Chapter 34: Dazzling Revelation
My eyes once again awoke to the malfeasant darkness, slightly startled by it before adjusting in kind.
I stirred on the ground as I brought my shaky hand to rub my eyes.
D-did I fall asleep?
I thought as I sat up, still dazed somewhat. I used my hands to adjust my sitting posture and felt them tremble slightly.
I paused for a moment; a bemused expression present on my face. I lingered for a moment, raising my hand to my eye level. Despite the fact that I couldn't see them, I could tell.
They were shivering.
I frowned slightly, but soon my gaze felt sleepy.
Am... tired...
I thought with a yawn, bringing a hand to it before proceeding to lower my head, wanting to rest it on the ground.
"Just a few minutes...", I muttered and brought my head to the cold hard ground.
I closed my eyes as the peaceful embrace of sleep cradled my body.
My body soon turned still, falling into sleep's embrace when suddenly, a vein throbbed on my fist.
My eyes popped open and my gaze turned sharp and deadly.
[Skill: Fear Inducement has been activated.]
I bolted up to my feet and bit my lip, murderous intent seeping from my eyes.
[Skill: Resistance is active.]
"Something is wrong with me...", I muttered with wide open eyes, swerving from left to right in the darkness.
What's going on...?
I looked around, trying to find the source of the strange lethargy I was feeling but then...
My gaze turned sleepy again and my body grew weak. I fell to my hind in a daze.
W-what's w-wrong with me?
My mind was spinning and hazy, my thought seemingly incoherent.
Weakness was seeping into my body and encroaching it, turning my seemingly vital body into an unmoving mass of flesh.
THUMP!
My back hit the ground and my eyes fluttered slowly.
As my gaze flickered, I finally realized what was wrong with me.
Intuitively, I knew what it was...
It was the Weakness of the Soul.
A deficiency in one's World Energy.
In my daze, I summoned my inventory.
In...ven...tor...y
[Inventory:] School Uniform, Blade of Grass, Rock Pebbles, Twigs, Acolyte Leaves, Glass Bottle, Box of Seasoning, Hunting Knife, Quill-Book, Leather Map, Silver Lining, Veil of the Moon, Inept Lantern, Worthless Bowl, Maladroit Ax, Arch of Error, Featureless Quiver, Empty Goblet...
I spotted what I was after and then uttered a command.
Op...no...Describe...Inept La..nt..ern...
[Inventory:] Inept Lantern: Merely a broken torch. This Common Item has the Effect; Irradiate.
[Effect:] Irradiate: In exchange for a flux of the World Energy, this item radiates light.
Fl...ux..of...Wor...Ld...Ene...rgy...
Tsk...thi..s...is the cau...se...
I grimaced weakly as I stared upwards.
No...w...I see...why...he...ca...lled...it...in...ept...
Indeed.
Galter Droet hadn't named the Lantern out of mere vanity; he named the Lantern after how gluttonous it was with the wielder's World Energy.
I let out a disgruntled sigh.
Shit...
W...w...hat...do...I...do...n...ow?
It was simple, really, in theory at least.
All I had to do was replenish my World's Energy.
But...the problem was how do I do that?
My breathing suddenly became heavy and erratic, I began to feel suffocated.
C-ca...lm...dow...n...
I urged myself.
L..let's..thin...k...
In this world, magic existed.
Although, I wasn't sure how it worked, it seemed that the source or root of magic was the World Energy. An energy that existed in everyone...probably.
From what I knew there was only one instance where I had absorbed the World Energy and that was when I leveled up to Level 5.
B-but...I...I..c-ca..n't level...up...
But of course, I couldn't level up.
I was far from Level 6...pretty far.
S-so...w-what...do...Id...o?
I thought with bathed breath.
W-wa...it...the...re...might....be awa...y...
An idea came to mind, an uncertain one but an idea nonetheless.
W-will...will...it work...?
I pondered in silence before finally deciding to attempt it.
It was better to try than not try at all, especially now when I was in a desperate situation.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, calming myself.
I exhaled after four seconds before inhaling for another four seconds.
I did this for a couple of minutes before realizing.
I-it's...no-t...w-working...
O-of co-ourse, dumbass...
My inner voice spoke in a strained voice, seemingly being subdued by the silent weakness I was feeling.
W-when ya..breathe...d-don't ju-st breath normally...feel...wha...t...you...breathe...
My inner voice trailed off, vanishing into the void of my mind.
Feel...what you...breathe...?
I thought for a moment before attempting to inhale again.
I took a deep breathe and exhaled, I took another and exhaled.
I continued to take more deep breathes but yet nothing changed.
Still, I didn't relent, I kept on taking deep breathes.
Keeping in mind what my inner voice said.
Feel...w-what...you...breathe...
Seconds turned into minutes and minutes to hours, yet I kept on breathing, trying to grasp the feeling of breathing.
The weakness I was feeling permeated my body, soon the situation came to a point that I couldn't even move my hands or legs, not even my eyes.
When I noticed how weak I was getting, I promptly called out a command.
Silver Lining!
Following my command, a swirl of sparks formed the outline of a regal uchigatana before manifesting its true form into existence.
Using all the strength I could muster; I grabbed the sword allowing an invigorating sensation to fill my body.
Feeling new found strength, I continued to control my breathing, trying to grasp the World Energy.
My breathing became more ragged and erratic, growing more and more strained. The feeling of suffocation was becoming more and more apparent.
Yet, I persisted, I tried, I forced myself to breathe but then soon lost hope.
I-it's not wor-
Right before I finished that thought, the blade of Silver Lining glistened and suddenly I had a revelation.
My eyes flew open, nearly popping out of their sockets. My body rattled and my breathing grew slightly hitched.
A pale, shaky smile made its way to my face as I spoke in an enlightened tone,
"So...t-that's h-how you breathe..."
In that moment, the system spoke.
[You have gained 20 EXP.]