Status Window(?)
Status Window(?)
It was impossible to tell exactly when we emerged from the maze, but more than half a day had passed since we first fell into it.
The Princess and I kept up our strength by eating the food in our pockets, which had been useless until now.
Beside the maze's exit was a staircase leading upward, and directly ahead stood a massive iron door.
"What should we do?"
I left the decision to the Princess.
She looked from the staircase leading up to the massive iron door, then approached the door.
"Katrin will be safe."
She had no certainty, but it seemed she had decided to believe it.
A lot of time had already passed. Even if we searched for Katrin after checking behind the iron door, the outcome wouldn't change.
She probably had the same thought, but believing Katrin was alive seemed better than dwelling on such realities.
"I will open it."
I stepped in before the Princess could touch the door.
An escort was an escort, after all. I had to protect the Princess.
It was a large iron door that looked plain but solid.
I placed my hand on it. Fortunately, there were no traps.
'It isn't locked, is it?'
The door looked extremely heavy, so I channeled mana and pushed with all my strength.
Rumble.
Fortunately, the door wasn't locked.
It opened slowly, scraping along the floor.
Once it had opened wide enough, the Princess and I stepped inside.
We stared blankly at what lay beyond the door.
We looked left and right, then up and down.
"...There is nothing here."
Just as the Princess said, the space beyond the iron door was completely empty.
It was a modest underground plaza, with walls and floors properly finished in smooth, flat stone.
Nothing remained inside.
There were no treasures, artifacts, or weapons.
There was only a single black orb atop a tall pedestal in the center.
"There's nothing here... And to think people had to die for this."
The Princess muttered despondently.
I felt just as despondent, but there was still one last thing I wanted to check.
"Please wait a moment."
I said to the Princess and walked to the center of the plaza.
A black orb, covered in a thick layer of dust, sat alone atop a waist-high pedestal.
It looked like a completely useless object, but I still wanted to place my hand on it.
I carefully placed my hand on the orb.
There was no reaction whatsoever.
I waited a little longer.
Still, nothing changed.
"Turn on, activate, loading... Open sesame."
I even tried a few random phrases, but nothing changed.
Was it just a decoration?
But the orb was the only thing left in the room.
Just as I sighed and was about to give up, I remembered something in my pocket.
'There was the ring!'
I pulled out the ring and held it against the orb.
'As expected, this isn't it?'
The orb showed no change, but I wasn't disappointed.
Rings were meant to be worn on fingers.
I took the signet ring out of my pocket and slipped it onto my finger.
Then I placed my hand back on the orb.
Hum.
That was it!
It felt as though I could hear something starting up inside my head.
The next moment, a voice sounded inside my head.
[Administrator authentication confirmed.
You have accessed the Hero Management System.
This management system is managed by the 12th Reserve Ego.
Currently, connection to the Central Ego cannot be established.
Due to prolonged non-access, this Ego's functions are degrading. It may shut down at any moment, so please handle the connection with caution.]
Good grief. A voice that sounded like an AI echoed inside my head.
And if it was an Ego, did that mean it was an artifact capable of thought?
There were rumors that one of the heroes wielded an Ego weapon, but they had never been confirmed.
[Confirmed that the user possesses hero abilities.
Problem detected!
The user is not a standard hero.]
Did 'hero ability' refer to inherited abilities? Or did it mean the abilities of the ancestors who fought during the Great War?
[The currently connected administrator possesses fragmented, incomplete hero abilities. Information update is possible through this management system. Would you like to update the information?]
Listening further, I could roughly understand what it meant.
The hero abilities this Ego mentioned referred to the supernatural powers used by the heroes during the Great War, and the fragmented, incomplete ability referred to the inherited ability I possessed.
Just as the Ego said, the abilities nobles inherited were merely partial traits passed down from the powers of their hero ancestors.
I roughly understood the previous explanation, but I couldn't make sense of what the 'information update' meant.
It sounded as though it would do something, so I had to decide whether to accept or decline.
There was nothing else to take from here anyway. If I declined, I'd leave with nothing.
Then I'd accept.
I recalled the novels I'd read in my past life. In times like this, wasn't I supposed to think 'Yes'?
[Approved. Please be advised that you may experience pain during the update.]
Wait, hold on. Pain?
Flash.
Lightning flashed and fireworks exploded inside my head.
'Keu-ugh.'
My face twisted at the sudden surge of pain.
Fortunately, it didn't last long.
Once the pain subsided, the voice sounded again.
[Information update completed. To check, please recall your ability.]
Recall my ability? It must mean my inherited ability, right?
I recalled the inherited ability I possessed.
The ability named 'Physical Optimization'. It strengthened the body.
Everyone said it was mediocre, but it was actually a pretty decent ability.
By the way, what would happen if I recalled it?
Flare!
At that moment, a message window appeared before my eyes.
< Knight-type Hero Ability User >
< Usable Abilities >
- Physical Optimization: Grade 15
- Mana Circuit Construction Method: Unsealing
- Mana Resonance: Unsealing
- Sealed
- Sealed
'No way, a status window?!'
It showed me a message window right when I was born. Man, if you were going to show me this, you should have done it from the start.
