Chapter 9 - I’m a what?!

  “Let’s see…”

  The window that appeared in front of the boy was smaller than the store screen, and as he moved, he noticed it moved with him, unlike the previous one that stayed in one place. However, instead of displaying a menu of options or data, it showed only an empty screen.

  There didn't appear to be any methods to input text, which puzzled Adam. He tried to remember the information he had read about this feature before buying it. Described as "highly customizable," he concluded there should be a way to access desired data, so without delay, he attempted the same action he performed in the store, thinking clearly: "Display my information."

  Wait, wait, WHAT? Adam couldn't believe his eyes and stood in shock for a few seconds.

  “Ha, ha… There must be some kind of mistake… Let’s see.”

  No matter how many times he closed and reopened the window, the same information remained there. A sudden chill ran down his spine as he recalled something he didn't want to dwell on: despite his blurred consciousness at the time, he remembered everything from the previous story and the white specter's attempt to turn him into a "Lich". With no time to spare and visibly concerned, he used his special vision to uncover any additional details he could from such unsettling data.

  Adam was bewildered, so he read through the provided information multiple times to ensure he understood everything. It wasn't until several minutes later that he finally closed the screen and looked up into emptiness, overwhelmed by all the information. It was hard to accept that according to the system, he was no longer human, although he felt no physical difference in his body... His pulse was normal, he could still perceive smells and tastes, and his sense of touch seemed unaffected. He could even sense a bit of hunger at that moment.

  Perhaps the change in "species" was also a subjective recognition within the system. He couldn't be certain, but he knew he would need to conduct further tests later. Immediately, he decided to return to the store and purchase a sleeping pill to take later, spending an additional point and leaving him with 437, enough to acquire something of quality. However, what was the best he could get? He pondered for a bit longer, weighing his options within the limitations he faced.

  A few more minutes passed without him being able to decide. Certainly, the lack of information was working against him, making him quite uncomfortable. As he began to lament, he finally came up with the best idea he’d had up to that point — something so simple that he couldn't help but feel embarrassed for not thinking of it earlier.

  “If it’s information that I’m lacking then I can just buy it.”

  The three options looked very interesting, but the description of each made it clear that they had different uses in terms of the information they provided, so there was no loss in buying all of them. Without further delay, he bought all three one after another, spending a total of 110 points. After this, Adam waited, somewhat impatient for the interaction he knew was about to happen.

  But nothing happened, and though the boy was initially alarmed by the warning that had been triggered, he soon felt relieved upon realizing that the damage mentioned was mental, likely targeting the brain due to the overwhelming amount of data. Fortunately, the source of this damage was his level 4 skill, for which he had protection thanks to his ?Mental Resistance Lv5?.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “*Gulp*...That was close, I need to be more careful”

  He would never have thought of being thankful for his Demi Lich status this quickly, but he had to use the resources at his disposal anyway. Without dwelling on it any longer, he revisited his personal status screen and examined the details of his newly evolved skill.

  The new features of his eyes provided notifications and hints about the information he was receiving. This additional function was already proving to be quite useful, and he could only speculate on the discoveries he could make with it. Yet, the more immediate priority was gaining a deeper understanding of his own abilities. Luckily, after assisting Kazue with her shopping, he had a clear plan on how to accomplish this.

  In reality, this was a decision he had made when he comprehended all the skills listed on his status screen. He felt no need for additional skills; acquiring more seemed pointless when he already had a substantial number that he didn’t even understand. Thus, his primary interest lay in purchasing books that could enhance his understanding of these abilities.

  After what seemed to be a little over an hour, browsing through option after option of books as if he were a child in a candy store, he ended up buying a good number of them, which fortunately were relatively inexpensive compared to buying techniques or skills, as they were nothing more than common textbooks.

  ?Cursed Energy Unleashed: A Beginner's Guide - Rank F?

  ?Cursed Power Revelation: A Primer on Channeling Dark Energies (First Volume) - Rank F?

