~~~
Jin's consciousness returned like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head.
He was standing in the white expanse, completely naked, covered in what looked like black sludge that stank worse than a week-old gym sock filled with rotten fish. The stench hit him first—a nauseating combination of sulfur, decay, and something metallic that coated his throat.
"What the—" He looked down at himself and his stomach lurched violently. The black gunk was everywhere, coating his skin like toxic tar. "Oh god, what is this stuff?"
This is revolting. Absolutely revolting.
His nose burned with each breath. The novels never mentioned anything about smelling like Satan's personal armpit after he spent three days at a heavy metal concert.
His stomach cramped. Jin doubled over and retched, but nothing came out except bile that burned his throat. His body felt wrong—like it had been disassembled, put in a blender, then reassembled by someone working from a rough sketch.
My bones feel hollow but somehow heavier at the same time. His muscles twitched and spasmed like they were trying to remember how to work.
Congratulations, young Harvest.
The dungeon presence's voice carried warmth and approval, which would have been more comforting if Jin wasn't currently covered in black gunk.
The initiation was successful. What you see covering your form is the physical manifestation of mortal limitations being expelled. A necessary, if unpleasant, part of the process.
"Necessary?" Jin spat, trying to get the taste of bile out of his mouth. The metallic tang lingered. "This is like being dunked in a septic tank! There has to be a more dignified way to do this!"
Seriously, couldn't evolution have found a cleaner way to upgrade the human body? His skin crawled where the substance touched it.
The purging of impurities has looked the same for ten thousand years, young one. Even the greatest Sage Emperors experienced this... humble beginning.
"Alright, alright." Jin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then immediately regretted it. "Just please tell me you're about to shower me."
The white expanse around him began to shift and change. Walls materialized from nothing, wooden floors appeared beneath his feet, and within seconds, Jin found himself in what looked like the world's coziest log cabin.
A fireplace crackled merrily in one corner, casting dancing shadows across comfortable furniture. Snow fell gently past frosted windows, and the air smelled like pine needles and hot chocolate instead of whatever ungodly substance had been covering him.
This is actually perfect. Jin's shoulders relaxed for the first time since awakening. How did it know I'm a sucker for cozy winter aesthetics?
His gear appeared on him instantly—clean, warm, and comfortable. Jin sank into the plush sofa with a groan of relief, his muscles finally unclenching.
"Much better. Did you do some magic on me to remove all that gunk?" he muttered, then looked around with genuine appreciation.
I gotta learn that spell. His mind was already racing ahead. There is no flexibility with sorceries... hopefully by this dungeon's end, I'll be ORDER I entity, then I will begin on my path to be an unparalleled mage!
Just wait. His hands clenched with anticipation. Demons or enemies with Essence's edge, I'll stack tons of buffs, enhancements, and nuke them all!
Apologies, but we would have to interrupt your amusing evil thoughts...
"Huh? How did you—"
Haha, there's no mind-reading young harvest, at least not with you. Your mind was formidable before the initiation on this path... now? I doubt anyone but a mind path archmage would be capable of doing that.
"Then..."
One advice, young harvester: practice your poker face. Anyone can read what's going on in your mind like an open book from your face.
Jin's cheeks heated. "I'll keep that in mind."
Shit! He touched his face reflexively. I thought Rudy was only pulling my leg. Am I that easy to read?
Jin sighed and stretched lightly, marveling at how different his body felt. Lighter somehow, but also more substantial. Like he was more real than he'd been before.
Okay, enough procrastinating. His pulse quickened with anticipation. Time to see exactly what that trial did to me.
He took a deep breath and focused inward, calling upon his Mantle's interface. Please let this be good. After everything I just went through, I'd better have gotten some serious upgrades.
"I call upon my Mantle!"
Here we go.
The familiar interface materialized, but something was immediately different. The text seemed clearer, more vibrant, like he was seeing it through high-definition glasses for the first time.
o_____________o
NAME: Jin Winters
AGE: 16
TITLE: The Soul Beyond the Stars of Fate
[ORDER 0] ENTITY
THE MANTLE OF HARVEST
❂ BOON
"What mortal hands would barely reap, the Bearer's touch shall always yield more—When the harvest blade learns new domains, all gathered yields eternal gains."
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.
Wait, wait, wait. Jin sat bolt upright on the sofa, his heart hammering against his ribs. Hold up. HOLD UP.
