The familiar hum of settled energy resonated through me as I finally opened my eyes. After what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a few hours of focused meditation, the last lingering tremors from overexertion had been shunted from my loci, and my internal pathways felt stable once more.
With a thought, a translucent, shimmering interface bloomed before my vision, invisible to anyone but myself.
◈ Messages (2 Unread)
◈ Resonant Relics/Treasures
◈ Techniques/Styles/Arts
I’d felt the System pings during the battle - those insistent vibrations at the edge of awareness. Now, with the Keep secured and my body no longer threatening to implode, I could properly review them.
I immediately noticed the signs on the two functions but decided to start with the messages, as I promised myself last time.
Two new messages glowed, signifying their unread status:
◈ [ECLIPSE KEEP’S SILENT ARCHITECT] (*)
◈ [ECHO OF ANCIENT COLD] (*)
I mentally selected the first entry. The window expanded, filling my vision with its detailed report.
「 ECLIPSE KEEP’S SILENT ARCHITECT 」
"A healer’s hands mended flesh. A tactician’s mind outmaneuvered fate. And when the Lament Shroud’s mist threatened to drown all hope — you stood where the tide broke.
▸ CONTRIBUTIONS RECOGNIZED:
✓ Orchestrated triage protocols that reduced casualties by 81%
✓ Devised and implemented strategic counter-measures that critically weakened the enemy.
✓ Personally stabilized Baron Nusayel’s critical meridians post-battle
✓ Intercepted fatal backlash meant for Baroness Selvienne
✓ Saved a corrupted soul
Result: Played a paramount part in the overall victory of Eclipse Keep.
◈ + 100 Scenario Points
◈ [Title Unlocked: [Shadow Mender]]
"You work where the light doesn’t reach - stitching wounds and fates alike."
▸ +10% Mender’s Paradox comprehension
▸ Minor aura regeneration growth when healing
◈ [Memory Fragment: The Second Thread]
◈ [Healer’s Indispensable Toolkit] - "A comprehensive collection of fundamental instruments and sterile supplies. An essential for any practicing or aspiring healer."
◈ [Apothecary’s First Compendium] - "A foundational text detailing the identification, properties, and basic preparation of common medicinal plants."
NOTICE: SHOP UNLOCKED!
A wry smile tugged at my lips as I finished reading.
The System really enjoys glazing me, doesn’t it?
Not that I minded - the praise was... satisfying, in a way I’d never admit aloud.
My gaze skipped past the florid prose and the report to the rewards. The [Shadow Mender] title caught my attention first - its effects were more practical than I expected. The aura regeneration while healing would be invaluable, and that boost to Mender’s Paradox comprehension...
I lingered on [Memory Fragment: The Second Thread] for a moment before deciding to save it for later. Some things deserved proper focus.
The last two rewards - the toolkit and compendium - were clearly the System’s way of supporting my new persona. Not that I’d complain about professional-grade equipment and what appeared to be an exhaustive medicinal reference.
NOTICE: SHOP UNLOCKED!
My smile widened. So that’s what the asterisk meant. If the Shop was open, then Bonds likely were too. I decided to check both of them after reviewing the next message.
A chime echoed in my mind as the System automatically minimized the message, drawing my attention to the second entry:
「 ECHO OF ANCIENT COLD 」
"You saw the monster behind the mist — and chose to offer a hand instead of a blade. Where others sought destruction, you sought understanding. And in that moment of mercy, a myth was reborn."
▸ Connection Established: You have successfully saved, stabilized, and bonded with the core entity of the Lament Shroud, now known as the Rime Weaver.
▸ Soul Symbiosis: Your destinies are now intertwined, granting you unique access to its nascent powers.
◈ + 100 Scenario Points
◈ [Title Unlocked: [Conduit of the Rime]]
"A living link to the silent storms, channeling the primordial chill of a forgotten age. Your will guides the essence of absolute zero."
▸ Enhanced control over cold-affinity abilities.
▸ Increased resistance to frost and ice.
◈ [Rime Weaver’s Call (Active)]
◈ [Glacial Heartbeat (Passive)]
◈ Water Affinity has Evolved! - See the [Bonds] function for more information.
As I absorbed the contents, phantom frost formed on my eyelashes, melting instantly in the cavern’s ambient warmth.
The System’s dramatic phrasing aside, the message confirmed what I’d suspected - my connection with the Rime Weaver went deeper than simple coexistence.
The rewards were... substantial.
[Conduit of the Rime] - the title alone sent a shiver down my spine. Enhanced cold control and frost resistance would be invaluable, since I planned to work closely with the Weaver.
[Rime Weaver’s Call] appeared to be a summoning skill with limitations - likely duration and cooldown restrictions I’d need to test. [Glacial Heartbeat] was more straightforward - passive aura regeneration in cold environments. Useful, especially in this frozen wasteland of a Keep.
Then came the final line:
Water Affinity has Evolved!
So I do have water affinity.
I still hadn’t synchronized my loci, a crucial step in formal cultivation or whatever they call it, and Virion had told me to check my affinities only after officially becoming an Initiate Resonator.
He probably meant that I should focus on the immediate problem rather than worrying about other things.
A quiet satisfaction settled in my chest as I processed the revelation.
At least I wasn’t some affinity-less anomaly, doomed to rely purely on brute force or external tools. Coupled with my already awakened and subtly growing void affinity, the implications were many.
With a thought, the detailed message windows vanished, collapsing back into the minimalist system dashboard. I then opened the [Bonds] window.
There was an image of a swirling vortex ball - probably the Rime Weaver. And below the image, [Name: Empty] was written.
Right, I haven’t given it a name yet.
I considered it for a fleeting moment but decided against it for now. Some things required more thought.
I just couldn’t name it Whitey or Frosty, those cliche monikers didn’t suit a being of its depth. Yet neither would I burden it with some grandiose title like "Glacius the Eternal" or equally pompous nonsense.
I’ll think about it later.
With that in mind, I mentally tapped the image. The window instantly morphed, presenting the detailed breakdown of my first bond.
Race: Pure Aura Beast
Affinity: Ice | Mental | Mist
Innate Rank/Potential: Mythical Tier
Current Rank: Elder Tier
◈ Special Bond Ability