The sizzling noise and searing sensation persisted for quite some time until Kieran felt it all wash away with the disappearance of Hekaina's deconstructed Supreme Cipher.
Once it disappeared, Kieran looked down at the pitch black marking in the center of his chest, which ended right beneath the edge of his pectoral muscles.
〈System: You have been successfully imprinted with the «Imprint of Might»!〉
〈System: Your natural STR has risen from 447 to 947. (1,918)〉
〈System: Phys. Attk has risen from 5,339 to 7,339.〉
〈System: Your body mass has increased according to your Constitution. The weight of your attacks will experience a significant increase.〉
〈System: The effects of aura-based skill of effect are increased by 20%.〉
The effects of the Imprint of Might were as the information divulged, but the system revealed it in somewhat greater detail, especially when it related to the increased ferocious presence.
It was a benefit centered around aura-based concepts.
For example, the aura that Kieran exuded while Deranged Spirit and Abhorrent Paroxysm were active would be enhanced. Though it may not contribute to the buff Kieran experienced, it did produce a greater chance of his opponents being debuffed.
Overall, Kieran was deeply satisfied by the effects of this item.
'I thought my rewards were lackluster at first, but that truly doesn't seem to be the case. I was too narrow-minded. This imprint alone is a shocking reward.'
The Imprint of Might increased Kieran's natural STR, meaning that even if he unequipped his items, his STR wouldn't be too far from reaching 1,000!
Such high natural attributes would naturally cause an uproar because most if not all players received a majority of their attributes from the equipment they wore.
Unless they managed to secure an opportunity to come across an obscene amount of UAPs, it was unlikely for current players to successfully neglect their stats to focus on a primary attribute.
It'd be far too dangerous and impractical to harbor this mindset.
While in thought and mostly evaluating the effects of the Imprint of Might, Hekaina approached Kieran and touched the imprint on his chest. "Your pain threshold is truly remarkable, that pain should have pierced beneath the body and begun to burrow into your inner spirit."
"It was only a brief jolt of pain," Kieran replied once he emerged from this contemplative stupor.
"Still, wounds to the spirit, whether temporary or permanent, transcend what the body can withstand. Perhaps it's partially related to that spark you mentioned,"
"Yeah, I owe Eni's avatar a debt. Helping me repair my soul prevents many of my upcoming adventures from being delayed. At its current rate, I estimate the damage to my soul will be resolved in a week or less."
"Your soul wound… it originated from you wielding your Aspect, correct?" Hekaina questioned, lightly tapping one finger against Kieran's chest rhythmically.
Kieran didn't reveal the nature of his injury, but Hekaina learning the source of his predicament wasn't too unthinkable.
"Yeah.
"I would refrain from unleashing that power unless it is your last resort. Give your soul time to mature before attempting to wield it. Or, if you do employ it, learn how to moderate its output. Perhaps try singularly activating one of the incomplete Origin Principles,"
"I'll take your advice and attempt to do so, but from what I hear, dealing with Origin Principles is something that most humans can not do.
"Correct. But are you still most humans? Are you not… different now? It's up to you to explore how different you've become. Anyhow, you should finish the decryption process. Don't you have another item?"
Kieran gazed at the Shard of Ancient Knowledge.
After retrieving it, Kieran found that shard was much different from the Runic Design, leading him to believe there was absolutely zero relation.
Due to the residual energies traveling through his body, Kieran took a moment to regulate his condition and discovered that the Archaic Verity Compendium absorbed the remnant mystic energy while his Vengeful Soul absorbed the Arcane Energy.
'Interesting… this is something I didn't expect. It wouldn't be odd for the Archaic Verity Compendium to have an Ego, but my Vengeful Soul? I've never once experienced my soul absorbing energy without me directing it. Is this normal?'
Numerous questions surfaced within Kieran's mind and he felt many of them were related to his new Hidden Attributes as well as the inexplicable changes of becoming a High Human.
After considering these possibilities, another question surfaced in Kieran's mind.
'How is Scar going to react when he realizes I'm no longer a mere human? Furthermore… what about Lord Agrianos? What is he? Could he be another High Human? I felt it before, Agrianos didn't seem like a mere human or Barbarian. There's more than what meets the eye with him,' Kieran inwardly thought.
