Name: Bradley
True Name: —
Titles: [The Child Who Cheated Death], [Treacherous Crow]
Bloodline: —
Spirit Rank: Dormant
Spirit Core: Dormant
Soul Rank: —
Relics: 1 item
Affinity: Darkness
Abilities: [Crow Companion]
There it was, his system, laid out in his mind like a glowing page. It laid bare everything about his new powers. He hadn't expected a broken ability or anything legendary, but this… this wasn't really that bad.
"The name, of course, is the same but–" His eyes, sharp despite their lack of sight, scanned down to True Name. "What the hell is a true name?"
He lifted a finger, an instinct to tap the text, before he remembered the system was painted on the inside of his skull, not floating in the air before him.
"Umm," He scratched his head, the short strands rough against his fingers. "Show me information?" he asked the silent air around him. The system didn't budge.
"I guess I'll just have to ask that lazy man when I clear this trial—hopefully." The words felt thin, a hope spoken into a dark and uncertain room.
His attention drifted down to the titles. "Two titles? I barely did anything to get titles this early." A flicker of pride was quickly smothered by suspicion.
He focused on the first title, and a block of text shimmered into existence in his thoughts.
Title: [The Child Who Cheated Death]
Title Description: [ You are the first person to ever run away from death by reincarnating into another world. You who wanted to die so badly but death did not want you, what kind of atrocities did you commit for even death to not want you? Truly treacherous.]
Bradley's face tightened into a frown. "Is the system mocking me?"
He kept reading, searching for any mention of a skill or a stat boost because titles normally gave something.
[Since you have not cleared the trial yet, you cannot unlock the title's abilities, sorry.]
A vein throbbed on the side of his forehead. His breath hitched before a disbelieving scream tore from his throat. "Huh?! How is that fair, only getting the abilities after I have cleared the trial??"
He sucked in a deep, shaky breath, the air cold in his lungs. "Bradley, calm down," he muttered to himself, "maybe the other title has some kind of ability. There's no way there wouldn't be."
He moved to the second title and felt his stomach drop at the name.
Title: [Treacherous Crow]
Title Description: [You are a treacherous and greedy crow who sneaked in the shadow people's temple to steal a relic from their god because it looked beautiful and shiny to your eyes. Your treachery knows no bounds.]
[Since you have not cleared the trial yet, you cannot unlock the title's abilities, sorry.]
A tremor started in Bradley's hands, crawling up his arms until his whole body was shaking. "F-fuck, no abilities as well, fucking hell and this motherfucker calling me treacherous."
He decided to move on before the simmering anger gave him a heart attack, but then he froze, his mind snagging on a single word in the description. He read it again.
"A god? Do gods exist in this world?" The question hung in the quiet air, and the crow on his shoulder simply tilted its head, a small rustle of feathers.
"I got reincarnated somehow, so I suppose it would make sense for gods to exist." A small, bitter spark of interest fought with his annoyance. If gods were real, that meant religions were built around them, and he had never liked religions, not one bit.
"Well, whatever, I'll deal with that later."
The same blank emptiness that met his inquiry about his True Name was there for his Bloodline and Soul Rank. No description, just a silent dash. He made a mental note to ask about it all later.
"But I wonder what kind of bloodline I will awaken," he mused, a thread of hope in his voice. "I just hope it is something strong and not… weird."
Spirit Rank: Dormant
Rank description: [ This is the most useless rank in the spirit system, you cannot do anything at this stage, so yeah, you are useless right now and you can easily die.]
Bradley clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Of course I already knew that. In a dormant stage, even in games, you can't do anything." He lifted a palm, pressing his fingers hard against his temple. "Does this system have a personality or something? I hope not, because I'm already stressed and annoyed by reading these descriptions."
There was one thing he noticed, a word that stood out: 'Spirit'. It echoed in his memory. In his past life, he had used spirit powers as well.
"Is this world perhaps connected to mine?" he murmured, the thought a quiet whisper. Then he shook his head, the motion dismissing the idea. "Nah, it is probably a coincidence."