Come to think of it, it looked more like a skill window than a status window.
I examined the contents displayed before my eyes.
First off, 'Physical Optimization' was an inherited ability passed down from the First King Carlos.
Then <Knight-type Hero Ability User> must refer to the First King Carlos.
And 'Physical Optimization' underneath it was the ability I possessed.
But the two abilities listed below it weren't powers I had.
' mana Circuit Construction Method' definitely referred to a Mana Cultivation Technique. Did I have this?
What I possessed was the Mana Cultivation Technique that the knights were learning...
Ngh, so that was why there was quite a gap between the knights' Mana Cultivation Technique and mine.
Then did 'Mana Resonance' refer to my ability to perceive mana?
Yet both of these unfamiliar abilities were labeled 'Unsealing'.
Since their levels hadn't properly unlocked, that meant I couldn't use them properly yet.
It was an unexpected harvest.
I'd thought an absurd status window had popped up, but information like this was immensely helpful to me.
On top of that, there were two abilities listed as Sealed under Usable Abilities.
Could I use those abilities marked as Sealed, too?
I felt like my wishful-thinking engines were revving at full throttle.
But I calmed down and took another look.
The 'Grade 15' next to Physical Optimization likely represented the level I'd reached through training and battles over all this time.
[Would you like to change Grade to Level?]
The voice echoed the moment I thought of 'level'.
It was surprisingly user-friendly for an Ego, though I didn't like how it pried into my thoughts.
When I thought 'Yes' again, the window changed.
...
- Physical Optimization: Level 15
...
The problem was that I felt the pain again.
No matter how I looked at it, this window seemed to have been created by referencing the contents of my mind.
I needed to be careful about making changes.
But at that moment, a thought surfaced in my head.
'Wait, 'Physical Optimization' isn't my only ability.'
[New abilities detected. Would you like to update the information?]
Sigh. That voice came again the instant I thought it.
I'd just told myself to be careful, but this couldn't be helped.
Pain surged through me once more, and the information window updated.
< Knight-type Hero Ability User >
< Usable Abilities >
- Physical Optimization: Level 15
- Mana Circuit Construction Method: Unsealing
- Mana Resonance: Unsealing
- Sealed
- Sealed
< Unauthorized Abilities >
- Mana Materialization: Level 1
- Death Regression: Level 1
When I came to my senses, the abilities I possessed had been added.
Then a loud voice rang out inside my head.
[Hero violates established protocols!
Multiple hero abilities detected from the user.
Irregulars must be reported to the Central Ego.
Reconnection to Central Ego failed!
Reconnection to Central Ego failed!
Reconnection to Central Ego failed!
Cannot connect to the Central Ego.
Reporting aborted.]
The Ego went into a frenzy all on its own before finally falling silent.
I was startled by the sudden commotion, too.
It seemed like a major problem, but so much time had passed that it caused no real trouble.
Still startled, I patted my chest and examined the newly added abilities.
Mana Materialization was definitely the ability I'd obtained through the dagger Katrin gave me.
Considering it had such an effect at Level 1, I realized just how crappy Physical Optimization was.
If my level hadn't risen quickly, I might still be tumbling around with the apprentice knights to this day.
And since I, who could only use it with a dagger, was Level 1, Katrin—who could use the ability with her shield, too—was definitely Level 2.
And Death Regression must refer to my regression ability.
I hadn't expected my regression ability to be listed here, too.
I'd thought it was my own miracle, distinct from inherited abilities.
Honestly, I felt a little disappointed.
'Wait, 'Death Regression' has a level, too. Don't tell me Death Regression can be enhanced further as well?'
I didn't know how to raise its level or what its effects were, but the mere fact that it had a level filled me with anticipation.
'Is there anything else?'
Just as I was about to check whether there was anything else after reviewing the full ability window, the voice echoed in my head once again.
[Thank you for your service.]
The voice was somehow different from before. Instead of sounding rigid, it seemed to carry at least a faint trace of emotion.
[Due to excessive information updates and multiple connection attempts to the Central Ego, this Ego has exceeded its operational lifespan limit.]
Wait, hold on. I just connected a moment ago!
[I have waited alone for far too long. Having fulfilled my final duty now, I shall rest.]
As if responding to my complaint, the Ego calmly delivered its final words inside my head.
[I wish good fortune to the new hero.]
The moment its final farewell ended, I could tell that my connection with the Ego had been severed.
Fortunately, the information window didn't disappear.
Just like message windows, I could close the information window and bring it back whenever I needed it.
I'd come seeking treasures or artifacts, but ended up with an unexpected result.
To be honest, it was a gift I preferred far more than any artifact.
I took my hand off the orb, which now had nothing left inside it.
"Was there something?"
Huh? Less time seemed to have passed than I'd thought.
To the Princess, it must have looked like I'd simply placed my hand on the orb and then taken it away.
I shrugged at the Princess's question.
I could tell her about the map, but what I'd just gained wasn't something I could easily tell anyone about.
"Then let's hurry and go find Katrin."
The Princess regained her spirits and turned to head upstairs.
Just then, Katrin's voice echoed from the open iron door.
"Princess?"
Katrin was standing in front of the door.