Nyx unraveled the adjustable dark cape covering her upper body, revealing a short-sleeved white shirt and long skirt, along with a petite, slender frame and light, smooth skin. Yet, in stark contrast, her arms bore visible scratches and bruises.
Frowning, she looked down at her arms, seemingly staring at something unpleasant as she squinted her eyes. Still, no words were spoken, but true to her nature of overthinking,
"...this is why I desperately needed this potion. If someone saw me like this, I’d probably get reported for domestic abuse back on Earth. Of course, I’m the one getting abused," she muttered, her voice flat with dry sarcasm, as she added, "I probably wouldn’t be completely safe from suspicion here either."
Nyx grimaced but quickly dismissed the thought. She then raised her right hand closer to her face to take a closer look at the crimson potion. Her grim expression shifted into one of intrigue.
"...I can't just start drinking this without knowing if it's even real or, rather, how am I even supposed to know?"
She laughed inwardly. While she did trust the innkeeper not to poison her, it was still hard for someone like her, coming from Earth, to just start chugging some red liquid as if it were water.
'If I remember right, in the game's description, there was something called pure essence, which means...'
Nyx closed her eyes. Just as she had learned earlier, preparing for the worst-case scenario, she was able to feel mana to some extent. As she concentrated her senses, she could feel something flowing faintly all around her. Then, she directed all her focus toward the crimson potion in her right hand, and she felt a pure flowing essence.
'...It's definitely real.'
She then started to open the cap of the healing potion and brought it closer to her lips, but she hesitated.
'...Ahh, for god's sake, why does this thing look so red?!' she grumbled internally, then added, 'This isn't blood... right?'
Regardless, she closed her eyes, her face tense with reluctance. After a brief pause, she brought the potion to her lips and, with a moment of hesitation, swallowed it all in one go.
"Haah..." A soft breath escaped her lips, her brows twitching in surprise at the unexpected taste.
"...It doesn't taste bad? Rather, it's quite nice."
Nyx's gaze then shifted to her body, as the scratches and bruises on her body closed themselves up and healed in real time, but instead of relief, it was replaced with a grim expression.
'...I had been having suspicions for a long while now... but I couldn't feel any pain from those scratches and bruises at all.'
Nyx was puzzled. When she was transmigrated, she was genuinely able to feel her senses working. Even when she pinched her cheeks, she felt pain.
"...I'm not even surprised anymore. This is most probably because of the work of some skill."
Nyx opened her Status Window and read the skill that's most likely to be the suspect:
__________________________________________________
In your typical fantasy RPG, you have Goblins, Ogres, and Dragons, each possessing unique racial traits, often bundled with special abilities known as bloodline traits. While those still exist in the game Echoes of the Fallen Sun, there also exist beings infected with Corruption. Those who are completely swallowed by it become known as [Hollow]. Anyone can become an infected Hollow… except those...
'...who are already one, it's also probably the reason why Nyx can get a skill called mental corruption in the first place.' Nyx thought, letting out a deprecating smile.
"...This is exactly why Nyx was called a monster by her mother. That’s also why I couldn’t completely blame her for acting that way," she said in a low voice. Then, after a pause, she added, "But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have told her daughter the truth either. Still, it’s not my place to judge."
Nyx's expression was indifferent, yet her eyes showed a faint glimmer of sympathy. Yet, she was still puzzled as there was no mention of the question she was having currently.
"...Being immune to debuff and manipulation spells, huh... that's a rather absurd ability. There's a whole class that focuses on debuff, and yet this body of mine completely renders that class useless? And increased regeneration on top of that? I guess it's to be expected... considering this body's constitution. Still, it doesn't exactly answer my question," she said, her voice laced with wonder.
Then, she scanned through the skills, hoping it might hold the answer to the question that had been bothering her, which is what is supposed to be—
"Uh, I can't. I'm too curious about what that gravity skill... but I need to go down fast, or else I'm gonna raise more suspicions..." She paused, her eyes gleaming with excitement, as she added, "Let's read it first. After all that, I believe I also deserve something for myself. It's also for self-defense. I can't protect myself with some knowledge that will just make my mood worsen, indeed."
Just as she spoke, a flicker of sympathy rose — for herself. Everything she had gone through was catching up to her, even the remnants of her life on Earth. At the same time, a dull, unfamiliar dread crept in. Reality felt as if it were closing around her. Her voice stayed calm, but her words were only a cover, hiding how worn down she was beneath it.
Her face twisted at the sudden change of mood, as she covered a portion of her face with her hands. Her fingers gripped it as she let out a retaliation,
'Ah... damnit... so pathetic. At this rate, that damned skill is going to activate.'
