Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Inside the top floor of the Godhand's Bazaar...

Kieran opened his eyes on the luxurious chair that he sat upon and glanced around, soon focusing on the large collection of Treasure Chests before him.

Thanks to all of the rewards he had acquired thus far, Kieran had amassed a decent collection.

Not to mention, his most recent rewards from the Hell Mode contributed greatly.

"A treasure chest like this should not exist and many have said that. This is definitely because of my title. Otherwise, even if we did clear Hell Mode, it wouldn't warrant a reward like this," Kieran muttered.

For the time being, he ignored all of the other Treasure Chests, gazing upon a single chest of immaculate detail. Even if he ignored the seamless inscriptions flowing throughout the chest, Kieran couldn't ignore the jeweled exterior.

"If I'm not mistaken, a chest like this possesses unimaginable value," Kieran stood up and knelt before the chest, placing his hand on it with a strange glint in his eyes.

With the way he caressed it, one would believe it was something like a Legendary or Mythic Treasure Chest, but that wasn't the case. This chest, was another ranking altogether, one that seldomly appeared.

「 Item Name: Mystical Treasure Chest of Duality (UNIQUE)

Item Rank: N/A

Item Level: N/A

Item Usage: Opening this item will immediately unlock the Enhanced Hidden Attribute - Karma. Afterward, based on the Karmic Judgement, you'll either receive a Blessing or Curse in the form of the fitting items.

Description: A treasure chest of equal serendipitous and accursed proportions. Depending on the luck of the one who opens it, one can either be met with an accursed omen liable to bring about untold misery or they can be met with a blessed hymn, liable to bring about unsung fortunes. The duality of fortune is hard to influence as are the threads of fate.

Note: Anything that appears from this item is soulbound, meaning none of the karmic repercussions may be transferred to another. �

Kieran had only heard rumors of an item like this, but no one believed it simply because it had no upper or lower limits. In the eyes of many players, an item like that couldn't exist.

It could quite literally become game-breaking if that was the case.

Sadly, Kieran had obtained concrete proof, which could prove all of the skeptics in his old life wrong. This mystifying chest of unfathomable stipulations did, in fact, exist.

"You've got to be kidding me. Opening a Treasure Chest... will unlock an Enhanced Hidden Attribute?" Kieran gawked, gazing at the chest with his mouth agape.

Though unfamiliar with the concept, Kieran could more or less infer what Karma was--the advanced version of Luck. Unlike Luck, however, which only contributed to fortune, Karma was forgiving, unforgiving, and neutral.

Meaning, it was not cemented.

Furthermore, unlike other Hidden Attributes, which couldn't be lost permanently unless some tragic situation occurred, Karma was a fickle presence.

Kieran's understanding of how karma applied to the real world made Kieran question if the concept was amplified here. And, if so, should this really be an item he should be opening?

After considering this question briefly, Kieran turned his attention to the note at the bottom of the item description.

The karmic repercussions could not be transferred to another presence.

This vague limitation perplexed Kieran for quite some time.

"Is it saying that whatever appears from this chest will result in a sole journey? Or... is it insinuating that the aftermath of the situation will fall on no one's shoulders but my own? This item is so perverse..." Kieran murmured.

After a while, he shifted his attention to the other Treasure Chests in his possession, namely the Rare Grade Treasure Chests.

Compared to the others, these 4 Treasure Chests were quite underwhelming, so underwhelming that Kieran frowned when looking at them.

"If only my Zero Loss of Potential Trait worked on these damned chests, I could perhaps chance upon an opportunity to better these odds," Kieran grumbled.

Naturally, Kieran's words referred to the one-time offer he obtained to exchange a massive amount of EXP for a better alternative. Kieran hadn't heard of such an option existing with Treasure Chest, but he couldn't help but desire the outcome.

Not only would it reduce the number of Treasure Chests he had to go through, but it'd also reduce the odds of crap items appearing.

As Kieran continued to have these thoughts, a strange ripple surfaced in his mind, originating from the Archaic Verity Compendium.

A second later, those ripples manifested as words in Kieran's mind.

At first, those words were foreign to him, but after a while, his recollection of such letters became apparent.

'The Archaic Verity Compendium... uses the Supreme Ciphers to speak?' Kieran thought, baffled and intrigued by this founding.

Because of this discovery, Kieran began to wonder if the Compendium had a True Voice, which only the most complete of Egos could have.

