Klaus walked out of the VR room in a nonchalant manner, his hands casually stuffed into his pockets.
The heavy door hissed shut behind him. Ria walked a few paces behind him, her usual professional stride somewhat subdued, her expression unreadable.
She had seen too much today, witnessed power that defied explanation, and her mind was still trying to process the fight she saw between Klaus and the terrifying hydra.
But at the end of it all, she knew this assessment meant a significant promotion for her within the Association, so she wasn’t complaining at all.
At this point, only three people knew about Klaus’s SSS-rank assessment: Klaus himself, Ria, and the senior official she had called during the trial.
"Sir, would you like to wait in the guest lobby while having some refreshments?" Ria asked, her voice polite, almost deferential.
"No need. I have somewhere to go. Make it quick," Klaus said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion, without even bothering to look at her. His Draconic Pride was making it difficult to engage in trivial courtesies.
"Sir, the issue of the SSS-rank card will take some time as it requires official approval from the Head of the Association," Ria explained, maintaining her professional composure.
She knew these were standard procedures, but also a convenient way for the Association to hold this SSS-rank hunter.
Klaus knew these were all lies to hold him. He understood the bureaucratic delays, but also the underlying intention.
After all, if they truly wanted to, they could have processed and given him the card as soon as he came out of the VR pod.
But in actuality they wanted to scrutinize him, to understand the anomaly he represented.
He did not have a choice but to wait since he required this official SSS-rank certification for admission to the Guardian Academy.
Without it, his entire plan for reaching the "Heaven’s Chosen" would be delayed.
"Okay," he replied, a single, clipped word. Anymore, and he felt he would inevitably lash out at the girl, his patience worn thin by the forced wait and the constant internal battle against his trait.
Klaus now sat in the opulent guest lobby, which was far too luxurious for his current mood. Plush, comfortable sofas were arranged around low tables, and soft, classical music played faintly in the background. His eyes scanned the room, briefly noting the other hunters and officials present, but his attention quickly turned inward as he resumed his mental conversation with the System.
"System, this is getting out of hand," Klaus stated, his internal voice tinged with exasperation. "I need something to stop this trait.
You don’t even know how many times I’ve stopped myself from accidentally killing people around me just because I didn’t like the sound of their voice, or the way they looked at me."
The Aura of Contempt and Universal Narcissism were constantly active making him feel emotions he didn’t want to feel. It was an exhausting mental battle.
[What does the Host want then?] the System inquired, its robotic voice still unaffected by Klaus’s distress.
"Anything that can at least partially mitigate the effects of this trait," Klaus insisted, his internal voice rising in urgency.
"Tell me a way. I’ve had enough. I will go berserk if this remains the case." The threat of losing control was real.
[A trait can only be balanced by a trait, preferably of the same rank or higher. In your case, a Divine Trait.]
"So I require another Divine Trait," Klaus acknowledged and then commanded.
"System, make a draw," Klaus commanded, a sense of determination settling over him. He had to take the risk.
[Are you sure, host? This is a significant expenditure.]
"Yes," Klaus affirmed without hesitation. He required his sanity more than accumulated DP.
"Set a Mythic Draw," Klaus specified.
[Understood. A Mythic Draw costs 10,000 DP per attempt. You have 50,000 DP available, so by setting parameters, you can make up to three draws.]
His DP (Devouring Points) had significantly increased after absorbing the S-rank core of the Undead Cemetery and the numerous S-rank monsters within it. He had a substantial reserve.
"Okay, set parameters: [Trait] [Calm] [Peace]," Klaus instructed, hoping to specifically target a trait that would counter the aggressive, arrogant impulses of Draconic Pride.
[Ding! 11,100 DP will be deducted.]
"Isn’t that more than previous prices?" Klaus noted, raising an eyebrow. He vaguely remembered lower costs for earlier draws.
[Host, those were prices for lower-ranked draws. For higher-ranked draws, especially Mythic tier with specific parameters, the costs are naturally higher.]
"Alright, no issues. Make a draw," Klaus agreed spontaneously, accepting the increased cost. He needed this.
[Ding! 21,100 DP will be deducted.]
"Do it!" Klaus commanded, his voice firm. the heavy cost did not affect him. he could earn DP again, but he could not lose his rationality.
[Ding!! Congratulations, Host, for drawing the trait: Buddha Incarnate (Outlier)!]
"What? What is this? I don’t want to be a bald monk!"
a wave of incredulity washing over Klaus as he saw the name of the trait.
He envisioned a future of serene meditation and shaved heads, which was entirely antithetical to his current aggressive disposition.
He was about to voice his extreme displeasure at drawing something so seemingly useless and, frankly, visually unappealing, when the System’s usually monotonous voice changed.
[Host, this is unprecedented. This is the second anomaly I have registered since your awakening.]
The System’s voice had a distinct tremor, an almost panicked undertone that Klaus had only heard before absorbing the dungeon core.
"What happened, System? Why are you panicking?" Klaus asked, genuinely surprised.
The System was a perfectly logical, unfeeling AI. Its ’panic’ was a startling development.
He had just been thinking that he had drawn something weird, perhaps an entirely useless trait given its ’Outlier’ rank.
[Host, there are two reasons to be shocked.
The first: ’Outlier’ is not a rank. It is a designation given to traits, skills, or artifacts that do not share the same origin as the ones you normally acquire from the Dragon God’s treasury or other conventional sources.
The origin of ’Outlier’-designated powers is not clear within the System’s database.]
"Ugh, I get it, System. So it’s something outside your normal expectations. Even though this is an Outlier trait, do you think it will balance the Draconic Pride trait?" Klaus asked, cutting to the chase. The origin was secondary to its utility.
[It will ] The System’s voice, even though robotic, sounded incredibly sure, an absolute certainty that quieted some of Klaus’s immediate concerns about its effectiveness.
"Okay, then that’s fine. And what was your second concern?" Klaus pressed
[Host, the treasures, or powers you draw from the System do not appear out of nowhere.
They are drawn directly from the immense treasury of the Dragon God and his ten sons.
It is one of the biggest treasuries in the universe, containing countless divine artifacts, skills, and legacies.
And you, Host, will eventually inherit that treasury.
The parameter function for draws was also specifically designed to help you get what you want, although the cost would have been astronomically high for a mere mortal without your absorption abilities.
But due to your special condition, I mean, your Absorption skill, it has become much easier for you to access these powers through DP.]
"What are you getting at, System? Just come to the point," Klaus urged, sensing a deeper, more troubling implication behind the System’s verbose explanation.
[The System wants to tell the host that every treasure or power stored in the Dragon Treasury is meticulously registered in my database.
But this one, the ’Buddha Incarnate’ trait, was not there in the database.]
"What? What do you mean by ’not registered’?
You must have made a mistake, right?" Klaus said, his internal voice sharp.
A non-registered item from the Dragon God’s treasury was impossible, by definition.
[The Host, the System, did not make a mistake. There have been no ’Outlier’-ranked treasures or traits in the Dragon Treasury from the very beginning of its existence, according to my records.
So, this trait was not drawn from the Dragon Treasury.
It was drawn from somewhere else, somewhere that even the System is not aware of. Its origin is completely unknown to me.]
"It sounds scary the way you describe it, System," Klaus mumbled, a rare tremor of unease passing through him.
A power source unknown even to the Supreme Dragon System, was a truly unsettling revelation. This thing was going beyond clichés and into uncharted, dangerous territory.
"will I see a glitch in a system now?" Klaus thought
"system do you feel alright?"
[system is alright host]
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