Chapter 35: Modifiers
Lucas stared at the notification in confusion.
’what did it mean by that?’
[Greetings Mortals.]
System windows bloomed across the field and the text appeared. Everybody present stopped immediately and stared.
[Congratulations on having completed your first Edgewalk.]
Lucas furrowed his eyebrows.
The gods were speaking to them. The same gods that put them into.this mess in the first place...
[Your performance so far has been... outstanding to say the least. Though there is a bit of dissatisfaction, we may let it go this time.]
[Ding]
The system chimed...
[Number of Survivors remaining: 132]
[As you may have guessed, a hundred and thirty two people are still within the Edge meaning it is not over yet.]
Lucas did the maths... A hundred and thirty two people still in that nightmare.
And he knew that the faction had over a hundred people at the moment.
’So basically, we have about a hundred and ten people in this faction including Mark, Elle and I huh?’
[Out of over five hundred players only a hundred people returned. It is sad indeed.]
Lucas gritted his teeth. "Sad"? These were people... people who had jobs. People who had families right before this nightmare started.
And they just down played it like it wasn’t worth mentioning...
[In a few days you all will be summoned for another Edgewalk. With higher stakes and even more dangerous battles.]
A second window bloomed and heads turned simultaneously.
[Time remaining for the next Edgewalk: 14: 07: 50 : 32]
They all ran the calculations immediately.
"Two weeks..." someone murmured.
They had two weeks before they had to go through that hell again.
[Rest well survivors. In fourteen days we expect to be more entertained. Do well to please us.]
The systems vanished after that and the whole field went sober, the previous happiness and joy evaporating instantly.
Some people sat in silence, others sobbed. And the stronger ones tried to comfort them.
It seems this was how the world is now. There was no escape...
[Ding!]
[You have completed the first Edgewalk.]
[Based on your performance, you shall be given a Modifer.]
The same messages came again and Lucas furrowed his eyebrows.
He turned to his friends. "Are you guys seeing this too?"
Eleanor nodded. "Seems like we’re not done..."
Lucas pressed his lips together. What did the system mean? What were they in for this time?
[Ding!]
[A Modifer is a title given to Players who perform well during the Edgewalk and can only be given to Faction Leaders.]
Lucas placed his hand on his chin as another message appeared.
[A Modifer is given based on how the people in your faction see you.]
Mark exhaled. "Makes sense. It’s like it’s telling us how our people see us."
[Ding!]
The sound brought his attention back to the screen as brand new texts appeared on it.
[You have received a Modifer.]
[A title forged through unwavering endurance.]
[To the world, you are the wall that cannot be broken. Every assault that fails, every charge that shatters against your defense, and every ally saved beneath your protection reinforces the belief that you are immovable.]
[Your presence alone steadies allies and crushes the hopes of those who seek to break your line. Against you, momentum dies, fury falters, and even overwhelming force is reduced to nothing before an unyielding mountain. A fortress given flesh, an unshakable will that no storm can move.]
[Your Modifier is The Mountain King]
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Interesting..."
[Ding!]
Eleanor’s system chimed not long after.
[You have received a Modifer.]
[The world has acknowledged a force beyond mortal measure.]
[A title forged through awe and absolute supremacy.
To the world, you are a force to be reckoned with. Your flawless command over the four elements has turned impossible battles into unquestionable victories, earning both the fear of your enemies and the reverence of your people.]
[Whether this belief is deserved no longer matters. The legend has already taken root. Your presence alone commands respect, silences doubt, and reminds all who witness you that the elements themselves answer your call. To stand against you is to challenge the very forces that shape the world. A sovereign of the elements. A power before which even legends bow.]
[Your Modifier is The Goddess]
Eleanor stayed silent as she studied it for a long moment...
Mark spoke up soon after. "Well this is new. I got Mountain King. Something about my defense being impenetrable and all that."
He turned to Eleanor. "What about you Elle?"
She looked up and replied. "Goddess." Just one word. That was all she needed.
Mark snorted. "Well, no surprise there. That’s what the people have been calling you anyway."
Then he turned to Lucas. "What about you princess?"
Lucas stared at his window... it seemed to be buffering.
