Surviving in my Own Unpublished Failed Novel

Chapter 78 Different Eyes

[Due to making a Chaos Companion, the Egg??? hatch rate increased to...]

[By meeting an unknown condition, the Egg??? hatch rate increased to 1%.]

[With the blessings of the Egg???, your Nihility Trait has been strengthened.]

[You will no longer appear in the World of the Past.]

The second day of the 40th Emergence celebration has quickly come to an end like the fleeting memories of old. Russell — who was sitting on a couch where a meal was placed atop the rectangular glass table — repeatedly browsed the System messages he received as various questions surfaced in his mind.

Even though he granted his younger sister the Chaos Trait through his Unique Skill: Chaos Buff, the hatch rate of the mysterious Egg didn't even go up by half a percent, but after he granted Amery, the Egg's hatch rate increased to exactly 1%. That's considered a great leap!

What is the unknown condition that made the hatch rate increase to 1%?

By using the Chaos Buff to Amery, thus giving her the Chaos Trait, or was it something else?

He recalled what the Goddess said before... To keep an eye on her when he met her during the Disciplinary Trial Exam that his younger sister took. Since then, the Goddess didn't say anything about Amery anymore...

'As if 'She' left the judgment to me...'

After pondering for some time, he decided to just let it go, for now, although the Goddess helped him anytime, it doesn't mean that 'She' will answer everything.

'Tsk...'

He recalled when he asked the Goddess if the Time Difference in the Chaos Training Grounds can be increased, but he received a response asking him to stop asking stupid questions.

After a minute or two, he read the last System message.

'World of the Past, huh...'

As an author of the unpublished novel in his previous life, he knew very well what the World of the Past meant.

It is the Illusory world that can be accessed and traversed by players with authorities related to time, and one of the best examples is Emmanuel Lyncoster that has the Authority of Backward Clairvoyance thanks to his Constellation [One Who Oversees the Past].

'It means he won't be able to see me in the World of the Past... I wonder what it'd looked like... It would appear like a 3D video but with a missing character.'

A self-deprecating laugh escaped from Russell's lips as he thought of such scenes. He thought that it would be better to have the strengthened Nihility trait, in the long run, to avoid getting suspected or caught of whatever might happen in the future.

'But it would be troublesome if I don't appear in the World of the Future.'

He was grateful that his strengthened Nihility only makes him disappear from the World of the Past because if he cannot be seen in the World of the Future, that would be extremely troublesome.

The difference between the ability to peek into the past and the future is that peeking into the past needed a valid reason to do so, but peeking into the future might cause him to be collateral of such ability... This means that whenever a person with the ability to peek into the future even for seconds saw a particular future without his presence and then contrary to that what that person have visioned, he appeared in that future, shattering the eye that peek through time, twisting the other's authority... intentionally or not wouldn't matter. He would then be questioned with more than a hundred percent certainty.

'How's that woman by the way?'

He thought as he stretched out his right hand, grabbing the favorite bacon sandwich he made before biting a portion of it. Russell was thinking about the woman who's being eyed by the Constellation [One Who Peeks On Clock Movement] — Victoria Angelica Rasputin.

'Crossroads...'

Russell muttered inwardly as he remembered the basis for Victoria's last name. She will have the ability to peek into the future... Many paths of fate at that... But that ability will be abused by the Student Council President even after he graduates.

'I wonder if there are changes that will happen... Well, it doesn't matter.'

He and Amelie plan on getting rid of the Student Council President before he becomes more annoying in the future, and he was grateful that Amelie was someone who don't ask too many questions, only the necessary ones. A kind of trust that's like a diamond in the vast desert, especially in this world where power matters the most.

...

After an unknown period of time, finishing his meal, Russell stood up, walked to the kitchen then he noticed a letter atop another table. There are two tables in every dorm room; One in the kitchen, a circular table; and one in the combination of living and bedroom, a rectangular table.

Russell reined in his thoughts as he picked up the letter with girlish calligraphy.

It was from Amelie Rose.

Then, without putting the plate he used on the sink, he opened the letter and read through it.

"Russell, sorry for leaving a letter and not consulting you personally because I don't like appearing in other rooms alone as I feel like I'm intruding. Heh heh. I also don't want to make any unintentional jump-scare pranks.

"By the way, I need your advice because someone from the A-2 class asked for a Challenge of Exchange against me which is scheduled for tomorrow.

"Should I use the skills I gained openly or just fight using my weapon without using any skills?

...

'I don't know whether to laugh or cry because it's also one of my problems right now.'

Although he has the Cull and Cut... another version of Weapon Mastery, and exclusive to him as the Mediator of Chaos, he will appear suspicious if he doesn't use any active skills. He also doesn't plan on reverting his Status Window to its original state at any moment but instead decided to let it stay in the edited version where his rank is F, and his skills are only the basics with a few exceptions.

"Come out."

He said as if he was talking in the air, but after a few seconds, Amelie appeared out of nowhere in her Shade Form where her pink hair became deep black, as well as her red-colored eyes, but as soon as she appeared, she canceled her Unique Skill, reverting into her corporeal form.

...

"Heh heh, sorry..."

Amelie scratched one of her cheeks while avoiding looking at Russell, feeling embarrassed with the somehow weird action she just did.

