In Another World with Absolute Awareness

To be safe, I remained near the silver ring while I regenerated mana, sending out my senses to ensure no ambush would find me.

In the depths of the darkness, illuminated only by the mild glow of mana streaming into my Mana Cores, I sensed a trio of careful footsteps.

They were distant.

New.

They went underground in the same window when my mana had hit rock bottom, moving through the gaps in my senses.

What impeccable timing.

\[Absolute Awareness\].

A cursory glance into their intentions showed that they were treasure hunters. They were veterans, in a way, collecting antiques and archaeological artifacts.

Though it was rare to find magical artifacts, it seemed like they had found a few—selling most, but keeping some.

I was quite intrigued by the lamp in their leader’s footsteps... But something else drew my attention.

"Perfect."

It was a map. A map I so dearly needed to find a better part of the haystack and find the needles I wanted.

However...

"...Wait, what are those enchantments?"

I expended almost all of the mana I had regained to get a glimpse of <Fate> once again.

Matching my expectations, a single strand of fate was attached to the map as if sown into it.

Specifically, that strand of fate seemed to have been a part of the enchantments hidden in the map’s thin, parchment core.

Looking deeper, it became clear to me that this trio... did not know of the enchantments at all. To them, the map in their possession was just a piece of paper.

However, I had no intention of taking it.

Those enchantments were meant for them, after all. With that single strand of <Fate>, only the three of them were capable of activating its enchantments.

And it wasn’t because of some specific mechanism within those enchantments that made it capable of verifying identities.

No...

It was because the fates of those three might be entangled with the map’s destination.

Therefore, my decision was swift.

<Power of Death>

The mundane darkness suddenly became as deep as an abyss, churning at my command.

I wore invisibility like a cloak and clad myself in an aura of shadows.

After a brief moment to confirm that the trio had no unique means of sensing my presence, I dissolved into the darkness and surged forward.

Carried by the winds of <Power of the Sky>, I moved like a shadowy gust. This time, I wasn’t combing through everything that could be useful. With a clear direction, the layers beneath Walvaskaz were much easier to navigate.

However, I still wanted to comb through everything in the future.

Divine Branches might be hiding themselves here... Or some obscure pebble could house a <Trait> I would need.

For now though...

—Swoosh!

The winds of my arrival vanished in an instant as my body transitioned into stillness.

Finally, I could see the trio with my own, mortal vision. Walking just a few steps behind them, clad in invisibility as I moved within the weakest one’s shadow...

"Let’s see what kind of fate had led you three here..."

With the <Power of Death>, I could smell the risk they were about to take, all for a little bit more wealth.

That obsession to burn through their own lives for the sake of striking it rich.

"...Ah,"

What an aroma.

\*\*\*

Clementine held the Hungry Brass Lantern in her hand, leading her friends through the long hallways and tunnels beneath the surface of the Soulless City.

She was a Snakespawn, with green scales sitting just beneath a layer of skin, and fangs that could inject a potent poison into anyone she bit.

To her left, with footsteps trailing slightly behind her own, was a female Satyress—half-human and half-goat—and her dear friend, Kuvie.

Because of the light of her lantern, Kuvie’s golden-brown fur shone with brilliance...

Enough to annoy the Werebat, Reazue, whose jet-black bat wings were folded around his body like a cloak. His eyes twitched at the reflecting power of Kuvie’s fur, making him grimace with every sway of the lantern.

Thus, a Snakespawn, a Satyress, and a Werebat walked into deeper and deeper layers beneath Grakkis, following a map that Clementine had inherited from her fallen clan.

This was the Snakespawn’s hope of bringing back the glory of her family, who were once successful apothecaries whose potions and liquor were well-renowned.

Unbeknownst to the trio, a human walked right behind them, invisible to the naked eye.

Aventine’s eyes flashed with the dancing shadows. A pinch of excitement surfaced from within the depths of his gaze.

’Finally...’ He grinned.

Another <Trait> was within his reach.

\*\*\*

The layers beneath the Walvaskaz Empire were omnipresent, looming beneath every sprawling city and connecting them all together like one continental labyrinth.

Given that the empire’s population never once dipped below ten billion individuals in the recent millennia—not counting the insectoids and short-lived, swiftly reproducing species—many clans and lineages had left their marks on the upper layers.

These clans had been leaving behind the documentation of their crafts, the combat techniques they spent years honing, as well as records of grudges that were never solved.

Thus, the younger generations always delved into the layers beneath Walvaskaz, hoping to inherit the knowledge and works of their predecessors.

...And leave behind a part of their own legacies early on.

The myriad races were more altruistic than humanity, and I couldn’t help but admire them.

This was what I was slowly studying by comprehending the traces of every hallway and every remnant legacy I could sense.

After all, I had nothing else to do while waiting for Clementine and her friends to follow the map in their hands.

Walking behind them, I followed their eyes and used the recognition in their minds to identify how young or old certain items were.

With this hint, I was able to pace my mana expenditure and learn more about the endless history of the empire.

A vast amount of knowledge surged into my brain, but I retained only what I deemed contextually useful.

Everything else had to be cast aside, or my own mortal consciousness would implode, leaving me an idiot whose curiosities had caused his own demise.

However, I was no longer as frustrated by this reality I had to face.

\[Absolute Awareness\].

Mana flowed like a steady stream, allowing me to peer further and deeper than this fated trio could.

’Ah, finally,’

Their destination was in sight.

Well, in my sight.

And with that fact, I had a glimpse of what was in store for them... And what treasures I could take from them...

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