Chương 51: Burden

"You can't be serious… then that quest I received…" Gray gripped the edge of the table tightly as he leaned slowly toward the man. Tim raised a palm, cutting him off before the accusation could land.

"Those instance quests are entirely out of my control." The revelation made Gray's blood boil, a hot flush creeping up his neck. On one hand, it felt surreal that a godly entity was secretly pulling strings from the shadows to keep him breathing. On the other, it felt incredibly cheap. Was everything he had survived just handed to him on a silver platter? Had he actually earned any of his victories? He needed to dig deeper. Gray fell back into his chair, crossing his arms tight against his chest.

His index finger tapped an anxious, rapid rhythm against his bicep.

"What else have you influenced?"

"Just a few tiny adjustments here and there," Tim chirped, his obnoxious cheer returning.

"I lowered the difficulty of your shadow clone in the 'Mirror Matchup.' Honestly, I still can't believe how close that battle ended up being." Before Gray could formulate a response, Tim shot a finger into the air in sudden realization.

"Oh! Did you know you aren't supposed to receive a Signature Ability until you reach the Elite Rank? I had to revoke the Ability Shard you earned after the first level and swap it with one containing the seed of Shroud Domain." Tim pressed a hand dramatically against his tuxedo.

"I was praying you wouldn't need it, just so I could avoid the vitality penalty. But you just had to cross paths with that Archer, didn't you? I swear, you are almost more trouble than you are worth. That little stunt siphoned off a good chunk of my lifespan." A snarl twisted Gray's face. He dug his fingers into his thighs, fighting a violent urge to flip the table.

"My worth?"

"Yes. Your worth," Tim repeated, his tone dropping its playful edge.

"Which directly ties into my final act of interference for this competition. Though, to be fair, this wasn't an adjustment I made during the trials. I made it before the event even began."

"You were never supposed to be summoned to this world, Gray. Your brother, Hyun, was supposed to be the inheritor of Shroud." All the color drained from Gray's face. The anger boiling in his veins instantly turned to ice at the sound of his brother's name.

"Wh… what do you mean by that?"

"I personally oversaw the vetting process for Shroud's next inheritor. That was when I stumbled upon Hyun." Tim sighed softly.

"I wanted a level-headed, non-impulsive, and strictly rational candidate this time to bear a power of such high caliber. But instead, I got you." He waved a dismissive hand toward the boy sitting across from him. Gray grabbed a fistful of the white tablecloth and rattled the teacups.

"Are you telling me I was only picked because of a clerical error? That I was never qualified to be here in the first place?!"

"I guess you could say that. Maybe it was because you were next to him during the process?" Tim raised his hands in a casual shrug.

"Either way, I honestly debated killing you off entirely. It would have been easier to wait another five years and adopt a more optimal vessel in the next cycle of the Natural Selection." He slowly curled his hand into a fist and rested it over his heart.

"But your will… your stubborn, relentless conviction is what ultimately convinced me to place my trust in you." Gray tuned out the hollow reassurance. The ringing in his ears drowned out whatever else the System had to say. He finally had his answer. He finally knew why a supposedly rigorous vetting process had selected him for a tournament of elites. It hadn't. He was just a glitch. A bug. And nothing more.

"You have made it far, Shroud." Tim's voice cut through the silence, scattering Gray's bitter thoughts.

"You might not have won the battle against that Blood Reaper, but you have shown promise." Gray leveled a flat stare at the man.

"Gee, thanks. So tell me again why you're going through all this trouble for me—or, rather, for Shroud? Why burn your own lifespan just to keep me breathing?"

"Because you are meant for great things! You, my boy, are destined to save the world!" For dramatic effect, Tim raised his arms high above his head, slowly sweeping them down in a grand arc. Gray wasn't inspired in the slightest.

"Yeah, no thanks. How am I supposed to save the world when I can't even save myself?" Tim waved the concern away.

"You'll warm up to the idea eventually. It is simply the burden of carrying Shroud's legacy."

"I can't be burdened by something I don't give a shit about," Gray shot back. Tim wagged a scolding finger.

"A fair point. But unless your goal is to stagnate at the Awakened Rank and rot in the middle of buttfuck nowhere for the rest of your mundane life, I highly suggest you consider my offer." Those final words dropped into a terrifying, imposing bass that vibrated right through Gray's bones. The sheer sonic pressure forced him to clamp his hands over his ears, his jaw clenching against the sudden spike of pain.

"I assume you've already met Rai in your Soul Blade trials?" Tim asked. His voice snapped right back to its upbeat cadence as he casually crossed his legs, resting his clasped hands over his knee. Gray nodded cautiously. He peeled his hands away from his ringing ears, his face tight. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"I don't know what he told you in there, but you need to understand one absolute truth. Rai is the Primordial Shroud. And you are the first inheritor of his class." Gray had a nagging suspicion that Rai wasn't possessed by Shroud, but was actually the Primordial himself—especially since he was the only known user of the class in all of history. Still, hearing it confirmed aloud by The Great System twisted his mind with a cocktail of relief and terror.

"But didn't you strip Shroud of his powers?" Gray asked.

"And take away his ability to pass the class down to a disciple?"

"That I did," Tim acknowledged with a slow dip of his chin.

"We struck a deal in the end, however. In exchange for restoring his abilities, he agreed to act as a neutralizer against the vengeful Primordials who had set their sights on ending me."

"Ending you? As in… erasing the System entirely?" The cheerful facade slipped, leaving a grim seriousness in Tim's eyes.

"I couldn't prevent Rai's passing. So, I did what I had to do next. I summoned the next bearer of Shroud to take his place and assist me." Gray scoffed, leaning forward.

