The Architect

Please make sure you understand this before reading:

[...] = normal system

{...} = Tiamat system

***

As I opened my eyes, I was immediately struck by the sight before me. A man in a gas mask had thrust a blade into my chest with all his might, but in a swift counterattack, I pierced his waist, obliterating his insides.

I remember this scene vividly; it was the moment right before my death. This meant that my pact with Tiamat had worked. I was coming back to life! What a really strange experience.

{Yes, boy, now you need to kill this man before he kills you.}

The system – more like Tiamat within the system – instructed. She was morphing into the system now. This was a really unexpected way to revive me, I thought I would just wake up from my death after the battle.

I materialized my trusty revolver, checking my MP – just enough for one shot. Simultaneously, my assailant summoned his weapon, but I was faster, putting a bullet through his head first.

Yes, always aim for the head, no room for error!

The system chimed in with an announcement:

[You receive 10,000 killing points and 300 EXP for eliminating a player.]

[Player killing count: 2 players]

[Kill as many players as you can to receive hidden rewards.]

Wait a minute – I got more killing points for this kill compared to the first guy I eliminated?

[Yes, the reward depends on the player's level, skill, and their player's killing count.]

Ah, it made sense now. This man must have taken down numerous players before and probably possessed a powerful skill.

I glanced at the man who had killed me before, his lifeless eyes still open. I kneeled beside him to confirm his demise and removed his gas mask, revealing his face for the first time. Not a bad-looking guy, with a scar on his chin.

I couldn't recognize him, and the curiosity gnawed at me. Why did he want to kill me?

Suddenly, I coughed up blood vigorously, the accumulated pain from today's fight finally taking its toll. Damn, it hurts like hell!

Struggling to hold my bleeding chest, I realized it would've been the end of me if I hadn't brought healing potions. Oddly, my HP wasn't continuously depleting like it usually did, and Tiamat chimed in.

{I stopped the bleeding, not like you think. Your body's still bleeding; I just halted the HP from depleting continuously.}

Ah, got it. Taking a moment to compose myself, I drank the healing potion. Thank goodness for this system shop feature; without it, I'd have been long gone.

As I glanced back at the man, I spotted his weapon nearby and the coveted spatial bag! I seized the bag, peeked inside, and found an array of potions – MP, healing, and even stamina potions!

Damn, I needed to grab all of this and the weapon too. But could I do that?

[Yes, you can take all the goods and the weapon from the player you killed.]

Hell yeah! I secured the spatial bag at my waist – finally, what I wanted the most! No more buying potions from the store, and I could store everything in here!

The best part? You didn't need to open the bag. Just imagine the potion or item, and it materialized in your hand! Now I could stow away my short sword without fearing it would vanish from my grip.

Now, in my hand was that man's weapon. It was a simple carbine, but as I took it, I could see the amazing skill the weapon has:

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[Morphic Arsenal SSS]

[Base Stats]

[Normal ATK: Varies based on the weapon morphed into]

[ATK: 525]

[MP: 450]

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[Passive Skill: Adaptive Morphing]

[The carbine possesses the unique ability to morph into the wielder's desired weapon type]

[Wielder's knowledge about the chosen weapon enhances normal attack and skill damage by 20%. Expertise increases the damage boost to 50%.]

[MP consumption decreases based on the wielder's proficiency with the morphed weapon type.]

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[Active Skill System]

[The active skill acquired is determined by the wielder's expertise, with each weapon type having a unique skill.]

[The more mastery the wielder has over a particular weapon, the more potent the associated active skill becomes.]

[Each weapon type unlocks a distinct active skill, creating a versatile and strategic combat experience.]

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Then, the screen displayed a list of skills it contained. All of them had already been utilized by the man – Venom Burst, the poison that had afflicted me, and Tempest Triad, the missile launcher skill that had shattered the building into pieces.

I was fortunate that the deceased man had unlocked various skills, sparing me the need to do so myself. Given my lack of expertise, I'd probably end up with some lame skills.

This weapon was truly extraordinary! Even without familiarity, I could effortlessly morph it, and the damage output was impressive. Plus, no need for an MP to morph the firearm – bonus!

Heck yeah! I couldn't wait to morph it into cannons or projectiles! At this rate, could this weapon transform into a nuclear device or something?!

Lost in contemplation of the weapon's potential, Tiamat's unexpected question caught me off guard.

{Can I devour this man?}

I was curious about her motives. "Why do you want to consume him?" I inquired.

{This man is more valuable than you in terms of skill value. I can obtain his skills and expertise and transfer them to you.}

Really? You can do that? I was ecstatic; my luck with Gacha had been terrible, and the system hadn't been much help either.

{I can do far more than you might imagine. I promised to make you win every game, right?}

Well, she had a point. This was an incredibly useful skill, more than I could have hoped for.

{Very well, I'm ready to proceed.}

The Ouroboros tattoo on my wrist began to shine, emitting a golden mist that materialized into a figure – Tiamat's body.

Her form then unfurled, akin to a Venus flytrap opening its jaws wide. The difference lay in her body, which bore writhing tentacles.

These tendrils snatched the man's lifeless body and pulled him into Tiamat's seemingly infinite and void-like form.

The sight sent shivers down my spine; it was utterly eerie and unsettling.

{The Architect has been activated.}

{Appraisal skill started}

{Result from the appraisal skill will be done in 3 hours}

So, it seemed like I'd have to wait. Anyway, what is The Architect?

{The Architect is a skill that I've granted to you. I can manipulate the system to a certain extent, although there are still limitations.}

That was intriguing. I wondered what this Architect could do to my skills and attributes. Could it increase my level or attributes?

{I can't increase your level or attributes.}

Well, that's disappointing. What else can this system do for me besides snacking on the deceased and appraising them?

{Boy, don't you dare say that about my system!}

Whoops, sorry for that. But if it's like that, does it mean the original system can also peek into my mind while I'm chatting with you?

{No, I've got that locked down with my system.}

Oh, I see how it works now.

So, let's circle back to your bag of tricks. What sort of skills does your system bring to the table?

{I can swap your attributes, separate and merge one skill into another, and I have all the knowledge in this world to help you with the SSS skill that you have.}

I smirked; this was truly intriguing. Although it was not some overpowered skills that could turn me into some God, but the Architect seemed capable of boosting my skills and pulling off all sorts of tricks to make me even stronger.

I mean, imagine all the possibilities of the characters I could summon and all the weapons I could morph. With all the knowledge, I could defeat anything easily.

Feeling the urge to test it out immediately, Tiamat chimed in,

{We can test the Architect on undead territory nearby.}

Perfect! Now, I just needed to replenish my mana and get ready for another fight. The fatigue that had clung to me vanished in the excitement of this newfound power.

I mean, this was the power-up I had been eagerly waiting for! But before that, I peeked at my status for a while and smiled, what a wonderful day!

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[Player name: Seth]

[LvL: 12]

[HP: 720]

[MP: 240+450]

[ATK: 185+525]

[Class: Ranger]

[Killing Points: 41.500]

[Title: Prince of Chaos]

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[Attributes]

[Strenght: 65, Agility: 87, Defense: 41, Stamina: 70, Intelligence: 120]

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[Skill:]

[Soulbound Summon SSS]

[Enhanced Perception SR]

[Fly to the Sky R]

[Night Vision R]

[Guardian Shield R]

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[Weapon: Morphic Arsenal SSS]

***

Having two systems like this is harder to write than I thought. I hope it doesn't confuse the readers when they read this chapter.

The Tiamat system is also supposed to be in italics. Ugh, this app sucks