—

The truth of the Fragmented Mystic Spores related to the piece of information Hekaina imparted to Kieran before he entered the Ancient Rune Oasis.

The information she divulged was limited, but it provided Kieran with answers he didn’t understand at first, but it was apparent now.

Wykins, as a race with a shocking origin, did not die the same way humans did. As they were not born from a “mother” and “father,” requiring months of gestation, their deaths would be considered unnatural by human standards.

After death, the Wykins returned to being a nameless magical energy, which through a ceremonial rite, ended up passing through the Veiled Arcadia Gate.

Depending on how long this energy remained within the Ancient Rune Oasis and the Wykin’s comprehensions before death, their end location was either the Masked Runic Garth or the Rune Necropolis.

This meant even the Lamented Mystic Embodiments were not what they seemed, but Kieran couldn’t unveil that knowledge at the time.

It was beyond his capabilities.

After gazing upon the spore that clung to his cheek, Kieran came to a realization that made him gasp and stand up immediately.

“The Ancient Rune Oasis is the final resting place and the birthplace of Wykins!”

A necropolis was a vast graveyard resembling a city erected for the dead. And since the Wykins were an ancient race spanning an unknown period of time, Kieran reckoned it was a race that encountered an unfathomable number of deaths.

A necropolis would naturally be required to house them. However, even the Rune Necropolis couldn’t accommodate the incomprehensible number of Wykins that lived and died.

Thus, another compartment of the Ancient Rune Oasis existed—the Masked Runic Garth.

A garth, which was sometimes regarded as a garden, was where life was produced. Of course, this production was limited to plants and such, but weren’t words the seeds of knowledge?

And, considering that Hekaina mentioned the Wykins were a language before they were people, it was likely that they were these very symbols born inside this Masked Runic Garth!

“This spore…” Kieran muttered, lifting his hand to his cheek until he could cup the Fragmented Mystic Spore and bring it before his inquisitive gaze.

The appearance of the spore continued to change as Kieran’s Unveiling progress rose. Once it reached 10%, the spore in his hand became completely visible, allowing Kieran to discern and confirm his speculations.

In Kieran’s hand rested what humans would describe as a fetus, but it was incorrect to refer to it in such a human way. Instead, Kieran realized the outward appearance of this fetus was ephemeral, like when he first entered this realm.

The primary focus of the Fragmented Mystic Spores wasn’t the fetus-like exterior; it was the symbol implanted in the spore’s center.

The meaning of this symbol existed beyond Kieran’s knowledge, but he felt an intrinsic attraction to it.

The attraction wasn’t borne from his Rooted Mystic Tether drawing him to it; Kieran felt the sensation in another location. His Discerning Pathway and Unveiling Link thrummed with the indescribable desire to conjoin.

As he was strange to this sensation, Kieran didn’t hinder the Fragmented Mystic Spore from leaving his hand. It floated in mid-air for a moment before gravitating to his eyes.

The spore favored his right eye that held the Unveiling Gaze, but once the spore’s essence entered Kieran’s eye, it split in half, entering the two pathways in equal proportions.

〈System: You have absorbed a bizarre energy source that lacks a receptive vessel. Unlocking and creating the required vessel…〉

〈System: …Vessel Completion Rate: 16%. Please continue to absorb the energy to create a proper container.〉

“The system recognizes the energy, but because I’m a human and not a Wykin, I lack the means to contain it. I suppose this is what Hekaina meant by discarding my humanity? If I create such a vessel, then I’ll no longer be a mere human,” Kieran voiced.

Unlike the Rune Necropolis, the Masked Runic Garth wasn’t exceedingly large, and Kieran gathered it was because of their opposing natures. One was simply responsible for containing the mystic energy of the deceased, while the other used the energy as nutrients to produce nascent Wykins.

However, only the purest mystic energy sufficed as nutrients to support the growth of these symbols given life.

The more Kieran thought about the Wykin’s life cycle, the more remarkable he felt the grand being responsible for their birth was.

“If one could breathe life into an ancient language and give them a truly enigmatic power, what is the ability of the grand being originally? Could it be an Endless that Hekaina spoke of, or could it be a being even stronger?”

Kieran speculated the latter possessed a higher chance of being the truth. After all, the Hecate had admitted that they couldn’t access the nature of his soul. Didn’t that mean there were beings stronger than the Endless?

Of course, there could also be an unknown hierarchy to the abilities granted to the Endless, so Kieran couldn’t disregard the possibility that the Hecate simply couldn’t peer into the proceedings of a higher Endless.

