It’s the first time I’ve spoken like this in the world, it can’t be helped if my voice is a bit shaky as if it’s trying to learn the basics all over again.

 

It was also that moment that I felt that voice - the other me disappear. It’s almost like I’ve inherited his will. Even the way I voice my thoughts is different.

 

“But what are my thoughts? Have I really existed up until this point?”

 

A wild surge of memories flood though my mind, but the memories are fragmented. Deep disdain and a feeling of loneliness. This is… the flow of time? How long has it been? One,Two… A couple hundred of years perhaps? The flow has crawled to a snail's pace. This world at an observer’s glance is too stable and too stagnant. A single year in passing here is like a century of suffering in the dark.

 

The chill spreads through my body almost as if engulfing my very being, but it gradually subsides.

 

“Is this perhaps the merging of our conscience?”

 

I calmed down, sat there and pondered raising my right hand to cup my chin. I wondered how I would look in this world, I wondered about a lot of things, it also felt weird experiencing the sense of touch.

 

“The memories are accumulating and my thought process is zooming about everywhere at an insane rate. I feel like an encyclopedia has been crammed into my head.”

 

At that moment, I felt it,  an instinctive calling beckoning to my very nature. I turned my head in the direction that it was calling me from. I stared down the passage of the cavern, squinting my eyes to try to pierce the layer of darkness. 

 

[Your night vision has slightly increased]

 

There’s that voice again, I thought to myself. What a nifty world, even such a minor action could increase my capabilities. It would be interesting in the future to explore the possibilities.

 

I finally stood up and staggered forward in that direction.  

The darkness surrounding me gradually dispersed and I could feel that my body was slowly adapting to my surroundings. Step by step I kept walking forward, while entertaining myself with thoughts on who I was in the past, I tried to unravel the fragmented memories but in the end I could only resign myself to let it be a mystery for another day, I chuckled before I realised I had finally arrived at my destination.

 

An open field within a cave, scattered cobblestone pavements, patches of grass ankle deep. A faint firefly glow illuminating the somewhat distant field of vision. 

 

Stretching one's sight you can see something floating in the center of this field. A deep red crystal about the size of a palm emitting an illustrious light giving off an ethereal feeling. Below faint markings could be seen encircling the ground it was hovering over.

All of this was encompassed within my eyes. If the fantasy setting hadn’t settled me in yet then it truly had now.

 

Looking nearby I could see scattered swords stabbed in the ground. They were all rusted looking weapons and I doubt any of them were usable. They would probably be better for use as a blunt weapon at this point. If you were lucky enough to cut someone then it wouldn’t be severe, the only way it would be fatal would be if you somehow left someone with an infection.

 

I started wondering why I would even have to consider such situations but an unknown instinct told me that all of this would be of great importance to me. I started staring at one of the swords and decided to start muttering.

 

“Appraise”

 

… Hey what’s up why is nothing happening? 

 

“View! Display!”

 

Again nothing out of the ordinary happened. I’m starting to get embarrassed a bit, thank god no one was around I started thinking to myself. Embarrassed? Me? Well even if someone was around I wouldn’t be too bothered since I’m somewhat a shameless character.

 

Throwing away the embarrassment, I stare back in the direction of the crystal and start treading slowly towards it. I can feel something change within my body, it’s a strange sensation, something that I can’t say I’ve experienced before. It’s nothing like the quickening of blood flow but instead it feels like a stream is being cycled within myself. The feeling grows stronger the closer I approach and at that instant.

 

[Crimson Cavern Tear has completed its contract with you]

[Dual ownership of unnamed cavern expanse has been established]

[Reevaluating user abilities - Skills are being accumulated]

[A new class has been assigned]

[The user’s <<Insight>>skill has merged with <<Dungeon Terrain - Scope Evaluation>>]

[A new ability <<Sphere of Influence>> has been created]

[The functions of the dungeon core will be available once threat levels to the cavern drop below 30%]

[The evaluation of user status is still in progress. Additional time is required.]

 

“Insight? Is that appraisal?” 

I thought to myself but wondered why I couldn’t check on the status of the swords before.

“Was my ability low perhaps? Or is it a watered down version of Appraisal?”

It would make sense considering Appraisal wasn’t a run of the mill ability even though most transmigrator protagonists received it.

 

I wonder since the abilities got merged what <<Sphere of influence>> would actually achieve. As I thought that my sense of the surroundings increased dramatically and…

 

[Items within the surrounding can now be evaluated]

[A new subskill has been created - <<Dominion’s Eye>>]

[Creatures within have been made aware of your presence]

[Creature alignment with user has been made neutral]

 

“So it’s like that? My destiny is to preside over monsters or be one myself huh?”

 

I chuckled, it was a self depreciating chuckle but there was no real malice at myself or fate. 

 

“If destiny so beckons, then so be it.”