Though he wished to immediately obtain these answers, Kieran decided it would be best to focus on the task at hand.
〈System: The «True Unveiling Eyes» and «Eyes of Profound Discerning» have interacted with one of the «Nine Supreme Ciphers of Eni» to become one.〉
〈System: …Initiating Seal Decryption… [Estimated Time: 27 seconds.]〉
'It's longer than the Imprint of Might, but it doesn't feel like something that'll give me any ability. If not, then what is it?' Kieran wondered.
As this shard was something no one could speak on, Kieran could only wait patiently as the seconds passed. The dials of the First Supreme Cipher of Eni continued to spin until the perfect resolving symbol was located.
This process happened every three seconds, and whenever that happened, Kieran's confidence regarding his opinion increased.
'It's definitely not a skill, technique, or item. What the hell…' Kieran's expression grew increasingly flabbergasted by what he saw.
The more the cipher revealed about the shard, the more it resembled an image. Perhaps it was more fitting to call it a collection of strange scenes.
Ding!
〈System: …Seal Decryption… COMPLETED!〉
〈System: You have unearthed a fragment of a «Forgone Chronicle».〉
〈System: The fragment of the «Forgone Chronicle» has assimilated with your «Archaic Verity Compendium».〉
〈System: Your Hidden Attribute «Knowledge» has experienced a marginal increase.〉
Kieran frowned and knitted his brows while gazing at this unfamiliar term—Forgone Chronicle. Within his 8 years of playing Zenith Online, he had never once heard a player or NPC mention such a thing.
As a result, Kieran didn't have an inkling of what a Forgone Chronicle could relate to.
"What's the matter?" Hekaina questioned.
"That shard… it was something called a Forgone Chronicle."
"Really?!" Hekaina gasped and covered her mouth, trepidation filling her eyes. Unlike Kieran, she was aware of what a Forgone Chronicle signified.
"Is that bad?"
"Bad? It's ominous! After becoming the Enchantress of the Wykins, I was graced with the opportunity to peer into some knowledge of those who preceded me. Within that knowledge, there was evidence that Forgone Chronicles were omens," Hekaina revealed in a grave tone.
"Omens? Why?"
"Because Forgone Chronicles are the records of devastating or world-altering events in the past. In other words, most Forgone Chronicles are the precursor to heralding a new era. If you possess one, it must mean one or many devastating events will recur. The Antipathy Era may soon come to an end."
"The Antipathy Era?"
Hekaina noticed Kieran's clueless expression and gave a faint nod. "Correct. Our current era is known as the Antipathy Era where harmony barely resides. It is filled with strife, malice, and conflict—an era of rampant decline."
As she spoke, Hekaina released another deeply aggrieved sigh. Lasting through years of strife, treachery, betrayal, and slaughter was all too draining.
However, she had to remain resilient for the longevity of her race.
"The Hecate revealed that I am a Harbinger without being a Cemented, correct? If that's the case, it's possible that a fragment ending up in my grasp may not be an omen at all. Perhaps it's a warning or a signal," Kieran voiced, attempting to lift Hekaina's gloomy state.
In response, she smiled because she understood his intentions. "What a considerate young boy you are. That's precisely why the title of Mystic Light isn't wasted upon you. You are a glimmer of hope present within a somewhat bleak future."
After she spoke, Hekaina turned toward Agatha with a thoughtful expression. "Aatrox, would you like Agatha to accompany you for some time?"
"Accompany me?" Kieran parrotted in the form of a question. He peeked at Agatha to get her opinion on the matter.
"If I recall properly, you said part of Isadora's request involved meeting with the Emplenan Few. If that's the case, I wouldn't mind accompanying you. Though you have become a Mystic Runemaster, you'll require additional time to wield wordmancing properly," Agatha replied.
"Then it's settled," Hekaina interjected, clapping with a winsome smile.
"Ah… but I can't leave just yet," Kieran suddenly said, which Hekaina and Agatha found odd.
"You… want to stay within the Mystic Rune Colony longer? Are you not busy? And don't you need to prepare for your Trial of Inheritors shortly? You've already been here for seven days," Agatha said, showing slight concern.
Kieran shook his head. "I don't intend to stay long, but I made a promise. I… need to meet with Mystic Guardian Illiad."
