Blessing: Knowledge Seeker
[A knowledge seeker is an existence who not only seeks to gain knowledge but if defined by their knowledge. Their knowledge is tied so closely to their existence that knowledge gives more to them then just simply knowing.]
Blessing ability: Seek
[Ones senses is what allows them to learn. A knowledge seeker's senses are unique and focus on what they seek to learn.]
Blessing ability:
Blessing ability:
Blessing ability:
Blessing ability:
I've unlocked one of these abilities but like all others we have to walk the path of ascension to unlock more. The atlas system only referred to me as a beast but that was what it called everyone at the start.
I never actually learnt the names of each step which is something I probably should have done.
I was bothered by the wording on the 'Seek' ability. It didn't exactly give a good explanation of what I could do but then my mind went back to my fight will the bull.
I seemed to be able to shut off my senses, like I had done to my hearing and in return my other senses grew stronger. It was this thought that also made be realise that I hadn't smelt the blood which should have been an incredibly strong smell but I didn't smell a thing.
I focused on my sense of smell and it returned to me. The bodies of my dead squad mates smelt like how cooking any meat would. It would have actually been a good smell if not for the knowledge of what it came from.
As I willed my sense of smell to now disappear it then did, my other senses were enhanced when I removed my sense of smell but the enhancement wasn't anything significant. Noticeable sure but nothing much.
I focused on removing my sense of hearing. The whistling wind in my ear quickly faded and at the same time my sense of touch and sight felt very significantly sharper. Colours seemed more vivid and I could see further and with higher clarity.
'So the enhancement depends on which sense is added or removed. Does each sense have some inherent value then or is it the value that I give it in my mind? What even counts as a sense?'
I returned my hearing but at the same time felt for my sense of balance and then removed it.
The enhanced sight and hearing suddenly enveloped me. It wasn't quite as strong as when I had lost my hearing but far stronger then loosing my sense of smell despite smell being one of those 'main' senses.
While I was deep in thought I eventually noticed the ground rapidly accelerating towards me. I let my sense of balance return while trying to correct myself but I slammed into the ground anyway.
'Maybe removing my sense of balance isn't a good idea.'
The sounds of the crackling fire still behind me threatened to drown me in sorrow again.
'No, don't think about it. Do not think about it!'
'Right right let see, um. What counts as a sense?'
That was when I came to a realisation.
'My motion sense.'
It was indeed a sense, just one I couldn't use right now but my ability never said it was to remove senses. It was to focus on what they seek to learn.
I felt for my sense of motion but I didn't form the ability with my roh and my sight did not vanish. I felt it, all motion in the area. The effect wasn't nearly as strong as when I used the ability as I could only see a short distance but it was none the less something of note.
It seemed that my other senses diminished in returned for my motion sense, I couldn't hear nearly as clearly nor could I see well. My sight had been good all my life so it was weird to have the world be ever so slightly blurry making me unable to see the detailed texture of the far away bark of a tree.
I then tried activating my motion sense with the ability causing my sight to disappear and my sense of motion to become even stronger. Processing the sense was incredibly easy now, so much so I doubted I would even need my sight with the whole world being clear as day.
I was able to see the ground, the trees and their leaves. Even the leaves which flew through the air could be seen. It was something else entirely.
I turned off the ability but tried to mimic it with my own blessing and so allowed my sight to disappear while my motion sight came. The sense for motion wasn't nearly as strong but this was likely due to the fact my hearing had been greatly enhances alongside my motion sense. Splitting whatever resource was split between my senses now.
I returned my mind to the atlas system again.
Looking at it my I noticed how the quantity of mana seemed to have changed.
Mana: 0.32
Just a few minutes ago it was a third and now it has ticked down. I realised pretty quickly that the drain line probably meant the drain on my mana. Well calling it my mana is a bit of a stretch. It was mana from the atlas system which the atlas system used for its features.
My body couldn't hold mana after all, the system clearly said that. The way to get more mana was simply to touch dead cursed.
I looked at my curse 'loathsome' and when focusing on it the atlas system as always gave more details.
Curse: Loathsome
[All of existence has a tendency to distrust and hate you]
'My curse is that everyone hates me. Wait no that's not quite true, 13 seemed completely unaffected. Still is going to be annoying though.'
Turning my mind back to the atlas system.
Species: Homo Sapiens
[Homo Sapiens resemble humans in nearly every way. They evolved as bipedal hominids]
'Wait wait wait, resemble humans? We are humans how could we merely resemble ourselves?'
This was completely baffling. What made me more confused is why I had never heard about this before, surely someone would notice this and yet absolutely nothing.
It also implied that these 'humans' the atlas system speaks of were evolutionarily different from us and yet were the same in the end.
I recalled what the system said when I first heard it.
[This domain does not reside within the Great Tree]
The Great Tree, another thing I had heard nothing about. Clearly it was where the atlas system came from but...
'The cursed. Did they come from the great tree?'
It was likely but I also had no way to verify. The fact that both the atlas system and the cursed use mana is what made me almost certain.
The biggest question I had wasn't about anything to do with the atlas system or my blessing.
'What do I do now?'
Survive was an obvious answer but despite that what else was there? The MTV was broken so I had no way of receiving missions, I probably wouldn't be able to complete them anyway but I felt like I needed to do something.
I hadn't even heard what the mission we were onto the way to was and so I decided to just keep walking and see where it brings me. I had nothing else to do after all.
'I have food but I need a place to stay and a source of water.'
It felt kind of surreal, to be in a situation like this. I had imagined down here was hell but for the past week it had actually been surprisingly tame. At least as tame as a wasteland filled with monsters could be but now I was thrust into the thick of it just like how I imagined it.
Weirdly I didn't find myself feeling fear. It was just something I had to do. A mentality that would hopefully allow me to carry on until the end, whatever that may be.
As I walked the sun shone brightly. My vision disappeared from my right eye when I willed it to. I didn't want to accidentally look at it.
'Let's see what the future holds.'