Detesting The System: Sundering Fate

Mhmm… I'm not sure if I would be this good at improving my ability to manipulate magic had the Voidseeker not reformed my body with Chaos. In any case, all I can confirm is that this… this is a very good thing.

[Alert!

Magic Manipulation Level F → E

Effect: Allows the user to sense and gather poor quality magic from his immediate surroundings. Range: 1.5 m (meters) away from the user's body

Status

...

Magic: I → H]

All I did was spent a couple minutes practicing that bizarre breathing method I learned with the acquisition of Magic Manipulation. But, soon after I started, even with all the gains I was making developing magic, I sensed a sort of limit bar my path from the rapid advancement of moments prior. With my sense and intuition towards the magic around me, even if I couldn't visibly detect any changes, I could tell by feel that the magic around me was completely s.u.c.k.e.d clean.

Magic being an intrinsic part of all the things around me, I knew that the essence of magic was still there, but the "free-flowing particles," as I came to call them, needed time to regenerate. Those particles were what fueled my growth and with their slow regeneration, it would be an exercise in futility staying around.

Sighing as the thought of creating a mapping skill crossed my head, I was dealt a heavy hand by the unforgiving Skill Conjuration ability.

[Skill Conjured: Volumetric Mapping (Locked)

1st Degree Prerequisite: Divine Sense (Locked)

2nd Degree Prerequisite: Eidetic Memory (Locked)

3rd Degree Prerequisite: Spiritual Awakening (Locked)

4th Degree Prerequisite: Magic Stat Level S (Yet To Be Achieved)]

Intuition: The Magic Stat can be cultivated with Magic Manipulation. Other ventures worth pursuing include Alchemy, Cooking, and acquiring excellia through the advancement of magic proficiency.]

Since I need Magic at levels I can't imagine attaining anytime soon, I got up and left the spot where the Voidseeker transported me. 'Mhmm… Skill Conjuration can grant me any ability, right?' As I entertained the thought, I wished for a Language skill, so as to not struggle with whatever language the people in this world used and sure enough, I got my wish.

[Skill Conjured: Omnipotent Communication (Locked)

1st Degree Prerequisite: Derivative Understanding (Locked)

2nd Degree Prerequisite: Eidetic Memory (Locked)

3rd Degree Prerequisite: Spiritual Awakening (Locked)

4th Degree Prerequisite: Magic Stat Level S (Yet To Be Achieved)

5rd Degree Prerequisite: Passive Language Acquisition (Unlocking)

Passive Language Acquisition Unlocked!

New Skill

Name: Passive Language Acquisition

Level: Null

Description: Given the mnemonic devices of Passive Language Acquisition, the process of learning a new language becomes exponentially easier. The more one gets exposed to new and foreign languages, the easier it becomes to apply the mnemonic devices.

Effect: Reading, writing, and listening to people in a foreign language — any language the user has yet to master to perfect fluency — becomes easier to understand. "Null" grants a 5% improvement to the rate of language mastery.]

"F.U.C.K!" I'd be lying if I didn't say the way the information my stupid system shoved into my head didn't hurt. If I had to describe it, the feeling seems comparable to having my head melt and freeze in oscillation, and the two or three seconds that passed, in reality, felt like minutes of constant torture.

I walked out of the back alley at last, rubbing my head all the while, as I entered a main street, with countless people shuffling back and forth, I instantly knew where to go. Off to the distance, there was the hilariously tall tower of Babel practically begging for me to head in its direction. I didn't know how far along the timeline my arrival started in, so among my top priorities, getting cash and searching for information regarding the relationsh.i.p.s between the various gods, were high up there.

Knowing how haggard I looked, I didn't deign to ask the people around me any questions as I'd rather not risk being treated like a beggar. But, along the journey, I didn't hesitate to stare down every piece of advertis.e.m.e.nt or text lined on the buildings of the main street. Fortunately, I actually recognized the language of this world to be Japanese. Unfortunately, the basic level of proficiency I had for Japanese wasn't good enough to understand 80% of the characters I saw.

Still, Passive Language Acquisition's effects were impressive enough even at Level Null, as I could see its effects in real time. I couldn't confirm anything as my trek to the tower only took a couple dozen minutes. But to me, it felt that with all the foreign characters I saw several times over in different buildings and by proxy, different contexts, slowly my understanding of Japanese was truly increasing; albeit extremely slowly.

When I finally got to the Tower of Babel, before I found an official in search of a map, I found just what I needed in the wall directly left of the entrance. There, a titanic map of Orario in extreme detail saved me the trouble of having to deal with bothersome strangers. The looks of disgust I received after entering Babel were worse than those from before — when I walked through the main street. However, having grown used to treating those around me as air, not out of arrogance, just as a way to progress through life with the least amount of problems, no amount of dirty looks could phase me.

After I walked right before the mural-esque map and scanned through its contents, it took me a while, but eventually, I found a certain ruined church. Memorizing the route I'd take, I left the tower of Babel with a relatively crude plan set for the foreseeable future. Hestia was one such goddess that I recalled from my memories of watching the anime this world was based off. Even with my lacking knowledge, I knew there were four possible scenarios that would play out if I visited the ruined church.

Either Hestia would not yet claim that area as her domain and still be in heaven or something, which would confirm that I was thrust into this world prior to the main story taking place. Hestia could be in the abandoned church without a member in her familia setting the timeline just a couple weeks before the original canon began. Hestia and Bell, the protagonist of the original story, could be living alone in the church — maybe even a couple others could be there as well — confirming that I was past the start of the original timeline but not too far past the beginning. Or… The already ruined church could be in a burned-down state, consequent to an attack from some other familia I forgot the name of, effectively ruining my plan.

In any case, visiting the church — burned down or not — was worthwhile as it would probably serve as my base; albeit temporarily. Though, I really hope the fourth possibility didn't come to fruition...