Setelah selesai mengamati evolusi Virelass, Asher beralih untuk memeriksa panel statusnya. Namun, sebelum sempat melakukannya, Sistem kembali berbunyi. Kemampuan Virelass yang baru berevolusi dan tadi terpampang di hadapannya pun menghilang.
[Seiring dengan evolusi jiwa Tuan Rumah, beberapa kemampuan terkait jiwa telah bangkit]
Asher menatap panel itu dengan terkejut selama beberapa saat, lalu tersenyum. Ia tahu dirinya telah mengalami beberapa perubahan. Ia bisa merasakan emosi, dan pikirannya terasa mengalir lebih cepat. Ia ingin tahu apa saja perubahan itu. Ia penasaran dengan kemampuan apa yang telah bangkit dalam dirinya. Apakah hanya beberapa ini, atau masih ada yang lain?
[Kekuatan Jiwa Meningkat: Jiwa Tuan Rumah menjadi lebih kuat, padat, dan murni, sehingga jauh lebih sulit untuk dilukai, disegel, dirasuki, atau dihapus]
[Proses Berpikir Dipercepat: Pikiran Tuan Rumah memproses informasi berkali-kali lebih cepat. Dalam pertarungan, dunia akan tampak melambat, sementara efisiensi dan kecepatan membaca juga meningkat, beserta manfaat lainnya]
[Ingatan Sempurna: Tuan Rumah dianugerahi ingatan sempurna, tetapi kemampuan ini dinonaktifkan karena Tuan Rumah telah memiliki ingatan sempurna sejak lahir]
[Persepsi Jiwa: Tuan Rumah kini mampu merasakan keberadaan jiwa di sekitarnya. Jangkauannya meningkat seiring bertambahnya kekuatan Tuan Rumah. Jangkauan saat ini: radius seratus meter]
[Umur Panjang: Kemurnian dan kepadatan jiwa yang meningkat secara alami memperpanjang umur Tuan Rumah secara proporsional]
[Persepsi Emosi: Tuan Rumah kini mampu merasakan emosi semua makhluk hidup selama ia memandang mereka]
Dalam diam, Asher menatap keenam kemampuan terkait jiwa yang telah bangkit dalam dirinya, lalu meneliti semuanya dengan cepat. Tak satu pun memberinya kemampuan, teknik, atau apa pun untuk menyerang jiwa, tetapi ia tetap sangat bersyukur. Bagaimanapun, setiap kemampuan memiliki kegunaannya sendiri, dan masing-masing akan semakin berharga seiring kekuatannya bertambah.
Meski tak begitu memahami cara kerja peningkatan kekuatan jiwa, sebab orang-orang tak bisa melepaskan, merasakan, ataupun memegang jiwa mereka dengan cara apa pun, ia tetap menerima peningkatan itu sambil tersenyum. Siapa yang akan menolak jika jiwanya menjadi lebih kuat? Sekalipun dampaknya belum terlihat sekarang, tak diragukan lagi jiwa yang lebih kuat akan sangat berguna suatu hari nanti.
Kemampuan kedua, Proses Berpikir Dipercepat, mulai bisa ia kuasai. Kemampuan inilah yang membuatnya merasa seolah-olah dunia terbuka dengan cara yang berbeda tadi. Pikirannya bekerja begitu cepat hingga waktu terasa melambat baginya. Ia bisa memproses setiap detail dengan sangat jelas, sementara pikirannya dengan mudah mengikuti segala sesuatu di sekelilingnya.
Namun, Asher tak sampai mengira waktu benar-benar melambat. Dengan kecepatan luar biasa yang dimiliki orang-orang di Crymora, mereka yang bergerak lebih cepat daripada persepsi dan proses berpikirnya yang dipercepat masih bisa menghabisinya sebelum ia sempat menyadari apa yang terjadi.
Meski begitu, Asher tak mengeluh. Peningkatan tetaplah peningkatan, sekecil atau sebesar apa pun.
Ia beralih ke kemampuan ketiga, lalu tersenyum sambil menggeleng. Ingatannya sudah tak mungkin menjadi lebih sempurna lagi, jadi tak ada yang bisa ditingkatkan. Karena itu, Sistem menonaktifkan kemampuan tersebut.
‘Hadeh... Aku memang terlalu pintar,’ renung Asher, menyombongkan diri dengan cara yang tak begitu terselubung.
