How To Survive A Calamity-Chapter 237 - 236: Doom Scrolling Through the System [1]
With the Academy's Temporary Ranking in place, the fading ripples of the Dungeon Incident still echoing, a dark Demon sealed within my left hand, an unexpected threat letter left at my doorstep, and the looming Mid-term Exams on the horizon—among a host of other shadows trailing me—I suddenly found myself entangled in far more than i saw coming.
But I couldn't just sit still and let the tides drag me under. Remaining passive any longer wouldn't cut it. It was no longer an option.
When it came down to it, everything—every crisis, every twist—boiled down to one thing: getting stronger.
• Partial Slime Body
• Link
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<ATTRIBUTES>
• Ether Blessing
— *You have received the rare abundant grace and favour of Higher Aether: Ether. Increases control and sensitivity of Ether and all related aspects passively.*
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<ARTS>
• Ether Art: Armament (Incomplete)
— *A commendable achievement. This is a unique Ether Art that weaponizes the human body.*
— Proficiency: Intermediate Mastery (Higher tier)
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<STIGMA> (Temporary)
• Moria's Weave
— *Rejoice, you have received the patronage of 'The Architect'. Your deeds and achievements have been acknowledged, and you now bear a part of His will — His Mark.*
— *Effect:* Grants a temporary substantial boost to all stats, skills and attributes, raising Rank by +2.
— *Note:* Usable once for a limited time. A 'cost' will be exacted relative to usage — potentially a permanent loss of stats or skills. 'The Architect' offers no charity; only by proving your worth shall you continue to gain His merit.
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<SUMMARY>
???
__________________
In hindsight, there were plenty of things about my stats and the system status screen that didn't make sense.
Well—obviously.
What I mean is, there were details I'd just accepted at face value, never really questioning them.
From the moment I unlocked the System, the only things I bothered tracking were my [Level] and [Rank]. Those were easy. Everything else was either vague nonsense or suspicious question marks I pretended weren't there.
So what brought on this sudden wave of curiosity and suspicion toward my status screen?
Simple—ever since I tried using [Eyes of Discerning] on the System, it's been gnawing at me that I can't remember what I saw. And I'm not sure which is worse: that I forgot, or that maybe I was never meant to remember.
And of course, there was no way I was suicidal enough to try peering through the System again. Last time, I'd nearly lost my eyes—Meta's cold warning still burned in my memory—and I had no idea what kind of retribution I'd face if I tried again.
All I could do now was brood over the gaps in my knowledge. I found myself paying extra attention to my stat screen, eyes tracing every number and symbol as if they might rearrange into answers.
The System Interface was a bundle of whispering mysteries and unanswered questions. It had changed so much since I first gained access years ago—most of those changes coming right after I cleared the Inheritance Dungeon of Laplace over a year and a half back. That was when I'd unlocked the Second Sequence, apparently by meeting some hidden requirement.
What was that requirement? No idea. And Meta—reliable as ever—wasn't about to enlighten me anytime soon.
For all its power, the System remained an enigma. There was so much I didn't know, and the few things I did could be counted on one hand.
In the vast emptiness of the Training Hall, I scrolled through the System interface, fingers brushing against light that wasn't really there. My stats floated before me in crisp text, the numbers and attributes hanging like an illusionary veil in the air.
They felt… unbalanced.
My gaze slid down the list until it landed on one entry in particular—[Class]. I rubbed my chin, frowning.
"This [Class] first showed up about a year ago… and somehow, I ended up as a Spearman."
With all the gaming knowledge I'd carried over from Earth, it was obvious this [Class] thing represented my job or profession. Normally, I'd expect to choose it myself. But the System hadn't asked. It had decided for me.
As that thought lingered, the interface flickered.
• [DING!]
[Class: Spearman]… learn more?
I froze.
"…Huh?"
A new tab shimmered into existence, the [Class] item glowing brighter—isolated from the rest, like the System was suddenly offering me… more.
"What the…?"
It was the first time I'd ever seen something like this.
Curious, I tapped the tab.
A new screen slid open, displaying a list of characters and details I apparently should've known about… but didn't.
• [DING!]
[Class] Spearman — Lv.1
» Description: A disciplined combatant trained in the art of the spear. Masters of reach, precision, and control, Spearmen excel at keeping enemies at bay while delivering swift, decisive strikes. Their style balances offense and defense, capable of piercing armor, controlling the battlefield, and adapting to multiple ranges with practiced skill.
— Reach Lv.3 for a potential [Class] Upgrade.
—— System Assessment: Host shows surprisingly promising aptitude with the [Class]?! Translation: You might actually be good at this?! Keep training, level up fast, and maybe—just maybe—you'll evolve into something deadlier than "person with pointy stick" (Lol).
---
I stared at the insulting screen, dumbfounded. For a fleeting second, I almost thought the System was actually praising me.
Almost.
Resisting the urge to curse out Meta and whoever coded her personality, I dragged a hand down my face and ground my teeth.
"How come I'm just hearing about this now?"
Meta's reply came without hesitation, ignoring whether I was even talking to her.
[You never bothered to check.]
The familiar, deadpan synthetic voice rattled in my skull.
I shot her words a flat look only I could see, then turned my attention to the Spearman Class tab.
So I had decent aptitude and could evolve the Class over time?
[You have to max out at Lv.3 first.] Meta added, like she was breaking news about the weather.
I folded my arms, stroking my chin in thought.
"Well..."
I'll admit—a part of me does feel like I've been neglecting my martial arts and spear training lately, with everything that's been going on. This just reminded me that I was born into a branch noble household from a renowned spear-wielding family. Maybe my aptitude—and this so-called talent with the spear—has something to do with the blood running through this body's veins.
Back on Earth, in my past life, I was a savage brawler who preferred raw, hand-to-hand dogfights… or hand-to-anything-you-could-grab. I never held the spear in any special regard. Like I always said: in a street fight, anything you can get your hands on can be a weapon.
So in this world, the spear was never more than that for me—just another thing to swing. Even archery, which I picked up along the way, was more out of convenience than passion.
But it seems I can't run from my bloodline. I even had a God Slaying Divine Spear somewhere in my soul— no matter how you see it, it's like even the universe wants me to become some legendary "person with a divine pointy stick".
It almost felt like the System was nudging me in that direction, and by now I knew it never did anything without purpose.
"Hah. If that's how it is…" I exhaled slowly.
I'd already decided—I'd use whatever edge I could to get stronger.
"I guess I'll have to give more thought to raising my [Class] level." That's one more item going on my long To-do list.
With a flick of my wrist, the System tab dissolved into shimmering ripples before fading from sight. My gaze shifted back to the Status screen.
"Now…" A mischievous smirk tugged at my lips as i almost rubbed my palms together from dark anticipation.
"Let's see what else this damn System is hiding…"
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[A/N: Note, this is definitely NOT a filler chapter. And neither is the next. I'm just using the space to finally clear a few things that I've been meaning to all this while since a point in the story. It's actually very important, with some subtle lore drops if you know where to look...]
