These new abilities were amazing!
While the Soul Seer ability was creepy, it was ridiculously similar to the Book of the Dead in Re: Zero. When someone died, their soul was filtered by Od Laguna. The filtered part would then transform into a Book of the Dead, which would be stored in the Pleiades Watchtower. If someone knew the deceased and opened their book, they would experience all of that person's memories. Then, to process the memories, their brain would create a copy of the person, like a phantom, that could interact with the reader. Not physically, but through dialogue.
Currently, to his knowledge, he hadn't killed anyone yet. Well… he could've ended the knife-wielding mugger by giving him brain damage, but he was most likely fine. After all, people here were freaks. The only problem was whether they would hold a grudge against him. Actually, since this ability specifically mentioned the people he killed, this was more of a curse. Would he be haunted by vengeful souls?
Grey World was both a blessing and a curse. He most likely wouldn't be able to see colors again, but its ability to see around and through things was top-notch. It should also work perfectly in the dark—except seeing the colors of people he trusted felt very symbolic. A bit too poetic for a basic ability.
The limit for his current vision outward was a 120-meter sphere. So, while it was useful for close quarters with multiple obstacles, if he was in an open area like a plain, he would be very vulnerable. Not an ideal ability to take on the White Whale with.
Him not being able to open his eyes for long was also a huge debuff.
The Eyes of Madness were interesting, but the processing from Grey World would make his head feel like it was going to explode. So, if he was going to use it, he'd have to be prepared for pain. If he could control what memories he showed to his enemies, he could give them psychological trauma—especially once he received Envy's memories of the rabbits straight from hell, eating him alive from the inside. The thought made him shiver involuntarily.
To avoid accidentally opening his eyes and traumatizing anyone, he should probably wear a blindfold now.
The skill Absolute Evil reminded him of the light novel "Absolute Villain Ark". While having a bigger presence would help him, it would also scare ordinary people, if he wanted supporters…
What the hell was he thinking?! He promised Rei he would fix the kingdom. And to gain that ability was a massive advantage; he would need to distinguish himself from the other candidates. He already had the edge, since he was the only male, but he was completely unknown. To fix that, he would have to create a personality that made people both despise and respect him.
His face unconsciously shifted into an evil grin.
What better way to do that than to make a splash in front of all the candidates? His new persona shouldn't bow to anyone and would need to appear untouchable. What better way than to take Subaru's place during the duel with Julius? I'm not expecting to win, but I will at least create a show.
Scanning down to the only other new ability—Perfect Memory—he pondered.
His mind didn't feel any different. Was it only from this point on that he had perfect memory? Trying to recall a quoted line from the Re:Zero novel, he drew a blank. Hmm. Yeah, it seems that it's from now on. Another memory—his earlier attempt at seeing Rei's heart and failing—stayed in his head like a camera photo. The more he tried to shake it out, the more it was vividly ingrained. His body once again heated up. NO HORNY.
I shouldn't be thinking of my friend that way, he thought about Lust, who was in a fever-dream-like state and had degraded all the candidates, to pleasurable eye candy.
He needed to avoid focusing his vision on Rei, but it was too difficult, as she was the only color in the greyscale world, she was blindingly radiant. Is this because I trust her, and her character so much?
His mana pool had shot up. He should be able to release Shamak on Subaru's scale now—if not greater. With his mana control, would he be immune to Shamak's effects? With Grey World, wouldn't he have a huge advantage? it would be difficult to move without his sense of touch, but with his sonar-like vision… if he forced his body to move… it would still be difficult… but not impossible.
Seeing the fragment of Sloth, which was once labeled as a basic ability, now evolving after the update, was interesting. Was it affected by Sloth Subaru's memories? Or was it evolving specifically because of him?
Seeing the affectionate hand, he visualized his feelings of giving up in the Sloth timeline—the procrastination, the regret, the guilt. Every emotion he had carried. Then he gave a firm command, willing the hand to move in a direction—to grab a mug of something that steam was wafting from, showing its heat.
The hand hastily responded to his will and shot forward instantly. Seeing its speed—like an arrow heading for the cup—he braced himself for the sound of smashing pottery.