Ia selalu bangga akan ingatannya dan cukup membanggakan kemampuan itu. Mengetahui bahwa Sistem pun mengakui jiwa yang telah berevolusi sekalipun tak mampu meningkatkan kemampuan tersebut membuat kebanggaannya membubung tinggi.
Bagaimanapun, berkat ingatan itulah hidupnya di Bumi dulu begitu mudah, nyaman, dan berkecukupan. Ujian? Tugas? Semuanya mudah saja jika ia bisa membaca satu buku pelajaran dalam beberapa jam bila ada hitung-hitungan di dalamnya, atau kurang dari satu jam jika tidak ada.
Pikiran Asher beralih ke Persepsi Jiwa. Baginya, inilah kemampuan paling dahsyat dari semua yang ditampilkan. Asher tahu orang-orang selalu bisa menemukan cara untuk mengakali Persepsi Omni dan bahkan indra alaminya. Itu wajar, sebab ia tak memiliki kemampuan indra mutlak atau semacamnya.
Namun, dengan kemampuan Persepsi Jiwa, Asher kini bisa merasakan setiap bajingan licik yang berhasil mengakali Persepsi Omni dan indra alaminya.
Yang membuat kemampuan ini semakin hebat adalah orang-orang tak bisa memengaruhi jiwa mereka sendiri. Jadi, bagaimana mungkin mereka menyamarkan atau menyembunyikan gejolak jiwa dari Persepsi Jiwa Asher, sementara mereka sendiri bahkan tak bisa merasakan jiwa mereka? Kemampuan ini praktis merupakan lapisan persepsi yang sama sekali berbeda, yang mengabaikan segala cara penyamaran konvensional.
Tentu saja, kemampuan ini tak berguna menghadapi orang seperti Matahari Kelima, Apollo Wargrave, yang mampu memanipulasi jiwa sesuka hati.
Namun, berapa banyak orang yang memiliki kemampuan untuk mengendalikan dan memanipulasi jiwa? Jawabannya jelas: sangat sedikit. Jadi, bagaimanapun juga, Persepsi Jiwa benar-benar kemampuan kelas atas. Jangkauannya memang baru sebatas radius seratus meter, tetapi itu baru untuk saat ini, dan sudah lebih dari cukup sebagai permulaan. Seiring kekuatannya meningkat, jangkauannya pun akan bertambah. Potensi kemampuan ini ke depannya bahkan sulit dibayangkan.
‘Aku harus memeriksa apakah kemampuan Persepsi Jiwa ini juga bekerja terhadap Emovirae, monster, dan binatang buas,’ pikir Asher. Ia tak berani membatasi kemampuan itu hanya pada manusia. Jika setiap makhluk hidup memang memiliki jiwa, kemampuan ini mungkin jauh lebih serbaguna daripada yang tersirat dalam penjelasan Sistem.
Asher menyeringai, lalu beralih ke kemampuan berikutnya dalam daftar.
‘Umur Panjang, ya?’ pikir Asher saat benaknya beralih ke kemampuan kelima. ‘Sebentar lagi, mungkin aku bisa hidup lebih lama daripada para Sinvaira itu,’ renungnya.
Asher tak tahu persis seberapa panjang umurnya kini, jadi ia menerima keterangan itu begitu saja. Ia tahu Sistem mungkin akan menunjukkan dampak Umur Panjang dalam bentuk angka, tetapi baginya itu hanya akan membuat pusing karena ia tak tahu apa arti angka-angka tersebut. Tidak seperti statistik Persepsi, ketika satu poin tambahan berarti jangkauan Persepsi Omni bertambah satu meter, umur tak sesederhana itu.
Lagipula, persepsi alaminya sendiri pun tak mengikuti aturan yang sama.
‘Sistem seharusnya langsung memberitahuku kalau umurku bertambah, misalnya, dua ratus tahun,’ pikir Asher sambil menggeleng.
Asher menggeleng dan memutuskan untuk melupakannya. Bagaimanapun, tak seorang pun benar-benar tahu kapan mereka akan mati. Kalaupun Sistem menyatakan bahwa ia memiliki sisa umur dua ribu tahun, bukan berarti ia benar-benar akan hidup selama itu. Ia bisa saja terbunuh jauh sebelumnya.
