Trust will Form with Time

If one would look at Eid right now, they would've thought he was a stone statue that was realistically painted.

Eid was frozen shocked. The voice didn't give him time to process the situation.

[Eidol, using the Fairy of Gift's power, I bestow you your Inaugural Gift.

-Dimensional Thread-

Energy from the Spirit Realm will manifest as sharp and sturdy strings through invisible nodes. These nodes can be created anywhere the user wills within their limited proximity of creation. The user can manipulate these strings within their limited proximity of manipulation. However, energy from the Spirit Realm takes time to form and had limited capacity. Ability can be upgraded.

String Rank: Jade

Number of Nodes: 2

Proximity of Creation: 1 Meter

Proximity of Manipulation: 10 Meters

Rate of String Formation: 1 Meter per minute

Capacity in Length: 1 Kilometer]

'What a long description!' that was Eid's first thought which is true if compared to most Gifts.

[And, as a sign of friendship, my gift is the Path of Advancement Manual. Learn it as you will.]

Then, a series of texts entered Eid's head without warning.

"Argh!" he let out a restrained but painful groan.

It was quick and explosive. It felt like he was hit by a cannonball to the head! But just as the pain arrived, it disappeared as quickly as well.

[The Path of Advancement Manual is not any scripture you know in this world. The manual transforms and adjust to its user's affinity.

From now on, if Eidol has some questions, you can call me. My name's Arin.]

With that, the voice no longer came back.

Eid was overwhelmed by everything that transpired.

What the hell was that!? I haven't heard of anything like this! He internally screamed.

Eid pushed himself to walk to his bed and dropped there. For some reason, he was very tired. All the anxiety he had been carrying in the past few months was flushed away. Together with the acute shock and confusion, Eid was mentally tired.

With nothing stopping him, he unintentionally dozed off.

For Eid, it felt like he just blinked, and it was already morning. Interestingly, his mind was refreshed from the night's sleep.

He recalled what happened last night and questioned if it was just a dream. Even though it was so vivid, along with the sharp pain, Eid still wanted to be sure.

"What was its name again?" he muttered before he internally called out to it.

'Arin...'

But there was nothing.

"Huh?" Eid placed his palm on his forehead, "Maybe I did go crazy."

He didn't immediately give up though. That voice said if Eid has some questions, he can call it. Thus, he asked a question that first come into his mind.

'Arin... I'm not crazy, am I?'

[Crazy is an ambiguous word. But by its common definition, Eidol is not crazy.]

"Woah!" Eid was not startled by the voice itself but startled by its existence.

Meanwhile, outside Eid's room, Toko was standing opposite his room's door. Last night, she was hearing something from there but didn't intrude. If there's anyone that can be said to be more anxious than Eid in the past year, it would be Toko.

Although she's confident that her young master doesn't need a Gift to become stronger, she also wants her young master's wishes to come true.

'But I don't get it. Young master shouldn't be too sad. Even if he doesn't have a Gift, I'll be his Gift. Even if he becomes blind, I'll be his eyes. Even if he couldn't move his fingers, I'll feed him. Even if he goes insane, I'll be a tool for his delusions. Even if...'

This continued in her head until someone came to pull her out of her world.

"Toko, is Eid awake?"

Duchess Judith asked with a worried expression.

Toko moved to face the Duchess and bowed, answering, "I think he is, Mistress."

"I see..."

The always jubilant Duchess lowered her head with a frown.

"It's very unfortunate. I hope he can recover from this."

"Young Master will, Mistress."

Looking at Toko's cold expression, Duchess Judith smiled.

"You're strong, Toko. It's good that you're on Eid's side." she giggled and teased, "Say, since Eid wouldn't be a Fighter, I'm thinking that he should live a normal life, see? He should settle peacefully... find a girl... get married... have children..." the Duchess leaned forward and flashed her eyebrows twice towards Toko.

"..." Toko lowered her eyes to ponder before nodding, "Right, Mistress, I can assure you that I will protect the young master."

Duchess Judith was pleasantly surprised that Toko responded to what she wanted to hear with a serious tone.

"From today onwards, I'll actively look for a compatible partner for the young master." Toko continued with her serious tone.

"Ah..." The Duchess somehow knew this girl would misunderstand her, and it seems that what happened, "That's..."

Before Duchess Judith could correct Toko, the Duke along with Ner arrived...

Within the room, oblivious to what was happening just outside his room, Eid asked many questions to the voice that calls itself Arin.

When he asked about the nature of the voice, it said:

[I'm sorry, but there are questions I can't answer.]

