A Background Character’s Path to Power

A faint grin tugged at my lips as I noted the [Mender's Paradox]'s rank—five stars. It was powerful.

But the "Life/Mental Hybrid" classification gave me pause.

Can I even learn this?

I didn't awaken a Mental Locus, nor did I have an affinity for the Life concept (I think so). Unless…

Does the System know something I don't?

Shaking my head, I dismissed the window. That was a problem for the future Aman.

Right now, one message remained—the third, its title looming like a silent verdict:

━━━◇◆◇━━━

[YOU ARE FREE]

"After the death, you are truly free."

▸ Fate's Chains Broken – By fulfilling your destined death, you have slipped its constraints entirely.

▸ Unbound Existence – You are no longer restrained by fate, role, or narrative inevitability.

▸ Intervention Permitted – The world's stories are now yours to reshape and save.

Rewards:

- [Veil of the Nameless]

- [Memory Fragment: The First Thread]

- [Linguist's Key]

━━━◇◆◇━━━

I stared at the message's title—[YOU ARE FREE]—and let out a quiet chuckle.

So this is the conclusion to my 'death' message?

The description beneath it sent a thrill through me.

"The world's stories are now yours to reshape and save."

My lips curved into a smile. So my earlier thoughts hadn't been baseless after all. The System itself was acknowledging it—those stories really needed some shaping.

But as always, it was the rewards that truly captured my attention.

Obviously, it was the [Memory Fragment: The First Thread] that called to me, whispering of answers I desperately sought. But I hesitated.

Not yet.

Fragments like these... they probably had a way of changing you. And right now, I wasn't sure I was ready for whatever truth it held.

Instead, I turned my focus to the [Linguist's Key].

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[Linguist's Key]

"To speak to the world, one must first understand its many voices."

Effects:

• Universal Translation:

- Instantly translates any written text or spoken words you encounter

- Works for living, dead, and encoded languages

• Language Acceleration:

- Upon exposure to a new language, you can begin a permanent learning process

- Reduces required learning time by 50%

- Retains perfect memory of all studied languages

• Tongue of the Wayfarer:

- Can speak any partially-learned language at basic conversational level

Limitations:

- Must hear/read a language at least once to begin learning it

- True mastery still requires study and practice (though significantly less)

- Complex cultural contexts may be lost in translation

Note:

"Fluency is more than words - it is the space between them."

━━━◇◆◇━━━

My breath caught.

Even with its limitations, this was... incredible.

As someone about to travel the world, this was beyond useful—it was essential. No need to struggle with dialects, no need to be locked out of ancient ruins or cryptic texts. And in a world where languages could hold power—where certain treasures or relics responded only to specific tongues—this was more than convenience.

It was a key to hidden doors.

The System really was thinking ahead for me.

With a satisfied smile, I turned to the next reward—the one that made my pulse quicken just from its name.

[Veil of the Nameless]

The description unfolded before me, and by the time I finished reading, my mouth was hanging open in sheer disbelief.

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[Veil of the Nameless]

"To wear no name is to become every name."

Type: Relic (Mask)

Rank: Grand (Tier 6)

Effects:

- Absolute Anonymity:

• Completely obscures your true name, appearance (face/voice), and aura signature from all forms of detection—even by high-tier artifacts or abilities (including mythic/ascendant-tier scrutiny).

• Leaves no traces in memory-based records (e.g., scrying pools, tracking spells).

- Formless Shift (Limited):

• Alters facial features, voice, and aura signature at will (no full-body metamorphosis).

• Sustained changes last indefinitely unless consciously reverted.

- Role Assumption:

• Temporarily embodies a social role (e.g., "merchant," "wandering healer," "city guard").

• Others instinctively rationalize your presence and minor inconsistencies.

- Voice of the Forgotten:

• Those who interact with you while the Veil is active struggle to recall your details afterward unless you permit remembrance.

• Effect weakens against targets with strong mental resistance.

Limitations:

- Cannot impersonate specific individuals

- Aura shifts are superficial—does not grant actual skills/abilities of assumed roles.

[Soulbound to Amaniel Von Luthaire]

━━━◇◆◇━━━

For a long moment, I just... stared.

This... isn't this too OP?!

A mask that could make me truly anonymous—untraceable even by ascendant/mythic-tier detection? That could alter my face, voice, and aura at will? That let me slip into roles so seamlessly that people would rationalize my presence?

And the final effect—making others forget me unless I allowed it?

This wasn't just powerful.

This was legendary.

So this is the power of a Grand-tier relic... I thought, still reeling. How powerful it would be if it were a Myth or Primordial relic...

Anyway, with this, I could walk into any city, any kingdom, any story, and no one would know it was me, the real me. I could be a merchant today, a mercenary tomorrow, a wandering scholar the next—all without leaving a trace.

And I didn't have to worry about being tracked at all, even by those Black Star scums.

Although I would still need to act cautiously. No one could guarantee that another Primordial being or individuals wouldn't appear in my way.

And, the only limitation was that I couldn't impersonate specific individuals(although it's a mystery who exactly these specific people are)... but even then, the possibilities were endless.

A slow grin spread across my face.

Oh, this changes everything.

Honestly, I was gonna ask my Master about something similar to this mask—and a few other things.

Not that I needed to anymore, with these relics in hand. But still.

The thought made me hesitate. Would Virion even have such treasures? And if he did(he definitely did)... would he be willing to part with them?

Doubtful.

That stingy serpent had only given me that one pill so far, and countless beatings. Not exactly a generous master. (We won't add the blessing!)

But now, with the [Veil of the Nameless] and other System rewards, I could rest easy. I didn't need his help...

...But I still wanted my fair share.

Weren't masters supposed to bury their disciples with treasures and life-saving items in stories? Surely, my master wouldn't be different... Right?

My eyes narrowed.

I hadn't forgotten about the loot from that Mystic woman's clan either. Surely, I deserved a cut—I was the one who'd suffered the most during that whole ordeal! But with Virion's hoarding tendencies...

Now... how exactly am I going to convince that stingy serpent to cough up my share?