Eventually, Kieran spoke the words out loud.

"Is this... the truth you desire? To make the mystery into the truth of your reality?"

After muttering these words, Kieran stared into the distance blankly. "What the hell is this thing even saying to me?"

All of a sudden, the four Rare Grade Treasure Chest before Kieran started vibrating.

〈System: A strange phenomenon has been detected. The True Relic «Archaic Verity Compendium» is producing a strange reality-warping presence.〉

"Say what now?" Kieran breathed, barely managing to keep ahold of his wits.

Until now, he had never heard of such a thing as reality warping.

It was such an obscure topic that Kieran reckoned no one governed such a power. The power to warp reality was simply an unfathomable power that not even characters like Agrianos or Hekaina could wield.

[Your perplexity and inability to process the opportunity I have graced you with is astounding. Do you not understand what the Supreme Character of Verity means? It is the precursor of truth that illuminates and fabricates the convolutions of grand mysteries.]

Kieran's vision went blank as he was suddenly drawn into his soul against his will to stand before a grandiose book that somewhat resembled a grimoire.

In this state, the Archaic Verity Compendium seemed boundless and Kieran gathered this was the original form of the book.

While he stood before the grand book, Kieran noticed that it was partly opened, but as he tried to approach the opened portion, he was inexplicably teleported back to his original location.

[Curiosity and unsanctioned peering will not warrant an outcome. You are not yet ready to peer into the Great Truths.]

"If that's the case... why have you brought me here?" Kieran questioned, forming a dubious expression.

Though Kieran felt this book was powerful enough to elicit an innate fear in him, this emotion was lost upon Kieran. And while the Ego of the Archaic Verity Compendium perceived this lack of the specific emotion, it did not speak on the matter.

[If you understood my message, I would not have been forced to become so heavy-handed. You desired something within my power and I asked if you wished to make it a reality. Regrettably, you failed to fathom my meaning.]

'Ugh,' Kieran grimaced and almost retorted out of habit.

The blatant disdain the Ego showed him essentially triggered Kieran's urge to be equally as arrogant. However, Kieran discarded this thought after recalling the contents of the conversation he overheard between Scar, Agatha, and Zephyr.

A True Relic of the compendium's grand origins should be capable of shattering his Soul Permanence.

According to the Hecate, one's Soul Permanence was a vital aspect of their existence.

"Perhaps you should find a way of speaking that young people can understand. I am not some ancient presence. I'm not meant to understand your fossil-like way of speaking," Kieran voiced.

[I beg to differ, but I digress.]

"What does that mean?" Kieran asked, his eyes narrowed.

If anyone else made this comment, Kieran would have perhaps ignored it. But this relic was connected to Eni, who possibly even surpassed the Hecate, which meant this Ego could perhaps explain the grounds of his rebirth.

[You are not yet worthy to know of the Grand Truths. I have spoken about this before.]

"I don't care about not being worthy nor do I care about these Grand Truths. I only have questions about myself. If you know them... give them to me," Kieran exclaimed.

As he spoke, those same strange markings from his battle against Soulless appeared but they seemed different because they filled Kieran's entire body.

[Your words are a paradox... What you request and what you reject are one and the same. You... are a Grand Truth.]

[For you to unravel your inner paradox... you must be worthy to understand what you are. When you are worthy, you will know. You will not require answers... for you will fabricate them.]

Stunned, Kieran felt as if his world had been turned upside down. This experience--the words of the Ego--all they did was reinforce his suspicions that his actions were not solely his.

As Kieran's rattling eyes refocused, he lifted his head and asked the compendium a question. "What is your True Name?"

[Nameless. Since my creation, I have existed as Nameless. Without a True Name, I await the arrival of one who can speak the Grand Truths. Now... your time here is coming to an end. Any longer and my actions will become undone before they can solidify.]

"What have you done exactly?" Kieran questioned.

[Once you return, you shall see. Perhaps next time... I will not be so generous, letting your wish remain intangible.]

...

Before Kieran knew it, his consciousness was pulled out of that strange area in his soul where the Archaic Verity Compendium reigned supreme and awoke to notifications from the system.

〈System: Due to the intervention of the «Archaic Verity Compendium», the reality before you was engulfed in mystery and resolved.〉

〈System: Do you wish to merge the four «Rare Grade Treasure Chest» present to obtain a «Rare Enigma Chest»?〉