Morning Tests and a Warm Embrace

Chirp, chirp. The sound of birds drifted in from outside. I opened my eyes at the noise, let out a long yawn, and rose from the cot. I popped a spirit pill from my inventory straight into my mouth.

"Mmm." A refreshing sensation spread through my now-dry mouth. At the same time, the pill's unique energy coursed through my entire body, leaving my sweat-sticky skin feeling as fresh as if I'd just bathed. In that pleasant state, I hummed to myself while changing from casual clothes into combat gear. For breakfast, I took out a golden apple, crunched into it, and stepped out of the tent.

A cool breeze and morning sunlight greeted me. Flutter! Two sparrows that had been affectionately perched on the tent roof startled and flew off. I'd unintentionally interrupted their cozy moment, but I paid it no mind and stored the entire tent—cot and all—into my inventory. Once I reactivated Infinite Stamina, which I'd turned off for sleep, Terra sent a message right away.

I nodded at Terra's morning greeting and asked, "Nothing happened while I was asleep, right?"

"Good. Still, stay on alert just in case."

I nodded again at Terra's confident reply and tossed the nearly finished apple back into my inventory. Then I pulled out the two items I'd bought but hadn't tested yet: the Broken Spear (S-) and Astra (S).

"Let's start with the spear." I floated Astra with telekinesis and gripped the spear with both hands before slamming it into the ground. A resonant twang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠echoed as red and purple waves spread outward from the embedded spear, reaching their full 1 km range before fading. I opened my status window. My stats were unchanged.

"Just as I expected. The spear's buff doesn't apply to me." After all, if the self-buff stacked with the area buff, it wouldn't be S-rank. Still, I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Stacking buffs was only natural for anyone who'd played RPGs. I clicked my tongue and yanked the spear free. The black line etched along its shaft cracked wider.

"...Just pulling it out did that?" Its durability was far too low. "No way I can plant this in the middle of a battlefield." I sighed. Secondhand goods were always like this. I stared at the cracks now spreading to the spearhead and let out another heavy breath.

After jotting the spear's effects into the smartwatch's memo app, I closed the hologram and keyboard. Then I resumed the Astra test I'd paused.

"This one it won't eat, that one it won't eat, this one either... Haah." I sighed as I watched Astra spit out some items and swallow others. "In the game it registered everything..." I muttered, lowering my gaze to the items scattered on the ground: the spear, training and crafting firearms, Aegis, various materials, and consumables. They lay strewn about in a mess.

"It accepts most items as sacrifices, but won't register them, huh?" I said, holding out the Potion Auto-Injector (A). The item was sucked into Astra like noodles being slurped. "...Picky eater, aren't you?" I sighed again and opened Astra's information window.

Only four items were registered to Astra so far: Atlas Armor, the specially modified Thunderbolt, Death Angel, and the Potion Auto-Injector I'd just registered. Astra was far pickier in reality than in the game. It accepted any item below C-rank as a sacrifice for Mimicry and Descent, but for Change it only accepted equipment of A-rank or higher—nothing with a minus attached. That was why only four items were registered. Those were the only A-rank pieces of equipment I owned without a minus.

"...I'll let it slide because the performance is good." Astra vibrated softly, as if replying. I flicked it with a finger and stored the scattered items back into my inventory. Gripping Astra, I tried using Form Change. Click. The moment I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought "Thunderbolt," the arrow-shaped Astra instantly transformed into a pistol. When I thought "Death Angel," it became a minigun. The minigun's appearance had changed slightly. The black-coated weapon was now coated in Thunderbolt's signature blue and white, and its bulky frame had grown slightly sharper. Crackle, crackle. Blue lightning unique to Thunderbolt flickered along it. I checked Astra's open information window.

Thunderbolt was listed as the main form and Death Angel as the sub. "...Another new discovery?" Because this was reality, there were functions that hadn't existed in the game. Like a child who'd found something fun, I tried various combinations. Death Angel with Thunderbolt. Atlas Armor with Thunderbolt, Death Angel, and the Potion Auto-Injector. I mixed and matched everything I could think of.

"This is fun." My earlier complaints vanished. Once I realized Change wasn't just transformation but also synthesis, there was no need to complain. "No wonder it was so picky." I stroked the fletching of Astra, now returned to its base arrow form. It vibrated in response. I continued petting it like a puppy while moving on to the next test.

The counter was full. I'd filled it last night before going straight to sleep, so this was my first chance to test it. "Will this be random like in the game?" Or would there be a new function like I'd just discovered? I used Form Mimicry with hopeful anticipation.

The count dropped from 100,000 to 0 in an instant. Astra began to vibrate violently in my hand. At the same time, the surroundings darkened. I looked up. "...Space?" The blue sky with the rising sun had transformed into a star-filled cosmos. "...Is this supposed to be different?" In the game, only the form changed and that was it, but here an entire universe appeared? I let out a dry laugh at the overly grand transformation and opened my hand. As if waiting for the cue, Astra floated into the air and shot toward the cosmos with a sharp whoosh. A moment later, one of the stars twinkled. Astra, which had flown into space, came flying back toward me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as if reversing its path. The instant I reached out and caught it—Flash! A brilliant light burst from Astra. When the light faded, what remained was a harpoon made of white bone.

It was the weapon once wielded by Cú Chulainn, the hero of Ulster.

"...Permanent mimicry got patched in." I chuckled at the duration and cooldown now visible in my vision. The laugh didn't last long. "Well... this makes sense." I accepted the new restrictions. Even with them, Astra was still a cheat item. Most effects remained usable despite being a "mimicry" rather than the genuine article. It accepted any item, no matter how picky, without needing user testing. Of course the ultimate techniques were restricted, but that was still impressive. I swung the harpoon through the air. It felt as natural as if I'd used it my whole life, tracing a precise arc. Just as I planted my foot to throw it at a bird flying overhead—Vreeeeeeeeng! The sound of turbines and motors roared from behind, accompanied by a strong gust of wind. I turned to see the 9th Punitive Force's transport descending from the sky. The cargo door opened and—

"Lee Yoo-jin—!" Arthur, whose voice had shifted from androgynous to slightly feminine, leaped down. He rushed toward me. "I missed you, Lee Yoo-jin!" He threw his arms around me in a tight hug.