Chapter 12: #6 Arrogant Artifact (2)

I should've beaten it out of that bastard Park Se-un no matter what, just to find out exactly what happened ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in here.

Who could've predicted things would turn out like this!

"Damn it, he just said he got lucky and awakened an ability."

Coming here based on that alone—maybe that was my mistake.

But still, I couldn't pass up an artifact that grants talents, no matter what.

"Urk."

The artifact burrowing into my body was spewing a savage energy hot enough to incinerate me from the inside, while the trap spat out water like it was trying to drown me.

My mind was a total blank.

But if I lost focus here, it was game over.

I pulled up every last drop of mana in my body.

If I could tame this aggressive force threatening to burn me alive and make it mine, maybe I could escape this mess.

The artifact began clumping together in resistance to my mana.

Its talent might be crap, but my awakening grade was B-rank. The mana flowing through me wasn't exactly meager.

"Hold still! H-hey."

The moment I surged my mana, the pain in my body vanished. As if it realized I was trying to suppress it with mana, the artifact's energy stopped scorching me and started fleeing.

Every time I tried to grab its tail with my mana, it shed its energy like a lizard and slipped away.

I was gnawing away at it bit by bit, but the core kept dodging my mana with infuriating skill.

In the meantime, the water had risen to my thighs.

No time left.

This energy churning inside me seemed to know it too. Instead of attacking, it was just stalling, darting around to buy time.

Chasing its tail like this wasn't getting me anywhere.

I split my mana into delicate threads.

My mana control was top-notch.

Just the fact that I could visualize talents put me at a level that wouldn't be out of place in A-rank.

I'd gotten into this mess trying to weaponize my talents somehow, but in a situation like this, it wasn't half bad.

If it wanted to play hide-and-seek, fine by me.

Back at the academy, I was a lone wolf among lone wolves.

I didn't go through all that hell just to die wrestling some punk like this.

I scattered the split mana throughout my body, tailing it without letting it notice.

Then I started herding the artifact's energy with those scattered strands.

And finally.

The instant my mana latched onto the artifact's energy, a transparent window popped up in front of my eyes.

"What the—"

Floating before me was a transparent... lock.

I narrowed my eyes at the visualized lock shape, just like when I used my "Lie" talent.

Wasn't this supposed to only work on people?

Whatever. If a lock had appeared, this was my specialty. You have no idea how many locks I've picked before!

I slammed my sharply honed mana into the lock.

Left, right. Click, click—my mana-formed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lockpicks ravaged the keyhole.

No time. The water was already up to my chest.

"Damn it, damn it."

How the hell did that guy subjugate this thing? I shook the mana lockpick wildly. The keyhole rattled.

Even with my confidence in mana control, maybe I'd let it rust too much since graduating from the academy. My body creaked under the strain of the excessive mana movement.

But it wasn't for nothing.

"Phew, got it!"

Clank—the stubborn lock finally gave way.

Was that it? Done?

I'd just started to relax when—

Lightning struck my mind—a voice thundered in my head.

The energy that had been quiet until now started ravaging my body again. What the actual fuck!

"Stop, stop! I don't know what you are, but cut it out! Let's talk this over."

The pain subsided at my words.

"Talk it over? Ha! Hilarious. A fool who ignored my warning and stepped this far now wants to wag his three-inch tongue?"

At first I thought I'd misheard, but no—it wasn't my imagination. This artifact was straight-up talking to me.

"An ego artifact?"

I'd thought it was a one-use deal that just grants a talent and vanishes, but it had a sentience?

"Don't you dare call me that, you worm!"

For an artifact, it had one hell of an ego.

Even after I picked the lock, it refused to submit. If anything, it was cursing me out.

"You're woefully unworthy to be my master! What can you even do with that pathetic talent? Just die quietly here. I'll remake the world with your body."

Hearing that, I understood why it rejected me.

The first guy to find this place, Park Se-un, was born with S-rank luck. Even without combat talent, his vessel was on another level.

But me? Just plain old B-rank.

My lips curled into a sneer without me realizing.

"Too low-grade, huh?"

So it wouldn't even give me a chance—just straight-up kill me?

I knew full well how amazing high-potential awakeners were. I'd seen plenty grow into world-shakers right under Seol Rokjin's nose.

Potential might be the word, but it was as good as absolute. High-potentials skyrocketed. Low ones? Even grinding your bones to dust often left you a nobody hunter.

I was definitely the latter.

But hey.

Doesn't that still give me the right to squirm and fight for survival?

It's not just for my sake—I'm trying to save this damn world, after all.

"Can't you give a guy one shot?"

The voice didn't budge.

"No need! You're inadequate!"

Fine, playing hardball, huh?

