The roulette in front of me spun repeatedly for a few minutes before finally coming to a stop.
I looked up in anticipation as it hovered on a line of ancient inscriptions before it disintegrated into a dazzling array of blue light.
The light coalesced into another tangible screen.
I felt my breath catch in my throat as I glanced down at the line of information.
[Congratulations on awakening the cursed nebula physique.]
[Grade: ???]
[Please note that the majority of the functions of this physique are locked as you are too weak to wield them in your current state, but as time progresses, they will unlock automatically when you reach the required level of strength.]
[present traits]
—Automatically adapts to any cursed technique and weapon, earning rapid mastery and perfect understanding in a lesser amount of time than others.
—Your mind is a fortress and all mental attacks against you are nullified.
—Enhanced stamina, and perfect control over the potency of your seed. You can subconsciously decide whether you want an offspring while at the climax of your sexual intercourse or otherwise.
—Enhanced sensitivity to all types of cursed energy. There are many cursed energies in this world and you are able to sense them all.
Please explore the other effects of the cursed nebula physique…
I read through the lines of words on the blue screen and a smile appeared on my face…
'Such an overpowered reward!' I exclaimed in my heart.
With such a reward, how couldn't I dominate this world of curses?
Just as I was feeling a sense of indescribable joy, suddenly… my eyes widened and a scream tore through my throat…
"Arrrrghhhhh!"
Normally, in such a situation, I'd be able to control myself.
…Like how I had controlled my emotions while regaining the memories of my predecessor.
However… this time, it was as though my DNA structure was being changed, my bones were being ground to dust and molded back together.
If one looked into my body, they would notice that my bones were constantly being crushed into powder.
My body turned into a jelly-like substance before regaining its normal structural form.
The first time my bones were crushed, the slightly grey-white powder carried faint hints of black.
Then, after the second session, my bones began to show faint hints of looking like they contained stars…
The exterior design of my bones was extremely detailed, and if one took a closer look, they'd be shocked to discover that it looked no different from galaxies, nebulas, and clusters of stars lining its framework.
By this time, Aristarkh had already long since become unconscious.
In fact, from the moment he let out the guttural scream, he fell unconscious and couldn't visualize all the changes his body was going through.
The changes lasted for hours…
…and unknown to Aristarkh…
A flawless, delicate beauty entered the room.
Her facial expression was extremely chilling as she glanced at him and at all the changes his body was undergoing.
"Interesting." The cold beauty muttered aloud, and a glimmer of curiosity appeared in her silver eyes.
There was no expression on her face despite the fact that this was the first time she was seeing something like this.
She remained still like an emotionless statue and waited for her son to wake up.
…
Time dragged on excruciatingly slowly…
A few hours went by, and the sky finally held faint hints of golden hues as Aristarkh finally stirred awake.
…
I opened my eyes and instantly, they bulged as I gasped for breath…
"Food… I… need food!" I murmured aloud and growled like a fierce beast as I shot up from the bed.
My body felt like a log of wood, but I couldn't be bothered to care as my stomach let out a thunderous rumble.
I didn't even notice the miraculous changes my body had undergone overnight as I scampered through the table looking for food.
Just as I was about to rush out, I felt a chill spread through my body.
Despite the fact that I had undergone changes overnight, my body froze as if I were being stared at by the most deadly creature I had ever encountered in my two lives.
The dreadful monster I encountered at the final moments of my life?
It was nothing compared to this!!!
I slowly turned my head, and my eyes finally landed on a cold, flawless beauty.
Instantly, my heart shook and fragments of memories exploded in my mind.
The first thing I understood…
This woman wasn't my real mother!
My predecessor didn't know that yet, but after glancing through all the fragments of memories that started from when I was a baby in an orphanage, I realized I wasn't her real child.
In fact, my predecessor had faint guesses about this.
The clan I belonged to was the Targaryan clan, also known as the clan of dragons!
It was one of the strongest clans in this cursed world.
Known for their ruthless efficiency in hunting cursed creatures, the Targaryans had made a name for themselves through bloodshed and ruthlessness.
My mother, or perhaps I should say my adopted mother, whose name was Elizabeth Targaryan, was the female head of the house.
Three years after marriage, she gave birth to twins, a male and a female, however one of them died at birth.
Both were hailed as rulers of the era, and as such, Elizabeth couldn't allow the fact that one of them had died to surface in the world.
That night, they scoured countless orphanages and houses, searching for a child with a similar appearance to hers.
That's when they found me!
My parents had just abandoned me, and since I had bright silver hair and eyes like hers, I was the perfect candidate to impersonate her son.
No one would ever know what had transpired that night.
With ruthlessness, she tossed away her real son without a second thought and replaced him with me.
Still, there was no familial relationship between us.
She had never shown any concern for me, nor had she shown any sign of love.
In fact, she was also the reason why I hadn't become a cursed fighter till now, as she restricted me from absorbing cursed energy.
Feeling the gaze of this terrifying woman, I subconsciously shivered…
"Who knew you had such a secret?" she whispered under her breath, staring at me like I was some kind of interesting creature.