As the system directed, Kieran continued to approach and absorb the Fragmented Mystic Spores to complete the creation of a suitable vessel.

Compared to his time in the Rune Necropolis, Kieran felt this part of the trial wasn’t as demanding outside of finding the Unveiling Link.

There was no distinction amongst the Fragmented Mystic Spores aside from how tattered the symbol was. There were also some differences in the characters, but Kieran reckoned it didn’t pose much of an issue because the system had yet to alert him of any unusual occurrence.

Roughly thirty minutes later, the vessel’s completion reached 100%, but Kieran didn’t experience any significant change as he envisioned.

〈System: The creation of the vessel has concluded. You have unlocked the following: «Mystic Gate».〉

〈System: As you have opened the spiritual vessel of another race centered around knowledge, you have received a modified Hidden Attribute: «Spirituality»〉

〈System: Due to the eye-opening nature of your experiences, you have unlocked the Hidden Attribute: «Knowledge».〉

〈System: The «Spiritual Unbinding» has assimilated with the «Spirituality». You have received 7 points of Spirituality.〉

“Mystic Gate,” Kieran muttered.

The unfamiliar term natural aroused Kieran’s curiosity, leading him to inspect its details. At the same time, he pondered the unfamiliar Hidden Attribute.

「 «Mystic Gate» – Internal Vessel

Maturity: 00.00%

Description: The embodiment of a Wykin’s link to their origin, the container and medium of mystic principles. It is composed of the merged «Discerning Pathway» and «Unveiling Link» to create the «Mystical Fabricating Mind».

«Eye of Discernment» – Increases the user’s ocular range and depth by 300%.

«Unveiling Gaze» – Uncovers that which tries to be hidden. (This ability is based on the user’s Perception, Focus, and Spirituality.)

«Mystical Fabricating Mind» – Enables the user to wield the abilities of a Wykin outside of their ocular prowess. 」

“Hm,” Kieran rubbed his chin in thought.

The Mystic Gate didn’t spark a race change, as Kieran presumed. However, the effects were essentially the result of one.

After unlocking his Spirituality Attribute, Kieran noticed the spores seemed to flock to him without him performing the slightest action.

As the spores gravitated toward him and the Mystic Gate absorbed their nascent energy, Kieran watched as the maturity rose, albeit marginally.

‘I wouldn’t expect the Mystic Gate to mature with the energies of others alone. If that were the case, there would be many Wykins that possessed power on par with Hekaina. It’s most likely a matter of compulsory maturation,’ Kieran thought.

Kieran estimated the Mystic Gate’s situation matched his earlier experience with the Eye of Discernment. The natural chasm couldn’t be overcome by merely absorbing what was available to him.

Understanding the abilities of a Wykin required self-reflection and deep exploration of the unknown. How could he hope to perfect his proficiency if he had not yet accomplished these prerequisites?

Once the Mystic Gate reached a maturation level of 20%, all progress ceased, and the change was reflected in Kieran’s trial progression.

┌───────────────────

«Trial Progression»

Discernment: 99.99%

Unveiling: 99.99%

Fabrication: Incomplete

Trial Completion: 55% (At least a 70% Completion Rate is required to complete the trial)

└───────────────────

“Although the first two portions are judged to be 99.99% done, the Trial Completion is only at 55%. It must be weighted, and that 0.01% must carry extreme importance. Speaking of which, I wonder what completion Agatha and Hekaina achieved,” Kieran stated.

Kieran’s assumption that the results were weighted wasn’t wrong, but it was incomplete.

When considering the factors that led to his low completion rate, Kieran forgot to include Fabrication. Sure the Wykins could be seen as a somewhat passive race, but they weren’t defenseless.

Fabrication was a crucial part of a Wykin’s training because, without it, being a Wykin was pointless. Fabrication didn’t just relate to protecting one’s self; it symbolized true understanding—the ability to realize what has been discovered.

During Kieran’s review of his progress, a path inside the Masked Runic Garth opened up, leading into a welcoming area. But within the welcoming presence, Kieran felt contention.

This feeling manifested in his Mystic Gate as the Fragmented Mystic Spores returned to their dormant state. Alongside the appearance of this path, Kieran felt a change in his Rooted Mystic Tether.

〈System: The stability of your «Rooted Mystic Tether» can no longer be replenished. Stability: 100%〉

In exchange for the tether no longer being able to be replenished, there was a cessation of the environment’s influence upon its state.