The delay reminded him of the first time he received his ability....
He clicked his tongue. Soon, the message appeared in the same familiar glitchy text.
[Ding!]
[You have received a Modifer.]
[A title forged from fear rather than truth. You are remembered not for the battles you fought, but for the certainty of your victory. To friend and foe alike, defeat seems impossible, and every appearance on the battlefield carries the weight of inevitable ruin.]
[To the world, you are the warrior who cannot be defeated. Every victory strengthens the legend, every survivor spreads your name, and every enemy enters battle believing they have already lost. To face you is to stare into the abyss of certain doom, for where you walk, victory is not earned but claimed by right of inevitability.]
[Your Modifier is The Terror.]
***
Silence....
Not a single one of them spoke.
The Terror.
The word hung heavy in the, leaving them in uncomfortable silence.
"...That’s a hell of a title," Mark muttered.
Lucas couldn’t tear his eyes away from the screen— as much as he wanted too, he couldn’t wrap his mind around it..
"A title forged from fear rather than truth..."
Fear rather than truth....
That single sentence bothered him more than anything else. The system said that Modifiers were given based on how people saw him.
So was he being feared?
His eyes swept across the field before landing where Bertram Callum and Iris stood.
His gaze lingered...
Was this how they saw him? He spent a great amount of time traveling with them and to them he had never lost a battle... They probably went around telling people that too.
"I’m not undefeated..." he whispered.
He remembered times where he felt helpless. The horde back at Colt’s camp amplified this.
He had lost.
He had bled.
He had died...
Yet thhe people didn’t know that. To them, Lucas had always survived. He had always won.
The system wasn’t rewarding reality, itt was rewarding belief.
A new notification appeared.
[Ding!]
[Modifiers are not abilities.]
[Modifiers are manifestations of collective perception.]
[There are no buffs to skills and abilities at the moment. Only identity.]
[You will be given buffs based on your performance on your next Edgewalk]
Several meters away, members of the faction were beginning to notice the three leaders standing together.
[Your faction leaders have received Modifiers. They have received titles based on your collective perception of them.]
Soon, whispers spread.
"They all got titles."
"I knew Leader Mark would get one."
"The Goddess too."
Iris looked ahead amids the whispers as her eyes were focused on Lucas.
"What about Lucas?" Bertram asked stepping beside her.
"I wonder what his was." Callum wondered.
Lucas sighed as he closed the window.
A familiar voice called out.... It was Callum
"Lucas!" He jogged over, stopping a few feet away.
"What Modifier did you get?"
Lucas hesitated. "...It’s nothing special."
The boy laughed. "No way."
"If it’s you then it has to be."
More people wandered closer. Soon there were dozens.
Curious, excited. Asking their leaders what titles they got.
Lucas suddenly understood something horrifying.
Every one of them believed in him.
Not because he deserved it but because they’d survived.
And to them Lucas always won.
"..."
Mark leaned close.
"Might as well tell them."
Lucas sighed. "...That’s not a very easy thing to do y’know."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
"We were able to survive thanks to you." A young boy spoke causing Lucas to turn.
One woman nodded after a brief moment of hesitation. "Honestly, when we were told that you hadn’t lost a fight before coming here, it was a little hard to believe "
"But after seeing you fight so well against that Hestia, I’m starting to believe everything."
Another survivor laughed nervously. "I’d hate to be one of the beasts fighting him."
Then, little by little, murmurs began to spread...
"He hasn’t lost once."
"Every battle he’s in ends the same way."
"I almost feel bad for whatever comes next."
Lucas opened his mouth. He wanted to say something...
He wanted to tell them it wasn’t true...
He wanted to explain how close they’d come to dying.
How many times he’d actually lost...
[Player is not allowed to reveal Regression ability. Violation means death.]
But the warning forced him to swallow his words.
Even if he somehow managed to tell them, they wouldn’t believe him. He knew that much....
[Ding!]
[Reverence Detected.]
Lucas froze as he glanced towards the window and another message appeared.
[The legend of "The Terror" has begun to spread.]
[Current Recognition: 112 Witnesses]
He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
"Shit"
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