Chapter 633: Sunless Has Joined The Party!

Before Sunny was what appeared to be a floating, holographic, rectangular panel. Its borders were blue, with a transparent black filling that acted as the backdrop for the alien, white letters displayed on the panel’s surface.

It was like a video game.

Sunny wasn’t too familiar with the gaming scene — he wasn’t some nerdy loser — but he knew enough to have some vague understanding of what was being requested of him at this very moment.

In video games, a party was essentially a group of characters or players. In traditional role-playing games, a party would be the diverse line-up of characters that the player chooses to lead into battle. Adversely, multiplayer games had the term refer to the team of players made to cooperate with each other.

He definitely did not choose to look into Silver Wolf’s interests for any particular reason. Purely coincidental was the time in which he brought, like, twelve video games but forgot to buy a console. The thought had nothing to do with him wanting to be prepared in case Silver Wolf decided to barge into his room unannounced.

It was purely for academic reasons!

Once again, he had to reiterate that he was not some nerdy loser!

...Which brought him back to the party invitation before him. He was decently aware of what it implied.

Sunny stepped into the elevator, watching as the floating panel followed after him, ensuring that it was always within his sight. After selecting his destination, the elevator doors shut, and it quickly began making its way towards the Master Control Zone. He turned his attention back to the invitation.

[Silver Wolf has sent you a party invitation! Accept?]

[Y/N]

It was a greatly novel experience, if Sunny has anything to say about it.

He was deeply familiar with the wide and profound ways Aspects can manifest themselves. Some had basic, rudimentary powers like increasing one’s physicality, or summoning a fireball. Others were extremely situational, completely convoluted, or odd in ways words couldn’t even begin to describe.

Since the descent of the Nightmare Spell, Aspects have changed alongside time. In the beginning, there was no such thing as an Aspect that could turn a gun into a Memory. The concept was unreal in every way. Then, a century later, someone received a gunsmithing Aspect. Another century, and robotics could be infused with a level of mysticism the past couldn’t even imagine.

And, right before Sunny’s eyes, he faced an Aspect associated with video games. He wasn’t sure that such a thing has ever appeared in the murky fog of human history.

...Granted, the time frames he spoke of above were completely made up by himself. There was no documentation of when any particular type of Aspect appeared, as those things were closely guarded by lone individuals and sacred factions.

Perhaps the appearance of modern and technological Aspects was caused by a certain change in the world, like the removal of a certain phenomena. Maybe it was caused by altering the human genome. It might have even been a product of the environment, as human technology advanced. Sunny’s own Aspect shared some origination from the eclipse that marked his birth, on the darkest hour of the darkest night Earth may have ever seen.

It was also possible that, the more humans existed and the more people were infected by the Spell, the likelihood of someone appearing with such an Aspect simply increased.

There was no way to tell. Not unless he was to obtain the inheritance of some ancient Daemon or something, revealing a plethora of insights and secrets... it was best to just forget it.

Sunny stared at the screen for a few moments, fully expecting Tingyun to whisper in his ear about how much she objected to such a rash decision.

[...Why would I do that?]

’...Because she’s a war criminal?’

A teasing hum resounded in his mind, causing his brow to crease as he anticipated a reply that was sure to throw him off his tempo.

[And you aren’t? Besides, anyone could tell that you are positively smitten with the girl. She is sweet, in the most unrefined of ways.]

Thrown off his tempo indeed.

Sunny’s mouth hung in a case of deeply worrying anatomy. Perhaps his jaw would fall off if he stretched it any further. His neck warmed in a way that didn’t quite help his confidence.

"U-Uh, no, it’s not obvious! You can say that because you’re in my head!"

[I’d suggest you try speaking in your head then, Benefactor. Wouldn’t want anyone to think that a handsome thing like you has a case of psychosis.]

The melodious ringing of her laughter was definitely not doing anything to conceal the redness of his complexion. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

[Oh, please understand my pain! Do you know how many times thoughts of her rear have appeared in your mind? My, my, a man of class you are!]

’Ugh...’

Sunny supposed she had a point, as embarrassing as it was to be called out in such a way. Was there really any reason to be distrustful of Silver Wolf, of all people?

Besides, he had a decent idea of what this was all about.

Sunny mouthed a single word: Yes.

The panel thinned and disappeared, and in a fraction of second, appeared again with a new message—

And loud ass music!

Sunny jumped in the elevator as loud celebratory music rang against his eardrums, the jingles frightening the living shadow in a way no Nightmare Creature ever has. Regaining his bearings, he read the new message.

[Sunless has joined the party!]

[Continue?]

Sunny gave it his affirmations, and a moment later, screens upon screens covered his vision.

’Uh...’

[Uh...]

Neither Divine Shadow nor Heliofox quite expected all of this. Sunny’s eyes flickered in an attempt to take in all of the information being displayed before him—

[Initializing System...]

[Assimilating Skill: Gamer’s Mind.]

[Assimilating Skill: Gamer’s Body.]

[Interpreting Social Skills: Cooking (LV: 7), Dark Charisma (LV: 9), Shadow’s Deception (LV: 8), Womanizing Paradox (LV: ???)...]

[Interpreting Utility Skills: Copycat (LV: 10), Survivalist (LV: 10), Blacksmithing (LV: 6), Carpentry (LV: 5), Weaving (LV: 7), Spellweavery (LV: 3), Runecraft (LV: 1), Doomsaying (LV: 2)...]

[Interpreting Combat Skills: Polyviolence (LV: 4), Stealth (LV: 5), Tactician (LV: 6), Lethality (LV: 10), Hopeslayer (LV: 3), Spiteful Survivor (LV: 10)...]

[Retrieving Titles: Memory of Murder, Eclipseborn, Weaver’s Sucker, Spider’s Prey, Heart to Stone, Starkiller, A Fool’s Hope, Mongrel, Destiny’s Dagger, Bane of Saints, Player Two, A Machine’s God, Aki’s Savior, Another Woman’s Treasure, Aki’s Jailer, Star Child (Fake), Lance That Pierces Blizzards, Mothmate, Princess Seducer, Chain Breaker, Enchanter of Liars, Revenger of Abundance, Cyclical Tormentor, Rejector’s Pitying Glance, Master Loved By His Slave...]

[...System initialization complete.]

At that very moment, everything came to a halt. The screens disappeared one by one, and only once they were all gone did Sunny receive a new message.

[...Welcome back, Sunless. Get ready for the most Elating ride of your life!]

For some reason, he felt like he had an incomprehensible being laughing at him and his troubles.