But unexpectedly, it phased through the cup, elongating through the wall.
Stunned, his mouth could only gape.
That was too fast.
I guess if I put too much will into it, it'll overdo it.
Recalling the hand—which was thin and still elongated—it phased through the wall back to its master. It slithered through the air like a sea snake before stopping next to his face.
How can I make you interact with the physical world… even if it's just the fingertips?
Sending the hand back to the mug, he guided it to touch the surface of the handle.
Come on… become tangible.
An eerie glow glinted from the tips of the hand's fingers as the mug's handle shifted—imperceptibly—before the glow disappeared, and the fingertips of the hand passed through the curved handle.
This method isn't very efficient... what if I imbue mana into the unseen hand?
Channeling his mana into the part of his body where the hand came from—his lower back—he gathered mana at that point and expanded it outward. A visual spectacle occurred. From the Grey World, he was able to see the exact path the mana in his body was gathering. Before, he was just relying on his sense of touch and sensation, but now he could see exactly where to guide it.
Funneling all the gathered mana down his unseen hand toward the fingertips, he once again tried to touch the mug handle, attempting to imbue it with his own mana. However, since the hand wasn't tangible, it wasn't able to conduct the mana.
Still keeping the mana in the fingertips, he willed the hand to become tangible—even if just for a moment. Once again, the same glow shone for two seconds before disappearing. In that moment, he was able to imbue the cup with a decent amount of his mana.
This test was more than satisfactory. Even if he wasn't able to have the hand crush the hearts, he should theoretically be able to guide mana to the parasitic heart and detonate it—crushing it.
The difference between my unseen hand and Subaru's was that, while Subaru's hand had to be summoned, once it appeared, it was already tangible. He had to focus to make it momentarily intangible. His own was the exact opposite—it was always out, except he had to focus to make it tangible. Exact definition of yin and yang. Perfect opposites.
If there was one curious thing, it was that his hand maintained some unique semblance of consciousness. While weaker than even Subaru's—only about half the thickness of his in the anime—it was always present. On the plus side, that meant there was no drawback.
He just needed practice to fully utilize this ability.
Rei entered the room carrying a platter of some kind of noodle dish with a foolishly cheerful expression.
"You haven't eaten for four days, and you're still growing. Make sure to eat all of it."
"…Thank you."
Why does she care whether I'm growing or not?
After taking a few bites, he lost all hesitation and quickly reverted to his usual eating style. Rei, not having it, scolded him to eat more dignified. His empty stomach filled once again. The taste of the food was god-tier. The sauce she paired with the noodles complemented it perfectly.
Looking over at Rei, who just seemed content to watch him eat, he wondered:
Should I buy the Divine Protection of Cooking when all this is over?
Out of curiosity, he asked the system:
How much does that cooking DP cost?
Divine Protection of the Flavor King
Description: Grants the user the ability to make delicious food, regardless of the cooking process.
Cost: 45,000 points.
That's really expensive… just for cooking. Dang.
While he was on the topic, he figured he should browse other Divine Protections. Of course, he still planned on buying the full version of the Authority of Sloth—but who was to say what had to come next?
Divine Protection of Telepathy would let him communicate his thoughts to someone else, but since Rei already had it, it would be a waste. Besides, when it came to cavalry and firepower, she was all he needed.
Then, one caught his eye:
Divine Protection of Mind Changing
Changes the target's mind—like a full "nuh uh" override.
Cost: 750,000 points.
That was absolutely ridiculous… but even if it only worked on ordinary people, it would definitely be worth it. Still, if others found out he had it, he'd become a major target.
As he kept scrolling through the seemingly endless list, he stumbled upon something that made him stop.
Divine Protection of Bedroom Wiles.
This can't be real…
Allows the user to be skilled in bed.
(AN: It's a real canon DP, I swear.)
Meanwhile, somewhere far off, drawn from the soul realm, more like a mindscape, the combined entity of Lust and Sloth scoffed.
"Look what the world had to create… just to mimic a fraction of my power."
