Chapter 38: 38: Peerless winter Mantle
Let me tell you a story of the most miserable man in the world. Well, not so miserable but still miserable nonetheless.
After being a cripple for 20 years in his former life, he finally gets reincarnated into a world where magic and supernatural threats exist. But he was no MC...
He struggled to get to where he is, only to be "Harvested" into a trial to claim a magical ability. People normally solve puzzles and challenge monstrous creatures one on one, but Harley was given the hardest trial of all time. An impossible challenge with four stages.
And although life has kicked him below the ground multiple times, somehow... He’s still alive.
"But why am I still alive?" Harley asked, looking up at the brownish ceiling of the tent he resided in.
His eyes went to a woman who was sitting beside him on the bed. Her pale silver hair was braided behind her head and she gently stitched the stab wound on his chest.
Feeling his gaze, she looked up to face him. She wasn’t wearing her blindfold, so her eyes stared into his.
"What’s wrong?" he asked again, raising a brow.
"Harlequin. If I tell you what is wrong, don’t go searching for answers immediately." She said, looking uneasy.
’Is it that serious?’ he wondered, frowning.
Now that he thought about it, he had been stabbed twice... Twice! In his heart, but he hadn’t died each time. Even if they managed to cover up the wound, without any magical assistance, he would get internal bleeding and die.
But he’s still alive, and there wasn’t a person with magical healing abilities in the entire camp.
"You..." The seer paused, closing her eyes and putting Harley on edge.
"You don’t have a heart, Harlequin." Her face bloomed with a smile, meanwhile Harley’s face fell.
"Stop playing with me." He spoke, looking at the stab wound that was already stitched.
Rachel stood up, looking at the mirror across from them.
"Don’t be too surprised. It may come as a shock, but you might not be human." Rachel spoke, touching the mirror gently.
Harley was about to tell her how deluded she was, and then he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped halfway.
Could it be possible though?
After all, Harley had no idea who his parents were. There are many races on their planet excluding the big four races, so he could have been born of any one.
"...but for a living being to function without a heart though?" Harley questioned, stepping out of the sheets and heading towards the mirror.
"That’s why I told you not to think about it too much. Where your heart is supposed to be, there’s nothing but an empty space. It might be somewhere else, perhaps on the other side." Rachel turned to face him, placing her hands on his chest as she came closer.
Soon, their bodies were closer and she eventually hugged him close. However, Harley was focused on his image in the mirror.
He didn’t know what to say, so he isn’t human after all.
All the times that he was supposed to be afraid, he never felt adrenaline, and he had never felt his heartbeat before.
’So I wasn’t crazy huh? The heart... It was never there. This is way out of my comfort zone.’ He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh before putting a single arm around Rachel.
Then he lifted his other hand, summoning his world record.
——– World Record ———
Name: Harleyquin -------- -----------
World of origin: World 09 - Earth (Collapsed)
Current world: World 02
Race: <Unknown>
Essence Rank: 1st echelon, scheme 8
Artifacts: The cleanest boots!, Peerless Winter coat
Fate flags: 0
Tales: Wolf in sheep’s Clothing
——– Story Profile ———
-Information Hidden
Story fragments - 1
Unfinished Subjugations - 0
Sealed fragments - 0
——– Attributes ———
Cold blooded.
——– Abilities ———
- Unwritten Presence, Borrowed Tongue, Omniscient Perspective
—————
"Shit." Harley mumbled under his breath, swiping a hand on his face.
"Your life would be filled with struggles, Harlequin. It’s almost... Sad. You don’t deserve any of it." Rachel spoke a little loudly this time, and Harley chuckled.
"Tell me something I don’t know."
...
Night approached with speed.
To others it seemed normal, but to Harley who had limited time to be in this trial, it rattled him.
Vernox was busy training with the other resistance members in the knights’ circle. Seeing the usually proud and easily-excited man now having a cold gaze, he couldn’t help but smile.
Once again he wanted to know what happened when he faced his illusion... If he even faced an illusion as well.
Harley stood motionless, not far away from the circle where warriors trained. He wore a full coat that went down all the way to his calves. The collar had thick white fur around it that covered his shoulders.
With a thought, he summoned a brown piece of seemingly aged paper that floated in front of his face. The paper was strangely preserved, edges slightly frosted as if it had been stored in eternal chill.
His eyes scanned the text, reading the familiar words once more as if to reaffirm the power that rested upon his shoulders.
[Peerless Winter Mantle
Category: Artifact
Type: Accessory
Rank: Transcendent
Status: Bound
Attributes:
Environmental Neutrality:
Complete immunity to environmental extremes (cold, heat, pressure, vacuum). Eats the user’s essence.
Presence Dampening:
Reduces body heat signature, sound, magical fluctuation, and emotional projection.
Intent Decay:
Hostile entities within proximity experience reduced urgency, delayed reactions, and weakened pursuit instinct.
Verses - 7]
Harley dismissed the paper in his hands, raising his arm to look at the sleeve of the coat. Despite some of the effects being strong, a lot of things were wrong with it.
Or rather, he thought so. A transcendent rank artifact was not normal to see in a first trial, at all. For him to get it at this stage, it must mean that he might need it...
He probably would need it, considering that he was about to go to a literal war.
"Tsk, tsk." He clicked his tongue.
He couldn’t help but think that the war didn’t have anything to do with him. But then again there would be knights in his way.
The Oracle always made him scarcely prepared for any battle. That bastard thing.
Instead of a jacket it could have given him an armour goddamn it.
