Kop stood at the entrance of the crystal-ravaged battlefield, his eyes wide open and mouth slightly ajar, a faint wind tugging at the loose strands of his coat. All around him, shattered corpses of Crystalvores—jagged, broken, glimmering—lay in warped silence. But his gaze locked specifically on two mangled peak Rank 2s lying right beside Denwen, who stood there with glowing crystal arms and the posture of someone who just killed a god.
"You didn't say you were such a monster in battle," Kop finally muttered, slowly stepping in, scanning the terrain as though still unsure if it was all real.
Denwen shifted awkwardly.
"Didn't you say you were a mid-rank one? And weren't you literally getting chased around by peak Rank 1 Scions a few hours ago?" Kop said, rubbing his chin, suspicion flickering across his usually jovial features. "How… on Velos… did that even happen?"
Denwen took a half step back, suddenly unsure if the real boss fight was about to start now.
"Ohhh, you're scared now?" Riven's voice whispered gleefully in his mind. "Do I smell secrets? Is this the moment where your mentor turns into your interrogator-slash-babysitter?"
Before Denwen could decide on a proper response, Kop exhaled and waved him off.
"Argh, never mind. Would be too much of a drag to poke around in your business," he said with a dismissive flick of the hand. "Besides, mystery kids are always the fun ones."
The tension slowly ebbed.
"You were able to handle the Rank 5 boss?" Denwen asked, clearly trying to shift the topic.
Kop grinned and tipped his straw hat to hang loosely behind his neck. "And I see you did a pretty damn good job with the little ones it summoned like some screeching child before bedtime. It was calling them like a bitch about to die—hilarious, really!"
"H-How long were you watching?" Denwen said, his voice rising an octave as realization struck.
"Uhhh…" Kop scratched his cheek. "Pretty much right after the death-cry. I finished early, figured you'd need backup. Came rushing in ready to do a big heroic rescue—only to find you casually disassembling rank 2 disasters like they owed you money."
Riven burst out laughing.
"Ohhhh he saw the whole thing! That little flip you did while your leg was hanging by essence threads! Hahaha! Iconic!"
Kop's eyes twinkled. "Also, that crystal skill of yours—it's crystal-based, right? Matches those Crystalvores too much to be coincidence. Crystal skills are rare, even rarer when someone uses them like that. From what I saw, your proficiency's at least Level 2… maybe Level 3. So…" He leaned in, practically vibrating with curiosity. "How long have you had it?"
Denwen didn't answer. Instead, he winced and clutched at his still-pulsing crystal arm. The limb, though beautifully formed, shook like a glitching construct.
"Ouch…" he groaned.
Kop's tone immediately shifted. "Hmm. Yeah, keeping up those constructs as replacements for real limbs—especially while your nerves are still fried—must be draining your essence and cooking your brain like a scrambled egg."
A high-grade green potion appeared in his hand, flicking it toward Denwen.
"Here, drink up. High-grade restoration potion. Don't waste a drop," he said with a sigh, and then, with a wide grin, added, "But now you owe me a favor. So… y'know… small debt. No biggie."
Denwen's eye twitched as he caught the vial. "I knew there was a catch."
He popped the cork and gulped it. Immediately after, he deactivated Crystal Manifestation. The crystal limb shattered, clinking to the ground like glass bells, revealing open wounds that shimmered unnaturally—but they didn't stay open long.
The potion pulsed through him, working instantly.
Bones reformed with smooth efficiency. Muscles and tendons wrapped around them, nerves stitched together with a painless heat. Finally, skin closed over it all like silk drawn tight.
Riven floated beside the process like a disinterested consultant. "Hmph. If he knew about your innate ability, he wouldn't have wasted that green juice. You could've held that construct form indefinitely. Plus, you looked cooler with it on. Edgier. Mysterious. Now you look… normal."
"Shut up," Denwen muttered under his breath.
Kop blinked in awe. "Wow… that was fast. Even a Rank 5 wouldn't heal that quickly."
Denwen raised a brow. "Isn't that just the potion doing its thing?"
Kop shook his head. "Nah. Potions scale with the quality of the essence in your core. The purer it is, the faster and stronger they work. And from what I just saw… that's ridiculously pure. Enough to drive some royals into a frenzy."
He studied Denwen closely, his gaze no longer casual but analytical, almost predatory.
'This kid… He survived essence drift. Woke up with a freakishly refined affinity. Crystal law? Rare. A proficiency jump like that? Unheard of. He's not just talented. He's something else. Something terrifying.' Kop's grin slowly faded into a hum of thought. 'Is he even human?'
'Truly in this world there are geniuses and among geniuses there are monsters but this kid could be even more than that, I can't wait to see what kind of whirlpool you would stir in the world as you grow, hahaha' he said with a wide grin looking at Denwen who for some reason stood frozen staring into space.
Meanwhile, Denwen stood frozen, eyes wide, staring into space.
Kop waved a hand in front of his face. "Kid?"
Denwen didn't respond. He was reading.
[System Notification]
Host: Denwen Amun Ra
Race: Human
Rank: Peak Rank 2
Experience Points: 10,000
{Stats}
➤ Strength: 820 +50
➤ Agility: 700 +70
➤ Stamina: 750 +20
➤ Vitality: 800 +100
➤ Essence: Undefined
{Laws}
➤ Crystal Law [20% Level 2 Assimilation]
{Skills}
➤ Prime Algorithm (Locked)
➤ 50% Crystal Immunity
➤ Level 3 Crystal Manifestation
➤ Level 1 Prism Shard Volley
{Innate Ability}
➤ Level 1 Boundless
{Artifacts}
➤ Empty
{Nexus Vault}
➤ Dungeon Vault
➤ Martial Vault
{Advancement Requirements}
➤ Assimilate 8 Level 2 Crystal Laws to reach 100% Level 2 Assimilation
➤ Assimilate a Level 3 Crystal Law to unlock next stage
➤ Assimilate 5 laws to Level 3 to level up
________________________________________
"You got a few stat boosts," Riven said, floating beside the menu screen. "Must've been from the assimilation earlier. You're bulkier now. Stronger. And possibly even prettier."
"Ri—" Denwen started aloud.
"No no, don't say my name like some peasant, you can speak to me through your mind, do you need to tell the world about your low IQ," Riven snapped. "Do I need to give you an INT score so you can think properly?"
Denwen twitched.
A vein pulsed on his temple.
"You're testing me…"
Before he could react, a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
"Kid, was there something wrong with the potion?" Kop asked, concern evident.
Riven howled with laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Now you've got the strong guy thinking you're mentally unstable! Bravo! Brilliant social maneuvering!"
Denwen closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
"Uhm," he finally said aloud, "nothing's wrong. Just… thinking about the stress of retrieving my loot." He gestured at the battlefield of shattered disasters.
Riven snorted. "You liar. You're plotting my demise. I can feel it."
Kop raised a brow but let it go. "Well, come on then, Monster-Slayer. Let's get to looting before more of those walking chandeliers show up."
Denwen took a breath and followed.
Behind him, Riven whispered mockingly, "Next time, remember… I am the system interface. If I die, so do your skills."
"…Then I'll learn the old-fashioned way."
"Ohhh, spicy. I love it."
Kop chuckled as the two walked off, unaware—or perhaps too amused to care—that a new storm was already brewing