My Boon changed!
His hands trembled as he read it again. Before it was just about harvesting more from crops, but now... 'When the harvest blade learns new domains, all gathered yields eternal gains.' Does that mean I can harvest EVERYTHING now? And what the hell does 'eternal gains' mean?
This sounds like I just unlocked the ability to permanently keep everything I harvest, even abstract concepts. His mind raced through the possibilities. That's... that's completely broken if I'm interpreting this correctly.
Nice. Okay, back on task.
o_____________o
❂ CULTIVATION PATH
THE PATH OF ETERNAL SOVEREIGN [INITIATED]
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This is incredible.
Jin leaned forward, devouring every word. I went from having the most mundane Mantle in existence to following a cultivation path that sounds like it leads to godhood. From farmer to Eternal Sovereign. Talk about a glow-up.
Focus, Jin. Focus on the status.
The full description materialized:
❂ CULTIVATION PATH
THE PATH OF ETERNAL SOVEREIGN [INITIATED]
"Reality bends not to strength, but to absolute understanding. The Eternal Sovereign walks between mortal perception and cosmic truth, wielding consciousness as both weapon and crown. At the path's apex, thought becomes law, will becomes reality, and the cultivator's very existence transcends dimensional boundaries."
»»»» [PAGE ONE: THE FIRST THRESHOLD]
Progress: Formation of a star.
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"Okay, that description just gave me chills." His skin prickled with goosebumps. Page One... and I'm already working on forming a star?
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❂ AFFINITY
»»»» [CRYO] AFFINITY
Cryo? Not Ice or Frost? His brow furrowed. This is something I don't know. I remember there were multiple ways the Mantle represented information. Lightning affinity is weaker than Electro... is mine a stronger version of Ice?
All I remember is cryo refers to absolute zero, right? Or something closer to that. He made a mental note. I'll test it later.
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❂ MARKED SKILLS [2/5]
»»»» [Adept] The Reader's Dominion «UNIQUE» (52)
»»»» [Novice] Overdrive (12)
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Reader's Dominion went up to 52! His chest swelled with satisfaction. And I've got room for three more marked skills.
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❂ BONDED SKILLS
»»»» [Novice] Reduvia's Shadow
Darkness Born [Bond Lv. 1] (Inherited)
»»»» ?????
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Jin's eyes lingered on the mysterious second bonded skill slot. Reduvia leveled up during the trial.
Makes sense since I pumped a bunch of harvested power into the armor. And there's a second bonded skill slot that's still mysterious. What could that be?
The rest of his skills had seen modest improvements, but he was more interested in the bigger picture.
Jin leaned back into the sofa, grinning like an idiot. His face hurt from smiling so wide. I can't wait to see what 'formation of a star' actually means. If the flavor text is any indication, this is going to be incredible.
But first... I should probably figure out what Page One actually involves. Time to do some reading and then I'll see what's up with my affinity.
The moment his attention focused on the cultivation path section, specifically those words "PAGE ONE," Jin felt Reader's Dominion activate without his conscious command. The familiar sensation of expanded awareness washed over him.
Oh. Oh, here we go.
The cozy cabin vanished.
What the—
Jin found himself standing in a place that defied description. He was on the surface of what looked like an ocean, but the water was black as the space between stars and perfectly calm. Each step sent ripples across the surface, but somehow he remained standing on liquid that should have had no surface tension.
This is... actually beautiful. In a really eerie way.
The silence was absolute. No wind, no waves, no sound except his own breathing and heartbeat. Above him, instead of a sky, there was just void. Not darkness, but genuine nothingness that somehow didn't feel threatening.
Is this inside my head? My consciousness made manifest?
[THE READER'S DOMINION TRIGGERED]
[Your mind's realm]
Called it! This must be what they call a 'sea of consciousness'.
In front of him, the same silver tome from the initiation materialized, floating just above the water's surface like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Jin stepped forward and grabbed the tome. The moment his fingers made contact, he could feel the weight of ancient knowledge pressing against his consciousness, but gentler this time. The book felt warm, alive, and somehow aware of his presence.
Okay, book. His grip tightened around the tome.
Let's see what Page One is all about. Please don't fry my brain.
Opening to the first page, Jin saw the same paragraph that had appeared under his cultivation path in the status screen. But when he turned the page, his breath caught in his throat.
Holy shit.
~~~