’So domineering~’
A massive grin stretched across my face.
I mentally dismissed the innate abilities tab and eagerly shifted my focus to the next section. My heart pounded heavily against my ribs as I tapped the ’Shared Powers’ option.
I fully expected a bountiful harvest here. A five-star bond with a Transcendent entity guaranteed incredible feedback. I desperately needed every single advantage I could grasp before dawn.
The blue panel shimmered, expanding to reveal the detailed list.
━━━━━━━━━━━━
◈ Shared Powers
▸ Evolved Void Affinity: Your inherent Void Affinity instantly advances to Grade 8. This grants you profound environmental awareness, flawless spatial tearing capabilities, and highly advanced teleportation control.
▸ Royal Bloodline Suppression (Fragment): You can passively project a fraction of the Nemure royal family’s aura. This forces weaker entities into deep hesitation and creates extreme psychological pressure on your opponents.
▸ Spatial Pocket: You gain access to a personal, secure dimensional inventory hidden within the void. You can instantly store and retrieve items by simply reaching into the fabric of space.
▸ Phantom Twin: Cathiel gains full access to your ability. She can project a perfect, fully functioning physical double of herself.
━━━━━━━━━━━━
’G-Grade 8 Void Affinity?!’
My breath hitched in my throat.
The system forcefully evolved my weakest element into a massive asset in a single instant. The sheer magnitude of this upgrade completely surpassed all my previous expectations. It placed my mastery over the void at a terrifyingly high level.
As for the Spatial Pocket, I already possessed my reliable System Inventory; however, having a secondary, localized dimensional space would definitely prove highly useful in specific situations. It offered an excellent extra layer of hidden storage.
And seeing my Phantom Twin extended directly to Cathiel also brought me immense relief. Providing her with a flawless physical decoy guaranteed her absolute safety during highly unpredictable battles. I felt a profound sense of peace knowing she held such a powerful survival tool.
Everything here perfectly equipped me for the upcoming brutal training with Xeron.
I took a slow, deep breath, forcefully calming my racing mind.
Only one final tab remained.
’Now for the main event.’
With burning anticipation, I moved my attention to the ’Special Bond Ability’ section. I mentally tapped the glowing text, watching my ultimate trump card reveal itself.
━━━━━━ ◇ ◆ ◇ ━━━━━━
[SPECIAL BOND ABILITY]
« Nightmare Descent »
"A profound, temporary union with the Apex Nightmare Sovereign. Your physical vessel undergoes a complete Nemure Royal transformation, cloaking you in an armor of pure void. Your body becomes a living conduit for her transcendent lineage, granting you the physical constitution, terrifying aura, and spatial authority of a high-tier Nemure Lord."
◈ Activation Requirements:
• Absolute trust and a flawlessly synchronized survival instinct.
• A massive expenditure of your maximum Aura.
• ★★★★★ Bond Affinity
◈ Activation Method:
• Vocal Command: "Awaken the nightmare." (Optional)
• Mental Trigger: Direct conscious invocation of the void core.
◈ Duration:
• Base: 10 to 30 seconds.
• Maximum duration scales strictly with your physical vessel’s endurance and Void Affinity mastery.
◈ Cooldown:
• Prolonged (7 to 10 days), depending on the usage intensity.
◈ Benefits:
• Full access to the Apex Nightmare Sovereign’s innate abilities.
• Your physical attributes (Strength, Speed, Regeneration) are drastically elevated to match a high-tier Nemure Lord.
• Your Void and Darkness affinities receive a temporary, massive amplification.
• Total immunity to localized spatial locks and aura suppression.
◈ Drawbacks:
• Predatory Instincts: The raw Royal Nemure lineage actively floods your mind, inducing extreme aggression and bloodthirst during activation. Maintaining human rationality requires immense mental fortitude.
• Extreme Spatial Disorientation: Following deactivation, you suffer severe vertigo and completely lose your sense of direction for several hours.
• Aura Exhaustion: Leaves your energy reserves severely depleted, temporarily weakening your physical baseline until fully rested.
━━━━━━ ◇ ◆ ◇ ━━━━━━
I sat there in complete silence, absorbing the sheer weight of the information.
’...Awaken the nightmare.’
The suggested vocal command echoed in my mind. A small, amused smile crept onto my lips. It actually sounded incredibly cool in a highly dramatic way. However, I fully intended to rely exclusively on the mental trigger. Shouting that specific phrase out loud in the middle of a serious clash sounded like absolute social suicide. I vastly preferred keeping my dignity completely intact. As for the last incident, it was completely a coincidence!
Still, the actual mechanics offered a flawless panic button. Wrapping myself in pure void and temporarily ascending to the Nemure Lord level provided the ultimate survival tool. The drawbacks demanded serious caution, yet they remained entirely manageable compared to the benefits. A bout of vertigo and extreme aggression served as a highly acceptable trade for a massive surge in destructive power.
I then dismissed the shimmering blue interface, leaving my vision completely dark.
Pushing all thoughts of celebration aside, I fell into a deep, heavy contemplation.
Because the System behaved exceptionally generously this time.
Awarding a thousand Scenario Points, a new title, massive skill upgrades, and facilitating this overpowered bond felt incredibly suspicious.
The ominous golden warning resurfaced vividly in my thoughts.
’A world-shaking change followed by massive, unpredictable consequences...’
’Could it be..?’
A chilling realization washed over my entire body.
The System purposely equipping me with such an absurdly powerful arsenal felt exactly like a quartermaster heavily arming a frontline soldier. It painted the picture of a brutal, highly lethal situation rapidly approaching.
A scenario where my life would hang by a mere thread.
’So the System is gearing me up for whatever comes next?’
I analyzed the limited information currently available to me. If I had to guess the exact nature of this impending disaster, it undoubtedly involved the war.
If the Nemure forces planned to start their invasion soon, and the main portal’s location rested inside Orlan, probably within the Hollowlands...
The invasion timeline might perfectly overlap with the upcoming, no, ongoing final trial.
’...I see.’
I think I completely understand it now.
The exact path I need to take.
To survive the impending chaos and protect those under my care.
I should have just enough time to properly prepare for it.
...Well, I certainly hope so.
Acquiring this massive arsenal of powerful abilities created a brand new complication. I possessed an overwhelming variety of them at this moment. Having a vast toolkit only mattered if I held the necessary skill to wield it flawlessly. An unpolished collection of techniques essentially served as a massive liability in a true life-or-death struggle.
I needed to dedicate every single waking second to thoroughly mastering these new powers. Squeezing every drop of practical combat experience out of Xeron’s hellish training remained my absolute highest priority. I had to forge this raw collection of abilities into a sharpened, cohesive weapon before the true war arrived at my doorstep.
Yeah...
I pushed the heavy burden aside and forced my eyes shut since I needed to survive tomorrow’s hell first.