Inherited Memories

[Heaven Mystery Box (?)

— A mysterious box which contains something that you would need.]

One of the rewards he got from the Trial Dungeon was this small box. Its golden edges shimmered under the moonlight as Hans lifted it near his eye.

Hurriedly leaving from the trial dungeon, he forgot to inspect the appearance of this small box. Now that he thought about it, this item actually has no clear rank distinction.

To clear his confusion, there's only one guy he could ask. Canceling the mute function, the muffled groans of Plundy immediately assaulted his ears.

[Fuck you.]

"..."

Shaking his head, Hans sighed.

"Have you encountered an item with a question mark rank before?"

[So you only talk to me when you need something huh?]

"..."

[Well, since you are pretty much my master, you have to know the truth.]

As if Plundy's words bore a mysterious vibe, Hans' eyes narrowed.

[Items are only ranked by how strong or useful it is. Also, depending on the material, an item's overall rank might increase. However, there is an exception.]

"Exception?"

[Yes, an exception. An item with no clear distinction of how useful or powerful it is, will be labeled as an unknown.]

Hans pursed his lips.

Does that mean that the [King's Fragment (?)] might not be useful at all?

[In simple terms, you could call those items as random. Sometimes, they were based on the user's luck or the current event. Meaning, their usefulness is uncertain.]

"I see." Hans nodded.

Now that he thinks about it, the Heaven Mystery Box will give him something that he needs. Meaning, whatever that is, it can get him out of this predicament.

For example, if he's drowning and he opens the box, it might give him a skill for underwater breathing.

The content is uncertain and random. This is why even the system couldn't identify its true rank.

"Anyways, let's open it."

The box doesn't have any locks but as Hans slowly opened its cover, it clicked. It's as if a safe is being opened.

Click—

As the content gradually entered his sight, a powerful blinding light made him look away. Then, a small vial appeared on his palm. The shimmering light also gradually died down until it totally vanished together with the box.

Hans raised the vial to his eye and inspected the viscous liquid trapped inside it.

"What is this?"

A potion perhaps? Or maybe a poison?

Having no idea what it was, Hans read its description. Green letters floated in front of his eyes.

[Tears of the Ruined King (SSS)]

The moment Hans read the item's name, his body lost strength. He almost fell to the edge of the building. If not for his quick reaction he might have already glided toward the ground.

'An SSS-rank item!'

Hans puckered his lips, preventing himself from squeaking in joy.

Back on Earth, only a handful of people held an SS-Class item. Even then, they could be counted on his fingers.

It's been 20 years since the apocalypse and yet humans still haven't found a single SSS-rank item. Even though they aren't certain if this item rank truly exists, since there's an SSS-Class potential, they assume that this item rank is real.

However, 20 years later, no humans had seen even a trace of an SSS-rank item.

But now…

'I can't believe it!'

Never in his life, he would have thought that he would be able to grasp an SSS-rank item in his palms.

'Calm down.'

Suppressing his excitement, Hans controlled his emotions. This is not the time to be impressed. He'll save the celebration for later.

Immediately, Hans read the rest of its description.

[Tears of the Ruined King (SSS)

Type: Consumable

— Once consumed…]

As Hans' eyes read the next words, his entire body trembled in shock.

[...the user will gain the title, [Envoy], for 30 minutes.]

...…..

Pant—, pant—

"Haah, Haah."

Ocula breathed heavily. His heart charged madly at his chest that it felt like it might burst. Although the [Crimson Inferno] skill didn't truly drain his mana, its downside is the skill can also damage the caster.

However, with Acula's timely protection, he managed to minimize the damage he received. The two teleported to a nearby area where the entire Empire could be captured in their eyes.

"He should be dead now right?" Ocula whispered. He grasped his scorched right hand and immediately frozen it with ice.

"I think he is." Acula muttered.

The [Crimson Inferno] is a destructive spell conjured by compressing all blood mana inside an orb and powering it with the mana particles in the air.

Meaning, every second, the mana contained in it will grow larger and it will even become stronger. After ten seconds, it would stop absorbing mana and could already be used.

"I didn't think casting this spell was hard."

The aggressiveness of the fire and blood mana properties made it difficult to balance the two. However, once they reached equilibrium, the skill could trigger the Flames of Dracula.

It was the first ever flame that made the Vampires immune to fire. Once they bathed in it, their weakness to flames wouldn't be a problem anymore.

However, the flame is violent to other species. It would melt them to ashes and every burn they receive wouldn't be able to heal forever.

Hence, even if Hans was still alive he should have been writhing in pain right now. Sooner, he'll also die.

Acula closed his eyes and focused his perception around the entire Empire.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed. A familiar mana signature remained silent in the air. Perplexed, Acula followed the trace it left until it led to a building.

His eyes immediately opened and he roared.

"He's still alive!!!"

The grand and majestic voice echoed around the citizens' ears, striking fears to their hearts.

...….

"Envoy?" Hans tilted his head.

Is this the same envoy Plundy was talking about? Like Urs?

As if sensing his dilemma, Plundy's voice sounded in his head.

[It seems like you're gonna be an Envoy but unfortunately, it's only temporary so no need to make a fuss.]

"Are there any side effects?"

