Chapter 5: Chapter 5 - Death? (Edited)

Reality seeped back into Liam, his consciousness returning in a slow, painful trickle.

Liam opens his eyes, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He took a moment to steady his breathing, then looked at his surroundings.

He found himself in a strange place devoid of light yet still bright. It pulsed and throbbed, a dark world that feel alive.

It was not a suffocating darkness but rather a peaceful emptiness, like being submerged in a calm, bottomless ocean.

Beneath him, the ground felt strangely solid, yet he could see there was nothing. It was an odd sensation like he was standing on a sheet of obsidian glass.

He tried to touch it, but the moment it touched his finger, it felt smooth and cold.

"Am I... am I dead?" Liam's voice trembled.

His hands, trembling slightly, moved over his chest and limbs, expecting to feel pain the moment he touched the wound, but he found nothing.

Instead, his fingertips found smooth skin, making him wonder if everything was just an illusion.

But liam still remembered everything clearly: the cold, deadly tentacle that stabbed through his body, the pain he felt.

The triumphant feeling from killing the behemoth. It's all too real to be called only a dream.

He then realizes there's no way it's a dream.

Even now, he is in a strange place. As he looks around, he sees a mysterious countdown. 12:24:34.

The digits flashed and kept going down, reminding Liam he had limited time in here.

As he looks at it, he realizes it's twelve hours, not twelve minutes.

Liam feels relieved. His tense emotions start to calm down. He then checks his status.

___________________________________________________________________

Name: Liam Rainer

HomePlanet: Earth

Prana: 2/3

Engram: Young Titan Talon

Ascension: none

Soul Gear: Arcanum nano pendant.

Stats: Fitness 0.8, Int 1.2, Ment 1

Arcanum nano pendant(?)

Convergence: 1.0078/100

It was created in the unknown era when seers and scientist combined their efforts. From it, they succeed in capturing the essence of energy and transmuting it into nano-particles.

These nano-particles are a runic formation mixed with state-of-the-art nano-bots.

Using the nano-bot, they forge it into Artifact, which was created with the utmost care and effort.

Every Arcanum Nano Pendant bore an imprint of the Universe. Only a limited amount exists in the universe.

Upon forming a bond, the pendant would meld with the use of life force and souls, awakening their dormant power through the past and the future. Every user will become a unique existence.

Veil Passage

Allows one to step into the realm of the Shroud.

Zenith's Calm

serves as a steady anchor for the wearer, providing a calm and rational mind even amidst life's most turbulent storms.

Life Essence Channels

Grant their users the ability to get extra prana, a sacred life force.

(Warning: prana cannot regenerate).

Arcane Confidant

Give user personal assistant, currently deactivated.

( Warning: it comes with its own personality and cannot be deactivated. Use at your own Risk)

Enhance user stats

Depending on the current convergence rate, the pendant enhances the user's physical fitness and intellectual capabilities.

Presently, the enhancements are automatically balanced

Allocation: auto-balanced

0.5 Fitness

0.5 Int

Adaptive Form Change

Morphs into various weapons or pieces of armor. The strength, size, and functionality of these forms are restricted by the current convergence limit, with a current maximum volume of one cubic meter.

Only one design can be registered at this level of convergence, and once registered, the design becomes permanent and cannot be altered.

Design:

–none-

-locked-

Engram slot:

-empty-

-locked-

________________________________________________________________________

As Liam read through the description, his eyes widened with surprise.

The abilities it offered were beyond his comprehension. To think it had enhanced his body in that short moment.

No wonder he felt a strange energy coursing through his veins. Liam flexed his hands, opening his palm and making it into a fist, feeling out his new strength.

They felt different—stronger, more responsive. His mind, too, was clearer, his senses sharper as he could easily focus his mind.

This made Liam wonder how such an artifact could be created. How did his father even get this? Was it really his father who sent the item?

He then read the description again, making him feel really stupid. He could create a weapon or armor with it. If he had that, the fight would have been easier.

Many "what if" scenarios ran through his mind, making him feel frustrated. Liam believed he should not have died if he had used it before.

He then read about the pendant's other abilities, "arcane confidant."

The explanation made Liam feel wary. Why was there a warning about using it?

It felt like using it would have big consequences.

He questioned himself: should he use the skill or not? But as he thought about his situation, Liam knew he didn't have any choice.

He was thrown into this unknown world, meeting monsters that should only exist in fantasy games, novels, or manhwa.

He needed to use this; he was sure the assistant could give him useful information to increase his survival chances.

Even with an extra life, it only meant he could die one more time, and Liam didn't want to feel that again.

The feeling of death was just… dreadful.

"Here goes nothing," he whispered.

With a focused thought, he activated the skill.

[Activating arcane confidant.]

[Choosing the most suitable personality.]

[Personality selected: Playful Trickster.]

There was a brief pause, a stillness, and then the air around Liam seemed to shimmer.

Liam expects there will be a big effect when a portal opens, or some creature appears, but instead, he hears a jovial chuckle in his mind. Its tone is lively and mischievous.

"Ah! Finally, someone woke me up! I was starting to get bored in here!!!"