I Possessed The Worst Character In The Hellish Game

The vault stretched endlessly in every direction, defying the laws of space.

Mikael walked beside Headmaster Nicholas through corridors of floating stone, his eyes constantly moving as he took in the impossible architecture around them.

The pillars continued their slow, silent rotation, their surfaces carved with runes that pulsed with white glow.

Somewhere above them.... or below them, it was hard to tell.... more than one section of the floor hung completely inverted, its surface dotted with pedestals and display cases that seemed to defy gravity.

Suspended staircases wound through the air like ribbons of frozen smoke, connecting platforms that shouldn’t have been able to exist.

Artifacts seemed to float everywhere.

Some floated freely in the air, surrounded by faint barriers of glowing essence that hummed with quiet power.

Others rested on pedestals of white stone, their surfaces gleaming under the vault’s strange light.

A few were chained to the walls or the floor, their bindings etched with suppression runes that flickered and sparked as if struggling to contain whatever lay beneath.

One of the chained artifacts...

A long, curved blade made of something that looked like black glass—rattled as they passed.

The chains snapped taut, and for a moment, Mikael could have sworn the blade turned its hilt toward him.

Then the runes flared, and the weapon went still.

"The artifacts seem to like you." Nicholas said with a trace of amusement in his voice. "That blade has been dormant for nearly a decade. It doesn’t usually respond to visitors."

Mikael kept his expression neutral.

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

They walked on, past rows of ancient tomes, suits of armor, and rings that glowed with inner light.

Even though Mikael had visited this vault countless times in the game, that didn’t mean he knew every artifact inside it, as the time was always limited.

The event that granted access to this place always occurred around the mid-game.

By then, he had always been capable of wielding Saint-grade or higher artifacts.

So he had never bothered examining the Mortal and Elite artifacts and only knew a few of them.

After some time, the Headmaster’s voice reached his ears.

"We have forty minutes remaining." He said, looking at the small pocket watch that appeared in his hand and vanished again just as quickly. "Have you seen anything that interests you?"

Mikael paused, as if considering the question carefully.

In truth, he had known exactly what he wanted since before he’d stepped through the vault’s massive door.

The Ring of Serene Flow.

An elite-grade artifact that enhanced essence control by smoothing out the turbulence in an awakener’s channels, allowing for more precise spellwork and easier casting.

It was the perfect artifact for someone like him.

"I was wondering if there are any artifacts that help with essence control."

The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Essence control artifacts are rare. The ability to manipulate essence is fundamental to an awakener’s growth, so items that enhance it are highly sought after. The vault does contain a few, but all of them are above saint grade, and only the remaining elite-grade artifact was taken by someone a few days ago."

He paused.

"It was a ring. The Ring of Serene Flow, if I recall correctly."

"What?! Who took it?"

"It was Princess Elara I believe... She chose it as her birthday gift."

"....."

Of all the people who could have taken it, it had to be the one person who least needed it.

She could just improve her control by putting in a bit more effort.

He sighed internally as he forced himself not to let the frustration show on his face.

"Is there anything else on your mind?"

The Headmaster asked, stroking his long long grey beard.

There was another artifact he had in mind, one he had been saving as a backup plan.

It didn’t help him with essence control necessarily, but its effects were quite useful even in the long run.

Now, he just hoped no one had gotten to it first.

But for that, he would need to buy more time.

"What about defensive artifacts?" He asked, partly to buy some time and partly because he had genuinely been curious about what the vault had to offer. "Something that could help me survive a fight if I’m outmatched."

Nicholas considered the question.

"There are several options in the Mortal and Elite grades that might suit. The Aegis Pendant, for example, projects a barrier that can withstand several direct hits from a Tier 3 opponent. The Shadow Weave Cloak can bend light around the wearer, making them harder to track. And there’s a pair of bracers near the eastern wall that can harden the skin to the consistency of iron for short periods."

Mikael nodded as he let the old man lead him toward the eastern wall.

They spent the next twenty minutes browsing.

Mikael examined a ring that could store a single spell for later use, a belt that reduced the essence cost of movement abilities, and a pair of gloves that could convert physical impact into essence.

Each one was useful and well-crafted.

But he ultimately rejected all of them.

"Fifteen minutes remaining. If you don’t see anything you like, we may need to extend our search to another section."

’Finally.’

This was the moment he was waiting for.

But he didn’t let it show on his face, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

The old man was surprisingly good at reading his poker face, which he had always prided himself on.

They were standing near one of the rotating pillars now, close enough that he could feel the faint draft of air created by its slow movement.

He looked up.

The upside-down platform he had noticed earlier hung directly above them, its pedestals glowed with bright light.

"What’s up there?"

The old man followed his gaze.

"It’s the section for Saint-grade artifacts."

"I’d like to look at them."

"...."

The old man’s expression shifted subtly.... not exactly disapproval, but something close to it.

"I advised you to restrict yourself to Mortal and Elite grades for a reason, young Mikael. Saint-grade artifacts carry side effects that can be... burdensome for lower-ranked awakeners. Some of them require a minimum Willpower stat of four or higher just to wear without suffering mental contamination. And even then, there is always a chance that madness could seep through."

"I know, I know. I just want to look. If the side effects are too severe, I won’t choose them. But I’d like to see what’s available."

The Headmaster had suggested he choose between Mortal and Elite grades.

But he hadn’t exactly said Mikael could only choose from those grades.

There was a difference between advice and permission, and Mikael had every intention of using that technicality to his advantage.

