Chick Out of the Cradle (2)
Chick Out of the Cradle (2)
In the original game, the player's range of activity was the entire map of Earth.
If the character wanted, they could go anywhere on that map.
Of course, the main stage for Part 1 was Siyoram.
This was more of a recommendation than a requirement. The system didn't physically prevent the player from escaping.
The problem was that if you dared to bolt from Siyoram, your growth graph would plummet straight into the abyss.
In my 7th Iteration, I couldn't suppress my curiosity and deserted Siyoram. It was a spectacular, god-awful disaster, rivaling even my 1st Iteration.
My growth was pathetically slow, and perhaps because of the reputation of being a former special admission cadet, I even ended up in scuffles with assassins.
I had no backing force to support me, and people I assumed were turncoats were after my life. After collecting myself and nursing my wounds, my already sluggish growth slowed even further.
They say you have to taste it to know if it's shit or soybean paste. I only got the answer to my curiosity at the cost of a whole iteration.
That's why I glued my ass to Siyoram for all of Part 1. To achieve the theoretically fastest growth, I had to stay holed up in Siyoram all four years and suckle the Blessing of Growth dry.
After graduating from Siyoram in Part 2, the player could roam the map freely.
By that point, dark clouds would be gathering over the world, but regardless, movement was possible.
Occasionally, there were places where movement was impossible.
To be precise, it was rare for the system to forcibly block off a location.
Most of the time, it was because the character's conditions or specs were insufficient.
For example, the Floating Island, which was inaccessible in previous iterations, could be forcibly breached, invaded, and even brought crashing down by the Diamond Warrior.
Thus, as long as the conditions were met, almost the entire map could be turned inside out.
- Clack.
My body flinched. A faint creak. It was a subtle dissonance that even most superhumans wouldn't notice, but it rang clearly in my ears.
I discreetly scanned my surroundings.
Information about the luxurious train interior flowed in. Unlike a typical layout, each seat was partitioned like a private room.
It was a first-class seat, so expensive it made me grimace. Yet the texture of the armrest in my hand didn't feel out of place.
It felt similar to the textures in my dormitory. Had I gotten used to such luxury items?
After exiting the Edinburgh Gate Terminal, I had immediately boarded this train heading north.
I never found the Hidden Pieces around Edinburgh in the original, and with no interest in sightseeing, I'd just scanned the area with Spatial Perception and departed right away.
It was around 4 AM, local time.
The sunlight was hidden. That was because of the time difference between Siyoram, which sat in the middle of the North Pacific, and the region of Scotland.
Date-wise, a whole day had already passed, but it wasn't an issue since my return time to Siyoram would be set by Siyoram's clock.
'...It's vast.'
The information outside the train was shifting incessantly.
What looked like a city zone passed by, and then nature, with its feast of green blades of grass, also swept past.
Even as the train sped on without rest, new information flooded in endlessly. It was data that seemed similar at a glance, yet had differences in the smallest details.
As I kept processing that information, I was struck anew by how vast the world was.
It was a similar feeling to when I first stepped outside the orphanage.
The difference from back then was that I couldn't see the sky now. There were no clouds covering it, no sun, no moon, and no stars having risen.
Back then, it was fascinating that concrete structures weren't my entire world, and strange that no matter how many steps I took, I never hit a wall.
I'd been so jealous that there were so many people in the world besides me, and that most of those people seemed happier than I was...
- Smack.
Right before I went off on a pointless emo spiral, I smacked my own cheek. The stinging sensation snapped my dazed mind back into focus. I shook my head back and forth, horrified.
'Should I actually see a psychiatrist?'
As I rubbed my smarting cheek, worry washed over me.
I was sensing a red alert for my mental health.
Of course, the original me wasn't a mentally healthy person either.
I knew my mental state was a wreck, about as stable as a sunfish, but it felt like it had gotten especially worse lately.
Ever since I'd first used Calamity Flame, my emotions had been bursting out suddenly, and when I was training alone at night, tears would sometimes just drip down my face.
'...Is this dangerous?'
The results of the psychological test I took with Professor Liana a few days ago weren't out yet.
I'd decide whether to carve out time to visit a psychiatrist once I saw those results.
I did feel some resistance to the idea of seeing a psychiatrist, but it was certainly a lot better than suddenly going insane and hanging myself.
For superhumans... or rather, for heroes actively working in the field, mental health was a critically important issue.
We weren't ordinary people; we were superhumans. The scale of an individual's power was on another level. If someone with that kind of power lost their mind completely and went berserk, the resulting damage wouldn't be minor.
