บท 12: Status And The Heroine
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STATUS SCREEN
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[Basic Information]
Name: Kalem (Khalil)
Rank: Novice Tamer
[Affinities]
• Light ★★★★★
• Water ★★★
• [LOCKED]
[Core Skills]
• Beginner Beast Insight
- Understand creature temperaments and intentions
• Light Synchronization (Passive)
• Purifying Aura (Newly Unlocked)
• Eyes of Light (Newly Unlocked)
[Tamer Talent]
Virtuous Tamer
- Advanced understanding of beast intentions and emotions
- [Additional abilities locked]
[Bonds]
• Guardian of Light (Nameless)
Rank: True Bond
Type: Celestial Beast
Bond Abilities:
- Purifying Aura
- Eyes of Light
- Lightbound Protection: Creates protective shield (Strength scales with bond)
[Inventory]
• Guiding Star Pendant
• Legacy Map
• Insight Flask (1 Use)
• Light Shield (1 Use)
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Kalem's eyes drifted back to the status screen, studying the precise layout with the same intensity he once reserved for debugging complex code. The clean, systematic organization reminded him of well-structured documentation – except this was documenting his own capabilities rather than a software system.
"True Bond," he muttered, his fingers hovering over that particular entry.
In normal circumstances, such a high-rank connection should require extensive prerequisites, like needing administrator access without going through the proper security protocols. The fact that he'd achieved it instantly felt like another anomaly in this system, much like that 0.1% success rate that still lurked in his thoughts.
His gaze moved methodically through each section, treating them like components of a system he needed to understand.
The Affinities section showed Light at maximum current potential, with Water as a secondary element. That locked third affinity nagged at him – in programming terms, it was like a locked feature waiting to be unlocked under specific conditions.
The Core Skills section particularly caught his attention.
Beginner Beast Insight explained his ability to understand his companion's intentions without words, but it was the newly unlocked abilities that intrigued him most. He began mapping their potential applications in his mind, like planning function implementations:
Purifying Aura - A passive cleansing effect, running constantly like a background process. Could it detect and neutralize threats automatically? What were its range limitations?
Eyes of Light - A detection system that worked in conjunction with the Guiding Star Pendant's clarity boost. Combined with the Insight Flask's foresight capability, he was being given multiple layers of threat detection and analysis tools.
"This is too coordinated to be random," he whispered, his IT instincts firing on all cylinders. Every piece fit together with suspicious perfection, like a carefully designed system rather than a random collection of abilities.
His inventory items reinforced this impression. The Legacy Map suggested there were others like his companion before – previous installations, in a way. The one-use items like the Light Shield and Insight Flask felt like emergency protocols, last-resort measures for critical situations.
He looked at his companion, the unnamed Guardian of Light. A Celestial Beast with whom he shared the highest possible bond rank. What did that classification mean in terms of capabilities?
"Computer systems have user levels and permissions for a reason," he mused aloud. "You don't grant maximum access privileges on initialization unless..." Unless there was no time for normal progression. Unless whatever threat they were facing required immediate access to higher-level capabilities.
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
One-time use items, emergency measures, instant maximum bond rank – everything about his situation screamed 'emergency deployment' rather than 'standard initialization.'
His fingers brushed against the Guiding Star Pendant hanging from his neck, feeling its warmth.
The question of this world's reality still lingered in his mind, but it had been superseded by more pressing concerns. What kind of threat would necessitate such immediate access to high-level abilities? What were they preparing him for? Why the success rate was so low?
He started to somehow regret not fully learning about the game.
The screen flickered slightly, as if responding to his thoughts. Kalem straightened his shoulders, feeling the weight of both responsibility and suspicion. He had been given the tools of a defender and the means to seek truth – perhaps that combination wasn't accidental either.
"Well," he said softly to his companion, "at least I'm somewhat equipped for whatever I need to do." The Guardian of Light's presence remained steady inside him, a reminder that whatever he was facing, he wasn't facing it alone.
The status screen hung before him, both answer and riddle, tool and mystery. Like any good programmer, Kalem knew that understanding the tools at his disposal was the first step to solving any problem. And he had quite a problem to solve – whether it was saving the world, uncovering the truth, or both.
Just as his thoughts were circling around the peculiarities of his situation, a collective gasp from below drew his attention. The whispers grew louder, and Kalem's eyes snapped to the source of the commotion.
There, in the center of the hall, stood a young woman with flowing dark hair touched by hints of blue, her eyes wide with wonder and apprehension. Above her, hovering with graceful authority, was an enormous dragon whose scales shimmered like sunlight on ocean waves. Its presence commanded attention, radiating both power and majesty.
Kalem's breath caught in his throat. He recognized that dragon instantly – it was one of the beings who had claimed him as their chosen, yet here it was, clearly meant for someone else. The realization hit him like a sudden system correction: this was how things were supposed to be.
But it was the girl who made his mind screech to a halt.
"That's... that's Lily Waters," he whispered, his voice barely audible even to himself. The name triggered a cascade of memories from Andre's 'endless' conversations about her. His friend Andre had practically loved her story in the game, constantly talking about how she was the perfect heroine – strong-willed yet kind, powerful yet humble. "She's the one Andre said he'd only marry someone like..."
His voice trailed off as he watched the scene unfold.
Lily stood her ground despite her obvious awe, her posture reflecting a mix of fear and determination that matched exactly what Andre had described countless times. How many times had he half-listened to his friend's enthusiastic ramblings about Lily's character arc in the previous two weeks? About how her bond with the water dragon was one of the most powerful partnerships in the game's lore?
"So this is what was meant to be," he murmured, watching as the water dragon lowered its massive head toward Lily. The connection between them was almost visible, like perfectly compatible code finding its intended function.
The realization brought a strange mix of emotions.
"I see..."
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