued skimming through the memories, eventually stopping at the vision of a white-haired man trapped in a tube full of water.
This man was named Suigetsu Hozuki, who was trapped in a similar base to this one.
It was several miles away from here.
It wasn't a memory that was in any way connected to the poison, but Blake understood that it may be the only way to save his life, for he had gained a quest just now.
[Quest: Release Suigetsu out of the prison!]
[Description: The evil teenager has spent most of his life hidden beneath the ground. You, as now a free civilian, have a natural duty to help out this fellow!]
[Reward: You have been embittered by one nasty poison. However, don't fret, as the Ruthless Heaven has a solution for you! You will be rewarded with a complete recovery of your body once the quest is completed!]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone