Chapter 2: Attributes
Liam opened his eyes to see a white ceiling above him. He groaned as he nestled into the soft feeling of what was below him.
Remembering the incident before, he sprang up from his position and glanced at his waist. He noticed he was wearing a white shirt and pulled it up to see that there was no wound on him.
"Ha– hahahaha... It really was a dream." He laughed quietly, but then he raised a brow at the surroundings.
The room he was in was quite big. The white bed he was lying in was large enough for three people to sleep comfortably.
The walls were painted blue with red stripes, and paintings and drawings of a young boy and an elderly woman hung on parts of the room.
'None of this still makes sense. Did I... really die?' he questioned reality.
The room seemed to be illuminated by a crystal on the ceiling, and he finally stood up from the bed.
He blinked when he saw his reflection in a nearby mirror. He seemed very malnourished, with a frail and thin body. His eyes were a light shade of purple, and his short hair was black.
He couldn't help but furrow his brows at the mirror. He made a few gestures to see if it was really him, and the image in the mirror mimicked him exactly.
"What is happen–" Liam was caught off guard by a sharp pain in his head. Unable to bear it, feeling it all around his brain, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he passed out from the intense pain.
It was over an hour later, and Liam found himself lying on the bed. The ceiling was still the same, and he was still in the same room.
'So it's like this, huh? I don't know why this world resembles the one from the novel I read.' He thought with a tired sigh.
He looked to the side to see a woman in a maid outfit sitting beside him. He glanced at her face and was a bit surprised.
She had shoulder-length brown hair and clear black eyes, and she looked at his face worriedly.
"Alexa..." He muttered her name, still feeling groggy and sleepy.
"My prince... What happened to you? You were found almost dead on the outskirts of the kingdom," Alexa asked with a worried tone.
Liam couldn't help but sigh before standing up.
"Are you okay?" she asked him, and Liam glanced back at her.
"I need a moment to myself," he said, and she nodded, looking sad as she left the room.
Liam just stared at the door as it closed. He then glanced out the window, looking up at the sky. There were ominous dark clouds blocking any light from touching the land.
'This is definitely... the world of Asura's Rebirth. I can't believe I'm inside that novel now. And this character...'
He glanced at a nearby mirror and looked at himself again.
'The female lead didn't have a twin brother. Which means that...'
'I'm not even supposed to be alive. Perhaps dying in that accident before was my former fate,' he thought, clenching his fists.
'Being in this body is not even the biggest problem... but that.' He glanced out the window at the clouds covering the sky like a blanket.
'The curse of darkness, eternal night.'
The world of Asura's Rebirth was plagued by this curse until near the end of the story, when the main character dispelled it.
Not only did it make the skies like this, but it also affected the living creatures close to the source of the curse, turning them into Crawlers—creatures born from darkness, serving the darkness, and at peace with destruction.
As if all these problems weren't enough, before the curse befell the world, there was the issue of dungeon gates opening randomly with the risk of pouring out dangerous monsters.
Liam had to admit, it wasn't his lucky reincarnation.
'I was never able to have a normal life because of the life I had on Earth, with that shitty disability. But if I'm in this world, I have to fight for the peace and happiness I want... Bullshit.' He gritted his teeth.
As he kept thinking to himself at the window, a white mist began to gather around him. He blinked in confusion.
[Welcome to Daeth, Sole Reader.]
[You have been recognized by Thrifter. Rewards are being calculated.]
[You have gained attributes: The Fated Reader, The Omniscient, and Thrifter's Incarnation.]
Liam was shocked by what he was seeing in front of him as the black words on the white mist wove to form various sentences.
'Is this... is this the World Record? But how? This person I'm in doesn't even have essence.' He wondered to himself, then frowned.
Currently, he was in the body of Prince Julius Augustine of the Royal Clan of the Human Kingdom, also known as the Talentless Prince.
'Although not one of the best people, I accept this life as a prince. Julius Augustine.' he accepted his weak and talentless self.
Of course, that wouldn't be the case for long...
'The World Record doesn't do all this... It usually only shows a person's recorded information, feats, titles, and abilities. But this...' He looked at the messages with squinted eyes.
The World Record was basically an entity that recorded the information of its inhabitants. But only those able to control essence could see it.
[Attribute: The Fated Reader]
[Grade: Mythical]
[You are fated to get involved with the main story whether you like it or not. 'Plot Points' will be given for every change to the original story. You will be granted entry into the Treasury of Gods if you reach 2,000,000 points.]
"..."
'What the fuck is this? And it's graded mythical... understandable.' Julius looked at the attribute with a frown.
Attributes were one of the things essence users of this world could acquire. They were earned by outstanding or simple feats achieved by a person. Getting some right off the bat was... shocking.
'I have to get involved... with that main character? Hell no.' He shook his head but then closed his eyes and considered it.
'The Treasury of Gods was a place the main character couldn't enter because he didn't pass the trial... But I'm being offered entry if I just get enough of these plot points.' He pondered hard.
He knew that if he wanted to interfere with the story...
'I have to catch up with the main character in terms of power.' He nodded to himself before checking out the second attribute.
[Attribute: The Omniscient]
[Grade: Divine]
[You will remain calm in every situation, and your mental fortitude is absolute. While a sharpened mind can cut through deception, it may also dull the heart. Tread carefully, lest you find yourself adrift in a sea of calm, untouched by the storm of emotions that give life its color.]
'Hm... So basically if I use this, I would know no fear. But what's this, a warning?' Julius glanced at the other words on the mist and was confused.
'So it's basically warning me not to lose my emotions. Shouldn't be that hard.' He thought before glancing at the final attribute.
[Attribute: Thrifter's Incarnation]
[Grade: Celestial]
[Under the support of a God who has a connection to fate, you will be talented in anything you decide to learn. You will also receive support from fate in life-threatening situations.]
"Wha–!" Julius held his scream within as he reread the description of the attribute.
'Yoooo... I got the highest grades of attributes just as a reader. And here I was beginning to worry about how I'd solve my problems.' He laughed to himself, stepping away from the window.
'This Thrifter... Is some kind of god. Perhaps the one that brought me here...' he thought with a frown on his face.
'Amongst all the gods, I didn't hear of him in the story. He could be connected to everything happening to me right now...' Julius couldn't help but think and then je sighed and turned around.
He glanced at the bed and saw a book with a blue cover. It was as thick as two adult fingers and very portable.
The front was blank, as was the back. When he tried to open it, everything inside was blank, leaving him confused.
"Is this supposed to be my diary or something?" He glanced at it with a frown, then put it aside on the table.
It took Julius an extra hour to come to terms with everything. Letting out a breath, he finally turned to leave the room and meet up with his mother.
'If I really want to get stronger, I'll need the Stone of Rebirth to awaken essence. And I know where it is right now,' he thought to himself before leaving the room.
Time to get some treasures and awaken.