[SYSTEM ALERT]
[Memory Fragment Recovered: 1/7]
[Source: The First Rebellion]
[Advancement Criteria Met.]
[Consume the Tier 2 Ether Crystal to begin.]
[Rank Up Available: Tier 2 – The Morningstar]
Lucian stared at the glowing blue text floating in the darkness of his room. He didn't hesitate. He didn't pace around the room or weigh the pros and cons. He simply sat up in his bed, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out the Tier 2 Devil Core he had harvested from the Shadow Devil.
It pulsed with a cold, malevolent rhythm.
Wait, Lucian thought, pausing with the crystal inches from his lips. Don't I need a ritual?
According to Old Man Uriel, advancing to Tier 2 usually required a specific ceremony. For the Path of Pride, he had assumed he would need to make a powerful enemy kneel or perhaps kill someone of high status.
Is it just collecting memories? he wondered, frowning. Is the System bypassing the laws of the world because of what I am?
He felt a flicker of confusion, but the hunger for power outweighed the skepticism. If the System said he was ready, he was ready.
He opened his mouth and swallowed the crystal whole.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then, his blood turned into liquid nitrogen.
"Ghh—!"
Lucian clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle a scream. It didn't burn; it froze. A terrifying, absolute chill exploded from his stomach, rushing through his veins like shards of glass.
His skin began to glow. Thin, intricate lines of royal blue light traced their way up his arms, across his chest, and up his neck, glowing through his clothes. It looked as if his body was cracking like porcelain under too much pressure.
He rolled off the bed, hitting the floor with a thud, his body convulsing. The pain was blinding—a complete restructuring of his very DNA. It felt as if something massive was trying to fit inside a container that was too small.
Get out... get out...
He clawed at the floorboards, his vision swimming in blue static.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. The cold receded, leaving behind a sensation of limitless power thrumming beneath his skin.
Lucian lay on his back, panting heavily, sweat soaking his shirt. A fresh blue screen popped into his vision.
[Congratulation.]
[One of the Seven Deadly Sins stirs from its slumber.]
[You have reached Tier 2.]
[STATUS UPDATE]
Sequence: The Sin of Pride (Forbidden).
Class: The Morningstar (Tier 2).
Patron: The Seventh Prince (Status: Dormant/Lucifer).
[SKILL UPGRADES]
King's Pressure (Lvl 2): Range increased from 5 meters to 20 meters. The gravity effect now scales with the user's emotional state.
Shadow Weave (Lvl 2): Can now repair major organ damage using the shadows of the deceased.
[PASSIVE TRAITS]
The Sin of Pride: User is immune to Fear and Mental Corruption from entities of the same or lower Tier.
Constraint: The User cannot Beg, Bow, or Flee in disgrace.
Lucian sat up, reading the lines carefully. He flexed his hand. The blue veins had faded, but he could feel the energy coursing through them.
I got a range upgrade and better healing, he thought, narrowing his eyes. But no new offensive power?
He frowned, disappointment settling in. What a waste of a lethal ordeal. I almost died on this floor, and all I got was a range extender?
He mentally criticized the System, feeling cheated.
But as if the System had heard his insult, the screen flickered violently. A new notification expanded, the text glowing a darker, more ominous blue.
[CRITICAL ALERT]
[You have assimilated 1 of 7 Memory Fragments.]
[The Sin of Pride rewards arrogance with absolute defense.]
[NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED]
[Name: Event Horizon (Lvl 2)]
Description: An infinite distance brought to reality.
Effect: No physical or magical attack can touch the user without their consent. Even the rain will not reach your skin unless you allow it.
Limitation: Currently effective only against entities of the Same or Lower Tier.
Special Note: Due to the nature of the Pride Sequence, this ability may occasionally resist Tier 3 attacks depending on the User's confidence.
Lucian froze. He read the description three times.
Event Horizon...
"No one can touch me?" he whispered to the empty room. "An absolute barrier?"
He held out his hand. He focused. The air around his palm seemed to distort, like heat haze on a summer road. It wasn't a wall; it was a distortion of space. Anything that tried to touch him would simply have to travel an infinite distance to get there.
It was broken. Completely unfair.
But then, his eyes drifted to the line above it.
[One of the Seven Deadly Sins is closer to awakening.]
The excitement of the new power was instantly replaced by a cold dread.
Awakening? Lucian thought, rubbing his chest. Is it going to awaken... inside me?
The idea of sharing his body with an ancient entity—one that had fought Gods two thousand years ago—made him shiver. He didn't want a roommate. He didn't want to be possessed.
Two souls can't exist in one body, he reasoned, trying to calm his racing heart. Unless I am slowly being replaced.
Before he could spiral further into existential panic, a heavy, rhythmic knocking sounded at his door.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Lucian snapped out of his trance. He checked the clock. It was barely dawn.
He walked to the door, the floorboards creaking, and pulled it open.
Standing in the hallway, looking like he was about to collapse from exhaustion, was Arthur Uther Pendragon. The man was wearing a heavy trench coat and holding a travel bag that looked empty.
"Sir Arthur?" Lucian asked, blinking. "Why are you here this early?"
Arthur yawned, a sound that cracked his jaw. He leaned against the doorframe, eyes half-closed.
"Well, hello there, Lucian. Good morning," Arthur mumbled, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I hope you packed your sunscreen."
"Hah?" Lucian stared at him. "What do you mean? Sunscreen?"
Arthur sighed, looking pained that he had to explain something so early in the morning.
"Hope you are ready for a long travel, kid. You, me, and one other person."
"Travel where?" Lucian asked, his guard going up. "I just advanced. I have things to test."
"You can test them on the water," Arthur said, opening one eye to look Lucian directly in the face. The playfulness was gone for a split second. "We are going to the Sapphire Expanse."
Lucian's eyes widened. "The Sea?"
"Well, to be fair," Arthur scratched his messy hair, "The Crown calls it the Sapphire Expanse. But the rest of the world has a different name for it."
Arthur smirked, a sleepy, dangerous smile.
"We're going to pirate territory, Lucian. The Archipelago of Drift."