She tried to compose herself. Despite the displeasure on her face, she forced her emotions down, allowing her rationality to settle back into its usual composed state.
She let out a deep sigh, then said in a resigned tone, "Anyway, there's no need for such thoughts."
Nyx was about to put down the empty glass bottle on the desk, but decided not to do so.
[Gravitational Magic] [S]Type: ActiveSkill Details:Grants substantial control over surrounding gravitational forces, including the user's own. The effectiveness of each command scales with the caster’s rank in [Mana Sense]. Stronger commands consume more MP, while weaker ones require only the minimum.Minimum Mana Cost: 2,000 MP
"...I won't deny it. I'm slightly excited."
Magic, after all, is just a thing of fantasies.
Nyx tested the spell on the empty potion bottle, focusing her senses and trying to make it as light as a feather. She loosened her grip slightly, intending to let it float but her instincts kicked in. It was glass, after all. So she just settled on throwing the empty potion bottle in the air so she could catch it if things went wrong.
[Gravitational Magic] [S] has been activated.MP Consumed: 2,000MP Maintenance Cost: 100 MP per minuteCurrent MP: 23,000Time Elapsed Since Activation: 0 second
Nyx raised her head, eyes fixed on the empty potion bottle.
"…That's floating." Her grumpy expression lit up, her lips twitching as if fighting the urge to smile.
The bottle drifted through the air, not held by anything, just gliding. After about a minute, she ended the spell, sharpening her focus and cutting off the flow of mana.
Nyx briefly glanced at the status window, finding the notice helpful, but quickly wandered off, her excitement uncontained. What if I use it on myself? she thought, excitement gleaming in her eyes.
She then started to cast the ability on herself by lightly touching her body with mana, then a prompt activated, confirming it.
She briefly glanced at it, with a thought, 'That's a rather stiff amount of mana... I guess it's understandable?' she trailed off, as she was far more excited about the present.
As she released her footing, not with a jump, but simply to break contact with the floor, to her astonishment, her legs didn’t fall. Her entire body rose along with them, and in moments, she was fully suspended in the air. A sensation of true weightlessness washed over her.
"I… I'm floating," she muttered, her eyes widened in disbelief.
For the first time since her transmigration, Nyx’s lips curled into a genuine smile. It was one born from joy and wonder.
She let her arms drift gently to her sides and lay her back on the air itself, mimicking the posture of someone floating through water. Only this time, she was floating through the air itself.
"Haah, this is pretty amazing... All these things might be worth it..."
__________________________________________________
After a few minutes of enjoying the sensation of weightlessness, something you'd only get to experience if you were rich back on Earth, she suddenly realized something.
"Wait... how much mana does this consume?"
She had completely lost track of time, fully immersed in the comforting sensation. That was also why her composure wavered, caught entirely off guard.
Despite being able to maintain it, she panicked at the sight of her dwindling mana. Her face twisted in fear as she exclaimed,
"Eek! I’m gonna fall at this rate." She looked down, the fear freezing her stiff, as she added with a declaration, "...Ugh, damn it, I'm afraid of height—"
With a loud slam, the silence of the room was shattered.
"...Gah! My butt... damn it..."
Nyx wasn't that high up in the air. The room itself was small, and she was just floating mid-air not even the highest point.
Still, Nyx's face contorted in pain, but her mood did not worsen. Rather... she was smiling.
"Hahahaha! That was so stupid," she laughed at her stunt, finding amusement in its absurdity.
As she had fallen to the floor, she leaned back, eyes fixed on the ceiling... until a growl came from her stomach.
Nyx's face turned a little red from the embarrassment.
"...I guess I'm pretty hungry."
__________________________________________________
Nyx wore the dark cape over her shoulders once more, stepped out of the room, and locked the door behind her with a key.
She appeared to be squinting as her eyes had not completely adapted to the bright sunlight.
It seems to be noon. It feels like my eyes are going to burn.
After arriving at the staircase leading to the first floor, she took a wide step seemingly out of instinct.
Then,
'...Gah! I'm gonna die!'
Nyx closed her eyes as her survival instincts took over. Then, as if something was amiss, she squinted them open.
"...Why am I not falling?"
She said as her face was practically touching the stairs.
Nyx sighed in resignation.
"...This is going to hurt."
And in a fraction of a second, her body rolled over the stairs with a loud slamming noise as she hit the ground and her body was completely flipped over.
Dozens of people looked at her completely puzzled at the sight. Some who were busily talking to each other even completely stopped and paused to look at the commotion.
Her face was completely beet red as if the embarrassment was too much to bear.
"...Why is this body too short...?" Upside down, she grumbled.
__________________________________________________
|Chapter 4 - The Hidden Heroine (4)