'Does that mean you don't know either?'

[I'm sorry, but there are questions I can't answer.]

Arin would just repeat the same response when asked about its existence and its objective.

After thinking for a while, Eid asked for something to settle his mind.

'Can you lie?'

[No]

'A liar can say that...' he already knew that but asking it was for the peace of his mind.

'What did you do to Allknow?'

[The Fairy of Gift, also known as Allknow, is not actively conscious when achieving connections to selected individuals. Thus, I intervened with the connection and invaded the Fairy of Gift.]

That didn't fully answer his question. It was natural for Eid to think that Arin was omitting something again.

'Why?'

[To use its power and give Eidol the perfect Gift.]

'Does that mean...' Eid frowned as he was finally getting somewhere, 'you specifically chose me?'

[Yes]

'What are your intentions in giving me the perfect Gift?'

[I'm sorry, but there are questions I can't answer.]

'Well, that's suspicious.'

[Eidol can relax as I am your ally.]

Eid was surprised that the voice responded to something not a question.

'Are there others like me?'

[Yes, before.]

'Before? How about now?'

[Eidol is currently the only host. The past chosen people have failed.]

Eid heard something interesting and got to the point.

'So, you want something from me? What is it?'

[For Eidol to be stronger.]

'Why?'

[I'm sorry, but there are questions I can't answer.]

Eid frowned and thought of something.

'Well, I guess I don't want to get stronger. How can I trust you?'

[You'll trust me with time because I am here as your ally. You will get stronger. You have the desire to be stronger.]

'How are you so sure?'

[The king of the Iron Kingdom.]

Hearing the answer, a cold sensation crept Eid from toe to head.

'How do you know that? How long have you been spying on me? Are you a Fairy?'

[I've been here since Eidol was a child. Don't worry, I cannot hear all your thoughts. I only hear them when you intend your thoughts to be heard. However, I can hear your words. I'm not a Fairy.]

It's good that the voice answered everything but the answers... are bad.

As if responding to Eid's discomfort, Arin stated:

[Once you've overcome the king of the Iron Kingdom, you'll know my objectives.]

'Why delay it?'

[Just as Eidol doesn't trust me, I don't trust Eidol completely. But I believe trust will form with time. Although my power is limited, I'll support Eidol in every way I can. By the time Eidol has freed himself from the king's pressure, trust between Eidol and I should've been formed.]

Arin was blunt but that made Eidol relax. As mysterious as this voice is, what it says were logical. Knowledge can be a powerful weapon. It shouldn't be always given out when asked.

'How come you still don't know if you can trust me or not when you've been spying on me since I was a child?'

[Have you ever had a mysterious voice in your head before, saying she wants you to get stronger for an unknown objective she doesn't want to say?]

'Touche'

Eid felt like he was talking to someone humanlike. Additionally, it calls itself 'she'. That just adds more to the confusion.

With no more questions left in his head, Eid finally decided to take a look at the other 'gift' Arin gave him- the Path of Advancement Manual.

It was a weird thing. It felt like there was a book inside his head. With just a thought, he could see it within his mind, open and read it.

Although he seemed to memorize it, it's a whole other thing to read and understand the texts within the virtual book.

Thus, Eid started reading the book.

After getting past just the first three chapters, Eid's eyes glowed and Arin's voice appeared.

[Congratulations, Eidol, for integrating the Path of Advancement Manual into your system. You have unlocked its first feature. The manual tailored itself to fit the user. Its first feature is the Upgrade System.]

Eid blinked a couple of times before realizing Arin didn't continue the explanation. He decided he'll see the details in the book itself, and upon summoning the book in his head, it seemed that the details are there.

[- Upgrade System -

User: Eidol

Description: Eidol has an affinity for justice. For every given amount of a sinner's life he takes, his chosen trait will double in power. The stronger the sinner's life, the greater progress Eidol receives for his next upgrade.

Criteria: Tier 1 or above; a sinner.

Progress: 0/99

Chosen Trait: None]

Eid scratched his head. There's another complicated description with numbers. This is vastly different from the Gifts others receive like the one Greg has.

'Arin, can you tell me what the term chosen trait means?'

[Chosen Trait in the Upgrade System refers to the abilities or characteristics the user chooses to power up upon reaching 100% of progress. Traits can mean many things such as Muscle Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Senses, Gifts, and more of the same nature. The only traits that are universally cannot be enhanced are consciousness, intelligence, soul, and more of the same nature.]

Eid's eyes glittered. What a wonderful manual!