Chapter 177: Mystery Reward

The System did not respond with text. It instead did so with an event. The air in front of Adrian began to shimmer, crackling with arcs of blue and white light.

The dramatic flashes intensified, bathing the room in a strobe-like effect that lasted for several seconds before coalescing into a single, blinding point of brilliance.

[Mystery Reward Unveiled!]

In the next instant, a golden flash erupted, so pure and potent that it overwhelmed Adrian’s vision completely.

Despite his remarkably enhanced senses, the light was too much to handle. He instinctively threw a gloved hand up to cover his eyes, a grunt of surprise escaping his lips.

The searing radiance subsided as quickly as it had appeared.

As his vision cleared, Adrian saw a small, golden object tumbling gently through the air where the light had been.

It was falling slowly, almost unnaturally so. His sharp reflexes immediately took over.

Adrian extended his other hand, his fingers closing around the object just before it could touch the floor.

Holding it in his palm, Adrian examined the reward. It was a key, about the size of his hand, and it possessed a surprising heft.

Except for its lustrous, shimmering form and a feeling of impossible durability, there was nothing immediately remarkable about it.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a simple key. It had a traditionally shaped head and a long shaft, but its entire surface was covered in impossibly fine, interlocking patterns.

They seemed to shift and writhe at the edge of his perception, geometric shapes that he couldn’t quite make sense of, no matter how hard he focused.

He waited for a description from the Tech Core, an explanation of its purpose, but none came. The System remained silent. With a sigh, Adrian decided to take matters into his own hands.

’Analysis.’

[Analyzing...]

A moment later, a single line of text appeared.

[Item: Xqvëjn Key]

"Xqvëjn?" Adrian mouthed the word, struggling with the alien pronunciation. "Skivein?" He shook his head. The name alone was useless. He pressed the System mentally, pushing for more information.

The Tech Core obliged, though the result was less than helpful:

[Item: Xqvëjn Key]

[Description: A key. It is golden in color and is composed of a currently unidentifiable metallic alloy.]

[Dimensions: 12.7 cm (L) x 4.5 cm (W)]

[Weight: 20.0 kg]

[Acquisition Method: System Quest Reward.]

[Remark: Congratulations, Adrian! You have received a key!]

Adrian stared, wide-eyed, at the text hanging in his vision. The sheer uselessness of the information was staggering. For a moment, he was speechless.

’What the hell?’ he thought, a flicker of genuine irritation rising within him. The final note felt less like a congratulation and more like a taunt. The System was actively mocking him.

He tried to probe the key with his senses, to feel for any trace of mana, but he found nothing.

It wasn’t that it was absent of mana; it felt more like the concept of energy was simply not probable where the key was concerned.

It rejected any form of influence he tried to exert, not by repelling it, but by being utterly immune to it, as if it existed on a different conceptual level.

After several minutes of staring at the key, turning it over and over in his hand, and trying every diagnostic tool he could think of, Adrian finally gave up.

He let out a long sigh and tossed the strangely heavy key into his [Inventory].

’So much for a mystery reward,’ he mused, the initial excitement now fully curdled into disappointment.

Perhaps it was because of the torrent of incredible upgrades he had been receiving lately, but Adrian had been genuinely excited to receive the so-called mysterious prize.

This was the first time Tech Core had ever termed something a "secret" in this fashion, after all. He had been expecting a new, game-changing skill, a unique blueprint, or a piece of powerful equipment.

But his high expectations had been thoroughly deflated. No, Adrian wasn’t ignorant. He was well aware that an item the System went to such lengths to obscure, an item that weighed twenty kilograms despite its small size and defied analysis, undoubtedly possessed immense value.

It would likely prove to be critically important for him in the future. But Adrian wanted something more practical now.

He didn’t know when this key would reveal its true purpose, and he wasn’t happy to be shown a dangling carrot only to be told to wait. The System’s unresponsiveness on the matter made it all the more infuriating.

He took a deep, calming breath, pushing the frustration down. "I’ll figure out its function eventually," he said aloud, his voice firm with resolve.

He had other priorities. He planned on meeting with his people in New Haven soon, Varyn especially. There was much to discuss. But Adrian wasn’t done with the System’s gifts just yet. He had received a new skill upon reaching Level 19.

Lately, the System had become less generous with its skill rewards. They were less frequent than in his early days, but each one tended to be a game-changer. Most skills he received from it turned out to be profoundly helpful.

"Alright, Tech Core," Adrian murmured, "let’s see what you have for me."

He swiped a gloved hand through the air, pulling up the waiting notification.

[Congratulations! New Skill Acquired: Telepathy]

[Telepathy: Allows the user to project their thoughts into the minds of other sentient beings. Range and clarity are dependent on the user’s ability and the target’s resistance.]

Adrian’s eyes lit up. He had often considered the possibility of developing telepathy himself. He knew just how useful it would be to his arsenal, a silent, untraceable form of communication.

But he also knew it would involve some serious soul shenanigans to even begin researching, a path he hadn’t yet figured out. For the System to simply hand him the skill now... the minor frustration he felt over the key evaporated instantly, replaced by pure glee.

"Nice!" he exclaimed. "This is amazing!"

He was already itching to test it, to see how far his range was, to feel out the minds of the people in New Haven below.

But just as he began to focus his will, it seemed the System hadn’t had enough. Another notification sliced through his thoughts.

[Memories harvested successfully!]

[Brace yourself, Adrian! Assimilation begins soon!]

A frantic countdown appeared in his vision.

[09.87]

Adrian stared at the numbers ticking down.

"For fuck’s sake."