What the hell? Richard wondered, not for the first time that day.
That single entry—Stars: 5/7 (+1)—set his nerves ablaze.
He'd always known he had five star glyphs, each one a shining testament to the power that had made him Astralis.
But never seven. And certainly not an extra one floating about in parentheses.
He lifted his gaze from the numbers and focused on the Star section of his system panel, willing it to expand.
The entries materialised in crystalline clarity—each of the stars he'd mastered throughout his rise to power as Astralis.
...
1-Star Glyph: Burst Step
Description: A quick, explosive burst of speed that allows you to dart across short distances or leap into the air with heightened agility.
Requirements: 20 DEX, 15 INT
2-Star Glyph: Astral Ward
Description: Summons a brief protective barrier around you. The ward can absorb a limited amount of physical or magical impact.
Requirements: 30 STR, 30 INT
3-Star Glyph: Celestial Bind
Description: Creates a zone of gravitational distortion, slowing or momentarily rooting enemies in place.
Requirements: 30 STR, 30 DEX, 50 INT, 50 WIS
4-Star Glyph: Starlight Convergence
Description: Channels a powerful surge of energy that can be unleashed either as an offensive beam of light or an explosive pulse centred around you.
Requirements: 70 STR, 50 DEX, 70 INT, 60 WIS
5-Star Glyph: Nova Ascension
Description: Activating all five stars temporarily enhances every aspect of your physical and magical capabilities, while also granting you a limited form of astral manipulation (e.g. shaping the energy into constructs or performing rapid-fire ranged blasts).
Requirements: 100 STR, 100 DEX, 100 INT, 90 WIS
6-Star Glyph: Starfall Convergence
Description: Allows you to channel cosmic energy into the environment, creating a temporary star shower that bombards a focused area with powerful astral strikes. Alternatively, you can direct the barrage at a single target, concentrating the total force of the incoming starfall onto one point.
Requirements: 100 STR, 100 DEX, 130 INT, 110 WIS
7-Star Glyph: Event Horizon
Description: Represents the culmination of your abilities. Event Horizon grants extreme manipulation of astral energy, twisting space around you for a brief time. You create a miniature astral well that pulls in whatever you choose.
Requirements: 150 STR, 130 DEX, 150 INT, 150 WIS
?-Star Glyph: Ophiuchus
Description: ?
Requirements: ?
…
Richard exhaled a long, shaky breath as the system panel hovered before him, its glowing lines bathing his face in a faint silver hue.
His gaze flicked between the two newly revealed entries—Starfall Convergence and Event Horizon—abilities he'd never seen before, never even believed possible.
And then, at the bottom, the enigma that had been reverberating in his head since he woke up.
Ophiuchus.
What the fuck? I almost die, and I get a power-up?
He clenched his fist, the absurdity of his situation still sinking in.
Nine years ago… or is it ten now?
Richard couldn't fathom that so much time had passed.
I didn't even know a sixth glyph existed, he thought, a humourless scoff catching in his throat. Let alone a seventh—and now I apparently have them both unlocked, as well as… Ophiuchus, whatever that is.
Irony stung him.
He—the vaunted Astralis—had once believed the five-star system to be the ultimate manifestation of his power.
Countless battles and accolades had revolved around the idea that Nova Ascension was the pinnacle of his abilities.
Indeed, it had been enough to carve a legend out of his life.
And yet, the system now told him there was more. Much more.
He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he'd had these new abilities just minutes ago—in his perception, at least.
His eyes flicked back to the text for Event Horizon.
The stats alone were staggering.
150 STR, 130 DEX, 150 INT, 150 WIS.
Even by the time he'd confronted that creature of darkness, his stats had barely scraped the threshold for Nova Ascension.
To see that the system demanded even greater heights for these newly unveiled powers?
It was daunting.
"Insane," he muttered under his breath.
He lifted an arm to shield his eyes from the afternoon sun and closed the system panel with a flick of his thoughts, letting the floating text dissolve into motes of silvery light.
Richard could mull over these new star glyphs—and the ominous Ophiuchus—later. Preferably somewhere less exposed than the middle of a sunbaked street.
Already, the day pressed on, and he had the creeping sense that he was being watched, even if only by curious passers-by.
He took a slow, steady breath.
Calm down, Richard. You've made it this far.
Yet a dozen questions still rattled in his mind.
How did I unlock these new glyphs? Where did that Reaper-like creature vanish to?
The memory of its sickly amber eyes gnawed at him, even as the city bustled around him as though none of it had ever happened.
He cast a cautious glance about, then quietly summoned another system window—his Inventory.
At once, a neat grid of items unfurled in the air before him, an impossible compression of belongings he used to keep on himself at all times.
His heart clenched at the sight of his battered mask and his trusty twin daggers.
"What in the world…" he murmured, glancing down at his empty hands.
It made no sense that they were here, tucked away in the intangible space of his inventory—especially after ten years and that disastrous last mission.
Yet there they were.
The daggers' icons bore the familiar star emblem on their hilts. The mask carried the same astral motif.
They were all custom-crafted.
For a moment, a rush of gratitude coursed through him.
At least I'm not entirely defenceless.
The relief was tempered, however, by a surge of fresh questions.
He stepped into the shadow of a nearby archway to avoid prying eyes and examined his possessions again.
I didn't store them before I… died. So how did they appear in my inventory?
He forced the window shut, mindful that he mustn't stand around gawping at thin air.
That, more than anything, would attract unwanted attention.
Another pressing question slammed back into his mind:
What happened to the Reaper-like creature that led me to my death?
The abomination—it'd be more prudent to call it Death's personification—had been far beyond standard S-Class anomalies.
Was it killed? Or does it still roam free?
A chill prickled along the back of his neck.
If it was still alive, countless lives might be at risk—and now, more than ever, he needed to know if the Hunter Association had simply swept the entire incident under the rug.
He took one last look at the vibrant harbour in the distance—the holidaymakers with their cameras, the newly built plazas, the banners trumpeting Astralis's heroic legend—then turned on his heel.
No sense skulking here. I need to move.