OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 385: Misunderstandings Galore

Chapter 385: Misunderstandings Galore

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"Well, as you're aware, darling, all Celestials-save for Spell Weavers and Arcanists-are limited to a maximum of ten abilities. But, reach Class-Three, and you'll find a little surprise: an extra ability is granted."

Ms. Queen spoke slowly, her eyes scanning my features as best the fog allowed.

"But how does it work, you may ask? It's quite simple, really. They don't unlock this ability themselves; instead, it's bestowed upon them by an external source..."

My head throbbed with sharp pain.

...as a blessing..."

The throbbing intensified, pounding against my skull.

"...from what you call..."

The pain continued to build, like a vise tightening around my mind.

"...a Primordial..."

My vision blurred, and the agony surged through me.

"...a Class-One."

Then, boom!

The pain went haywire, reaching its peak.

It was as if a lightning bolt struck directly into my brain, sending shockwaves of torment through every fiber of my being, burning my every nerve.

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!'

Inwardly, I screamed, yet I couldn't hear that scream, the pain took all that my mind could give, enduring each wave that was more brutal than the last.

Outwardly, I showed nothing.

My face remained stoic, giving no hint of the pain that threatened to shatter my mind.

The rest spoke, or so I believed, as I could only hear a distant murmur against the roar in my head.

I couldn't confirm that even if I wanted to.

My eyes... they no longer saw anything.

Not because I closed them shut, but because I had turned blind.

The world around me had spun, and the edges of my vision kept blurring until I saw white and nothing but.

In that blindness, each second stretched into an eternity, the pain unrelenting.

I was afraid that they had caught on to my act, that I began to show my pain, and that only worsened it.

It was as though invisible claws were raking through my brain, leaving trails of fire in their wake.

I could feel my heart up to my throat as I inhaled and exhaled, breathing becoming a conscious effort.

It felt like I was being pulled apart at the seams...

But I fought to stay grounded, to keep my mind from splintering.

I wouldn't die from this, that much I knew after hearing her words, but it truly felt otherwise.

Eventually however, after 'Gods' know how long, the intensity began to wane.

Slowly, it disappeared, leaving behind a dull, throbbing ache as I tried to gather my thoughts, piece by painful piece.

Blessings. Souls. Primordials. Class-Ones.

Those words echoed in my mind over and over.

After the tenth round of echos, I understood that the reason why I didn't die was different than what I had thought seconds ago.

While I already knew of the eleventh ability, the unique one, I didn't know that it came from a blessing.

But I did have a hint.

[Special Achievement: Joined The Game. Unlock Rather Than Receive Unique Ability.]

When I swallowed the blue and red pills that I stole from Arthur, I also stole his achievements, and this was one of them.

The wording was important.

'Unlock rather than receive.'

That was why I was still alive.

I had already known half of it beforehand, so the pain was 'lessened.'

Not only that, it must've also been a result of me figuring out that souls became significant when reaching the Archon rank.

Godhood, a concept I still didn't fully understand, might have played a role as well.

So in simpler terms, I knew of its existence and its general framework, but not the specifics.

Blessings were an actual thing, and they directly interacted with the soul.

Everything was falling into place now, filling in most of the puzzle.

But then, that brought up the question of how I unlocked the unique ability if it was meant to be bestowed upon me as a blessing.

The answer to that was simple.

I had the blood of a Primordial, a God.

What was a mere blessing compared to the very blood of a God?

'Hmm... It seems like Arthur's luck rubbed off me a little.'

This had confirmed another thing as well.

{Ability is not of the ten but is something ingrained into your being.}

Back then, we guessed that this was a passive ability connected to the soul.

We were correct.

And what was the only passive ability that I had?

No, it wasn't Temporal Perception.

It was the ability that I got before that, on the very day that I was born.

The ability that allowed me to glimpse at the Scripts.

Though it didn't feel like it, that was a blessing from the Lady Of Time.

'...Oh?'

Now that I had realized that, my soul had also 'told' me its name.

{Eyes Of The Author}

It was quite fitting.

Like always, my soul knew how to name things best, people ought to learn-

"Mr. Player, could you possibly tell me if he's... dead?"