"It's alright, I appreciate you respecting my privacy.

"By the way, based on your concern, I suggest you buy normal grade skillbooks in the Black Thorn of Rose or maybe use whatever is the Intrinsic Effect of the Staff you usually use or the new staff you receive from the mysterious Egg earlier."

Russell replied casually as he put the plate where the bacon sandwich was a moment ago in the sink before he and Amelie walked to the couch and comfortably sat.

"Normal skillbooks should cost about 300,000 at the minimum in the Black Market...

"And the staff I received has an eerie Intrinsic Effect, so it's out of the question...

"But about the Black Staff with an Eye on its tip, it's a normal-grade weapon with no intrinsic effect. I think this will do it, I'll just edit my Status Window and change my profession to a Battle Mage.

'I'd say one of the effects of the Nihility trait sure is convenient...'

Amelie thought, silently admiring the bizarre trait she receive from Russell.

Russell didn't think much about what Amelie said because he believed in her judgment that wouldn't be detrimental to them, exposing the uniqueness of their professions, although it's still sometimes necessary to seek advice from others, especially from the people she trusts.

...

After some time, the two of them keep talking about various things, it was mostly Amelie asking questions. And under the witness of the bluish moon in the starry night sky where countless stars, seemingly looking down on every possible direction of the seemingly endless Great Universe, Amelie asked an unexpected question.

"Russell, why there are many skills that have the word 'Eye'?"

"You know I used one of the skills I received which is the Eye of the Darkest Spade to other students randomly and saw their Status Windows. I avoided peeking at their weaknesses though.

"Anyway, notable people like the Student Council President, and Ms. Azalea of the Disciplinary Committee possesses skills related to 'Eye'. Haha, I'm just curious."

'Ain't you stalking too much? Should I say to you that I wrote it that way?'

Russell laughed self-deprecatingly in his mind as he thought of the ridiculousness but somehow the smart question of Amelie, who has her lips slightly curled up right now.

From this world's point of view, coincidences were something that became sparse, thus giving birth to countless theories about the Origins of the System or the reason why the Emergence happened.

"Sigh... To be honest with you, I don't know either, but I think it's about the word itself that relates to vision and where the skill came from just like yours which is the Eye of the Darkest Spade that allows you to peek at one's Status Window, but depending on where it came from or who gave it to you, various effects will be added."

Aside from the fact that he wrote it that way in his unpublished considered-failed novel, finding a different reason for the naming of skills especially the ones with similarities would be difficult and might not even have significance in researching it.

'This is a simple yet f*cking-hard-to-answer type of question.'

For some reason, he started to view Amelie's intelligence and curious personality in a new light.

Amelie pondered for a moment before nodding at Russell's words before she bid her goodbye, transforming into her Shade Form — which turned her pink hair and red eyes into deep black like the Spade itself — before passing through the wall, vanishing from Russell's dorm room.

...

"Eyes huh..."

Russell mumbled, left alone in his dorm room while his gaze was cast outside the window, looking at other dorm room windows from afar where some lights were on, some were dim, and some were off before looking above the starry night sky, seeing the beautiful bluish moon that is the embodiment of serenity.

After an unknown period of time, he took a notebook from his Dimensional Inventory and wrote down what he remembered about the kinds of 'Eyes' he wrote in his unpublished novel that the notable characters possessed, at least inside the Obelisk Academy.

Azalea Vermillion – Eye of the Lost Thorn.

Victoria Angelica Rasputin – Eye of the Clock's First Movement Witness.

Arthur Wolfson – Eye of the Gray Puppeteer.

Ayleen Mayfield – Eye of the Dreamer.

Leon von Obreyon – Eye of the Black Calamity.

Rumia Flora – Eye of the Cosmos Wanderer.

Elizabeth von Etherion – Eye of the Vacuum.

Anya Amasawa – Eye of Depravity.

Han Jiho – Eye of the Glorious One.

And lastly... Russell paused for a second, thinking if he should write the name and the skill related to the Eye of the last student he remembers at this moment...

Samantha Hall –

But after a few seconds or so, he retracted his right hand in the notebook, not writing the Eye-related skill that Samantha possesses or will possess.

'That Constellation will surely detect it.'

Although he doesn't know where Samantha's supposed-to-be Constellation is right now, he's certain that 'She' is still alive, tricking the prying eyes of everyone even the Gods and Demons aside from the Goddess of Night or even maybe 'Her' subordinates.

'But the Goddess doesn't care though. Each of them has their own business.'

After heaving a sigh of resignation, changing his mind at this very moment, he wrote the last words in the notebook he brought out.

"Eye of the Self."

The moment he finished writing the Eye-related skill that will be acquired by Samantha, a sound of notification entered his ears, then he gaze at the System message, reading its contents.

[An unknown existence is reacting to what you wrote.]

[Your Nihility Trait has blocked the possible intrusion of the unknown existence.]

'I see... 'She' is weakened for some reason because if She is not, my Nihility trait won't be able to block 'Her'.'

Russell knew very well the power of the Constellation that will make a contract with Samantha... at least in the original story of his unpublished novel.

...

Room 01, Rigel Building.

"Something happened..."

Samantha – who was lying on her bed, hugging a pinkish pillow – felt something in her chest as she mumbled, her soft voice reverberating in her room.