  ?Hexed: The Comprehensive Guide to Curses - Rank F?

  ?Embracing the Curse: Transforming Adversity into Strength - Rank F?

  ?Bound by Fate: The Enigmatic Mark of the Damned Revealed (Chapter One) - Rank F?

  ?Bound by Fate: The Enigmatic Mark of the Damned Revealed (Chapter Two) - Rank E?

  ?The Enigmatic Essence of the Undead: A Comprehensive Study - Rank F?

  ?The Complete Lich Handbook: Everything You Need to Know (Undead Collection) - Rank F?

  There were eight books in total, each varying in price, with a combined cost of 160 points, the most expensive being the E-rank one, priced at 50 points. Regrettably, the search for information detailing the realm or the system did not yield any results, a logical outcome but still disheartening.

  Buying such books also helped to understand the functionality of his curse and the system itself a little better, since after buying them there was no interaction between them nor did they become corrupted, just like when he bought the furniture for his room and his food. It seemed that the system did not categorize mundane things as "treasures", which is probably why they were so cheap compared to skills or techniques.

  Nevertheless, while Adam appeared content with his purchases, something during his search caught his eye after reading its description. This prompted him to consider whether to wait until he had enough points for the next opportunity, but he needed to check something first.

  “There was an option here, let’s see.”

  The boy became thoughtful again upon reading the result; there was much to analyze with just a few additional sentences of information. Not only did merits have a point cost for exchange, although it seemed this process couldn't be reversed, but also his eyes revealed the existence of two ranks above A, which Mr. Li had said was the maximum. Not to mention, it appeared there was also a way to improve the level of the store itself.

  There was too much to investigate and too little time to do it, so much so that Adam himself began to feel a headache from the sense of urgency. However, that would have to wait for another time. In the immediate future, Merits appeared to serve no purpose other than gathering additional points. Therefore, he exchanged his rank D merit for an additional 500 points. Luckily, enough for what he wanted to buy.

  Without wasting time, the boy pressed the option to confirm the purchase and waited with his eyes closed for the page to materialize in his hands.

  “Okay, one… Two… Three!”

  After the countdown, taking a deep breath and summoning all the courage he could muster, he opened his eyes quickly, hoping that his resistance would continue to function as it should. Just as it had happened before, he was not affected in the slightest. Perhaps the strangest part was that there was no interaction between his curse and the object. Could it be because this item was already considered a cursed treasure? That would be his theory for now, at least.

  Sighing with relief, the boy focused on examining the page more closely. It was filled with strange symbols that he couldn't recognize at all, despite the description indicating they were readable—possibly an ancient language that... Wait, a mysterious language whose reading caused mental harm? His mind returned to the story they had faced, with that ghost using unintelligible words that had caused him great pain. Could it be the same thing? He would have to investigate this later.

  “This should be all, now let’s go.”

  Adam noticed he was speaking to himself more frequently than usual, which was unusual, but he didn't pay much attention to it. After all, he had a lot to do. He carefully folded the cursed page and tucked it into one of the books he had purchased, stacking them in his arms as he headed toward his room.

  The journey was relatively short, as there was nothing else in that enormous white room except for four wooden doors on one wall, each conveniently marked with the owner's name on a metal plaque above them. Once inside, he noticed that as he had been told, the room was completely empty except for the furniture he had bought, arranged in a cozy manner. Even the toilet was in an adjacent space as if the system knew it wasn't a good idea to combine the bathroom with the bedroom.

  He didn't linger much longer and headed straight for the desk, placing the stack of books on top and sitting down in front of them, after also bringing over a couple of cans of food and two bottles of water. First things first, he took the sleeping pill from his jacket pocket and swallowed it with a sip of liquid. This would be a good test to see if he truly couldn't sleep now. In the meantime, there was only one thing left to do, something he was good at and had known since he could remember... Study.

  “Let’s begin with this one.”

  Said Adam, taking the closest book from the stack and opening it to the first page.