If they didn't just tilt a bit but properly snapped, they could become a full-fledged villain who caused mass destruction. For heroes, managing mental health was an essential virtue.
As I pressed a water bottle firmly against my cheek and rubbed it, my Spatial Perception picked up that we had transitioned from nature into a city.
I had arrived at my first destination.
.
.
.
My final destination was Sipnaha.
The objective was the Confession Necklace, which could be acquired in a dungeon nearby.
I hadn't thrown away my weekend just to come out here and retrieve a single Confession Necklace. That would be a waste of the time spent setting foot on this land.
Nor was it as if there was nothing to gain during the journey to Sipnaha.
I had planned to consume my entire weekend, stopping by a few Hidden Pieces that should be easy to pick up along the way.
Hidden Piece, high-grade artifact, ｢Jewel of the Lake｣
An artifact in the form of a blue jewel, it converts absorbed mana into water energy.
This water energy possesses properties of purification and recovery, effectively functioning as a semi-permanent healing item.
Such recovery-type artifacts were crucial when sticking to a soloing strategy, and the Jewel of the Lake's effects were so outstanding that I frequented it even in the later iterations.
I remembered the location. Sold as clearance stock at a general store in northern Scotland—
"A crystal orb? Sold off all those handicrafts years ago. There was hardly any demand, so I barely managed to sell 'em as clearance; they were just taking up space."
...Huh.
.
.
.
Hidden Piece, high-grade artifact, ｢Spear of Execution｣
The treasured weapon of a hero who was active during the Chaos Period.
Bound to a hero burning with vengeance against monsters as it wandered battlefields, a series of coincidences imbued the weapon with an Innate Talent that was akin to a curse.
When the spear inflicts a wound, a malevolent energy from the weapon takes root in the injury, hindering recovery and aggravating the wound.
And if that malevolent energy latches on too severely, it can even trigger lethal complications.
Its description is chilling, but when it comes to killing things, its effectiveness is superb. Stabbing or slashing most monsters with it inflicts permanent losses.
Just as I recalled, it was shoved in a corner of a small weapons shop in the Scottish map region. People simply hadn't identified the weapon's function, having lost its light due to the curse.
I'd frequented it since the 9th Iteration—
"Ah, right. This place was a smithy that also sold armaments until about ten years ago, I believe. I heard they liquidated their stock and relocated because business was poor."
What...
.
.
.
...Hidden Piece, material item, ｢Bicorn's Horn｣
A byproduct of the Bicorn, a rare Mythical Species, its horn is steeped in a sinister energy, making it a troublesome material to handle.
It's merely troublesome; with skill, a crafter can use it usefully.
While I'm a greenhorn who barely grasped the basics of crafting, my plan includes someone who will teach me crafting techniques.
If I commission that person, they could make me a decent weapon. Or I could hold onto it and sell it later.
The method of acquisition was—
"I'll sell it for this price. How about it? Over here, it's nothing more than something to carry around as a decoration, but I imagine from your side's perspective, it's quite a useful material. Wouldn't this price be reasonable?"
'Oh.'
I hadn't expected much. Even without dwelling on the previous two failures, the Bicorn's Horn was the type of Hidden Piece that was hard to get even if you wanted it.
I nodded vigorously, then fished banknotes out of my pocket. Despite technological advancement, the marketplace still preferred paper currency.
"A pleasure doing business."
- Nod.
Same for me. The price was a bit, no, by my standards, exorbitantly expensive, but it was cheap compared to the weapon that could be made from this horn.
I nodded and stretched out my hand. As I snatched up the horn, distinguished by its dark, blackish hue—
- Woom!?
The moment it touched my hand, the Bicorn's Horn let out a resonance, as if aghast. It was a fatal-sounding vibration, like it had touched something it absolutely shouldn't have.
I felt the same. I'd held back a bizarre nausea to grasp it, but then something fundamental from within me rejected that horn.
The horn's energy and mine clashed several times. The horn trembled precariously, then in an instant, it crumbled into powder with a soft rush.
"......"
"......"
The black powder, piled high on the seller's hand, fluttered gently away on the wind that blew through.
An untimely silence settled.
The seller's eyebrow also twitched faintly. He rubbed the powdery residue left on his own hand, then spoke in a timid voice.
"...There was nothing wrong with the merchandise."
The hell? So, you're saying the problem's with me? A throbbing pain stabbed at my head.
I hate the world...
* * *
[The ｢Curse of Beauty's Misfortune｣ invites misfortune, and misfortune comes calling.]
[Vitality Energy is consumed by the ｢Curse of Beauty's Misfortune｣.]