Varian woke up feeling refreshed. Even though Body Awakeners could go on days without sleep, it was better to let the restless brain rest.
Now that he had no immediate worries, Varian decided to sort out a few things.
First, the inheritance that Boo boasted.
Second, advance in the Space Path. He was at the threshold for quite some time already.
Third, and most important of all—destroy his tomb and go beat the heck out of Kyle.
Even though he played it cool, Varian couldn't forget the look in Anna's eyes when she asked.
'You're handsome and fit. Why are you still a virgin? You… have a problem?'
"I don't!" Varian wanted to yell.
After calming himself, he rubbed his palms and asked Boo with expectant eyes. "Hurry up and show me the inheritance."
On the way back, Boo touted the inheritance.
In its words, 'With it, the You now can immediately kill even Level 9s.'
The key word was 'immediately'.
Shocked was an understatement.
Varian was flabbergasted.
The current him, using all his powers, could probably fight a mid-Level 5.
Given the fact that none of his other divine paths were even level 4, this was an achievement.
So what surprise was Boo going to bring him?
"Hehe. This is the only inheritance left. But even it is beyond your wildest dreams. This inheritance will not only allow you to threaten stronger powers, but it will also allow you to save your life at critical moments." Boo continued to tease.
Varian used his control and shook the ghost ship. "Hurry up!"
"Aw! Alright, alright! Don't shake me, master." Boo conceded.
Soon, a brilliant light flashed in front of Varian.
Space itself was warped and Vairan felt the bottleneck in his space path rapidly loosening.
His heart raced as he stared at the colorful spinning sphere.
His eyes were filled with hope.
Slowly, the space turned back to normal, and the light faded.
The hope in his eyes also faded.
It was a jacket?
There also seemed to be an array pattern on it. The weird thing was the logo— a skull and two bones.
This didn't look like a normal jacket at all.
Wait, was this even an inheritance?
Still hoping it was just weird aesthetics and not a scam, Varian asked. "Boo, what's this?"
"Suicide Jacket!" Boo answered cheerfully.
Varian barely held himself from coughing out blood.
He hurriedly gulped down a healing potion just in case and asked again.
"What Jacket?"
"Suicide Jacket, master. The one where a guy blows himself up to kill his enemies."
"Blergh" Varian still coughed out blood and collapsed on the bed.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
As he stared at the ceiling with profound questions, Boo's touts resounded in his mind.
'With it, the You now can immediately kill even Level 9s.'
"I can kill Level 9, but I'll also die with them." Varian punched his bed and with a pop, it collapsed.
BANG!
"Calm down, master. Calm down." Boo appeared outside and pleaded.
"Calm down my ass. It'd have been fine if you didn't keep hyping it." Varian gritted his teeth.
Boo made a confused face but said regardless. "What I said was true, though."
"...you really need a repair." Varian sighed in despair.
He knew it.
This ghost AI was unreliable after all.
Even it accepted that its brain wasn't complete.
What else could he do now other than accept this?
"So how do I use it? Even though I just don't want to use it ever." He grabbed the smooth jacket and asked.
"Just wear it. It will blend in. When you want it to, it'll come out and start a countdown or you can instantly detonate it." Boo explained.
After some recalling, it added. "Its power would wrap the space strong enough to strangle a level 9."
"It's cool, but I'd rather never use it." Varian carefully held the jacket that could kill him in a snap.
"A good characteristic of the jacket is to show dangerous it is. If the enemy fears for their own life, they'd spread the moment you use this jacket." Boo tried to instill some hope.
"That doesn't sound half bad…except I hope I won't use it. ." Varian took a deep breath.
Still, a weapon to threaten a Level 9 of mutual destruction was great. The point was that it could be used at any level. Even the Level 4 him!
"In the war 500 years ago, this tactic was first used by Abyssals." Boo said, peering through its foggy memories.
"Then we followed. Once a soldier was destined to loose, he'd use this suicide jacket and take down his enemies." Boo said in nostalgia.
"It digressed over the years. Now it can only take down a Level 9. But besides my broken body, that is the only symbol of the war I have." Boo smiled with pride.
"Perhaps to master, it isn't good. But to soldiers, it is a sign of their courage. Knowing they might die, but still making their death worth it." Boo clenched its tiny fists.
Varian sent Boo back.
He postponed beating it up to another time. Yes. Postponed. Not cancelled.
'I can't continue scolding you after that story, can I?' He shook his head when his eyes fell on the black box on the study table.
The same black box he tried to open for the past year.
But he was already Level 4. He must be able to open it, right?
Varian reached for the black box and exerted his strength—
"Damn!"
"What the fuck?" He stared at the unscathed box in surprise.
There's no way anyone in his home, even Sia, if she existed, could afford this material.
If they could afford a material that wouldn't budge under the strength of almost Level 5 strength, then they would've sent him to Dungeon, no?
"Something's wrong…" Varian frowned.
"Who gave this to me?" He felt the smooth but cold texture of the box and pondered.
"Mom? Sia? Someone else?"
"Boo, find the clues to this box…" He wanted to give it a try. Maybe find the buyer's information and from there…but—
"There are no traces of this item online, Master." Boo said.
Varian rubbed his forehead. This matter was becoming more and more complicated.
'For now, focus on what I can do.'
He glanced at his new comm. It was more resilient and wouldn't break unless a high awakener attacked.
Would it survive a space crack? He had no intention of trying.
[Varian.
Cumulative Merit Points: 2510
Current Merit Points: 2000
First Year Honorary Student.
First on Silver List (Narcis Xander was the former first)]
"2000 points!" Varian's breath nearly stagnated.
"Is it because they took out the headquarters? But I didn't take part in it directly…"
Regardless of the reasons, he was not complaining.
He needed merit points to check Sia's status.
Just 18,000 more points.
Varian's lips curled up.
Before that, 'Status'
[Body Path (Enhanced) Level 4: 900/1000
Space Path Level 2: 200/200
Thunder Path Level 3: 350/400
Morpher Level 3: 65/400]
'Space Path.' Varian pondered and brought out the suicide jacket.
He put it an active mode and the space around him began to warp.
Of course, he didn't activate the suicide option.
So, Varian was safe. Kinda.
Varian summoned the aura crystals and was about to sit on the bed.
But looking at the broken bed, he gave up the idea and sat on the ground.
'Advance!'
Within a few minutes, the bottleneck loosened, and with a plop; it broke.
[Preparing to Advance]
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