"Why are you so obsessed with Shroud? What makes this class so damn special? Aren't there plenty of other exceptional Kaisers out there who would kill for the chance to kiss The Great System's ass? Why not just recruit a private army of Kaisers to protect you instead?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. There are plenty of other Kaisers currently on my side." Tim jabbed a sharp finger toward Gray's chest.

"But there isn't a single soul who can replace Shroud. I'd happily trade a thousand Kaisers for you in a heartbeat." He let the weight of the statement settle before continuing.

"You will soon discover that your class, and your class alone, possesses the power to defy even gods. How do you think Rai managed to slaughter more than half the Primordials in his era?" Leaning closer over the small table, Tim offered a handshake.

"Now, how does finally making something out of your degenerate life sound?" Gray narrowed his eyes at the outstretched hand.

"Is that supposed to be a pitch? You do realize there's a massive power dynamic here, right? If I reject your offer, won't you just strip my class away like you did to Shroud?"

"Cooperation and submission are two very different things," Tim said, retracting his hand.

"Besides, you drastically overestimate my current capabilities. Today, even a massacre wiping out half the globe wouldn't be enough to justify stripping an Awakened of their class. I had the agency to do that eons ago, but we are in a completely different era."

"The balance of humanity is largely out of my hands now. The Creator's objective for this planet has already been fulfilled, and I am merely the engine keeping the System running. My authority extends only over the Natural Selection." Hearing the admission of diminished power flipped the entire dynamic on its head. Gray suddenly realized he held the bargaining chip. He leaned back into his chair, crossed an ankle over his knee, and casually laced his fingers over his stomach.

"I understand your predicament." Gray rubbed his jaw, humming in a display of exaggerated contemplation.

"So, what exactly are the benefits for protecting the Almighty System?" Tim's cheerful facade collapsed into a deep scowl.

"Benefits?! You've already received them! Have you forgotten how far I stuck my neck out for you? And shouldn't saving the world be reason enough?" Gray dipped his head in mock gratitude.

"I am deeply touched by your kind gesture of saving me from the lethal danger you put me in. But when you say 'save the world,' aren't you really just talking about saving yourself?"

"I am the world, kid." Tim's voice hardened.

"What do you think happens when I die and all the Awakened lose their powers? The Riftborn don't rely on blue text boxes and stat screens. The human population will be slaughtered the instant they lose access to my authority."

"If that's true, then why are there Primordials out there actively trying to erase you?" Gray challenged.

"Wouldn't they lose their powers too?"

"Nope." Tim gripped the edge of the table.

"Since they were forged as Kaisers and didn't have to cultivate their levels through my System, they're a separate anomaly. They merely use my convenient System now to streamline their abilities, but once I'm gone, all they have to do is revert to their original methods of casting."

"Ultimately, the choice to stand with me or against me is yours alone. I sincerely hope you make the correct one." Gray rubbed his jaw, processing the ultimatum.

"Isn't the answer obvious? Shouldn't I be going against the Primordials and their goal of stripping everyones power, to set them up to be mauled to death?"

"Exactly!" Tim clapped his hands together, the sharp smack echoing across the frozen field.

"I'm glad we agree on who the bad guys are! I was afraid, given your abrasive personality, that you might stray from reason."

"Reason? Isn't that just common sense?" Gray offered a half-shrug.

"Why, common sense it is! I suppose my worries were misplaced." A genuine burst of relief bled through Tim's upbeat tone. Gray shifted uncomfortably, the crushing weight of the situation finally settling over him.

"Uh… but is choosing neither an option? Why do I have to pick a side in your cosmic drama? Can't I just live a normal life?"

"I apologize, but that decision left your hands the instant you set foot in this world." Tim gave a twirl of his finger, weaving a trail of faint blue light in the air.

"The massive target is already painted on your back."

"What do you mean—" Class title has been adjusted to: Shroud Cloud Mastery has been adjusted to: Shroud Mastery Gray scoffed, swiping his hand through the hovering holographic text to dismiss it.

"You're an actual child, you know that?"

"That makes two of us." A sly smirk curled Tim's lips.

"I'd label this adjustment a double-edged sword. Being affiliated with Gozen and the Mistveil class will do you no good. Fortunately, very few are aware of Shroud's true identity. The vast majority of the world is completely oblivious to the name."

"What? How does that make sense?" Gray asked.

"His entire history is recorded. He slaughtered half the Primordials in his era. Everyone knows he exists!" Tim held up a finger.

"That is a fragment of history I made public only for Gozen, knowing I would eventually need him to prop up Rai's successor." He gestured gracefully toward Gray.

"The entity known as Shroud—the son of Storm and Mist—has not been logged into the public records yet. Do you remember the primary stipulation for Astoria's history being revealed to the masses?" Gray paused, digging through his memories of the world's lore.

"The information can only be divulged once it no longer possesses the agency to alter the events of that period, or any subsequent events tied to it." Tim flashed a bright thumbs-up.

"Precisely. And that rule doesn't just apply to you, Shroud. It also applies to several of the Primordials involved in that era—entities who are still very much alive today."

"Se… several?" Gray stammered, a sudden chill crawling down his spine.

"Humanity didn't manage to kill off all the gods, then?"

"They did… for a majority, yes," Tim replied.

"Are they immortal?"

"Nope. Primordials possess remarkably prolonged lifespans—though not quite as long as mine, of course—but they are not inherently immortal."

"Then how are they still alive after all this time? How did Rai survive?" Tim held up a halting palm.

"There is no time to unpack that right now. I must depart; my grip on time has reached its absolute limit." The air around them gave a faint, shuddering hum, space distorting before his eyes.

"However, I will leave you with a final word of advice. I sincerely hope you take it into consideration." Gray leaned in.

"What is it?" Tim's cheerful demeanor vanished, leaving behind a hollow stare.

"Avoid your brother at all costs, Gray."