Ms. Queen's words cut through the fog in my mind, stopping my musings and bringing me

back to the present.

'Damn, I was too lost in my thoughts.'

I straightened, pushing the remnants of pain to the back of my mind.

'It's time to act.'

***

"I'm fine; do you really think I'd die from that?"

Emir said indifferently, casually leaning his head on his left hand.

This immediately put all six Archons on high alert.

His killing intent was obvious as was his defensive demeanor.

It was as if he was a lion whose tail had just been stepped on.

Ms. Queen's mouth formed an 'o' of surprise, thinking that he might've come close to death,

given that he hadn't spoken for the past ten seconds.

'...He's fine?'

She let out a sigh of relief that was heard by all.

"...You... you worried me a little."

He waved away her words with the back of his hand, dismissing her concern.

"Don't lie. You actually went through with it knowing that I could be a Seraphim."

Ms. Queen wasn't lying.

She was sincerely worried.

When she last made Emir promise to live long, it wasn't for show.

In fact, she had never thought that he was Seraphim.

She just wanted to confirm what she felt that day when they shoved him into the black room.

This 'trap' was a misunderstanding on Emir's side, as he didn't know of his sudden and insane increase in strength.

Ms. Queen caught on to that and was about to explain herself, but he cut her off before she

could so:

"There's no need for excuses. I get it, I wouldn't want to work with someone so weak either."

'But I don't feel that way!'

She really wanted to scream that aloud, but seeing how Mr. Pawn acted, she backed off, giving

him time to process what just happened.

In that silence, she also attempted to process what she learned.

'So he really is a Third?'

The Archon rank had three sub-ranks, as was usual in the Celestial Hierarchy, with the Apex

Major rank being the only exception.

Emperor, Sovereign, and Monarch.

When the 'veil' covering his strength was lifted, Mr. Pawn was revealed as a Monarch.

But she could not believe that someone would gain such strength before learning the

embodiment method.

Especially not at such a young age.

That had to be a result of his corruption.

Mr. Pawn being a Sovereign was hard to believe for the same reason mentioned above, but...

Talent was a terrifying thing.

If it was possible, it could happen even if the probability was almost zero.

This universe was unfathomably big, and compared to it, probability was meaningless.

His being an Emperor didn't even cross her mind.

The purity of his blood would have to be extremely high and be filled with corruption for such

an impossible jump in rank.

'Direct descendants no longer exist. Hunted. So if he's of the first sub-rank then...'

Ms. Queen tapped her chin.

'He'd be a fifth-generation descendant.'

Surprised at the implications of her own thoughts, she quickly dismissed them and decided to

deem him as a Third-Class Second Sub-Rank, a Sovereign.

One could only imagine her reaction if she knew the truth-that he was actually a fourth-

generation descendant.

This meant that between the Sultan of Sands and himself were only three generations...

The Sultan was his great-great-grandfather.

Such knowledge wasn't known to anyone but Emir and Lyra as they had checked his DNA after

the whole Aria debacle and discovered that his lineage was surprisingly short, extending only

to three.

Thankfully, Emir was careful not to spill anything, but in his extremely humble opinion, none

of his words or actions mattered...

'Not in front of him.'

For Mr. Player already knew.

Unarguably, it had to be one of the main reasons he was invited.

Every person at the table belonged somewhere only accessible to them.

So he must've known of Emir's blood connection since the start. Previously, Emir thought it was because he was from Earth, but now it made a lot more sense.

'...That's why 'She' said that he's interested in me.'

'As always, things were never free and will never be.'

Yet that didn't make him suspicious of Mr. Player, it did the opposite.

Emir wasn't invited for a reason with low substance, like him being talented or a man from

Earth, but because of the potential of him connecting with Najmat Al-Khulud, providing Mr. Player a window to that world.

He didn't know how exactly, but Setrenc's host would benefit from him being there.

Besides, there had to be another reason as well.

One that he knew not off... a reason that somehow compensated for his lack of strength.

So with all that in mind, Emir decided to make a move.

He needed to confirm his findings.

Showing a calm smile, he looked up, and his eyes landed on Mr. Player's throne.

"Might I ask for a private talk, Mr. Player?"