Doesn't matter if you won't give me a chance. You'll have to eventually.

If it could talk, that made it even easier. Another lock materialized before my eyes.

Unlike the crude one before, this had ornate patterns—a proper keyhole.

Works like a charm.

No need to brute-force it with mana now that words worked.

I opened my mouth slowly.

"No, I'm your one and only shot."

"Bullshit. Die quietly."

"Too bad. I have zero plans to die here nice and easy. And I've got bad news for you too. On my way in, I collapsed the entrance cave. If you don't accept me as master, no one's ever finding you."

"What?!"

The voice rose in panic at my words.

Just as I thought—it was waiting for someone better. And I'd snatched that chance away.

"Cave's totally caved in. Unless they bulldoze the mountain, no one's discovering this gate."

The voice shrieked in frenzy.

"That's impossible! I have a great mission! I can't rot here forever! I didn't flow into this dimension to serve trash like you!"

"Haha, what can ya do? Already done."

The water was at my neck ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now. I grinned.

"So choose me. It's your only option."

My Lie talent made any words feel like irrefutable truth. Right now, I probably looked more trustworthy than anyone.

No matter how much it hated my guts, it couldn't help but believe me.

"Never! I'll never serve a talentless wretch in a worthless body!"

"Yeah, sure. Rot alone forever then."

"You bastard!"

The artifact spewed curses to the bitter end, too stubborn to drop its filthy attitude.

Just as the water touched my chin—

"Fine, damn it!"

Finally, it said what I'd been waiting for.

"To serve trash like you! Worst... absolute worst."

The voice echoing in my head didn't matter. My jaw dropped at the window before my eyes.

A system message—one that rarely appeared. The so-called voice of god, said to show only to the chosen. In my previous life, I'd never seen it once.

"Accept, obviously."

The contract sealed the instant I agreed. A subordination mark etched onto the back of my hand.

The red-glowing Möbius strip—what people called an infinity loop tattoo—shone brightly.

But the glow faded quickly, the mark vanishing into my skin.

Joy at finally putting this damn artifact under me was short-lived. No time for champagne.

My face plunged into the rising water right away.

Glub!

Do something!

As if hearing my mental shout, a massive surge of mana flooded my body.

The energies soon paved new paths inside me. Like roads and rails laid across barren wasteland, thousands upon hundreds of mana circuits etched into my body in seconds.

Like branches sprouting from a tree, my existing circuits expanded, forging new routes.

Dozens, hundreds of branching paths offered me new visions.

My head felt ready to explode from the instant influx of knowledge.

Ugh!

I squeezed my eyes shut against the pounding headache.

"Idiot!"

The voice guided me then. One path in the maze lit up.

I channeled my mana along the glowing circuit.

My fingertips hardened, a strength that could shatter anything filling my body.

This is it!

I cleaved through the water, diving down. I reached for the door I'd entered through.

Condense mana at my fingertips.

Release.

The methods for these two talents, once incomprehensible, were now etched perfectly in my mind.

With paths open to expel internal mana outward, there was nothing to fear.

Boom.

Mana burst from my body, cracking the wall. But that was it.

"Such feeble mana! Pathetic, utterly pathetic!"

Already on my last legs, and it's trash-talking my power drain? I gritted my teeth and unleashed a second burst. Crack—a fissure in the door, but still not enough to break through.

Running out of air, maybe. Vision narrowing. I wanted to surface for breath, but the chamber was full now.

Last one. Please break.

Boom.

Mana shot from my hand—the door shattered, water rushing out.

Naturally, I got sucked along like water down a drain.

Damn, didn't see that coming.

The torrent choked me. Having squeezed out my final breath for power, consciousness started fading.

"Stupid fool! Gather mana in your lungs! Breathe!"

How?!

"To save trash like you!"

Its grumbling reached my ears as I nearly blacked out—but a jolt of electricity snapped me awake.

What the hell!

It had saved me from passing out.

"Saved your worthless life."

Oh, right—breathing was suddenly possible. Still getting battered by the current, but better than drowning.

The water dragged me roughly everywhere. Thud, thud. My body smashed against narrow corridor walls.

Each hit wrecked me further.

Ribs cracked?

I clenched my jaw through the pain. How long was I swept along? Finally, the torrent spat me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠onto the floor.

"Bleeech."

I rolled, vomiting water for what felt like ages.

Urk, bleeech.

As I came to, the voice unleashed on me.

"Now what? You said the outside's blocked! With your piss-poor mana, it'll take decades to punch through a wall!"

I let out a chuckle. Right, that's what I'd said.

"Don't worry. The exit's wide open."

"W-wide open? You blocked the entrance yourself!"

"Oh, that? Total lie."

"What?!"

Ah, felt good to get that off my chest.