NOVEL NEXT Chapter 608: Upgrade
Zach looked at Anerias and Violina for a few more moments before turning around and heading to the depths of the Underworld. He was happy for them. Their happiness made his mind buzz with painful memories of what could have been.
It made him miss Nora so hard his heart felt like it was seizing.
He had to get away and distract himself.
Fortunately, he knew just what to do. It was about time to get Zoe back up on her feet. He had been too busy to do it yesterday, but today, he had some time to make use of what he learned when shaking Bartuk's hand yesterday.
He glanced at Vidri as they walked.
[Zacharia Evandiel - Troublemaker | Savior of the Underworld | Rising Sun | Skinless Savior of the East]
[Level 46 Grandmaster Summoner]
[Innate Skill: Divine Luck]
[Acquired Skill(s): Usurpation | Surge | Chaos (Sealed)]
[Contract Skills: Blessed Defense | Material Extraction | Transcension | Eyes of Truth | Upgrade]
[Contracts: Yanael | Alzara roi Kalam | Soara | Mandra | Vidri]
[Yanael – SS-Rank Archangel *Battle Maid Variant]
[Alzara roi Kalam – SS-Rank Desert Witch *Battle Maid Variant]
[Soara – SS-Rank Deity of Death and Transcendence *Battle Maid Variant (SSS) (Incomplete)]
[Mandra – SSS-Rank Archon *Battle Maid Variant]
[Vidri – SSS-Rank Automaton *Battlemaid Variant]
[Titles: 4]
Very little had changed since the last time he checked. But he hadn't done much other than summoning Vidri, so it checked out.
He was a little surprised about what Vidri was, though. The contract skill he got from her also didn't seem as intuitive as Mandra's Eyes of Truth.
"Vidri?"
"Yes, Master?"
"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"Not at all, Master. Go ahead."
"What is an Automaton?"
Vidri's steps halted for a moment before she continued walking as smoothly as before.
"In simple terms, Master, an Automaton is a highly advanced golem."
"I see. I was under the impression that you were a human?" He said, a little confused.
"I was."
"What happened?"
"My body started failing me, so I replaced it. Piece by piece, I removed the rotting parts and replaced them with functioning, durable ones that wouldn't break after just a few years of regular wear and tear. I…" Vidri's gaze grew distant.
"It was a difficult task. The human body is a complex assortment of a variety of structures. The simple ones, like my organs and muscles, I could replace easily. Then, I discovered the nervous system, cells, and the brain.
"At first, I opted to maintain what I could. Maybe I could delay the inevitable long enough for me to be satisfied with my life. But there was no way I could be satisfied when I had stumbled upon something I couldn't recreate or replace, much less improve. So, in a…foolish attempt to prove to myself and the world that I couldn't be bested by something as trivial as the human body, I sought to complete myself.
"I made a network to replace the nervous system. And I made a brain to replace my own. There was just one problem." Vidri sighed.
"Performing a brain transplant on oneself is pretty difficult. In the end, I failed. I…am only here because the same thing that summoned me to you rectified my mistake."
Zach's eyes widened.
He had asked Vidri because he was earnestly curious about her identity as an Automaton. Maybe history had missed that part about her. And in that case, who made her?
He had not expected her to drop such a bomb about the summoning interface. It was apparently more than just a means to give information about the familiars to the summoner. He wanted to ask more. He wanted to know more.
But he could tell by Vidri's face that she didn't know any details beyond what she had just revealed. Even if she did know, Zach doubted she would be able to tell him.
She knew that something had interfered when she died. That something was the same something behind the summoning interface.
It had fixed her up and made her a familiar to be summoned when an appropriate summoner was detected.
It was a short piece of intel. But it was more and deeper than anything Zach had ever found out about the summoning interface. He couldn't help but wonder if the other four had been through something similar. He looked at them.
They just shrugged and shook their heads. Well, Sosora hadn't died to become a familiar. She had chosen that of her own while she was still alive.
"I see," Zach eventually said, stroking his chin and nodding thoughtfully. But Vidri's words were a confirmation of something he had long suspected.
Named familiars, variants or not, were individuals. They were people and beings with memories, personalities, and backstories. Most likely, becoming familiars was akin to an afterlife for them.
Other familiars, on the other hand, were most likely different.
Zach wasn't sure if they were beings stripped of their memories and identities or beings without them in the first place. Maybe they were parts of beings put together to create a complete version. But then, how did evolutions work?
Zach narrowed his eyes. That was a question he was a while away from answering.
"Any idea what my contract skill does? It's called Upgrade," He said, changing topics. He could tell that Vidri didn't like talking about her death. It was very understandable.
Vidri blinked and tilted her head. She looked at Zach with a blank stare.
"It upgrades things, does it not, Master?" She asked.
Zach froze with a blank expression on his face.
She had a very good point. It was a skill with a clear name, whose meaning he could decipher, unlike Transcension.
"How…do I use it?"
"I do not know, Master. What happens if you try using it instead of asking me?" Vidri tilted her head innocently as she asked.
Zach narrowed his eyes.
"Good idea." He scanned his surroundings for something to Upgrade. The first thing he found that wasn't attached to someone or something else was his necklace.