Potions made by humans always had a side effects. The stamina potion he used back at the trial dungeon made his appetite stronger for a day.

[Probably not. Why don't you just see for yourself?]

"Err, you're right."

Hans sighed. After taking the lid off the small vial, a strange aroma tickled his nose. The scent could be described as sweet and appetizing as if it came from the depths of the universe itself.

Hans brought it near his lips and slowly gulped the potion.

Gulp—, gulp—

"Ah. It's delicious."

The taste wasn't like anything he had tasted before. It couldn't be described by the foods on Earth so Hans couldn't really tell what its exact flavor was.

The liquid traveled in his throat until…

Badump—, badump—

"W-what!?"

Hans clutched his chest. He could hear his heartbeat pounding heavily. His mana has gone chaotic as if they saw a superior energy. Thick green veins popped out of his whole body while his muscles ached every slight movement.

"Pant—, pant—"

Hans threw the vial and flopped down to the ground.

'Focus Hans…'

He has to control the unknown energy inside his body or else it might escape and he wouldn't be able to get a benefit.

Closing his eyes, Hans entered deep meditation. His mind wandered in his body not knowing the enemies were already sprinting towards his direction.

...…

Unknown Place…

Birds chirped while they sang lullabies above the tree branch. Leaves rustled as the silent gust of wind caressed nature. Strange sounds echoed in his ears, that's why his eyelashes fluttered before his eyes fully opened.

His blurred vision gradually became clear. The previous apocalyptic place he came from has now become a balcony of someone.

Confused, Hans asked.

"Where am I?"

However, even though he spoke through his mouth, his lips didn't open. He tried to move his hand but it seemed like he had no control over it.

The only thing he could do is wait. Even his pupils couldn't be moved, resulting in Hans thinking that everything was becoming weirder.

Until…

His body moved on its own.

'What!!?'

[Calm down Hans!]

'Oi, Plundy?'

[Yes, it's me.]

At that moment.

'Plundy, you're here!!!'

Hans smiled in delight. He thought someone must have possessed his body and taken him somewhere else but it seemed like he was mistaken.

'First, let's analyze the situation first.'

Based on his initial thought, he seemed to be inside someone's body. Aside from his mind, Hans couldn't move any of his limbs at all.

'Ahh, this is driving me crazy!'

Last moment, he was at the Baru Empire. After consuming the [Tears of the Ruined King], he entered deep meditation. The next moment, he's inside someone's body.

[Maybe, this is your past life?]

'Past life my ass. Who cares about past lives?'

[I'm just guessing. Don't take it personally.]

Hans shrugged his imaginary shoulders and proceeded to see what was happening outside through the body's eyes. Fortunately, he could somehow share the body's 5 senses but can't move it to his own will.

The body Hans possessed, sauntered towards the yard where a garden full of flowers laid. They bloomed as soon as he passed through as if he was all the fertilizer they needed.

At that moment, a soft and tender voice rang behind his back.

"Dear, what's bothering you?"

Even without turning back, Hans could vividly visualize how her silky long hair swayed with the gentle wind. Her eyes twinkled as it gaze upon the honey in her sight.

In short, even without knowing her appearance, Hans could tell that she was beautiful.

Butterflies surrounded him while the largest one landed towards his raised finger. Then, the man spoke. His voice sounded deep and gentle. It sounded calming and mellow.

"All blessings that I received were all thanks to the misfortunes I experienced but I'm afraid."

Hans felt a tear trickling down the eyes of the body he possessed.

"I'm afraid that someday, misfortunes will befall upon you and our child, and I was too weak to stop it."

He didn't know why but Hans felt a lump on his throat.

The woman answered in a light tone, "You're not weak."

At that moment, Hans felt a hand wrapped behind him. Although he felt uncomfortable, he just let it slide.

"It's just fate is against us."

"Fate is always unfair." The man said.

"No, fate was never unfair."

The man turned around. His wife cupped his cheeks and she smiled.

"If fate was unfair, I might have never met you."

[Damn, that hits the spot. Oi, if this is really your past life, I might not believe it.]

'Shut up.'

The man held his wife's hand and hugged her tightly in his broad arms.

However…

"Uwaaaah—, uwaaaah—"

The cries of a baby awakened the two from their intimacy. His wife raised her head and giggled.

"I'll be right back."

"Mm."

The man watched his wife's back slowly disappear from his sight. A sad smile bloomed on his lips.

"How long can this feeling last?" The flowers around the man gradually lost their colors. Then, his eyes darted towards the lone butterfly hovering above his head.

"If fate takes everything away from you, what would you do?"

The man asked. Hans, who was inside his subconscious, raised his eyebrows.

'I won't let that happen.'

Even though the question wasn't aimed at him, Hans subconsciously answered. He felt like the man he possessed seemed to have experienced a great deal of suffering.

At that moment, the man chuckled.

"I see…"

After hearing his words, suddenly Hans' vision turned black. His body floated in the sea of darkness as if he was swimming in the middle of nothingness.

......…..

Step—, step—

Sounds of footsteps gradually approached the man who was in a deep state of meditation. After a short period, the sound came to a halt. The warm breeze howled around the two.

Then...

"As I thought, you're really here, Hans."