Back with Toyota, he continued scrolling through absurd DPs:
DP of Fried Food
DP of Steamed Food
DP of Roasted Food
DP of Boiled Food
DP of Plating Food
DP of Baking Food
DP of Fresh Sashimi
DP of Tug of War
He could only marvel at the fact that Rei probably had all of these at her disposal whenever she wanted. Looking at the ability to buy, all of these specific superpowers that could be used in very particular scenarios, this world was actually a perfect item shop. There wasn't a single thing he couldn't buy.
He decided to sort the DPs by price, just to see which were the most expensive.
#1: DP of the Sword Saint – 1,000,000 points
#2: DP of Spirit Arts (Julius's) – 900,000 points
#3: DP of the Sun (Priscilla's) – 850,000 points
These abilities were completely busted… yet what confused him was—why did some of these DPs cost more than Authorities?
Authorities weren't bound by concepts or laws and could override all DPs. That should've made them more valuable, right?
He asked the system.
Hey, system. Why do some DPs cost more than Authorities?
Host, the reason is that, unlike Divine Protections—which the system can grant directly—Authorities must bond with the host and be learned.
Hmm… that makes sense. I heard that the moment someone gets a DP, the user instinctively knows how to use it.
That gave him an idea. Since Authorities were Witch Factors, he should be able to see how valuable his was based on points.
Show me the Authority of Blasphemy.
Authority of Blasphemy — Owned (1 of 2 unique Authorities).
Calculating purchase cost…
Estimated value: 87,500,000 points.
…
This is just ridiculous.
Eight million—wait, 87 million?!
When I awaken this authority, am I going to become a god?!
Taking a moment to process, he noted something.
1 of 2 unique Authorities.
System. What's the other one?
Authority of Idolatry — Unable to purchase.
Whatever.
He had an ability worth 87 times more than the Sword Saint's DP. That was enough for now.
After finishing his food, he asked Rei to bring him a dark blindfold. The sun's rays would still shine through his eyelids, giving him a splitting headache even with his eyes closed. A darker blindfold should help.
To an outsider, it might make me look blind… actually, that might give me more of a presence.
Looking at him with concern, she asked, "Are your eyes really that sensitive?"
Responding sheepishly, he muttered, a bit embarrassed, "It's not that they're sensitive, it's just…"
"You don't have to deny it," she interrupted gently. "I won't make fun of you. If your eyes are really bothering you, don't be afraid to let me know."
He responded softly, "…Of course. Thank you for the food. You're a really good chef. If you ever need help in the kitchen, just ask."
She immediately waved her arms in protest. "I could never! As my lord, it's beneath your station to cook!"
Tilting his head, confused, he asked, "What does that make you, then?"
"Your knight," she said shamelessly.
A short while later, a maid entered the room with what looked like a bundle of blindfolds, each with a different tint. Even in the gray world, he could vaguely infer their colors. After some time, Rei stopped on two—one navy blue, the other yellow.
Holding them up with a smile, she asked, "Which do you like better—blue or yellow?"
"Dark colors would be better. So… dark blue or black," he replied.
Hearing that, her cheeks puffed in a pout as she put away the yellow one. Moving behind him, she carefully wrapped the navy blue blindfold around his closed eyes and tied it securely.
Seeing himself in his own mental vision, he couldn't even recognize who he was anymore. New clothes, white hair, top of his face covered by a blindfold…
I'm turning into a Dollar Store Gojo.
Thinking about his powers, it was hard not to laugh.
I can even use repulsion around my body like a makeshift Infinity. Hope I'm not copyrighted.
He stood up.
"Well… time to check out Regulus's crib. Hey, Rei. Is there a way for us to scout the place stealthily without alerting him? Like… one of your Divine Protections?"
"Crib?" she repeated, momentarily confused. Then her expression lit up as she quickly snapped back to attention. "Ah—never mind!"
With a confident smile, she nodded eagerly. "I have multiple Divine Protections that let me hide my presence. As long as we maintain physical contact, it'll be possible for you to remain hidden as well."
(AN: If anyone wants a complete status page of MC, it's in Chap 0. I know I keep mentioning this, but we will soon reach the action. MC's emotions will be noticeably shifted as the story goes on.
I've set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Although when I get bored, I add extra.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 70 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)