Chapter 80: Shepherd [2]
I knew what a shepherd was.
They were someone who tended and reared sheep.
It was precisely because I knew what it was that I felt confused—but the more I thought about it, the more things began to make sense.
"Decree Shepherd... I suppose it relates to my ability to acquire and command anomalous entities. A shepherd of the anomalous, perhaps?"
That sounded like the most plausible situation.
But if that was the case, I started to grow curious about what the purity meter was and the abilities I would gain once I reached the Second Order.
’Is there also a limit to the amount of anomalous entities that I can contain?’
What about the conductor...?
Would I be able to contain a monster that powerful?
Thinking about the conductor, I slowly turned my head to stare at the large [I] imprinted on the wall and bit my lips.
"One day left..."
There was only one day left until it came.
...Or at least, that was what I assumed to be the case.
I thought back to the scenario when I played the piano alongside it, and hoped it would stop haunting me, but I wasn’t so sure.
I had an inkling that it was still going to come.
My chest grew heavy at the thought.
It was rather clear to me that I couldn’t defeat the conductor.
It was simply too strong for me.
I needed to quickly think of a way to delay the situation or solve it.
"What a mess."
Rubbing the back of my head, I once again glanced at my computer and focused my attention on the First Order Panel.
"In order to move to the next order, I need ten attributeless fragments. Where can I get those?"
I had pretty much memorized everything available in the shop.
There was nothing remotely close to fragments.
"Oh, wait."
Recalling something, I rummaged through my pocket before retrieving a certain crystal.
"Right, I did acquire this..."
The crystal was long, fitting my entire hand as a gray fog squirmed deep within it. I felt a strange sensation while looking at it.
The gray fog within pulsed in strange patterns, almost as if it were alive, and the more I observed it, the more unsettled I felt.
That was until...
Ding!
[Fragment of Conceptualization]
[Purity: 91%]
A notification crossed my vision, floating right above the fragment.
"What the..."
The notification was so sudden and unexpected that I almost dropped the fragment in my hand. Thankfully, I was able to compose myself quickly as I looked at the notification in astonishment.
"Conceptualization? 91% purity...?"
I read through the notifications with a frown. I didn’t really understand, but from what I had managed to learn over the past week or so at the Guild, the Conceptualization was for those following the Conceptualization Decree.
"In that case, does this mean that the fragment I have is useless...?"
Since I followed a different Decree, it meant that I couldn’t use this fragment.
Then...
"What the hell do I do with this?"
It wasn’t like I could sell this. Maybe in the black market? Was there even a black market?
Not only that, but thinking about how much of a struggle I had gone through to just receive one fragment, my heart sank.
"This feels like bullshit."
At the current rate things were going, it was going to be impossible for me to rank to the next Order.
...Or so I thought.
Ding!
Another notification suddenly appeared in my vision.
[Would you like to remove the attribute?]
▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]
".....!"
My grip on the fragment tightened the moment I saw the notification.
Yes, this made much more sense.
There was no way this strange system would leave me to rot like this.
I didn’t even waste a single second and directly pressed [Yes].
[Attribute will be removed.]
[Please wait a moment...]
A strange glow suddenly radiated from the crystal, enveloping the entire room. The light was so intense that I had no choice but to shut my eyes as the crystal in my hand began to grow warm.
"Mhkh..."
A strange wave of dizziness hit me as I held onto the crystal, and my hand started to tremble.
It almost felt as though the energy was getting sucked out of me.
...It wasn’t pleasant.
Thankfully, the process lasted no more than a couple of seconds, and once the light died down and I managed to open my eyes again, a white crystal appeared in my grasp.
[Attributeless Fragment]
[Purity: 91%]
"Awesome."
The fragment felt a lot lighter than it was before as I tossed it in my hands.
However, I froze a moment after as I looked up to see a gray cloud floating right before me.
".....!"
My right hand squirmed shortly after as I hastily looked down to see the black tattoo squirm uncontrollably, almost as if it wanted to jump out of my arm.
"What the..."
I started to panic, but there wasn’t anything that I could do as the squirming only grew with each passing second.
It grew to such an unbearable degree that I had no other choice but to summon the Nightwalker, as a dark figure appeared before me shortly after.
My expression turned strange shortly after as I saw it stand beneath the lights, its entire body sizzling under it.
And yet...
As though it didn’t care about the lights, the Nightwalker stared at the gray cloud floating in the air before suddenly opening its mouth and sucking it.
Swooosh!
The gray cloud funneled into the Nightwalker, and I could only stare at the scene in shock.
What in the...
The process didn’t last very long.
It lasted only a few seconds at most, then the Nightwalker shifted its attention to me, its tall, shadowy body standing silently as it stared.
Tension coiled in my chest as my eyes flicked to the painting behind it.
...And just as the atmosphere reached its peak, the Nightwalker vanished, leaving behind only the dark marking reappearing on my arm.
"Huh?"
I stared at the marking on my arm in confusion.
What in the world just happened?
Everything happened so fast and abruptly that I had no time to properly assess the situation. However, after a brief moment, a thought occurred to me and I hurriedly moved for my laptop, loading up the Nightwalker page.
"...Ah."
I soon noticed the change, and my expression changed.
─────
<F> Ranked Anomalous Entity - Nightwalker
[Description]
: A shadowy entity that thrives in complete darkness and recoils from anything bright. Exposure to light gradually weakens it, and prolonged contact can destroy it entirely. In the dark, however, it possesses strength comparable to that of a grown man.
Loyalty : 25--> 35 [+10] (I’m still mad, but not as much. Feed me more.)
Fragments :
Conceptualization: 1/10
─────
"Conceptualization, one out of ten?"
I swallowed nervously while staring at the page.
"That’s..."
I took a moment to process the page before letting out a long breath and leaning back on my chair.
All of a sudden, the answer to one of my questions appeared.
Could I upgrade an anomalous entity?
...Apparently so.
Could it be that it wasn’t the system that had enabled the change, but my Decree?
Was this the Shepherd Decree?