From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Chapter 178: Budding Crystal

Ty's gaze was fixed on his hands, a mixture of astonishment and pain flickering in his eyes as he felt the sting from the brief ignition of flames, despite the black stone still binding his arms. The old man, observing this display, couldn't hide his shock but soon regained his composure.

"So you still can use your powers, huh?" the old man remarked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Doesn't look like much though, if I say so myself. Maybe that's why they were able to capture you so easily." He let out a soft chuckle, adding a layer of irony to the situation.

As the flames faded and Ty's focus wavered, he turned towards the old man, a defensive edge to his voice. "Well, I was only captured because I was caught off guard with some sleep bomb," he explained.

"That's a slow-moving gas, though," the man responded, his tone laced with confusion. "Even the most mid-level fighters could avoid that."

Slightly irked by the man's comments, Ty retorted, "Well, I thought it wouldn't work on me, so I kinda just took it."

"Ah, so dumb and weak, now that's quite the combo and yet to still be alive," the old man said, his voice tinged with a mix of mockery and amusement as he offered a slight laugh.

The blue fairy, growing increasingly annoyed at the old man's jibes, climbed atop Ty's head. Her fingers, still bound by the black stones, gestured animatedly as she spoke. "If he wasn't such an idiot, he could probably kill everyone here," she declared, her voice laced with frustration. "He's just going through some things, that's all," she added, defending Ty despite her annoyance.

Ty, attempting to steer the conversation away from the jabs at his intelligence, addressed the fairy perched on his head. "Fairy girl, you didn't have to agree with him about me being stupid, you know?" He paused for a moment before continuing, "But that's beside the point."

He then turned his attention back to the old man. "You mentioned this place was for people participating in the 'Arena of Life?' If that's the case, then why are you here?"

The old man sighed, a hint of nostalgia and resignation in his voice. "Oh me? Every year, they round up rebels who tried to overthrow the kingdom some 80 years ago or so. They pit us in a battle to the death, and whoever wins is granted the right to live with the nobles inside the capital."

Me however, I got thrown in here due to hurting someone; I'm right around 40 years old, though I stopped counting once the hairs got grey. The old man stated further.

The old man looked at Ty with a curious gaze, trying to piece together the puzzle of this young man's identity. "You see, the main kingdom is more like an entire country that rules over the entire planet. But I'm surprised you don't know this. You can't be less than, what, 18 or 19, looking at your features."

Ty, considering his own history, responded with a hint of uncertainty, "To be honest, I'm not really sure how old I am right now in this skin. But, if I count my total time, I believe I'm right around 25ish."

The old man paused, processing Ty's words. "I hope you understand none of that made any sense to me," he finally said, a touch of bemusement in his tone. "But I'll take it you have some memory problems, is that right?"

Ty, intrigued by the old man's past, pressed on with his questions. "Yes, but more about you, old man. What are you in here for, and what's your deal?" He noticed that the man's hands were bound with gold stones, similar in design to the black stones on his own hands.

The old man gave a wry smile, reminiscing about his past actions. "Oh, well, I refused to kill a certain someone and instead put a maid's hairpin into the general's eye," he said with a slight chuckle, though there was a hint of regret in his tone. "They didn't take too kindly to that. Ripped my eye out about four months ago and threw me into the dungeons while they decided what to do with me."

"Wow, that sounds like quite the fall from grace," Ty remarked, a tone of respect mixed with curiosity in his voice. "Were you some kind of scholar or something?"

The old man's chuckle held a note of irony as he revealed his past. "Oh no, nothing like that. I was the Army's general, in charge of dealing with killing rebels or any nation that tried to rise up and establish themselves." His words carried the weight of a life steeped in conflict and power.

The fairy, listening intently, couldn't hide her shock at his revelation. "Wow, that's kinda harsh," she remarked, her tone reflecting a mix of disbelief and criticism. She then turned to Ty, her expression showing a dawning realization. "Maybe you had a point about not being on our planet anymore, because I know for a fact no pink asshole has attacked our kingdom."

Ty nodded in agreement with the fairy's words, recognizing the urgency of their situation. "Well, at the very least, we need to focus on how to get back and what we can do from here," he said, his voice firm with resolve.

As he spoke, Ty noticed a faint glow emanating from his pocket. Curious, he reached in and pulled out a shard crystal, its light a vivid mix of bright blue and orange. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the crystal – it was the one the Demon King had given him, a relic from a distant, chaotic past.

"How the hell did this get in my pocket?!" Ty exclaimed, his mind racing. The realization hit him hard. "Was the shock of the moment that intense that I never noticed it before in my pocket?"

The old man, observing the crystal in Ty's hand, expressed his curiosity. "What is that?" he asked. "It's rare they leave stuff in on a person's attire, but then again, they also let you keep your weird pet, so maybe they just didn't care," he mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Ty, however, was too absorbed in his own thoughts to respond immediately. He gazed intently at the crystal, lost in contemplation. "I wasn't able to use this before at will, like the last time," he thought to himself. "Maybe it's that word Elithira teased me about often."

"Hey, boy, are you listening to me?" the old man's voice cut through Ty's reverie, pulling him back to the present.

Ty, still holding the crystal, ignored the old man's question. Gripping it tightly, he uttered the word "Reiesencia" with determination. In an instant, the crystal exploded into a dazzling array of light, enveloping the entire cell in blinding brilliance.