Bahkan jika ia berhasil bertahan hidup hingga akhir umur alaminya, ia mungkin akan menjadi gila karena terus-menerus menatap sisa tahun, bulan, atau hari yang ditampilkan kepadanya. Melihat angka itu terus berkurang mungkin pada akhirnya akan membuat siapa pun kehilangan akal. Bisa saja ia malah menghabiskan saat-saat terakhirnya dengan melakukan sesuatu yang benar-benar konyol hanya karena tahu ajalnya sudah dekat.
Asher kembali menggeleng. Pikirannya beralih ke kemampuan terakhir yang tertera di layar Sistem: Persepsi Emosi.
Orang mungkin bisa mengendalikan emosi mereka sampai batas tertentu, tetapi mereka tak bisa benar-benar memalsukannya. Seseorang mungkin dapat menyamarkan perasaannya lewat ekspresi wajah dan sebagainya, tetapi pada akhirnya, ia tak bisa membohongi apa yang sungguh-sungguh dirasakannya jauh di dalam hati.
Asher merasa kemampuan ini akan sangat cocok dipadukan dengan Persepsi Jiwa. Keduanya akan saling melengkapi dengan sempurna. Namun, sayangnya, kemampuan ini mengharuskan Asher melihat makhluk hidup itu agar bisa merasakan emosinya.
Jadi, sekalipun seseorang berhasil menyembunyikan gejolak jiwanya dan mengakali Persepsi Jiwa, orang itu belum tentu terdeteksi oleh Persepsi Emosi jika Asher tak bisa melihatnya.
Namun, tak seorang pun bisa mendapatkan segalanya dalam hidup, bahkan jika dirinya tokoh utama sebuah cerita.
_____
Bab bonus didukung oleh TBH
Since he was done checking out Virelass’ evolution, Asher moved to check out his status panel, but before he could, the system chimed again as Virelass’ evolved abilities, which were on display, vanished.
[With the Host’s soul evolution, a few soul-related abilities have awakened]
Asher stared at the panel, stunned for a moment before he eventually smiled. He knew that he had experienced some changes. He could sense emotions, and he could feel that his thoughts were flowing faster. He wanted to know what these changes were about. He was curious about what abilities he had awakened. Were there just these few, or were there even more?
[Increased Soul Strength: The Host’s soul has become stronger, denser, and purer, making it significantly more difficult to damage, seal, possess, or erase]
[Accelerated Thought Process: The Host’s mind processes information many times faster, making the world appear slower during combat, while also increasing reading efficiency and speed, amongst other things]
[Perfect Memory: The Host has been granted perfect memory, but this ability has been nullified since the Host possesses a natural perfect memory from birth]
[Soul Perception: The Host now possesses the ability to perceive the existence of souls around him. Range scales as the Host grows stronger. Current range: one hundred-meter radius]
[Increased Lifespan: With increased soul purity and density, the Host’s lifespan naturally increases in direct proportion]
[Emotion Perception: The Host now possesses the ability to perceive the emotions of all living beings as long as he lays his eyes upon them]
Asher stared at all six soul-related abilities he had awakened in silence as he swiftly went through each and every one of them. None granted any form of soul-attacking ability, technique, or whatever, but he was still extremely grateful. After all, each ability had its own importance, and every single one of them offered benefits that would only become more valuable as he grew stronger.
Although he didn’t really understand how the increased soul strength worked, since people couldn’t release, sense, or hold their souls in any way or form, he still simply accepted the boost with a smile. After all, who would reject the idea of their soul becoming stronger? Even if the effects weren’t immediately visible, there was no doubt that a stronger soul would prove invaluable one day.
The second ability, Accelerated Thought Process, was something Asher was already getting the hang of. It was particularly because of this ability that he had felt as though the world had opened up to him in a unique way earlier. His thoughts were faster to the point that time itself seemed to slow just for him, allowing him to process every little detail with astonishing clarity while his mind effortlessly kept pace with everything around him.
But Asher wasn’t deluded enough to actually think time had slowed. With the ridiculous speed people possessed within Crymora, those who moved faster than both his perception and accelerated thought process could still wipe him off the surface of the planet before he even realized what had happened.
But still, Asher wasn’t complaining. A boost was a boost, regardless of how small or how huge it was.