He moved to the next point.
Spirit Core: Dormant
Description: [ It is a vital component of a being's existence. It serves as the storage storing vast amounts of spirit energy and it is the power source of a spirit awakener.]
"Here I was thinking this world uses mana. They use spirit energy instead." A slow realization dawned on him. "And oh, I take back my previous statement. This world is definitely connected to mine. The difference is that back in my world, I was a spirit hunter, while here we're called spirit awakeners." He gave a slow, thoughtful nod. "Plus, I was probably the only one back then, while here there are probably millions of them. Interesting."
"So this is basically like a mana core," he concluded, "where I'll consume the energy stored inside it to use my abilities. Cool."
He moved to the next point: Relics.
"If it's what I'm thinking it is… if it's stored there, this actually might be good."
Relics: 1 item
With a single thought, the item revealed itself.
[Susurrus mortis]
Bradley's eyes went wide instantly, his breath catching in his throat. Then his brows drew together in a deep frown.
Why that reaction?
Because he knew that language—it was Latin.
"How the hell is Latin here?"
He knew of the language, but he didn't know how to speak or understand it. He was already familiar that this world spoke English somehow, or unless they were speaking another language and it just translated to English for him, but he was sure it was definitely English.
"Well, I am not surprised anymore, but fuck, I don't know what that means." He sighed as he read the description.
Relic description: [ It is a relic that was sealed in a shadow temple but it was stolen by a treacherous crow. It is a blade sealed in a scabbard that not even the god of the shadow people was able to unsheathe it.]
Bradley's eyes went wide again, and a huge, sharp smirk stretched across his face. "Finally, something good! With this, I can finally be able to defend myself!"
But then his happiness died as fast as it had come, leaving a cold hollow in his chest.
"If a god couldn't unsheathe it, who says that I, a mere mortal, could do better." He let out a bitter, sharp sound. "Tsk. Even if I did, I can't use it because I am fucking blind." The words tasted like ash.
Then a practical, grim thought surfaced. "Well, I'll just use it as a cane or something."
"But if a god couldn't use it, that could only mean that it is broken as fuck."
He then looked at the rank.
Rank: ???
"Yeah, that confirms it. It is definitely broken." Bradley nodded with a strange sense of certainty.
He then moved to Affinity.
Affinity: Darkness
Affinity Description: [As a darkness creature, you naturally have inherited the darkness. You are the darkness and the darkness is you. Truly fitting for a treacherous crow that likes to steal things.]
Bradley ignored the system's shenanigans. "Darkness affinity? Say less."
[Since you have not cleared the trial yet, you cannot unlock the affinity's abilities, sorry. You probably can only hide your presence in dark places and erm, that is all.]
"You bastard!" The vein in his head pulsed angrily. "You're calling me treacherous, but you are the treacherous one! Giving me this shitty stuff!"
"Shit. With these shitty-ass stats or abilities, I am as good as dead." He pressed a hand to his chest, trying to calm the frantic beating of his heart against his ribs.
Bradley knew, with a cold and certain dread, that if he tried to fight whatever monster was out there in the dark with him, he would definitely die.
Last but not least, he moved to the Abilities.
"Crow companion, huh? I guess that explains why you helped me—Crowy." A genuine, tired smile touched Bradley's lips for the first time. "I was not all alone after all."
"Caw! Caw!" The crow cawed in complaint, shuffling its feet on his shoulder as if it did not like the name.
"Fine, fine," Bradley chuckled softly. "I'll find a better name later."
[Crow Companion]
Ability description: [ He is your partner in crime in your treacheries, he is a creature of darkness as well but bound to you and no one else.]
"Oh, he is a 'he'."
As Bradley kept reading, a slow, real smile formed on his face, pushing back the fear and frustration.
"I might not be so cooked after all." The words were a whisper of relief as he read the final sentence.
[You are able to see and listen through your companion, wherever he is.]
******
A huge thanks to the 10 people who are reading this book. It means a lot.