Chapter 43: Chapter 43 : Rewards (2)

Arthur leaned back slowly against the hospital bed, the soft mattress sinking beneath his weight.

The room was quiet.

Too quiet.

Sunlight filtered faintly through the large glass window beside him, casting pale golden light across the polished floor.

He exhaled slowly.

“Show me the status window right now.”

The moment the words left his mouth—

A faint pulse of blue light shimmered in the air.

Then—

A translucent holographic window materialized in front of him.

The glow reflected in his crimson eyes.

The interface expanded smoothly, sharp and clear.

════════════════════════════

[ STATUS ]

════════════════════════════

Name : Arthur

Race : Human

Class : None

Rank : D << BREAKTHROUGH ACHIEVED >>

Potential : B << EVOLVED >>

Level : 122 << LIMIT SHATTERED >>

EXP : 0 / 250,000

(EXP required to break through to C-Rank.)

────────────────────────────

[ TALENTS ]

────────────────────────────

• Imperfect Imitation (F-Rank)

• Crown of Sorcery (A-Rank) << NEWLY ACQUIRED >>

────────────────────────────

[ ATTRIBUTES ]

────────────────────────────

Strength : 104 → 154

Agility : 115 → 165

Durability : 105 → 155

Intelligence : 122 → 172

Will : 70 → 120

Charm : 110 (-20)

Luck : 34

────────────────────────────

Attribute Points : 20 << NEW >>

────────────────────────────

[ INNATE ABILITIES ]

• Photographic Memory

• Boxing

────────────────────────────

[ Skills ]

• Omnicognition (S-Rank)

• Language (S-Rank)

• Berserk (A-Rank)

• Blink (B-Rank)

• Shadow Veil (B-Rank)

────────────────────────────

[ SYSTEMS CONQUERED ]

────────────────────────────

Absolute Choice System : DEVOURED

Status : Fully Integrated (In Suppression State)

Authority : Subjugated

Condition : Awaiting Host Command

(Note: All core functions successfully overwritten. No residual resistance detected.)

════════════════════════════

Remark:

Impressive.

For someone who started at the bottom of the trash heap.

════════════════════════════

Arthur stared at the screen.

For a few seconds—

He didn’t speak.

Then slowly—

His expression changed.

His eyes lit up.

“Oh… this feeling of growth…”

His fingers trembled slightly.

His heartbeat quickened.

The words << BREAKTHROUGH ACHIEVED >> seemed to glow brighter than the rest.

He leaned forward.

“I did it…”

His lips slowly stretched into a grin.

“I finally shattered that limit.”

He clenched his fist tightly.

“I’m no longer an F-ranker.”

The memory of humiliation.

The whispers.

The pitying looks.

All of it flashed through his mind.

And now—

Gone.

“I even broke through to D-rank…”

He almost laughed again.

His gaze dropped to his attributes.

The increases were massive.

Strength up by fifty.

Agility up by fifty.

Intelligence up by fifty.

Even Will had surged.

’This isn’t just growth… this is evolution.’

His chest felt warm.

Alive.

Then his eyes shifted upward again.

Potential: B << EVOLVED >>

He froze.

For a second—

He almost jumped off the bed.

“Yes… yes!”

His voice echoed faintly in the hospital room.

“I’m not capped at trash-tier anymore!”

He ran a hand through his hair.

“This changes everything.”

Then—

His gaze locked onto the Talents section.

Crown of Sorcery.

A-Rank.

His smile widened slowly.

He tapped it.

Another window unfolded.

[

Talent: Crown of Sorcery

Type: Innate Talent

Rank: A-Rank

Description:

The Crown of Sorcery is a latent authority over the principles of magic.

It bestows exceptional refinement, insight, and control over mana and spellcraft.

Those who bear this talent stand closer to the foundation of magic itself.

Effects:

• Refined Mana Control – Mana responds with heightened precision, reducing waste and increasing stability during casting.

• Arcane Perception – The structure and flow of spells can be perceived with unusual clarity, allowing faster learning and deeper understanding through study and practice.

• Casting Stability – Resistance to backlash, mana turbulence, and spell disruption is significantly improved.

• Subtle Authority – When casting, lesser or poorly constructed spells nearby may destabilize under the pressure of superior control

]

Arthur read every single line carefully.

Twice.

His breathing slowed.

Focused.

“This…”

His eyes sharpened.

“This is real power.”

Not brute strength.

Not reckless enhancement.

Refinement.

Authority.

Control.

Finally something that fits long-term growth.

He leaned back slightly.

“Finally… a talent that will truly be useful.”

His voice dropped lower.

“Now we can take on bigger challenges.”

His gaze flicked to the Skills section.

“Did I not gain any skills?”

The system answered calmly.

[Host.]

[You did not gain Jordan’s skills because they were never part of his innate abilities.]

[Innate abilities are qualities a person is born with.]

[Skills learned from skill books are acquired externally.]

[We can only extract what exists within innate structures.]

Arthur nodded slowly.

“Fair enough.”

He wasn’t disappointed.

He already had strong skills.

What he lacked wasn’t quantity—

It was mastery.

“Jordan almost killed me.”

His expression hardened.

“I need refinement.”

The system continued.

[Since we killed the dungeon boss, we did receive a skill.]

Arthur’s eyebrow rose.

His inventory opened.

A glowing skill book appeared in his palm.

[

C–Rank Skill: Echo Step

Type: Movement / Utility

Echo Step activates only when the user performs a sudden burst movement (dash, sidestep, or rapid reposition). Upon activation, a fading afterimage is left at the starting point, mimicking the user’s last motion for one second. This creates the illusion that the user is still in their previous position or moving in a different direction.

Uses: 2

Cooldown: 10 minutes (begins after both uses are consumed)

Mana Cost: Low

Limitations:

Does not activate during normal walking or casual movement.

Afterimages cannot attack or deal damage.

Ineffective against opponents who rely purely on mana sensing or instinct rather than sight.

Best suited for agile fighters and assassins who rely on sudden bursts of speed and misdirection.

]

Arthur read it slowly.

A faint smirk appeared.

“Deception.”

“Perfect.”

He poured mana into the book.

It glowed.

Then shattered into particles of light.

They sank into his body.

A new line appeared.

[Echo Step (C-Rank) << NEW >>]

Then—

He looked at his attributes again.

Scanning evrything as he nodded to see in which are he was more lacking.

“So… 20 points.”

He studied the numbers.

Everything looked balanced.

Except—

Luck.

“34.”

He tilted his head.

“That explains a lot.”

He grinned.

“Add all 20 points to Luck.”

The window updated.

[ Luck: 34 → 54 ]

[ Attribute Points: 0 ]

A faint sensation spread through his body.

Subtle.

Like the world had shifted by half a degree.

He exhaled slowly.

“I feel… lighter.”

More confident.

Maybe it was psychological.

Maybe not.

He leaned back.

“Maybe I should keep increasing it.”

He laughed softly.

“I don’t have limits like the other system users afterall.”

“Hahaha.”

The system suddenly spoke in a serious tone.

[Do not even think about that, host.]

[There is a reason it is unchangeable for others.]

Arthur’s stopped laughing.

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