Couldn't My Reincarnation have been more Cliche!

Chapter 18 (Monarch's Reach)

I thought about following her, but there was something far more concerning that had been weighing on the corridor of my mind since I had woken up. Up until now, I had been putting it off as I gained an understanding of where I was, but I knew I would have to deal with it sooner or later. So with a thought, I opened the systems screen. The familiarity displayed flashed in front of me, covering my vision with pop-ups.
Looking at the display, my mind couldn't help but wander. It almost made sense back in the cave when I was constantly clashing with otherworldly monsters, but now when contrasted with my current surroundings, it almost felt like a fetter keeping me just out of reach of normalcy. It was a depressing thought, but I had a feeling that this wasn't a world where the weak could tread lightly. Having calmed my nerves, I read through the prompts. Word by word, my expression twisted from one of exasperation to excitement.

Apparently, I had managed to complete the "King Slayer" quest when I touched the ant lord, resulting in the "soul mutation" doubling in progress. I still didn't know exactly what that phrase even meant. Was it implying that I somehow was incomplete? I was never the most aware, but I think I would have noticed if I was missing 94 percent of "me." In the first place, what would even happen if I got to 100 percent? Could I accidentally end up going over it? Ahhh, couldn't that crappy goddess have given me a hint or something? Suddenly, I realized that the goddess still hadn't answered my message. I didn't know how gods worked (why would I?), but I didn't think she could be that busy when her home was a dimension of nothingness. None of these were questions that I could easily answer at the moment, so I ended up pushing them aside and continuing to read the rest of the messages. But it didn't take me long until I was more surprised than I had been a moment ago.

{New information:

[A Tier Modification Successful]

{Gained new active skill: "Monarch's Reach" [Grade B]}

{Active skill Description: Allows the User to manifest tendrils which can steal any energy compatible with the system that they come in contact with.}

{Gained new passive skill: "Lesser Recovery" [Grade B]}

{Passive skill Description: Allows the User to regenerate from minor wounds; this effect persists as long as the system is operational.}

Two new skills, and both of them were at B rank. The first of which was fairly self-explanatory. "Lesser recovery" It didn't take a genius to figure out that it probably had something to do with recovering from injury. This was all but confirmed when my mind flashed back to when I was cut by that piece of glass. Though I wasn't about to start hurting myself to fully test it out, I felt I had a fairly good idea of its use. The second skill was the one that left me more than a little perplexed. Its name was the first point of confusion. What in the world did "Monarch's Reach" mean? Its description was a little more helpful, but it left me feeling more concerned than anything. I feared that the only way to see what it did would be to test it out myself.

Aghast, I looked around the shop. I could hear the faint sounds of Marim walking in the other room, combined with the slight ding of metal hitting against itself, telling me she was still deep in her work. My eyes then filtered to the windows of the shop, battered by a hail of continuous rainfall, and the beginnings of an idea formed in my mind.

Heh, if I had to test it out, might as well test it now, right? I knew it wasn't the best idea given the circumstances, but hey, I put my life on the line more than once for this; I was going to see what it was, gosh dang it! Besides, who was ever given a superpower and didn't use it right away?

Convincing myself of my own correctness, I grabbed a seat in a position that, if Marim were to walk out the door, would conceal me from view for a moment. I then sat down facing away from the shop's entrance and mentally prepared myself.