Still, he couldn’t let Nicholas know that yet.

Nicholas studied him for a long moment before saying...

"Very well."

"I understand, Headmaster."

He raised one hand, and Mikael felt the essence surge around them....

A current of invisible force that lifted them from the ground and carried them upward.

The sensation was disorienting, almost like being caught in an updraft.

Mikael had to resist the urge to flail as the floor fell away beneath his feet.

When his feet touched the upside-down stone.... the world reoriented itself.

He was standing on the upside-down platform now, except it no longer felt upside-down.

The moment his feet touched the surface, the gravity shifted as it pulled him toward the platform’s floor as if it had always been the right way up.

The effect was almost seamless, but it still left his stomach doing slow flips for a few seconds.

The Saint-grade section was smaller than the main floor, but the artifacts here felt different.

Each one arranged across the platform, each resting on its own pedestal or floating in its own containment field.

A staff that crackled with stored lightning.

A mask that seemed to shift between expressions when he wasn’t looking directly at it.

A pair of bangels that glowed faintly in the purple light.

He moved through them slowly.... careful not to touch anything.

Most of the artifacts radiated a quiet hostility, as if they resented being looked at.

A few seemed curious.

One of the artifacts... a black crown with three empty sockets, actually tried to float toward him before a barrier flared and pushed it back into place.

Several Artifact status screens appeared in front of him.

— ◈ [ Artifact: Crown of the Mad King ] ◈ —

Grade: Saint

Type: Helmet

Willpower Requirement: 3.1

Effect: Massively enhances mental fortitude. Grants immunity to most forms of mental manipulation and psychic attack.

Side Effects: The wearer experiences vivid hallucinations of their own death at random intervals.

— ◈ [ Artifact: Crown of the Mad King ] ◈ —

.

.

.

— ◈ [ Artifact: Serpent’s Tongue ] ◈ —

Grade: Saint

Type: Dagger

Willpower Requirement: 4

Effect: Extremely venomous blade that could even melt the metals.

Side Effects: Wielder will experience a craving for raw meat.

— ◈ [ Artifact: Serpent’s Tongue ] ◈ —

.

.

.

— ◈ [ Artifact: Trickster’s Guise ] ◈ —

Grade: Saint

Type: Mask

Willpower Requirement: 4.1

Effect: Allows the wearer to perfectly mimic the appearance and voice of anyone they have seen.

Side Effects: The wearer gradually grows a pair of functional cat ears for a long period of time.

— ◈ [ Artifact: Trickster’s Guise ] ◈ —

Mikael stared at the description floating before his eyes, reading it twice just to make sure he hadn’t misread the side effect.

’Who in their right mind would ever use this?’

"You want that one?"

Nicholas asked from beside with a tinge of amusement in his voice.

"I’ll pass on that."

He answered almost immediately.

"A wise choice. Though I imagine it would have been an interesting look for you."

Mikael decided to ignore that comment entirely and kept walking as he let his gaze wander across the endless shelves and floating displays.

He had hoped to stumble upon something incredible.... the kind of artifact that novel protagonists always seemed to find by pure luck.

A hidden treasure overlooked by everyone else, something that would perfectly suit him and grant him power beyond his rank.

’But I guess that didn’t happen in real life.’

He would have just settled for what he had in mind from the start.

He kept walking as his gaze finally settled on the artifact he was looking for.

A pair of black earrings.

They floated in a containment field as their surface glowed with faint light.

Compared to the other artifacts around them, they looked almost plain.

But the status window that appeared when he focused on them told a different story.

— ◈ [ Artifact: Phasewalker’s Earrings] ◈ —

Grade: Saint

Type: Accessory (Pair)

Willpower Requirement: 5.0

Effect: Grants the wearer the ability to phase through any type of matter for short periods. The duration and depth of phasing depend on the essence output and the user’s stamina.

Side Effects: Prolonged use of the phasing ability causes extreme physical fatigue. Overuse may result in temporary disorientation and blood loss.

— ◈ [ Artifact: Phasewalker’s Earrings] ◈ —

Mikael stared at the familiar text with a small satisfaction settling in his chest.

This was it.

The perfect artifact for someone like him.

It was versatile, with side effects that were manageable compared to most others in this vault.

And coincidentally, he also met the unusually high Willpower Requirement.

He had used these earrings in almost every single one of his playthroughs, and they had never let him down.

"I want these."

Nicholas moved to stand beside him as his crimson eyes studied the earrings.

"The Phasewalker Earrings..... an excellent choice. But they carry a Willpower requirement of Tier 5 awakeners. You won’t be able to use them for a long time."

Mikael shook his head.

"I meet the Willpower requirement."

"...."

"...."

"You certain?"

"Yes."

"...."

The silence stretched between them for a moment.

Mikael could see the calculation happening behind the old man’s crimson eyes—

The assessment, the reevaluation, the quiet surprise that someone like him, the supposed failure of the Morwell family, could possess a Willpower stat that most Tier 4 awakeners would envy.

"Interesting." Nicholas said, finally. "It seems I had severely underevaluated you before Young Mikael."

"...."

Mikael didn’t explain why his Willpower was this high.

Willpower was the stat that couldn’t be achieved from simple training.

The Headmaster removed the earrings from the containment rune and plucked them out before handing them to Mikael and said....

"Here, they’re yours now. Treat them well."

"Thank you, Headmaster."

"Then let’s get out of here before the vault decides we’ve overstayed our welcome."

*****

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