He moved to the third ability, then smiled with a shake of his head. His memory simply couldn’t get any more perfect at this point, so there was simply nothing left to improve. As a result, the system had simply nullified the ability.
’Sigh... I’m simply too smart for my own good,’ Asher mused in a not-so-subtle humble brag.
He had always been proud of his memory, possessing more than just a little pride in it. Seeing that even the system agreed that not even his evolved soul could further evolve this particular ability simply made Asher’s pride in this aspect soar through the roof.
After all, it was simply because of this memory that he had been able to live such an easy, comfortable, and rich life back on Earth. Exams? Assignments? They were all child’s play when you could simply read through a single textbook in a couple of hours if it contained calculations, and in less than an hour if it didn’t contain any calculations.
Asher’s thoughts shifted to Soul Perception next. To him, this was easily the most busted ability on the list amongst every ability displayed. Asher knew that, in one shape or form, people could always somehow bypass Omni Perception and even his own natural senses. That was simply natural, as he didn’t possess some sort of absolute sensing ability or anything of the sort.
But with the Soul Perception ability, Asher could now sense every single sneaky idiot who managed to bypass both his Omni Perception and his natural senses.
What made the ability even more excellent was the fact that people couldn’t influence their own souls, so how could they camouflage or hide their soul fluctuations from Asher’s Soul Perception when they couldn’t even sense their own souls in the first place? It was practically an entirely different layer of perception, one that ignored conventional methods of concealment altogether.
Of course, this particular ability was useless against people like the Fifth Sun, Apollo Wargrave, who possessed the ability to manipulate souls at his whim.
But one had to ask, just how many people even possessed the ability to control and manipulate souls in the first place? The answer was undoubtedly very few. So, regardless, Soul Perception was truly a top-tier ability. Although it was currently limited to a one-hundred-meter radius, that was only for now, and it was already more than perfect for a start. As his own strength increased, so too would the range of the ability, making its future potential frightening to imagine.
’I will have to check if this Soul Perception ability works on Emovirae, Monsters, and Beasts,’ Asher thought to himself as he didn’t dare limit the ability to just Humans. If souls truly existed within every living creature, then this ability might prove far more versatile than even the system’s description suggested.
Asher smirked and shifted to the next ability on the list.
’Increased Lifespan, huh?’ Asher thought to himself as his thoughts shifted toward the fifth ability. ’At this point, I might just outlive these Sinvairas or something,’ he mused to himself.
Although Asher didn’t know exactly how much his lifespan had increased, he simply took it at face value. He knew that the system would probably reflect the effects of Increased Lifespan in numerical values, but to Asher, that was nothing but a headache since he had no idea what those numbers actually constituted. Unlike the Perception stat, where a single stat increase meant a one-meter radius increase in Omni Perception, lifespan wasn’t nearly as straightforward.
Besides, his own natural perception didn’t even follow that same rule.
’The system should just tell me if I gained, like, two hundred more years or something,’ Asher thought to himself as he shook his head.
Asher shook his head and decided to forget about it. After all, nobody truly knew when they were going to die. Besides, even if the system stated that he had two thousand years’ worth of lifespan, it didn’t mean he was actually going to live for two thousand years anyway. He could simply get killed long before then.
And even if he somehow remained alive until the very end of his natural lifespan, he might simply go crazy from constantly staring at the remaining years, months, or days displayed before him. Watching that number endlessly decrease would probably drive anyone insane eventually, and he might very well end up spending those final moments doing something utterly ridiculous simply because he knew the end was approaching.
Asher shook his head once more as his mind shifted to the final ability on the system display: Emotion Perception.
While people might be able to control their emotions to a certain extent, they couldn’t truly fake them. One might be able to mask their emotions through facial expressions and the like, but at the end of the day, they couldn’t genuinely falsify what they truly felt deep within.
Asher felt like this ability would have worked perfectly in tandem with Soul Perception, both of them complementing each other seamlessly. But alas, it came with the restriction that Asher actually had to lay his eyes upon a living being in order to perceive their emotions.
Otherwise, even if someone somehow managed to hide their soul fluctuations and bypass Soul Perception, they wouldn’t necessarily be detected through Emotion Perception unless Asher could actually see them.
But alas, one couldn’t gain everything in life, even if they were the main character of a story.
_____
Bonus Chapter sponsored by TBH
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