Sylus stood there, taken aback by the multiple screens playing in front of him.
'I gained a new title?'
His eyes fixed on one of the magic screens.
[The Master] Description: You are not only respected, but people also follow you; as such, they grow much faster under your command.
At the bottom was another template.
[An aspect born under the title 'The Master' has been obtained.]
[Lord of the People] Description: Those under you are subject to evolution and upgrades. The Master shall have no weak subordinates.
[An aspect born under the title 'The Master' has been obtained.]
[Lordship Avails]: You cannot be betrayed; those who betray you are cursed by all the stars of the world.
After reading everything, Sylus tried to stop himself from grinning too much.
He failed but still tried.
'This is better than I could have ever imagined. Though I didn't expect to get a title or aspect, it still turned out for the better.'
Looking at the [Lord of the People] aspect, Sylus figured Zani was supposed to go through evolution, as the system said.
He looked at her.
"Do you feel… different?"
Zani, her cold eyes now meeting his, replied,
"I'm just a bit uncomfortable in this dress, Your Highness."
'I see, so it's not in effect yet.'
Sylus turned his attention back to the glowing rune.
[The Star Alpha.]
[Title (The First Maiden)] Description: You are identified as the first to serve the Catalyst; you are blessed with strength beyond measure, other servants fall behind you, lead as an example.
[Aspect (One That Watches)]: You have an unquenchable thirst for victory. Serve your master and embrace your overwhelming strength.
'I'm going to assume this gives her some kind of combat ability. I shouldn't also rule out the fact that it might have multiple abilities.'
He tilted his head to the side.
'Hmm, maybe her Aspect will also upgrade. Best-case scenario, she gains a Divine Blessing and a Blazer.'
In this world, Divine Blessings were considered gifts from the star you serve. Not many people have them, but those who do were only able to obtain them after years of bonding with their star.
The same applied to Blazers, which were physical manifestations of one's star blessing.
Those with lesser stars often have Blazers in the form of weapons or artifacts, while those with higher stars manifest as spirit beasts.
So far, the only person Sylus knew who had both a Blazer and a Divine Blessing was his father, Martins.
Sigh!
'I wonder if I'll get the chance to awaken mine too.'
Grrr!
Sylus paused and looked at Zani.
"Was that your stomach just now?" he asked.
Zani pulled her dress a bit.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I… I couldn't control it."
'That's right, she hasn't eaten since she got here. Can't believe I forgot that.'
Sylus patted her on the head.
"You wait here. I'll go get us some food."
…
In less than a couple of minutes, Sylus had made his way to the kitchen and back.
Entering the room with a tray of food, he gently placed it on the bed and sat close to it.
Zani's mouth watered at the sight of it.
Rice, roasted corn, stew, and meat of all different sizes were arranged on the tray.
It was the first time she had seen so much food in one place.
"Come, let's eat. Don't just stand there, man."
Sylus gestured.
Hesitating for a while, she finally decided to sit on the bed.
"T-thank you, Your Highness."
"It's no big deal. Eat whatever you want. I don't want you starving."
"H-Hia…"
Zani stared at the surplus of food before her, unsure of what she should eat first.
For a brief second, you could see hunger shining in her eyes as she stretched her bare hand forward, about to dig into the rice.
"Don't use your hand!"
Hearing Sylus's remark, Zani quickly pulled her hand away, her face puffed up with embarrassment.
"S-sorry."
Sylus sighed again; he seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
'She's so cute; she had to be nerfed somehow.'
He cleared his throat.
"I'll feed you."
Reaching for the spoon of rice, he slowly pushed it toward her mouth.
Unexpectedly, she didn't resist; her mouth opened wide, taking it all.
Truly, she was adorable.
Even with eyes so dead and distant, her cuteness could not be matched.
Makes you wonder what kind of life she must have lived right up to this moment. The scar on her back was a good hint.
How can something so beautiful have such nasty scars?
Sylus kept at it, feeding her as much as she wanted to eat. If she were a dog, there was no doubt she would be wagging her tail happily.
Then came the system.
[You have gained 5 Karma points for a good deed.]
Sylus didn't stop feeding Zani, but his eyes were fixed on the runes.
It was the second time the system had sent him something like this, and it always happened whenever he did good for a person.
After a while, Zani was done eating and had fallen asleep on the bed.
No doubt she would start panicking once she woke up, but Sylus wasn't worried about that.
Sitting close to her on the bed, his eyes were focused on the glowing runes.
[Karma Points: 10/50.]
'It has a limit of 50.'
[Would you like to trade with your first Karma point?]
Yes or No.
Sylus swallowed hard.
"Yes."
[Karma Shop has been activated.]
Before Sylus could reconsider, his entire being was engulfed in an abyss of shadow.
It wasn't his physical form but an astral projection.
Wherever he turned, an endless expanse of darkness stretched, punctuated by countless twinkling stars, as if he were adrift in the cosmos.
Yet, something else seized his focus.
Hovering around him were three massive, radiant blue screens, each pulsing with its own vibrant world.
[Weapons: As the Catalyst, the universe has bestowed upon you its full arsenal of weaponry.]
[Summons: As the Catalyst, the universe has granted you dominion over all its summons.]
[Divine Blessing: As the Catalyst, the universe has endowed you with the entirety of its sacred blessings.]
'Unreal...'