Chapter 98: Total Recall

Chapter 98: Total Recall

Tom felt like his vision was spinning as he laid eyes on the contents of the chest. It was true that he had expected Aleph’s family, the Noble Longstradia family, to leave a sizable amount behind.

But this?

“Oh dear,” Zirel expressed his shock, snapping Tom back into the moment. He gingerly stepped away from the chest, gaze slowly turning to Zirel. Such incredible wealth moved even Tom, who had the ability to mimic any artifact he wanted... well, eventually. Zirel would no doubt be tempted.

If he tried to interfere, if he tried to take away what belonged to Aleph by blood connection after what his family had done to Aleph’s....

Tom himself was surprised by the dark resolve building up in his mind.

Aleph had really come to matter to him. If Zirel tried to interfere then... Tom wasn’t sure if he could hold back. Or, if he even wanted to.Vissit novelbin(.)c.om for updates

“All yours,” Tom gestured with the flourish of his hands, his gaze taking in Aleph’s trembling lips and shaky countenance.

She stepped forward and reached for a longsword that was nestled in its sheath. Tom had felt it’s presence before Aleph even unsheathed it, it’s weight impressing upon the world reminiscent of only one particular weapon Tom had witnessed before.

The Revenant Claw that he had mimicked in Verranuva’s Artifact to great effect— Aleph’s weapon possessed that same, oppressive aura that had made him covet it.

It was a Rare Artifact.

“This blade,” Aleph began, her voice quivering as she spoke. “It belonged to my great-grandfather. I was told that it was lost, but it seems like they chose to hide it in reserve instead,” She said, as a tear built up in her right eye.

Zirel’s expression was solemn, whilst Tom just seemed sad.

“It lets me designate a target,” Aleph explained, bravely persisting even as a tear streaked down her cheek. “Each time I strike a target that has been designated, it leaves a mark on the enemy. After the first strike that leaves a mark, every subsequent strike increases my speed by fifty percent to a maximum of five marks. If you assume my original striking speed to be a ten, then after the fifth strike, as long as I don’t miss any strikes, my speed will be—”

“Fifty,” Zirel replied before Aleph could complete her statement.

“Wait,” Tom jumped into the conversation, his tone incredulous. “Not fifty percent but like, fifty? Five times her original attack speed?”

“Yes,” Aleph solemnly replied, having wiped away the tear as she looked at Tom. “As long as I don’t miss my subsequent strikes, the five marks will remain on the target I’ve designated. There are limitations, of course, but that is the gist of it.”

“Do you know how the process works?” Zirel asked, raising an eyebrow. “That’s not a topic I was taught until much later.”

“More or less,” Aleph answered, her tone sounding a little unsure. “I know that the severance glyph is used to substitute the Soul Card and I know that the original stats are retained. I’m not exactly sure on the how though, the people I got the information from weren’t willing to volunteer that part.”

“So you know how the concept of authority works, then?” Zirel asked.

Aleph nodded.

“Well, this will make things easier. The severance glyph severs the connection between you and your soul card, but not the authority. The new card, a higher ranked card, is inserted to plug the open metaphysical wound in your heart and your old soul card is added to your deck, since you still have authority over it. However, this was not how the Divine System intended for it to be,” Zirel revealed, his expression sombre.

Aleph wasn’t all that surprised, but Tom definitely was.

“Explain,” She said, through pursed lips.

“The Soul Card is supposed to give you stats. What we’re doing is a stop-gap, essentially tricking the System into believing that you still have a connection to your old Soul Card. However, while the level of the card you’ve incorporated into your deck won’t change, the stat bonuses you get will fade away as soon as you let your new Soul Card rise by even a single level.”

“Is tricking the Divine System really possible?” Tom blurted out.

“Yes,” Zirel replied calmly. “But it’s not really tricking, if you look at it from a different perspective. We’re on the same side, so it’s closer to tolerating our brazenness. Really though, it’s just a stop-gap until you regain enough levels.”

“I see,” Aleph thoughtfully muttered. “Will you do this operation for me, then?” She asked.

Zirel replied with a single-worded question, “Payment?”

Aleph’s lips curled up into a smile as she pointed at the five, frail looking paper cards that had an identical image painted on them— a tower that rose towards azure skies. The last of her inheritance.

“One of those,” She said. “But only after you get the job done.”

“Deal,” Zirel replied in a heartbeat.